Chapter 28: Crime
Alice and Roan were busy conversing with few others and he was naturally left out, having nothing better to do he decided give socializing a try.
...
Tasting the bitter alcohol, he joined a group of people chatting together. They were happy to have him join them.
A group of five people which including Terias had became six.
The conversation or to be more exact a discussion of a kind began.
The topics changed from time to time, different opinions on different subjects.
...
Everyone was drinking and so was Terias, he had little experience with alcohol and being the strongest at the table made him carefree.
Although his ability was working, as it kept reminding him of his body's status.
[Drunk 20%]..
[Drunk 35%]..
Drunk 50%]..
Drunk 70%]...
...
Perhaps he should not have drunk any alcohol, or maybe he should have never joined the Hike.
The alcohol had done a number on him, the people who were drinking with him were fine.
He woke up groggy, his vision hazy, unable to clearly see and hear at the moment.
Terias did not remember himself leaving the table, neither did he have the idea of his location.
He could hardly see, the place was dark, at least that was what his hungover eyes could see.
The place was silent, nothing was audible and indicated the presence of another person or even a creature near him.
...
"It seems you are awake Viscount" A crazy but excited female voice said to him.
He tried moving his hands but his hands were locked with a rope. He was laid down on a soft material as he struggled to free his hands.
"You are lady... Alice ? Why?" Terias was finally able to adjust his eyes to the dimly lit room, though the person in front of him gave him another horrible surprise, just after his kidnapping.
'Did she come to know my connections with Serena? Nevermind, she'd have guessed that much but why this attempt at me?'
Terias thought that Alice had became aware of his connection with Serena and thus she did something with the alcohol and then this.
But he quickly discarded the idea as Alice had no reason to kidnap him. She could keep a distance from him or even use him to lay a trap for Serena.
...
There was no need for Alice to lock him away like this. Not when there was no bad blood between them.
'Bad blood? Was it the previous Viscount's doing?'
He made a guess as that was the best he could do for a moment, waiting for Alice to reply.
"What ? Are you done thinking of the possible reasons for my act?" She asked curiously, half expecting a reply from Terias.
"Why? I have no idea. " Terias had a little idea but whatsoever he had learned from those crime movies was to never be honest and absolutely never confess.
It was better for the person in authority to directly accuse you than you yourself confessing to something.
...
Anyways, he was only a little spy from Serena's side and not a really bad one. He was only supposed to indulge together with Alice and not to bring some confidential info.
"Of course you have no idea. Let me help you to remember the important stuff. "
Alice said with a smirk as she had put out a paper with a circle and a Pentagon inside it, with some more shapes inside it.
"This rings a bell? The kind and honest Viscount Terias? " Alice held the paper to his face as she gave an evil laugh, though her voice only sounded hot and not really evil.
...
'What's this? A ritual. Why the fuck is this idiot waving it in my face? How would I know what this diagram is for. '
Just awoke from being drunk, he had now realised that he was kidnapped and that too by the Earl's wife, Alice.
The reason for kidnapping? Some graph, circles and Pentagon on the paper.
"mmm, I seem to remember something. "
Terias mumbled as he forced himself to concentrate and call upon the vague image of the thing that resembled the picture on paper.
Alice had also shifted her face from the frowning and interrogating face to the happy and proud face of accomplishing a confession.
Her face turned bright and her lips lifted up in smile, as she waited for Terias to finally confess his crimes.
...
The crime was a really severe one, enough for Terias to be removed from his noble title. She wanted to use the crime evidence as her blackmail item and force Terias to come under her.
"Yes, yeahh.. Is this trigonometry? "
Terias finally remembered where he had seen the graph like thing, it was in his college years, a few months before his murder in the previous life.
'Is this what people meant when they said mathematics is everywhere? '
He remembered the words from his teachers as they said " mathematics is everywhere in the life and it follows you. "
"Trigonometry? What the fuck is trigonometry?!! "
Alice had her happy face turned to a confused then into an angry and humiliated one, she felt like that the man in front of her was teasing and humiliating her.
"Haha haa, do you think you'd be able to escape from here? Is it because of your butler John? Or is it your confidence in your personal strength. "
She laughed off at his attempt to humiliate her. She did not know that Terias genuinely answered her question.
...
She gnashed her teeth, ready to give Terias a good idea of what he has become a part of.
"Let me make it clear, you are fed a tier 3 medicine. You would not be able to use your ki for another day and the same goes for your physical strength. "
She said with a smirk, her proud face became more confident. She believed the details were enough to put pressure on Terias.
The tier three medicine was a big deal as it worked on level three warriors very well which meant, right now, Terias was really vulnerable.
(Please vote with power stones, it helps my reach)