* * *
Billord’s POV
I knew Noah Windsor. After all, my younger brother, Justin Lancaster, had mentioned him before.
“Noah Windsor. That guy is pretty prickly.”
He mentioned they had been roommates since their freshman year.
“But surprisingly, his innocence is kind of cute. He’s a good guy.”
That’s what Justin had said with a smile and eyes full of fondness.
My brother thought of you as a close friend. And how could you kill my brother? Just because he bought your sister’s nude painting, you killed him?
“Drop the gun!” I yelled, struggling to contain my urge to shoot him right then and there. “Noah Windsor!”
The murderer was Noah Windsor. The trap set by Carl Windsor and the police had ensnared him perfectly. Noah Windsor had shot in the head the cadet who came to purchase the painting of Danae Windsor.
“Stop! Or I will shoot!”
But Noah did not stop. Instead, he fired the gun once more.
Fine. Don’t stop, you b*stard. That way, I could get your head blown off.
I aimed my gun at Noah’s head. “I’ll shoot in three seconds! Three!”
Keep holding that gun.
“Two!”
Only then can I kill you!
“One!”
And Noah Windsor still did not drop his gun.
I pulled the trigger. Bang! The deafening gunshot echoed through the cathedral. And then…
Huh?
Nothing happened. Noah Windsor did not die.
“What the…”
A police officer watching from the side let out a strange groan.
“Why is the bullet there…?”
The bullet had lodged itself in a column far from Noah as if it had been deflected by something and changed direction.
No, that can’t be. That’s impossible.
I aimed again and fired. Bang!
The same thing happened again. The bullet meant for Noah ended up somewhere completely different. But this time, I noticed something. At the very moment I fired, a gunshot sounded from somewhere else.
Could it be? An absurd realization dawned on me. Someone’s hitting my bullets? No, that’s impossible!
I gritted my teeth and aimed carefully at Noah’s head. Bang, bang, bang, bang! I fired repeatedly at Noah, but it was the same every time. All the bullets, without exception, were deflected.
By then, the other policemen began to realize what was happening. There was a sniper intercepting my bullets.
“What is this…”
Someone exclaimed in utter shock. Intercepting bullets?! They had never heard of such a thing.
“Don’t panic! There’s a sniper inside the cathedral! Spread out and find them immediately!” I shouted, trying to suppress my unease.
Bang! A bullet lodged in my hand. Thud, my gun then fell.
That was just the beginning.
“Aack!”
“Ugh!”
Gunshots blazed, and bullets rained down, striking precisely the policemen’s hands, forcing them to drop their weapons.
“S-Stop it!”
“Where are you!”
“Where’s the sniper!”
“Hide, aack!”
Screams continued endlessly. The policemen were in a state of panic. The sniper was targeting only their hands, the ones holding weapons. It would be easy to hit their heads next.
It was when everyone was seized with that fear.
“Aaack!”
A police officer clutched his shoulder and collapsed. It was near the neck, just below his face, a dangerously close shot that, if grazed wrongly, could be life-threatening.
“Aack, aaack!”
Was it a mistake by the sniper, or was it intentional? Either way, it was clear that it had become a signal flare.
“R-Run away!”
“Get out of the cathedral first!”
The police officers, terrified, began to rush out of the cathedral. They were moving out of the sniper’s range, and it was the wisest response in the current situation. However,
“Get back here immediately!” I shouted at them. “Where do you think you’re going?! Get back here right now!”
But they would not return. Eventually left alone, I gritted my teeth while clutching my throbbing hand. And… Noah Windsor was watching me as if he found it all very amusing.
B*stard.
That cut the last thread of my sanity.
“Who the hell are you?!” I yelled towards the hidden sniper. “Who the hell is doing this?! Show yourself!”
While I continued to shout, my mind raced. I had to provoke them. Only then could I find a trace.
The sniper must be Noah’s accomplice, enraged for the same reason as Noah. Yes. Enraged by the nude painting of Danae Windsor.
“What’s so great about the nude paintings that you’re making such a fuss over them?!”
So, I took advantage of that point.
“What’s so great about that body that people are making such a big deal over a painting of her? Do you really think she’s a saintess just because people treat her like one?!”
Hahaha. I deliberately let out a crude laugh and shouted loudly.
“She’d probably do better as a courtesan! I’m sure she’d be very popular!”
It was the next moment. I finally spotted them. Creak—
Above! I lifted my head towards the high ceiling with all my might, then froze completely.
A monster was hanging from the ceiling. No, not a monster. It was a person. The figure, holding onto a giant chandelier with one hand and aiming a gun with the other, was undoubtedly—
Ah. Those eyes were burning like wildfire. The moment our eyes met, I was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of murderous intent. Goosebumps rose all over my body, and my pupils dilated. I thought I should run, but my legs felt rooted to the ground, unable to move.
No- there wasn’t even time for that. The figure had already fired the gun. Bang!
I’m going to die. That’s what I thought before someone stepped in front of me. A broad back blocked my view. Staring blankly at that back, I swallowed hard. Thump, thump, thump, my heart pounded as if it would burst out.
I thought I was going to die. No, I would have died. If this man had not stepped in front of me, without a doubt.
“Enough of this.”
The man slowly turned around after uttering words meant for someone unknown. It was Viego Windsor. He calmly spoke as he lowered his cane, which had intercepted the bullet.
“Step aside, Inspector Billord.”
I stared at Viego in a daze. Did he just block a bullet with his cane? How strong must that cane be, or rather- Is that even possible? Monster.
But there was an even greater monster loomed above. I couldn’t bring myself to look up again. It felt as if a demon was there, making me overwhelmed with fear.
“I will escort Noah Windsor to the court myself,” Viego said quietly. “So, step aside now.”
I had no choice but to nod in agreement. I didn’t even feel humiliated. There was no more anger. Only fear remained.
“Don’t lightly become enemies with Windsor. They’re monsters cloaked in human flesh.”
My father’s words from long ago were right.
Monsters.
They couldn’t possibly be human. Monsters cloaked in human flesh. It was clear they were monsters pretending to be humans.
* * *
Dana’s POV
After sending Carl to the cathedral, I headed to the mansion. Fortunately, Viego Windsor was there when I arrived. Viego didn’t ask many questions. He immediately listened to the information I provided and headed to the cathedral. Thanks to that, Noah Windsor was safely returned. Or more accurately, only his life was spared.
[The Identity of The Cadet-Murdering Murderer Is Noah Windsor]
[The Birth of A Seventeen-Year-Old Killer]
Noah Windsor was arrested. The evidence was too clear. A corpse was also found in his dormitory room. And it wasn’t just the corpse that was discovered in his room. Someone was found in the bedroom where his former roommate Justin once lived. A man with his tongue cut out, bound in iron chains. It was the missing painter, Bazellan Caravaggio.
Noah confessed all his crimes without resistance. Thus, a fierce trial began in court.
“That man must be executed!”
The families of the cadets he murdered rose up in protest. They were all from prominent noble families, including the Lancaster family, to which the current army commander belonged.
“He brutally murdered the cadets!”
“He killed my son! He must pay with his life!”
Public opinion leaned towards executing Noah Windsor. He was described as a heinous criminal who killed his own friends. However,
“I don’t know.”
With the emperor absent, the reaction of Raios Geranze, the highest authority in the empire now, was lukewarm.
“Frankly, it doesn’t seem like your sons’ lives were that precious.”
“Your Highness!”
“How could you say such a thing?!”
In response, Raios scattered documents to those families.
“This is…”
“Read it. It’s the evidence submitted by the Windsor family.”
The faces of the families turned pale as they read the documents. It detailed that the cadets were members of a secret club and had purchased paintings insulting Danae Windsor.
“As you all know, Danae Windsor is my fiancée. Yet, your precious sons seemed to have indulged themselves with the painting of my fiancée.”
At Raios’s cold sarcasm, everyone froze.
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