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Chapter 206
‘Catsey Mielephon.’
One of the 13 most powerful families on the continent—the Sword Family, Mielephon.
She is the head of that family.
This is the imperial capital, the Imperial Palace.
Naturally, there was nothing strange about her being here.
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
“Have you been well, young master?”
Even though she likely knew everything that had happened recently in Bata, this was just a polite formality.
“What brings you to the palace?”
“Oh, I was summoned briefly by His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Ah… I can guess. It’s well known that His Majesty is quite taken with the artifact you made.”
Sharp as ever, she seemed to have deduced the reason for my visit.
But to me, it felt like most of her actions were masking something she couldn't say openly.
“Shall we… talk for a bit?”
She silently nodded at my suggestion.
* * *
She led me to a small building in the noble district, a little removed from the Imperial Palace.
It had the quiet ambiance of a bar I'd seen in a past life.
I scanned the surroundings.
“This is a place I drop by now and then. The master here is quite skilled.”
“Ah, Your Grace, welcome.”
“The usual. Two cups. And could you clear the place for a bit?”
“Of course.”
The beastkin woman smiled softly, quickly moved behind the counter, and began preparing something.
Then she flipped the store sign to "Closed," gave a respectful nod, and stepped outside.
“Won’t this interrupt their business?”
“I have that right. I fund 90% of this establishment’s operating costs out of my own pocket.”
The name on the lease may be someone else, but the real owner is clearly her.
“Ah, then I’ve got no argument.”
I began to wonder what would make the head of Mielephon arrange something like this.
“The coffee smells nice.”
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
She sipped her coffee with practiced ease, then asked me,
“Are you making good use of the demon sword?”
“Yes. I tend to be rough with my weapons, so most swords can’t hold up. But the demon sword’s never had that issue.”
In terms of durability alone, it surpasses any sword I’ve seen so far.
Hard not to be satisfied with it.
“Then I’m glad.”
She fell silent again, savoring her coffee.
If Duchess Catsey was taking this long to speak, it meant the matter wasn’t trivial.
I waited quietly for her to speak.
About five minutes passed in silence before she let out a small sigh and spoke.
“Young master.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Mielephon considers itself to be on good terms with you. Even though the engagement was annulled.”
“Indeed. You and the Sword Saint accepted my stubbornness kindly. I’m grateful for that.”
“It’s not pleasant to ask such things, but…”
She hesitated, then spoke.
“Isna… that child has run away.”
A runaway?
That’s not unusual.
In fact, she had frequently run away to Cascadia after getting into trouble with her family.
Knowing that, I immediately sensed this was something more serious than a simple runaway.
“This time it’s not just a typical runaway, is it?”
“……”
Silence meant affirmation.
I recalled Isna’s recent visit to Cascadia.
She had tried to hide it, but she looked like someone going on a long journey.
She'd taken a bunch of ice cream, almost like it was emergency rations.
“What did the Sword Saint say?”
“Father is currently away in the Western Continent on business. He has many duties as the Sword Saint.”
That made sense.
The old man was always busy.
If he had known about Isna’s situation, he would have gone after her.
But it seemed the news hadn’t reached him.
“Actually, Lady Isna did visit Cascadia. I thought it was just another one of her usual runaways.”
Her eyes widened at my words.
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No. Just… she gave off the impression that she was going far. She mentioned we might not see each other for a while.”
Had I known this would happen, I might’ve enchanted the orichalcum sword I gave her with a tracking spell.
I didn’t, out of respect for her.
“She was attacked.”
“Excuse me?”
“She was ambushed. The suspected culprits are the Moon Watchers.”
That caught me off guard.
“The Moon Watchers are meticulous. Their individual combat power might vary, but they specialize in secrecy and assassination.”
True.
Assassins aren’t feared just for their strength but because they are experts at killing. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
Poison.
Environmental manipulation.
They turn murder into something as natural as breathing.
“Hmmm…”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I suspect her departure from the family is connected.”
In her usual runaways, she always left plenty of tracks.
But this time, it was like she’d made up her mind to disappear completely—no traces at all.
“She’s eccentric and unpredictable, but not a fool. She used to be such a bright child… but at some point, she started hiding things from me.”
I think I understood what she meant.
“You want me to help find her, don’t you?”
“Quick on the uptake, as always. But for now, simply sharing any information you come across would be enough.”
“I’ll try digging up some leads myself.”
The Moon Watchers are elusive, but there’s one I know personally.
* * *
“She was attacked? Senior Isna? Why? She was here—wait, don’t tell me…”
“I’m going to try contacting the Moon Watchers. See if I can find something.”
“They’re ridiculously hard to find. How do you plan on meeting one?”
Melissa asked as she tidied up her academy uniform.
“I know where one of them is.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’ll be gone just for a bit. Just checking the situation.”
Worried I might cause trouble again, she still nodded, though clearly uncertain.
Then Arsha, who was cuddled up in Melissa’s arms, called out to me.
“B-Brother, are you going… far away?”
“No. Just going to meet a friend. I’ll be back soon. Can you wait for me?”
“Umm…”
Her eyes said she didn’t want me to go, but I had no choice.
“P-Please… come back early…”
Her courageously spoken request made me smile.
“I’ll bring you chocolate cake on the way back.”
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“Ah… ahh!”
She didn’t know whether to be happy or not.
Her flustered reaction was adorable.
I ruffled her hair roughly and left Melissa’s office.
Luna quietly followed.
I pulled a box from subspace and handed it to her.
“What is this?”
It was awkward to say.
“A gift.”
She widened her eyes slightly and opened the box, then was surprised again to see the necklace.
"Pretty."
"I thought it’d suit you well."
"Put it on me."
She held the necklace out toward me.
She wants me to put it on her?
I stared blankly at her, and she turned her gaze slightly, unable to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.
"Hurry."
At her urging, I looked down at my hands, which weren't moving so easily, then slowly reached out to take the necklace.
And I reached around her neck, as if embracing her, to put it on.
At that moment, Luna stretched out her arms and pulled me toward her by the waist.
Then she buried her face in my chest and fell silent.
Just silently.
Just quietly leaning into me.
Then, she paused.
"Why?"
"Smells like another woman. What is this?"
"Huh?"
"Where did you meet some other bitch?"
She slowly lifted her head and looked up at me, and in her eyes, I saw a flicker of emptiness.
* * *
Luna didn’t start nagging or anything like that.
She just stared at me sweating nervously and then took a step back.
Currently, I’ve arrived in the labyrinth city of the Holy Kingdom, known as Ravela, with her.
The Moon Watchers isn’t easy to track unless they make direct contact.
I once tried placing a tracking spell on Meryl Dyne, but their leader somehow sensed it and dispersed the magic, so I figured half-baked attempts wouldn’t work.
"Isn’t that Lord Leon Cascadia?"
As I passed through the bustling streets of Ravela and entered a familiar mercenary building, a familiar man spotted me and lit up.
It was Albion, the former commander of the Hercules Mercenary Corps, whom I met with Sullivan here before.
"Long time no see, Commander."
"Haha, indeed. Good to see you again. So, what brings you here? Don’t tell me—you’re here to challenge the dungeon?"
"No, I came to meet someone. But it looks like you’re quite busy."
"Haha, we’re preparing to upgrade to a full-fledged guild, so we’re moving buildings. All thanks to you, really."
The way he treated me more warmly than before made things easier.
"You came to meet someone?"
As he looked puzzled, a girl carrying boxes darted back and forth nearby.
"I came to see Miss Rebecca."
At that moment, the girl, Rebecca, flinched and turned her head toward me.
She seemed a bit afraid of me, but I didn’t mind.
"Rebecca?"
"Yes. I have a few questions for her."
"Hmm… I see. Rebecca, put the boxes down for a moment and come here."
At his words, Rebecca approached hesitantly.
"What… what did you want to ask?"
"Commander, could I speak with her in private for a moment?"
"Hmm, alright. The training ground in the back should be empty."
Thanks to his consideration, I took Rebecca to the secluded training ground and cast a soundproofing barrier.
"W-What’s this about?"
"I have a question about the Moon Watchers. You're still here, unlike the others."
Members of the Moon Watchers don’t always abandon their lives.
Many live normally and only get summoned for missions.
Hearing that, she looked visibly on guard.
But I couldn’t back down either.
"I… I don’t really know what you’re talking about…"
Her eyes darted around in fear.
Luna looked at me.
Should I interrogate her?
No.
Hold it in.
"Did the Watch recently attack Isna Mielephon?"
At my question, she froze.
She was clearly a lower-ranked member, so I didn’t expect her to know much.
"…"
"If you can’t answer, then please arrange a meeting with someone higher up. I need to confirm something."
After thinking for a moment, she agreed to get in touch soon.
That was enough for now, so I left the mercenary corps, bought a chocolate cake nearby, and returned to Cascadia.
I didn’t act hostile toward Rebecca because I needed to verify the facts first.
And then, about a day later…
I sensed someone near the estate and moved immediately.
The location was a quiet, uninhabited forest outside the territory walls.
The person waiting for me was someone I’d met before from the Watch.
Meryl Dyne.
"It’s been a while."
"Indeed. I’ll get straight to the point. Did your group attack Isna Mielephon?"
I hadn’t involved myself deeply with their actions because I didn’t want to interfere—but if a friend appears on their hit list, that’s a different story.
Maybe it was the aura I was giving off, but Meryl seemed startled and shook her head.
"N-No. It wasn’t us."
"Really?"
"According to our intel, someone impersonated the Watchers to attack her."
"Cultists?"
"No, the cult doesn’t have the resources right now. Our leader wiped out a significant portion of their power. We think they’re lying low to recover."
An unexpected piece of information.
"So you don’t know where she is?"
"No. Whatever method was used, no traces were left behind. It’s like she just vanished into the earth."
"What a troublesome woman."
I frowned in disbelief, and Meryl let out a sigh and handed me a small artifact.
"It’s a signal artifact. Its color changes depending on the situation. If we find any information about her, we’ll signal you through this."
"Is that okay?"
"We might need your help. Even though the cult’s weakened, the Watch isn’t exactly in the best shape either."
In that case…
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