Chapter 273

Chapter 273

“Ugh!”

It resembled a prison cell used for large dogs.

“Isn’t this illegal? Can someone be kidnapped so openly like this?” I protested, filled with complaints. Asta, confined to a small space outside the cell, responded with his gaze fixed on me.

“We detained you out of concern that you might attempt to escape. There’s no law dictating that the location must be the palace.”

Indeed, that was the truth. There was no such law.

I bit my lip in frustration and rattled the bars, facing Asta’s unflinching gaze, but he didn’t so much as blink.

Was he truly a living being or some kind of doll? His expression was so devoid of emotion that it was eerily unsettling.

“It would be in your best interest to obey. I won’t kill you, but I was given orders to make you wish you were dead.”

F*ck you Exchetra!

Was she genuinely planning to subject me to torture? An involuntary sigh escaped me. Torturing me would yield nothing.

Were they hoping to extract a confession from me through torture, alleging that I had killed Lamia?

If I were to become a murderer and face punishment, Kaichen would never stand idly by. He would undoubtedly exert every effort to prevent it, and in doing so, Julius’s position would become precarious.

‘Is she aiming to create such a chaos?’

If her ultimate objective was to drive a wedge between Julius and Kaichen, it was a highly likely scenario. This assumption rested on the premise that I would confess.

‘No, there’s no way she’d go to such lengths for that alone. There must be… something more to it. Exchetra has a trasmigrator…’

I pondered and pondered, chewing on my lower lip.

Asta, who had been scrutinizing me intently, departed after assigning two knights to watch over me.

Their immediate aim was simply to confine me here. I had been diligently surveying the surroundings as I had left Huelin. They probably were using teleportation magic during the carriage ride.

‘Considering the peculiar energy I sensed during the ride, they must have employed teleportation magic…’

The two knights monitoring me didn’t even spare me a glance. It was likely their orders.

I inwardly sighed and hugged my knees. I was annoyed and frustrated, but strangely, I wasn’t as frightened as I had initially expected to be.

At first, there was some fear, but now that I found myself in this situation, I felt oddly composed. More than fear, it was uncertainty that gnawed at me.

Not knowing their intentions left me restless.

I couldn’t simply rely on the hope of a quiet rescue, nor did I want to. I clenched my fists, resolving to glean information about Exetra during this opportunity somehow.

—

Kaichen hurried to the mausoleum as soon as he received the news about Lamia Sorrel.

The room was cluttered with disheveled documents scattered across the floor, and even spaces that weren’t designated as shelves were stacked high with books, giving the room a decidedly unkempt appearance.

He furrowed his brow deeply as he kicked aside a flask that blocked his way.

“Ugh! My precious experimental elixir…!”

Michelle deftly caught the flask that had been teetering dangerously in the air.

Being in the presence of the Archmage, she suppressed the curses that threatened to escape her throat.

“What brings you here?”

Michelle, after safely placing the flask on the desk that had narrowly avoided breaking apart, asked with a sulky tone.

Kaichen, surveying the disarrayed room, crossed his arms. Even though Michelle was openly displaying her displeasure, others in the room who had been busy pretending not to notice the man’s entrance, either engrossed in their books or sipping hot tea, were equally irritated.

Kaichen’s sudden visit was unwelcome to all within that space.

“Is the research on the Ohapdok poison completed?” he said.

“How could it be done in such a short span?”

“Is it because the five of you are collaborating?”

Michelle was on the verge of tears from such an insensitive comment. But she didn’t dare question the man before her, holding the prestigious title of Archmage, no matter how foolish he was acting.

“There might be another victim of a similar poison.”

Kaichen stated this without moving a step, his arms still crossed. Those who had pretended not to care suddenly sprang to their feet and eagerly volunteered.

“I’ll go! Let me go!”

“Quiet down! You don’t even know what it is!”

“It needs to be investigated first! It’s my duty, I have to go!”

Michelle frowned deeply at the commotion. These people seemed to have no self-esteem.

“I’m sorry, but I’m the specialist in potion-making.”

Naturally, Michelle possessed no pride either. She chose to overlook the fact that Kaichen had kicked away her precious experimental elixir just moments ago.

“There’s no need for that. We can have the body brought to you for examination within a day. However, she’s a noblewoman, so you mustn’t harm the body.”

Kaichen mentioned a day as the customary timeframe for holding a funeral. Since the Viscount Sorrel had already confirmed the body, there was no need to reopen the coffin before the funeral.

Commencing an investigation might delay the funeral, and an official autopsy might be necessary due to poisoning as the cause of death. However, it was improbable that the Viscount Sorrel would consent to a thorough autopsy on his beloved daughter’s remains.

In such a scenario, Julius would undoubtedly lend his support.

Kaichen sighed and scrutinized the five wizards, who appeared entirely disinterested in whose body they would be examining or how the individual had met her demise.