Chapter 64
A person rushed over in an instant and forcefully kicked the Head Attendant’s sausage-like forearm. The long sword in the Head Attendant’s hand fell to the ground with a clang. The person grabbed the Head Attendant’s weakened left arm, tripped his left leg to break his balance, then thrust their shoulder under the fat arm, hoisted him up on their shoulder, and slammed him down backward. The sight of the enormous, plump body—about five times Blair’s size—flipping over with Blair’s body as a fulcrum was quite impressive.
“Blair?”
Kyle’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
*BANG!*
There was a loud sound like stone floor cracking. Realizing the Head Attendant had already lost the use of his left arm from being stabbed by a dagger, Blair grabbed the man’s right forearm, twisted it, and dislocated it. The Head Attendant rolled around in agony.
“SQUEEAAK!”
A sound like a pig being slaughtered echoed.
“Is there fat on your vocal cords too? Why is your voice so muffled?”Â
Blair remarked caustically, stomping on the Head Attendant’s left hand where Kyle’s dagger had pierced it. Blair could feel Kyle’s dagger cutting through bone beneath his shoe sole. This scum deserved no sympathy.
“Kyle, I told you several times to be careful.”
Blair turned to look at Kyle while speaking.
Blair had been following Kyle after seeing him rush somewhere from the platform. After cutting down or knocking out people blocking his way, Blair had felt the tremendous footsteps pouring inside.
It seemed like the auction house could be left to the people coming in behind. Blair began following Kyle’s golden hair, which was clearly visible even in the darkness. There were several similar-looking rooms, which had made it take some time to get here. Thanks to that delay, Blair had gone slightly mad seeing the giant boar-like man threatening Kyle with a sword.
“Are you alright?”
Blair firmly grasped both of Kyle’s shoulders. Kyle was a full handspan taller than Blair, and naturally his shoulders were much higher, but Kyle had never once felt that he was bigger or more mature than Blair. Blair had always felt enormous to him.
“Yes.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
Kyle shook his head obediently. After confirming Kyle’s well-being, Blair narrowed his eyes into sharp triangles.
“What did I tell you before I came in here?”
“To be careful.”
“Didn’t I say safety first and foremost? Didn’t I tell you not to act on your own? Didn’t I tell you to prioritize your own safety above all else, Your Highness? Why did you come into such a dangerous place alone?”
Blair’s natural speech pattern was quite unhurried and relaxed. His precise, aristocratic pronunciation was praised as being suitable for recitation. But right now, Blair was rapidly firing his anger at Kyle.
Blair was right—Kyle’s actions had been extremely reckless. Fortunately Blair had arrived at the right moment; otherwise, the Second Prince of the Crassia Empire might have met his end in this gloomy place. Kyle, having nothing to say in response to Blair’s completely justified scolding, politely folded his hands in front as he had done earlier on the platform, and meekly accepted the reprimand. Kyle knew that Blair wasn’t just talking for the sake of it, but was genuinely worried about him.
“Haaah.”
Blair let out a long sigh.
“If you act so independently, Your Highness Kyle, how can I not worry? Just now, something terrible nearly happened. Please consider my feelings too.”
Blair removed his hands from Kyle’s shoulders and held Kyle’s face with both hands. He’d already confirmed earlier that Kyle’s left cheek was swollen from a harsh slap. He carefully examined Kyle for any other injuries. Kyle’s cheeks turned slightly red under Blair’s scrutinizing gaze. They were uncomfortably close.
“Are you hurt anywhere else? Besides your cheek?”
Kyle shook his head. The cheeks held in Blair’s hands grew hot.
“No, no.”
“I see.”
Blair smiled gently, still holding Kyle’s cheeks.
“Who was it that hit your cheek? Daring to touch such a noble body. I should cut off those useless hands.”
Blair caressed the swollen cheek. His voice turned icy cold. Hearing that voice, the pig-like man flinched. Blair quickly identified the culprit from Kyle’s glance and the man’s reaction, and stepped on the pig’s right wrist.
*CRACK*
The sound of bone being crushed was heard. Blair was wearing sturdy military boots. Moreover, Blair was a well-trained warrior. Though the layers of fat around the bone made it feel mushy, such a blow would certainly have shattered the wrist bone. The left arm’s nerves would be damaged from Kyle’s dagger, and the right wrist was now finely broken—it would never be usable again.
“Since that wrist is useless, there’s no need to keep it attached.”
Blair coldly remarked.
Once again approaching Kyle’s face, Blair carefully examined him for injuries and used a handkerchief to wipe the dust from Kyle’s face, smiling gently.
“Still, you did well. You went through a lot. Thanks to you, we caught the Head Attendant here and successfully infiltrated the place. It’s all thanks to you, Your Highness Kyle. Princess Adriana will commend you highly for this.”
Blair smiled brightly and placed the handkerchief in Kyle’s hand. However, Blair’s words didn’t register with Kyle. At such close range, with Blair smiling and praising him, an inexplicable impulse surged through Kyle’s body. Kyle squeezed his eyes shut and firmly pressed his lips against Blair’s.
The handkerchief that failed to reach Kyle’s hand fluttered to the ground.
*What is this?*
At first, Blair couldn’t comprehend the situation. He could only feel something soft pressing against his lips. The fragrance from the perfume on Kyle’s body and the red rouge on his lips suddenly enveloped him. It was a sweet scent completely different from the damp, musty smell of the underground stone chamber.
Kyle, having pressed his lips against Blair’s, kept his eyes tightly shut. Not fully grasping the situation, Blair stared at Kyle’s face with wide eyes. Since Kyle was taller than Blair, Blair had to tilt his head slightly to see Kyle’s face. Even with his eyes tightly shut, Kyle looked extremely handsome.
Blair lamented inwardly. This was truly a serious case. Of course, Kyle was an extraordinary beauty, but even after entering the stone chamber, taking down the Head Attendant, and suddenly being kissed, all Blair could think about was how pretty Kyle’s face was. By this point, it wasn’t Kyle’s beauty that was the problem, but rather Blair’s own aesthetics that were being swayed by that beauty. The vow he had made when he returned to the past—to never give his heart away—had long since faded.
How long did they stay like that? Having lost his sense of time, it felt both like ten minutes had passed and merely ten seconds. Suddenly, a loud commotion drew near, and the door burst open.
Until that moment, Blair and Kyle had remained with their lips pressed together. They abruptly separated. As if coming to his senses, Kyle’s ears turned red. Even in the dim light, Blair could see Kyle’s ears flushing.
“Your Highness!”
Blair, regaining his composure first, greeted the soldiers.
“This is the Head Attendant. Keep him alive but under strict surveillance.”
Blair nudged the white pig still sprawled on the ground with the tip of his foot.
“Yes, understood.”
Despite being only seventeen years old, people naturally followed Blair’s orders. The soldiers dispersed to carry out their duties. Only then did Kyle, having regained his senses, turn as red as a radish. He fled swiftly through the doorway.
“…?”
Left behind alone, Blair could only tilt his head in confusion.
After ensuring all cleanup was properly handled, Blair surveyed the large underground cavern. The masked guests were also being tied up like dried fish and dragged away. They desperately clung to their masks. It was obvious—they were either perverted nobles, perverted rich people, or just perverts. Perverts, perverts, perverts. All perverts.
It seemed they had already secured the ledgers, records, and even found the vault where treasures were stored. Blair quickly checked the ant-like passages that opened in various directions. He needed to thoroughly verify that no one was escaping. Of course, the soldiers would double-check after Blair left, but Blair preferred to finish things with his own hands whenever possible.
The soldiers appeared to have handled everything neatly, as there was no one left. Only the remaining evidence testified to the horrific environment. Blair clicked his tongue. After a thorough inspection confirmed no one remained, Blair climbed the stairs leading to the ground level with relief.
The victims who had been inside were all gathered and receiving care. It seemed they had also secured all the victims who had been dressed up nicely for auction today. Blair approached Adriana and Theodore, who were standing outside. With each step Blair took toward them, Kyle, standing nearby, took a step away.
“Good work.”
Adriana commended Blair’s efforts. Blair bowed respectfully, then raised his head. Kyle startled and quickly moved away. Despite being the one who had initiated the kiss, Kyle was acting as though he was the one who had been assaulted. What kind of reverse logic was this? Blair’s eyebrows twitched, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
“Have you secured all the ledgers?”
“Of course.”
“If possible, I hope you’ll track down any people who were sold and set them free.”
“That goes without saying.”
“There are likely several high-ranking nobles involved.”
Blair gestured toward the human trash who remained bound with their masks on.
“Punish them severely and confiscate their assets. If it suits you, Your Highness, you could recruit them to support your faction. Anyway, it’s pathetic that they call themselves human while engaging in such deplorable acts. If you don’t need their support, given that they clearly have too much free time on their hands, hard labor might be appropriate.”
Blair sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
“I’ll handle that part.”
Theodore patted Blair’s shoulder. He wondered when his baby brother had grown into such an adult.
“I’m proud of you.”
“Of course.”
Blair smiled broadly.
“In any case, you’ve worked hard, Your Highness. You know you shouldn’t miss this opportunity. I won’t say more. You’ll be busy in many ways from now on. I’ll see you again and pay my respects when you’re appointed as the heir.”
Blair bowed with a slightly exaggerated gesture. Adriana nodded. She would certainly make a good heir and an excellent Emperor.
“Until then. Take care of your health. Go home and rest.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Blair smiled brightly and accepted the cape that was placed on his shoulders.
It had been quite a long day.
Looking around, Blair realized Kyle had already disappeared. Though Blair had expected him to stay at his own house until the new semester began, it seemed Kyle had returned to the Imperial Palace. Blair shrugged. He couldn’t know what Kyle was thinking, and he didn’t want to guess the other’s feelings based on mere assumptions.
In any case, they would meet again at the Academy in two weeks. Blair boarded the prepared carriage. It was time to return home.
[To be continued in the next chapter…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
