Chapter 228: The Hotel Incident

"Igor, let’s go too."

"Y-Yeah!"

Taking advantage of the fact that the receptionist was nowhere to be seen, Qiu Nuoya and Igor hurried toward the prince’s suite without bothering to wait for permission.

Considering that this was a luxury hotel with strict security at the entrance, perhaps its greatest weakness was that once someone managed to infiltrate the building, it was difficult for them to attract anyone’s attention.

When they opened the door to the suite, they found the room thoroughly ransacked.

Some of the expensive furnishings had been smashed beyond recognition, while numerous footprints covered the plush carpet. It was immediately obvious that some kind of struggle had taken place here.

"Viktor!"

"Qiu Nuoya, over here."

Viktor’s voice came from deeper inside the room, remarkably calm despite the situation.

When Qiu Nuoya and Igor hurried toward the voice, they found Prince Lucien, Shangguan Wan’er, and the female knight Arana standing over several men sprawled across the floor.

"I’m glad you’re all safe."

Qiu Nuoya let out a relieved breath, but Prince Lucien responded with a troubled expression.

"Whether we are truly safe is another matter."

The prince glanced down at the men on the floor.

"We are unharmed, as you can see. However, I am terribly sorry to say this, but your friends were just taken away by some of these men’s companions..."

"What?"

Apparently, there had been several more intruders, and they had persistently targeted Xiao Tao and Shangguan Wan’er.

Naturally, Prince Lucien had prioritized protecting Shangguan Wan’er, while Warren had apparently tried to protect Xiao Tao. Unfortunately, one of the intruders had been a mage capable of using teleportation magic, and the two of them had been taken away together.

"Where did they take them...?"

"We are about to make these men tell us."

Viktor then glanced toward Qiu Nuoya.

"Ah, Nuoya, you can wait in the other room with the Saintess."

"Huh...?"

"Yes, that’s right. Wanwan, go wait over there wit Nuoya. Arana, prepare the finest tea and pastries for Wanwan and Nuoya. Also, please tell the hotel manager that I expect an explanation for what happened here."

Even Prince Lucien seemed to be quietly furious... at least, that was how it looked to Qiu Nuoya. Still, this was a hotel where they should have been able to relax without a care. Guests were essentially paying for their safety and security, so the hotel’s failure to prevent this many intruders from getting inside had to be considered a serious lapse on their part.

After Viktor, Prince Lucien, and Igor thoroughly interrogated the culprits, they learned several things.

First, someone among the hotel staff had helped the criminals infiltrate the building. Second, their true target had indeed been the Divine Sword Velikorya, which had already become the subject of rumors throughout the city. Apparently, they had also planned to kidnap Prince Lucien and Shangguan Wan’er for ransom.

The prince’s party had not revealed their identities when checking into the hotel, so the criminals had apparently assumed they were simply the spoiled sons and daughters of some wealthy family.

To think they had actually kidnapped the prince of the country and his fiancée, the Saintess.

Their lives were practically over already.

The Divine Sword Velikorya had a reward of ten platinum coins attached to it. The criminals had apparently agreed to split that reward among themselves, and with such a pitiful amount of money as their motive, they readily confessed everything about their accomplices and their plans.

"To think they would throw away their entire lives for a mere ten platinum coins. How pathetic. With this many people involved in the attack, each person’s share would have amounted to little more than pocket change. Ah, perhaps a brainless mob like this is incapable of performing even simple division. Or perhaps they are simply fools who wanted to loudly proclaim that they are too incompetent to earn even that paltry sum through honest means."

After hearing just how simplistic and poorly planned their scheme had been, Viktor’s poisonous tongue was sharper than ever.

"Viktor, do you think we can figure out where Warren and Xiao Tao were taken?"

"Unfortunately, the mage who abducted them was apparently unfamiliar to everyone around here. They only know his name, and that was most likely an alias as well. There is simply too little information to determine his whereabouts. However, considering that the mage was able to use teleportation magic while carrying multiple people, there is something that does not quite add up."

"Something doesn’t add up?"

"There are not many mages capable of using teleportation magic to begin with. The fact that he teleported without setting up a magic circle means that his Space-Time Magic is likely around the same level as mine. The fact that he was also able to repel my Search suggests that he is an exceptionally skilled mage. But if that is the case, there would be no reason for someone like him to commit crimes alongside a bunch of thugs. With his skills, he should have no trouble making a living through legitimate means."

Viktor narrowed his eyes.

"Yet someone like that is involved in such a petty crime. That leads me to suspect that the mage is either a convicted criminal who can no longer find legitimate work, or that there is someone behind this who is willing to pay him considerably more."

Viktor paced around the room thoughtfully.

A convicted mage...

If Viktor considered him highly skilled, then he was probably an exceptionally powerful mage. If everything Viktor had said was true, this could turn out to be a very troublesome opponent.

Worse, they had no idea where the mage was. Without knowing his location, they had no way of going after Warren and Xiao Tao.

The thought that the two of them might already be in danger while they stood here discussing the situation made Qiu Nuoya increasingly anxious.

[ Nuoya, Nuoya~ ]

Suddenly, Mochi poked its way out of the chest pocket of Qiu Nuoya’s robe, wriggled its way down, and bounced onto the floor.