The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Leilda casually kicked the black boulder with his foot. A spark flew from the brief contact, and he squinted his eyes, remarking, 

“They even set up a barrier.”

It was evident that whoever had created this mine had a meticulous nature. In the outer northern regions, where monsters roamed freely and few ventured, especially deep within this rocky mountain, a barrier in addition to the ice blocking the entrance showed a clear desire to avoid detection.

Observing the tightly embedded dark stones in the cave walls, Raygrain asked,

“Can we find out who made the mine? ”

Leilda grinned confidently.

“Duke, do you know why so many mages aren’t paying much attention to dark magic, even though it’s so well-known? ”

“Why is that? ”

“To use dark magic, you need the blood of the caster.”

Only then did Raygrain recall the deep crimson hue of the dark stones. It was not a bright red, nor was it entirely black; it had an uncanny color that resembled human blood. Leilda’s hand brushed against the black boulder.

Despite the crackling sparks that followed, he showed no signs of pain. He continued nonchalantly,

“What that means is—”

Suddenly, with a loud crack, something surrounding the boulder shattered. The sparks that had erupted spread outward before vanishing without a trace.

“This implies there must be some crucial information regarding who cast the dark magic.”

As Leilda touched the boulder again, no such phenomenon occurred this time. He nodded towards the stone exuding dark energy and continued, 

“Once we get rid of this, it’ll be over.”

“There are still monsters remaining.”

Raygrain cut him off sharply, causing Leilda’s eyebrows to twitch slightly.

“Isn’t it enough that we’ve almost cleared them all? Are you really going to insist on exterminating every last one? ”

“If possible.”

“Now that’s relentless.”

In truth, most of the monsters had already been dispatched. Only a handful remained scattered throughout the northern region, merely insignificant pests.

They weren’t even in groups; they were so sparse that one would have to search for them directly to deal with them. To think he wanted to wipe out even those.

Just as Leilda was about to voice his discontent, Raygrain readjusted his grip on his sword. At the same time, the ground of the cave began to tremble with a slight vibration. Leilda cast a defensive spell and shouted,

“What’s happening…? ”

The cave was deep and seemingly endless. From beyond the darkness, the cries of monsters could be heard. It sounded like nails scratching on a glass window—an unpleasant noise echoed within the cave.

“They’re creatures that have been exposed to black magic for too long.”

“I know.

Raygrain replied flatly before moving forward. These monsters had caused chaos across the continent just by consuming magic stones infused with dark magic.

If such creatures were openly present in the cave, the source of dark magic,

“It’s hard to imagine how brutal they’ve become.”

Leilda swallowed hard, trying to maintain a nonchalant expression. He layered multiple defensive spells in front of Raygrain.

‘How much more…’

Just as he was about to cast a spell, a long object shot out of the darkness, swiftly breaking through the barrier and plunging into Raygrain’s abdomen.

At the same moment, Raygrain’s bright sword light pierced through the shadows. Leilda shouted urgently, 

“Duke!”

He hurriedly pulled out the chamomile that Scheuer had insisted he carry with him and pressed it against Raygrain’s wound. Despite the blood gushing from the injury, Raygrain calmly gripped the flower and said, 

“There’s more. We should reinforce the defense a bit more.”

Up until that point, this level of defense had sufficed. He had built additional layers considering the situation, yet it had been breached so easily. It was a mistake born from underestimating how strong the monsters had become.

‘Just how much dark magic have they absorbed?’

Leilda bit his lip and said, 

“First, recover. I never thought I’d see a hole in the Duke’s belly.”

Though he tried to keep his tone light, there was a tremor in Leilda’s voice. They had been out on the hunt for quite some time, and the flowers they had consumed were running low.

‘Will we have enough to last?’

The wound was deep. Even with the flower, it would take time to heal. But the monsters wouldn’t be sympathetic to their plight. As the cries of the monsters echoed deep within the cave, Raygrain tightened his grip on his sword once more.

***

The imperial extermination unit creaked as it moved, but if one were to focus solely on the results, they could say the extermination was a success.

Most of the credit went to Silcaro. The majority of the knights either blocked the monsters to prevent damage or formed their own units, acting independently of Silcaro. 

Silcaro endured the throbbing pain in his shoulder as he reflected on the extermination.

‘Damn it all. I should throw them all in for treason as soon as I return to the palace.’

If only the monsters had targeted the knights instead, he would have been grateful. Unfortunately, those annoying knights had proven to be as cunning as rats, deftly avoiding danger.

The only one who could be genuinely praised for her efforts in the extermination was Erina. While riding, Silcaro casually struck up a conversation with her.

“You did well today, Erina.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Her reply was dry, an obligatory response that didn’t even warrant a glance in his direction. As they continued their uncomfortable ride, a small commotion was heard at the entrance of the castle gate leading into the Walker Empire.

“Isn’t this the imperial extermination unit? There’s an official knight’s insignia certified by His Majesty!”

The voice grew louder due to the gatekeepers refusing to open the entrance that was usually easily accessible. Silcaro urged his horse forward and inquired, “What’s going on? ”

A visibly agitated lower-ranking knight pointed at the gatekeeper and shouted,

“What do you mean you can’t open the gate because of some imperial decree? I’m already on the brink of exhaustion from the extermination! ”

“What imperial decree? ”

Before the knight could finish his question, the gate swung open. There were some grumbles of discontent from within.

“They didn’t even listen when we requested it before.”

No matter how much they ignored him, he was still the crown prince of the Welker Empire. However, as the gates opened, the first sight that greeted him was the empire’s banner.

“This is an imperial decree. Silcaro Walker, you are hereby arrested for violating the 32nd law established by the god Lapel and for 21 other charges.”

Armed knights swiftly restrained Silcaro, leaving him in shock.

“An imperial decree? I’ve been protecting the empire as part of the extermination unit! ”

His desperate cries fell on deaf ears. Those from the palace instead directed their questions toward the imperial extermination unit.

“Those who follow the criminal will also face charges of conspiracy and will be subject to investigation.”

The entrance to the castle was suddenly enveloped in silence. As no one dared to speak up, a knight from a noble family bravely raised his hand.

“Our house has neither received nor followed any orders from Prince Silcaro. We will cooperate fully with the investigation.”

Following his lead, others who had recently turned their backs on the crown prince also raised their hands to express their stance. All eyes naturally focused on one person.

Erina Netri.

The official fiancée of the crown prince and the first to send knights to the extermination unit as the Duke of Netri, she was clearly one of Silcaro’s closest allies. As everyone proclaimed their innocence, Erina calmly dismounted her horse and said,

““If there is a crime, I will accept it. However, I would like to postpone the execution of the sentence until after the hunt is over.”

***

Scheuer ran through the temple, clutching the hem of her dress. Her hair was a mess, and the dress that Cali had painstakingly prepared for her was already disheveled. She had no time to worry about her appearance now. The news that reached her as she exited the palace after speaking with Emperor Ramos was nothing short of a thunderclap.

The Duke has been injured.

The letter that suddenly appeared before her seemed hastily written by Leilda. The paper was stained with red in several places, signaling the danger. Following quickly behind Scheuer, Jess urged her onward.

“Your Grace, please calm down. Injuries are common among knights.”

“My dearest “