Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 152

The king’s decision took three days. The negotiations were successful, although he had some conditions for Telene.

 

Zephyto was disappointed that the negotiations had taken up so much time, but it wasn’t unexpected, so he was optimistic.

 

As Zephyto organized his men to enter the Telene black market, he thought of Iris, who would remain in the Empire. By now, the Empire must have noticed his strange behavior.

 

Perhaps he’s already gathered his knights and is on his way here.

 

He had Elpias attached to her as a precaution, but without him, his anxiety rose.

 

“It’s serious.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Elita’s eyes widened as they studied the map together, and Zephyto realized he’d been talking to himself.

 

He pressed a slick finger to his lips, then clenched his fist slightly. Zephyto looked down at the ring on his ring finger. He ran his fingers over its surface.

 

He didn’t often wear jewelry, but the ring felt awkward on his hand. The unfamiliarity of it kept drawing his eyes to it, and it reminded him of Iris.

 

He pressed his fingers to his chest, as if she were a part of him.

 

If this ends well… she will be his.

 

He wondered what she hadn’t told him, what stories she’d hidden in the forest he loved.

 

‘I’d better get this over with.’

 

The longer he stayed in Telene, the better. He needed to find the evidence, dispose of Ragnar, and return to peace as soon as possible. It was good for the Empire, good for Iris, and good for Zephyto himself.

 

Zephyto threw the black robes around his shoulders and led the knights Willis had recruited to the black market.

 

Seeing this, Elita donned the same robe and followed him. It was time to finish the long fight with Ragnar.

 

With Zephyto’s knowledge and Willis’ support, clearing the black market of slaves went more smoothly than expected. He led his knights in a swift charge and took control of the center within a week.

 

In the basement of Telene, the screams of slave brokers and the cries of kidnapped and held children mingled noisily.

 

Every single one of them had the same look on their faces when they saw Zephyto. The look of how dare you come to this center.

 

Their dark stares were a stark reminder of how Ragnar viewed him.

 

“Scour the place.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Once they reached the center, Zephyto ordered his knights. The matchmakers had fled in the sudden raid, leaving behind a lot of material. If they could work with these materials, they might be able to find Ragnar’s secret weapon.

 

“Elita, did you find anything?”

 

“We found too much, that’s the problem. First of all, I found a lethal weapon to kill people under the guise of a plague. It’s called a potion.”

 

“A potion?”

 

“Yes. I don’t know if it’s the hard-to-find ingredients or the process of making it, but there’s only one so far.”

 

Elita handed the materials in her hand to Zephyto. He read it carefully, pondering over it.

 

“It’s intended to be used as a weapon of war, so they must have a lab somewhere other than the Telene underground, but I’ve never been able to locate it. The underground is like an anthill, and it’ll take some time to find it.”

 

“What’s the situation on the Imperial side?”

 

“I spoke to my contacts this morning, and they’re aware of the Prince’s treason, but they’re not making any major moves.”

 

“I suppose so. Ragnar is a coward, and we must find evidence and get to the Empire in the meantime, or our negotiations with the king will be compromised.”

 

Listening to him, Elita pursed her lips as if something had occurred to her. Uncharacteristically, there was hesitation in her eyes. The only sound between them was the rustle of paper.

 

Elita, who had been standing behind him for some time, took a step closer to him. Zephyto sensed the pretense and looked up.

 

“And I have one more thing to report to you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“The princess has disappeared.”

 

The papers in Zephyto’s hand scattered to the floor. His breath, which had been coming evenly for a moment, stopped, and he looked as if the world had stopped.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The princess has disappeared, and judging by the time it took to get here, it’s been days.”

 

“To be precise, Iris, she has disappeared.”

 

Zephyto asked through clenched teeth. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as his low, angry voice reached his ears. Elita stiffened, gathering her thoughts.

 

In the meantime, Zephyto’s world was falling apart again. Had he been a fool to trust her?

 

Zephyto tugged furiously at the ring on his ring finger. Still, the anxiety that had already risen was not easily quelled.

 

Iris had run off again, saying she was waiting for him to return. As she had done in the forest, she gave no reason.

 

Roughly pulling off his robes, he tried to make his way through the black market, his terrifying momentum barely stopped by Elita.

 

“Get out of the way.”

 

“I can’t. You can’t let this ruin everything. Think carefully.”

 

“Careful… Prudence. Don’t you remember why I got into this mud fight?”

 

“…….”

 

Elita clamped her mouth shut and stared at the ground, as if she, too, could not comprehend the complexity of this tangled situation.

 

Zephyto cleared his throat, drying his face harshly. But soon his anger was directed at Elita.

 

He reached out with his left hand and squeezed Elita’s shoulder hard. Elita’s brow furrowed slightly at the force. But she swallowed a groan and endured the pain.

 

“If I walk away from this, the duke and everyone else involved in this fight will be damned.”

 

“You’re leaving knowing that, my lord, you must stay.”

 

“But why? It’s not the honor of the Empire that matters to me, it’s just…”

 

“…….”

 

“Iris.”

 

“I’ll find her, so just–”

 

“You expect me to believe that when she’s already gone? You should have held onto her in the first place.”

 

Silence fell between them once more. Zephyto hadn’t backed down from his insistence on returning to the Empire.

 

‘Where had Iris run off to? Why would she run away now, and where could she possibly go?’

 

Zephyto thought quickly, preparing to follow in her footsteps.

 

Watching his ferocious momentum, Elita let out the breath she’d been holding. She removed her armor and pulled a note from her pants pocket.

 

“The princess hid it in her drawer.”

 

At the mention of Iris’ name, Zephyto’s ferocity subsided. Taking the note, he slowly read its contents. It was from the Duke of Elter, addressed to her.

 

“It contains black market information.”

 

“I don’t know how long they’ve been corresponding, but that’s all I have left.”

 

“Even detailed.”

 

“Yes. Based on the map in this note, the location of the lab is easy to find.”

 

‘Why did Duke Elter give Iris the information about Telene?’

 

‘Why did she leave it in a drawer?’

 

‘And why did she disappear from the planet after seeing it?’

 

The more he tried to decipher the note, the more he felt like he was in a quagmire.

 

Crumpling the paper in his hand, Zephyto slipped it into his pocket. The note was of no useful value to him.

 

Then, as if sensing his thoughts, Elita quickly spoke again.

 

“In any case, Elpias is already on her trail. We don’t know exactly where she went, but we’ve tracked her, and she’s headed here.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“The princess is evading detection, but her destination seems to be here in Telene, so it’s more advantageous for her to stay here than to go to the Empire.”

 

“She’s coming here, you’re sure?”

 

“I am certain. I dare say my guess is that… with instructions.”

 

She had a point. Zephyto felt a tingling sensation, as if he’d been slapped across the back of his head. Given the chain of events leading up to the cottage, Elita’s conclusion was not far-fetched.

 

‘Why had Iris put the ring on his finger?’

 

If the instructions she’d received were based on the note, Iris’ destination must be the lab. If that was the case, then the place he needed to go was not the Empire, but the lab where Iris would arrive.

 

His eyes gleamed with a mixture of madness and mischief.

 

“I want the location of the lab by today. We need to get there earlier, this is our last chance.”