The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria suddenly raised her head and stared at the mountain behind the village.

“Since the mine was closed a long time ago, nobody should go there.” 

“…You’re right.” 

Zenox and Solike also agreed with Laria’s opinion. They stopped a villager and asked them for directions to the mine. 

“A way to get to the mine directly from the village? There’s an unused tunnel, but…” 

The three of them headed towards the back of the village.

Through dense bushes, they saw an entrance connected to the mine.

As they entered, a massive rock blocked their path. It was so large that dozens of people would have to work together to move it. 

“These damn bastards,”  Solike muttered a curse.

Even with the help of the Grand Duke, they probably couldn’t move it.

However, Zenox drew his sword from his waist. He swung the sword, and the massive rock split cleanly as if it were paper. 

“Let’s go in.” 

“Why don’t you plan to continue working as a mercenary…?” 

Solike, who had just been surprised, couldn’t contain his resentment and protested.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, a roaring sound filled the air, and everything around them became brightly lit. 

“They put magic everywhere.”

Solike muttered, not sure if it was admiration or criticism. He moved forward with his comment.

Inside, Zenox looked back at Laria, who wasn’t following. 

“Laria?” 

Laria’s face was pale as she stood there frozen, unable to move.

Zenox also became tense, wondering if there was a problem.

He quickly looked around, but there was nothing strange. The tunnel was empty except for the burning torches.

Zenox focused on the torches. 

“…” 

Laria, who had finally snapped out of her daze, took a slow breath.

Suddenly, lights turned on everywhere, and she was startled without realizing it. Candles and lamps were okay for her now, but such large flames still amazed her every time she saw them.

Her pounding heart gradually regained stability.

Laria answered calmly as if nothing had happened.

“It suddenly got bright, and I was startled.” 

When Zenox quietly stared at her, Laria averted her gaze. 

“Let’s hurry.” 

It wasn’t a time to chat leisurely.

Laria took the lead, and the two men quickly caught up. After walking through the tunnel for a while, they reached a fork in the road.

They hesitated about which way to go, and Zenox squinted his eyes.

“I sense a lot of movement on the right side. More than a dozen people.”

Although Laria and Solike couldn’t perceive anything, they knew how keen Zenox’s senses were.

Solike couldn’t help but get excited by the hopeful news.

“So, are the villagers still alive?”

“They don’t seem to be trained fighters… probably.”

Zenox wrinkled his nose as if he could smell something.

“And on the left… I can smell blood.”

At his words, both Laria and Solike tensed up.

After a brief moment of consideration, Zenox gestured to the right path.

“First, go save the villagers.”

“…By myself?”

“I don’t sense any danger, so you should be fine alone.”

“Then, are you two going that way…?”

About to say if it was okay, Solike stopped himself.

Who should be worried about whom right now? Solike, who had vowed to take care of his one remaining life, nodded his head.

“Alright.”

“Wait a moment, take this with you.”

Laria handed Solike a vial.

“It’s a potion that hides your appearance. Its duration isn’t very long, so use it when you need to.”

“Thank you.”

Solike immediately ran down the right path. The remaining two headed left.

As they walked side by side, Laria nudged Zenox.

Even though only one person had disappeared, the atmosphere had become strange. Plus, Zenox had been unusually silent since earlier.

Normally, the silence wouldn’t have been a big deal, but it felt awkward now. Laria decided to call him.

“Your Excellency.”

“Are you calling me by my title again?”

He answered right away.

Surprised by his swift response, Laria was left speechless. She thought he had something else on his mind…

“So, should I call you by your name?”

She received a look that clearly said ‘of course.’ Feeling uncomfortable, she kept her mouth shut.

Laria cleared her throat softly and changed the subject.

“I didn’t know there was such a big mine in such a small village. I’ve never even heard of the name Brioschel.”

The name Brioschel was unfamiliar to Laria.

She had faintly heard of a small town called Evendell where she had stopped by before.

“What kind of mineral was mined here before it closed down?”

Zenox looked up.

Salt crystals clung to the ceiling like stars in the night sky.

“It’s a salt mine.”

“Salt?”

“There’s a large lake beyond the mine.”

In the distant past, it would have been a sea, Zenox added.

Eventually, he shared unexpected information.

“And this place belongs to Krassium House.”

It wasn’t even the North?

When Laria blinked, Zenox began to explain step by step.

“In the past, the lord here borrowed money from the Krassium family and handed over the land, including the mine, when he went bankrupt.”

“Ah, so…”

“The person currently managing the Krassium territory is my uncle…”

Zenox twisted his lips.

“The person who offered this village to Marquis Hashir is probably also my uncle.”

He thought that Marquis Hashir had chosen this place because it was a small and underdeveloped village.

Still, it was strange that it had been left unattended for several months… There had to be a reason for it.

Marquis Hashir and Rubenta Krassium had probably made a deal, but it was surprising how closely they were connected.

‘Why would it be this close…?’

Before she could continue her thoughts, a loud voice from inside rang out.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

Laria and Zenox simultaneously looked at each other.

They walked towards the source of the voice and found a man in a white robe standing there.

“Those who should have come a long time ago didn’t come, so I waited.”

Laria was taken aback when she saw the man’s face.

‘Ort…’

The same man who had infiltrated the Grand Duke Krassium residence.

At the same time, the memory of visiting the Sorcery Office’s library with Sienna’s help came to mind.

That day, Laria had sneaked into the hidden space of the library and overheard the secret conversation between Marquis Hashir and Ort.

-This might be the last chance.

-Collect as much fresh blood as possible.

Marquis Hashir’s plan had been to use this place.

Fortunately, Solike had discovered it in time. If they had been a little late, this village would have been filled with blood.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

When Laria and Zenox didn’t say anything, Ort tilted his head.

Not knowing what to say, they hesitated, but Ort seemed to understand on his own.

“That’s right, you were told to brainwash them moderately…”

Ort grumbled as he walked closer to Laria and pushed her forehead with his finger.

Laria lost her balance and staggered, causing Zenox’s hand to twitch. He was ready to kill Ort at any moment but restrained himself.

Laria secretly held Zenox’s hand.

“It’s uncomfortable to brainwash them too strongly. They become like dolls.”

Despite everything, Ort was good at following orders, so it was fine.

“Why isn’t the third one here?”

Having grasped how they should act, Laria opened her mouth.

“We came here on the orders of the leader.”

“Hah, there should have been three of you.”

Annoyed, Ort started cursing Marquis Hashir.

Laria knew that he disliked Marquis Hashir. He pretended to be an obedient servant in front of others but harbored different intentions.

‘It didn’t seem like he came to steal the fox orb because of the Marquis’s orders.’

Laria wondered if she should try to extract more information since Ort was so talkative.

Laria began to roll her thoughts on how to naturally extract information.

That’s when Zenox, who had been silent, spoke up.

“When does it start?”

“Hah, you’re already late. We need to hurry.”

Ort stopped cursing Marquis Hashir and immediately turned his body.

Following him down a wooden staircase, they came to a huge common area. In the center, there was a large magic circle drawn in blood.

“Now, shall we begin the operation?”