Chapter 99 – Operations Begin in the Imperial Capital

“Fuhn fu~nn…”

The woman walked through the noble district of the Imperial Capital, humming a tune.

To the eye, she looked like a maidservant working for some noble household. No doubt she was just out shopping—at least, that’s the impression she gave to everyone around her.

“Fuhn, fufuhn funn…♪”

But those near her, upon hearing her humming, quietly began to move in different directions.

It was not simply a carefree tune—it was, in fact, a secret signal she used to give instructions to those around her.

‘…Looks like the other side is ready. In that case… time to make our move. I’ve grown rather bored of lingering in the capital anyway.’

Her name was Kuriya, one of the Shiden Yatsuha —an assassination group working under Seazack.

[(Violet Lightning Eight Blades)]

She had been preparing to abduct Aralicia, the daughter of Arloston.

‘As for the wife… just abducting her should be enough. Not that I don’t plan to take her along anyway.’

In the current Empire, there were several individuals considered to be critical keystones.

Among them, Arloston stood a head above the rest. That was exactly why Seazack had begun targeting him with this operation.

Even if Arloston didn’t yield to threats, the abduction of his daughter or wife would still corner him psychologically. And that mental state would inevitably affect his performance.

Could he still make sound decisions as Knight Commander while grieving the loss of his family? No one could say for certain.

‘Still, Seazack really thinks up some nasty stuff… But hey, this kind of plan is right up my alley!’

The daughter was still young and as for his wife, Syndis, abducting her wouldn’t be too difficult.

And so, to make it easier to abduct Syndis, Kuriya had brought with her a special incense—Bishinka.

[Aphrodisiac drug]

The plan was to have Syndis inhale it, dulling her senses temporarily. Once her awareness was clouded and she could no longer scream or call for help, they would swiftly extract her from the Imperial Capital.

Depending on the situation, they might push her into a state of intense arousal and have her lose herself in an act with a man.

‘In that case, I could just leave the dear wife somewhere public after it’s over~. The Londonic family is one of the Empire’s high-ranking noble houses. This would blow up into a scandal across all noble society~~~~…!’

Even if Arloston managed to find his wife, learning what had been done to her would undoubtedly shatter him mentally.

And on top of that, their daughter would still be missing. Depending on how strongly Bishinka affected her, Syndis might even suffer long-term consequences.

‘Ahhh…! I want to hear the screams of a man whose soul’s been crushed like that…! But—I’ll give that part up. My job issssss… to deliver the daughter safely to Seazack, after all~…’

In other words, Kuriya had full discretion over how to use Syndis.

She could bring her back unharmed, or leave her in a manipulated state, exposed before the public, her behavior no longer noble. Kuriya was certain Syndis would cry out with all manner of shameful sounds.

What she would do… depended entirely on her mood at that moment.

‘Fufufu… ufufufufufufufu…! Well then—let’s go ahead and do it today!’

■

Syndis Londonic. A woman born into the Londonic family, one of the highest-ranking noble houses in the Empire. She married Arloston, who was the same age as her, when she was sixteen.

At that time, Arloston renounced his claim to the imperial throne and became a full member of the Londonic family. Though the marriage was arranged for political reasons, both publicly and privately, it was acknowledged that their relationship was quite good.

At eighteen, she became pregnant and gave birth to their daughter, Aralicia. Aralicia is now five years old, and the couple had recently started thinking it might be time for a second child.

That said, Arloston had become increasingly busy with work, spending most nights sleeping at the castle. He hadn’t returned home at all lately.

‘I just wish things would settle down soon… but I know that’s too much to ask. Not when something like the Northern Empire has come into existence… There’s no way my husband, the Knight Commander, will have any free time.’

While Arloston was away, it was Syndis’s role, as a member of the Londonic family, to maintain and strengthen their political foundation.

She worked daily to build relationships with the wives of noblemen closely connected to Arloston. By now, she had managed to form a fairly large circle.

Today was the scheduled day for their monthly gathering. They had rented out part of a theater for the occasion, where a party was being held.

These gatherings were primarily attended by noblewomen, and many brought their children along. Syndis, too, had brought Aralicia. It was common practice to let the children play together to start building future relationships from a young age.

Of course, the children were still too young to be aware of that, and were simply having fun playing together.

“Syndis, you haven’t seen Arloston-sama in days, have you?”

“But then again, we are talking about Arloston-sama here.”

“They say the Empire is practically being held together by him right now.”

Arloston was often the topic of conversation even here. Being a former royal and the highly capable Knight Commander, he naturally attracted attention.

“Aralicia-chan is turning six soon, isn’t she? Haven’t you two talked about having a second child?”

“Fufu… we’ve talked about it, but… he’s been staying at the castle all this time…”

“Arloston-sama is such a wonderful man—both in appearance and ability—but still, leaving such a young and beautiful wife all alone like this is really quite concerning~”

“Ufufu!”

“Well…”

“I’m honestly jealous. My husband said his duty was done after our son was born, and now he’s off entertaining another woman.”

Maybe… Arloston wants a son too, Syndis thought.

He had never directly said so, but maybe he was just being considerate. That was the kind of gentle man he was.

“The other day, he licked my toe, you know…”

“Ehh!?”

“I couldn’t help it—I kicked him. Maybe my crest activated, because I ended up kicking him way harder than I meant to…”

“Pff…”

“F… fufufufufu…”

“Mooou! Don’t laugh!”

With the children playing in the distance, the noblewomen gradually drifted into more risqué topics—including their nighttime experiences. Women, too, had plenty to say about such matters.

While chatting, they enjoyed the dinner served buffet-style, sipping wine and other drinks. And when the time came, the gathering was brought to a close.

“It’s gotten quite dark… Aralicia, let’s head home.”

“Okay~!”

The two climbed into the carriage that had been prepared for them and began their ride down the dim road.

“Mommy… I’m sleepy…”

“Oh dear. We’ll be home very soon, okay?”

Syndis gently patted Aralicia’s head as she sat beside her. But Syndis herself, having had a bit of wine she wasn’t used to, was also feeling drowsy.

Just as she began to nod off slightly, she finally sensed something was off.

“…Huh? Aren’t we there yet?”

She asked the female attendant seated across from her.

Under normal circumstances, they should have arrived at the estate by now. But the carriage kept going. In fact, judging from the rattling and the sound of the wheels, it even seemed to be picking up speed.

“Well… I believe we should be arriving any moment now.”

The attendant didn’t show any signs of concern.

A sense of unease stirred in Syndis’s chest. She grasped the curtain and shfft—flung it open. What she saw through the window was a landscape she didn’t recognize.

“Wh…!? This is… outside the Imperial Capital!? Tell the coachman to stop immediately!”

Panicking, Syndis gave a sharp order to the attendant. But the woman didn’t move.

“Are you even listening…!?”

“Fufu… I’m listening. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get to where you’re going.”

“……! Y-You… who are you…!?”

It was only then that Syndis fully realized—they had been kidnapped.

She pulled Aralicia tightly into her arms and stared warily at the woman across from her. The attendant lifted her face, narrowing her eyes with a sinister smile.

“Don’t look at me like that, okay? It’s fine… I’m going to take you both nice and safe… all the way to Seazack.”

“W-What…!?”

Seazack, the mercenary demon king. Syndis knew that name well.

“How dare you! I am of House Lond—”

“Shut the hell up!”

“—!?”

Before she could finish, the woman in disguise struck Syndis hard across the face.

PAAN!

The sharp slap echoed inside the carriage. Startled awake by the sound, Aralicia’s eyes shot open.

“Eh… M-Mommy…!?”

“The one we’re after is your daughter… You? You’re just extra. For all I care, you could vanish into the dirt. Tch…seriously, women like you—always thinking you’re still young and beautiful just because you’re a high-ranking noble… I’ve decided. I’ll drop you off in the next town after all. Let you be passed around by every man there until you’re left with a child you won’t even know the father of.”

With those venomous words, the woman—Kuriya—raised a hand and struck Syndis in the torso with a precise hand chop.