OPDSP 50

“He was a mage.”

A mage—someone capable of wielding two or more types of magic. Rare, but not impossible. There were even mages under the Grand Duke’s command.

“A mage…?”

“How else would you explain it, if not magic? But as far as I know, Akim wasn’t a mage.”

“What? Then what happened?”

“The claim that he was Akim was just that—his own claim. That man’s name isn’t Akim or Ronar. The suicide note must’ve been fake too.”

The Grand Duke quickly grasped the situation and saw through the truth. The man who had infiltrated the subjugation force was neither Ronar nor Akim. When he realized he’d been caught, he used the name Akhim to cover his true identity. He had only pretended to die after taking poison—he was still alive.

No wonder he’d seemed off. That unease came from sensing something was false.

“Then what shall we do?” Kyla asked.

“Tell the Captain to search the area.”

“…Do you think we can catch him?”

“We won’t.”

He was someone who could change his face at will. If he had hidden among the people celebrating the festival in the village, there was no way to find him now. Still, they couldn’t do nothing—searching was better than sitting idle.

“Understood.”

Kyla saluted and left the tent.

‘What kind of man is he?’

The only clue was the kind of magic he used—one that changed appearances, and another that allowed him to fake death. There were many who held grudges against the Grand Duke, but none who could use such magic.

He might be someone entirely new—someone the Grand Duke hadn’t identified yet. Given his magic, he might even be someone presumed dead.

He would need to keep all possibilities open. Even in such a sudden and chaotic situation, the Grand Duke remained calm and organized his thoughts.

Then, suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.

‘Why now?’

If the man wanted to escape, a city full of people and transport options would’ve made more sense than this remote village. That meant he had a reason—something, or someone, he needed to deal with here.

Aeryl.

There was no solid evidence. But the moment the name crossed his mind, the Grand Duke’s body had already taken off running.

***

Meanwhile, Aeryl was—

“Drink! Drink!”

“Sir! In the North, we don’t stop at one drink!”

“Wooooooo!”

—drinking in the middle of the festival.

Surrounded by cheers, he tilted back a cup the size of his face. The fruit wine, made by the village chief’s wife, was sweet but packed a punch.

Aeryl had never drunk so recklessly before. His experience with alcohol was limited to sipping during meals. But for some reason, he didn’t want to lose, so he endured to the end. Just like the others, he flipped the empty cup over his head in triumph.

“Woooooo!”

“Whoa! Sir, have another with me!”

People flocked around him. Aeryl looked flustered.

‘This wasn’t the plan…’

He had only stepped outside to see if he could catch a glimpse of the Grand Duke. But his house was in the center of the village, and the path naturally led through the heart of the festival.

As soon as the purge unit members spotted him, they pounced. Fueled by drink and celebration, they saw Aeryl as perfect prey. Their heartfelt goodbyes from before were forgotten. Next thing he knew, he was holding a drink amid a crowd of onlookers.

But he wasn’t planning to stay trapped here.

“I’m good now! You there—the soldier who’s been sipping little by little! Come on up!”

Before his cup could be refilled, Aeryl hastily pointed to someone at random.

“What? Who’s sipping little by little?!”

Drunk and rowdy, the crowd immediately turned to the new target Aeryl had thrown to them. While they were distracted, Aeryl slipped away, offering quick goodbyes.

Just beyond the festival, the lights faded and a dark, quiet path opened up. But the moonlight was bright enough, and the magic lamp he carried gave him plenty of light to walk by.

Behind him, the noise still raged, but ahead, all was still. Most of the villagers had gone to the festival, and only a house or two still had lights on.

“Ugh…”

Aeryl shook his head lightly. After three cups in a row, he was tipsy. A little dazed, a little giddy. The alcohol dulled the cold. He’d even brought the cup with him by accident—he must’ve been fairly drunk.

“I brought the cup~ What an idiot~”

He hummed, stringing together nonsense lyrics to a made-up melody. The dark road didn’t scare him at all.

“Doctor!”

Someone called out behind him. Expecting someone from the purge unit, Aeryl turned—and found a surprising figure.

“Your Grace?”

Why is the Grand Duke here? The one he had been looking for had suddenly appeared, leaving Aeryl stunned.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you,”

The Grand Duke approached, but stopped at a distance.

“You were looking for me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why? Oh! Is there a change in your condition? The medicine? Have you been taking it properly?”

Aeryl hurried closer to the Grand Duke and released his pheromones. It was to quickly diagnose the state of the Grand Duke’s pheromones. But something felt off.

‘I don’t feel any pheromones?’

Aeryl stopped in his tracks, puzzled. It was different from a reduced secretion of pheromones.

As he continued with his treatment, he also indulged his curiosity. One of the things he wondered about was how the pheromones of a Beta like Innis would feel.

He discovered that the pheromones of a Beta and Alpha with low secretion were completely different. To describe the feeling: it was like comparing dry land to land that had been wet but dried on the surface. They seemed similar, but were fundamentally different.

Now, the Grand Duke in front of him had a Beta-like, or Innis-like, scent.

Then he’s not the Grand Duke.

A chill ran down Aeryl’s spine. The man in front of him, though looking identical to the Grand Duke, was definitely not him.

‘Wait, what did he just call me?’

He called me “Doctor.” The Grand Duke always called him by his name.

Aeryl’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as the smile faded from his face. It was a reflexive reaction. The person who could change their appearance came to mind—the one pretending to be Ronar.

“Why? Don’t I look like the Grand Duke?”

The man smiled. His lips curled upward in a way that was unusually exaggerated. The Grand Duke would never smile like that.

‘I need to get away!’

Aeryl tried to turn and run, but just as he did, something grabbed his ankle, causing him to fall backward.

“Ah!”

He screamed as he lost consciousness.

***

How much time had passed? Aeryl woke with a sharp pain at the back of his head.

My glasses!

Before opening his eyes, the first thing Aeryl did was check to see if his glasses were still on his face. He squinted his nose, and fortunately, thanks to falling backward, his glasses were still intact. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his hands and feet were bound with ropes.

‘Is this a farmhouse?’

The faint glow of candlelight allowed him to assess his surroundings. He was in a regular house, and it seemed like one of the nearby villagers’ homes.

“You’re awake?”

Aeryl quickly turned toward the unfamiliar voice. A man he’d never seen before sat there. He was handsome, with sun-kissed skin and light brown-blonde hair that blended well with his rugged appearance.

“Just in time. People are starting to gather,” the man said. Aeryl had no idea who this person was or why he had been brought here. The only thing he knew was that the man could use transformation magic. He hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking.

“You’re the one who pretended to be Ronar, right?”

He spoke informally, a small act of defiance, but the man didn’t seem to care.

“Yes.”

The man nodded, then grinned and added with a chuckle.

“You didn’t drink the tea I gave you, did you?”

Aeryl shuddered at the thought.

“What did you put in it…? No. I don’t want to know… weren’t you supposed to be dead?”

“I was just pretending. All part of the plan.”

Aeryl furrowed his brows. The Grand Duke, the Commander, and Kyla had all confirmed his death. There was only one way to deceive so many people.

Magic.

This meant the man had to be someone who could use at least two types of magic.

“So, you’re a mage?”

“Yep. A mage. I can do a lot more than just that! Want to see?”

The man suddenly stood up. Aeryl shook his head.

“Really? I’m not interested in seeing what you can do.”

“Is that so? Too bad.”

The man slumped back onto the couch. There were plenty of strange things about him, but what stood out most was his calm demeanor. The purge unit was in the village. While the members were busy enjoying the festival, the Grand Duke and the Black Knights were nearby. So why wasn’t he afraid? What was his purpose in kidnapping Aeryl like this?

Aeryl stared at the man, and the man turned to meet his gaze.

“Curious about something?”

“Of course, I’ve been kidnapped out of nowhere.”

“What are you curious about?”

“Your identity, your purpose, your plans.”

“Haha! Straight to the point!”

The man laughed and lightly clapped his hands.

“Alright. First, I want to torment the Grand Duke!”

“?”

Aeryl was taken aback, wondering if the man was joking, but he wasn’t.

“I want the Grand Duke to suffer so much that he’d rather die.”

His jaw clenched tightly, and his eyes burned with intense hatred. The desire for pain worse than death was palpable. Was he after revenge?

“Now, what was the plan? Oh right, I had a few things lined up, but they failed. But then I saw a perfect opportunity.”

“A perfect opportunity?”

This felt ominous.

“Yeah. You.”

“Me… why…?”

“Wouldn’t it be painful to watch your lover die right in front of you?”

The man said it with unrestrained excitement.