Everything went according to plan.

We were able to raid Perrian's subspace as Ian had hoped, and thanks to a heads-up, the guards avoided death.

The deputy warden was seriously injured, but I managed to get him out quickly, saving his life.

Of course, the destruction of the underground dungeon was a major problem.

We couldn't determine who among the prisoners had died or escaped, and managing the criminals that needed to be locked up was challenging.

However, a bigger problem awaited us.

"Gone?"

The mana stone containing the powerful mana Ian had seen inside Perrian's subspace wasn't there.

Naturally, we expected to find the mana stone in the subspace, but there was no trace of it.

"Was the mana stone kept separately?"

"Let's keep looking for now. With so much stuff, it's possible we just haven't found it yet."

Despite being filled with enough items to fill a room, it was unlikely that more than five people looking would miss it.

If it were filled with mana, its presence would have been felt.

Yet, we didn't feel such strong mana here.

We searched the room several times over, as Ian suggested.

"Ian Astria. Shall we stop now? If we haven't found it after all this, it probably means it's not here."

When Rie spoke to Ian, he sighed and nodded.

"Alright. Let's start by organizing the information we have here."

It was only after Ian said this that some degree of organization began.

The people who had been searching for the mana stone left, leaving me, Rie, and Ian at the site.

The three of us read through the documents Perrian had collected and analyzed the magical tools he had been trying to create.

After a while,

Rie yawned, feeling stiff.

Then she looked at me and spoke.

"I've skimmed through it, but I still don't really understand."

"Understanding this could help us understand Perrian's plans."

"That's true. But still, that mana stone is the most important thing, right?"

At Rie's words, I nodded, and Ian added,

"Even if that mana stone were only used to cause an explosion, it could blow up the capital. So, taking this amplifier doesn't mean it's all over."

"Hmm"

I read through Perrian's documents while listening to Ian.

"Shouldn't we hurry and catch Perrian then?"

"If attack too strongly, we don't know what the other side will do. It's better to assess the situation slowly first."

Hearing that, I looked at Ian.

"Is it because of the possibility that Perrian might detonate the mana stone in the capital?"

"Yes, imagine if the mana stone were to explode in the capital. Some people might survive, but would the rebels just stand by?"

The attack of the rebels following the disappearance of the capital.

An unprepared fortress and soldiers without a command structure would not stand a chance against the rebels.

"Couldn't we stop the explosion? Like, using spatial magic to send the mana stone flying when it's about to explode."

"The opponent is the head of the Astria family. Do you think he would not have thought of that?"

Rie looked at us with a dumbfounded face.

"Then we'll need a strategy to win them over."

"If that were possible, we would not be going through all this trouble..."

The opponent was someone who holds a ducal title.

What could be offered to such a person to make them listen.

"That doesn't mean there's no chance at all."

I tilted my head at Ian's words.

"My father is already like a cornered rat. If we leave him be, he would bite us."

"It's a plan years in the making. He must have wanted something to have devised such a plan. If the mana stone explodes, his plan would crumble overnight. Do you think he would make such a choice just because the amplifier is gone?"

It was a valid point.

"First, we find out my father's plan. We can decide what to do after that."

"Ha... Alright."

With that, we began to go through Perrian's documents one by one.

After several hours of reading, the plan gradually became clear.

"What is this?"

Rie frowned, indicating her displeasure.

She was holding a plan.

"Taking everyone in the capital hostage?"

That was what the document contained.

Taking everyone hostage.

But it didn't stop there.

Taking everyone in every castle, every domain within the empire hostage.

That was Perrian's plan.

"...This isn't just taking hostages."

Ian joined in.

I nodded in agreement.

"It's not just hostages; he plans to make slaves of the entire empire."

Perrian installs an amplifier in the capital.

Then, using the mana emanating from there, he takes the entire capital hostage.

Using those hostages, he creates something similar to the mana stone installed in the capital and installs it in other castles as well.

This is how he plans to take the entire empire hostage.

However, these people aren't just hostages but slaves because they are being exploited.

The magic Perrian intended to inscribe on the mana stone was...

"Life Drain."

A necromancy spell that absorbs the mana, the life force of others, and converts it into one's own life force.

It's a spell that those who sought eternal life in the past used.

However, the problem with this spell was that one had to be stronger.

One had to defeat someone and absorb their life force.

So, those who sought eternal life through this method were killed by someone stronger than themselves.

Perrian intended to eliminate this risk.

A magical tool that could exploit the life force of others at will.

A spell that could steal a person's life force just by entering the range of the magical tool.

That was Perrian's plan.

"Damn it..."

Perrian was sitting, seething with anger.

All his collected data and the results had been stolen.

If he had the documents, he could have simply secluded himself and remade everything from scratch, but without them, he had no choice but to worry.

"Starting over from scratch..."

That was madness.

The documents Perrian had accumulated began when he was in his twenties.

Back then, he was healthy, and his mind was quick.

The current aged Perrian was in a different league.

With his ducal title gone and his body aging, starting the research over would only lead to him aging to death.

All Perrian had was the mana stone created with necromancy and his physical body.

He had to somehow come up with a plan.

Whether that meant retrieving the amplifier that had been stolen from him.

Or thinking of a different application for the mana stone.

He had to do something.

The first thing that came to Perrian's mind was the rebels.

Using the rebels to retrieve the amplifier.

Or, having the rebels create an amplifier.

But he couldn't proceed with such a plan.

Perrian was practically the enemy of all necromancers at this point.

The high ranks of the rebels had deep connections with necromancers, so he couldn't just approach them carelessly.

In the past, his ducal title meant the rebels couldn't touch him lightly, but in his current state, he would just be captured by them.

The chances of being robbed of the mana stone by them and killed were high.

However, Perrian had no other choice.

The only thing he could do alone was to threaten others with the mana stone.

But doing such a thing would only ensure his survival at best.

If he had wanted to live an ordinary life, he wouldn't have chosen this path to begin with.

It was a gamble he made, even risking the ducal seat he once held.

The dice had already been cast, so there was only one decision for Perrian to make.

"I will... sit at the highest position."

He wouldn't back down.

He intended to proceed with his plan as planned.

Even if it meant bearing the risks of allying with the rebels.

Perrian immediately wrote a letter.

Perrian, had used the rebels' distribution network when he provided them with mana stones made by necromancers.

He had received help from the rebels to transport mana stones from the Astria domain to where the amplifier was being made.

He could have used a normal distribution network, but he didn't want to risk ordinary people coming into contact with necromancers.

Furthermore, if mana stones continued to be transported from the Astria domain, which had no mines, people would become suspicious.

To avoid such risks, Perrian maintained his connection with the rebels.

After sending the letter to the rebels, Perrian stroked his chin.

'Now that I think about it, those guys... their situation has been pretty bad lately, hasn't it?'

The rebels had suffered a significant defeat against the Royal army and recently had been lying low, showing no signs of movement.

Then, could it be possible that they didn't know about the necromancers?

The Astria domain is quite far from where the rebels are located.

If they hadn't been keeping an eye, they might not know about the necromancers.

He also found out quite late that the necromancers had been killed by Robert.

'Maybe I can still take the initiative?'

Rumors about the necromancers hadn't spread at all in the capital.

People in high positions might know, but he wondered if such news had reached the rebels.

If the rebels had a way to obtain such high-level information, they wouldn't have suffered a major defeat against the Royal army.

"There's still a chance."

Perrian muttered to himself, clenching his fist.

Deep in the forest, where not even the moonlight could penetrate through the trees, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead, two men walked into such a forest.

They recognized each other's presence and stopped.

One of the men spoke.

"Perrian Astria. It's been a long time."

"Isn't this the first time we've met? Aryandor."

"I've seen you from a distance."

Perrian and Aryandor smiled at each other.