CH 78

I thought of Duke Angellus, who seemed harmless enough, but had the appearance of a savage weasel.

“So, physiognomy really is a science., isn’t it…….” 

(T/N: the supposed art of judging a character from facial characteristics.)

I knew he was up to no good within the empire, but I hadn’t realized he was capable of ordering a murder, let alone one against me.

“You don’t seem surprised.”

I smirked and nodded at Raeyan’s words. There was certainly something to be inferred.

“He’s quite a character. And Duke Angellus doesn’t get along well with my father.”

‘No, are there any families that get along well?’

Among the four major families, we had a somewhat amicable relationship with the Kreundel family.

In any case, this was a storyline that also appeared in the original work.

The original villain, Dorothea, had all the support of her father, Duke Angellus, to torment Estelle, the adopted daughter of Perdia, almost to death.

Duke Angellus harbored a deep inferiority complex to Duke Perdia.

So, knowing that the Duke of Perdia cherished Estelle, he tried to eliminate her in order to bring him down.

‘Could it be that I’ve taken on Estelle’s role?’

Given that my relationship with the Duke of Perdia was different from the original estrangement, it seemed like that was the case.

But there was something bothering me. If my hypothesis was correct, the first attack couldn’t be explained.

At that time, I had just regained the memories of my past life, and I’d just made the Duke of Persia furious with a declaration of annulling the engagement.

In any case, the assassins’ claim that Duke Angellus was behind the attack was credible.

“What do you plan to do with Duke Angellus?”

“Hmm. It’s not like I can do anything about him.”

I was just a noblewoman’s daughter; Duke Angellus was the head of a family.

Understanding my point, Raeyan suggested another way.

“Then, what about talking to the Duke of Perdia?”

“If we do that… it will lead to a territorial war, won’t it?”

A territorial war, a war between territories that takes place under the emperor’s tacit approval.

The victorious family could absorb the other family’s lands, but at great cost. Regardless of who won, soldiers and residents of both families would be sacrificed.

“But we can’t leave it like this.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to stand idly by.”

As long as Duke Angellus continued to target me, it would hinder my independence, so I had to deal with him.

I couldn’t stay within Perdia’s walls forever.

Of course, the fact that I didn’t know when the next attack would happen made me uneasy. I had no desire to die.

However, there was something I believed in.

“Raeyan will continue to protect me.”

“Yes. No matter what happens.”

“Then, that’s settled.”

Based on the series of events that had taken place so far, I was convinced that Raeyan would never abandon me to my fate.

Whatever his intentions, his first priority was always to protect me. He successfully thwarted this attack, so I had no worries about the next one.

Still, it was probably a good idea to carry more poison. There might be circumstances where Raeyan couldn’t intervene.

As I pondered which poison to pack, I suddenly looked up at Raeyan.

“But seriously, how did you manage to get the assassins to talk?”

It didn’t faze him when I threatened him before.

On the other hand, it didn’t take long for Raeyan to figure out that the mastermind behind it all was Duke Angellus.

But Raeyan avoided my curious gaze.

“It’s better not to know.”

“Why? I’m curious!”

“It’s cruel.”

“I’m about to come of age. I’m an adult too!”

Raeyan paused. With a new look of surprise, he looked at me and replied firmly, “Then I’ll tell you when you come of age.”

It wasn’t cruel at all. Not a drop of blood was shed.

But since Raeyan had no intention of telling me, I had to give up. But he still didn’t seem to realize how persistent I was.

‘After I come of age, you’ll see.’

***

After Elodie left, Raeyan secluded himself in the office and took care of the mercenary business.

Paperwork wasn’t his favorite pastime, but it was what he had to do to keep the mercenaries rolling.

Scratch, scratch. Raeyan’s hand, which elegantly signed documents, suddenly stopped.

“I’m about to come of age. I’m an adult too!”

He knew it already, but Elodie was still young. Not yet of age. He had overlooked her youthfulness because of her remarkably calm demeanor at times.

“…How much time is left?”

Raeyan pondered over the “time.”

Thud!

Someone rudely knocked on the door to the office.

“Come in, Mark.”

Raeyan already knew who was outside just by sensing their presence. As he granted permission for entry, the door swung open.

“Captain! I’m so annoyed!”

“You didn’t need to annoy me just because you’re annoyed.”

“Heuk, are you annoyed now?”

“Yeah.”

Knowing well that provoking the captain would not end well, Mark quickly retracted his actions.

Raeyan put down his pen and tilted his head.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Umm, you know those guys we captured this time, the ones that go on a rampage as soon as they wake up?”

“Still got the energy for that.”

It was clear that Raeyan had already explained it clearly enough earlier, but they still hadn’t regained their senses.

As Raeyan stood up from his seat, Mark hurriedly followed behind and asked, “Are you going down?”

“That seems certain.”

“I feel sorry for them.”

It was a genuinely sympathetic remark. Despite his playful demeanor, the captain was a terrifying figure to Mark.

Raeyan’s footsteps were resolute as he descended back to the underground.

The assassins were locked in the furthest room.

“Ugh, uugh!”

Rayan stared down at the assassins, who were indeed having a seizure, as Mark had reported.

“I warned you.”

Thump. The assassins’ struggles stopped instantly at Raeyan’s entrance.

In the dim underground that could hardly be called light, Raeyan’s crimson eyes sank menacingly.

How dare they try to harm his master.

Fear crept into the assassins’ eyes as they felt the chilling gaze.

The terrifying image they had witnessed in front of them just a while ago enveloped their bodies once more.

“Uugh…….”

They were trained killers. They were confident that no amount of threats or torture would make them talk. Naturally, they were not afraid of death.

But…….

Thud.

“……!”

With just a single step taken by Raeyan, they trembled greatly.

The horror they had experienced was imprinted on their bodies and they couldn’t stand it.

“Do you still have something to say?”

Raeyan used his gloved hand to ungag one of the assassins.

It was at that moment.

The action of the assassin sticking out his tongue made Mark immediately move. 

“Oh, no. You can’t die just yet.”

Mark, who had been waiting, quickly approached and tightened the weakened gag. He didn’t forget to securely fasten their shackles as well.

“You’re trying to kill yourself, aren’t you?”

“…….”

As the assassin stared silently into Raeyan’s gaze, they froze as if turned to stone.

‘Oh no……’

An emotionless gaze without a trace of mercy. The assassins trapped here all thought of the same thing.

‘Who’s behind this?’

The memory of the man with crimson eyes who had appeared before them earlier.

Of course, there was no one to answer that question.

They thought the question would be followed by brutal torture, but it was not.

The man simply looked down at them. And then, the shadows that had deepened around the candle suddenly began to flicker.

Swoosh–

Like ink spreading in transparent water, their entire field of vision started to be engulfed in darkness.

Darkness.

An endless abyss.

No matter how loudly they screamed or how wide they opened their eyes, they could hear nothing and see nothing in the pitch-black darkness.

An immeasurable amount of time passed. No, in reality, they had no way of knowing how much time had passed.

How did this happen?

How long would they have to stay like this?

Just before they were driven mad with various thoughts, their vision returned.

“Gah!”

Before they could comprehend what had happened, an indifferent voice slammed into their heads.

‘Tell me who’s behind this. Unless you want to be trapped in the shadows again.’

‘Uh…’

‘It seems like you want to lose your mind in an empty space with nothing left.’

‘T-that.’

‘I am different from my master. I have no mercy. I won’t grant you a peaceful rest like death.’

To think there was torture from which they couldn’t escape even in death. In a brief moment, someone who felt a strong crisis from being trapped in the shadows cried out desperately.

‘Ah, Duke Angellus!’

Once a confession was made, the rest was history. The assassins turned tail, not wanting to go through that horrible experience again.

But after Raeyan left the basement, they couldn’t stay still due to the restlessness gnawing at their bodies.

They didn’t know when the man with the crimson eyes would change his mind and throw them back into the darkness.

They thought it would be better to end their own lives rather than be trapped there again.

But they failed.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Cough, ugh!”

As they pleaded for mercy with the shackles still attached, they felt a glimmer of salvation.

“Captain, Captaaaiin! Are you here? Milo just came!”

Ignoring Mark’s shout, Raeyan glanced at him briefly.

“It would be best to listen to the report first, right?”

“…….”

After seeing the assassins once, Raeyan turned around and ascended the stairs.

The first thing Raeyan did after leaving the basement was to take off the gloves he was wearing and throw them into the trash bin.

He didn’t want to keep wearing the dirty gloves that had come into contact with them.

“What a waste.”

Ignoring Mark’s comment, Raeyan sat down in his chair and looked at the members, including Milo, who had been waiting there.

They were covered in dust, as if they had just finished their mission.

“Report.”

“We went to the coordinates the captain mentioned…… um.”

Milo shut his mouth, clearly annoyed at the delay, and his companion stepped forward.

“You stay in the back, you lazy bastard. I’ll report, Captain.”

Raeyan gave a small nod, and the member reported.

“We went to the place you said, but there were already people there before us.”

“People who arrived before you?”

“Yes. They are most likely the ones who attacked Lady Perdia. After collecting the bodies, they moved them onto a carriage and changed the location. So, we immediately concealed our presence and pursued them.”

“And the destination?”

“Baron Magnua’s estate. They went straight into the manor with the cart.” 

Baron Magnua. 

He was known to be a vassal of the Duke of Angellus. This added more credibility to the assassins’ confession.

“They carried the assassins’ bodies to the manor? Why?”

Mark shrugged at his question.

“I don’t know. They set up a barrier over the entire manor.”

“A barrier? Setting up a barrier to that extent means they’re doing something that shouldn’t be known to others.”

They were the ones who attacked Elodie. It was important to know what they were doing behind the scenes.

“Did you try breaking through and going inside?”

In response to Raeyan’s question, the member chuckled bitterly.

“It was a barrier created by a power, so we couldn’t sneak in.”

The only things that could oppose a power were either another power or a sin.

So, there was no way ordinary humans like them could break through.

Mark, who had been lost in thought, reached a conclusion.

“Well, it seems like the captain needs to go and see for himself.”

Raeyan frowned. He didn’t mind traveling to the Magnua estate.

There was a bigger problem than that.

‘….I have to escort Elodie.’

There would be no escort for the time being.