Birthday Trap 11
At Ben Draco's mansion in the capital, Paul had secluded himself in his room, meticulously knitting lace curtains. The room was awash in pastel colors, with everything from the curtains to the sofa, sheets, cushions, and even the wallpaper adorned with flowers, lace, and ribbons.
Petra Muirulainen had suddenly appeared at the mansion, gravely injured in a monster stampede attack, but thanks to a stranger's aid, her life was saved. After being examined by the Draco family's private physician, it was confirmed that she might suffer from some lingering health issues for a while, but there was no cause for serious concern. The doctor had also assured them that any long-term aftereffects were unlikely, though not completely ruled out. Paul savored the brief moment of peace, knowing that his master, who was otherwise intensely focused on research, would be furious if he learned about Petra’s situation. The twins who usually accompanied Petra, perhaps shaken by the gravity of the incident, stayed quietly by her side this time instead of running off to play.
“...?”
Suddenly, Paul felt a strange sense of unease and looked up. The cuckoo clock on the wall was decorated with tiny colorful flowers, a whimsical and fairy-tale-like piece. When Paul first bought it, both Ben and Belastar had grimaced, and Petra and Tania had barely concealed their exasperation, but it was one of Paul’s favorite clocks.
Now, however, some of the flowers on the clock had changed color. Paul furrowed his brow.
"It seems we have an uninvited guest."
The low voice was ill-suited to the whimsical, fairy-tale-like room. But Paul didn’t care. He carefully folded the curtain he had been working on, put it away on a shelf, and locked the door. Checking his attire in the nearby mirror, he smiled with satisfaction at the ideal butler figure reflected back at him. He then put on his glasses, slipped a ring onto his pinky finger, and walked leisurely towards the room where Petra and the others were. Knocking on the door, he peeked inside.
"Belastar, Tania. I'm going to seal off this room now, so don't come out."
"Huh? Seal off the room... without our brother here?"
It was Belastar who spoke with wide eyes. Paul nodded.
"I suspect we're dealing with a troublesome adversary. That's why I'm sealing this room. You two stay here and protect Petra."
"...Understood."
This time, it was Tania who nodded. Belastar, a moment later, nodded as well, saying, "Okay." Paul couldn’t hide his surprise but only said, "Take care of Petra," before closing the door. Until now, the twins had never obediently followed Paul’s instructions. If they had heard “seal off the room” before, they would have known it signaled an emergency. This was a code known only within the Draco household, used to conceal rooms and items that shouldn’t be seen. But there was always the possibility that an “uninvited guest” might act recklessly. In such a case, the twins would have likely insisted on fighting the intruder to protect the mansion and the family. However, this time, they didn’t. Their mature expressions as they nodded suggested that they were aware of their own limitations and had decided to avoid reckless actions.
"Kids grow up in ways you don't notice."
Paul muttered with a deep sense of reflection. Just recently, he had thought of them as rebellious brats—and the fact that he was thinking this way now was proof of his own age, he thought, his sigh turning into a rueful smile.
Leaving that smile on his lips, Paul stroked the blue flower on the wallpaper next to the door. The door, which had been there, vanished. Seeing this work, Paul made his way to the entrance hall and turned the large decorative vase there halfway around. The air in the mansion shifted. Now, all the preparations were complete. The rooms that shouldn’t be seen had their doors turned into walls, and all the shelves had become invisible. They were ready to welcome the "uninvited guest."
Calmly, Paul put on the black gloves he had taken from his pocket. Just as he finished one last check of his appearance, there came a loud knocking at the front door. Paul deliberately took his time opening it. Standing outside the door was a group of robed figures.
"We are from the Ministry of Magic’s Inquisition Division. Under the authority of the Council of Advisors, we are here to search and seize this residence on suspicion of Ben Draco’s involvement in high treason."
"...High treason?"
Paul repeated the words suspiciously, raising an eyebrow after a long, deliberate silence. The idea of Ben, so dedicated to his research and uninterested in anything else, committing high treason seemed as likely as the sun rising in the west. But the wizards glared at Paul with irritation, threatening, “If you interfere, we’ll consider you complicit in treason as well.” Yet Paul wasn’t the type to be rattled by such things. With a genial smile, he stepped back and graciously invited the wizards into the mansion.
"You should have cooperated from the beginning."
The second man to enter, a short fellow, spat out the words. Paul continued to smile, responding gently, “Thank you so much for your hard work,” despite using words typically reserved for superiors addressing subordinates. The wizards, perhaps due to Paul’s gentle demeanor and soft tone, didn’t seem to notice the subtle insult.
Paul quickly took stock of the wizards, all similarly robed and devoid of individual features. There were four in total—not many for a house search. It might have been enough for a commoner’s home, but not for a noble’s mansion, especially one as large as this. At least double the number would be required.
—Which means there must be a reason they couldn’t bring more.
As Paul locked the door after the last person entered, he considered the situation. Ben rarely talked about the Ministry of Magic, but from piecing together information from other sources, it was unlikely the Ministry had sent many wizards to deal with the monster stampede. Especially since the Crown Prince's birthday celebration had just occurred yesterday—most wizards would have been gathered at the royal palace. Under these circumstances, it didn't make sense that only four members of the Ministry's Inquisitorial Division would be assigned to this task.
It was clear they intended to frame Ben Draco for treason, a crime he would never commit.
<I told him over and over—he needed to deal with the political maneuvering, not just focus on his research>
Paul silently cursed his foster brother. Ben had always been more concerned with his research, but the Ministry was entangled with politics and vested interests. Paul had often warned him that he could be caught off guard if he wasn't careful. While Ben had made some efforts—investigating the embezzlement of wizards in his spare time and looking into the use of forbidden magic during his discussions with Petra—he had never fully committed. And now, he was being accused of treason.
The wizards who entered the hall seemed stunned by the fantastical decor—though less extravagant than Paul's room, the brightly colored decorations were still unusual for a mansion without a mistress. The two younger wizards at the back exchanged quick glances.
“Uh, does the Vice Director have a wife?”
“I don’t think so... but these decorations definitely look like a woman’s touch.”
They whispered to each other, neither sounding confident. Paul remained silently behind them, answering only in his mind, This is my taste. He wasn’t embarrassed, but he had no intention of providing extra information to people trying to frame Ben for treason. Besides, it didn’t matter to Paul if these wizards believed Ben had a penchant for girly things. Even research-obsessed Ben wouldn’t care.
“You two, search the first floor. We’ll take the second.”
The lead wizard ordered, splitting the group into older and younger pairs to search the mansion. Paul casually followed the older pair upstairs, keeping a safe distance and masking his presence. The two headed straight for Ben’s bedroom at the far end of the hall, tearing off the bed sheets and rifling through the shelves. When they yanked the curtains, a ripping sound filled the air as the fabric tore. They showed no sign of concern, leaving the mess on the floor as they stepped over it to move to the next room. Paul’s temples throbbed as he watched them, his anger barely contained.
Paul made his move when the wizards entered Ben's study.
As one of the wizards, who had been leading the search, was about to speak in surprise, Paul, who had approached silently, grabbed the wizard’s left arm just as he was about to pull something from his robe's pocket.
“Wha—?!”
The wizard’s eyes widened in shock. Paul, smiling pleasantly but with a chilling glint in his eyes, looked down at the wizard. The color drained from the wizard’s face as the grip on his arm tightened.
“It… it hurts—”
“Did you find anything of interest?” Paul’s voice was calm, yet so devoid of emotion it could freeze one’s heart. The two wizards were not physically imposing compared to Paul, who was tall and muscular. Realizing the physical disparity, the wizard whose arm was being held began to tremble, like a frog being stared down by a snake.
From the start, Paul had seen through the farce of this search. Ben would never plot a rebellion, and there would be no evidence of such in the mansion. However, the wizards needed some kind of proof to convict him. While it was possible to plant such evidence at the Vice Director’s office, it would be more convincing if found in Ben’s private residence. The idea was to create the illusion that incriminating evidence had been discovered where it did not belong.
Such a plot required a small, trusted group. The younger wizards were likely uninvolved, so Paul had decided to keep an eye on the older pair. As expected, one of them had made a suspicious move. What he had been about to pull from his pocket was likely the “evidence” meant to incriminate Ben Draco.
Paul slowly forced the wizard to pull his left hand out of his pocket, making sure the other wizard saw it. On the left hand, adorned with a spinel ring, was a folded piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
Paul asked with a pleasant smile. The wizard, sweating profusely from the pain in his arm, bit his lip in silence. Paul glanced at him and then turned to the other wizard, who was younger and glaring at Paul with frustration. It was clear that while they were cunning, they hadn’t seen much action. Their agitation was plain to see, and they made no effort to hide it.
Suppressing his exasperation, Paul looked at the paper he had taken. It contained a small transfer circle.
"I see, so this is supposed to be evidence of tampering with a transfer circle. But honestly, it's far too poorly made to be something my master would create."
The mockery was clear, and the wizard’s face flushed with anger. The one wearing the ring went beyond red, his face darkening with fury as he glared at Paul.
"This was found in this office. As evidence, it must be taken into custody."
"Will you be documenting that this was found here?"
Paul had heard that with a magic stone, the evidence and its discovery location could be automatically recorded. The wizard smirked in response to Paul's question. Nodding as if to say, "I understand," Paul lightly traced the surface of the paper and folded it up.
"In that case, I'll return this to you."
The wizard roughly snatched the paper with the circle drawn on it and glared at Paul as he held the paper up to the magic stone hanging from his neck. The stone emitted a glow. The wizard placed both the evidence and the magic stone into a pouch and stomped out of the study, clearly eager to leave.
Paul had no reason to stop them—he wanted these uninvited guests gone as soon as possible. He followed them out to the entrance hall, where the two younger wizards reappeared at the same time. It seemed they hadn’t found any evidence on the first floor.
"We’ve found the evidence. Ben Draco will undoubtedly be judged for high treason. And you’ll face judgment as well. You’d best prepare yourself."
It wasn’t Paul who was startled by these words. It was the two younger wizards who had searched the first floor, their eyes wide with shock. Paul, the one the words were directed at, remained unfazed. "Is that so? I look forward to it," he said, shrugging as if it were someone else’s problem. The wizard scowled at Paul from beneath his hood, as if questioning his sanity. Paul looked back at him with a lighthearted smile.
"If I may offer some advice," Paul said, still smiling, "I suggest refraining from using such methods when conducting future searches of others' homes. It’s rather like the work of a common burglar."
"Wha—!"
The wizard, who had been glaring at Paul with hatred, was struck speechless. Paul smiled pleasantly, but his actions made it clear he wanted them out, as he flung open the door.
"Right this way, gentlemen. Should you ever return, I’ll be sure to serve a life-sized cake in the likeness of the true god, Proedros."
It was a sharp jab at those who had attempted to fabricate evidence.
The wizard opened his mouth as if to retort, but no words came out. Since Paul hadn’t directly insulted him, he had no clear response. He clicked his tongue in frustration and stormed out of the house, his footsteps echoing loudly. The two younger wizards followed, their shoulders hunched in shame as they avoided looking at Paul.
Once they were out of sight, Paul closed and locked the door, then removed his glasses and ring.
"Magical tools sure are handy," he mused, shaking his head in wonder. Both the glasses and the ring had been crafted by Ben. Paul, who wasn’t skilled in magic or Curses, wouldn’t have recognized a transfer circle by sight. But with the glasses, he could understand what was written. The ring was enchanted with a “nullification” spell. By tracing the paper, Paul had turned the so-called evidence the wizard brought into a mere blank sheet. The wizard hadn’t noticed that Paul had folded the paper into blankness. A blank piece of paper registered as evidence would be meaningless in court.
<At least this way, the worst-case scenario of Ben being executed has been avoided, Paul thought with relief. But he couldn’t help letting out a weary sigh>
The first floor wasn’t so bad, but the second floor was another matter. The two wizards had left it in shambles, like a ship ravaged by a storm. The thought of cleaning it up made Paul feel drained. And even though he’d reduced the risk of Ben being branded a traitor, there could still be other traps set.
"He's really bad at dealing with this sort of thing... But at least I didn’t have to use any drastic measures," Paul said to himself, cracking his neck with a sigh of resignation.
He headed to the second floor, planning to clean up the mess. Afterward, he would undo the "room seal." Asking the twins to help would probably just make the mess worse, so it was better to do it alone. Once everything was done, Paul allowed himself a brief moment of escapism, standing in the wrecked room and considering whether he should try making a six-layer cake.
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