Pedro came out of the Imperial Palace as soon as the grueling interrogation was over.

Of course, he had to be treated like a semi-imperial family member, so he didn’t have any trouble since the interrogation was all about asking the same questions over and over again, but he was just sick of the imperial palace.

The knight commander followed behind him as he walked through the corridor with light steps.

In fact, the knight commander had previously chosen Pedro as a person he respected. It was no exaggeration to say that the Commander of the Imperial Knights was a person who had spent time in the Imperial Family since he was a squire.

Therefore, it was impossible not to know how loyal Pedro was to the Imperial Family.

…However, why did it change so suddenly?

When that question arose, he couldn’t let it go.

Just looking at history, there were countless reasons why a person with strong loyalty deteriorated, but he wanted to hear the reasons directly. If it was Pedro, whom he respected, it seemed like there must be another reason.

“Previous Duke.”

With the call from the Commander of the Imperial Knights, Pedro stopped his steps and turned around. His gestures were too graceful and energetic to be considered someone who had been locked up for several days.

“Why did you call me?”

“I’m sorry, but can you give me a moment?”

“Hmm, well. I’m full of thoughts about getting out of the imperial palace right now. I’d rather see you later.”

Of course, it was not that he disagreed with Pedro’s words, though he felt like he wouldn’t have time for a while to catch the group of traitors.

So, he shamelessly asked again.

“It will only take a moment, and there’s no need to go far. Could we have a quick chat in the garden right here?”

Pedro wanted to listen to the words of the Commander, with whom he was a close friend, but he was worried about his mansion and wanted to go back first. So, while he was about to refuse, he was troubled by a person who came to mind.

“Hmm…”

The knight commander waited for his answer. Fortunately, there were no courtiers wandering around the corridor.

Pedro rubbed his chin and asked vaguely.

“Are Count Erlando’s son and wife imprisoned here?”

The knight commander, who did not know that it meant the imperial palace dungeon, nodded obediently and answered.

“That’s right.”

Pedro pondered, nodding his head as if agreeing with what he said. Then, he clicked his tongue slightly. He was really a guy who couldn’t escape his past, he was. The only thing that resembled them was their hair color, but they couldn’t escape that.

He took a deep sigh and then made a request to the knight commander.

“Now that it’s like this, I want to ask for something as well.”

“…Which is?”

On the contrary, the Commander’s expression hardened slightly as if he had not thought that he would ask for something.

Pedro lifted his chin slightly with a confident expression.

“It was something I should have taken on originally. I also researched the list of traitors you are looking at. However, things went wrong, and it ended up like this.”

“I know that. What is it…?”

“I wish I could see the two people taken from our family.”

“…Previous Duke.”

The Commander’s voice lowered when Pedro said that he needed to see the criminal.

“If you’re feeling that way, don’t you know that there’s no one around here right now? It’s truly a peaceful imperial palace, isn’t it?”

“…Why do you want to see them? After all, they are a family of traitors.”

“Are all traitor families the same? The families don’t necessarily get along, and the two lived apart for a long time.”

“I don’t understand. Wasn’t the previous Duke a person who was loyal to the Imperial Family? But it doesn’t make sense to suddenly side with the family of traitors. Why are you disturbing the Emperor?”

At his words, Pedro tiled a corner of his mouth. There was an absurdity in his words.

“It seems you are mistaken. I am not loyal to the Imperial Family, but I am devoted to the Empire. Do you understand what I mean?”

It sounded similar but contained completely different content, so he couldn’t have not known what the previous Duke wanted to say. Nevertheless, the Commander, who had served in the imperial court for a long time, couldn’t understand exactly what the big difference was.

“Well, there’s no way you’ll understand right away. I understand that.”

The Commander followed Pedro into the garden as if he were possessed. As he listened to the words spoken softly as he went, he began to nod his head slightly.

* * *

After capturing Noah, the possessor, Lucian headed straight to the information guild he had mentioned.

Dawn was breaking, and he had not yet found any trace of Rachel.

He rode his horse roughly while watching the dawn sky with the sun rising. The sky where the sun was just beginning to rise always reminded him of Rachel’s beautiful navy blue eyes. So when he was away from her, he always got up before dawn and trained in the training ground.

As he looked up at the sky, memories of her came to mind.

“Duke, it looks like this is the place!”

Lucian nimbly jumped off his horse at the shout of the Duchy’s knight commander.

When he entered the bookstore without hesitation, the old man, who had been dozing in front of the counter, yawned at the sound of the door opening and greeted him.

“Welcome.”

Lucian watched the old man with sharp eyes. He put the information he had found out by blackmailing Noah into his head and twisted his mouth.

Catching possessors was more difficult than expected. They were using unfamiliar abilities that had already been lost. With one swift movement, he stepped over the counter and grabbed the old man by the collar.

“Kuk. Why, why are you doing this, sir?”

If he hadn’t noticed how the old man was coughing and shaking, he might have thought it was just an ordinary old man.

As expected, it seemed like a good choice to capture Noah first. And now that he had caught two things in one stone, he wasn’t going to wait any longer and asked.

“Derek de Erland. You’re the leader of the remnants who are plotting treason, right?”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. Oh, my gosh, I’m getting old, so I can’t hear very well.”

Lucian burst out laughing at the remark that was naturally spoken.

Truly, ghosts of the ancestors were really bad at acting. What was the point of speaking when the eyes were already full of hostility?

“Ah, I guess I was mistaken.”

The old man’s eyes twinkled lowly at Lucian’s words, but he answered calmly.

“Then, can you please let me go? I can’t breathe, and my body has no strength.”

“For something like that, you can talk a lot.”

“….”

“Let me correct what I said earlier. Dustin De Erlando. I am arresting you for treason.”

Dustin bit his lip in exasperation after hearing the name that came out. He had no idea how Lucian knew and came looking for him. Even though he clenched his trembling fists and tried to act oblivious until the end, Lucian was already unable to see anything.

Lucian, who was planning to drag him away for now, ordered the knight commander to follow him.

“Arrest him and leave him with the person before.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

“And search this place thoroughly. If there is anything suspicious, report it immediately.”

Lucian couldn’t hide the joy he felt.

Erland.

It was clearly said that the evil spirit in Rachel’s body was also an Erland. Did they say that ghosts could only possess people from their own families? Since this person was also Errando, it was clear that an evil thing was hiding somewhere here.

Lucian couldn’t hide his joy at the thought that he would be able to find Rachel sooner than he thought.

As the pupils of the yellow eyes were wide open, Dustin looked closely and cursed under his breath. Unless his identity was clearly revealed, he had to act like he didn’t know anything until the end.

An illusionist only has the ability to deceive the eyes.

The reason he was able to make a name for himself as an illusionist was because he used illusions appropriately.

Dustin rolled his eyes as he was dragged by the knight, checking out his stash. He quickly checked to see if any logs containing details such as maps, routes and itineraries, or assets he had gathered to plan the rebellion were well hidden, and then he was taken away.

As he was dragged away, he imitated an old man until the end. Then, when he felt that the knight who was dragging him had relaxed, he pretended to be pitiful and begged.

“I just ran the bookstore with the money I had left after sending my children first, Sir. Please have mercy.”

The effect was even better when speaking while coughing. However, the knight had no intention of disobeying the Duke’s orders. It just pricked his conscience, so he opened the prepared carriage door and pushed him in.

Dustin let out an exasperated sigh and raised his head. In the carriage, Kylus, tied tightly with rope, was sweating and looking at him.

“I thought it was you, after all.”

Mean guy. Even when fighting a war, he was the type of guy who always sensed dangerous moments immediately and retreated alone. So what was the point of getting possessed and getting himself captured?

It was clear that he was momentarily conceited and preoccupied with playing with his friends.

“You bat b*stard.”

“…I couldn’t help it.”

“Castilla, Castilla, I forgot the bat-like Castilla.”

Dustin hummed, transforming his appearance into that of Noah.

“…What?”

Kylus, who witnessed the scene, asked back in a puzzled voice.

Dustin unleashed his secret power. Although he was less capable than Cassandra, that didn’t mean he couldn’t change the appearance of others.

He tightened the rope around Noah’s body and gagged his mouth with the remaining rope. At the same time, he subtly changed Noah’s appearance to that of an old man. Dustin sneered as he ran a hand through his flowing blonde hair.

“Now that I think about it, you were the one who betrayed us in the past and clung to the saint. Shouldn’t we finish our revenge perfectly now?”

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