The Elven Duke Reluctantly Marries The Cursed Lady - Chapter 33
They teleported using the magic circle made by his subordinate.
When they appeared in front of the garrison, all the knights guarding the entrance were surprised.
“I am Stoicheia Hydrangea von Laudense, Division Commander of the Magic Division. We came here on special orders from the Patrol Captain.” [1]
After introducing himself in one go, the knight saluted and led them inside. He and Quince were made to wait inside a guest room.
“Your Excellency, did you have something planned today?”
“Why do you ask?”
“This is the third time since earlier that you have clicked your tongue.”
I did not notice that. But to tell the truth, I am indeed terribly irritated by this situation. Hydrangea only realized after all this time that he had such strong emotions.
It’s not like I particularly want to teach Violette magic. It’s just that I don’t like going back on my word.
I wonder if she’s angry right now? Hydrangea checked on Violette through the crystal he brought.
The crystal showed that Violette was seated on an armchair — her cheeks had a pinkish hue as she lovingly held the Ruby Rod in her hands.
Their first child, Snow White, was curled up on her lap and was fast asleep.
Violette was constantly talking to someone.
Based on the movement of her lips, it appeared as if she was asking, “Has my husband arrived yet?” even though her voice was inaudible on the crystal.
It was evident that Violette was eagerly awaiting Hydrangea’s return so that she could learn magic from him.
An emotion suddenly bubbled up from nowhere and he could not help but blurt out his thoughts.
“So cute!!”
“Pardon?”
Hydrangea came to his senses upon seeing Quince’s puzzled expression.
He shook his head to get rid of such evil thoughts.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“I-is that so?”
He denied such a far-fetched feeling.
It’s not that I thought Violette was cute. The one I think is cute is Snow White who is on her lap.
After some tea and refreshments were served to them, the captain of the unit assigned to the port town finally arrived. He was a stern-faced, muscular knight in his forties.
They skipped the formalities and Hydrangea encouraged the captain to discuss the matter at hand.
“This is the illegal magic stone in question, but—”
The knights had discovered illegal magic stones while inspecting the cargo.
When they passed it through the magic circle for detecting unknown objects, the circle reacted. Upon checking its contents, they found imperfect magic stones.
“The owner seems to have fled and has not been found yet. There is also no information on their client.”
“Hmm.”
Hydrangea put on gloves that blocked mana interference and wore appraisal glasses before picking up the magic stone.
It was a fist-sized rock with a Light magic spell inscribed on it. It was a magic stone used for lighting.
However, illegal magic stones have impurities mixed with the magic ore, which, depending on the case, could become dangerous as there was a possibility that they might explode.
“Upon examination, at least half of this stone contains more sand than magic ore.”
“That’s terrible.”
Magic stones are created by breaking down a material known as magic ore that is then recombined and polished with magic and engraved with spells. However, in the case of illegal magic stones, impurities such as sand are mixed with the crushed magic ore before being formed.
It can be challenging to distinguish illegal stones from the original ones since it is not easy to identify them at first glance.
The issue of illegal magic stones has been a persistent problem occurring at least once or twice a year. The Knight Corps has been investigating the case for a while now, but they have not been able to catch any of the culprits yet.
Since the trade of illegal magic stones in the capital could ruin the magic stone industry, the captain directly asked Hydrangea to take charge of the investigation.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I did not expect you to come in person.”
“Don’t mind it. After all, I am the only person in the capital who knows the most about magic stones.”
Although other individuals specialize in the study of magic stones, possessing knowledge alone is not enough when conducting an investigation.
“This case has been quite difficult.”
“Rest easy. We’ll capture them soon.”
Hydrangea used his powers to concentrate mana into his eyes and saw things that were usually invisible to him.
Glancing down, he saw that multiple threads of mana had emerged from the illegal magic stone. These threads were residuals of mana. Among them, he caught a flickering thread with his fingertips.
“So this is the culprit who transported these magic stones.”
Hydrangea stood up and ran towards the direction of the person connected to the mana thread. Meanwhile, Quince, the knight captain, and about 15 members of the knight squad followed after him.
Avoiding the main road, they passed through the winding back alleys until they arrived at a tavern without any signboard. It appeared to be a members-only establishment, and the burly man guarding the entrance denied them entry.
The knight captain stepped forward and explained the situation to the guard.
“The knight squad is investigating a case; let us inside.”
“Sorry, no can do.”
Hydrangea grabbed the man by the collar and glared at him.
Forced to stare into his mana-filled eyes, the man fell to his knees and collapsed then and there.
“Let’s go.”
“Y-yes.”
On an initial sweep of the area, the culprit was not on the first floor, but the mana thread led to the area behind the counter.
Unlike the man outside, the master immediately complied when they asked him to cooperate with the investigation. Upon inspection, they discovered a hidden mechanism on the shelves located behind the counter that led to an inner room.
It appeared to be a storage room that contained barrels and crates of alcohol, but they detected a human presence in the corner of the room. The mana thread connected to the illegal magic stone led to a man who was crouching down and hiding. He appeared to be in his thirties and was dressed in shabby clothes.
As soon as Hydrangea and the knights entered the room, the man paled and let out a scream. He tried to run, but Hydrangea caught the man by the collar and restrained him.
“Are you the one who tried to bring illegal magic stones into the capital?”
“Hiiiiiiiiiii d-demon!”
“I am not a demon. I am an elf.”
Despite his claim, Hydrangea’s furrowed brows, bloodshot eyes, and stern frown made him look like a demon – just like the man had said. Everyone present agreed, but no one dared to say it out loud.
“Nevermind. Interrogating you is the knights’ job.”
And with that, he decided to leave the man in the custody of the knights.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Stoicheia – First Class Mage. See Chapter 2 for mage class descriptions
