I Captured the Enemy Who Tried to Kill Me - Chapter 29
To stop it completely, I needed to persuade the other side, too.
“Those foolish Awakened Ones aren’t listening to us at all, so what more do you want me to do?”
Especially the Emperor. Kaisis.
That man lately countered everything I said.
Exactly like he was deeply upset or spiteful toward me, Duke Ariel.
‘I only remember diligently guiding him, so why is he acting this way toward me?’
Of course, that man had no idea that I was the devoted Guide from those nights.
So I was occasionally feeling furious, but.
‘Damn that man.’
At night, he’s like, huh?
‘Why is your tongue so sweet?’
Spouting such nonsense that could make someone’s face burst.
‘I’d like to show you what face you make when absorbing energy through a kiss.’
Saying such things while kissing so deeply that I couldn’t breathe.
‘Ugh. Why am I thinking about this?’
I shuddered and shook off the night memories.
I cleared my throat toward the fat cat who was staring at me with drowsy eyes.
“Of course, there seems to be one way. Since I obtained movement magic, I think I might find clues about the villain I’ve forgotten if I look for places where the original female protagonist appears.”
“If you know, then move, meow.”
Tap tap, somehow it felt like I was being scolded even though that fat cat was the one who did wrong.
Tap!
Shut up meow. As if saying that, the annoying tail hit the floor.
And I made a decision.
To move, I needed to escape from these overwhelming duties.
I rang the bell to summon my assistant, who was dispatched outside through a magic circle.
The capable assistant who appeared faster than any living Archmage looked at me with a pale face.
As the cold and indifferent Duke Ariel, I declared in my true form.
“One day vacation tomorrow.”
“…What?”
“So don’t look for me. Understood?”
“….”
I should have done this from the beginning.
Indeed, being a superior was good.
***
The fat cat refused to accompany me.
‘Are you a stupid fool who can’t do anything without this body, meow?’
What kind of guide is this?
‘This body is heavy, meow!’
Sadly, that was something obvious without looking, so I nagged him to please stop eating desserts and activated the movement magic.
And cough.
“Ugh, what, what is this?”
The impression of my first magic activation was terrible.
‘It feels like my intestines are being pulled out.’
I sprawled in an alley where no one was watching and crawled on the ground.
I’m really glad no one is here.
That no one could see this disgraceful state!
“Hor-horrible…”
It was completely different from the disguise magic that worked naturally through the system.
Something intangible that I couldn’t even perceive except for guiding energy was yanked out of my body.
The problem was that the pain of something firmly solidified, suddenly being pulled out, spread throughout my body.
‘Aaack!’
I screamed silently.
In the dark space, something twisted, tore, and recombined.
And I was thrown down somewhere in a shabby back alley, treated like garbage.
“Ugh…”
Could it be because I’m not really Duke Ariel?
Surely not all magic would have this kind of effect?
“Then, cough, I absolutely can’t demonstrate in front of others, this is crazy.”
That can’t be. There must be a way to solve this.
I staggered up, holding onto the wall.
“Is this? Did I arrive at the right place?”
I looked around but couldn’t tell where I was.
After brushing back my disheveled hair, I pulled down my hood that had fallen back.
It would be troublesome if someone recognized me.
‘Instead of attack magic, I brought two crystals – one that creates fog when thrown, and another that can spread flames – so I should be fine.’
They said I could move to places I could visualize from memory.
So is this the right place?
‘The part where the female protagonist first gets entangled with the mastermind group.’
Even if my memory of my appearance as a supporting character was hazy, I remembered our sunshine protagonist’s activities with ghostly accuracy.
So if I go straight to the right at the three-way fork in the road.
‘I’ll surely catch traces of those mastermind bastards somewhere. Then I can take that and inform those rigid Awakened Ones that there’s a strange group, and it’s not the magicians but these people who are plotting something.’
That should roughly solve it.
But.
Humming a tune as I reached the end of the road, I witnessed an unexpected scene.
“You crazy bastard!”
Some men shouting loudly.
Thwack─ Thud.
“Aaaack!”
And even a figure who appeared to be an innocent victim, screaming.
But in that innocent victim’s arms was something that looked rather dangerous, some kind of drug.
‘What should I do about this?’
I hadn’t expected such a commotion.
Hiding my body, I concealed myself behind a wall and observed the situation in the alley.
Three people who looked like thugs.
One victim.
“Why didn’t you listen when we told you to pour it into the well?”
“B-but! My little sister, my little sister was there too!”
“You should have worried about that before borrowing money from us. Right?”
“F-forgive me. Ugh!”
“Awakened Ones aren’t human, you idiot!”
Pour what? Surely not that drug?
‘Oh. I’ve heard this somewhere.’
My eyes flashed.
My hazy memory finally shone.
‘Those people, they’re the mastermind’s pawns.’
I clearly remembered an episode where our sunshine protagonist was active, about Awakened Ones who went berserk because of drugs poured into a well.
Our B-grade Guide, the sunshine protagonist, amazingly had good compatibility regardless of rank, and performed the amazing feat of saving them.
Of course, the Emperor, who couldn’t stand by and watch his own Guide become famous as the savior of others, was consumed with jealousy and had a very hot night…
‘No, that’s not it.’
I shook my head vigorously.
Anyway, if I catch them now, I should be able to excellently mediate the fight between the Awakened Ones and magicians.
Is this what they call catching a mouse while a cow backs up?
‘But how do I catch them by myself?’
That was the problem.
I swallowed hard.
‘I can’t use that ultimate skill, the so-called great disaster here.’
I would half-destroy the back alley trying to catch three suspects.
‘Hmm, is my only option to attack while moving with movement magic?’
But considering how I collapsed after using movement magic earlier, I questioned whether this was even possible.
If I collapsed, I would truly be ruined.
‘But I can’t just do nothing here. What should I do?’
I could cause confusion by throwing the crystal balls I brought, but they would just run away.
It seemed better to first knock out at least one of them in a different way.
I looked around and found a fairly large stone to grip.
‘They say theory and practice are different, but can I knock someone out with one hit?’
But what else could I do? I had to try.
If necessary, I could endure the pain and escape using movement magic while grabbing the victim by the neck.
First, crouching low and hiding behind the shadow of the wall, approaching behind those who were still spewing curses.
Just as I raised the stone high.
─Thwack. Thud.
“Aaaack, ack!”
It wasn’t the work of the stone in my grasp.
It was the sound of them being beaten up, thanks to the actions of some hooded figure who appeared like a ghost.
‘What’s this situation now?’
It didn’t seem right to show my face here.
‘Let’s retreat for now.’
But my action seemed to cause a misunderstanding.
As I hesitantly took a few steps back, the figure who was catching the three like mice turned around.
And blocked my path.
No, no! Look, those people are escaping!
Hey, you should catch those guys!
“Are you one of them, too?”
“…!”
But that voice.
‘Could it be?’
I froze in place and looked ahead.
A chilling feeling crept up my spine.
As soon as I recognized whose voice it was, I barely avoided the hand reaching toward me.
‘I mustn’t be touched!’
But I couldn’t prevent my hood from falling back as I staggered.
My red hair fluttered in the blowing wind.
“…Could it be, you?”
Why did I have to encounter this voice here?
“Duke?”
The man with a dumbfounded expression slowly removed his hood.
Vivid silver hair and blue eyes.
“Your Majesty.”
It was Kaisis.
