Chapter 115 Left Speechless
The room was dark and narrow.
There wasn't a single window, and the entrance was nowhere to be found. The only things that existed were 2 ventilation holes in the corner of the ceiling, and they were so small that only a mouse could fit through them.
Normally, it would be impossible to enter this room. Anyone who didn't know the circumstances would surely be suspicious about who made this room and why.
In this mysterious――no, we knew where we were――narrow room, there were me, Fiona, Lady Eva, Io, Glen, Garon, and... Chloe.
"W-what's going on?! W-what did I do?! Please untie me!! Waaaahhh!!"
Chloe, who was crying and screaming, was seated in a chair in the center of the room, her hands and feet bound by ropes, and an Anti-Magic Ring was attached to her neck.
At first glance, Chloe seemed like an innocent girl who didn't know anything, and the scene was heartbreaking.
We surrounded Chloe, standing around her.
"What do you think...?"
"Hmm, I think it's pretty extreme..."
"I didn't think it would be this bad..."
I, Glen, and Io spoke in that order.
We looked like we had encountered a serious incident, and we were discussing it with worried expressions.
To put it simply, we were left speechless.
But what were we speechless about?
Of course, it wasn't because we felt guilty about Chloe's situation.
The reason was Lady Eva.
I glared at Garon, who was peeking at the scene from the corner of the room.
"Hey, Garon, what's going on with your lady? Are they teaching kidnapping at Kirke or something?"
"......"
Garon looked away and didn't answer.
Then, Io spoke up.
"We did expect some fighting, but... we didn't think it would end this easily. Honestly, I feel sorry for Lady Chloe, even though she's the enemy..."
"......"
Next, Glen spoke up.
"Hey, maybe we weren't needed in the first place? Maybe just Lady Eva and Mr. Io would've been enough?"
"......"
Garon remained silent, but then he couldn't take it anymore and responded.
"...I don't know what to say. I'm just following Lady Eva because I believe in her..."
"This guy's passing the buck!"
"Believe' is just a convenient word, isn't it?"
"Can't cover for her anymore, huh?"
"Hey, you guys I can hear everything! If you have a problem, just say it clearly!"
We were whispering to each other when Lady Eva suddenly exploded.
"No, I don't have anything to say."
"We're just surprised by Lady Eva's new side, that's all."
"We're just intimidated by Lady Eva's potential as a criminal."
"W-what are you talking about?! I didn't do it because I wanted to! I did it for the greater good, that's all! What's this 'potential as a criminal' nonsense?! I don't have anything like that!"
"Ah, of course. I understand."
"If this gets out, the reputation of the 4 houses will be ruined."
"Don't worry, Lady Eva. We won't tell anyone."
"A-ah, you guys...!"
Lady Eva glared at us, gritting her teeth.
But what we said was the plain truth. The way things went from the incident to bringing Chloe here was just too smooth. It was all thanks to Lady Eva's efforts.
To be honest, we were terrified by the high affinity between Space magic and crime.
"A-anyway, let's just get on with the interrogation of Ms. Chloe!!"
"W-what's this interrogation thing?! P-please stop! What are you going to do to me?!"
As I looked up at Lady Eva standing in front of me, I watched Chloe's face distort in fear and thought back on the events that led us here.
* * *
The day after tomorrow since Lady Eva invited me to kidnap Chloe.
With our clan's activities finished and the sun having completely set, it was already late at night when I, Fiona, Io, Glen, Garon, and Lady Eva gathered.
Only the bare minimum members were needed, so there was no one else involved in this matter besides us.
And as for the meeting place, for some reason, my house was chosen as the gathering spot. Right now, I had just let Io and the others into the living room after they visited my house late at night.
Well, that's not a problem or anything...
"――So, Lady Eva, what's the plan from here? You said you'd use teleportation magic to take us there, right?"
Currently, our target Chloe is in the kingdom of Arbarheit, in the Count's territory of Zepardia.
According to Lady Eva, Chloe had already arrived in Zepardia today and would be leaving the territory tomorrow morning or afternoon after paying her respects to the lord.
People from the [Four Great Families of the Seals] are equivalent to royalty in other countries, so when passing through someone else's territory, they can't skip paying their respects to the local lord. Therefore, it's customary for them to stay overnight in the territory's capital. Leaving immediately after paying respects would be rude, and the lord might have things they want to discuss or request from the Four Families. Usually, they're invited to dinner and treated as guests.
Anyway, we need to move to Zepardia tonight and finish things before morning.
Of course, if we move normally, we won't make it in time. Maybe if we had started moving right after hearing from Lady Eva 2 days ago, we might have made it.
If we move "straight" like I did when returning from Hellem Wilderness to Necronia, we should arrive in about a day.
However, since we won't make it in time if we move normally, Lady Eva said she'd use teleportation magic to send us.
Lady Eva nodded quietly, looked around at everyone's faces, and said...
"Yes, I'll now teleport everyone to the location with the teleportation circle. After that, we'll use the teleportation circle to jump to Zepardia."
"Wait, there's a teleportation circle in Zepardia? I've never heard of that before... Is that even allowed? Leaving something like that lying around?"
I wondered if it was okay to set up a teleportation circle in another country's territory, and Lady Eva replied matter-of-factly.
"Of course, we didn't exactly get official permission... It was set up secretly, you see. That's why when someone like Ms. Chloe travels to another country for work, she can't use the teleportation circle and has to take a carriage instead."
So, it's actually not allowed, but they're just quietly setting it up anyway.
"H-hey, Lady Eva."
Glen asked, her face scrunched up in concern.
"Do you think there's one in my hometown too?"
"...Most of the major cities in the surrounding 3 countries have one set up."
Lady Eva replied, her face slightly averted.
"Of course, the existence of the teleportation circle is a secret, so please don't breathe a word about it, okay?"
"I don't want to get in trouble, so I understand. But if my father finds out, I don't think I can keep it hidden..."
"Don't worry, Ms. Glenda. The lords of each city are aware that we've set up the teleportation circle, and they're just choosing to turn a blind eye."
"Huh? I don't get it. Isn't setting up a teleportation circle without permission a major security risk?"
Even though the [Four Great Families of the Seals] can use super-long-distance teleportation magic without a teleportation circle, that takes time, effort, and money. Having a teleportation circle set up in one's own territory is a whole different story.
"Of course, it's a problem, but since they can't find the teleportation circle, they can't blame us... that's the reason, I suppose."
The reason why the local lords are turning a blind eye is simply because they can't find the teleportation circle, it seems.
I didn't think the Four Great Families of the Seals were that clean, but it seems they have a pretty dark side. Fiona and the others were listening to the conversation with shocked faces.
"Well, let's stop the idle chatter and get going."
Lady Eva said, taking out a long staff from her storage ring.
"We'll be teleporting now. Everyone, please don't move."
She closed her eyes and began to flow magical energy into the staff.
* * *
With a faint floating sensation, our field of vision changed in an instant.
We were in a narrow, dark space.
There were no windows. In fact, there wasn't even a door for entering or exiting. It was a strange room. Upon closer inspection, I saw 2 small holes that looked like air vents in the corner of the ceiling, but there was nothing else that connected to the outside.
The only light source was the faint glow of the complex geometric pattern――the teleportation circle――that covered the floor.
"Hmm... I think this means that you can't enter this room unless you use teleportation magic, right?"
Io said, looking around the room.
Lady Eva nodded in response.
"That's right. This room is located deep underground in Kirke's mansion. The other 3 families probably have something similar."
A teleportation-only underground space, huh?
If something like this exists, it's easy to imagine all sorts of evil schemes.
"Well, before we move over there, take this."
Lady Eva said, taking something out of her ring.
When we received the object she handed to each of us, it was a plain black robe with a hood. It seemed like we were supposed to wear it to hide our faces.
We put on the robes and pulled the hoods deep over our heads.
Lady Eva, also clad in a black robe, stood at the center of the teleportation circle.
"Then, I'll activate the teleportation circle."
"Ah, anytime's fine."
Lady Eva nodded in confirmation, and the activated teleportation circle emitted a particularly strong light.
A moment of weightlessness.
And the scenery――didn't change at all.
"Hmm...Eva?"
Fiona looked around before turning to Lady Eva with a bewildered expression.
We were still in the same small underground room without windows or an entrance. At a glance, it didn't seem like we had moved at all.
"Fiona, I understand what you want to say, but don't worry. The transfer was successful."
"I see...So, this is the teleportation room in Zepardia, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Lady Eva nodded in response to Io's confirmation and continued.
"From here, I'll use my magic to teleport us to the surface. There's a Kirke-owned villa above, where the caretaker's family lives, but if we meet them, they might report to Father that I'm here. So, we'll avoid the villa and teleport directly to a quiet spot in the city."
"Got it... And do you know where Chloe is? If she's staying at the lord's mansion, it'll be a hassle..."
Of course, the lord's mansion would have tight security.
I think we could kidnap Chloe, but doing it secretly would be a bit tricky. We'd probably get caught.
Lady Eva shook her head, however, as I expressed my concerns.
"No, members of the Four Houses rarely stay at the lord's mansion. Such things are a subject of caution due to past events..."
Past events――probably referring to incidents where members of the Four Houses were kidnapped or held captive.
It seemed that they were often targeted for kidnapping when traveling to other countries.
"So, does that mean she's taken a room at an inn or something?"
"No. Cities with teleportation circles should have villas of the 4 houses. Ms. Chloe should be staying at the Caduceus house's villa. I'll guide you there."
"Got it."
So, we teleported from the underground room to the surface of the capital city Zepardia and decided to head to the Caduceus house's villa from there.
* * *
The capital city is pretty small compared to Necronia.
Well, Necronia is the largest city in the world, after all.
The place Lady Eva teleported us to was a residential area with rows of citizens' homes, but since it was this late, there was no one walking around. There were no streetlights, and the streets were almost completely dark.
We moved through the darkness, following Lady Eva's lead, towards the Caduceus house's villa.
As we walked, the houses that were packed tightly together gradually got bigger, and we started to see smaller homes with gardens. And as we moved further, we entered a district with large mansions that were almost too big to be called homes.
The villa we were looking for was in one corner of that district.
Lady Eva whispered.
"That's the Caduceus house's villa."
"Whoa, it's huge."
We were observing the Caduceus house's villa from a distance, standing on a street a short distance away. From this far away, they shouldn't be able to see us.
The villa was a large 2-story mansion surrounded by high walls. At the front gate, which faced the street, there were 2 guards standing watch, even at this late hour.
From their posture, I could tell they were pretty skilled. They didn't seem to be slacking off at all, even on a boring mission like this. It might be tough to take them down without making a sound.
Trying to infiltrate from the front might not be a good idea.
"So, what do we do from here? Climb over the wall or something?"
I asked Lady Eva, and she replied immediately, without even thinking about it.
"No, if it's like our villa, the fence should have intrusion detection magic tools. If we try to climb over or break the fence, we'll be detected immediately. So, let's all teleport to the other side of the fence. I've never been to the other villa, but if I'm within the range of [Space perception], I can use Short-distance teleportation."
Io, Glen and I nodded in amazement at her words.
"Wow, that's amazing...I mean, Lady Eva, you're incredible."
"Hmm...I'm reminded again that Space magic is cheating."
"You can steal and assassinate anyone, can't you?"
"P-please don't say such terrible things! I don't usually do things like this, I swear!"
I wonder if she doesn't do things like that usually...?
But if I ask, it might lead to a scary conversation, so I'll just leave it alone. Besides, it's not the time for that.
"Ahem...well, let's teleport then?"
After clearing her throat, Lady Eva closed her eyes and focused.
A faint magical energy spread around us, almost imperceptible unless you were close. Then, about ten seconds later, the teleportation magic activated.
I felt a floating sensation, and then we were teleported from darkness to darkness. But thanks to the faint light leaking from the mansion, I quickly realized that our surroundings had changed.
In an instant, we had moved to the inside of the Caduceus family's villa, into the dark shadows of the grounds.
Lady Eva said,
"[Space perception] would make it easy to cover the entire mansion, but that would definitely alert Ms. Chloe. If only we knew where Ms. Chloe was..."
"Ah, we will find out."
"Hmm, let's all search just in case."
Io and I replied, and the rest of the members, except for Lady Eva, used their [magical energy sense].
It's originally difficult to identify individuals using [magical energy sense], but the blood relatives of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], including Lady Eva, have a different "quality" of magical energy.
Even an Advanced Explorer with exceptional sensing abilities can tell them apart, and the difference is noticeable.
And the people gathered here are, if I do say so myself, top-class Explorers from Necronia.
We all began searching for magical energy reactions within the mansion at the same time—and soon, we sensed a slightly different magical energy.
"Chloe is in a room on the second floor, facing the balcony on the south side... what do you think?"
"I think so too."
"I don't disagree."
"I think so too."
"I agree with everyone."
When I asked, Fiona and the others also agreed, nodding in unison.
"...How convenient. Understood. Then... please wait for a bit."
Lady Eva nodded in amazement, then closed her eyes and activated her magic. She's probably using [Space perception] to search.
I wondered if she could do something as tricky as avoiding only Chloe, but I later found out that [Space perception] can not only sense a spherical area around oneself but also precisely control the sensing range by manipulating magical energy.
Anyway――after a while, Lady Eva opened her eyes.
"I've got it. There are 2 guards outside the room, in the hallway. And one servant is waiting in the adjacent room. There's no one else nearby."
"Hmm... so?"
Normally, we would climb up to the balcony or something and infiltrate from there... but since we've come this far, the plan is already obvious. We'll probably use teleportation to infiltrate... and then ambush the guards, knocking them out instantly before kidnapping Chloe.
Just in case, I asked for confirmation, and Lady Eva, of course, said something to that effect.
"From now on, I'll be teleporting the guards and servants here."
"""Huh?"""
...That was a bit unexpected.
Lady Eva continued smoothly, despite our stunned expressions.
"Mr. Io, didn't you have a Wind Magic spell that could knock people out?"
"Ah, yeah...I do."
The knock-out spell was a type of Wind Magic that created a space with low air density. It was much harder to use than attack magic, and once it was activated, it couldn't be moved or cancelled. The range was also limited, making it less effective against monsters, and it consumed a lot of magical energy.
However, if a human took just one breath in a space with sufficiently low air density, they would pass out.
According to the scholars, this was because the body's vital components, which were normally absorbed from the air, would rapidly flow out of the body, causing loss of consciousness.
"Can you use that spell and the soundproof barrier spell at the same time?"
The soundproof barrier spell was also a type of Wind Magic.
"Yeah...I can use it."
"Then, I'll teleport the 3 guards and servants here, so Mr. Io, please set up the two spells at the teleportation location."
"...Got it."
"Please."
Lady Eva said, nodding, and continued.
"After knocking out the guards and servants, we'll all teleport to the servant's waiting room. From there, we'll enter the room, but Mr. Io, I want you to confirm Chloe's location again after entering the room, and then set up the soundproof barrier."
"...Yes."
"But if the timing is too early, Chloe might notice the magic and escape before we can contact her. So, please make sure to set up the barrier only after you've visually confirmed Chloe's location and before she can react. Can you do that?"
"...No problem. Got it."
Io simply nodded with a serious expression.
"Thank you. Next, Mr. Aaron."
"Yes."
"As I explained earlier, after Mr. Aaron met with Ms. Chloe, you immediately..."
"Got it. So, if Chloe tries to use magic, I'll use 'Black-White' to block it, right?"
I nodded and pulled out the wooden sword "Black-White" from my storage ring, Gravity Elemental Treant.
Actually, before this whole thing started, Lady Eva taught me some knowledge. Specifically, that "Space magic can be countered with gravity-based magic or aura".
Apparently, this was originally secret knowledge kept within the [Four Great Families of the Seals], but Lady Eva shared it with me because we can't let Chloe get away.
Honestly, I wish she had told me this before the fight against the Unique Individual Nord――I wouldn't have gotten into that tight spot with the false angel... But I guess this is knowledge that's not supposed to be shared with outsiders, so I guess it can't be helped.
Anyway, Lady Eva nodded in response to my confirmation.
"Yes, please do."
"Hey, Lady Eva... I just thought of something. Can't we just move Chloe here with teleportation magic without entering the room?"
A sudden question.
If we can move the guards with teleportation magic, can't we do the same with Chloe?
But Lady Eva shook her head and said "No".
"If she's a Space magician, it's not hard for her to resist someone else's teleportation magic. Ms. Chloe will definitely be able to resist."
"I see."
Guess it's not that easy.
"So, after we restrain Ms. Chloe, we'll put on the Anti-Magic Ring and move her with teleportation magic... Are there any other questions?"
"""..."""
We all looked at each other.
Then I spoke up as the representative.
"No, there aren't any."
"Okay. Then let's get started. Mr. Io, prepare your magic."
"Yes."
"We don't know what kind of irregularities might happen. Everyone else, please be on your guard and ready to respond to any unexpected situations."
"""Yes, got it!"""
We did as we were told and tensed up.
...No one said it out loud, but we were all trembling with fear.
Lady Eva's skills are just too amazing, though.
What is this girl, anyway?
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