The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 16

“We deeply apologize, Your Majesty. Allowing such criminals to escape before our eyes is inexcusable.”

“Our sincerest apologies.”

A short while after the incident, Rhodanthe and I stood before the King, offering our apologies.

Not only had we let the perpetrator behind the string of disappearances escape, but Sophia had also been taken.

This was an unquestionable failure.

However, the king simply shook his head.

“This is not your fault. Even we failed to stop them despite having them before our eyes. The true blame lies with the priest who dared to commit the forbidden act of demon summoning.”

“That may be true, but…”

Even if he said so, Rhodanthe and I couldn’t accept that.

No matter what, we would get Sophia back.

And yet…

“This matter will be formally protested to the Church Headquarters in Erde Holy State. Proper punishment will be administered.”

The king’s expression was stern and resolute.

And that meant one thing—

The Kingdom had no intention of going after them themselves.

For reference, Erde Holy State is the autonomous region governed by the Church.

The Church Headquarters is located there, ruled by the Pope, who stands at the top of their hierarchy.

Though a small territory, surrounded by multiple nations including the Blumenkranz Kingdom, its influence surpasses even the largest of countries.

“Your Majesty! Priest Stok harmed the citizens of our kingdom! If we let this slide, it will be an insult to our nation’s dignity!”

“Moreover, Priest Stok’s father is a high-ranking official in the Church Headquarters. If he returns safely to Erde, this incident could be covered up entirely!”

“But the Saintess is in his hands.”

“…!”

“If we act recklessly and cause harm to the Saintess, we will turn not only this country but the entire continent’s believers against us.”

“But that’s only because they kidnapped her in the first place!”

“Regardless, both Priest Stok and the Saintess belong to the Holy State.”

The King shut down my argument with unwavering finality.

That was the weight of a monarch’s decision.

“While the Saintess resided in our kingdom’s church, she is not one of our citizens. What right do we have to demand she be ‘retrieved’?”

“……”

Damn it.

He was right.

If Stok’s goal was to return to Erde Holy State, then that’s exactly where he was headed.

And Sophia—despite living in this country and attending the Magic Academy—was still a citizen of the Holy State.

Bringing her back to her homeland wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Stok had committed the taboo of demon summoning, but with his powerful father’s influence, he could cover it up once he returned.

He might even be able to forcefully marry Sophia under the pretense of “protecting” her.

…

No.

“Where are you going?”

The King called out to me as I turned on my heel.

I understood his argument.

What right did a duke of this kingdom have to demand the return of a Saintess belonging to the Holy State?

But—

“A duke may not have the right to retrieve the Holy State’s Saintess…”

“But a ‘brother’ going after his ‘sister’—that’s perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

“…What?”

“Excuse me.”

Leaving the King, whose expression had frozen in shock, I strode quickly out of the cathedral.

Almost immediately, two figures approached.

“Sebastian, did you make contact?”

“Yes. It seems she recently returned and was spending her time relaxing in the capital.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate… What was her response?”

“She accepted without hesitation.”

That was a huge relief.

With her—one of the strongest people I knew—on our side, things were looking a lot better.

“Bisque.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Were you able to track them?”

“Yes! The little birdies worked really hard!”

“Good. Thanks. (Pat pat)”

“Fuwahh~”

I had asked Bisque to track the enemy’s escape route in case they fled.

Their ability to travel through dimensional rifts had been unexpected, but apparently, it had range limitations.

They had been moving in short dimensional jumps, heading toward the neighboring territory.

With that, we had two final pieces left to put in place.

Now…

Let’s see how this plays out.

“It’s Been a While, Lord Kraut.”

“It has. Sorry for calling on you right after you’ve finished a job, Enzi.”

“Don’t worry about it. Lord Kraut, you saved that village, after all.”

Ah, Vice’s hometown—that’s what he meant.

Not that I was the one who saved it. It was the result of everyone’s efforts.

“Still, if you hadn’t acted, the problem wouldn’t have been resolved. Just accept the gratitude for once, will you?”

“I really appreciate it. This time, the enemy is completely beyond my ability to handle alone.”

“Yeah, I heard. You’re fighting a demon to rescue the Saintess, huh? Lord Kraut, you should really start exercising some self-restraint. Otherwise, one of these days, you’re going to get yourself into serious trouble.”

“The moment a demon showed up, things were already serious… Wait, don’t talk like the others. You sound just like them.”

“Which means everyone thinks the same way, doesn’t it?”

Enzi grinned mischievously.

I don’t get it. What exactly am I supposed to restrain myself from?

“So, are you heading out right now?”

“Yeah, no. That would be suicide. I mean, not even a full day has passed since the fight—hell, it hasn’t even been a few hours.”

“How pathetic. If it’s for the woman you love, you should be able to push yourself a little harder.”

“First of all, it’s not ‘a little’—it’s a lot. Second, don’t say things that could be misinterpreted.”

According to Bisque’s report, they were staying the night at a church in the neighboring territory.

They likely weren’t planning on moving until tomorrow.

The decisive battle would be tomorrow.

We’d intercept them in the wilderness, away from town—where Enzi could go all out.

“But are we really bringing such a small force to fight a demon?”

“Yeah. The kingdom isn’t sending reinforcements for this operation. And honestly, bringing more people would just be pointless.”

“…Explain.”

I carefully explained the full situation to Enzi.

As she listened, her expression grew increasingly displeased.

“…I see.”

“The king’s decision isn’t wrong. But still, I can’t say I’m happy about it.”

“Same here. That’s why I’m doing this.”

“Hah! You really are something else, Lord Kraut. I’ve never met a noble like you before.”

“…Actually, looks like there’s at least one more.”

“Huh?”

At the end of my gaze, a massive, muscle-bound figure strode toward us.

…Yeah. If that guy was walking straight at me, I’d definitely look away.

“I’ve been searching for you, Lord Kraut.”

“My apologies. And can I assume you were looking for me for the reason I’m expecting?”

“Indeed. I refuse to accept how things ended. More importantly… if we don’t defeat that bastard, Stil won’t return.”

“Yeah… You’re right.”

I stood up and shook hands with Rhodanthe—

…Ow!

Damn it, let go! Are you trying to crush my hand!?

As I nursed my throbbing fingers, I shifted my focus back to tomorrow’s battle.

Now, only one final piece remained.

Let’s go rescue our captive Saintess.