The five individuals believed to be assassins were incapacitated by Jared in no time at all. The assassins, who were taken by surprise by the boy descending from the mansion, were knocked unconscious while gaping dumbfoundedly.
“I didn’t even need to use magic… I’ve never seen such incompetent assassins before.”
The most recent memory that came to mind was of Waalthe. Their assassins, including Pfeil, had moved with far more refinement. In comparison, the five sprawled on the ground were utterly amateurish.
“Can they only afford this level of assassin, or do they think this level is sufficient?”
Jared couldn’t determine if Ricardo’s mother had hired them. He searched their possessions, hoping to find some evidence, but to no avail.
“…Huh? Are these guys adventurers?”
The boy clicked his tongue upon finding an adventurer’s license on one of the men. Adventurers, as always, would take any job for the right price. The attackers who had troubled Olivier in the past were also adventurers, and it was adventurers who, for money, attacked young Dragon Species and brought a village to the brink of annihilation.
Jared couldn’t bring himself to like adventurers, as there were always those who would hire them to commit murder for money. Of course, adventurers would only take such jobs if there were clients. In that sense, adventurers couldn’t be solely blamed.
“Lord Jared, please use this if you wish.”
“Ah, thank you. I apologize. I acted too hastily.”
“Not at all. Your skill in incapacitating those five without a sound is remarkable. I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”
“I doubt that.”
Jared accepted the rope offered by Clawence, who had quietly followed him, and began to tie up the adventurers.
“Unfortunately, I no longer possess my former combat prowess. My magic and stamina have both waned with age.”
Jared could sense that Clawence’s magic was strong, and her movements were not what he would expect from an elderly human. However, if Clawence herself felt a decline, then it must be true. He wondered how powerful she must have been in her prime, given the strength she still held, befitting a Former Court Mage.
“By the way, Lady Clawence, what shall we do with these men?”
“It would be ideal if we could discover who commissioned them to target Lord Ricardo, wouldn’t it?”
“Then shall we interrogate them? They can’t complain too much if things get a little rough. After all, they trespassed into the Ducal Family’s mansion and attempted to take a life.”
“In that case, let’s leave it to Dennis. That boy is capable of more than just fighting. While he may not be as skilled as a professional interrogator, it should be easy enough for him to get information from low-quality adventurers.”
The mention of professional interrogators brought to mind the pervert who was a former candidate for Olivier’s fiancée, but Jared shook his head to dispel the thought.
“Then, let’s leave it to Mr. Dennis.”
***
“They confessed quite easily. The client was Lady Catarina Hagedorff, who is Lord Ricardo’s mother.”
“…It was Mother after all. It pains me every time my life is threatened like this. I regret not meeting my mother’s expectations, but I fear the mother who would try to kill her own son.”
Dennis wiped the blood from his hands with a cloth after the interrogation. Upon learning that Ricardo’s mother was indeed the client, the son’s shoulders slumped.
“Lord Ricardo, I’m not sure if this can be called good news, but I believe the timing was fortunate.”
“Master Dennis?”
“Presumably, Duchess Cassandra intended to handle the assassination of Lord Ricardo internally. That’s why the enemy continued to send assassins one after another. However, we are here.”
“Uh, me?”
“Yes. In the presence of a serving Court Mage, you apprehended adventurers who attempted to murder a member of the Ducal Family and revealed the client’s name. This is more than enough to prosecute Lady Catarina Hagedorff.”
“I see,” Jared said, clapping his hands. He didn’t understand why Duke Cassandra Hagedorff had intended to handle the matter internally, but neither Jared nor Dennis needed to do the same. Even if the Hagedorff Ducal Family’s reputation were to be tarnished by this incident, the responsibility lay with the mastermind. While the Ducal Family’s image might suffer, sweeping this matter under the rug would only lead to repetition. Ricardo knew he wanted to change his name and live a new life, but if the root cause were eliminated, there would be no need for that.
“…However, then Mother would be…”
Still, Ricardo looked troubled. No matter how much she tried to take his life, she was still his mother. He seemed reluctant to see her punished for attempting to kill her son.
“I’m sorry, I know this is foolish. But please, give me one night to think about it.”
Since he pleaded with them and even bowed his head, the three of them couldn’t object. Jared, along with Clawence, chose to spend the time until the next day investigating Cassandra’s private chambers.
