As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover Chapter 196

“I cannot claim a position gained by betraying my lord.”

 

People who had been exposed to mental magic for a long time were easily brainwashed. It seemed that only those who had been successfully brainwashed had been sent to him so far so as not to reveal that the assassins were under the influence of dark magic.

 

The unofficial imperial knights, the Shadow Light, were the Empire’s shadow, and officially, they did not exist. Thus, they were mostly composed of those without families, carrying related traumas. The empress dowager appeared to have exploited this, using dark magic to absorb the Shadow Light knights into her own ranks.

 

Since not everyone could be controlled by magic, some of the newly recruited members, like Fin, seemed to have pledged their loyalty in exchange for the imperial doctor taking care of their families for free.

 

“She also planted spies in other knight orders.”

 

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like there are many, but no one knows who they are, creating an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and tension.”

 

It appeared that the empress dowager had also hidden her people in various other knight orders, but due to the limitations of magic, she had likely only deployed a minimal number. Even that would be enough to manipulate the other knight orders. Since no one could know when or where the emperor’s people might be watching, everyone was careful with their words and actions, unable to express their dissatisfaction.

 

Upon examining with magic, Fin at least was not under the influence of dark magic. He hadn’t been under the empress dowager long enough to be brainwashed, so his information seemed reliable.

 

“There’s much to sort out when we return.”

 

“And recently, I witnessed something strange.”

 

“Something strange?”

 

“A large number of prisoners were transported to the imperial underground prison around the time the patients with sleeping sickness began waking up. It’s very rare for so many prisoners to arrive at once, so I found it suspicious.”

 

“…”

 

“The same thing happened again just yesterday during the day, so this time, I participated in the transport myself. I found that the people being transported were labeled as criminals, but their crimes were unclear, and they were all patients.”

 

“…I see.”

 

It seemed that while attention was focused on Luize and the patients with sleeping sickness, the empress dowager had moved patients or lives to be used as materials for dark magic experiments to the imperial underground prison. Given that they had replenished their numbers today, knowing this, it was imperative to rescue them as soon as possible.

 

Within the knight orders, Edward knew the imperial castle best. If it’s just moving patients, I should be able to go briefly. I can erase Fin’s memory once the task is done.

 

It was not something to be taken lightly. However, having regained memories of his past life, Edward thought he could easily rescue the patients, who might be used as materials for dark magic, with his power.

 

“Fin, lead the way.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Edward teleported with Fin into the imperial castle. The imperial family’s wizards could use magic relatively freely within the castle. There were areas where magic was forbidden, but Edward could paralyze the detection magic in those places with his superior power. Although it was a hassle, it meant that there was no place in the castle that he couldn’t reach with a bit of focus.

 

Covering Fin’s mouth to stifle a scream of horror, Edward spoke in a low voice. “Is this the prison?”

 

Fin shook his head. When Edward removed his hand, Fin also replied in a lower voice. “It’s in the north. But, Your Highness, the magic…”

 

“It’s in a difficult spot to access.”

 

Without waiting for the answer, Edward moved on. Fin, noticing the mood, refrained from asking further questions and led the way.

 

Edward cast light sleep spells on the guards as he calmly walked downward. Although the castle was originally his home, seeing him move through it like it was truly his own made Fin’s expression bitter.

 

“Uugh…”

 

“Ack! Aaah!”

 

Screams and groans of pain echoed together. Edward’s face hardened.

 

“…This is the place.”

 

“Yes. The path here is a bit complicated. The underground prison was expanded a few years ago, so the route Your Highness knows may be different. This way first…”

 

Thud. Just as Fin began to walk forward to guide the way, he suddenly stopped with a huge thud.

 

“Fin!”

 

As blood sprayed from Fin’s mouth, a massive black spear that had pierced his chest appeared a moment later.

 

“…No.”

 

Edward rushed to Fin. The light of life was slowly fading from his eyes. He had faced such scenes countless times before. For Edward, life was like enduring on top of a mountain of deaths piling up beneath his feet.

 

“Protect His Highness!”

 

“Your Highness, you must survive.”

 

The weight of the blood spilled by those who died for him pressed down on his entire body, and the hopes of the departed made it impossible for him to choose death lightly. Each day was one of atonement. It was closer to enduring than living.

 

Edward immediately cast a barrier around Fin. The time within the barrier would remain in the present before Fin’s breath had ceased.

 

“There is someone who can save you. I’ll bring them immediately. Or rather, I should move you in this state…”

 

Choosing to let Fin be wounded and flee was also part of his atonement. Perhaps it was easier that way. He thought it might even be acceptable to die from a subordinate’s betrayal. He wanted to escape the growing weight of death that came with saving him.

 

Clang. As Edward moved to leave, the sound of chains came from his ankle. Suddenly, black fog surrounded him. It was then that he remembered the entire underground prison was under a mana detection spell.

 

“…A trap, was it?”

 

It was a trap of a different nature than before. Unfortunately, the empress dowager seemed to have accurately identified his weakness. He should have been more suspicious of why Fin had sought him out today.

 

The empress dowager had likely shown Fin the underground prison at a time when he might seek out Edward. That way, Fin would either offer his life or beg for forgiveness while bringing up the underground prison. If she had been monitoring Fin’s efforts to save his sister, it wouldn’t have been hard to infer the timing.

 

“So, I didn’t survive this long by luck alone. Well played.”

 

Edward smirked. The mental dark magic had already half succeeded in infiltrating his mind. He had barely managed to stop it at the current point, but activating another spell would make it only a matter of time before he was consumed. Still in that state, a day passed.

 

[…rd.]

 

[Edward? Can you hear me?]

 

In his hazy, blurred consciousness, the voice he had been waiting for echoed.

 

* * *

The Lindeman estate was in a state of emergency. Fortunately, just before the coronation, there wasn’t much to do. All preparations had been completed perfectly, and it was just a matter of maintaining his condition. Although time was tight, his experience with his second coronation allowed him to handle things skillfully.

 

Robin panicked at Edward’s absence, something he had never experienced before. “If he hasn’t returned by now, could it be that—”

 

Ren cut him off. “Ppii!” [He’s alive!]

 

“Ren, can you sense something?”

 

When Maxion asked, Ren nodded vigorously.

 

“Ppiii. Ppi.” [I can’t pinpoint the exact location, but I can sense his mana not far from here. It’s within the capital.]

 

After Maxion translated Ren’s words, Luize spread out a map of the capital. Since realizing Edward had disappeared, she had been on high alert. She remained dressed in training clothes, her hair tied up, and kept her sword close, ready for combat at any moment.

 

“It’s now confirmed. Edward has definitely been kidnapped.”

 

“We need to fool the servants sent by the imperial family. Even if we say he needed a day of rest and isn’t leaving his room, if they don’t see any signs of activity, they’ll become suspicious.”

 

Everyone nodded at Maxion’s suggestion.

 

Hendrik spoke up. “Is there anyone who can take His Highness’s place?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

There was no one within the knight order who could replace Edward. Not only was there a significant difference in their physiques, but finding someone tall, strong, and with excellent acting skills to replace Edward…

 

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Knock, knock.

 

“Hello, Lady Luize. It’s Ellisian. I’ve come for today’s lesson. I heard you were in this room.”

 

Everyone exchanged glances at the gentle voice coming from outside the door.

 

Hendrik spoke. “Was today a lesson day?”

 

“Ah, right. I’ve been learning various things from Ellisian lately… Wait, didn’t Edward impersonate Ellisian on the day he became my lover?”