Chapter 113:

“A decent guess.”

Kaseph lightly acknowledged my guess that it was an experiment to trap someone.

I didn’t bother mentioning that the target was Valheit.

Because if he asked how and why I thought so, I wouldn’t have a good answer.

“Certainly, to use it on an ordinary opponent, the Duke would have hundreds of more effective methods. This must mean he intends to use it on someone unconventional.”

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Of course. There are many ways to counter magic. But there are few known ways to counter a curse, and even fewer people who know them. It may not be enough to kill, but it is enough to weaken.”

Hearing the expert’s answer, I began to feel certain that the Duke of Leitche was the culprit.

Certainly, the Valheit of the original novel would have been an opponent who could only be faced after draining his strength using such a troublesome method.

‘How did Valheit die again?’

Come to think of it, until now, I had just thought it was enough to avoid it and had never meticulously analyzed that scene.

The one who killed him was Noah.

Being the protagonist, it was natural if you thought about it.

There was also the reason of avenging Blaiher.

However, the protagonist didn’t chase down and kill Valheit.

He received information from an anonymous source and raided the island where Valheit was staying.

Among readers, the established theory was that the ones who gave the information were the Dukes.

After all, during the Imperial Civil War, he had used the Dukes as he pleased and caused massive losses in a civil war he couldn’t even win.

In the end, he had also literally brought ruin to the Empire by killing Blaiher, who was about to ascend to the emperor's throne after concluding negotiations with the Dukes.

However, even then, there was a counterargument asking how the Dukes, who had exhausted all their strength in the civil war, could have pinpointed Valheit’s location so accurately.

Of course, it was quickly settled with ‘would the author have cared that much,’ but thinking about it now, it was indeed strange.

‘The island Valheit was on at the end was said to be near the White Continent. It wouldn’t have been easy for the Dukes on the Black Continent to get that information.’

This too was dismissed as the author glossing over it in his rush to advance the plot, but now that I had become Valheit, it was no longer a problem I could just pass over.

Since it was described as an island on the White Continent, far from the Empire, it was clearly not under Imperial jurisdiction.

In that case, there were three candidates left.

The Vestol Assembly, the Grand Duchy of Leitche, and the Demons of the continent’s north.

Among these, I excluded the Demons.

It was described as having a large building like a villa and traces of people having lived there before, so it was difficult to say it was the land of the Demons, who were scattered in tribes.

‘Vestol or Leitche. Considering the current flow, it’s probably Leitche’s land.’

If he lured Valheit to Leitche, bound his feet with a curse, and then drew in Noah, it all fit together.

The original Valheit probably walked into it without knowing it was a trap and was taken down.

If so, it also made sense why the Status Window had clamorously notified me it was a turning point when I found the clue to the curse incident.

I understood up to that point, but there were still many parts that remained a mystery.

As expected, the thing I couldn’t understand the most was why the Duke of Leitche killed Valheit.

The relationship between the Duke of Leitche and Valheit was on the decent side.

It wasn't just in the novel; even in the Status Window’s relationship chart, he was one of the people Valheit got along with, for Valheit’s standards.

Besides, hadn’t the two even made a secret promise?

Now, I might have acted differently, making him want to kill me, but in the original work, there was no reason for that.

“What are you pondering so hard about?”

“This and that, let's just leave it at that.”

“There’s no need to beat around the bush. You must be thinking about who the Duke is targeting. And you’ve probably reached a similar conclusion to mine.”

Hmm… I have no idea who Kaseph is thinking of.

No, before that, what does he know, and how did he know who I was thinking of?

“I don’t think so. But I will hear you out.”

When I told him to speak, Kaseph feigned indifference.

Bewildered by his actions, I was about to protest when Kaseph raised his hand.

“Caw!!”

Two burning crows fell from the tree.

Watching the crows flailing about, emitting a foul smell of burning meat, Kaseph clenched his fist, and in an instant, even their bones were burned to ash.

“Now that the onlookers have been taken care of, I suppose I can speak.”

“Since when were those things there?”

“Just before you returned.”

“Shouldn’t you have burned them earlier.”

“I didn’t know we would be having such a sensitive conversation.”

So, if it wasn't a sensitive conversation, it would have been okay for the crows to hear it?

Kaseph, perhaps sensing the contradiction in his own words, offered a brief excuse.

“You know that when they fail to gather any information, they become even more persistent.”

“Then does that mean the story we’re about to have is important enough to risk that persistence?”

“That’s right. Because it’s about her.”

Kaseph’s voice grew softer as he mentioned ‘her’.

Even after burning the spies without a trace just a moment ago, his attitude was cautious.

Is there anyone other than Anat whom Kaseph would refer to so cautiously as ‘her’?

“Personally, I don’t understand why she accepted trash like you all. Even now.”

“Isn’t it too much to suddenly launch a personal attack?”

“Do you think you’re a man who wouldn’t hear such things?”

The words I’d intended to lighten the mood only made it heavier.

Unlike usual, Kaseph’s voice was laced with a blazing anger.

“I always thought that someday, one of you would bite her neck. Or maybe both of you would bite at the same time.”

“My my, where has the comradeship gone?”

“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have even placed you in a position resembling a comrade.”

Kaseph’s sharp voice began to return to its usual indifferent, uninterested-in-anything tone.

“However, I’ve recently changed my mind. I’ve taken you off the list of suspects. You’re insidious and filthy, but you’re not twisted. Unlike the rumors.”

“Should I say thank you, or should I be angry that I was only taken off now.”

“Be thankful. It means I acknowledge you as her proxy.”

“How shameless.”

Though I grumbled, I was slightly relieved.

Honestly, seeing his attitude a moment ago, I was worried he might pick a fight here, but that wasn’t the case.

“That is why I was certain we had reached the same conclusion. The Duke’s target is definitely her.”

I barely swallowed the pardon?

That was about to come out.

No, I hadn’t even imagined that.

That never happened in the original work.

“He may be a frivolous and gloomy fellow, but the Duke of Leitche’s power and strength are considerable. It’s natural for the leader of a great power. There are not many who would require him to resort to such methods.”

“I think it might just be because his personality is gloomy.”

“Unlike you, who contemplates how to dispose of an opponent in the most unpleasant way, the Duke of Leitche values efficiency more. If there’s an easy way, he doesn’t refuse it. Unlike you.”

I was a little annoyed at the part where he mentioned ‘unlike Valheit’ twice, but I let it pass for now.

“The Duke’s method is usually to handle things by mobilizing the Ravens. To go to the extent of conducting an experiment in another’s land, it must mean the opponent is no ordinary one.”

“How does the Commander connect to this? Couldn’t he be preparing to capture you or me?”

“It’s simple. Because that fellow has been planning to kill her, the Saintess, for a long time.”

Huh?

Is that so?

No, in the original work, there was no particular movement even after Valheit died.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Why do you feign ignorance?”

To my question, Kaseph answered with a question of his own.

When I stood still, unable to grasp the meaning of his question, Kaseph kindly explained.

“I know that you and the Duke promised to eliminate her.”

***

The man looked down at the Demon trembling before him with emotionless eyes.

In contrast, the Demon with a rat’s tail kept checking the man’s expression with sidelong glances.

He was a man with an utterly ordinary face, but the Demon knew well what a cruel interior he hid behind it.

“So you need more time?”

“Th, that’s right. There’s the issue of some relay stations being hit, and the safety has not yet been sufficiently verified.”

“Are there any problems that could arise if we proceed as is.”

The Demon, thinking there was still room for persuasion, cleared his throat.

Proceeding with an experiment like this was madness.

“A-as you know, the purpose of this experiment is to see if a curse can be activated remotely.”

“Briefly. Just the main points.”

The man frowned as if displeased.

It was not a good sign.

The Demon quickly erased most of the words he had prepared from his mind.

“There is a high probability that it will not activate properly. A-and it’s also difficult to examine the process of why it failed. The more complex the structure, the harder it is to know for sure where the problem occurred….”

“So I gave you the time, land, and resources you requested, didn’t I? And there are still problems.”

“Yes, yes. You are absolutely right. I am grateful for the Duke’s support….”

Thwack!

His assistant, who had been sitting behind him, was knocked over by a kick to the face.

Thwack!

Thump!

A torrent of kicks rained down on the fallen, whimpering assistant.

As the pale-faced Demon frantically waved his hands, the man raised a hand to restrain his subordinate.

“Didn’t I tell you to stick to the main points?”

“I understand! So please do not harm my kin….”

“That depends on your answer.”

The Demon cleared his tightly constricted throat.

How did they end up in this state?

They should never have cooperated with the Leitche bastards from the beginning.

“In a situation where the structure is unstable like now, it is difficult to guarantee the experimental results or the post-mortem analysis.”

“Is that all?”

“Al, also, if the curse doesn’t misfire but is activated clumsily, there is a risk that the curse could spread not only throughout Ruhindorf but the entire surrounding area. Th, that is all for the explanation.”

The man rested his chin on his hand and looked down at the Demon.

The Demon shrank back even more, unable to tell if the man was contemplating whether to continue the experiment or whether to kill or spare him.

“One day.”

“Pardon?”

“Solve it within one day.”

That is physically impossible.

He wanted to argue back, but seeing his assistant wiping the blood flowing from his mouth, his own mouth wouldn't move.

“It doesn’t need to be a perfect success. I too know that an experiment can succeed or fail.”

The man gestured, and his subordinates came over to help the collapsed Demon to his feet.

He was forced to meet the ordinary man’s eyes.

“But you must produce results. That way, the Duke will also feel that helping you was worthwhile.”

“O-of course.”

“Focus only on whether you can cast the curse remotely. Stability and collateral damage are secondary issues. I assume you understand this much.”

“Yes, yes! I understand.”

As he answered loudly, the rough hands holding his shoulders were released.

The man approached and patted him on the shoulder.

“We have promised to guarantee your safety with our lives, so you can be aggressive.”

“B-but last time you said we shouldn’t….”

“That was because I was planning to return alive then.”

The man snorted and gave a bitter smile.

At the first glimpse of the man’s humanity, the Demon blinked his eyes.

Soon, however, that human aspect vanished without a trace.

“I will be back tomorrow night.”

As the Demon nodded his head vigorously, the man turned and left without a backward glance.

How did they end up in this state?

While lamenting inwardly, the Demon frantically racked his brain.

Now that it had come to this, he had to assume that a curse would be cast on this entire area and revise the plan accordingly.

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