CHAPTER 7: I won’t fall for it a second time (3)

Ghislain had been pondering various possibilities as to how Elena had encountered an accident.

One of those possibilities was the existence of a traitor within the castle.

Of course, Ghislain had suspected even the escort knights, but to think it would turn out to be Jamal, who had protected Elena for so long.

"Well? Would you like to go see for yourself, young lord?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Ghislain nodded lightly and followed Jamal along with Elena.

They wove through the bustling crowd and soon found themselves in a quieter area that led into the slums.

Though it took a while to get there, Elena was thrilled by the prospect of seeing something new and walked eagerly.

The gloomy atmosphere of the slums frightened her a little, but with the escort knight by her side, she didn't seem too worried.

Ghislain quietly observed the other escort knight, Phillip.

'Is he in on this too?'

His flushed face and silence as he walked alongside them seemed a bit awkward.

In his past life, Elena, Phillip, and even Jamal had all been found dead.

If both of them were traitors, the reason for their deaths was obvious.

'They must have been silenced.'

The price of getting involved in a dangerous plot to kill the lord's daughter wasn't cheap.

Usually, it meant risking one's own life, but it seemed neither of them had thought that far ahead.

"Here we are!"

As they arrived at an open space, Jamal exclaimed with slight excitement.

Looking around, they saw that the open space was surrounded by rundown houses, each one showing signs of wear and tear.

Debris and garbage cluttered every path.

'I see.'

The heaps of trash created obstacles, making it hard to escape.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the setup had been intentional. At first glance, it looked like ordinary garbage, but it cleverly blocked any escape routes.

"What is this? It's just garbage everywhere."

Elena frowned. After taking the time to come all this way, she seemed angry that the surroundings weren't what she had hoped for.

As Elena's tone sharpened, Jamal waved his hand quickly.

"It's just that everything's not ready yet. Soon, people will come to show you something incredible."

"Hmph, forget it! I'm going back. Let's go, oppa."

Elena was no fool.

Though she spoke as if nothing was wrong, her unease was clear.

She had trusted her long-time escort knight, only to be led to a place filled with trash—her suspicion was justified.

"Young lady, won't it be a waste to leave without seeing the sights?"

Jamal stepped in front of Elena with a sly smile.

Until a moment ago, he had seemed nervous, but now his confidence was unmistakable.

"Move. I'm going back."

"Just wait a little longer."

"Phillip!"

Elena turned to Phillip with an angry expression.

But he only walked over and stood beside Jamal without a word.

"No way… both of you…."

Gripped by fear, Elena clung tightly to Ghislain's arm.

With both escort knights acting suspiciously, a dreadful premonition settled over her.

"Why… why are you doing this?"

She managed to open her mouth, but her voice trembled slightly.

Jamal chuckled as if it was nothing.

"I hold no grudge against you, young lady. You've always treated me kindly, and guarding you wasn't bad."

"Then… why…?"

He shrugged.

"A better offer came along, that's all. It's a little regretful that I won't see you again."

Jamal sneered, licking his lips.

"Alright, I brought her as promised! Let's wrap this up quickly!"

At Jamal's shout, three people emerged from a nearby rundown house.

One was a middle-aged man with an unremarkable appearance, flanked by two younger men.

All three had such ordinary looks that they could easily disappear in a crowd. Ideal faces for hiding in plain sight.

The middle-aged man glanced around and spoke to Jamal.

"Judging by the face, this seems to be the heir of Perdium family, right? I don't think he was part of the deal."

"Heh, right. He followed me like an idiot. I'll throw him in as a bonus—a gift."

"An unexpected windfall. This will lead to a much better outcome. Get ready."

At the middle-aged man's satisfied nod, the two younger men moved to block the escape routes.

Elena looked around in horror, her face pale.

"Jamal! What is the meaning of this?!"

Jamal chuckled, unfazed.

"I don't know. My job was just to bring you here. What happens next is up to these folks—whether they sell you as a slave or kill you."

"W-what?"

As Elena struggled to comprehend the shock, Ghislain stepped forward.

"So, you sold us out. Do you think you'll get away with this after pulling something like this within the estate?"

Despite Ghislain's warning, Jamal didn't seem particularly worried.

"We'll just take the money and flee far away. I'm sick of this wretched estate where all we do is fight. Aren't plenty of people already leaving Perdium?"

"But they're not causing trouble like you on their way out."

"Young lord, you weren't part of the plan; call it bad luck. Though, because of you, no maids came along, so you saved a few lives at least. Maybe you can consider that your final good deed. Haha."

"Bad luck…."

Ghislain gave a mysterious smile, which Jamal took as a sign of resignation and shook his head.

"Anyhow, sorry about this. My conscience stings a little, but there's no other way."

Yet despite his words, his expression showed no remorse.

Jamal sauntered over to the middle-aged man with a smug grin. Phillip, however, wore a somber expression, seemingly feeling a sliver of guilt.

Jamal sized up the middle-aged man before frowning.

"Seems a bit light-handed, don't you think? If you're messing around, I won't find it amusing. You know we're both knights, right?"

The middle-aged man took out a piece of paper and waved it.

"Relax. Carrying that much money around is a hassle. For large sums, we use the Northern Merchant Guild's credit notes."

"Tch, I'd prefer gold coins. If this is fake, I'll hunt you down myself."

The middle-aged man gave a thin smile and nodded.

"Don't worry. There won't be any issues. I guarantee it."

With the man's assurance, Jamal grudgingly took the paper.

As he drew his mana to confirm its authenticity, his eyes widened at the writing on it.

[Invitation to the Digald Ball]

The paper was a worthless invitation to a ball in a distant territory.

"You bastard!"

Just as Jamal shouted in anger and reached for his sword—

Thunk!

The middle-aged man, who had quietly drawn a dagger, stabbed Jamal in the stomach.

"Gah—!"

"Picked it up on the way. Not to your liking? Not a fan of balls?"

Without pausing, the man thrust his dagger into Jamal again and again.

Thud! Thunk! Thud!

As he ruthlessly stabbed Jamal multiple times, the middle-aged man stepped back slightly and continued speaking.

"It wasn't a lie. No one will raise an issue if you die here."

"You… you bastard… you tricked us…."

Jamal staggered and fell, clutching his stomach.

Both Jamal and Phillip had known the risks, but, confident in their skills as knights, they had gone ahead with the plan and had been outwitted by the middle-aged man.

"Aaargh!"

Beside him, Phillip, unable to contain his fury, drew his sword and charged at the man.

Clang!

The middle-aged man swiftly drew his own sword, blocking the attack with ease.

After a quick exchange of blows, the man gave a small nod of appreciation.

"Not bad."

True to his position as a knight of Perdium family, Phillip's skill was commendable.

But the middle-aged man was on a completely different level.

Slice!

As the man released more mana, Phillip's throat was cleanly sliced.

"Glurk."

Phillip, choking on blood, collapsed. The man calmly stepped forward and made sure to finish him off by beheading him completely.

Then, turning to the dying Jamal, who was bleeding heavily, he approached him.

"S-spare me…."

Jamal begged for his life even as he lay dying.

"Sorry, I prefer to be thorough."

"You… bastard…."

"Either way, thanks for your help. I'll make good use of your 'gift.'"

Without emotion, the middle-aged man severed Jamal's head.

After disposing of both men, he took out a pipe and lit a cigarette.

"Phew… Smoking tastes best at times like this. Now, shall we finish up?"

He turned to face the siblings, exhaling smoke.

Elena clutched Ghislain's arm even tighter, trembling and on the verge of tears.

Seeing someone beheaded before her eyes was terrifying, but what scared her more was that the same fate might await her.

"Oppa! Let's run!"

Elena tried to pull Ghislain away, desperate to escape, but he shook his head.

"It's alright. Let go. You're surprisingly strong, you know?"

"Let's get out of here!"

"Three opponents aren't much to worry about."

Ghislain smiled and tried to free his arm, but it wouldn't budge easily.

"Do you work out? Why are you so strong?"

"What?"

Elena looked at him in shock.

Watching this, the middle-aged man chuckled.

The rumors about Perdium's heir being a little unhinged seemed to be true.

Ignoring his enemy's mocking smile, Ghislain began to release his mana like fine threads, extending it across the entire space.

In his past life, he could have claimed this whole area as his domain, but that wasn't possible in his current state, so he spread the mana in fine strands.

'Thinner and wider.'

This kind of mana manipulation wasn't something just anyone could do.

Most knights had no knowledge of such a skill, and even if they did, they couldn't begin to grasp how to use it.

Only those who had mastered mana to the point of absolute control could use this technique.

Though his body was still developing, Ghislain's experience and knowledge far exceeded the norm.

Even with limited mana, he had no trouble using it with precision.

'No one else here.'

His mana threads caught nothing, confirming there were no other hidden individuals. Confident in this, Ghislain gently released Elena's grip on his arm.

"What's your name?"

The middle-aged man flicked his pipe and responded.

"…Out of respect, I'll tell you. It's Frank. Go ahead and curse me in the afterlife."

"It's not a local name. Who sent you?"

"That's none of your business."

At Frank's signal, the two men who had blocked the exits moved closer.

One of them turned to Frank.

"How should we handle this?"

Frank considered briefly before replying with detached precision.

"Beheading is too ordinary. Make a mess of their bodies so that the Count Perdium rages. Don't forget to keep them alive as long as possible. It looks better if they writhe in agony."

"Understood."

Thump.

Hearing this, Ghislain's heart raced.

Painful memories flooded back to him.

He remembered Elena's corpse, brutalized beyond recognition. He had wept and retched upon seeing her mutilated body.

He had never forgotten her final image, etched deeply in his mind.

'Not once have I forgotten.'

Blood rushed to his head, his face burning with fury.

Though excitement was dangerous before a battle, Ghislain let himself be swept away by the whirlwind of emotions. His hands trembled, his breath quickening.

Seeing this, Frank smirked.

'What a pathetic kid.'

The slight tremor in Ghislain's hand was enough for Frank to assess his poor skills.

But there was something strange…

'Is he smiling?'

Despite the situation, Ghislain was smiling. His eyes glinted with a frightening madness.

But what could a weakling like him possibly do? Frank brushed off his uneasy feeling and signaled to his subordinates.

"Looks like the rumors were true—you are insane. Get it over with."

The two men advanced on Ghislain.

Elena took a few steps back in fear.

"O-Oppa!"

Too worried about him to flee, she could only cry out his name in desperation.

At that moment, Ghislain muttered softly.

"Finally, I've found you."

"What?"

"I've been waiting for this moment."

"This bastard is—"

Ghislain's hand shot forward, grasping one man's neck.

"Guh—!"

Thunk!

His fingers pierced through the man's throat, causing blood to gush and soak his clothes.

"Gah… gah…."

The man dropped his sword, his body trembling.

With his blood-covered hand, Ghislain slowly pulled the man's face close.

His voice, filled with ecstasy, echoed.

"You'll never understand how long I've waited for this moment. I've dreamed of this all my life."

Without hesitation, he flung the man backward.

Thud!

The man's head was torn off, and his lifeless body fell onto the pile of garbage nearby.

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