Chương 58: Eduard

It got awkward for Adolin. He had used his real name the last time he visited the estate, despite deciding to go by Dareth. It wasn't his fault. It was the first time he had used a different name. Besides, the circumstances hadn't exactly been ideal. He had been kidnapped. How was he supposed to remember not to use the name he had gone by his entire life? Whatever.

"Ah," he said, glancing at the kitten on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Eduard stopped a few steps from him.

"What brings you back?"

"Well, I did promise to heal the Count," Adolin said with a shrug. Eduard stared at him for a moment.

"That you did," Eduard said.

"Then you disappeared from the city."

"That's true."

"And came back unannounced after being gone for days."

"Also true." Eduard didn't say anything for a few moments, as if waiting for an explanation. Adolin simply stood there, waiting to be let in. It was starting to get awkward again. At last, Eduard spoke.

"You won't explain yourself?" Looking at him now, Eduard did seem a little stressed. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes. Did something happen to the estate while he was gone? That was probably it. Why else would he be acting like this?

"Something happened?" Adolin asked. Eduard's hand rested near the sword at his hip.

"There was an attempt on the Count's life," he stated. Well, that explained Eduard's attitude, and Adolin didn't really mind it. The man had a reason to be suspicious. Then again, now that he thought about it, maybe he didn't. Eduard was the one who had kidnapped him and told him about the Garden Inn, where he got scammed. He had also scammed him on the compensation for healing the Count. Well, that one had been partially his own fault, but that wasn't the point.

If anything, Eduard should be thankful the inn was still standing. Yeah.

"Did the Count survive?" Adolin asked.

"Yes," Eduard said.

"The assassins were dealt with."

"Good job. Can we skip this part now?" Adolin asked.

"I don't have much time to waste here." Eduard didn't move or say anything. Adolin frowned.

"I was in Zent Village, then at a corrupted dungeon. Word should have reached the capital by now."

"Who was in the dungeon with you?"

"Edrin Ashvale." Eduard's hand relaxed, and some of the tension left his posture. Then he nodded.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Things are getting out of hand in the capital."

"Getting out of hand?"

"Yeah. The Church has been searching the entire capital for someone, and they've started bothering even the nobles over it." He gave Adolin a look at that.

"They've already searched my— the Count's estate multiple times. Add the assassination attempt and the corrupted dungeon that close to the capital, and it's a mess." Eduard shook his head.

"Everyone is on alert, and everyone is trying to take advantage of the situation." Adolin nodded. Well, it had nothing to do with him, except for the witch hunt currently going on for him. But that wasn't his fault, and he didn't plan on sticking around long enough for it to become his problem. He didn't like problems. Not at all. And this one in particular was something he planned to stay as far away from as possible, well, until he inevitably made it his problem when he started training healing mages.

But that was a problem for future Adolin. Present Adolin wanted peace and quiet. And maybe a little adventure. Then there was the political side of things; he wanted to stay as far away from politics as possible. Politics made him want to run. Yet somehow, everything he had done since arriving in this world had been connected to politics in one way or another. It seemed he could never avoid them. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Then there was Eduard.

Was he a bastard? Because he was still trying to hide the fact that he was the Count's son. And it wasn't working, not at all. Even Adolin had figured it out the first time they met, and the others had later confirmed it for him. He shrugged.

"Well, best to get it over with and get going. I don't plan on getting caught up in this mess." Eduard chuckled lightly and gestured for him to follow. They headed toward the gate, and Adolin noticed the guards stationed all around them. Their hands rested on their weapons. They had been preparing to fight him. Everyone looked nervous, though the tension was already starting to fade. One of the guards met Adolin's gaze, scratched the back of his head, and slowly removed his hand from the hilt of his sword.

They moved past the gate. Inside, there were even more guards; they were everywhere. If he had to guess, there were over a hundred of them currently stationed around the estate. Eduard didn't seem willing to take any chances with the Count's life. There were also a few guards clad in full plate armor who felt far more dangerous than the others. They were probably the Count's elites.

"What did you discover about the corrupted?" Eduard asked. Adolin shrugged.

"There were a few corrupted in the dungeon," he said.

"And a general." Eduard's steps faltered.

"A general?"

"Yeah."

"You killed it?"

"We did."

"What does that mean?" Eduard muttered.

"Did Edrin say anything?"

"About?"

"What comes next?" Eduard said.

"What's coming?" What did that even mean? Why did he suddenly feel like he was about to get dragged into something big? He really needed to spend time with less interesting people. People who wouldn't constantly get him into trouble.

"He didn't say anything about something like that," Adolin said.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Nothing," Eduard said, shaking his head. They were getting closer to the main building. The garden nearest to it had been destroyed, and several gardeners were busy trying to restore it. The main building had suffered damage as well. The pristine white marble was cracked and blackened in several places. Signs of destruction were scattered throughout the area. A major battle had taken place here, Adolin concluded. When they got close enough to the damage, the scent of ozone reached him.

It was the smell of mana attuned to destruction. The battle hadn't happened long ago. Two days. Maybe three. But no longer than that.

"This doesn't look like an assassination attempt," Adolin said. Eduard didn't answer; he simply kept walking. It looked more like a full-scale assault than an assassination attempt. The attackers had either known exactly where to strike, or they had come from inside the estate itself. It reminded him more of a treaty gone wrong than an assassination.

"Can you really do it?" Eduard asked, stopping in front of the door.

"Heal the Count?" He turned to face Adolin.

"I think so," Adolin said.

"I'll know when I try." Eduard nodded.

"I suppose that's enough," he said quietly.

"It's more than anyone else has given us." Eduard gestured for him to follow, and they headed toward the entrance. The elite guards opened the doors to the mansion as they approached. Inside, the mansion was filled with guards and mages, the latter identified by their robes. Were they preparing for something? There were far too many soldiers and mages inside the estate. Adolin decided to ask.

"Why are there so many soldiers? Are you preparing for something?" Eduard didn't answer immediately.

"We are preparing to leave the capital. It's getting too dangerous here," he said.

"That would be my advice for you as well. After you're done here, I suggest you leave and don't look back."

"Why?" Adolin asked. That was what he had planned to do anyway, but it piqued his curiosity. He wanted to know more.

"We can discuss it after the Count is healed." Adolin nodded. Then the door to the Count's room opened. The man was still lying in bed, just as Adolin had left him. The spark in his eyes looked dangerously close to being extinguished.