琪琪电影网午夜理论片

“You don’t ask or question the client’s circumstances. Isn’t that one of the rules of the Mask of Night?”

“……Then you must also know this rule: we do not provide information that could jeopardize the client’s safety. This involves a duke of a nation. You can’t handle this.”

“I don’t start something I can’t handle in the first place.”

“It’s just too unsettling for me to dig into.”

“Is that so? Duke Herman asked me to deliberately lose to that Winzer guy…… Well, I guess I should just beat him to a pulp until he shits blood. That’s more my style.”

“Give me an hour, no, just 30 minutes.”

I shook off my thoughts and looked straight ahead.

“I’ll say what I have to say, even if it costs me my life. Otherwise, I might die with regrets, unable to rest in peace.”

“……”

“The current king, or rather, the former king now, had three wives throughout his life. From the first queen, Princess Mary was born; from the second queen, two princes, and from the third queen, the youngest, Princess ‘Winley Kun Hart’.”

I looked directly into Duke Herman’s eyes.

“And you, Duke, with that third queen……”

I couldn’t continue speaking. An intense killing intent engulfed me completely.

“……I’ll stop here.”

“Hahaha, alright. It seems that Marquis Foltaine’s words were true after all.”

“That old…… no, the Marquis bad-mouthed me again, didn’t he?”

“Bad-mouthed? No, quite the opposite. He praised you. He said you seem to have a significant connection with the renowned Mask of Night.”

“He’s not entirely wrong.”

“So, are you the hidden son of the Mask’s leader or something like that?”

I shrugged. The more people misunderstood me like this, the better. It reduced the chances of them bothering me out of sheer discomfort.

“I’m not their son. You already know my true identity better than anyone, don’t you?”

“Yes. You are Andrew von Meeke, the 7th prince of the Duchy of Meeke.”

“In that sense, I’ve already placed a request through the Mask of Night. Should I suddenly drop dead, they are to spread the word far and wide that Winzer is actually Princess Winley, and that you, Duke, are her backer.”

“……”

Duke Herman continued to gaze at me with cold eyes.

“I doubt you would try to threaten even the Mask of Night. Instead, how about we negotiate?”

“Negotiate?”

“Everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden, don’t they? I may have acted rashly, but if you truly wish for the princess’s well-being, today’s events will help her grow much more.”

“……What?”

“Both as a promising knight candidate and as an individual.”

“……”

Duke Herman remained silent for a moment, then let out a small laugh. Then he came up and patted my shoulder.

“Why so serious?”

“Excuse me?”

“It was a joke. Sometimes you need to scare the disobedient kids a bit. Do you think I would harm a prince of a foreign delegation, and one from a royal family, no less?”

No. It was no joke. The immense pressure on my shoulder made me frown slightly. By now, my trapezius muscle was likely to be bruised blue.

‘……Forget about being the Duke, should I just flip this guy over?’

I barely managed to suppress my temper this time. I admitted my approach was a bit aggressive. I slowly took a step back.

“……If only I had a mirror, I would have shown it to you.”

“What?”

“Despite your words, your expression earlier didn’t look like a joke at all.”

“Hahaha. My acting skills are as good as my swordsmanship.”

“Then, I’ll take my leave. I’m very busy.”

“But……”

Duke Herman grabbed my leg as I was about to leave.

“Just out of pure curiosity, if the Meeke delegation finds out you’re here, how do you plan to act? Do you have a plan?”

“Do you think I would have a plan? That’s why I need to study hard from now on.”

“Study……?”

“In terms of status and situation, the princess staying in your house and I are in similar situations, aren’t we?”

“……!”

Duke Herman’s eyes widened as if he had been struck.

“I’ll closely observe how you revive the princess and use that as a reference to prepare my own countermeasures.”

“……”

After a long silence.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

Duke Herman burst into loud laughter. His boisterous laughter drew the attention of those around us.

“D-Duke Herman?”

“Wh-Why are you……?”

Until now, he had concealed his presence with mana. But now, Duke Herman seemed unconcerned.

“Haha! Ahahahahahaha! You’re quite amusing. Truly amusing.”

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – San]

[Proofreader – Abstract]

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* * *

The central district of Bromhill.

“Is it alright to just leave things as they are?”

The adjutant glanced towards the examination site.

“He’s an arrogant one. If you give the order, I will quietly bring you his head.”

“Hahaha, isn’t he quite the amusing prince?”

Duke Herman responded with lingering amusement.

“He’s a cunning child. I hope he becomes good friends with the princess.”

“……Really, sir?”

“Of course. I’m sincere.”

Duke Herman smiled broadly and waved his hand lightly. Seeing this, the adjutant immediately erased the conversation topic from his mind.

“What about the princess?”

“She’s been quietly escorted to the mansion. The cleric we’ve prepared is also someone who can keep his mouth shut.”

“That’s why I can’t help but like you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Duke Herman looked pleased, when all of a sudden.

“Your Excellency!”

A group hurriedly approached from a distance.

“D-Duke Kairos has come to visit the mansion!”

“……!”

The adjutant reacted faster than Duke Herman.

“It’s an unoccupied house. You should have handled it and sent him away!”

“W-We explained that, but he insisted on waiting until Your Excellency returned……”

The adjutant looked at Duke Herman with a stern expression.

“Duke, this is……”

“It seems he’s caught a whiff. Let’s go.”

Duke Herman quickened his pace with a bitter smile. Soon, they saw a group at the entrance of the large mansion.

“……Duke Kairos.”

“Oh dear, I apologize for the sudden visit.”

Duke Kairos, already well past seventy, was a seasoned old knight with a bald head. He was the epitome of the saying ‘age is just a number’.

His muscles looked ready to burst at any moment, rivaling those of much younger men.

“What brings you here?”

“You may have heard, but Princess Winley has gone missing.”

“……”

While Duke Herman maintained his smile, the adjutant’s face hardened.

“But…… Well, this is quite troublesome. We’ve received intelligence that the princess is here at Duke Herman’s residence.”

Duke Kairos rubbed his shiny head as he spoke.

“And you know, as someone responsible for the palace’s security, I can’t just ignore such information……”

“I see.”

Duke Kairos and Duke Herman exchanged glances before the former smiled slightly.

“Oh, don’t make such a scary face. Do you think I’d actually search the house of a fellow ally? I just wanted to confirm if the princess was here.”

For the first time, Duke Kairos turned serious.

“Is the princess here?”

“She is not.”

“Then, that’s that.”

As if that was all, Duke Kairos gestured to his men to withdraw.

“We’re leaving.”

“Understood, sir!”

The knights of the royal palace withdrew like the ebbing tide. Left alone, Duke Kairos smiled at Duke Herman.

“I really do like you.”

“I respect you as well, Duke.”

“A coup, you see, if it fails, it’s recorded as treason in history, but if it succeeds, it’s praised as a revolution. In that sense, aren’t we comrades who have rectified the country together? Revolutionary comrades, if you will.”

As he passed by, Duke Kairos patted Duke Herman’s shoulder.

“No matter who tries to drive a wedge between us, it won’t work on me. I can’t embarrass a comrade over something like this.”

“Thank you for your trust.”

“I’ll get going.”

With that, Duke Kairos walked past Duke Herman, but he stopped after a few steps.

“……May I offer some advice, as a fellow comrade?”

“Of course.”

“At that age, it’s easy to act rashly and foolishly because of uncontrollable emotions.”

Duke Kairos turned his head slightly.

“But of course, you aren’t that foolish of a person.”

“……Of course not.”

“The Empire wants the first prince and the youngest princess to study abroad…… Or rather, we need to be straightforward here. They want them as solid ‘hostages’. So, for the sake of the country, you should lend a hand.”

Duke Kairos’s voice took on a meaningful tone.

“If you brought in foreign forces for the revolution, you should see it through to the end neatly.”

“……”

Once Duke Kairos was completely out of sight, Duke Herman’s smile faded.

“……Old fox.”

His political prowess was truly unparalleled. It was as if he had anticipated the empire’s involvement and switched sides in advance.

“……Your Excellency, if I may, I believe the old man already knows the princess is here.”

“Probably.”

Duke Kairos was no fool. No, he was the oldest fox in this country. Even if the capital was vast, to him, it was like his own backyard. Every significant event here was within his realm.

“Would it not be better to send the princess back? If things continue like this, Your Excellency……”

“Then the princess would meet an unwanted fate, like the queen.”

“……Your Excellency.”

“If that miserable fate spanned generations, wouldn’t that be too pitiful?”

“……”

After hesitating for a while, the adjutant made a determined expression.

“……With all due respect, Your Excellency, if this is due to personal feelings towards the late third queen, then I must……”

“Is that so wrong?”

“……Your Excellency……”

“Life is like a maze. Naturally, as you walk, you might enter the wrong path, but that failure isn’t always bad. Through that experience, you gain life lessons, meet new people…… and learn feelings like love.”

Duke Herman finished speaking and gazed quietly at the sky.

“Every single person I’ve met, or will meet, is a precious piece of my life. Wealth and fame disappears like a mirage, but the years and memories shared with them remain forever. They are the only lasting treasures of humankind.”

Duke Herman smiled faintly at the adjutant.

“In that sense, you are also a precious treasure to me.”

“……I don’t know what to say, Your Excellency.”

“I don’t want to see my precious memories tarnished by my own hands.”

Duke Herman had regretted and suffered countless times over that matter.

So.

“Isn’t that why I climbed the tower of power, so that I could act as I please in moments like these?”

Indeed. That’s what he had worked his whole life for.

“In my future, there will be no more regrets.”

***

Jan overwhelmingly dominated his opponent and descended from the training arena.

“Good work.”

“……I got lucky.”

It seemed not all offspring of tigers were born tigers. Despite the name ‘Foltaine’, Jan’s opponent was pathetic.

“Just like that pig from last time, there are so many living leisurely off their father’s reputation. Old man, your children are a disappointment.”

Well, that explains why he was so eager to adopt me as his heir. I chuckled quietly and then looked at the kids congratulating each other.

“Is Kirian the only one left?”

“Worry about yourself.”

Suddenly, a new voice appeared right beside me.

“……Why do these people keep showing up out of nowhere and surprising me?”

The person was none other than Narakas, without his mask.

“You’re alive.”

“Were you hoping I’d be dead?”

“Heh heh heh, not at all. You’re our precious cash cow.”

The face hidden behind the mask was quite ordinary. Of course, I didn’t believe such an illusion.

“That can’t be your real face, right?”

“Why, you don’t like it?”

“Well, as an informant, it’s perfect. I’ve seen at least ten people with similar faces on the street.”

Narakas sneered.

“Hmph, if you saw my real face, you’d be so overwhelmed by my good looks that you’d fall over.”

“So it’s not your real face.”

“It’s a special mask.”

Just as I expected.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“People from the Empire have just entered Bromhill.”

My eyes immediately sharpened.

“……Already?”

“There have been many incidents recently. With the king’s coronation coming up, they probably saw it as the perfect opportunity.”

Right after that, Narakas made a peculiar expression.

“Are you going to scout them out?”

“……No, there’s no need to rush. My master’s enemies wouldn’t come here directly.”

“It’s a good chance to observe the Empire’s knights, though.”

“I need to see my kids’ tests to the end.”

Narakas looked at me in disbelief.

“People might actually think he’s your son. So, was Duke Herman a negotiable opponent?”

“Maybe? He was more romantic than I expected.”

“……Lunatic. Only you would talk about one of the kingdom’s three Masters like that.”

A sly grin spread across my face.

“Which makes me want him even more.”

***