Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

Chapter 62 62 Unseen Threat

62 Unseen Threat

As silence settled over the group, Hugo's voice broke the tension, his expression clouded with unease.

"Isn't this a disaster waiting to happen? The Empire has labeled all unregistered mages as heretics ever since the Mage Rebellion three hundred years ago. If word gets out that magic is involved—"

"The Imperial Court will act immediately," Raymond cut in. His voice was grim. "Even if the mage in question escapes, the Emperor's guards will tear through Bornholm searching for any traces. If things spiral out of control, the entire region could be caught in a witch hunt."

The Empire rarely interfered in a noble's internal affairs, as long as there was no outright rebellion.

But the moment magic entered the equation?

All such rules became meaningless.

To the Imperial Court, the existence of an unregistered mage was no different from a traitor plotting an insurrection.

"His Grace may be aligned with the Emperor," Raymond continued, "but even he can't override three centuries of deep-seated hatred. If magic is truly at play, they won't show us any mercy."

"What about the First Prince?" Vincent asked. "What was his stance?"

"He wants to bury the issue," William replied flatly. "I understand his reasoning, but if a mage is involved, ignoring it could lead to catastrophic consequences."

The Empire's paranoia over magic was extreme.

But at the same time, they were the most experienced force when it came to dealing with rogue mages.

If this turned into a real battle, ordinary knights—who had never faced a proper mage—would be wiped out in an instant.

"But informing the Emperor is just as risky," Hugo countered. "A single wrong move, and they might burn all of Bornholm to the ground."

"Exactly." William ran a hand along his jaw, his mind racing. "We don't have enough information to make a decision yet."

There was another problem.

William had no memory of anything major happening in Bornholm from his past life.

If the Imperial Court had intervened, it would have left some trace in the history books.

That meant Tristan had successfully covered everything up.

'Which means whatever happened was small enough to be contained... but not a victory they could publicly claim.'

If they had been able to frame the battle as a successful suppression of rebels, they would have done so.

But they hadn't.

Which meant the outcome had been too close to a defeat to be useful.

After exchanging the secret code, the two men pulled back their hoods, stepping closer to one another.

Both were dressed in dark cloaks, their faces lined with the wear of age. Though they had only recently entered their forties, a lifetime spent in the Imperial Liberation Front had aged them prematurely.

They recognized each other instantly.

They had fought side by side for decades.

"What's the urgency?" the man on the right asked. "We agreed just days ago to focus on our assigned tasks and move forward with the plan."

"That is why I called you," the left one replied grimly. "Something's changed. The mercenaries and the Hern family have come to an agreement."

The other man's expression twisted.

"What?"

The Liberation Front had relied on the mercenaries' inaction to maintain their foothold.

The negotiations had been completely stalled.

This wasn't something that could have been resolved in just a day or two.

"...Did they give in to the mercenaries' demands?" he asked suspiciously.

"No. That's what's strange. The mercenaries weren't paid what they asked for. Someone from the main house came and settled the issue in a single day."

The man on the right let out a bitter chuckle. "Unbelievable. And here I thought the Hern family would remain a den of incompetent aristocrats."

"The most concerning part is that this person wasn't sent by the First Prince. If it had been his usual advisors, we would have accounted for them."

"...Then who?"

The first man's expression darkened.

"We don't know his name yet, but one thing is certain."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Whoever he is, he's dangerous."

"This is no time for hesitation. We need to recall our scattered comrades immediately," the man on the left said, his voice edged with urgency. "If we wait any longer, they'll be hunted down one by one."

The other man exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead. "I'll send the recall order... but no matter how fast we act, at least a few of them are bound to get caught."

It was inevitable. They had been too careless, too confident that the mercenaries would remain neutral. Some of their people had traveled far, believing they had all the time in the world.

Now, it was too late to retrieve them all.