Episode 008
<Yes. If it’s you, you’ll definitely be able to find His Highness the Prince. I’ll finish up here and return as soon as I can.>
<…Will you be alright on your own?>
<It’s because I’m alone that I’ll be alright. You know that, don’t you?>
At that moment, something astonishing happened.
Kuyan’s body was enveloped in a red light, and then transformed into the shape of a giant hawk.
“Creee, krrrrk!”
<Don’t worry. I won’t die until I find His Highness.>
Torkan’s eyes burned wildly with vengeance and fury.
The wounds that had once covered his body had long since vanished.
Half of it was thanks to the potion, but the other half was due to the beastmen’s innate high regenerative ability.
“Krreeek, kreee!”
<Understood. I will contact you the moment I find His Highness.>
Kuyan looked at Torkan with worried eyes before spreading his wings and soaring into the sky.
Torkan, silently watching that figure, was soon engulfed in a dark light and transformed into a wolf.
Sniff sniff.
The black wolf first tracked the scent of the leather piece.
But the trail was completely cut off — clearly, they had been teleported.
That left only one option.
The black wolf sniffed the scent of the assassins lying motionless on the ground.
Though the air reeked of blood and poison, he could faintly catch their body scent through it.
That was enough to trace where they had come from.
‘His Highness must be at their base.’
He would chase them to the ends of hell to bring back His Highness.
The wolf growled as he looked down at the corpses, then vanished like the wind.
***
Inside a tent, two men sat across from each other in silence.
That heavy stillness was finally broken as the crystal orb placed between them on the table began to glow.
The man wearing a mask to conceal his face placed a hand on the orb and spoke.
“Report.”
—We failed to secure the target.
His expression didn’t show it, but the face behind the mask was hideously contorted.
“You lost them? Even after they fell down the cliff with such serious injuries?”
—The beastmen resisted too fiercely. At this rate, our unit would’ve been annihilated, so I ordered a retreat.
“Annihilation? Aren’t there only two of them?”
—Yes, just two beastmen. But they went berserk and tore apart dozens of my subordinates. If I had known that beastmen could be this powerful, I never would’ve accepted this mission.
Though he tried his best to suppress his emotions, a faint trace of anger and fear could still be heard in the voice from beyond the crystal orb.
—In any case, I’ve done my part. If you still want the target secured, do it yourselves.
“W-wait!”
The masked man tried to stop him, but the magical communication through the crystal orb was cut off. Reflexively, he cursed.
‘He’s pulling out now of all times! We need confirmation of the prince’s death to move on to the next phase…’
The masked man glanced at the man sitting opposite him.
Sensing the reason for that glance, the other man responded in a dry voice.
“Surely you’re not going to ask anything more of me. Regardless of the outcome, I fulfilled my part by dispatching knights to cut off the retreat. Now it’s your turn to uphold the contract, Marquess Crevo.”
Marquess Crevo furrowed his brow under the mask.
But he couldn’t argue. After all, their contract didn’t stipulate until confirmation of the prince’s death.
“…Fine. Alright.”
It stung, but he had no choice. Delaying things would only invite interference. For now, it was best to send this man away.
Marquess Crevo took out a dagger and a mirror from his cloak and handed them to the other man.
“Draw some blood and drop it onto this mirror.”
He possessed a special magical item—one that could locate a direct family member using blood.
“As I said earlier, this magical item gives a wide-range result. Actually finding them is your job.”
“Just give me the location.”
There was a hint of anxiety in the man’s irritated voice.
Crevo let out a slight chuckle as he poured magic into the mirror with the man’s blood on it.
A moment later—
“How many direct relatives did you say you have?”
“Two, including my lost daughter. I have one son.”
“Two, huh… Interesting. Both are nearby.”
The man responded with a shocked voice.
“Nearby?”
“Yes. Most likely in the capital. I can confirm they’re within the city.”
“The capital? The capital?! My daughter was in the capital this whole time?!”
The man shouted in outrage.
He had assumed she wouldn’t be in the capital. The kidnappers’ traces had led out of the city and scattered across the kingdom.
He had spent the last four years searching the entire kingdom, following those trails.
And yet, the reason he hadn’t found her was because she had never left the capital in the first place!
“You’re sure?”
“I stake my neck on it.”
At Crevo’s firm declaration, the man stormed out of the tent without hesitation.
Every second mattered. He pulled out his crystal orb to issue orders to his subordinates.
“Bill, it’s me. Send people out right awa—”
—Duke! W-we have a problem. A report just came in from Clemen…
Clemen was the central city of the Holtsen Duchy, where the Duke’s estate was located.
Given Bill’s panicked tone, something serious must have happened at the estate.
Still, the Duke believed finding his daughter took priority, until—
—The heirloom is missing!
Bill’s next words made him stop dead in his tracks.
The family heirloom, which had protected the family for centuries, had vanished.
This was a matter that required immediate attention.
Even more urgent than finding his daughter, who might be somewhere in the capital!
***
When the surrounding white light disappeared, what appeared before my eyes wasn’t a peaceful lake scene but the front door of my house.
So the teleport scroll really had my home’s coordinates recorded on it.
“Estelle, you…”
“Ah! Dad’s outfit is way too revealing and inappropriate for public decency! We need to hide him quickly!”
Before I could say anything, Estelle covered her eyes with her small hands like maple leaves.
I instinctively turned my head to look at the man, who had lowered his head shyly and was covering his bare chest with his arms.
“Oh my, oh dear.”
“My goodness, look at that man’s body…”
To make matters worse, people passing by were gawking at the man, whispering as they stared wide-eyed.
If I left things like this, rumors would start about a well-built man with a huge chest standing half-naked in front of my house.
I quickly opened the door.
“Come inside, quickly.”
“Waaa! I’m back!”
I had opened the door for the man, but Estelle darted in first like a flash.
Anyone would think she actually lived here. I let out a small sigh.
“Come in.”
“Yesss.”
Still covering his front with both arms, the man stepped in, looking around the house with curiosity.
“The house is bigger than I expected. How many floors does it have?”
“Three. It’s spacious because it used to be a boarding house…”
I looked at the man absentmindedly and suddenly turned away in shock.
He had lowered his arms, no longer bashful about his body.
My goodness, what a body!
“A-anyway, just wait here.”
Thank goodness I hadn’t thrown away my late parents’ clothes.
I went up to their room on the third floor and picked out the biggest shirt and pants from the closet, then came back down to the first floor.
“You really might catch a cold, so take a bath first and change into these.”
“Okay. I’ll do as you say, honey.”
“I’m not your honey…”
I quickly filled the tub with hot water and pushed him into the bathroom.
“Don’t come out right away. Soak in there for a long time, okay?”
“Yes, honey.”
At least he’s obedient—but why is that the one thing he won’t listen to?
‘Anyway, that should do it.’
I told him to soak for a long time, so I should have about 20 minutes.
After returning alone, I sat across from Estelle, who was munching on snacks on the sofa.
“Estelle. We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”
“Yes, lots! Now we need to talk about adopting me!”
…That’s not what we’re supposed to talk about, is it?
