The duke bowed deeply, making it difficult to gauge the turmoil in a father’s heart after his daughter was abducted. However, it was clear that he had not yet succumbed to despair.
“Your gratitude can wait until everything is resolved. Duke Harald Alway, what are your next moves?”
“Indeed, as Pfeil said. We’ll wait until we recover Olivier and Jared and crush the rebels before we think about gratitude.”
The duke interpreted Pfeil’s seemingly insensitive remarks as motivation, nodding in agreement.
“As I mentioned earlier, we have fallen too far behind. To be honest, I have no idea when I will manage to establish contact with the palace and the Mage Association.”
“That’s understandable. If I were in the Orthodox Magician Army, I would definitely want to eliminate that particular issue. Of course, the question is whether we can actually do that.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Luzer’s statement.
“Laurentz, Leonard Gallagher himself was present at the academy, right? What do you think his objective was?”
“Well…”
Laurentz glanced around, hesitating to share what he knew. He debated whether he could reveal that his friend Lars was a prince and that his teacher, Kirsi Santala, was the second-ranked court mage without overstepping his bounds. Despite having the potential to become a court mage candidate, his current status as a child without authority made it difficult to judge how much information he could disclose. Sensing his hesitation, Duke Alway stepped in to assist.
“The Royal Academy is attended by our country’s prince. And there is also the second-ranked court mage. Leonard’s aim, if I dare say, is likely to harm the prince.”
He hesitated to say “harm,” but the reality was that there had been an intention to kill. If not for Laurentz, Lars might have been harmed before Kirsi could arrive. Understanding that targeting a member of the royal family was an unforgivable act, it became clear how serious the rebels truly were.
“It may be fortunate or unfortunate, but their attempt ended in failure. However, now that they have targeted the royal family, there may be a second or even third attempt. Therefore, I intend to eliminate the threat before they can act again.”
“I agree with the duke’s assessment. However, the real problem is finding out where the Orthodox Magician Army is. We have to secure Olivier and Jared, and we must act before they disappear completely.”
“I concur with Luzer. Jared seems to have a specific purpose, but Olivier was taken solely as a hostage against him. We must rescue her while they still see her as valuable.”
What terrified them most was the possibility that Olivier, deemed no longer useful, could be harmed. In that case, they would also have to anticipate Jared’s rage, though the true victims would be the captors.
The utmost priority was to rescue Olivier unharmed. If she could be saved, it would also relieve Jared from his restraint.
“Of course, I understand. I have already requested Duke Rüdiger to lend us some troops. Given that this is the capital city, there will be limits on their numbers, but having some is better than none. We’ve also dispatched spies from both houses, so even if it takes a little longer, I will find out where they are.”
“Nevertheless, they are merely the duke’s retainers. They won’t stand a chance against Waalthe’s spies.”
The assassination-focused young boy’s comment darkened the duke’s expression. He knew all too well that this was true.
The strongest assassination organization on the continent earned its reputation not merely through combat prowess but also because of the complete package they offered—human resources, intelligence gathering, and everything else that made Waalthe truly formidable.
“I have already dispatched spies on my end. We can cross-reference our intelligence with the information you obtain to pinpoint the whereabouts of the fools.”
“Thank you, Pfeil.”
The duke had never guessed that Pfeil had already mobilized Waalthe on their behalf and expressed his gratitude.
“Now we can only wait for information, but this waiting is agonizing. By the way, duke, may I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
Luzer voiced a question that had been on his mind all along.
“Do you have any idea why Leonard Gallagher initiated this whole incident?”
The duke shook his head.
He too was unaware of the reasons behind Leonard Gallagher’s betrayal.
“Regrettably, it was unexpected for him to be part of the Orthodox Magician Army. I have no idea what his objectives are either. We have lagged too far behind. Even when our mansion was attacked, we were powerless to act. If it weren’t for Lady Rosa, I shudder to think what could have happened.”
Though the duke’s family had soldiers, they could not compete with the well-trained and accomplished members of the Royal Mage Corps. It was remarkable that Rosa had managed to neutralize hostile members on her own. Under normal circumstances, they would have been defeated, and by now, the duke’s family would likely have fallen into the hands of the rebels.
This made him anxious about the safety of other families targeted, particularly those without the military strength of the Daum Barony or Duke Rüdiger’s family.
“Despite being the Commander of the Royal Mage Corps, which means he is among the top-class mages in the nation, it’s impressive that he made a decision to oppose an entire country, even if he has succumbed to the mage supremacy ideology. Frankly, I admire his audacity.”
“At the academy, he claimed to be creating a nation solely for mages. To the students harboring grievances, that must have sounded enticing. While that man may be strong as a magician, I believe he is even better at manipulating people.”
“Hmph. There’s no need to ponder the sentiments of the rebels. We just need to defeat them all.”
While Luzer and Laurentz were curious about Leonard’s reasons for leading the rebellion with mages, Pfeil dismissed the idea with indifference. Indeed, there was no need to understand the emotions of adversaries, but knowing them could provide insights for future strategies.
“It is likely that we will never know the reasons behind Leonard Gallagher’s actions, or the motivations of the Orthodox Magician Army.”
They had no choice but to nod in agreement with the duke’s words.
In any case, this was not a problem they could answer here.
However, the uncertainty regarding the true reasons left all of them feeling a twinge of unease as they prepared to fight the rebels.
