Episode 153. Don't Insult
Doana, who had collapsed, slowly opened her eyes. She desperately hoped this wasn't a prison, clutching her pounding heart.
"Please..."
Her trembling eyelashes fluttered heavily.
With her eyes fully open, Doana cautiously looked around.
Doana's expectant face quickly darkened.
"...It's still a prison."
The place she was staying was still a prison. It was simply a slightly more comfortable solitary cell than before.
The sunlight still lingered, but it was certainly cleaner.
Unable to hide her disappointment, Doana muttered to herself,
"...I thought I could get out."
She had thought she could escape this tedious prison, if only for medical attention.
When the soldier saw Doana open her eyes, he brought in a doctor.
Doana spoke with the doctor through the iron bars.
"Do you know when your due date is?"
Doana's expression hardened as the doctor lowered his voice.
The doctor who treated her at Count Wence's house had been polite. But the doctor in front of her was incredibly rude.
"...Do you know who I am?"
The child who would succeed the Count was in her womb.
Doana forced herself to calm her raging heart and continued.
"There are about three months left."
She had to continue the performance to get out of there, so she acted politely.
"For a seven-month pregnancy, your belly is quite large..."
The doctor looked at Doana incredulously.
"There's nothing wrong with your health. I'll be your doctor for the time being. Your appointments are three times a week, at 2 p.m."
After saying that, the doctor tried to get up. Doana hurriedly grabbed him.
"Now, wait a minute! What do you do when I'm sick outside of those hours?"
The doctor, who was about to leave, turned to Doana.
"You have to endure it. What else can I do?"
"...Huh?"
That wasn't the answer she had expected. Doana blinked, opening her mouth.
“But... I’m pregnant.”
Are you even human?
How could you treat a pregnant woman like this? The words rose to the tip of her tongue.
The doctor sighed at Doana’s words. Then, his eyes swept over her with a sour look.
“You are pregnant, yes. But... you are a criminal before you are a pregnant woman. And you killed someone.”
“I didn’t kill anyone. This is so unfair.”
Doana tried her tearful performance again. Tears streamed down her pitiful cheeks.
However, he didn’t even blink at the sight of Doana’s tears.
“I’m not a judge. Don’t tell me about your injustices.”
Even though she was scarred and pregnant, her beauty still shone.
Doana opened her lips, her lips trembling as she thought about how she would roast the soldier.
"...Will you listen to my story, just this once?"
A solitary cell, empty of other prisoners.
It was a chance to talk comfortably.
Please have pity on me.
Please help me, innocently imprisoned.
Doana began her story to the soldier with fervent hope.
The dim crescent moon softly illuminated the prison.
Grand Duke Artaeum turned his back on the iron bars and quickly scanned the note the field mouse had brought.
His face was stern, his head bowed.
The contents of the note didn't seem particularly pleasant.
He had sent a letter to Duke Flice through Neruan, asking for his cooperation.
He was willing to help, but if not, he wouldn't.
And in the Grand Duke's hand was a reply.
[Negotiations with Duke Flice broke down...]
'... As expected, Duke Flice.'
The Grand Duke muttered to himself with a cool smile.
He wasn't angry because it was expected. He hadn't had high expectations of Duke Flice in the first place.
The Grand Duke wanted to use this incident as a test to gauge Duke Flice's intentions.
Duke Flice, as expected, was a lousy person.
He'd always come to him first, seeking help, but when the Grand Duke's situation seemed dire, he'd swiftly change his stance.
His bat-like nature would never change until he died.
Duke Flice, his childhood idol and loyal subject to the late Emperor.
Upright and brilliant, he was in reality a vicious man, worse than a beast.
'...Yes. This is how I should come out.'
That way, he won't feel guilty about killing him.
The uneasy feeling that had lingered in the back of his mind vanished like a lie.
Grand Duke Artaeum took a deep breath and raised his head. He gazed silently at the crescent moon beyond the prison. He particularly missed the late Emperor and Empress.
He desperately missed his parents, betrayed by his trusted younger brother, and subject to unjust killing.
'Father, Mother... Please wait a moment.'
I will relieve your grievances.
The heart boiling with revenge wouldn't calm down easily. Mana, which had been quiet for days, began to stir again.
Its fiery rage raged, threatening to engulf the Grand Duke's entire being.
For a moment, a crimson glint appeared in the Grand Duke's eyes. Grand Duke Artaeum clenched his fists and instantly controlled his mana.
The mana subsided quietly, as if nothing had happened.
The occasional bouts of blood were no longer present. However, the mana flowing within him, the inexplicable sense of alienation within it, kept bothering him.
'Magic... I wasn't planning on using it for the time being.'
He longed to see Rose once more.
He sighed and sat down on the bed.
Should I go to her again?
Should I use magic to see her?
The trial was just around the corner.
If he held on a little longer, he would see Rose.
The Grand Duke, fearing that acting rashly could ruin the situation, slowly closed his eyes.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum thought again about the note the field mouse had delivered.
The note didn't just contain information about Duke Flice.
It also contained crucial information that would be key to the case.
[Negotiations with Duke Flice collapse. Baku was captured successfully.]
Baku, who had first discovered Cedric's body.
Neruan had captured Baku after he disappeared.
'... If I were to use magic, I should use it on Baku, not to see Rose.'
Baku, he must find out what he's hiding.
Even imprisoned, the Grand Duke had moved quickly to clear his name.
He had used the field mouse to command Neruan and gather evidence.
However, this time, it seemed better to act directly, using only the bare minimum of magic.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum looked at the field mouse beside him.
'You must help me one more time.'
The Grand Duke concentrated mana into his fingertips and tapped the field mouse on the head.
Transforming a field mouse into his own form consumed a considerable amount of mana. Therefore, he chose a different approach this time.
The field mouse trembled at the Grand Duke's touch. Then, it ran out of the prison.
The mouse, which had been running swiftly, suddenly disappeared.
Its destination was the warehouse where Neruan and Baku were.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum remained in the prison, observing Neruan's situation through the field mouse's eyes.
Baku, who had been captured by Neruan, was tied tightly to a chair, his eyes covered with a thick cloth.
“Where were you going?”
“Who are you! Why did you bring me here?”
“If I were planning to tell you who I was, I wouldn’t have covered your eyes.”
“You must have been sent by the Grand Duke of Artaeum.”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s too early to tell.”
Neruan didn’t give Baku any definitive answer.
“Don’t worry. I don’t really plan on killing you.”
Neruan trailed off quietly and added,
“Not yet.”
It was a threat that he could kill, but Baku didn’t react at all.
Neruan’s eyes narrowed at his aloof demeanor, showing no fear or terror.
“You know who killed Cedric, right?”
“Don’t speak Master’s name carelessly.”
Baku reacted immediately when Cedric’s name was mentioned. It seemed that the pale voice calling Cedric’s name was quite irritating.
“How did you find Cedric, who had been missing for days? And didn’t you find him in the most unexpected place?”
Cedric was found in a place he would never go. And Baku hadn’t even looked for Cedric during that time.
He investigated Baku’s behavior during the time Cedric had been missing.
Baku had been Cedric’s loyal dog.
Judging by the fact that he hadn’t taken any action regarding his missing master, Neruan could tell he already knew about Cedric’s death.
“Since it’s just the two of us, let’s be honest. You killed Cedric, didn’t you?”
As soon as Neruan finished speaking, Baku’s voice, filled with rage, was heard.
“What are you talking about!! I killed my Master!!”
Baku, his neck red, swearing, looked extremely agitated.
“If you’re going to say something like that, just kill me!”
He was going to die anyway.
Feeling ashamed of himself for not being able to protect Cedric, he planned to follow him.
Neruan continued to press Baku.
In truth, Neruan didn't believe Baku would kill Cedric. He simply intended to provoke Baku in this way and force him to confess everything.
Given Baku's immense loyalty to Cedric, such words would have been a devastating insult.
"You did it in a fit of anger and planned to run away."
"Stop it!!"
"Cedric had many enemies anyway, so you probably thought you wouldn't be suspected."
"Will you shut up!!"
Neruan clapped his hands together a couple of times and sneered in admiration.
"That was a brilliant strategy. No one suspected you. It was truly a successful plan. A dog that bites its master? No one would have thought of that."
Baku's anger boiled over at Neruan's words, which continued to press him.
He didn't want to hear any more insults.
The Grand Duke, observing the situation through the eyes of the field mouse, instinctively felt that Neruan's methods would not work on Baku.
'This can't go on anymore.'
Now it was his turn to step forward.
The field mouse ran and climbed onto Neruan's shoulder.
When the field mouse, which had been acting as a source of information, appeared, Neruan's head turned on its own.
That was when the incident happened.
[Neruan!]
The Grand Duke's urgent voice echoed in Neruan's head.
"Your Highness?"
He had said that he would not use magic for the time being because the magical activity was unusual, but he was speaking to him through the field mouse.
As Neruan was about to nag the Grand Duke, Baku bit the poison capsule he had been holding in his mouth.
Doana, who had collapsed, slowly opened her eyes. She desperately hoped this wasn't a prison, clutching her pounding heart.
"Please..."
Her trembling eyelashes fluttered heavily.
With her eyes fully open, Doana cautiously looked around.
Doana's expectant face quickly darkened.
"...It's still a prison."
The place she was staying was still a prison. It was simply a slightly more comfortable solitary cell than before.
The sunlight still lingered, but it was certainly cleaner.
Unable to hide her disappointment, Doana muttered to herself,
"...I thought I could get out."
She had thought she could escape this tedious prison, if only for medical attention.
When the soldier saw Doana open her eyes, he brought in a doctor.
Doana spoke with the doctor through the iron bars.
"Do you know when your due date is?"
Doana's expression hardened as the doctor lowered his voice.
The doctor who treated her at Count Wence's house had been polite. But the doctor in front of her was incredibly rude.
"...Do you know who I am?"
The child who would succeed the Count was in her womb.
Doana forced herself to calm her raging heart and continued.
"There are about three months left."
She had to continue the performance to get out of there, so she acted politely.
"For a seven-month pregnancy, your belly is quite large..."
The doctor looked at Doana incredulously.
"There's nothing wrong with your health. I'll be your doctor for the time being. Your appointments are three times a week, at 2 p.m."
After saying that, the doctor tried to get up. Doana hurriedly grabbed him.
"Now, wait a minute! What do you do when I'm sick outside of those hours?"
The doctor, who was about to leave, turned to Doana.
"You have to endure it. What else can I do?"
"...Huh?"
That wasn't the answer she had expected. Doana blinked, opening her mouth.
“But... I’m pregnant.”
Are you even human?
How could you treat a pregnant woman like this? The words rose to the tip of her tongue.
But she couldn't do that. Doana knew all too well that she was the ‘weaker party’ in this situation.
“You are pregnant, yes. But... you are a criminal before you are a pregnant woman. And you killed someone.”
“I didn’t kill anyone. This is so unfair.”
Doana tried her tearful performance again. Tears streamed down her pitiful cheeks.
However, he didn’t even blink at the sight of Doana’s tears.
“I’m not a judge. Don’t tell me about your injustices.”
With those words, the doctor left.
Doana sank to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
“Why... why don’t you believe me? I really didn’t do anything...”
She felt truly wronged.
Beliana's disappearance had nothing to do with her.
Perhaps because he felt pity for Doana, who was sobbing on the cold floor, the soldier handed her a handkerchief.
A hand holding a handkerchief suddenly appeared before Doana's eyes, who had been bowing her head.
Doana slowly raised her head. The soldier was looking at her with a pitiful expression.
"Stop crying. Wipe it."
'Are you... feeling pity for me?'
Without taking her eyes off the soldier, Doana stealthily grabbed the handkerchief. She subtly placed her hand in the man's, not forgetting to observe his reaction.
The soldier flinched at Doana's touch and hastily withdrew his hand.
The soldier coughed and blushed.
It was a familiar reaction.
The reaction of the shy men who had shown interest in her.
It wasn't simple kindness, but a reaction of seeing her as a woman.
Doana stared blankly at the man.
'If I use that man... Can't I get out of this prison?'
The hand holding the handkerchief tightened slightly. Doana wiped away the flowing tears and spoke softly.
"...Thank you."
Beauty was a privilege.
Doana sank to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
“Why... why don’t you believe me? I really didn’t do anything...”
She felt truly wronged.
Beliana's disappearance had nothing to do with her.
Perhaps because he felt pity for Doana, who was sobbing on the cold floor, the soldier handed her a handkerchief.
A hand holding a handkerchief suddenly appeared before Doana's eyes, who had been bowing her head.
Doana slowly raised her head. The soldier was looking at her with a pitiful expression.
"Stop crying. Wipe it."
'Are you... feeling pity for me?'
Without taking her eyes off the soldier, Doana stealthily grabbed the handkerchief. She subtly placed her hand in the man's, not forgetting to observe his reaction.
The soldier flinched at Doana's touch and hastily withdrew his hand.
The soldier coughed and blushed.
It was a familiar reaction.
The reaction of the shy men who had shown interest in her.
It wasn't simple kindness, but a reaction of seeing her as a woman.
Doana stared blankly at the man.
'If I use that man... Can't I get out of this prison?'
The hand holding the handkerchief tightened slightly. Doana wiped away the flowing tears and spoke softly.
"...Thank you."
Beauty was a privilege.
Even though she was scarred and pregnant, her beauty still shone.
Doana opened her lips, her lips trembling as she thought about how she would roast the soldier.
"...Will you listen to my story, just this once?"
A solitary cell, empty of other prisoners.
It was a chance to talk comfortably.
Please have pity on me.
Please help me, innocently imprisoned.
Doana began her story to the soldier with fervent hope.
***
The dim crescent moon softly illuminated the prison.
Grand Duke Artaeum turned his back on the iron bars and quickly scanned the note the field mouse had brought.
His face was stern, his head bowed.
The contents of the note didn't seem particularly pleasant.
He had sent a letter to Duke Flice through Neruan, asking for his cooperation.
He was willing to help, but if not, he wouldn't.
And in the Grand Duke's hand was a reply.
[Negotiations with Duke Flice broke down...]
'... As expected, Duke Flice.'
The Grand Duke muttered to himself with a cool smile.
He wasn't angry because it was expected. He hadn't had high expectations of Duke Flice in the first place.
The Grand Duke wanted to use this incident as a test to gauge Duke Flice's intentions.
Duke Flice, as expected, was a lousy person.
He'd always come to him first, seeking help, but when the Grand Duke's situation seemed dire, he'd swiftly change his stance.
His bat-like nature would never change until he died.
Duke Flice, his childhood idol and loyal subject to the late Emperor.
Upright and brilliant, he was in reality a vicious man, worse than a beast.
'...Yes. This is how I should come out.'
That way, he won't feel guilty about killing him.
The uneasy feeling that had lingered in the back of his mind vanished like a lie.
Grand Duke Artaeum took a deep breath and raised his head. He gazed silently at the crescent moon beyond the prison. He particularly missed the late Emperor and Empress.
He desperately missed his parents, betrayed by his trusted younger brother, and subject to unjust killing.
'Father, Mother... Please wait a moment.'
I will relieve your grievances.
The heart boiling with revenge wouldn't calm down easily. Mana, which had been quiet for days, began to stir again.
Its fiery rage raged, threatening to engulf the Grand Duke's entire being.
For a moment, a crimson glint appeared in the Grand Duke's eyes. Grand Duke Artaeum clenched his fists and instantly controlled his mana.
The mana subsided quietly, as if nothing had happened.
The occasional bouts of blood were no longer present. However, the mana flowing within him, the inexplicable sense of alienation within it, kept bothering him.
'Magic... I wasn't planning on using it for the time being.'
He longed to see Rose once more.
He sighed and sat down on the bed.
Should I go to her again?
Should I use magic to see her?
The trial was just around the corner.
If he held on a little longer, he would see Rose.
The Grand Duke, fearing that acting rashly could ruin the situation, slowly closed his eyes.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum thought again about the note the field mouse had delivered.
The note didn't just contain information about Duke Flice.
It also contained crucial information that would be key to the case.
[Negotiations with Duke Flice collapse. Baku was captured successfully.]
Baku, who had first discovered Cedric's body.
Neruan had captured Baku after he disappeared.
'... If I were to use magic, I should use it on Baku, not to see Rose.'
Baku, he must find out what he's hiding.
Even imprisoned, the Grand Duke had moved quickly to clear his name.
He had used the field mouse to command Neruan and gather evidence.
However, this time, it seemed better to act directly, using only the bare minimum of magic.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum looked at the field mouse beside him.
'You must help me one more time.'
The Grand Duke concentrated mana into his fingertips and tapped the field mouse on the head.
Transforming a field mouse into his own form consumed a considerable amount of mana. Therefore, he chose a different approach this time.
The field mouse trembled at the Grand Duke's touch. Then, it ran out of the prison.
The mouse, which had been running swiftly, suddenly disappeared.
Its destination was the warehouse where Neruan and Baku were.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum remained in the prison, observing Neruan's situation through the field mouse's eyes.
Baku, who had been captured by Neruan, was tied tightly to a chair, his eyes covered with a thick cloth.
“Where were you going?”
“Who are you! Why did you bring me here?”
“If I were planning to tell you who I was, I wouldn’t have covered your eyes.”
“You must have been sent by the Grand Duke of Artaeum.”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s too early to tell.”
Neruan didn’t give Baku any definitive answer.
“Don’t worry. I don’t really plan on killing you.”
Neruan trailed off quietly and added,
“Not yet.”
It was a threat that he could kill, but Baku didn’t react at all.
Neruan’s eyes narrowed at his aloof demeanor, showing no fear or terror.
“You know who killed Cedric, right?”
“Don’t speak Master’s name carelessly.”
Baku reacted immediately when Cedric’s name was mentioned. It seemed that the pale voice calling Cedric’s name was quite irritating.
“How did you find Cedric, who had been missing for days? And didn’t you find him in the most unexpected place?”
Cedric was found in a place he would never go. And Baku hadn’t even looked for Cedric during that time.
He investigated Baku’s behavior during the time Cedric had been missing.
Baku had been Cedric’s loyal dog.
Judging by the fact that he hadn’t taken any action regarding his missing master, Neruan could tell he already knew about Cedric’s death.
“Since it’s just the two of us, let’s be honest. You killed Cedric, didn’t you?”
As soon as Neruan finished speaking, Baku’s voice, filled with rage, was heard.
“What are you talking about!! I killed my Master!!”
Baku, his neck red, swearing, looked extremely agitated.
“If you’re going to say something like that, just kill me!”
He was going to die anyway.
Feeling ashamed of himself for not being able to protect Cedric, he planned to follow him.
Neruan continued to press Baku.
In truth, Neruan didn't believe Baku would kill Cedric. He simply intended to provoke Baku in this way and force him to confess everything.
Given Baku's immense loyalty to Cedric, such words would have been a devastating insult.
"You did it in a fit of anger and planned to run away."
"Stop it!!"
"Cedric had many enemies anyway, so you probably thought you wouldn't be suspected."
"Will you shut up!!"
Neruan clapped his hands together a couple of times and sneered in admiration.
"That was a brilliant strategy. No one suspected you. It was truly a successful plan. A dog that bites its master? No one would have thought of that."
Baku's anger boiled over at Neruan's words, which continued to press him.
He didn't want to hear any more insults.
The Grand Duke, observing the situation through the eyes of the field mouse, instinctively felt that Neruan's methods would not work on Baku.
'This can't go on anymore.'
Now it was his turn to step forward.
The field mouse ran and climbed onto Neruan's shoulder.
When the field mouse, which had been acting as a source of information, appeared, Neruan's head turned on its own.
That was when the incident happened.
[Neruan!]
The Grand Duke's urgent voice echoed in Neruan's head.
"Your Highness?"
He had said that he would not use magic for the time being because the magical activity was unusual, but he was speaking to him through the field mouse.
As Neruan was about to nag the Grand Duke, Baku bit the poison capsule he had been holding in his mouth.
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