I bought the villains with money — Chapter 23

YOUR HIGHNESS, THIS MIGHT SOUND LIKE A STRANGE THING TO SAY...

BUT HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT YOU MIGHT BE A MAGE?

ME, A MAGE? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE...

ISN'T THAT GOING A BIT TOO FAR JUST BECAUSE I CAN IDENTIFY MAGIC TOOLS?

IS THAT SO...?

Hmm...

I THOUGHT SHE WOULD FIND IT ABSURD... BUT IS SHE ACTUALLY GIVING IT SERIOUS THOUGHT?

DIANA, DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT I'M SAYING?

OF COURSE. WHY WOULDN'T I BELIEVE YOUR HIGHNESS'S WORDS?

...WHY? I COULD BE WRONG, SO HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE ME WITHOUT ANY SUSPICION?

I JUST BELIEVE YOU, BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUR WORDS.

...YOU REALLY ARE STRANGE.

PARDON?

SOMETIMES YOU SAY EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO HEAR.

LIKE YOU'RE READING MY MIND.

...DON'T TELL ME YOU WERE MOVED BY WHAT I SAID?

I'LL KEEP TELLING YOU THE THINGS YOU WANT TO HEAR IN THE FUTURE.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO HEAR?

TH-THAT'S ENOUGH. I DON'T NEED IT!

I THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST A DECENT PARTNER.

I MIGHT, PERHAPS, CARE FOR HER MORE THAN I THOUGHT...

MY LADY! I FOUND THE MAGIC TOOLS YOU ASKED FOR!

YES, MY LADY! JUST LEAVE IT TO ME!

ZENIS, I'LL LEAVE THE MAGIC TOOLS TO YOU.

I HAD PARTED WAYS WITH ZENIS AT THE CARRIAGE.

DID YOU FIND WHAT I ASKED FOR?

YES! I ASKED AROUND AND FOUND THEM!

THEY WERE HIDDEN IN SUCH A REMOTE CORNER THAT I HAD TO ASK THE MICE TO HELP LOCATE THEM.

THANKS, AND ONE MORE THING...

D-DISTRACT THE GUARDS...?!

MY LADY, WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO?

JUST GIVE ME 10 MINUTES. IT'S SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR HIS HIGHNESS, OKAY?

UGH... MY LADY, MAKING A FACE LIKE THAT IS CHEATING...!

ALL RIGHT, I'LL GO RIGHT NOW!

DISTRACTING THE GUARDS...?

WHAT IS SHE UP TO NOW?

PRINCE CASION.

WILL YOU PUT THIS RING ON?

A-A RING?! WAIT, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT...

I ASKED DIANA TO MARRY ME, BUT I HAVEN'T EVEN PROPOSED YET...!

SO DIANA IS PROPOSING TO ME FIRST...?!

PLEASE. IT'S NECESSARY, SO PLEASE PUT IT ON.

W-WAIT, WAIT A SECOND...

YES?

I WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO PROPOSE FIRST—!!!

WH-WHAT! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?

NO, NO... THIS ISN'T A PROPOSAL RING.

IT'S A RING THAT CAN NEUTRALIZE MID-LEVEL MAGIC BARRIERS FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES!

A MAGIC BARRIER... WHAT?

ACTUALLY, I'VE BEEN THINKING LATELY THAT YOUR ILLNESS MIGHT BE TREATABLE WITH MAGIC.

SO, I WAS PLANNING TO VISIT A HIGH-RANKING MAGE'S PRIVATE QUARTERS AND ASK THEM TO TREAT YOU.

THEN, ASKING TO DISTRACT THE GUARDS WAS ALSO...

BECAUSE THE GUARDS WOULD SURELY STOP US

IF WE TRIED TO BREAK INTO AN 8TH-CIRCLE MAGE'S RESIDENCE.

I-I DIDN'T KNOW THAT...

AND I THOUGHT DIANA WAS PROPOSING TO ME...!

WELL THEN, YOUR HIGHNESS CAN DO THE REAL PROPOSAL LATER.

OKAY?

...I-I DIDN'T KNOW! IT'S ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T EXPLAIN THINGS PROPERLY!!

HAHA, YES, I'M SORRY!

...WE HAVE UNINVITED GUESTS.

IT SEEMS THE MAGIC TOOL MERCHANTS SOLD THEM A BARRIER-NEUTRALIZING TOOL.

SHALL I DEAL WITH THEM?

THEY MIGHT BE ASSASSINS.

YOU HAVE MANY ENEMIES, MASTER.

THAT'S TRUE, BUT NO ONE WOULD HIRE SUCH BRATS AS ASSASSINS.

THEY HAVE ENOUGH WIT TO BUY AND WEAR A BARRIER-NEUTRALIZING RING JUST TO MEET A MAGE,

AND THESE CHILDREN HAVE DEATH LOOMING OVER THEM...

...LORD GADRIAN, THE MEETING STARTS IN 10 MINUTES.

WE SHOULD HEAD OUT SOON.

...NO, I'LL MOVE IN A LITTLE WHILE.

I'D LIKE TO TALK TO THESE CHILDREN.

...IT SEEMS THOSE TWO HAVE PIQUED YOUR CURIOSITY, LORD GADRIAN.

CALL ME IF YOU NEED ME.

...?!

AAAH...!

JUDGING BY YOUR CLOTHES... YOU SEEM TO BE CHILDREN OF HIGH-RANKING FAMILIES.

WHAT BRINGS YOU TO THIS PLACE?

I DIDN'T EXPECT TO RUN INTO HIM SO SOON...

ARE YOU, PERHAPS, LOST?

...GADRIAN!