Chapter 118: Sorenson's Mad Dog (4)

Chapter 118: Sorenson's Mad Dog (4)

‘Why was Mother holding a dagger.....’

The dead empress had a dagger in her hand. There was no reason for her to have a dagger during a night stroll with her daughter.

Even more so, there was no reason for her to be holding it in her hand.

There were cases where women hid daggers on the inside of their thighs for self-protection.

But if that were the case, the princess would have seen her mother draw it.

The empress was standing in front of Carlyn, who was running towards her. The empress clearly did not move.

She was just standing there, dumbfounded like Erendil.

Sometimes, when one receives too great a shock, memories become hazy. The princess experienced something similar.

The princess comes to this garden to make her blurred memories from the shocking incident clearer.

‘Mother definitely said something....’

When the princess recalled Carlyn’s sword piercing the empress, her heart sank.

She felt a burning sensation around her sternum. It was a moment she did not want to remember. After recalling the scene about three times, something suddenly flashed through her mind.

Unbeliever.

Mother had clearly called someone an unbeliever. Recalling this, the princess silently nodded her head.

It was certain. Her memory was becoming clearer. Unbeliever – a word that did not suit the empress.

Then the princess remembered Carlyn’s warning about the devil worshippers.

Those who had tried to kill her during the coronation terror attack. Thanks to Carlyn, their existence was made public.

Carlyn had clearly warned her to be wary of them trying to recruit her or attack her.

‘Yet he said he would help me, so why....’

The princess pulled back the thought of wanting to distance herself. In fact, there were many parts she could not understand.

Things did not add up.

It was reported to the public that the war hero had been seduced by the devil’s whispers and defected.

The empress was killed by the war hero while trying to protect the princess.

Strangely enough, this had actually increased public support for the princess.

The devil worshippers who had defected the war hero were seen as evil.

And the princess, the evil’s target, was of the imperial bloodline that had led to victory in the war against the West.

Public opinion was brewing that the princess must be protected for the sake of the empire. This was thanks to the work of Hanut, recruited by Carlyn.

‘...But it was Schurtafen who warned me about the devil worshippers.’

The Carl Schurtafen she had witnessed was absolutely not someone who would fall for seductive words.

Even more so if he was already considered an enemy.

Moreover, if Carlyn was a devil worshipper, he had had plenty of opportunities to kill her.

There was no need for him to attempt an assassination on a rest day.

His words about leaving soon and keeping a distance from her did not match the situation either.

It would have been much easier for him to kill her during a lesson.

Even if he had defected in that short time, it would be the same.

All he had to say was that there was no need to leave, and the lessons would have resumed. Then he could aim for that timing.

“Haah....”

The princess let out a deep sigh with a frustrated heart. Carlyn was not a devil worshipper.

That was the princess’s judgment.

The princess took a deep breath and shook her head. She was getting closer to a hypothesis she did not want to acknowledge.

The princess recalled Carlyn’s appearance as he ran towards her.

His appearance was the same as when the Devil’s Blood manifested, as she had confirmed from the newspaper reports.

However, he seemed rushed. His gaze upon her was also complex.

Even in her blurred memories, Carlyn’s eyes were vivid. An indescribable complexity could be seen.

The princess’s heart was turbulent. Was this what she wanted to see, or was it really how it happened?

‘If by chance he had come to save me....’

The princess tightly closed her eyes. It was a sense of guilt for having the wrong thought.

That would mean her mother had tried to kill her.

The devil worshippers Carlyn had warned about, the empress calling someone an unbeliever while holding a dagger.

She realized all these things were pointing to one thing, but she could not bring herself to believe it.

‘If I’m thinking this way because I still have feelings for Schurtafen...’

She had simultaneously lost two people she cared for. Moreover, one had killed the other in the worst possible situation.

Although the extent of her affection differed, the situation was certainly tragic.

The human heart may change in an instant, but it may also hardly change despite great shocks.

Erendil was wary of her own heart.

Because her remaining feelings might cause her to think as she wanted.

However, it was not something she could consult with anyone about.

“Yes?”

Aron seemed genuinely surprised by the word ‘kidnapped’. The mood cooled down.

Osten hurriedly continued,

“Well, that’s true! But strictly speaking, it wasn’t a kidnapping!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is! I was working like a slave at the Magic Tower, and the boss offered me a lot of money and guaranteed rest, so I came along.”

Osten was putting up a valiant shield on his own. I didn’t recall doing that good of a job for him, though.

It was a good outcome, but I felt a bit bewildered.

“Ah, so you got recruited? But what do you mean by kidnapping?”

“Exactly what it means. I kidnapped Osten while he was out for a stroll and made him an offer.”

Though the mood was souring, I told the truth. Things like this should be said upfront.

Otherwise, there could be unnecessary issues with trust later on.

Moreover, I was currently hiding my true identity. Revealing that now would just complicate things, so I had no choice.

Considering the future, it was better to be truthful except for my identity.

“Haha. Our boss sure has a way with words. It wasn’t a kidnapping – he just wanted to have a conversation with me.”

Osten smoothed over the mood with a laugh.

“I couldn’t get paid or sleep while working like a slave, right? So when he offered me a lot of money and guaranteed rest, I readily nodded my head. There was no coercion. Isn’t that right, boss?”

Was that so? If I had to nitpick, there wasn’t none. I had asked him to work for me.

But what he said wasn’t wrong either. If he had refused, I would have let him go. I had just assumed he wouldn’t refuse, so I went ahead like that.

“That’s right. I was prepared to let him go if he refused.”

“Ah, so it’s similar to my case. He came to talk. I was really surprised at first too.”

Osten nodded.

“Exactly! In a way, the boss liberated me from slavery.”

Hmm. I hadn’t really done that much for him, but their perspective made me the one feeling bewildered.

Was Osten similar to Aron in this regard?

It seemed so. They were finding a way to accept this sudden situation in a positive light.

What they said wasn’t entirely wrong, either.

I was a bit conflicted. I had no intention of appearing as an extremely good person to them.

Right now, they had too positive an impression of me. Should I correct them?

‘Hmm.’

My revelation about the kidnapping was also because of my future intentions. I couldn’t always do the right thing.

I’m not trying to create a righteous organization to confront the devil worshippers.

I intend to create an organization that can do what is necessary when needed.

I’m just a person struggling to survive in this continent, not someone working for the sake of everyone here.

‘I’ll just let it be.’

Since it was still the beginning, I didn’t think this atmosphere was too bad. They would gradually understand over time.

I had already witnessed Aron’s cruelty and trusted Osten’s loyalty.

The current conversation was partly their own rationalization for the path they had chosen.

Suddenly, Mary looked at me and asked,

“Then will brother and I get paid too?”

Like a brain for Aron, the child seemed quite sharp in this regard as well.

Aron swiftly dissuaded her.

“Mary, we were saved by Big Brother, while Brother Osten is a different case...”

“Of course. I helped you out for the sake of recruitment, but from now on, it will be an employment relationship.”

I took out a money pouch from my pocket and tossed it to them. I had earned a lot from the fighting pit anyway.

Seeing the contents of the pouch, Aron and Mary were aghast.

“Huh!”

“This... this much?”

“Let’s start with that amount, and we can discuss regular wages later.”

“Thank you!”

Aron suddenly bowed deeply.

Tears even welled up in his eyes. For an orphan, it was a large sum, but was it something to be this touched by?

“Big Brother! I will serve you wholeheartedly! Please, give me any order!”

Hmm...

It seemed the recruitment had gone even better than I had worried, which was a good thing, I supposed?

Author's Thoughts

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