Chapter 177: Trap (1)

After the publisher's CEO sent the letter, the elves, who had been quietly tracking him, set out to trace its whereabouts without knowing what was happening at the mansion.

At one point, when the man intentionally tried to mislead their route, they almost lost track of him, but they were elves - masters of magic. By using magic, they could easily track him, including the flow of mana in his footsteps. If that wasn't enough, they could use even more advanced magic, so the difficulty was not an issue.

"The path continues here."

A fair-haired elf male with shoulder-length hair murmured while looking at the entrance of the mansion. His eyes reflected the imposing door firmly closed.

In front of the gate, guards stood motionless, though it was a dazzling night with stars shining brightly. Despite the darkness, the elves could see as clearly as in broad daylight. Of course, this was also thanks to magic.

"By the way, wasn't this territory the place where the exhibition was held?"

"That's right. It was a few months ago when there was an exhibition for Xenon. Such a ridiculous thing to hold an exhibition just for one writer."

Another elf male asked the group, and an elf woman with brown hair laughed and replied. Her stereotypical elvish attitude was rather condescending.

'A bit unsettling, though...'

The elf male named Mael muttered inwardly as he gazed at the mansion's gate. The process of successfully tracking and reaching the mansion was smooth.

The problem was that it was too easy and straightforward. The messenger's attempts to alter their route to delay time were meaningless in the face of magic. To erase tracks cleanly, they needed magic at least on par with his. That's why he felt even more uneasy. Currently, Xenon was believed to be a prophet or someone related to the future, so there was no way he could fall prey to mere 'tracking.'

Unlike the other companions, Mael couldn't help feeling uneasy because the others were understimating Xenon. Of course, it was a fact that he was overestimating him, apart from his true feelings.

"Now, what should we do? Should we go in when it gets bright?"

"No, we should go in right away. We might fall into a trap if we wait. Is there protective magic here?"

"There's some, but it's at a basic level."

The elf woman, Lena, answered the leader's question. The protective magic was at a relatively high level from a human perspective, but it was difficult for it to function properly in front of them. They were not ordinary elves but personnel dispatched directly from the Council of Elders.

Even though they were already elves with extraordinary abilities, their powers were even more formidable. They might not be as strong as warriors, but they were more than capable enough to be considered a formidable force.

The elf leader, Kalas, wore a confident smile, feeling that the task was going to be easy. Of course, even if there was protective magic, it was probably just some kind of human-level enchantment, easily surmountable.

"It seems the task is becoming easier. Everyone, follow me. First, let's check the first floor."

"Do you think Xenon is really here?"

"It doesn't matter if he's not. Since the trace ended here, there must be something."

Lena chuckled confidently and waved her hand. Then her body temporarily turned transparent and eventually vanished.

Although since she wasn't hiding her body in the darkness like a Dark Elf, a faint afterimage remained. Even so, it would be difficult for anyone without keen eyesight to detect it.

Afterward, Kalas and Mael also concealed their bodies using magic. They did not forget to use stealth spells to avoid detection.

"Still, be cautious. Hide your footsteps. We will communicate through telepathy from now on."

"Understood."

In this way, the three elves activated their concealment magic and infiltrated the mansion. To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, they effortlessly leaped over the walls with their superior physical abilities instead of using conspicuous mana-intensive teleportation.

The fact that elves no longer engaged in dirty deeds wasn't only a thing of the distant past. However, their behavior was different when it was for the "greater good." This greater good meant that Xenon possessed dangerously powerful knowledge. Until now, they could have dismissed the novel as just a novel, but now they had a compelling reason to act.

Despite the warning from the gods not to intervene, they had only come to verify and "persuade," with no intention of doing what was warned against.

[It seems the first floor is occupied by employees.]

[I don't notice anything particularly suspicious.]

[This room is the same.]

The elves communicated through telepathy.

The first floor of the mansion served as both the employee quarters and a dining area with a lounge. There were employees patrolling with lamps, but they couldn't detect the elves.

After a short time, thoroughly examining every corner of the first floor without finding anything, the elf tracking party proceeded to the second floor. The second floor housed not employees but family members, including the lord.

Kalas inspected the first floor just in case, but he had already anticipated that there was a high probability of finding clues on the second floor. Therefore, he planned to examine the second floor more closely.

[I'll check the lord's office and bedroom. You guys start searching from other places.]

[Understood.]

[Yes.]

After giving instructions to his subordinates, Kalas moved towards the room that was presumed to be the lord's bedroom. Usually, rooms associated with the lord had not just one but two doors attached.

Soon, Kalas arrived at a place where two doors were side by side. He used magic to sense if anyone was inside. Seeing that there was no one, he assumed it was the office.

'But I feel like I've heard the name Michelle somewhere before...'

Before entering, Kalas pondered over the Michelle family. He was sure he had heard it somewhere, but he couldn't recall the details.

Due to his characteristic as an elf, Kalas remembered things very well. He could remember what he had for breakfast ten years ago, let alone a name.

He rarely forgot a name he had heard, but for some reason, he couldn't remember where he heard about Michelle. In most cases, it would have been a passing rumor.

'I should investigate first.'

Kalas teleported a short distance and entered the office. He looked around. As expected, it was the lord's office, where the lord handled his official business.

The office was generally ordinary, from the distinct smell of paper to the desk placed in the center.

With confidence coming from somewhere, he hoped there might be clues here. With an excited heart, Kalas smiled and walked briskly towards the desk.

Eventually, when he saw the tightly closed drawer with a lock, he became convinced that there must be clues related to Xenon here. He used mana to easily unlock the drawer and carefully opened it, making sure not to make any noise. The drawer opened silently without even the typical creaking sound.

'...It's empty.'

Inside the drawer, there were only stacks of documents, nothing related to Xenon. Well, considering the importance of these documents, it wasn't surprising to have them locked away.

Kalas gritted his teeth inwardly and began searching through another drawer. Before long, he found a piece of paper in another drawer.

'A photo?'

Indeed, it was a photograph. Some might wonder how there could be a photograph in a time where cameras didn't even exist. But it's possible through 'magic,' another wonder of this world.

With magic, images or photographs could be captured and printed on paper. However, this technology was not yet widely available to the public and is mainly used for military purposes.

In Alvenheim, where most elves can use magic, seeing a photograph wasn't a novelty. But what caught Kalas's attention were the people captured in the photo.

In sharp color, the photograph depicted Lord, or rather the former Knight Commander, Hawk, standing side by side with his comrades. Kalas, who usually looked down on humans as an inferior race, couldn't help but focus on the people in the photo. The reason being that the prominent feature of Hawk, who stood proudly in the center, was his 'red' hair.

In addition to this, the golden eyes shining like a fierce beast captivated Kalas with their brilliance.

'Red hair and golden eyes...'

Such a unique combination was scarce, not only among elves but almost nonexistent across all races. Beyond rarity, it can be considered nearly unparalleled.

'Wait a moment. Michelle is...'

When one faint memory surfaced in his mind, a chain reaction occurred. "Michelle" and "red hair" merged in Kalas's mind.

Though he heard it as if passing by, humans with red hair were incredibly strong. There have been frequent reports of Elven reconnaissance teams returning with broken limbs after confronting those humans at the border zone.

While they recovered quickly and their lives were not at stake, these individuals possessed enough strength to "subdue" the Elven reconnaissance teams. Though human, they were not to be underestimated, even by Albenheim's standards—a target to be wary of.

A man who single-handedly eliminated the wild savages causing trouble at the border, thereby restoring imperial security. The Red Lion, Hawk Ducker Michelle.

'...My goodness.'

Kalas quickly discarded the photo and straightened his bent back. He never dreamed this place would be the Red Lion's mansion.

Until now, he had only heard the title and hardly knew the name. However, he was well aware of the Red Lion's reputation.

Even Kalas, who typically disregarded humans, couldn't afford to underestimate the Red Lion.

'We must leave this place immediately...'

And then, it happened.

Bam!

"Aaargh!"

While Kalas was briefly distracted, someone grabbed the back of his neck and thrust him onto the desk. It was a surprise attack so sudden and overpowering that he couldn't resist, and the pressure on his neck was terrifying.

No matter how hard he tried to manipulate mana to escape, he couldn't. The mana that had already flowed from his neck had completely taken control of his body.

Kalas struggled and turned his head back as much as possible. In the darkness, he saw golden eyes gleaming ominously, looking down at him.

The gaze was nothing short of that of a 'beast.' It overwhelmed Kalas, who was considered one of the skilled among the elves.

"You, you..."

"Shh. Be quiet."

As Kalas was about to speak, the person holding his neck placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. At the same time, Kalas felt the amount of mana passing through his neck increasing. The mana moved toward his heart, swirling around it even though it didn't make direct contact.

Kalas understood what this meant. If he resisted unnecessarily, his heart would explode.

It was a mana control that would be impossible for an ordinary human, but the opponent was the famous Red Lion—a man rumored to be on par with the warrior commander.

Meanwhile, the person holding Kalas down looked at him and smirked.

"Don't mess with someone else's house."

*****

Meanwhile, while Kalas was subdued, Lena and Mael were investigating together as a team of two. They believed that it would be more efficient to search in a pair instead of having one person in charge of each room, even if it took more time.

They started their investigation meticulously from the empty rooms. Originally, Dave's room would have been one of those rooms, but he had already enlisted, leaving the room unoccupied.

Next, they searched for Nicole's room, but she had also vacated her room for the enlistment test. Naturally, it was impossible to find any evidence related to Xenon there.

In the end, there was only one room left: Isaac's bedroom.

[By the way, why haven't we heard from Kalas?]

[I don't know. Let's focus on our task. He's probably concentrating on something.]

The two quietly sneaked into Isaac's sleeping quarters. Before opening the door, they made sure to check if any servants were wandering around.

As they stepped into the room, a unique scent stimulated their senses. It was the distinctive musty smell of old books.

Pointing to the source of the smell, Isaac's room contained several bookshelves filled with books.

[It feels like it might be here, right?]

[Let's search quickly.]

The man and woman, engulfed in the smell of books, entered with a subtle certainty. Just to be sure, they checked the bed, finding the room's owner peacefully asleep, oblivious to the world.

As long as they investigated quietly, it would be over soon. Mael and Lena walked towards the desk next to the bed first.

They discovered a stack of papers and a letter placed on the desk. The two elves were instantly excited but remained composed as they each checked the items.

[This is... My goodness, it's the draft of the first volume of Xenon's Biography!]

[And this is a letter. It's from the publisher's CEO.]

They quickly realized that the stack of papers was the draft of the first volume of Xenon's Biography, and the letter was sent by the publisher's CEO.

With this, their suspicions were confirmed. The owner of this bed was indeed Xenon. Lena exchanged looks of excitement as she alternated between the letter and the draft before glancing towards the bed.

The room's owner, seemingly unaware of the unfolding events, continued to sleep soundly with closed eyes.

[What should we do? Should we take him with us?]

[Of course, we should take him. We have no choice but to do a proper verification.]

[Right. We'll return him by the next morning, no big deal.]

Having confirmed Xenon's identity, the two elves wasted no time in planning their kidnapping scheme. In their eyes, greed had taken hold in an instant.

Just finding Xenon was already a remarkable achievement, but persuading him too? That would further solidify their position within the Council.

Even if the persuasion fails, it doesn't matter. Since, if they threatened Xenon to stop writing any more books, it would be enough. Once it's proven that he possesses dangerous knowledge, that would be enough of a reason.

Upon thinking this, Mael and Lena each placed the manuscripts and letter on the desk and turned their gaze toward the bed. And...

"No, you don't~"

Tempting voice of a woman flowed from behind them. In addition to this, she carefully covered the mouths of the two men and women with her hands.

It wasn't just words, she truly 'gently' covered their mouths, but as soon as their mouths were covered, the sharp eyes of the elves quickly became blurred, as if consciousness had completely vanished. Even though it seemed like they had lost consciousness entirely, they remained standing upright. The woman who covered the elves' mouths, Cecily, smiled charmingly and spoke quietly.

"Kidnapping is a bad thing. Little elves."

She had even eavesdropped on the elves' telepathy.