Chapter 78

Fortunately, Cassius did not come alone. He was accompanied by a considerable number of knights, some of whom seemed familiar to me as former escort knights.

Lucifer raised both his hands.

“It’s pretty good to say that you’re a nuisance.”

At those words, Cassius did not say anything back. He just cut the string that was binding me with his dagger before pushing me towards the knight beside him. Even though it was a rough touch, I had no intention of complaining.

Just before being pushed, the needle was shining where I was.

Cassius finally opened his mouth quietly.

“Did you try to kill me with this?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Lucifer just stared at him. As he raised both of his hands as if surrendering, the blade bent under his sleeve caught my eye.

“Be careful!”

Words came out before I expected.

And, Cassius was faster than my words. He charged at Lucifer at a high speed, and the blade that had originally aimed at his place hit the knight’s neck behind him instead.

“Keugh…!”

The knight fell backwards, spouting red blood.

I shut my eyes tight. Until Cassius arrived, I had no idea it would turn into such a bloodshed. To be honest, I thought that Lucifer would release me right away after kidnapping me, but I did not think he would be struggling like this.

‘He’s still far outnumbered. It’s only raising the price of the crime, but why…’

The question ended before it even started. The blade that pierced the young knight’s neck seemed to be only a means to disturb our eyes. Soon, thick gray smoke covered the entire street, and coughing sounds erupted from all sides.

“Evelyn, stay with me. Be careful not to let the smoke get into your eyes.”

I nodded my head.

Being next to Cassius’ large, solid body made me feel secure. In this smoke, it seemed as if he would protect anyone who would rush towards us.

However, that was only for a while.

“Lord, we must get out of this place!”

“Get everyone out. I’ll stay here.”

I could feel Cassius lowering his head towards me, even in the smoke that could not see an inch in front of me.

“You, too, must go with the other knights.”

“…Be careful.”

“If that’s what you want.”

…Was it an optical illusion? Somehow, I thought I could see Cassius smiling softly even in the midst of the smoke.

“Don’t get hurt.”

“If you wish, I won’t.”

“Don’t die.”

“If you wish.”

“And…”

I swallowed dry saliva.

…Can I say this?

“Thank you.”

I did not hear any more replies from Cassius. It was because a knight suddenly grabbed me with a strong force. At first, I was nervous about whether it was Lucifer or someone from his side, but soon, I found out that it was not.

“Young Lady Garneid, you need to get out of here quickly. Do you want to go to the Duchy or the County?”

“….”

I hesitated for a moment. My original destination was the County. Still, if I go back to the Count’s mansion, I would not be informed immediately of what happened to Cassius after this.

“I’m going to the Duke’s.”

“That’s a good idea.”

At that, the knight nodded.

“I think you should think about staying in the Duke’s residence for the time being. The Young Lady’s become a target for such a dangerous man…”

The next moment, the knights started talking about how much risk they took to make a good impression towards me and how dangerous the situation had just been. Nevertheless, my head was filled with only one person… Cassius.

‘…Is it okay to leave him alone in such a dangerous place?’

These people did not make sense either. Leaving the master in that dangerous place and talking about what they did to look good…?

Unbearable, I opened my mouth to the knights next to me.

“Will Lord Cassius be all right?”

“The Lord? Of course.”

One of the knights burst out laughing.

“His skills are unparalleled. In fact, he can easily fight with the Young Lady by his side, but he must have entrusted you to us in case you might be startled. The Young Lady doesn’t have to be worried at all.”

“Young Lady, have you been worried about the Lord and haven’t said anything until now? This is something that the Lord should be pleased with.”

I closed my eyes because I did not want to respond anymore. It was encouraging that the knights would guarantee his skills so much even while his reputation fell to the ground. Nonetheless, that did not convince me of his safe return.

‘…What are you thinking, Evelyn Garneid?’

Suddenly, my eyes widened. It was because I found myself seriously worried about Cassius Brudenell.

‘Yes. It’s because he was in danger trying to save me… It’s natural to worry, isn’t it?’

I regained my composure as I mumbled a question no one would answer.

Yes, as long as you are a human, it is natural to have feelings for and worry about the person who came to rescue you. So, the sense of security I felt for him in acting and the worries I felt for him were all very natural emotions.

A long sigh escaped my mouth as I learned my throbbing head against the cold window.

It was a particularly eerie evening.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

Lucifer counted the weapons hidden inside his chest.

He originally had nine, but since he had already used two, there were a total of seven now. They were weapons that were not used at all in empires that did not develop weapons properly because they valued individual strength and skills.

“Lucifer… Bynell.”

A voice that sounded like a growling beast.

“It seems that you’re trying every means you can to kill me.”

“Are you the only one here?”

At that, Lucifer responded lightly.

“I don’t think so.”

The other person agreed.

“But, you don’t seem to care about me anymore. It seems that you have little loyalty to your home country even though you have the royal bloodline?”

There was no way.

Lucifer never intended to speak the truth aloud but laughed to himself at Cassius, who spoke in a carefree and laid-back voice.

The word ‘prince’ was nothing more than a living weapon… An accessory for the royal family since he was a child. Of course, it came with great wealth in return though it could be said to be small compared to the wealth he received in exchange for taking a person’s life every day.

“You know it well. Seeing that other mercenaries have been imposed, I don’t think that their lives are going to be spared.”

“There’s nothing more intolerable than the loss of my men’s lives to your mercenaries.”

Lucifer raised his hand and signaled to his soiliders that surrounded them.

“So, do you want to turn an arrow*? It’s very touching.”

[ T/N: To turn the subject of a scolding or criticism toward someone else. ]

“Well, who will turn the arrow?”

The next moment, Cassius took a big leap forward.

At the same time, Lucifer instinctively swung his third weapon, the stinger, at once, but nothing pierced Cassius’ skin properly. Seeing that, he turned to escape from the point Cassius had calculated, but it was already too late.

“I like children who are good at using petty tricks like you.”

Cassius’ eyes, who had pulled Lucifer and used him as his shield, gleamed with ferocity as he continued his words.

“It’s not fun to just kill, is it? It’s fun to kill even ants that struggle, too.”

Ah.

Under his grasp, crushing his own neck, Lucifer realized. He and Cassius Brudenell were of a formidable resemblance. The only difference was…

‘…No, there isn’t.’

He laughed bitterly. Him and Cassius Brudenell both wanted Evelyn Garneid, and they could not win her heart.

However, if he himself dies here and Cassius Brudenell survives…

‘It can’t be… After I die, the rest will take care of him. It wouldn’t be a useless death!’

Nevertheless, Lucifer did not know.

The fact that his troops had already lost the point without being able to properly resist the knights of the Duke of Brudenell.

‘Cassius Brudenell will die here, and Evelyn Garneid…’

There was a henchman planted next to Evelyn Ganid, just in case. The henchman swore that if Lucifer died, he would take her with him to the underworld. Therefore, he would take the man he hated the most and the woman he loved as his companion to the underworld.

Was it because of a vain delusion that would never come true?

When Lucifer Bynell’s last breath stopped, a peaceful smile appeared on his face. Seeing that, Cassius threw his corpse onto the floor with an expressionless face. And, because of that, his rare water-colored hair and handsome face were smeared in the dirt on the dirty floor.

“Long live Cassius Brudenell!”

“Glory to the Lord!”

“Victory to the Duchy…!”

At the same time, cries of those who praised Cassius and rejoiced that the heir of the Duke had finally been resurrected echoed everywhere. Regardless, Cassius, who was actually involved, got on his horse with a face that did not show any joy.

It was time to return to the forlorn space without Evelyn.