— The Lord's Manor in the Count of Ksar's Domain.
Inside, the room was filled with opulent decor and lavishly expensive yet utterly tasteless ornaments scattered about, along with stuffed monster heads mounted on the walls.
In a chair at the center of the room sat a portly, noble-looking man, sprawling back arrogantly while flanked on both sides by beautiful women as lifeless as dolls.
"Lord Messenger from the court, what business brings you here today?"
Dressed in a pure white robe with his face concealed beneath matching white cloth, the messenger pressed a handkerchief to his mouth to ward off the foul stench permeating the room and his own unbearable disgust. Straightening his posture, he spoke.
"Lord Ketzer, this is an official decree."
"An official decree? From whom?"
Ketzer asked such an obvious question only because the court messengers capable of issuing him orders were few and far between.
"A woman plotting to overthrow the state is currently staying in the mining city of Akinashi. Furthermore, she is conspiring with the chieftain of the Wind Cats to subvert the nation. Make clever use of these individuals and restore order to this Holy Amelia Kingdom!"
After reading the order in a flat, indifferent tone, the messenger practically fled the room.
"An official decree from the court... I see. It seems those rumors were true after all, wouldn't you say?"
Ketzer's toad-like face flushed with unbridled lust, and he let out a raspy, cackling laugh. It was only natural. For Ketzer, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he had only ever dreamed of.
Just as Ketzer had discovered that the hideout of the Wind Cats—who were running rampant through the Ksar Domain—was located within the Forest of Deep Magic in Eastend, and while he was organizing a subjugation force, several extraordinary rumors had reached his ears.
First, that the one aiding and abetting the Wind Cats was none other than Knight Lord Oliver Akinashi.
Roughly three hundred years ago, an evil dragon appeared near the eastern region of the Holy Amelia Kingdom. That evil dragon destroyed cities, incinerated the populace, and committed every conceivable atrocity. The beast was ultimately slain in what was now the Akinashi Domain, where it had made its stronghold. Furthermore, from the mineral veins in the mountainous region where the evil dragon had nested, abundant gold and silver, along with numerous special precious metals used in manufacturing magic items, were unearthed.
Originally, all of that should have been claimed by the House of Kusar, whose domain lay closest to the area.
However, the Holy Amelia Kingdom went out of its way to grant a knighthood and that very territory as a reward to Kotetsu Akinashi, the otherworlder who had slain the evil dragon.
If Knight Lord Oliver Akinashi was truly involved in the Wind Cats' activities, it amounted to high treason. Beyond facing execution, the Akinashi Domain would be abolished. And that mining city rightfully belonged to the Ksar Domain in the first place. Between that and the merit of capturing the Wind Cats, an extraordinary fortune would roll right into Ketzer's lap.
Second, that the woman renowned as a madwoman—First Princess Rosemary Loto Amelia of the Holy Amelia Kingdom—was currently staying in the Akinashi Domain.
Rosemary was a woman aiming to abolish the nobility system itself, making her, so to speak, the common enemy of all nobles bearing blue blood. In a sense, every faction within the Holy Amelia Kingdom desired her elimination. Thus, while it was unclear which specific faction that self-proclaimed court messenger belonged to, they were moving Ketzer of the Gilbert faction to act. Ten to one, Prince Gilbert was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Prince Gilbert possessed the temperament of a supreme ruler who wished for the permanent continuation of aristocratic society. He held deep respect for order and tradition, while possessing both gentleness and cold calculation. Moreover, Rosemary and Prince Gilbert kept a wary distance from one another. Surely, he had entrusted this extremely vital duty to Ketzer of the Gilbert faction.
Third, that the chieftain of the Wind Cats was none other than Princess Felice Loto Amelia, who had gone missing in the past.
"Nfufufu! Things are certainly turning out favorably for me, aren't they?"
That decree boiled down to this: murder Princess Rosemary, pin the crime on Knight Lord Oliver Akinashi, and dispose of the traitorous Princess Felice, who was in cahoots with Oliver, at the same time. If he accomplished all that, Akinashi would be handed over to him—that was undoubtedly the intent.
"Princess Rose and Princess Felice... To think I will be able to add both of them to my collection!"
Princess Rose was renowned as the greatest beauty in the kingdom. As for the missing Princess Felice, she possessed such loveliness that suitors from royal families worldwide had once flocked to woo her. What was more, thanks to the effects of her Gift, she was sure to retain that beauty with a lingering touch of youthfulness.
A mere local lord like Ketzer would never have had the chance to enslave the two of them under normal circumstances.
Naturally, getting caught by the government meant a death sentence, but those two were well worth the risk.
Besides, his targets were a girl already presumed dead and a girl who would soon die. The top judicial authorities were nobles—essentially the vanguards of Prince Gilbert. They wouldn't bother conducting a serious investigation. As long as he thoroughly burned the bodies of women with similar appearances beyond all recognition, he could easily pull it off.
"Make contact with the boss of Snake Blood."
Licking his thick, cod-roe lips, Ketzer gave instructions to his close aide with an expression of pure ecstasy.
Snake Blood was a syndicate of underworld figures ranking among the top ten in the entire kingdom. He had long maintained close ties with them through robberies, kidnappings, trafficking in stolen and contraband goods, and dealing in noblewomen as slaves.
He would use them to abduct the princess. Following that, under the pretext of high treason, he would invade the Akinashi Domain and slaughter everyone.
In parallel with this, he would also commence the hunt for the Wind Cats in Eastend's Forest of Deep Magic. He had already gathered one thousand disposable mercenaries from the underworld whose deaths would cause no trouble whatsoever. Soon, preparations to subjugate the Forest of Deep Magic would be complete. Once he captured Princess Felice and disposed of the mercenaries afterward, there would be no one left alive who knew of her existence.
"How tantalizing, isn't it?"
He had caught sight of Princess Rose once in the royal capital, and her beauty was scarcely believable for a human. Watching that gorgeous face twist in terror, screaming and weeping as he tormented her at his mercy... Imagining that impending future, an electric shock of sheer pleasure coursed through Ketzer's entire body. Fully relishing the sensation,
"I simply cannot wait, can I?"
He spat out words dripping with desire.