What brings you to Batian?
To save Sen, who seems to be in danger related to the Chokugen Faction. It may already be too late, but what can you do about it?
First, I just rammed my head into the wall.
Anyway.
So I was about to ask the nun if there were any suspicious people or strange atmospheres around Batian recently, but it turned out she was the suspicious one.
Even though I wondered if it was okay to just let her become a saint, that was a later concern; right now, what was urgent was Sen.
“What?”
In the end, I was heading towards my accommodation at the Academy, but before that, I came across our homeroom professor, Amanda.
“That’s right. It’s not just Sen. Elise received a call from her parents, but Rin, Ares, and May—all of them have disappeared.”
What the heck does this mean?
I thought it was just Sen, but Rin, Ares, and May have disappeared too? Plus, Elise received a call from her parents?
I casually glanced at Professor Amanda’s expression and it didn’t seem like she knew Elise was a princess.
Her servant must have been pretending to be her parents.
“……”
“You must be very tired too, so go rest for now. After all, why would the Dean send a student to find other students…”
And with that, Professor Amanda went back to searching.
It was no simple matter. It felt like I got smacked right on the back of my head by the front paw of a magical beast living in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
“Phew.”
Professor Amanda told me to go back to the hotel and rest with Diana, but naturally, she was heading in the opposite direction.
The fact that Rin was in danger meant that the world was in danger. Even if Sen was taken by the Chokugen Faction, what reason could the other three have to disappear?
‘Let’s pass on Elise for now. If the professors are contacting her, that probably means she’s safe for the time being.’
And that, in turn, meant there was a high likelihood the royal family was involved.
It wasn’t strange for the royal family to handle the Chokugen Faction. They were positioned in a way that they must be completely pure, always dressed in white.
But of course, if you’re at the highest position, you’re the first one to get hit by falling rain.
They’d need an umbrella that wouldn’t dirty their royal attire, and many entities, starting with the Chokugen Faction, would likely serve as that umbrella for the royal family.
‘Wait a minute, could the incident involving Helios’s nun be related to this?’
It was ambiguous.
Ares, who bore the mark of Helios, had disappeared, and there was the incident where Helios’s nun committed murder and fled.
It could be linked, but I also felt like I might be pushing things too far.
“For now, I need to find the kids.”
I began to search the surroundings carefully, as if I were looking for herbs in the Forest of the Demon Realm or approaching magical beasts, taking it slow. If the Chokugen Faction was still in Batian, tracking their movements wouldn’t be too difficult.
Just as I thought that…
Unexpectedly, a woman who could give me a clue boldly approached me.
At first glance at her clothes, I thought she was Bertia, Elise’s maid. After all, she was wearing the same maid outfit.
The woman exuded an air of manners and grace with every gesture, especially when she bowed her head towards me—it felt like I was some kind of powerful figure or wealthy tycoon.
“Greetings, Daniel McLean.”
“……”
Honestly, I wasn’t feeling too good right now, so I didn’t properly acknowledge the maid’s greeting.
Wearing a maid outfit like Bertia’s meant she was affiliated with the royal family and could be the one who kidnapped Elise and the other students.
‘She doesn’t seem to be at Bertia’s level though.’
“My name is Priscilla, the personal maid of His Highness, Prince Oliver de Frisia.”
‘The 1st Prince?’
Did she mean the one who’s considered the closest to the throne after the king and is expected to be the next king?
In my past life, Prince Oliver ascended to the throne without any upheaval at all.
“He wishes to see you.”
“The 1st Prince wants to see me?”
I couldn’t help but wonder why the 1st Prince was here, but Priscilla lightly smiled and issued a warning.
“Daniel, you must address him as ‘Prince.’ Please use proper honorifics.”
“……Understood.”
Since I had nothing in my hands right now and felt more regret than anything, I decided to bow my head and follow her in.
‘Phew.’
Of course, while forcing myself to take deep breaths, I had to restrain the rising anger.
‘You twisted the situation this much and then sought me out?’
I followed Priscilla out of curiosity about what kind of business I was being summoned for, and she led me to one of the best hotels in Batian.
The hotel’s interior was pleasantly cool compared to the rising heat outside.
The refreshing scent of green herbs tickled my nose, and while not quite as professional as Priscilla, the hotel servants greeted me with formality.
What was a bit unique was that their physical balance, standing posture, and muscles were quite different from typical hotel servants.
“There are no other guests.”
Priscilla told me as I glanced around to see if anyone else was there.
Well, if the 1st Prince was here, he probably would have the whole hotel to himself.
I smirked internally as I entered the room located on the very top floor.
There was a well-built man, half-naked. Just like Elise, he had golden blonde hair and golden eyes, carrying an air of nobility that looked like he was born with gold.
Maybe it was because he knew his own value too well.
From the moment he saw me, it was as if he was appraising the worth of Daniel McLean, but it didn’t have the gaze of a merchant assessing a sea-going merchant’s worth.
It was the gaze of a gem appraiser determining authenticity.
He began evaluating me the moment I crossed the threshold of the door.
“So, Daniel McLean, Elise mentioned you.”
“Did you take Elise?”
Was it because of my tone? Priscilla immediately reached for the hidden dagger on her thigh, but my gaze was already on her thigh.
“……!”
“Oh?”
Realizing she hadn’t even acted before I read her movements, Priscilla froze, while Oliver the Prince looked at me with an interesting expression, crossing his legs and resting his chin on his hand.
“I heard you’re a commoner; giving you formalities doesn’t seem fitting for his capacity. Just let it be.”
“……Understood.”
Even though she was openly insulted in front of me, it seemed like the prince acknowledged it, so there was no need to force any formalities.
“The reason I called you is simple. I heard you’re the one who exterminated the Tudogs all alone, and looking at you now, you seem to have the skills for it.”
“……”
Is this something Elise mentioned?
I was confident that Elise wasn’t the type to lightly talk about me to anyone. She must have pulled some strings.
“So, I wish to use you, Daniel McLean, the boy who became the lion of the plains, despite being a commoner.”
“You mean to use me?”
An unexpected proposal.
But since I felt a flaw in it, I asked again.
“On what basis do you wish to use me? Just because I exterminated a mere Tudog?”
Oliver the Prince relaxed his chin and began tapping his fingers on the armrest.
“Our intel on the Tudog organization reached us two years ago. We attempted to clean it up, but they cleverly used the characteristics of the Forest of the Demon Realm to escape.”
Indeed, if someone hid in the Forest of the Demon Realm, pursuers would end up like dogs chasing after a chicken.
In my past life, I often encountered people coming into the forest to evade pursuers.
Of course, most of those often ended up as today’s special for the magical beasts.
“You’re the one who personally entered the Forest of the Demon Realm and exterminated such creatures. Yes, I know absolutely nothing about you.”
With a snake-like smile, Prince Oliver continued his speech.
“But what does that matter? When you wield a sword, does it matter what steel it’s made of, whose hands forged it, or how it was processed? For me, it doesn’t. A sword is simply for cutting. If it cuts well, that’s enough.”
He was saying he didn’t care about my background, tendencies, or personality. He merely viewed me as a useful pawn.
‘What a load of nonsense.’
Of course, I intended to refuse.
Who does he think he is, trying to snag me with such pitiful ambitions?
“Sorry, but…”
“Rin.”
I tried to speak as politely as possible, fearing that rejecting him outright might offend him, but Oliver the Prince’s smile told me otherwise.
I realized I had no way to escape.
“Ares, May, Sen. Your friends, right? I’ve heard they’re quite precious and valuable to you.”
“……”
This feeling was something I had never experienced in my life.
It was like something was swelling from my chest, quickly surging throughout my entire body.
My head started getting hot, and I unconsciously tensed.
Priscilla panicked and stepped in front of the prince, but he merely gestured her away with a satisfied smile.
“O lion of the plains, you think I would have let you in without a leash?”
Words spilling from his mouth were tightening like a noose around my neck.
