Jared Murphy was in a dimly lit room where no sunlight penetrated. Without the lamplight, everything would have been swallowed by darkness.
Despite the heat during the day, the room was chilly.
“How are you feeling, Jared Murphy?”
“The worst. How dare you show your face to me… I’ll kill you, I swear.”
“Say whatever you want. You are a prisoner right now.”
Jared twisted his face in disgust at the voice of the middle-aged man, who was clad in robes favored by magicians.
As the man said, Jared was a prisoner.
It wasn’t just because his fiancée, Olivier Alway, was being held hostage, but he was literally bound by chains.
No matter how much strength he exerted, the chains connecting his wrists to the ceiling wouldn’t budge. He could barely stand, but his body, pre-emptively injured to prevent resistance, wouldn’t hold out for long.
“I never expected there to be a hideout for rebels on land formerly belonging to the previous king.”
“It’s precisely because I am the administrator of this land. The Royal Palace and the Mage Association wouldn’t notice so easily.”
The man puffed out his chest as if boasting. If Jared’s memory was correct, he was Marquis Ewing. His son was an executive in the Royal Mage Corps, and they were both close with the Gallagher Count Family.
He wore glasses on his thin, nervous face and, as far as Jared remembered, was not a magician, unlike his son.
“It will all be revealed in time. This country and the Mage Association will surely find you.”
“Perhaps. But if that happens, we will fight. As long as the Royal Mage Corps is on our side, the Knights will be no match for us. The Court Mages, our only concern, will also have to be deployed for the protection of the Royal Family and Ducal Families because they are not all present. Thus, we will be in a more advantageous position.”
“What is your objective in doing this… what do you want to achieve by rebelling against the country?”
If he couldn’t resist, he wanted to glean as much information as possible through conversation.
“The King is a good king, but he lacks understanding of magicians.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“Just that? You are a magician too, no, a magician of your caliber should be evaluated more, should aspire to a higher status. Don’t you think so?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We magicians are not special beings. We are just humans, no different from others.”
“It’s a pity, Jared Murphy. It seems you have been brainwashed by non-magicians.”
At that moment, as he was looked at with eyes full of pity, light pierced the darkness of the room.
The door opened, and three men entered.
One was a middle-aged man in the same robes as Marquis Ewing. The other two were young men in the uniforms of the Royal Mage Corps.
“Marquis Ewing, is it about time? While I don’t mind you enjoying conversation with your future brother-in-law, we can’t afford to treat you specially.”
“My apologies. I got a bit carried away.”
“It’s quite alright. Now, you, please begin.”
“Yes.”
At the robe-clad man’s nod, one of the corps members stepped in front of Jared.
He touched Jared’s body and the chains, as if confirming something.
“It appears to be functioning without any problems.”
“Then that’s good. Now, Jared Murphy, you are currently in a state where you cannot use magic even if you want to. Therefore, I will offer you some advice out of kindness. You should obey us without offering any useless resistance.”
As the man said, Jared couldn’t use magic. More than that, he couldn’t sense any magic power at all. It was likely being sealed by the room or the chains binding him, but he hadn’t known such techniques existed.
“You were able to converse with Marquis Ewing until now, so perhaps you could answer?”
Jared put strength into the arms bound by the chains extending from the ceiling, lifted his body, and swung his legs out.
The kick, which bent like a whip, smashed the cheekbone of the nearby Royal Mage Corps member. Without even glancing at the man who had collapsed against the wall of the small room,
“This is my answer.”
He stated impassively to the man.
“Y-You bastard!”
Another corps member waiting in the wings became enraged at Jared and raised his fist.
Jared couldn’t defend himself, and could only endure the blows, but he ignored the furious corps member and continued to stare at the man.
“Stop it. It’s unsightly.”
Unlike the pale-faced Marquis Ewing, the nameless man spoke a short but clear command to the corps member, who immediately stopped.
“B-But…”
The corps member protested hesitantly, unable to accept it, but…
“I won’t say it twice. The one Leonard called his greatest enemy, it’s his own fault for being careless just because he can’t use magic. Such foolishness is not needed by us.”
“…I apologize.”
The corps member reluctantly moved away from Jared.
He spat out the blood gathering in his mouth, and the man took a step closer to Jared.
“The one you kicked down was quite skilled for the Royal Mage Corps, but truly, what a feat. However, it would be best if you never resisted again. We’ll let it slide this time, but if you do anything strange next, I cannot guarantee Olivier Alway’s safety.”
“Do you understand what that means?”
“Which is?”
“If anything happens to Olivier—I’ll have no reason to hold back.”
“Indeed. That is precisely why I promise she will be treated with utmost care. You, too, promise not to do anything foolish again.”
“If you keep your promise, I will comply for now.”
“Then that’s for the best. Olivier Alway’s safety, I—Clarence Langridge, the head of the Langridge Ducal Family—will guarantee it.”
Jared was speechless.
He had never dreamed the man before him was from a Ducal Family.
The Langridge Ducal Family was a clan that lacked prominence compared to other Ducal Families. However, it was unusual for a Ducal Family to produce magicians, which led to many of their kin belonging to organizations like the Royal Mage Corps and the Mage Association.
“I see, so that’s why information was leaking everywhere due to your associates.”
“Let’s just say I have collaborators outside the family. Everyone is a comrade who laments the current plight of magicians. Ideally, I’d like you to become one too.”
“I’ll pass.”
Knowing that it was the power of the Langridge Ducal Family that had been providing information to the Orthodox Magician Army, such as the events in the Duke R Duchy, made sense.
If a Ducal Family, holding a status second only to the Royal Family, was colluding with rebels, it would be easier to gather allies.
Until now, he had thought Leonard Gallagher was the leader, but now, having been captured, he had found someone of higher standing than him.
However, it was frustrating that he could do nothing at this moment.
“I expected you to say that. Well, we have time. Your feelings will change eventually. But before that, there’s something we need to do. It’s the long-awaited meeting.”
“A meeting?”
“Do you know, Jared? Several families, including my own and the Ewing Marquis Family, wanted to offer their daughters as your consorts. But, unfortunately, all were rejected by that young lady from the Alway Ducal Family. That family seems determined to monopolize you.”
Jared knew that Olivier and Duke Alway weren’t thinking of monopolizing him. It was, needless to say, a baseless assumption.
At the same time, he also knew that Duke Langridge wouldn’t be convinced even if he tried to explain.
“There is no one to interfere here now. I want you to meet our daughters to your heart’s content. They are the wives who will bear your children in the future.”
“You don’t mean… you want me to…”
“It’s good that you’re quick to grasp things. Yes, first, you will marry excellent wives to leave behind your bloodline. Be happy, they are all beautiful.”
Upon hearing Duke Langridge’s words, Jared, understanding what was about to happen, turned pale.
