Chapter 159: Open Your Eyes

My mother is here? In this house?

Ian’s eyebrows twitched in surprise upon learning that his mother was present in the house.

However, it wasn’t just the proximity of his mother that surprised him.

There was a reason behind her presence, and it became evident.

“The saintess. No, it seems she was used as a tool to threaten the youngest princess,” Galon stated as he approached the boy, who was enduring the torture with an indifferent gaze.

He kicked the tool that was piercing the boy’s body.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Ah! I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything! Please, stop!”

“Speak quickly.”

The boy, writhing in pain, revealed the details. “It was Cardinal Cesare’s order. He instructed me to display the torture through the crystal ball when he gives the signal. The crystal ball has a limited range, so I had to wait nearby to ensure the scene would be visible.”

The sight of a knight torturing a child was cruel, but neither Ian, Galon, nor Hite showed any signs of sympathy.

It was understandable.

“So this place is situated between the royal palace and Marquis Adelas’ mansion,” Ian concluded.

“That’s correct, Your Highness. The crystal ball’s image transmission is limited in range,” Galon confirmed.

Unlike communication, the crystal ball’s ability to transmit images had severe distance limitations, reaching only a few kilometers at most.

Cesare strategically placed Ian’s mother in a nearby location to ensure she could be displayed at any time, preventing the saintess from opposing him.

However, that wasn’t the only issue.

With a sorrowful expression, Galon handed over the information he had extracted from the boy during the torture.

“What is this?” Ian asked.

“…You’ll know when you see it.”

Galon’s face stiffened, as if he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Ian mirrored his expression, his face tense, as he opened the document.

But in that moment…

“What the hell is this!” Ian exclaimed.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and it was only natural.

The document revealed that they had transported his mother to Kaistein, a place where inspections had been intensified due to the war atmosphere.

How had they managed to bypass the security measures?

“They transported my mother in a coffin to make it appear as if she were a corpse?” Ian questioned.

But that wasn’t all.

“They drugged her with sleeping pills to prevent her from escaping… and used fire to simulate wounds and worsen her condition?”

All of this was done to instill fear in the saintess and make her more compliant.

Even if it had been done with the utmost care, it was incredibly cruel.

Naturally, Ian’s hands trembled with anger as he cast murderous glares at those who dared to harm his mother.

Galon accurately understood the intensity of his lord’s gaze.

Whishhh.

“Argh! I was wrong!” the boy exclaimed.

Galon gestured to the spies holding the prisoners with a nonchalant gaze as he crushed the boy’s body.

The spies twisted the sinners’ necks at his signal.

“Argh!”

“We just followed orders…”

“It’s all Cardinal Cesare’s fault…”

“Arghhh!”

The criminals coughed up blood and screamed, but Ian’s anger only grew stronger, unquenched.

“So… where is my mother now?” Ian asked Galon, his eyes filled with fury, “I need to see my mother immediately.”

Galon approached him and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. We have not yet located your mother.”

“What did you say?” Ian responded in disbelief.

“Just a moment ago, didn’t you say she was in this house?”

“More precisely, she’s in the adjoining house connected to this one.”

“The adjoining house?” Ian’s eyebrows twitched momentarily.

He couldn’t comprehend why Galon hadn’t rescued his mother when she was so close. Suppressing his anger, he pressed for an explanation.

“But why haven’t you found her?”

“That’s…” Galon hesitated to answer.

It was then Hite, the leader of the Blue Wolf, intervened.

“It’s a trap.”

“What do you mean by that all of a sudden..?”

Ian turned to Hite, who was touching the wall in the corner of the basement interrogation room.

“This wall. It seems to have magical enhancements. And the smell… it’s like gunpowder, isn’t it?”

“Is that true?” Ian asked, turning to Galon.

Galon nodded. “Sir Hite is correct. It appears to be enchanted, and if forcibly opened, it is designed to explode.”

“Then can’t we access the basement?” Ian questioned.

“The basement poses a greater problem. Not only are there numerous monitors, but if we enter hastily, various traps will be triggered,” Galon explained.

At Galon’s gesture, a spy approached, carrying an item—a dead rat.

What caught their attention was a small iron needle embedded in the rat’s body, cleverly hidden from view.

“We attempted to break in, but this rat accidentally triggered something and died instead. We tried alternative routes, just in case…” The spies opened a crate filled with rat carcasses. All their attempts had failed.

“However, it would be unwise to rush in. We’ve been waiting for instructions, as your mother could be taken hostage,” Galon continued.

“Well done,” Ian acknowledged, his gaze becoming calmer.

Despite his anger, he recognized the importance of maintaining rationality in such a critical situation.

After all, his mother’s life was on the line.

He spoke calmly, “So, have you found a solution?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Galon replied, shaking his head and pointing to the boy. “He seems to know something, but he’s determined to keep it a secret until the end.”

“Is that so?” Ian’s eyebrows twitched.

The realization struck him that someone not only dared to torture his mother but also kept vital information from him, preventing him from even seeing her.

He approached the boy.

“Do you believe Cesare’s orders are more important than your own life?”

Though visibly exhausted, the boy’s eyebrows remained unwavering. Fearing Ian’s wrath, he cried out, “It’s a misunderstanding. I… I just want to live.”

“You want to live? Then why won’t you speak the truth?”

“If I speak… if I speak, you’ll kill me!”

Ian chuckled, “A man who toys with someone else’s life. Do you truly value your own life so highly?”

“That… that’s…”

“It’s over. I never had any intention of sparing you in the first place.”

Ian’s sharp gaze pierced through the boy, as if seeing through everything.

In fact, Ian drew his sword.

Swoosh!

In one swift motion, he aimed to strike the boy’s neck. Trembling with fear, the boy screamed.

“Do you think I’ll accept this fate? If you kill me, you’ll never see your mother again!”

Ian merely chuckled at his desperate plea, “Finally gone mad as your impending death approaches, huh? Are you trying to threaten me now?”

“Don’t you dare lay a finger on me anymore. You’ll be crushed to a pulp in this building, and along with your mother!”

Furious, the boy screamed in anger, “I’m sure Cardinal Cesare has been informed by now. You won’t kill me, but all of you will die here!”

“Really?” Ian paid no heed to his words.

He knew the boy was stalling for time, and his screams of impending death were nothing but empty threats.

Leaning in closer, Ian whispered in his ear.

“Don’t worry. Cardinal Cesare you’re waiting for is knocked out and unconscious.”

“That can’t be. The Cardinal must have heard from me…”

“How can an unconscious man receive your message? Your pitiful act ends here.”

Ian raised his sword high above his head.

“You have insulted and dishonored my mother. You cannot be spared.”

“W… wait! If you kill me, you will never be able to open that door. Only I can open it,” the boy pleaded.

Ian chuckled at the boy’s words. “Right. I know. Thanks to you, I know how it opens.”

“What do you mean…”

Without delay, Ian swung his sword downward.

Swish!

“Aaah!”

But instead of aiming for the boy’s neck, Ian’s sword cut his finger—the one adorned with the ring given to him by Cardinal Cesare.

Ian casually lifted the bloodied finger and approached the wall.

“Is this it?” As Ian approached, the wall began to move.

Grrrrr.

Even the magical circle that appeared to be a trap gradually lost its light, leaving Galon astonished.

“How did you know?”

Ian shrugged nonchalantly, “That guy’s eyes kept darting to his fingers.”

“Ah!”

“I’ve observed men like that before. It’s a habit of those who frequently bluff in gambling.”

Consistently verifying their only hope—revealing their true intentions was a fatal mistake.

And the boy failed at that.

“My… finger… Aaargh!”

The pain caused the boy’s youthful face to rapidly age.

His once-black hair turned white, and his smooth skin wrinkled like that of an elderly person.

Ian issued orders to the spies.

“Do not kill him. Keep him alive.”

“Why not just kill him?” Hite inquired, puzzled by Ian’s actions.

After all, Ian had almost killed him earlier.

Why spare him now?

Ian grinned. “They are my sister’s responsibility. I cannot kill them just yet.”

“Ah…”

Hite finally understood.

The saintess had witnessed her entire life how they tortured her mother.

It was only natural for Ian to show mercy toward his sister.

And so, he did.

“Let’s go inside.”

He headed inside where his mother would be.

***

“Ugh…”

It was when Cesare regained consciousness and tried to get up.

Clank.

His hands couldn’t move as if they were bound by something. Startled, Cesare opened his eyes wide.

“Are these restraints?”

Surveying his surroundings, he found himself in a treatment room.

A cold voice reached Cesare’s ears.

“Don’t move.”

“Are you…?”

“Right now, you are under suspicion as a criminal. An order has been given that you can be killed if you move as you please.”

“What?”

It was the First Princess.

However, there was something else that truly surprised Cesare.

He was so stiff that he tried to move a little.

Thud!

A spear was thrust towards his throat.

It wasn’t the princess herself who pushed it forward, but the guard next to her.

The princess spoke in a cold voice.

“This is your only warning.”

“Huh… You know I’m a cardinal of the Holy Empire.”

“His Majesty has named you as the embodiment of evil. Do you still expect to be treated as the cardinal after committing such acts in front of the Great Hall?”

“Huh…” Cesare furrowed his eyebrows.

‘What exactly happened while I was unconscious?’

Cesare couldn’t understand why the royal family of Kaistein was so hostile.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Buzz.

The alert ringing in his chest indicated that something had happened to the ones who had captured the saintess’s mother.

‘I cannot allow them to escape, especially not the saintess’s mother.’

If he couldn’t control the saintess, matters would become even more complicated.

Cesare’s task was clear.

‘I’ll explode the hideout.’

But there was one problem. He didn’t have the magical device that could detonate the hideout.

Cesare asked the First Princess.

“By any chance… did you happen to see the Rosary that was around my neck?”

“If it’s your personal belonging, it’s being kept separately nearby.”

“Then, may I at least offer a prayer? Can’t you return the Rosary to me?”

But the First Princess only raised her eyebrows in response.

“Nonsense. Haven’t you heard that you’re a criminal?”

“But…”

“No ‘buts.’ Criminals should behave as criminals. You should be grateful that you can receive

medical treatment peacefully thanks to the Holy Empire.”

“Huh.”

The First Princess gave orders to the guards.

“I’ll be back in a moment. Until then, keep a close watch on the criminal.”

“Yes!”

“No one, under any circumstances, shall assist or listen to him. He is not the cardinal but merely a source of evil. Anyone aiding him will be treated accordingly.”

“Yes!”

The royal guard knights all unsheathed their weapons.

The restraints holding Cesare would tremble if he made even the slightest movement.

It was at that moment.

“First Princess, I have completed the preparations to depart for Duke Lavaltor’s mansion.”

“Hmm, very well. I shall return soon.”

In response to the chamberlain’s call, the First Princess hurriedly disappeared.

Cesare thought now was the time to get up, but…

Thud.

“Have you not heard the Princess’s words? If you move, you will be cut down.”

“I simply need to retrieve my Rosary momentarily.”

“It appears that won’t be possible. Silence him and restrain his hands.”

“Just… wait a moment…”

Cesare evaded the guards rushing toward him and pressed a button concealed within his body. It was a button to summon the hidden troops nearby, even if he couldn’t trigger the building’s detonation.

***

Ian proceeded through a tunnel resembling a cave.

After traversing the damp basement passage, he soon arrived in a room permeated with the scent of blood. It was at that moment.

“Now that you’re here, what next? I’ve been waiting quite a while.”

A voice came from the opposite side.

It was clear that it was the person who had been waiting for the food and communication brought by the boy.

Ian gave a cold command.

“Sir Galon, Sir Hite,” Ian called out.

Without uttering a word in response, the two knights leaped forward.

Swish!

In a blink of an eye, the swords of the two knights illuminated the dimly lit basement.

The other person let out a startled cry.

“What is this? It can’t be… Ugh!”

As the person collapsed, a commotion erupted from behind.

“What the hell is happening?”

“Hey! What’s going on over there?”

Several voices could be heard shouting.

However, Ian paid no heed to the chaos. Instead, he unsheathed his own sword.

Swish!

“Do not spare anyone. Take them down.”

“Understood.”

Along with Ian, the two knights swung their swords.

In an instant, the people in the basement turned into lifeless corpses.

After a fierce battle…

“Please confirm the casualties.”

“We will handle that, Your Highness.”

Leaving the task to the two knights, Ian made his way toward the center of the basement.

There stood a black coffin.

The blood-stained chair and the crystal placed in front of the coffin hinted at its purpose.

Ian’s hands trembled as he opened the lid of the coffin.

Creak.

And there was a woman with a scrawny appearance.

Tears welled up in his trembling eyes.

“Mother…”

And it was that moment.

Ugh.

As the coffin opened, the sedative’s effects that had kept her subdued dissipated.

Ian’s mother slowly opened her eyes.