“……”
Balak squinted his eyes.
The spacious bedroom was thick with the smell of burning.
Beside him was some object engulfed in flames.
In front of him lay something chopped into several pieces.
He casually pulled out a cigarette, ignited it with the flame from the burning object, and took a puff.
After inhaling, he exhaled.
Smoke billowed into the air.
As he blankly watched, the door swung open.
A figure clad in black armor stood there.
Emblazoned on their chest was a blazing symbol. The sun emblem.
They were a member of the Bevel family’s undercover unit, the Black Spot.
Blood soaked through the armor.
“I took care of everything, my lord.”
The knight saluted with poise.
Balak flicked ash from his cigarette onto the object in front of him and asked, his scarlet eyes gleaming ominously.
It was the symbol of the Bevel family mage, inherited from the fire.
When using magic, their eyes transform.
“You’ve handled everything, right?”
“Yes. I confirmed it multiple times. There are no survivors.”
“Good.”
Balak took another long drag from his cigarette.
Exhaling, he ash-ed onto the object again.
What lay before him was a dismembered corpse.
In front of him was the father of Marchioness Sardis.
Beside the burning remains was the mother.
As of today, anyone who bore the Sardis name was erased from this world.
After weeks of relentless pursuit, he left not a trace.
Men, women, elderly, children—none were spared.
They were thoroughly obliterated.
However, the Sardis family was not entirely gone.
A loyal subordinate that Balak had picked would carry on the name, allowing the legacy of the Marchioness to live on.
So that Eliya wouldn’t discover this fact.
The decapitated body of Marchioness Sardis’s father was charred black all over.
Except for his face.
Despite having lost his head, he was still alive.
Balak had forcibly kept him alive using healing magic.
Yet he couldn’t speak.
He could only gasp weakly, lips moving as he fought for breath.
His eyeballs—cooked—stared blankly into space.
Balak looked down at him and gestured to the Black Spot.
The Black Spot promptly dragged over a bag.
A bag that had been carried for today.
As Balak rummaged through it, he pulled out something round and placed it in front of the father’s face.
It was a human head.
The head of the Marchioness Sardis, who dared to commit unspeakable acts against Eliya.
He had preserved it frozen to prevent decay.
The sharply cooked father of Sardis had no idea he had a son standing before him.
Balak rubbed out the cigarette butt on Sardis’s head.
Then, he spoke with indifference.
“We’re heading back.”
“Yes!”
*
Balak’s carriage rolled away from the burning mansion.
Surrounding him, the Black Spot rode on horseback, forming a formation.
Balak exhaled deeply while seated in the one-person carriage.
He sank into the plush chair.
Dark circles were evident beneath his closed eyes.
It had been weeks since he’d had a proper rest.
It was not just the annihilation of the Sardis family and other official duties weighing on him.
Since he had sent Narcissi into exile, he’d been bombarded with letters from her.
“How could this happen?”
Balak realized no one could be blamed.
He had never expected Narcissi would strike Eliya.
But had he been a little more attentive, such a thing might not have happened.
His share of the blame was significant.
The pleas from the children were no small matter either.
Especially the fifth daughter, raised under the adoration of Narcissi.
Except for Eliya, the youngest Sara whined incessantly about it.
But Narcissi had violated the family’s internal regulations.
Even if family was precious, one could not stand above the rules.
Moreover, Narcissi’s exile was quite generous.
The place she was sent to was more like a resort than a punishment.
Given her personality, she would be enraged just by being exiled.
Not only that.
Judas.
That insufferable brat.
He wanted to clean him out, but because of Eliya, he couldn’t.
Judas was the child Eliya had chosen.
He recalled the look in his daughter’s eyes when she gazed at Judas.
A gaze filled with affection he had never seen before.
Barefaced and unrefined.
While he was surely a useless father, seeing such a side of Eliya was shocking beyond comprehension.
So he wanted to verify it.
Just how magnificent that child was.
Whether he was worthy of her.
Unable to step out himself, he sent a few people in his place, but they ended up committing acts beyond instructions.
No, they had already done it.
What on earth had they done for Eliya to instruct Selene’s mayor to take administrative action directly?
Dalant and Gaston.
There are two reasons why they would do something they weren’t asked to do.
Excessive loyalty.
Or, under the guise of excessive loyalty.
There was so much to handle that he couldn’t afford to check.
Such matters were trivial compared to the real issue.
His great ambition.
Knowing Eliya felt neglected, yet he had to neglect some of his wishes.
Even if he knew that was an excuse, Balak had no choice.
It was an undertaking too large and grand.
One of the reasons he had attached Ria to him.
The news of his key contact essential to this ambition went silent.
It was said he was going on a pilgrimage.
‘If that project succeeds, everyone would be rewarded… why at this moment…?’
Angra.
Balak was searching for him.
*
“Do you think Balak is targeting Dillon and Richard? As a means to pressure you?”
Shylock spoke.
I didn’t answer right away.
I had checked the possibility.
However, it felt somewhat unclear.
“I think it could be, but… I believe there’s another objective.”
“What might that be?”
“…I don’t know?”
“……”
“I said I think there’s another objective, not that I know what it is.”
“You must have reason to think that.”
“It just feels… a bit off, doesn’t it?”
Shylock and Hermis fell silent as if pondering my words.
“Honestly, I also thought the Duke was targeting Dillon and Richard at first. It’s not just this situation with Gaston; something similar happened once before. Last weekend, I had to take a request…”
I recounted what I experienced over the weekend to Shylock.
Richard found collapsed in an alley.
Adult men assaulting him.
It overlapped with the scene where Dillon was attacked.
“Those men recognized Lady Eliya immediately.”
“That’s suspicious. Until I was assigned here, I had no idea what the young lady looked like.”
“Someone must have tipped them off, right?”
“Probably. Where did you go then?”
“Sel….”
…Thump!
Selene.
The name of the city I had gone to help Priest Aquinas.
I tried to say the city’s name.
I remembered it.
But for some reason, a heaviness settled in a corner of my chest.
My heart pounded painfully hard.
It had been like this last time too.
When I confirmed the task I received from there, I felt something strange in my chest.
“Judas? Why are you suddenly… ah, crap. Is it the place you were hit earlier? I should have taken you to the infirmary….”
“Are you okay, Judas?”
I waved my hand to dismiss the worried looks from the two.
The Bevel family emblem etched into Shylock and Hermis’s clothing.
The sun emblem.
Seeing that made my stomach churn a bit more.
“No, it’s fine. I’m okay.”
I forced out my words with great effort.
It didn’t sound okay at all.
‘Why is this happening…?’
Though my stomach felt tight, I couldn’t let this drag on.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even hit. I’ll go check later. Anyway, it’s Selene, that city.”
“Selene? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I didn’t mention it to you, but I’ve been keeping an eye on Dalant and Gaston this whole time.”
Since the moment Shylock decided to confide in me and promised to be on my side, he started watching those two closely.
In case there was any suspicious activity, he’d report to me.
“But in the last few days, Dalant has been frequently going back and forth to Selene. At first, I thought nothing of it, but hearing what you just said…”
“Dalant must be involved in actions targeting Richard.”
“Very likely.”
If that’s the case, the pieces fell into place.
The reason the protection money from Richard’s orphanage had suddenly skyrocketed in recent weeks.
The reason the thugs recognized Eliya.
It all stems from one source.
Balak’s meddling with Dalant.
‘Was it really necessary to tip them off about Eliya’s appearance?’
Shylock provided the answer to that question.
“It seems Dalant is more cunning than we thought.”
“Yeah?”
“Right after he figured out you were going to Selene for a request, he immediately informed them. He couldn’t overlook even a slim chance they might encounter you, so he tipped them off about Lady Eliya.”
Shylock said he hadn’t been too concerned with my movements.
With Hermis following me, he didn’t see a reason to worry.
The other two were different.
They had been keeping a watchful eye on my movements.
Waiting for an opportunity to strike.
That seems plausible.
Balak was trying to pressure me in any way he could.
Using someone close to me as a means, he targeted Dillon and Richard.
A petty and common tactic.
“It makes sense, but it feels really strange.”
“In what way?”
“Though I don’t know the Duke well, would he really go to such lengths?”
“Hmm… that’s true. Duke Balak is renowned for his decisive actions. Once he sets a target, he pulls them out by the roots.”
Shylock echoed my suspicions.
“He might bring up collective punishment and kill whole families, but this feels… ambiguous. But what have you done to offend the Duke?”
With Lady Eliya on the same bed…
No, that’s my fault?
Eliya barged in without permission!
“Why did your face suddenly turn red?”
“…It’s not.”
“You look really red!”
Hermis even chimed in, looking at my face.
I hurriedly shook my head.
“Anyway, I defied the Duke during the Lady’s birthday party.”
“Why on earth would you do that?”
“Well, there was a reason. Am I supposed to ask for death?”
“For you, that wouldn’t be unusual.”
“It was a matter concerning the Lady, so I’m not going into detail.”
“Hm, right. I understand the desire to protect a favored master.”
“Exactly…”
“Both of you shut it. Anyway, I’m not sure if this applies, but isn’t the method the Duke chose a bit juvenile?”
“That’s precisely the fitting description.”
I had felt similarly last time.
What Balak was doing felt too childish and crude.
It felt exactly like…
“This is just my impression, but it feels oddly like he’s testing me…”
“…Testing?”
Shylock and Hermis repeated that word, looking bewildered.
Then they broke into laughter, clutching their bellies.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“Ah, haha! The Duke is testing you? What, are you kidding? Surely, you must mean as a suitor for Lady Eliya?”
“That’s right! Absolutely! To become a son-in-law requires strict examination!”
“No! When did I say that!”
Shylock and Hermis laughed until their faces were flushed.
I held my throbbing head in front of them.
After a long while, Shylock gathered himself, wiping his eyes, while Hermis was still grinning at me.
“Ah, I haven’t laughed this much in a while. Thank you.”
“……”
“So, a test. Hmm.”
“It’s natural that you would need a test to stay by the Lady’s side.”
“Please stop…!”
“But didn’t you say those words yourself?”
“That’s true, but…”
Hermis chuckled.
Shylock, still with remnants of laughter, added a rather plausible theory.
“Let’s assume what you said is true. Then it’s a unilateral act by Gaston and Dalant, right?”
“To test whether I’m a lawful suitor…”
I promptly covered Hermis’s mouth.
“Regardless! If my hypothesis is right…”
“Hmm…”
Shylock pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Maybe they’re trying to please the Duke.”
“To please?”
“Yes. They received orders, but when it came time to execute, the target turned out to be someone quite troublesome, like you.”
“……”
“So, they might be looking for another breakthrough to prove their loyalty.”
“There could be other reasons.”
Hermis had finally released my hand.
It seemed like he was trying to say something normal, so I granted him the floor.
“Usually, when someone tries to hide some secret, they show excessive loyalty.”
“That does have a point.”
“Ultimately, nothing is certain.”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
“Why have there been so many enemies…?”
“You’ve monopolized Lady Eliya di Bevel’s attention, so you have to bear the consequences, don’t you?”
Shylock said jokingly, perhaps to console me.
I groaned in response.
“I’d die if I got attention twice…!”
“I suppose I’ll have to watch over you more closely at the training facility. More than before.”
“Yes, please do.”
I asked him to keep an eye on Gaston and Dalant closely.
He readily agreed, promising to immediately report any suspicious behavior, no matter how minor.
As I was about to leave, Shylock casually threw a question at me.
“You’re aware that the young lady knows about this, right?”
“Yes, I’ve heard.”
“How about directly asking her for help?”
“Help?”
“Yes. As you know, I’m now on Lady Eliya’s side. The content of today’s discussions will definitely reach her. Honestly, I’m not sure what that little lady is thinking. So, if you ask her for help, she would surely do anything for you—for her beloved knight’s sake.”
In that instant, Eliya’s soft smile flashed in my mind.
Her face, smiling innocently as she touched the Moon Deer.
Just thinking about it brought a bit of comfort to my heart.
I quickly shook off that fragile emotion.
I had to solve my own problems.
Eliya would be busy with her own matters.
Above all, it wasn’t something she was unaware of.
She seemed to have some thought of her own; she would know how to handle things.
Furthermore, there was no reason for Eliya to go out of her way to help me when she had to endure trouble and danger.
I replied to Shylock with a slight chuckle.
“Come on, there’s no way that could be. Plus, it seems the young lady has something in mind too. I wouldn’t want to intervene and cause her concern.”
“…Oh.”
Shylock spoke as if he had come to a realization.
Hermis, beside him, also appeared enlightened and started clapping.
“Could it be mutual affection rather than unilateral?”
“…Ah ha!”
“I’m leaving now.”
*
After me came Richard and then Dillon, entering in that order.
Neither of them took very long.
From the atmosphere, it seemed Dillon hadn’t been entirely forthcoming in his personal consultation.
Comparing it with Shylock, I managed to piece together the general background.
Balak. Gaston. Dalant.
Their targets, Dillon and Richard.
However, it leaned more toward their independent actions than Balak’s orders.
‘Have those two become endangered because of me…?’
I could now understand why Dillon was keeping quiet.
It involved the instructor and knight, Gaston, at the training facility.
He must have judged that he couldn’t confide in Shylock, who was also an instructor.
I sent Hermis outside to have some talk with Dillon and Richard separately.
“Follow me.”
Richard called out to Dillon, who was just exiting.
Dillon dutifully followed without question.
Of course, I followed along too.
We moved to a corner of the training facility.
“Are you still going to keep quiet?”
Dillon glanced back and forth between me and Richard.
Reluctantly, he opened his mouth.
The story he revealed was exactly as I had predicted.
The incident started like this.
Last weekend.
Dillon, who remained at the training facility, saw a group including Envinil and Salaman hanging around.
They were all from the same room.
5th Room.
So, nothing spectacular.
However, Dillon had heard rumors circulating in another section about me.
It seemed Envinil was near the source of those rumors.
“You heard a rumor? What rumor?”
Richard frowned and asked.
“Nothing much. Just the usual nonsense, you know? Idiots talking shit behind people’s backs.”
I said nonchalantly.
Honestly, I wasn’t bothered at all.
I was well aware of the background of why such incidents occurred, and I had enough control over about half of it.
But Richard and Dillon weren’t as calm as I was.
“Judas… you knew all this.”
Dillon said self-deprecatingly.
“You should’ve told me if that was the case! Are you joking?”
Richard snapped.
I hadn’t anticipated this kind of reaction at all.
I knew these two were nosy, but I didn’t expect them to care this much about me.
“It’s not that big of a deal, really. Just some rumors floating around… I found out about Gaston and the 5th Room today. And you also heard what happened over the weekend…”
“Shut it.”
“Yes.”
“Weekend?”
Dillon asked, while Richard shot me a glare before reluctantly revealing the information.
Dillon already seemed to know about the orphanage.
But it wasn’t the protection money.
After hearing it all, Dillon shook his head.
“You’re the same as me, then.”
“Should I ask you for money or something?”
“Well, can’t you at least share the information…?”
Dillon, who was about to retort, fell silent.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
If we all talked, we could help each other out, but they were both holding back for fear of being a burden.
Each was just as stubborn as the other.
No one had any excuses.
Eventually, Richard and Dillon shared a look and laughed helplessly.
“So, what do we do about those 5th Room idiots?”
“What do you mean? Gaston must be watching over them.”
“Are we just going to sit back and take it? I won’t tolerate that with this guy.”
By an unfortunate coincidence, I found myself associated with Richard’s mentality.
But since it was true, I just nodded in agreement.
Honestly, I was more guilty than they put on.
“Are you really thinking of charging into the 5th Room?”
“Should we?”
“At least act like you’re considering it… please.”
‘Considering’ it.
Was there no way…?
*
While moving in the carriage, Hermis seemed different today.
He rested his chin on his hand, wearing a serious expression.
He seemed to be deep in thought.
“Hermis?”
“…Ah! I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Do you have any concerns?”
“Um….”
Hermis gazed intently at my face.
Should I say something or not?
With a contemplative expression.
Eventually, she lightly laughed it off.
“Never mind.”
“I can’t shake the feeling you’re hiding something.”
“I’ll tell you next time.”
“Well, okay.”
I had no intention of forcing it out of her.
I had issues to ponder myself.
‘Balak, Gaston, Salaman, and even Dalant.’
Balak was too big a player to touch right now.
I couldn’t even fathom his true intentions.
So, let’s skip over him.
What about the others?
The most likely candidate would be Salaman.
He was a fellow candidate.
How could I turn this situation back?
I didn’t really have to dwell on it.
The incident that would challenge them directly was about to unfold.
*
The mock war session.
The first match was set between the 13th Room and the 5th Room.
The power discrepancy between the two rooms was stark.
The top-ranking 5th Room.
The mid-ranking 13th Room.
Everyone expected the 13th Room to lose.
On the day of the training session, Eliya arrived at the field where the mock battle would take place.
She was informed that this was orchestrated by Gaston.
She was certain something would happen.
She was curious to see what Judas would display this time.
In the distance, she saw the personnel of the 13th Room.
First and foremost in her view was Judas.
It couldn’t be helped.
He held a distinctive aura all on his own.
Next was a boy who was shouting noisily from the center.
It was Richard.
“I’ll kill all those bastards from the 5th Room! Anyone have objections!”
“None!”
“I’ll kill them all over again after they’re dead! Got it!”
“Yes!”
Dillon didn’t whisper that murder wasn’t allowed today.
After all, nobody would genuinely die.
The weapons used were all dull wooden swords.
It was merely a statement to boost morale.
Judas was also properly balancing excitement and composure as he prepared for battle.
Eliya found his demeanor captivating and watched intently.
It was clear the group was pumped up.
A certain fervor. A sense of camaraderie. Friendship, perhaps.
She had heard of the trials Judas had faced.
She was aware of the stories of Richard and Dillon surrounding him.
Judas had expressed rage over their plight, as if it were his own, and acted upon it.
That was truly fascinating.
What could they be?
What was their bond?
Flipping through a mental dictionary, the answer came to her quickly.
‘Friend.’
It wasn’t a complex vocabulary, but it felt incredibly challenging and foreign to Eliya.
A concept she had never known existed.
Even her existing family merely wore façades.
Let alone friends, a relationship that required nurturing.
What kind of relationship was friendship, she pondered, and suddenly thought of Judas.
When scrutinized from all angles, Judas dwelled quite close to the idea of ‘friend’ for Eliya.
Having come up to such a conclusion, Eliya chuckled softly.
‘What nonsense.’
There was no way such a relationship could sprout.
Judas was merely an interesting object of study.
If she had to categorize it, he was more of a research subject.
At the same time, a target for exploitation.
Above all, they maintained a rigid hierarchy.
The lady, Eliya.
The one who must serve her, Judas.
There was no room for personal feelings to interfere.
Now and forever.
Eliya cast a massive alert spell centered on this field.
A magical barrier enveloped the ground in a dome shape.
A triple-layered barrier.
Because there were too many individuals aiming for her, this was a magic she prioritized learning.
Since mastering it, she had been using it whenever she went anywhere.
The feeling of nothing being able to breach the barrier provided her with a sense of subtle relief.
‘If Gaston plans anything, he’s bound to get snagged in the barrier.’
Just then, someone stepped forward in front of the 13th and 5th Rooms.
It was Gaston.
He was representing the supervising instructors for today’s mock battle.
“Now, I’ll explain the rules for today’s ‘Capture the Flag.’”
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