79 – Lord Ash 10
“But why is there drugs here?”
“””………………..”””
Thanks to Elysia, the special class students, regaining their composure, all turned to look at Lord Ash.
The words Cardinal left before leaving lingered in the students’ minds.
‘Opposite. This time, not here to steal, but to return the stolen item.’
‘By the way, I was surprised. I never thought an imperial noble would have drugs.’
Initially, when Cardinal mentioned drugs, they didn’t believe it. After all, there had never been an instance of drugs disappearing and reappearing in the empire.
However, the belated arrival of Elysia also confirmed it, stating that it was drugs after seeing the illness.
So, was it true that Lord Ash originally had that drug, just as Cardinal said?
Lord Ash, observing the students looking at him, emphatically denied.
“That scoundrel surely deliberately said that to frame me!”
If the special class students could catch Cardinal, they tried to somehow steal the drugs.
They were surprised when Cardinal suddenly appeared, but they thought it worked out well.
However, Cardinal manipulated everyone with overwhelming skills.
He pretended to be pitiable in front of the special class students to gain support.
Until Cardinal left the drugs behind, that is.
“Surely, trying to get me by obtaining some drugs somewhere!”
Lord Ash genuinely believed that.
The drugs Cardinal offered were not just a single bottle.
It was clear that Cardinal intended to deceive them by taking all the remaining drugs and giving only one bottle.
“Well, that’s true.”
“That’s right. We can’t believe Cardinal’s words as they are.”
Viscount Ash, observing the students’ reactions, silently rejoiced in his heart.
At least until Loki spoke up.
“I took a quick look, and that was no ordinary bottle. There must be a special enchantment, so there’s probably a lot more drugs inside.”
Of course, this was a lie.
Viscount Ash knew that as a mere student, his words might not be trusted.
“Professor Elysia, right?”
Elysia nodded.
No one here doubted Elysia’s words.
“…But why would Cardinal bother to return the drugs and set a trap for the Viscount?”
Sophia, lost in thought, spoke up.
“Maybe… to prevent us from finding him, knowing that we’re looking for him?”
Frederick timidly suggested, but…
“Just because of that, it doesn’t absolve Cardinal of guilt, does it? If Cardinal hadn’t shown up in the first place, we wouldn’t have even met him.”
As Sophia said, despite the Special Class students’ efforts to capture Cardinal all day, they hadn’t found the slightest clue.
Since then, the students had brought up various stories about Cardinal’s intentions and the drugs.
There were only two things the students were certain of.
One thing is certain: the fact that Cardinal left something here is genuine narcotics.
The other thing is that Cardinal had the ability to kill everyone here but chose not to and left.
The students considered the possibility that what Cardinal said might be true.
The statement that Cardinal stole drugs from Viscount Ash.
Viscount Ash, while telling the story like that, wondered what would happen when the students got closer to the truth.
Clap!
At that moment, Loki clapped once, drew everyone’s attention, and then spoke.
“Well, making us think like this could be Cardinal’s purpose. Let’s calm down for now.”
Viscount Ash silently celebrated Loki’s wit.
Thanks to that foolish guy, I might survive!
That’s what he thought, at least until he heard the rest.
“Since we can’t find a solution by discussing like this, let’s just contact His Imperial Majesty right away.”
What is that crazy guy talking about?
Whether you like it or not, Loki said, spreading both hands wide.
“And we’re going to investigate this place thoroughly!”
Of course, they tried to erase as many traces of drugs as possible.
But if the Emperor started investigating personally, there was a high chance of exposing the fact that there were drugs.
“Then we can prove the Viscount’s innocence. It’s a great idea, isn’t it?”
The crazy guy held his own hand, saying it as if things had really gone well.
“That’s…”
Lord Ash couldn’t say a word.
If the Emperor came here, he might get caught, and if he showed any sign of dislike, he might immediately confess that he had drugs!
At that moment, a good idea flashed through Lord Ash’s mind.
It was now close to dawn.
It was impossible to contact the Emperor at this time.
“Logically, how could I reach His Majesty now…”
“I’ll take care of that.”
Lord Ash was about to say, but his words were cut off by someone approaching.
Lucas, who had been attacked by the Cardinal and knocked unconscious against the wall earlier, staggered over.
Even in the late night, he was the one who could contact the Emperor.
“Right, there was the Crown Prince!”
Lord Ash was so flustered that he momentarily forgot about Lucas’s presence.
“Mr. Lucas, what were you doing until now? Oh, you’re injured. Did you fall on your way here?”
Everyone looked at Rocky with cold eyes.
Among the special class students, Lucas was the only one who had fought with the Cardinal to some extent.
And Elysia was the one who looked at Rocky with the coldest eyes.
She was the only one who knew that Rocky was the one who had made Lucas like that.
“Don’t you become stronger when you feel the crisis?”
That’s what Rocky said, deliberately instilling fear in the students.
“hahahaha.”
Lucas chuckled dryly as he handed the potion to Rocky, who was teasing him.
From Noble mtl dot com
After drinking the potion, Lucas spoke up.
“I won’t contact Her Highness.”
“How do you plan to contact her?”
“Obviously through the communicator……”
As Lucas tried to take out the communicator from his pocket, he rummaged through it.
The communicator that should have been there was nowhere to be found.
Since he couldn’t make a communicator right now, Lucas stated that the communicator had disappeared.
“Well, then maybe it’s best to take a break today and go to the academy early tomorrow to make contact.”
* * *
The ambitious hour when everyone was asleep.
Viscount Ash, unable to sleep, wrapped his head around the situation.
‘If things continue like this, everything will be exposed!’
Right now, Rocky had that strange drug in his possession.
If the Emperor found out about the drug, it was only a matter of time before he found out that Viscount Ash had it.
‘But what if the drug doesn’t reach the Emperor?’
To find traces of the drug in the mansion, it was essential to have what that guy had.
“I guess I’ll have to kill that guy.”
“What? He’s just a student from the academy.”
The butler thought that it was actually a better opportunity that the servant had dried up.
“Perhaps it’s actually a good thing that he has. After all, he’s just a commoner. There’s no need to be concerned about the death of a mere commoner.”
He didn’t like it from the beginning.
He didn’t like it when he deliberately dropped in front of him at Wyvern Manor,
nor did he like it when he intervened every time he talked to Lady Adelian and the prince.
“I’ll quickly kill him before tomorrow morning. If I fail, then you’ll be the one to die first.”
“Yes, yes!”
Trembling, the butler replied to the Viscount Ash’s words.
* * * *
Viscount Ash quietly had Rocky called by a servant.
If he were to die inside his mansion, there would be a high chance of suspicion falling on him.
Pretending to have something important to say, Viscount Ash quietly led Rocky to the underground of the mansion.
Hardly anyone knew about this place even within the mansion, as it was a secluded area.
It was deep underground, so no sound would reach outside.
“How much longer do I have to go down here?”
Viscount Ash smiled a sly smile at the innocent question that had no hint of suspicion.
“This should be enough.”
“So, what exactly is it that you want to say?”
“It’s nothing special, you just need to die now.”
“What? What do you mean?”
At that moment, several people appeared behind Viscount Ash, all of them armed with armor and swords.
“What in the world is this!”
Viscount Ash sneered at the trembling Rocky, who was clearly terrified.
“You were killed by the sudden appearance of the Cardinal this morning. And I got injured trying to save you.”
If that were to happen, his honor would rise.
A nobleman risking his life for a student. It was a sweet rhetoric.
“This is not an interesting scenario.”
The voice that was just trembling a moment ago now sounded so calm that one could not believe it.
Viscount Ash, who had thought it was just a show of bravado, suddenly felt paralyzed in body and mind.
“Don’t you think so, Your Majesty?”
[Indeed]
Rocky was holding a communicator in his hand, not received from Johanna or Erika, but a sneak attack on Lucas as a Cardinal.
“Your Majesty?”
For a moment, Viscount Ash couldn’t make sense of the situation.
When did the communicator end up there? It wasn’t there earlier.
“Well, that is, it’s just a misunderstanding…”
It was a situation where there was no room for excuses, as Viscount Ash stammered.
“Tsk”
A sound of a tongue clicking was heard.
Not from the Loki in front of oneself, nor from the communication device held by Loki’s hand.
But from behind oneself.
Before assessing the situation, there was a sensation of something piercing through the back.
Shh!
“Uuuaaah.”
Viscount Ash lowered his head to examine his body.
A blade protruded from his back, piercing through his chest.
– Thud.
Loki glanced at Viscount Ash, the butler who stabbed him from behind, and those who showed no hesitation upon witnessing it.
Could it be that the subordinate of the necromancer was not just one?
“I’ll kill him and retrieve the drugs.”
Upon the words of the butler or rather, the subordinate of the necromancer, people armed with armor and swords simultaneously rushed towards me.
Oh~ Terrifying, frightening.