Duke Yuma had no intention of staying in the count’s residence.
The entity occupying Count Rubelt’s body would undoubtedly be trying to keep an eye on their party, including himself.
Even if they infiltrated, doing so from outside the count’s castle had a significantly lower chance of getting caught.
“Murphy, Murphy. Please help my brother. You said you knew where he is.”
“Shh, please keep your voice down, Miss.”
Duke Yuma turned his head towards the direction of the voice.
A young knight with brown hair was comforting Luine, the blonde girl with tear-streaked cheeks.
‘Alignment: Good.’
[Lv.62] Murphy
An intermediate Sword Expert with a mid-level cap. A thirty-year-old swordsman who had already reached his limit.
Yuma watched Murphy and Luine closely.
It was clear that Luine trusted Murphy.
Yuma spoke to Hestia, who was standing next to him.
“Can you remember the scents of that knight and Luine? We’ll rendezvous later.”
Hestia perked up her hidden ears from under her robe and nodded eagerly.
“Yep!”
As Yuma left the count’s castle, he recalled the conversation he had with Luine a few minutes ago.
– Stay outside the castle at night by any means. It would be great if you could bring along a knight or soldier you trust. I’ll come to fetch you. I’ll help you find your brother locked in prison.
Luine had quietly whispered a location to him.
– …The bench across from the clock tower.
If Luine acted on Yuma’s advice and ventured out at night, it seemed likely she would be accompanied by that knight named Murphy.
*
Yuma, Cloney, and Hestia filled their stomachs at a restaurant near the inn while waiting for the sun to set.
Hestia was scanning the area as she ate, seemingly hoping her missing brother might be around.
“You said he’s not your real brother?”
Cloney gazed at Hestia with her shining golden eyes. Once it became clear that her brother was not in the restaurant, Hestia, a bit downcast, nodded while slowly eating her pasta.
“Yeah.”
“Then how did you meet him?”
“I met him in a nearby village called Garbel. He has a unique name, Haruk! I saved him from almost getting killed by a bear. But he said he was a drifter too. The whole village burned down because of bandits, and he felt guilty for being the only survivor.”
It was a common story.
“So we hung out together. Two drifters. We successfully entered Count Rubelt’s territory, but then he suddenly disappeared on the third day. It was a pretty rundown inn. I told him to wait on the first floor, but…”
As Hestia explained, she hung her head low.
“If I had been with him, I could have protected him.”
“If I had known, I would have protected it.”
Duke Yuma gazed into Hestia’s green eyes.
“It’s pointless to blame yourself for things that have already happened. If we meet with the eldest son Kaisen, who seems to know something about this situation, we might find out more.”
Hestia chuckled softly at Yuma’s indifferent comfort.
“Right, we will find it.”
The meal gradually came to an end. Yuma’s party stood up. They headed toward the clock tower, where Luine had whispered about meeting up. Not only Hestia but also Yuma and Cloney were wearing robes.
“Sniff, sniff, I smell something. It seems like it’s here.”
Hestia sniffed the air. Yuma glanced around. He finally understood why Luine suggested meeting at the bench across from the clock tower.
A tree with incredibly lush branches completely obscured the bench.
“Somehow, you managed to escape the castle safely. At night, no less.”
At Yuma’s words, a blonde girl sitting on the bench raised her head.
The girl’s tiny mouth opened.
“If you climb the mountain behind us, it takes a while, but you can sneak out.”
Yuma stared intently at the girl, Luine. Sweat was beading on her forehead. Her blonde hair seemed damp with sweat too.
Stepping forward was Murphy, the brown-haired knight standing next to her.
“Why did you call Miss Luine?”
“You know the rumors, right? The eldest son Kaisen is in prison. A special kind where visitation isn’t allowed.”
“…I think there has been some misunderstanding. However, it is still Count Rubelt’s order.”
Yuma and Murphy exchanged glances.
“You must have felt something strange about the Count’s actions lately.”
Murphy’s expression crumpled. Yuma’s words were correct. The original Count Rubelt was in declining health, but suddenly he became lively, as if rejuvenated.
And incidents of boys and girls, or young men and women disappearing from the noble family were happening, yet no orders were given for measures; he merely stood by.
This behavior of the Count forced a single assumption to sprout in Murphy’s mind. An unreasonable suspicion.
It was possible that the Count was involved in the series of disappearances occurring in the Count’s domain.
“The innocent eldest son Kaisen being locked in a prison with no visitation. That means he knows something for sure. We just need to listen to what the eldest son has to say.”
Yuma stared intently at Murphy.
“Lead me to the prison, you know the location, right?”
“…I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve heard the location from my superiors.”
“I know where the location of the prison is.”
The prison was a building rising to the right of the forest, far away from Count Rubelt’s castle. A circular prison building.
From a distance, it looked like a giant black tombstone.
“It’s bigger than I thought.”
That was Cloney’s voice. At her words, Duke Yuma and Hestia nodded vigorously.
Duke Yuma gazed at Luine and Murphy.
“Is that prison one that was there originally?”
Murphy responded to that question.
“No. It used to be an abandoned building. They probably started using it about four months ago. And four months ago… was when Count Rubelt changed a bit.”
Murphy spoke with a stern face.
For the first time, he confronted the uncomfortable truth he had been avoiding.
“…That’s also when children and young people started going missing in the Count’s territory.”
Seeing Murphy, who seemed inexplicably weighed down by self-reproach, Duke Yuma spoke again.
“We’re going in. Slowly.”
Before the prison, there was a mess of underbrush.
Duke Yuma looked at Hestia.
If the Cat-Folk in this world had abilities similar to those in “Loop Blood,” then Hestia was the one specialized for infiltration.
She was nimble and from a race with a natural talent for stealth and concealment.
Now seemed like the perfect time for her to showcase her innate abilities.
“Figure out how many guards are there, just the numbers. Do not get caught. Can you do it?”
Hestia grinned, revealing her white teeth.
“Well, what do you think I am?”
Hestia subtly pushed her robe back. It seemed to hinder her role as a scout being from the Cat-Folk. With her leather shoes, Hestia’s feet moved.
Swoosh—
The sound of her footsteps did not carry. Silent.
Yet Hestia was advancing rapidly.
Duke Yuma slowly got up and followed after Hestia.
Reconnaissance was just reconnaissance. He was prepared to charge in unless there were mindlessly close to 100 guards.
‘And there’s no way that’ll happen.’
A nameless prison hidden deep in the outskirts.
If such a place had that many personnel stationed, it would lower security instead. The biggest factor was that Count Rubelt’s security forces weren’t that impressive. The likelihood of monsters appearing or invading forces sneaking in was almost non-existent in Count Rubelt’s territory.
‘Probably just a select few elite.’
There was a high probability that only a small number of elite troops were stationed there.
Following Duke Yuma, Murphy, Luine, and Cloney trailed behind.
Rustle…
‘Two at the entrance.’
Hestia hid behind the shadows of the prison walls. Then, taking advantage of the blind spots of the two guards at the entrance, she infiltrated inside. Using shadows and cover, she rapidly and quietly climbed the wall, utilizing her arm and hand strength alongside her body’s agility.
Slipping into the blind spot of the two guards, they infiltrated inside. Using shadows and cover, they quickly stealthily climbed the wall with the strength of their arms and hands, plus the elasticity of their bodies.
Hestia’s green eyes were fixed beyond the iron bars. Inside sat a boy and girl, helplessly chained at their ankles.
Her eyes quickly scanned the children’s faces, but she couldn’t find her younger brother, Haruk.
‘Haruk…!’
If it were up to her, she would want to circle around this round prison, examining the faces of everyone trapped in these rooms, but there was no time for that.
The quickest option was to completely neutralize the prison guards, then swiftly check all the rooms.
Hestia, hidden in the shadows, assessed the visible troops. There were about 18 soldiers wandering around. A big man stood in front of the door to the east. Besides that man, no special forces were visible.
Using the shadows as her ally, Hestia swiftly descended the prison. Just as quietly and quickly, she returned to Yuma’s side.
Something emerged from Yuma’s shadow. It was Hestia, who had arrived by his side without a sound.
“How did it go?”
“I only spotted one notable threat. In the east where the entrance is. And… there are children trapped in the prison. They must be related to the missing persons case. First, we need to take out the visible forces and investigate the prison further.”
Hestia paused for a moment and gazed at Luine.
“Ah, I can’t be sure if the eldest son, Kaisen, is there or not.”
Murphy, the knight next to them, spoke up.
“Young master is probably trapped underground. They wouldn’t make it easy for him to escape, no matter what variables arise.”
Yuma met Hestia’s green eyes as she finished her briefing.
Her eyes shook slightly; it seemed she hadn’t found her beloved younger sibling after all.
“Let’s go in.”
With only 18 enemies, there was no need for stealth. Yuma headed east, planning to take down the strongest guy at the entrance first.
“Grrrrr….”
It was a sound that hardly seemed human. The big man, about 3 meters tall, had glowing red eyes.
Those eyes were fixed on Yuma as he approached with majestic steps.
“Don’t hesitate. Take him down. That’s the only way we can safely rescue them.”
Hestia and Cloney nodded vigorously at Yuma’s words.
“…What should I do?”
Murphy still didn’t have a weapon in hand.
“Make your own judgment. You’re a knight of the Count.”
Yuma stepped forward.
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