Chapter 23

Of course, their carriage had a mage riding along too—but this one was a little more special than most.

“When I first began crafting these cuffs…”

A very talkative mage… No, the very mage who had personally developed the enhanced magical cuffs back at the branch, was in the carriage.  

Wanting to witness their performance in the field firsthand, he had taken the dangerous liberty of riding right beside Aivert.  

Considering how others went out of their way to avoid being on missions with Aivert—widely known as a walking catastrophe—this was highly unusual.  

Truly, a case where curiosity and a thirst for research had overridden fear for one’s life.

And this mage was…

“These cuffs, you see, turn invisible the moment they’re locked…”

A very…

“…layered with cutting-edge magical principles…”

Extremely…

“…completely different from ordinary restraints…”

Talkative…

“…and so, even Thousand Faces bastard won’t be able to break free!”

…mage.  

Regardless of how many times Aivert raised an eyebrow mid-monologue, the man was too absorbed in bragging about his creation to notice.  

Rodella, unlike Aivert, was actually listening intently to the mage.  

She had her reasons.  

Ever since becoming quartermaster, she’d had her fair share of people barging in and demanding, “Listen to me for a minute!”—only to go on ranting for over an hour.  

“Bring out someone above you! You’re not making any sense!”

These types inevitably ended their tantrums with absurd requests like, “Well, our family’s out of funds—can’t the Empire lend us some money?”

If you tried to let their complaints go in one ear and out the other, they’d instantly snap: “Are you ignoring me right now? Do you even know who I am?!”

When you finally said no?

“So you’re disrespecting my house now?! Do you know who I am?!”  

…And proceed with a dramatic self-introduction no one asked for.

Having dealt with more than a few of those self-important types, Rodella found this level of rambling rather tolerable.  

In fact, to her, it felt like a perfectly reasonable product demonstration.

“These really are different from normal cuffs. They turn invisible right after locking on?”

The best way to handle someone who rambles on and on was to show you’d actually been listening—and ask questions.  

Tthe mage lit up at her response.  

“Y-yes, exactly! Once properly secured, they flash briefly before becoming invisible… Ahem… That makes it nearly impossible for even skilled mages to detect the mana flow—”

As he mumbled on, Rodella sized him up.  

‘Talented, but not great at explaining, huh?’

That was fine. Managing people like that and helping them shine was also part of her job as quartermaster.  

It was her duty to create an environment where the knights and staff could perform at their best.

“I see. If you ever make anything like this again, show it to me first. I’m really interested in that kind of stuff.”

The mage’s eyes sparkled.  

“R-really?!”

He looked like someone who had finally found a person willing to listen.

“The knights all tune me out as soon as I start explaining…”

He even began dabbing his eyes. The man… really had a lot to say.  

Aivert looked over at Rodella.  

“This guy—once he starts talking, he won’t stop for thirty minutes.”

His face was one of sheer exasperation.  

But Rodella looked positively delighted.  

“That’s manageable, isn’t it?”

Compared to furious nobles screaming for over an hour? This guy was an angel.

“…Yeah… I guess you’re right.”  

After a few seconds of silence, Aivert let out a soft laugh.

The mage, clearly moved, nodded furiously.  

“I—I’ll be sure to report to you first, then. Absolutely.”

With shining eyes, he added, “No matter how skilled they are at handling magic, these cuffs have an irregular mana pattern—there’s no way they’ll be able to break them!”

As the mage began to dive into a full lecture on the fundamentals of magic, Rodella gently cut him off.

“Sorry, but I’m not that familiar with magic, so I think I might have trouble understanding. Could you explain it more simply?”

“In short—imagine a lock, but the inside of the lock keeps changing. So no key could ever possibly open it!”

That explanation, at least, landed with clarity.

“Oh.”  

Even Aivert looked impressed, which only fueled the mage’s enthusiasm.

“With this, we’ll definitely catch that bastard and crush the Red Knights’ pride! Not all mages are just about money—!”

His eyes gleamed with the same resentment he apparently held for both wealth and the Red Knights.  

Clearly, he had quite a personal grudge built up.

“I gave you something this good, after all.”

Rodella turned to Aivert.  

“You can manage, right? Think we can cut property damage in half?”

Aivert gave a crooked smile.  

“You think that’s possible?”

Rodella grinned brightly.  

“Anything’s possible if you make it happen.”

“If not, I’ll teach you how to control your strength.”  

There were methods besides training, after all.

At those words, Aivert turned to look at her.  

“And what’s that—”

Then his eyes widened at what she said next.

* * *

The carriage carrying Rodella and Aivert arrived in a city not far from the capital—technically still within the Red Knights’ jurisdiction.

Other knights were already in position, forming a wide perimeter around the city and gradually tightening it to trap their target. Aivert, the most powerful among them, had been sent directly into the lion’s den.

This was where Thousand Faces had last been sighted.

The bastard had tipped his hand by ordering the most expensive item on the menu—again. A bold, unnecessary habit that finally got him caught.

Apparently, he thought changing his face would be enough to keep him hidden. It never occurred to him that the search team might track his mana signature instead.

A madman never does just one mad thing.

To ensure Thousand Faces couldn’t escape, the Azure Knights had approached the city with a broad net, slowly closing in from all directions.

After checking in with the scouts, they confirmed that the target hadn’t yet left the city.

“There are just too many people here.”  

Rodella looked around.

Though it was called a small city, merchants from surrounding villages had all gathered here to sell their goods. The place was packed.

Still, being close to the capital meant the stakes were high.  

If a fight broke out here, the damage—both human and material—would be catastrophic.

That left them with one option.

“Catch him when he leaves.”  

Aivert and Rodella reached the conclusion in perfect sync.

It only took a few hours for the other Azure Knights—cooperating discreetly with the city guard—to slip into the guard station through a back entrance.

“Th-The Azure Order? Are you… here to arrest someone?”

“Where, exactly?”

The guards clearly looked more concerned about property than people.

Rodella didn’t mince words.  

“If he leaves the city, we’ll catch him then. But if he realizes we’re onto him… we’ll have to fight inside the city.”

That drove the point home.

“We’ll stay absolutely silent. No one will suspect a thing.”

Suddenly, the guards moved with careful, deliberate subtlety.  

They were even surprised themselves, at how capable they seemed.

Soon after, about a dozen elite Azure Knights gathered in a room at a local inn.

Aivert stepped forward to explain the operation.