Hmm… perhaps it's because he's been too repressed lately, but he wouldn't mind playing the role of a fun-seeker for a while, like the True Ancestor at the Romany Palace banquet, just to see what these people were really up to.
However, Albrecht could never have imagined that Charlotte truly hadn't anticipated a kidnapper hiding in the carriage.
Had she sensed that someone was hiding in the carriage all along?
Without the use of Blood Divine Power, Charlotte was nothing more than a mortal with the empty title of "Demigod"; she hadn't detected anything unusual in the carriage at all.
Albrecht thought the exchange between the two before getting into the carriage was Charlotte hinting something to him.
But in reality, Charlotte had no such intention; she was simply concerned that he was being sneaky and not doing his job properly.
Seeing that "Count Castel" did not resist, the two kidnappers assumed she was subdued and took their threats seriously.
They exchanged glances and nodded subtly to each other; the masked warrior took out a high-grade Magic Prohibition Rope and in a few quick movements bound the "young lady" and stuffed a wad of cotton in "her" mouth.
The cotton was damp and had a pungent smell; Albrecht could tell at once that this was the Alchemy Sedative that those kidnapper mercenaries loved to use. In the right dosage, it could even knock out the Blazing Sun.
Of course, for him it was still not enough; such a small dosage could, at best, make him sneeze.
He didn't show any of this, though.
Instead, he cocked his head, pretending to have been knocked out by the fumes.
At the same time, Albrecht continued to observe the two men covertly, keen to see how they intended to handle the upcoming ceremony.
In his perception, the Falling Star Royal Family's guest carriage was now traveling proudly down the grand plaza avenue.
According to the plan, Count Castel would step out of the carriage to the eyes of all and ascend the guest platform.
The masked warrior glanced at the "young girl" and asked his fellow.
The female Mage placed her fingers near the "young girl's" nose to sense for a while, then nodded:
"Her breathing is steady; she's asleep now. The dosage I used was quite potent. It could put a Blazing Sun's Demon Beast to sleep for a while."
"Good, will it be difficult to disguise?"
"It's manageable. The dress is somewhat intricate, but it's not difficult to recreate with an Illusion Technique. The perfume is a high-quality product from the Moon God Coast City States; luckily, I brought some with me."
"Then hurry up. We'll arrive soon. Remember to be careful—the maid in the carriage behind us has a strong aura. She's probably no weaker than either of us. Be careful not to blow our cover."
"Don't worry. I'm a professional at this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken this job."
After their exchange, the two kidnappers immediately went to work.
To Albrecht's surprise, he sensed the female Mage changing into the likeness of "Charlotte" amid a glow of magic.
Quite a likeness, too. They're pretty skilled.
Albrecht mused oddly, clicking his tongue in wonder.
The carriage slowly stopped, and the Mage disguised as "Charlotte" stepped out of the carriage.
Albrecht kept his expression neutral, curious to see how the Black Dragon in the following carriage would react, and sure enough… as expected, this Black Dragon Favored of the True Ancestor, like other Black Dragons, wasn't particularly skilled in magic and failed to recognize that "Charlotte" had been replaced.
"Charlotte" ascended the guest platform, while the carriage, carrying the unconscious "young girl," continued on its way, leaving the venue.
After taking a long detour, the carriage finally entered Romany Palace.
Albrecht sensed himself being stuffed into a box, and after some jostling around, the box opened, and he was placed on a soft, large bed.
This must be a bedroom in Romany Palace.
Wow, so it is the work of Falling Star Royal Family. Such audacity!
Albrecht clicked his tongue in wonder.
Not long after he was laid down, he sensed someone entering the room.
It was none other than one of Prince Henry's confidants who had appeared at the Romany Palace banquet, the Court Advisor of Falling Star Kingdom, Count Corimo.
"Your Excellency, according to our agreement, we have brought Count Castel here,"
the masked mercenary said in a deep voice.
Count Corimo looked at the roughly bound young girl on the bed and slightly furrowed his brow:
"Why is she tied up so crudely?"
"Heh, it's for security reasons. After all, she's a Transcendent. Even if she's only at the level of Silver Moon, we needed to be cautious."
"She won't wake up anytime soon, will she?"
"Rest assured, she won't wake up anytime soon. We've cautiously administered a generous dose of the sleeping potion; she should sleep for at least a day."
"Well done! And how about the situation in the square?"
"Sally has already taken the stage; her disguise was very successful and went undetected."
"Excellent! The reward has been prepared by Duke, but remember, today's matter must rot in your hearts."
"Of course, keeping our clients' secrets is a code we Eastern Yonette mercenaries must adhere to, and we have already signed a Soul Contract with Duke. Should we breach it and leak any information, we would be the ones to suffer the backlash."
"Hmm... We do recognize the reputation of the Eastern Yonette mercenaries; your task is completed. Here is half of your reward: Magic Crystal Marrow valued at two hundred thousand gold tanas. The remaining half will be settled after the ceremony is concluded."
"Thank you for your generosity."
The masked mercenary felt quite pleased receiving the payment from Count Corimo.
Count Corimo, looking at the "sleeping" beautiful girl on the bed, swallowed hard with appreciation.
"She truly is the jewel of the New Moon Kingdom. Upon closer inspection, she is as beautiful as the rumors say… What a pity."
With that, he checked his surroundings and then instructed the two maids who accompanied him:
"Go unbind our future Princess. Be gentle and do not harm her."
"Also, administer the Magic Prohibition Potion before drawing her blood to temporarily seal her bloodline powers."
Upon hearing Count Corimo's commands, the two maids approached the window to begin unbinding the "girl."
Albrecht felt that he had seen enough of this farce.
He gently opened his eyes and easily used magic to freeze the two maids in their motions. Then he calmly sat up on the bed and effortlessly spat out the cotton in his mouth, languidly saying:
"No need for that, I'll do it myself. I don't take kindly to being touched by others, especially despicable mortals…"
Seeing the girl suddenly sitting up, Corimo and the masked mercenary were both stunned.
"You... you didn't fall asleep?!"
The mercenary's eyes widened in disbelief.
Albrecht did not answer his question.
With a slight effort, he snapped the Magic Prohibition ropes binding him.
He gently moved his hands and shook his head:
"Not bad handiwork, but the quality of the ropes is awfully poor. Next time, remember to use ropes made of Dragon Skin."
This time, he didn't disguise his voice.
Hearing the unmistakably male voice, Count Corimo's expression changed:
"You... you're not Count Castel! Who are you!?"
Looking at the wary Count Corimo, Albrecht smiled faintly:
"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I want to know what the Falling Star Royal Family is up to..."
Saying so, he stood up, not bothering to hide his aura.
Feeling the terrifying Transcendent Aura, Count Corimo was immensely horrified.
He instinctively backed away, stumbled, and fell to the floor, hurriedly shouting to his guards and the masked mercenary:
"What are you standing there for? Seize him!"
"Oh? You want them to take me down?" Albrecht suddenly appeared in front of Count Corimo, saying this with a smile.
Around them, unknown when, all the guards and maids stood frozen in place like puppets.
Their gazes were blank, their eyes devoid of life.
Even the masked mercenary, who possessed the strength of Blazing Sun, had a vacant look, as if he had been turned into a puppet in an instant.
On their bodies, black threads appeared faintly, enveloping them in dark mist, ultimately connecting to Albrecht.
Albrecht beckoned with his hand.
One of the blank-eyed maids rigidly brought over a chair for him.
He sat in the chair, took a cup of brewed tea from another maid turned puppet, and while sipping elegantly, looked down at the horrified Count Corimo from his lofty position, his demeanor devilish as one from Hell, his smile revealing gleaming white teeth, his voice playfully saying:
"Well now, the interrogation begins."