Evil-like Duke Household

Chapter 40: Prince and Despair

I, Alto=Azolias, am in a hurry.

This is because of the sudden visit of the Hero of the war, Diebold=Ractos, so I have been busy with lots of things. And for that reason, I have no time to spare to investigate over the son of the evil governor Grid=Ractos, Jake=Ractos, and divulge his evil plan.

Adding the matter, I just realized something as the ceremony for welcoming Diebold=Ractos is over.

The fact that Jake=Ractos didn't participate in that ceremony...

Diebold-dono is the hero of war, the fact that Jake=Ractos, who is also the grandson of Diebold-dono, is not participating in the ceremony... surely is because he is using the chance of the hustle and bustle of the ceremony to do something secretly behind the scene.

... When I thought at this point, I started to guess perhaps the sudden arrival of Diebold-dono is for the sake of making Jake move easier behind the scenes?

Now that I think about it, the reason for his sudden return, [ to attend Jack's marriage interview], does indeed feel to forced to be true.

Because of that pact, the one called the Diebold pact, Diebold-dono cannot do things that directly brings harm to the people.

But if it's indirect... That's right, wouldn't it possible for Diebold-dono, as long as he didn't bring harm to us, to make Jake and the Governor move easily behind the scenes?

Arriving at this point, I feel like my sense of danger is alarming me on something. So I run towards the castle town as if chasing over something.

If it goes towards the back alley where Jake usually loiter, I can start my investigation from there.

From the times that I was tailing Jake, I cannot find any positive proof regarding the evil plan that they've designed.

So, I planned to investigate further from around the places that's surely has some relation to him. I will catch his tail this time for sure.

... However, I still haven't found any positive proof.

Honestly, this is something that's almost impossible to do just by myself. But at the present condition where I have no one to trust, I have no other way.

[ Hmm, the one over there ... Jake=Ractos? You again! What are you doing in a place like this... ! ]

As I called him over, Jake slowly turned his back.

His usual smile that seems like he's planning something are raised even more. He seems to be really pleased from the heart. And that devilish smile is pointed towards me.

Looking at that bizzare expression, it made cold sweat flow on my back.

What, what is this...

Why does he have such an expression?

For an instant, I felt an illusion that made my throat felt really dry. I unconsiously swallowed my saliva.

[ Well, well, what a nice guest we have here, First Prince Alto. Did the Prince already hear about it? It's about my fiancee, you know. Her name is Anessa... ]

I unconsiously felt relief in hearing his words. I started to weave my words without letting my guard down.

[ Ah , aah... Father ... His majesty already told me about it. If I'm not mistaken, she's the daughter of the aide of the governor, Nizzet-dono right? Her name should be... ]

[ Anessa ! ... Anessa=Nizzet, that's her name, Prince Alto ... Kishishi ]

Hearing Jake suddenly raising his voice like that, by body reflexively stiffened.

[ Yaah, she is a really cute girl, you know. I even felt like I got more than what I deserve~ ... The colour of her sorcery aptitude shows on her hair and eyes-they look like the deep sea. I felt like being sucked into it when I looked deeply into her eyes. They have a really beautiful deep blue colour, hmm ~ ]

Jake who looked so happy that he became so talkative, started to tell me about his fiancee.

... This guy, what is he trying to tell me?

[ Since she comes from the Nizzet household, her knowledge about sorcery is also deep you know~ ... Ah right! Prince do you know that, surpisingly, she also has several sorcery aptitudes! ]

Jake's words rang my ears and echoed inside my head.

Several sorcery aptitudes...

Though I still haven't caught any string about the matter that he wants to tell me, but this made me remember a certain hypothesis.

Perhaps... Is his fiancee working together with him?

... There's still no proof for this hypothesis.

However, the possibility is not zero. Let's use this moment to probe it out.

[ Hooh, that's indeed quite rare. What are those aptitudes if I may ask? ]

Jake looked like he's been waiting for my words, so his lips started to raise even more. Then he started to weave the words out of his mouth.

[ Yaah ~ , she have two sorcery aptitudes, you know~. The sorcery aptitude of Curse and Psycological Sensor, yep. Especially the last one ... This Psycological Sensor sorcery is really a unique sorcery, right. And, actually, the reason we're enganged like now is thanks to this aptitude of hers...! ]

So that's it. The sorcery aptitude of Curse and Psycological Sensor ... Though I don't really know what are those meant since I am not really well versed in magic.

The sorcery aptitude of Psycological Sensor ... from that name itself, I already feel a really bad premonition from it.

Hearing that it was the reason that their engagement is going so well, this sorcery must be a key point.

Later I have to search about this in the castle library ...

But, I wonder ... Why is Jake easily talking to me about his fiancee like this ?

As Jake's story changed on how beautiful her fiancee is, I started to revolve my thoughts.

He's buying time ?

But, for what?

In the first place, if this was he is trying to buy some time, and by talking the matter that makes me suspicious of his fiancee as a fellow cooperator of his, shouldn't that only make me more vigilant?

... I felt that it was not buying time.

Then, he's trying to mislead me ?

He emphasizes that his fiancee is a cooperator and is someone that's dangerous... making me turning my head into other more important matters?

... Perhaps this is possible.

However, what is he trying to hide from me?

Diebold-dono ... surely is not.

He's not someone whose presence can be ignored just because of the fiancee thing.

In the first place, there's that pact. What could a person that is not in position to meddle in the affairs do?

Is the Nizzet household also involved in this matter?

... Well, his fiancee is from the Nizzet household, leading me into doubting his fiancee will be a foolish move for Jake.

I cannot understand this matter... Let's leave it aside for now.

Able to secure victory, because of relief ... and probably self conceit, he became more talkative.

... Did Jake really become someone that's so foolish that he let his mouth move like this just because of pride?

In war, the prideful one will die first... One cannot let his guard down even more than a moment.

For a person whose tail I cannot catch all this time, surely he wouldn't suddenly become easy to catch like this.

He just simply wanted to brag to me about his fiancee...

... nope.

This is the most impossible thing.

Why the heck I even thought of that possibility?

Aaah, the possibilities are limitless.

There's also a possibility that he just wanted to mess with my mind like this.

That's right! No matter what he is planning, by hearing him talking on and on like this, it doesn't change the fact that it's already giving him lots of merit.

If that is so, then the best move is to end this talk as fast as possible and start to searching about his fiancee's sorcery aptitude.

[ ... After that, she said something like this. I am --- ]

[ Aah ... Jake=Ractos! I just remembered something important. I have to go back to the castle immediately. ]

[ ... Is that so? It's a shame is it~ Well if it's like that, have a nice day , First Prince... ]

He wouldn't stop me, huh... Well, he wouldn't be able to. Looking at his atrocious smile which turned back to his usual suspicious smile that pasted on his face, it seems like my decision is correct.

I quickly left the back alley as fast as possible and ran toward the castle. Then I started to search about that sorcery aptitude.

At the castle library, I took a book of complete knowledge about Sorcery traits in my hand and started to look after the sorcery trait that Jake told to me.

It seems that this book of Complete Knowledge about Sorcery Trait is not a book that's aimed for a sorcerer with great knowledge about magic. The information about sorcery traits are written in simple explanations. It seems that this book is written for a noble that didn't really understand magic in the first place. So because of that, I could find the page about psychological sensor without much problem.

It's said that this is a sorcery trait that allows the user to be able to grasp what other people feelings are even without convey it into words.

Just as I thought, it's quite a troublesome sorcery if it belongs to the enemy.

Well, it is indeed quite a troublesome sorcery... But the fact that this sorcery is the one that has made their engagement go as intended still makes me doubt a bit.

As I thought, is he actually planning to give me a not so important piece of infomation as he tried to fool me into not looking into another matter completely ... ?

... Now that I think about it, there's still one more.

If I rememmbered correctly, it's should be the Sorcery aptitude of Curse ... let's look into it.

Several hours after looking into the books.

I was finally able to find the page that I am looking for... And when I looked into it...

[ Wha, what is this ! !]

At that page, the page where the information about Sorcery of curse is written, only one line is written.

Using a word of curse as the usage condition, detail is Unknown.

The unclear context about this sorcery is so scarce compared to the other sorcery by a great margin.

What kind of curse is it, what is the extent of it's scope is also unknown.

But more than that, the fact that [ Detail Unknown ] is written here, totally makes me frightened.

Though there's also several pages out there that's written with [ We are looking into this matter diligently ] or [ Is in the middle of inspection ] at the part that they still didn't know. But this sorcery has [ Detail Unknown] written on it ... Furthermore there's note below [ There's no further inspection over this mater] written.

The only page that's has this line written is only this page.

... Did Jake tell me about this sorcery trait knowing that I wouldn't find anything about this sorcery in the first place?

To make me anxious!?

So that I cannot make any calm judgement!?

If that's true, doesn't that mean that his plan have already succeeded!?

As I thought, Anessa=Nizzet, Jake's fiancee is one of Jake's cooperators...!

If she has this Psychological Sensor, then there's no way that she couldn't feel the evil intention of Jake.

Since she still accepted on becoming his fiancee despite knowing his evil intention, then that's the truth.

Furthermore, his fiancee also has some unknown, unexplainable sorcery trait on her hand!

Even if I tried to investigate about Anessa=Nizzet, the fact that she can immediately feel my intention would make it absolutely hard to do so.

If she's plotting on doing something with Jake, then there's nothing that I could do to stop them!!

This is bad... This is totally bad... !

Then I realized something, the thought that had flashed into my mind several hours ago when I was talking with Jake... the reason that Jake might have become so talkative...

What if, my guess is not really off the mark from what actually happened?

That's right... It's not that he became self-conceited. He became talkative because he already placed all of the pieces in the right place.

There're no way for me to turn back the condition, and perhaps it was his declaration of victory to me?

Actually, adding the fact that I can't even grab any bit of evidence of his evil plan, on the other side he now able to get such a strong cooperator with him.

... Did all of his plans already progress until the last part of his plan?

Even though I still don't have any idea of what they're trying to do...

... Is there nothing that I could do anymore?

Is there's nothing I could do to protect my country from the clutches of the devil...?

Alone in the castle library, I am hugged my head and embraced the despair...

TL : LOL

ED: I'm tempted to change the title into the Prince of Despair...