Chapter 32. Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse
As soon as the hostage was switched, a cold silence filled the reception room. Caron gulped as he eyed Mason, the Sixth Prince's bodyguard. He recognized the man from his previous life. Mason was a knight of remarkable talent.
This could be the end for me, Caron thought as he felt the weight of the situation. From 7-Star onward, the gap in power compared to 6-Star was immense. Reaching 7-Star was a feat achievable only by those who broke through the limits of 6-Star, and even that one-rank difference represented overwhelming strength. And above even 7-Star knights were 8-Star knights, who could crush even the strongest with ease.
"I told you not to act rashly," Guillotine muttered in his mind. " It took so long to be freed, and now I might be sealed away again. I really hope my next owner will think a bit more."
Despite those grim words, Guillotine's deadly aura flared up. The sword knew that with the Prince's life now in their hands, this was the only way to navigate the dire situation.
"Hello, Caron Leston. Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Revelio. You can call me Revel or just Rio if you'd like," the Prince said cheerfully, smiling as if he wasn't the one with a sword to his throat. His voice was upbeat, showing no concern for the blade aimed at his neck.
"Mind if I ask you something, Your Highness?" Caron began, trying to mask his nerves.
"Hey, drop the formalities. I'm not that uptight, you know? We're outside the palace, so let's just be friends. I'm eighteen years old, but honestly, isn't age just a number?" Revelio replied, still grinning.
"Uh, sure, friend. Could you maybe ask your bodyguard if he can let us live?" Caron asked, figuring he had nothing to lose at this point.
To his surprise, it was Mason who responded. His deep voice broke the silence that had hung over the room until now. "I never imagined the youngest grandson of the Leston family would be such a reckless fool. You really live on the edge, don't you?"
"So, will you let us live, Sir Mason?" Caron pressed, trying to keep his voice steady.
"There's no reason to kill you here," Mason answered in a calm voice.
"I'm threatening the prince's life here... Wait, you know my grandfather?" Caron asked, suddenly putting together the pieces.
Mason sighed and replied, sounding half-defeated, "If His Highness is enjoying himself in this situation, why would I have any reason to kill you?"
It was clear this wasn't the first time the prince had been in such a situation.
"I swear on my honor as a knight, I won't lay a hand on you. Now, lower your sword," Mason commanded, his tone firm yet resigned.
Just then, Revelio, still in Caron's grasp, whispered urgently, "Don't listen to Mason, Caron. Take me to Azureocean Castle. Use my life as leverage to strike a deal with my father—"
"Your Highness," Caron interrupted.
"Yes?" Revelio responded.
"Usually, things that are held as leverage are actually valuable," Caron said.
"...Wow, that's harsh. Really harsh," Revelio said.
This was the Sixth Prince, the so-called discarded son of the emperor, often referred to as the black sheep of the imperial family. Unlike his brothers, who were backed by powerful noble families, Revelio was the son of a mere maidservant who had served in the palace. Caron had heard about this mad prince several times at Azureocean Castle. The rumors painted him as a disgrace to the imperial family.
Now, seeing him in person, Caron could believe that most of the rumors were true. But there was one thing the rumors hadn't mentioned. It was a detail he could only sense now.
The Sixth Prince radiated an unusual kind of power, quite unlike the aura of a knight. There was only one type of person that wielded such power.
"This guy's a mage," Guillotine murmured in Caron's mind.
A mage was someone who could wield magic to perform extraordinary feats. Caron had never heard any rumors about the Sixth Prince being a mage.
"Where on earth did you learn magic?" he asked, more intrigued than before.
"I learned it from my sister," Revelio replied casually.
"Your sister?"
Caron recalled that Revelio had referred to the leader of Caligo, the underworld organization, as his sister. What sort of connection did a prince and the head of a criminal organization share?
"Speak of the devil, she's here. Hey, Sis!" Revelio exclaimed, looking toward the entrance.
Revelio glanced down the hallway, and Caron followed his gaze. There was a woman with striking red hair leaning casually against the wall with her arms crossed.
"Can someone explain what's going on here?" the woman asked. Caron recognized her voice as the one he had heard earlier.
The woman sighed deeply as she looked at Caron holding Revelio hostage. She remarked, "It seems our hostage has been swapped while I was gone getting some tea ready."
"Yes, I picked up a new one. What do you think? Do you like it?" Caron asked politely.
"He doesn't seem all that valuable. But what's with the sudden change in your tone? Why are you using formal speech now?" the Chairwoman asked.
"I just felt like it," Caron said with a cheeky grin, then exhaled quietly, trying to stay composed.
This place was insane. When he first heard about the underground ruins being flattened and built over, he'd thought it was just a wild rumor. But seeing this woman now made even the most unbelievable stories seem possible.
Guillotine, how many circles does she have? Caron asked in his mind.
Mages aren't really my area of expertise. I only remember ancient magic, Guillotine replied.
You're really useless, Caron muttered internally.
He could feel the flow of mana energy circulating around her, which indicated she was at least a seventh circle mage. But there was something more about her.
"Elves live a long life, so it's only polite to use formal speech, isn't it?" he continued as he noticed her pointy ears. The Chairwoman of Caligo was an elf.
"You've got good manners. Maybe it's because you are the youngest grandson of the Duke," the Chairwoman observed.
"My family made sure I was well-educated," Caron replied smoothly.
"Why don't you put the sword down and have a seat? He may be a lunatic, but he's still my close brother," the Chairwoman said.
Caron quickly assessed the situation, glancing at both the Chairwoman and Sir Mason. He wondered if his life would still be safe even if he ended the hostage situation.
The decision didn't take long, however.
"Hey, why are you letting me go? Caron, a real man takes things to the end! Don't you want to be an emperor?" Revelio complained.
"If you want to die branded as a traitor, feel free to do it alone, Your Highness," Caron retorted.
"That is a wise choice, Caron Leston," the Chairwoman said.
In the end, the choice wasn't all that difficult. Even if the Chairwoman was alone, she could have easily wiped out their entire group. The fact that she was willing to talk meant the situation wasn't as dire as it seemed. Then there was the presence of Sir Mason, whom Caron had heard about from Halo and Zerath. At the very least, Sir Mason was someone who was friendly toward the Leston family.
"My brother can be a bit mischievous. Please forgive him. He may be rough around the edges, but he has a good heart," the Chairwoman said with a smile.
"It's the first time I've seen an elf with a prince for a brother," Caron replied.
"Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it? Ah, I should introduce myself properly. My name is Foina, the Chairwoman of Caligo," the Chairwoman said.
Elves lived long lives. If she and Caron had crossed paths in his previous life, he would have recognized her name, but there was no memory of a Foina in his mind. Several questions piled up. Why was she in a city of humans, why was she running an organization like Caligo, and what was her relationship with the prince?
"Please, take a seat," Foina offered with a smile, gesturing for Caron and his group to sit down. She continued, "It is an honor to meet the two young wolves of the Ducal Family of Leston. And Julio, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've missed you."
"Foina, getting involved with you never works out smoothly," Julio replied.
"Hmm, the same goes for you," Foina quipped.
"You two know each other?" Caron asked.
Foina nodded at Caron's question, then explained, "We've crossed paths a few times. I tried recruiting him once, because he's a skilled broker and I wanted him on my side. But it turns out he already had a master."
"Ah, I see," Caron answered.
Just as the group settled into their seats, Revelio nudged Caron, trying to slide into the spot next to him. He said, "Caron, move over a bit."
But Caron didn't budge. He said, "Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"Get lost. Are you into men or something?" Caron asked bluntly.
"I love women. But we're friends, aren't we? And you're speaking pretty harshly to a prince, don't you think?" Revelio answered.
"Well, you say we're friends. And this is how I talk to my friends, right, Leo?" Caron remarked, turning to Leo for confirmation.
"That's right. That's just how Caron is," Leo agreed.
For some reason, this prince was really starting to get on Caron's nerves. He insisted, "Seriously, get lost, Your Highness."
"That's making me sad," Revelio said.
Foina watched their interaction with a soft smile. She observed, "It seems Caron doesn't like my brother."
"There aren't many people who get on my nerves this quickly after meeting them," Caron admitted.
"I think I know why," Foina said.
"And what would that be?" Caron asked directly.
In response to Caron's direct question, Foina returned an even bigger smile before replying, "Self-loathing. People tend to dislike others who remind them too much of themselves."
When Caron heard the response, he thought of an old proverb.
"If you listen to an elf, you might find bread even while sleeping."
The ancestors were right. Elves were indeed wise.
***
As soon as the situation settled, Foina got straight to the point.
"Let me be clear. Our organization, Caligo, has nothing to do with the recent train heist. It's true that we handle explosives, but that was solely for Revelio's personal experiments. We haven't even brought in any explosives recently," she stated firmly, making the case for her innocence with confidence. She continued, "If you want, I can show you our records. Even though we operate in the shadows, our accounting is meticulous. And more importantly..."
With a flicker, blue flames ignited around Foina. She continued, "If I had been behind this incident, would I have left any evidence?"
"That's a pretty convincing argument," Caron admitted.
"Isn't it?" Foina replied.
A seventh circle mage was essentially a walking weapon of war. Caron hadn't expected someone of such power to be present here. If even Zerath hadn't mentioned this, it meant that Azureocean Castle had no knowledge of her existence either.
"I'm not so foolish as to put my people at risk with such a stupid decision. Who in their right mind would attack the Leston family? The moment they did, the greatest hero on the continent would hunt them down to the very ends of hell," Foina continued, taking a sip of tea. The fragrant aroma of herbal tea filled the reception room as she said, "Even among us elves, the reputation of Duke Halo is well-known. I'd sooner die than become enemies with the Leston family."
"I'll trust you for now," Caron said, though his tone held a trace of skepticism.
"You still sound doubtful," Foina observed.
"Suspicion is necessary, even if there's only a slim possibility of deception. If you don't, you're setting yourself up to be stabbed in the back," Caron replied.
Foina nodded, as if she had expected that response. She then said, "Trust no one. That's the rule of this world. Like I said earlier, are you sure you don't want to join us? I can assure you, you'd be well taken care of."
"You're persistent," Caron noted.
"I'm willing to be as persistent as necessary to recruit talent. From what I can see, you seem better suited to the shadows than the nobility," Foina said, giving Caron a playful wink. However, she then shifted the conversation back to business. "Let's put the recruitment talk aside for now. As the Chairwoman of Caligo, I'd like to propose a deal to the Leston family."
"A deal sounds interesting. What's on the table?" Caron asked.
"We know who supplied the explosives used in the recent attack. And yes, we've secured evidence," Foina revealed.
"That's a valuable piece of information," Caron remarked. It was exactly what the Leston family needed most at the moment. His eyes gleamed with interest.
"Is it the Kerr Merchant Guild?" he asked, referring to another group known for dealing in explosives on the black market.
Foina shook her head and replied, "If those cowards were behind it, do you think I'd be offering you a deal like this?"
"Fair enough. If there's a price you've thought about, let us know," Caron said, ready to negotiate.
"All I ask is one favor from you in the future," Foina replied smoothly.
"Payment later? Personally, I'm not a fan of that," Caron countered.
"It's nothing major. I'm just keeping an eye on my little brother here. That's all," Foina assured him. She glanced at Revelio, who was sitting beside her.
Caron couldn't help but wonder about their relationship. The Sixth Prince's past was shrouded in mystery. All that was known was that he had spent his childhood outside the palace, with no political connections or backing. And now, Foina was asking him to help someone with no apparent power or influence.
He slowly shook his head and replied, "That's beyond my authority. I have no desire to get entangled with the imperial family."
"Oh, I wasn't trying to burden the Leston family. I just want you to be friends with Rio," Foina said. She casually used the prince's nickname, reaffirming their close relationship. She added, "Rio never had many friends growing up."
"Do you think people will see it as mere friendship if a prince starts associating with the duke's family?" Caron pointed out.
"You're clever," Foina acknowledged.
Indeed, such a thing could leave the wrong impression. It could seem as if the Leston family was backing the Sixth Prince, which was a dangerous assumption. This was quickly moving beyond what Caron could handle.
As Caron hesitated, Revelio finally spoke up. "Why do you care what people think? Kids can have friendships, can't they? Besides, it could benefit the Leston family as well, right?"
"In what way?" Caron asked.
"The Leston family must be planning to make some moves soon," Revelio said.
Caron realized he had underestimated the Sixth Prince. This prince wasn't just a madman, he was also clever. Thus, Caron started listening carefully.
"It'd be a good way to make the imperial family and the central nobles a bit more cautious," Revelio continued, his golden eyes sparkling with mischief. "It could also serve as a warning to my father. It's interesting on multiple levels."
Caron quietly asked him, "Why are you doing this, Prince Revelio?"
Revelio brushed back his dark hair and replied with a grin, "Because I want to mess with my father. My dream is to be the ultimate bastard. In that sense, I think you and I could be great friends... Don't you agree?"
The palace's troublemaker smiled brightly.