Naturally, the Empire was not just shocked. It was completely turned upside down.
It wasn’t enough that the notorious chimera creator, whom they had conducted such a huge operation to wipe out, had survived; it was also revealed that he had kidnapped the daughter of a duke. A duke who was not only a public servant but also an Archmage. When this truth came to light, many people became enraged at the chimera creator’s actions.
Upon learning the details of the incident, the Emperor immediately ordered an investigation into the matter, and Duke Eus, whose own daughter was involved, took the lead in the investigation himself.
As a result, they were shocked to discover that the chimera creator had brazenly built a village and was living in it not far from the Academy.
From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary village, which was why even during regular population surveys, no one had noticed anything suspicious.
Since it wasn’t far from the capital, the Academy and the Magic Tower, which were the three areas with the highest population density, this explained how the series of kidnappings that had plagued the Empire so far had been carried out and where the victims had been taken.
Moreover, it was revealed through inspections that all the villagers were not ordinary people but showed traces of having undergone intensive training. Test results also showed that parts of their bodies, arms, legs, and other sections, had been replaced with something else, further heightening the fear among the general public.
The most peculiar discovery during the investigation was that every single person in the village had been annihilated.
By the time the Duke’s knights who had set out to rescue the noble lady arrived at the village, they found all of the enemies already in a gruesome state.
The scene was so horrifying, as if an enraged monster had torn everything to pieces, that everyone who witnessed it stood with their mouths agape, unable to close them.
Considering how deeply sinful these people were, it was somewhat expected that someone seeking revenge might have done this much. But the real problem lay within the underground laboratory.
Underground, there was a large-scale laboratory where the kidnapped humans and the monsters used as materials had been gathered.
Inside the confinement rooms made of giant iron doors and thick walls, there were traces that chimeras had once been held. But for some unknown reason, not a single one of them remained.
The investigators could only speculate that the unidentified finely shredded remains and the blood splattered everywhere belonged to those chimeras.
And in the midst of all this, at the center of the laboratory, lay the corpse of a man. It was the very man who had been the mastermind behind the creation of the chimeras.
When they first discovered him, he appeared so perfectly intact as he stood there to greet them that they immediately prepared for battle. But when he showed no reaction even after some time had passed, they grew suspicious and decided to check…. only to realize that he was already dead, standing upright.
Or rather, it was hard to say he was simply dead. It was more like… dead, but not entirely dead.
His lifeless eyes looked as if his soul had been cleanly extracted, yet his body itself continued to function normally.
Like a puppet caught on invisible strings, he followed the investigators’ commands and answered their questions, no different from a lifeless doll.
Later, when a priest came to inspect his condition, he was horrified. Despite the man being an evil soul whose body reeked of bloodshed and slaughter to the point the stench was unbearable, the priest couldn’t hide his shock as he declared that someone had erased only his soul.
Someone had slain dozens of enhanced humans, overwhelmed the very creator of chimeras who possessed a master-class body, and even managed to cut down just his soul.
The Duke concluded that this person must possess skills rivaling that of a Master—no, perhaps even a Lord—and immediately ordered that every trace of this individual be found.
However, there was not a single piece of evidence left around the scene that could help identify him. Even the only eyewitness, the noble lady, replied that the person had covered their face and spoke in such an unclear voice that she could not tell who it was. And so, the search for this presumed Aura Lord ended inconclusively.
At first, they suspected Count Helios, but it was soon revealed that he hadn’t left his territory in years and had a solid alibi for that day. With that, the Empire became obsessed with the possible emergence of a second Aura Lord.
And that second Aura Lord, at this very moment…
“Come on, quickly. Ah~”
“…….”
…was personally peeling fruit and feeding it to the hospitalized noble lady.
***
“Mars, I got a call from Dad.”
“…Master?”
What in the world did he say this time?
Whenever I received a message from the Count, my heart would race like I was getting the very first text from my first-ever girlfriend.
The big difference, though, was that the emotion behind it wasn’t excitement…. it was fear.
Cold sweat would drip from my hands, and my whole body would tremble.
“He said, ‘You told me you wouldn’t reveal your identity, so why are you showing off? Are you picking a fight with me?’”
“…….”
Back when I had learned the sword from the Count who was a former Aura Lord, there was one thing he had always emphasized.
A sound mind dwells in a sound body.
It was something he would always say when he was teaching me the sword during my childhood days when I was struggling with the gap between the memories of my past life and the reality I was living in. His goal had been to help me train both my body and mind.
Of course, what had followed after that so-called training was nothing less than violence under the guise of discipline.
What was it they said again. That physical pain could make you forget mental pain?
Back then, I honestly thought I was going to die from getting beaten.
And what made it all the more terrifying was that after diagnosing my blood and energy flow, he would only strike the spots where impurities or stagnant energy had built up. The pain was real, but my body grew healthier by the day.
According to him, it was a special technique that only an Aura Lord could use, in which he poured pure aura into his fist and then struck the body like a blacksmith hammering red-hot iron. By striking only the areas where impurities had accumulated, he could flush out the waste and allow clean energy to circulate properly.
Since it didn’t even leave any bruises, the people around me just assumed I was suffering from muscle pain due to overtraining, and I ended up having to survive for an entire year while getting beaten like a stray dog in the middle of summer.
Well, I guess it is true that I became a Lord thanks to all that…
Thanks to the violence disguised as training, my body was forged first, and once my mind settled in its wake, it didn’t take long for me to reach enlightenment and become an Aura Lord.
Since my past life memories had blocked my progress with the sword, I did feel somewhat grateful for that part… but terrifying things were still terrifying.
“He said it was just a joke. Still, since you did it to save someone, he decided to let this incident slide.”
“I-Is that so…”
“But he told me that if you’re going to do it, you’d better make up your mind for real. If you keep acting like this, he’ll make it official and let you deal with the grumbling old men in the Imperial Palace.”
“……”
Trust my master to hit me right where it hurts most. He really was my master.
“Well, since that seems to be settled for now… Pollo, do you happen to have any free time?”
“Huh? Not really doing anything special, why?”
“Well, since we’re in the same club, we should at least pay the young lady a visit while she’s recovering.”
I was also curious to see if she was alright since I had fled in such a hurry while trying to hide my identity back then.
And I was a little worried too… wondering if she might have told someone else about who I really was in the meantime.
“But… would it really be okay for me to go? I mean, I didn’t even realize the young lady had been kidnapped…”
“How is that your fault? It’s the kidnappers who are to blame. Besides, you were the one who quickly reported it to the Duke. I heard you even hired a private teleportation mage in your rush to deliver the news.”
Hiring a private teleportation mage was incredibly expensive.
Teleportation magic was notoriously difficult to learn or even understand unless one was naturally gifted in the field of space magic. On top of that, it consumed an enormous amount of mana with each use, making it a spell few could easily master.
And hiring one of those teleportation mages even just once cost about a month’s worth of living expenses. It was an absolutely outrageous price.
“Tell me how much it cost. It’s an expense that was spent because of me, so I should take responsibility for it.”
“Don’t say that! Mars, you saved the young lady, didn’t you? If I had been stronger, I would’ve helped her myself… but since I couldn’t, I’m just glad I was able to help in some way.”
It wasn’t like his family was short on money, so it probably wasn’t a huge burden for them. But still, I couldn’t help but feel bad.
After all, he had gone to the Duke’s mansion himself at my request to report the kidnapping, and on top of that, he had been questioned multiple times as a witness, so it was only natural for me to feel guilty.
“Enough, let’s just go. The young lady didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to you because of everything that happened. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”
“Mm, alright. We’re in the same club after all, so I’m sure she’d appreciate us checking in on her.”
“Good thinking. I’m sure the young lady will be happy to see us.”
Well, not us. Just you, to be exact.
***
To be honest, I had been a little worried about bringing Pollo to see the noble lady.
Even if it hadn’t been intentional, it was still true that Pollo hadn’t been able to do anything when she was kidnapped.
Of course, unless you installed a bug or a tracker on the other person to figure out where they went, there was no way to know. But still, I’d read in a book somewhere that women tended to value emotion over logic.
I was being dragged away and you just stood there doing nothing? How could you!
I’d been worried that it might turn into a situation like that. But fortunately, she welcomed Pollo with a smiling face.
Even the way she looked at Pollo didn’t show any signs of betrayal or anger, so I quietly let out a sigh of relief, thinking I didn’t have to worry about her favorability toward him dropping.
But then…
“Feed me.”
“…Huh?”
“Can’t you see I’m a patient? Hurry up and feed me.”
What kind of situation was this now?
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