The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Power of Words had a limited effect on direct descendants of the Krassium bloodline.

For this reason, it didn’t work well on Zenox.

Therefore, creating the right circumstances was the priority.

After killing his brother and sister-in-law and breaking down Zenox, Rubenta repeatedly used Power of Words on him.

Telling him that I was the only one he could rely on.

That I had no desire for titles or wealth.

To prove his words, Rubenta pushed for Zenox to be made the family head.

During the process, others tried to persuade Rubenta to oust Zenox and become the Grand Duke himself, but he refused.

A mere Grand Duke title couldn’t satisfy Rubenta.

For the world he envisioned was not just the North, but the entire Empire.

Finally, with Zenox coming to rely on him, the blueprint for his plan was complete.

Rubenta immediately moved on to the next step.

“My brother and his wife’s deaths… it may have been the barbarians’ doing.”

As expected, Zenox left for the battlefield to avenge his parents.

The more wars he fought, the sharper and harder Zenox became.

He was the world’s most powerful sword.

While waiting for Zenox’s growth, Rubenta gathered young wolf clan children. Before their minds became set, he steadily indoctrinated them with Power of Words.

In just a few years, he had a loyal guard who would lay down their lives for him.

He also regularly contacted the elders and other wolf clan heads.

Inciting negative sentiment toward the Empire, he planted seeds of rebellion.

Gradually, those who agreed with his intentions emerged.

While everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly, contact with Zenox, who had briefly returned to the capital, abruptly ceased.

Rubenta sent a letter instructing his return to the North, but received no reply.

After some investigation, he heard that Zenox had taken in some white fox and was raising it.

For the first time, a mere fox had caused Zenox to defy his will.

Growing anxious, Rubenta immediately went to see Zenox and was caught trying to kill the problem white fox.

That day, Zenox had genuinely tried to kill Rubenta, as if the effects of Power of Words had completely disappeared.

It was then that Rubenta realized he couldn’t completely control Zenox with Power of Words alone.

Anxious, as he searched for a way to control Zenox, he happened to meet Marquis Hashir.

Rubenta proposed a deal to the count.

“If you do as I ask, I’ll give you the fox orb.”

Currently, the fox orb was in Zenox’s possession, but if brainwashing succeeded, it would end up in Rubenta’s hands.

The deal was struck, and Marquis Hashir began the brainwashing process.

The first spell cast on Zenox was to make him unable to kill Rubenta Krassium.

Having succeeded perfectly, Marquis Hashir immediately moved on to the next step – turning Zenox into Rubenta’s puppet.

Rubenta provided all the blood and physical materials needed for the process.

There was no shortage of war prisoners, after all.

Patiently waiting for Zenox to come fully under his control, Rubenta received news that the plan had failed due to an unidentified sorcerer interfering.

From then on, the sorcerers hired by Zenox kept obstructing their efforts repeatedly.

The plan unraveled, and eventually Zenox even learned of Rubenta and Marquis Hashir’s attempt to brainwash him.

As a result, Rubenta was stripped of his position as proxy Grand Duke and imprisoned.

“…”

Sitting on the floor, Rubenta looked around.

It was an underground prison enclosed by stone walls on all sides. With no windows, not even a sliver of light reached this lowest level.

He had been confined here for several days now.

Rubenta turned his gaze to the knight standing outside the bars – Merdic, one of Zenox’s subordinates.

On the first day of his imprisonment, Merdic didn’t even respond when spoken to, the obstinate fool.

But after using Power of Words on him for several days, he had become quite obedient.

Through Merdic, Rubenta contacted Marquis Hashir. Next, he summoned one of the elders most loyal to him, intending to take refuge at the elder’s residence for the time being.

‘The Marquis’s spell was nearly completed…’

The brainwashing spell was at its final stage.

The plan was to escape this place, cooperate with Marquis Hashir, and make a triumphant return once Zenox fell under the spell’s influence.

As he waited endlessly, having lost track of how much time had passed, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from afar.

Rubenta rose to his feet.

It was the sorcerer sent by Marquis Hashir.

When Merdic, who had been guarding outside, reacted nimbly, Rubenta whispered:

“Not an enemy.”

At Rubenta’s words, Merdic took his hand off his sword hilt.

“Open the door.”

Merdic obediently opened the cell door, moving as if it were only natural to follow Rubenta’s commands, though his eyes betrayed confusion.

Finally, out of the cell, a red-robed sorcerer and an elder welcomed Rubenta.

Upon seeing Rubenta, the elder burst into tears.

“Lord Rubenta, you must have suffered so much…!”

“You’ve worked hard to get here.”

“It was no trouble at all. I merely did as you instructed, Lord Rubenta.”

Thanks to Merdic informing him of the shifting guard rotations, infiltration had been easy.

“As ordered, I have the guard prepared outside.”

Rubenta nodded and glanced at the sorcerer.

“Then let us depart immediately.”

The sorcerer summoned his magic power. After an extended incantation, a throbbing headache and dizziness ensued as the space around them warped.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the town not far from the Grand Duke’s castle.

This was the limit of the sorcerer sent by Marquis Hashir.

Still, it was a sufficient distance to escape.

By the time their absence was noticed, they would be long gone.

As Rubenta lifted his head, the guard that had been waiting sprang into action, following closely behind.

Just in case, he had assembled only the elite soldiers.

“We shall escort you directly to the estate.”

As they headed toward the prepared carriage, a blinding white light suddenly erupted, cleaving through the dark sky.

Instinctively shielding his eyes from the intense glare, Rubenta heard a familiar voice directly ahead.

“Where might you be going in the middle of the night?”

* * *

Guided by Laria’s tracking magic, the two quickly caught up to Rubenta’s trail.

Their destination was a town with a towering clocktower.

Most of the large buildings had their lights off, and not a single person could be seen roaming the streets in the dead of night.

Only the flickering glow of oil lamps dimly illuminated the area.

As if time itself had frozen, Rubenta and the men with him stood stock-still.

The only movement came from the falling snow and Zenox himself.

“Where might you be going in the middle of the night?”

“…How?”

As if unable to believe it, Rubenta barely parted his lips in response.

Zenox gave a wry smile.

“Did you forget I have a capable sorcerer by my side?”

Instinctively, Rubenta’s gaze turned toward Laria, standing behind Zenox.

With her hood pulled low, her face was obscured, made even harder to discern in the night.

As Rubenta’s eyes met Laria’s, Zenox unleashed the killing intent he had been suppressing. 

Those around felt as if an invisible force were crushing their necks. His killing intent alone seemed capable of snuffing out life.

Yet in this most dire situation, rather than panic, Rubenta remained composed.

“You cannot kill me.”

“Let’s see if Marquis Hashir’s brainwashing spell works properly…”

Zenox placed his hand on his sword hilt.

“Shall we test it?”

At those words, Rubenta’s eyes wavered.

“Protect Lord Rubenta!”

Rubenta’s guards, cowed until then by Zenox’s overbearing presence, charged forward.

Sharp blades rained down from all directions like a torrent.

Though the onslaught was dizzying, Zenox easily deflected each strike.

His economical movements flowed as smoothly as a dance.

Remarkably, Zenox wielded not a blade, but merely its sheath.

Despite the utterly disadvantageous conditions, he didn’t merely hold his ground, but overwhelmingly dominated the battle.

As Rubenta watched, his expression gradually hardened.

No matter how formidable Zenox was, he had presumed fending off ten elite knights simultaneously would prove difficult. Yet before Zenox’s martial prowess, those elite knights were as insignificant as ants.

As the situation turned unfavorable, Rubenta shouted at the sorcerer.

“Are you just going to watch?”

Belatedly snapping to attention, the sorcerer summoned his magic power.

In the instant he cast an offensive spell toward Zenox, the sorcerer’s eyes went wide with shock.

“…!”

An immense wave of magic power had surged forth, swallowing his spell whole.

Following the rippling magic in the air, the sorcerer turned his head.

There stood Laria, holding an umbrella.

The sorcerer frantically scanned his surroundings, as if checking for the presence of other sorcerers, prompting a smile from Laria.

“It was just mentioned, did you forget already?”

Her gentle voice rang out.

“His Excellency said he has a capable sorcerer by his side.”