Zion ate the food quietly and presented himself to give off the notion that he didn't care about the murder. No matter how anxious he was in his heart, he didn't let it show on his face. After having lunch, when he saw Lia walking upstairs to her room, he picked up his pace and followed her.
Just as she entered and was about to close the room, she was surprised to find Zion standing right in front of her door. She pursed her lips and moved aside to invite him in, and after that, she closed the door. "What do you want?"
At this time, Zion hesitated. He knew that it was useless to ask Lia about this, but he still hoped she would get involved. If not, things would only get harder for him. So he finally took a deep breath and said, "I have to solve this murder case."
Lia stared at him for a long time without showing any expressions on her face. It seemed as if she wasn't surprised by this kind of development where her servant asked her such an absurd thing. Too bad she wasn't up for helping the elves. In the end, she didn't say anything but continued to stare at the youth in front of her as her gaze turned icier.
Zion could tell that his words had incited anger in the princess's heart, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he wouldn't solve the case if the princess rejected his offer. When he was still in college, he wouldn't listen to his professors, and they even got a headache whenever they had to deal with him. So why would he stand behind and continue to be oppressed under Lia's cold gaze?
"I already said no." Lia opened his mouth and spoke in a cold voice. "I won't repeat myself."
"I'm also not kidding. I'm telling you my decision." Zion's eyes squinted. "Where did you get the idea that I was asking your permission to get myself involved?"
Lia's expressions darkened as her fingers curled in the form of a fist. "You're my servant! Do you know what that means? You aren't supposed to act on an impulse. I own your life, and I have the authority to control how many breaths you take in a day! Do you think being a slave is nothing? Try going against me and see the consequences!"
She paused to take a deep breath and continued. "I've already given you enough freedom. Ask around and see who is allowing their slaves to sit at the same table and eat! No one teaches them how to fight! And yet, when you're being spoon-fed, you're urging for more. Sure enough, humans are greedy and selfish creatures! You should never trust them!"
For a moment, Zion hesitated. He knew he wouldn't be able to go against this girl. Her murderous demeanor was something that was beyond his expectations. She was so cold and dark that even he was suspecting whether the princess even had a heart. But he still had to try his best in case she agreed, which was nothing more than a miracle if it happened. "All I'm asking is if I can solve the case. It's not like I'm asking you something illegal. We can stand on the sidelines if you want, but it's vital to solve this case."
Even Zion didn't know why he wanted to solve it so severely. Perhaps the idea of a psycho being involved made it difficult for him to ignore. And for some reason, he felt this should be his second case, so even the system wouldn't say anything.
"But I don't want you to get involved with the elves!" The princess blew up. You can practically see her fuming nostrils and bloodshot eyes as she stared at him unblinkingly. "I HATE them! You have no idea what kind of two-faced creatures they can be. Practically all the elves are a bunch of hypocrites who only know how to live a self-centered life! There's no need to help them at all! I say, let them die a brutal death for all I care!" She paused and took a deep breath. "I guess we have to leave this village immediately!"
"I'm not going anywhere." Zion couldn't handle it anymore. He had calmly tried to make her understand how important this case was to him, but she wasn't listening to him at all! A trace of irritation grew in his heart. He was also a living being with a bad temper. "Unless I solve the case and save the elf children from getting killed, I'm not going anywhere. And you!"
He pointed his finger at her. "You say they're selfish, but aren't you the same? You have some deep prejudice against them. You're uncomfortable to see that someone living close to you is helping your enemy! That's another kind of hypocrisy. You pose yourself as a good Dhampir by saying you have given me, a human, utmost freedom, but what you're doing with the elves is far worse than this! If the elves are evil, then you are ten times worse to repeat the same mistakes as them!
"I can also say that you're selfish in a way. You are just trying to save yourself from getting into situations that would go against your emotions! That's not how the world works, lady!" Zion was also fuming at this point. He pursed his lips as he tried to calm himself. "I'm not like you. I don't have a sense of belonging to this world. I don't have attachments or enemies. The only thing I can see is that many people are suffering. And if I can save them, then why wouldn't I?
"After watching the entire Vanne Kingdom getting destroyed, do you still have the face to see another destruction?" Zion indeed hadn't said so many words at once for a long time, and even he was surprised after finishing that sentence, but he was also angry enough to spout everything from his mouth that came into his mind. "You're even worse of a woman than I imagined. I regret being your so-called slave!"