Home/I confined you, but I have no ill will/ch 11

11.

"Both of you, stop! Do you need to fight at a time like this?"

Only then did Lucen and Alex cease their grappling. They knew well that Seren, though usually composed, became a different person when angered.

"First, let's retrace the trail carefully. Lucen!"

"Yes!"

"You're in charge of this."

"Understood."

"And Alex."

"Yes!"

"You look for any witnesses."

They bickered constantly, but they were among the top two in the knight order in terms of skill. That was why they each led a division of the knights.

Lucen and Alex rushed out with their respective teams.

With the knights pouring out, Seren moved with a few remaining knights.

Lucen, a former ranger, was skilled at tracking. Alex, having crawled his way up from the bottom, was good with people—talk to him long enough, and he'd eventually spill even deeply hidden secrets.

And Seren could do what neither of them could.

Request cooperation from every department in the capital.

"My head already hurts."

Seren was moving on the certainty that Kite had disappeared—but others might not see it that way. Kite had caused far too many incidents.

And Seren's prediction was not wrong.

First, the Capital Guard.

"Uh, um—so you're saying His Grace, Archduke Gracias, has disappeared?"

The face that asked back was blatantly expressive.

Liar!

The Guard Captain seemed to have a great deal he wanted to say.

"Couldn't he just be away for a while? I mean..."

Still, valuing his life, he chose his words carefully.

"He's always going here and there, isn't he? And he's the Empire's Swordmaster—who would dare lay a hand on him?"

Another Swordmaster might be able to capture him, but there was no reason to. It wasn't as if they were at war—what would anyone gain from taking him?

Besides, that man was not the type to be quietly captured without a trace. From the Guard Captain's perspective, it was hard to readily agree with Seren.

"Even so, I request your cooperation."

The Guard Captain narrowed his eyes at Seren's words. Do you have a conscience? Do you? Do you really think the Archduke was done in by someone else?

"I request your cooperation."

Still, Seren stood firm. He showed no sign of leaving until the Guard Captain agreed to help.

In the end, worn down by the repeated requests, the Guard Captain gave his consent.

"...How can I assist?"

"Lend me the Guard."

"How many men should I send?"

"All of them."

The Guard Captain barely swallowed the words that nearly burst from his mouth.

Madman.

This one looked normal enough on the outside, but he was no different from Kite. The Guard had so much to do, and this man wanted all of them.

"That's impossible."

"Then at least half."

And somewhere along the way, he had started speaking casually.

"If half—then you must return them within a day."

"I'll do my best."

Whether that effort would bear fruit was uncertain. Thus Seren secured the Guard.

But he was not the type to be satisfied with that—so he visited several other departments in the same manner.

Having secured promises from so many people.

"Search every corner of the capital."

In his heart, he wanted to seal off the capital entirely—but the Emperor's birthday was near. Because of that, he couldn't completely close the gates.

In fact, everyone was already busy with that, so diverting this much support was quite an achievement. If Kite were not the current Emperor's uncle and patron, it would have been even harder.

---

Thus, the capital began to stir, quietly yet noticeably. But ordinary people didn't know why. Only those Seren had asked for help and the high-ranking nobles knew that Kite had disappeared.

"Like master, like servants, they say."

The Empire's only Swordmaster had vanished. And they were searching for him so openly—what if word got out? Foreign nations would be overjoyed.

The Chancellor, Jegro, pressed his hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Can't he go one day without causing trouble?"

Had he been cursed to do otherwise? The Chancellor did not believe Kite had been taken by someone. He was surely causing some nonsensical incident somewhere else.

And on top of that, he was already busy enough to go mad. With the Emperor's birthday approaching, foreign envoys were also arriving in the Empire. Everyone was working frantically—and now this had to happen.

His hairline had been receding noticeably lately.

Jegro could confidently say the cause was Kite. As he worried about his hair, a blond-haired boy approached his side.

"Chancellor."

"Your Majesty."

"I heard about it."

Jegro was loyal and diligent toward the imperial court. That was why he had informed the Emperor as soon as he learned of the incident.

"Your Majesty, do you truly believe it's real?"

At the question, the Emperor, Leonhardt, gave an awkward smile.

"Do you really think that monster of a man could get into trouble because of someone else?"

"To be honest, I don't believe it either. He's my uncle, after all."

The Empire's Mad Dog, a walking calamity—that man?

"Exactly. We should recall the personnel immediately."

"No, let's leave it for a day. Just in case."

"Just in case—who would dare touch a man like that! And even if someone did, what more could we do here?"

If a foreign nation had specifically targeted Kite, pouring manpower into this would be pointless. Better to mobilize only a portion of specialized personnel and use the rest to protect the Emperor. For all the curses thrown his way, Kite was still the Empire's strongest sword. If that sword was gone, defenses had to be tightened.

"After one day, you may do as you wish, Chancellor."

"Your Majesty!"

"Just think of it as me doing something for my uncle for one day."

It was because of Kite that Leonhardt could be here at all.

With such words, even Jegro could not press further. He could only let out a deep sigh.

---

At that same time, Kite rose from his seat and leisurely surveyed the room. Perhaps there might be clues about his kidnapper. For that purpose, he picked up one of the books from the shelf and opened it.

"Madam Jevly's Garden."

The title sounded vaguely familiar. He tapped the cover with his nail, then flipped it open. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary romance novel—but reading a bit revealed it was what was commonly called a "red book," a work of erotica.

Come to think of it, Alex had liked books like these. When Lucen criticized him for reading obscene literature, Alex had insisted they weren't that kind of novel.

But why was such a book here? Kite put it back and picked up another. It was no different from the first.

Alex would love this.

But it wasn't to Kite's taste. Having been manipulated by his mother, Saraen, from a young age, he had no fondness for such acts.

The same went for those who approached him solely for his looks. They treated Kite like a pretty doll, just as Saraen had.

Remembering that soured his mood suddenly. He didn't know who had locked him here, but he understood the intent was impure. He would have preferred being captured and tortured by a hostile nation.

Just then, a knock came at the door. And the voice of the maid who called herself Mary.

"Would you like some tea?"

Kite stared into space for a moment, then replied.

"Yes."

The door opened carefully, and Mary appeared. She was pushing a trolley again—it seemed she intended to push it from a distance, just like at mealtime. Watching her, Kite tossed aside the book in his hand.

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