“Commander, didn’t I tell you he’s really different from ordinary people?”
Cassius spoke proudly as Reinhardt, who was walking alongside him, nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Considering that it takes even the knights who have opened their auras half a year just to imbue their power into their swords, Walter is truly among the best of the best.”
They were currently heading to the backyard that the militiamen were using as a training ground.
There, under the pale moonlight, Walter was training his body.
His sharp gaze was so intense that he seemed not to care about the late hour and the cold weather, to the point that some of the fellow members training with him didn’t even register in his sight.
Reinhardt watched Walter’s agile movements, which were different from a week ago, and then placed his hand on Cassius’s shoulder.
“Shall we test him if it’s not just hard training on the surface?”
“Shall we?”
Cassius grinned, grabbed the wooden sword from the stand, and lunged straight at Walter.
Clang―!
Walter instantly assumed a defensive stance, and the two wooden swords collided heavily.
“You should’ve warmed up before rushing in like that.”
Walter said with a smirk and launched a counterattack with a wide swing.
『 Ach!』
In response to an unbelievable sword technique unleashed by Walter, Cassius instinctively leaned back, narrowly avoiding it.
The tips of his hair were slightly trimmed and scattered in the air.
『 This is insane…』
The Commander’s statement that handling magical power was more challenging than handling aura didn’t seem to apply only to Walter.
Just as Walter aimed for Cassius’s torso…
Swish—
Reinhardt swung his wooden sword with an unwavering posture.
Walter anticipated the attack and turned his body simultaneously.
With a ‘clang’ sound, the swords made contact and trembled.
“Ugh, that was fast.”
“Are you trying to show off in the middle of the night?”
Walter’s eyes sparkled as he inquired about the reason for the sudden attack. Instead of being surprised by the unexpected attack, it was the look of someone who was enjoying it.
Reinhardt channeled all his strength into the wooden sword and signaled to Cassius.
Just as Cassius rushed toward Walter’s exposed back…
Swish—
In an instant, Walter’s intense magical power caused both Cassius and Reinhardt’s swords to bend.
It would have been easier to break the swords than to control magic and transform their shapes.
Cassius and Reinhardt both clicked their tongues as they looked at their swords, which had suddenly turned into sticks.
“As your teacher, I’m proud, but it does feel a bit frustrating.”
“You’ve improved again, Walter. Next time, we should have others join in too.”
“What are you two doing out so late at night?”
As Walter withdrew his magic, the swords returned to their original forms.
Instead of Reinhardt, who lightly raised his eyebrows, Cassius responded.
“In a few days, Sophia Fortrion and Whitman will be taken to a convent.”
Walter immediately understood what he meant.
“Since people who want to criticize Nicholas Fortrion could gather in one place, we should let them see what the bloodsucking Viscount’s manor looks like.”
While the tone was playful, there was a deep-seated anger in Walter’s voice directed toward Fortrion, who had taken seven years of his life.
His anger would lead the enraged people gathered in The Temple to Fortrion Manor, seat Helen as the head of the house, and bring an end to Nicholas’s era in disgrace.
Cassius felt a strange thrill when he thought that the big picture Walter had been painting for a long time was nearing completion, thanks to Edith giving him the accounting ledgers.
At the same time, the thought of the Fourth Lady who was still trapped in the manor crossed his mind.
『 I wonder what exactly happened between them. They’ll be reunited soon.』
Cassius was still curious, unable to satisfy his curiosity.
Reinhardt, who did not know Walter’s true intentions, naturally showed interest in Walter’s magical powers.
“No matter how many times I think about it, it’s strange. With this much power, you could have easily broken any imprisonment spell.”
“How many times have you mentioned that?”
“It’s just so strange, that’s all.”
“It doesn’t matter now since my imprisonment spell has been broken anyway.”
The fact that he hadn’t escaped sooner didn’t matter to him now that Edith had kicked him out of the manor like throwing away a useless object.
What mattered to him was the fact that, with Reinhardt’s help, he could undo the spell that Edith had used to eject him.
⋙“Walter, don’t be reckless, please… You can’t save me.”⋘
Even if he were to break the imprisonment spell with his own power, could Edith still say the same thing?
If it’s her, she might cleverly figure out his plan, pretending to set her free from Fortrion when, in fact, he’s planning to trap her by his side again.
At first, Walter considered what to do next after capturing her. But after spending a few days honing his magic with the intention of taking her away, he suddenly realized something.
He wanted to trap and hold Edith captive, not just to keep her by his side, but he longed for the restraint itself.
He wanted to possess her entirely.
He had never felt such a strong desire for something before.
Nicholas Fortrion, who must have known that he was born with magical powers, tried to make him obsessed with something to keep him from leaving the manor until he died, but Edith achieved it just by existing.
As Walter imagined Edith not being able to go anywhere without him and not even being able to glance in another direction, it filled him with intense satisfaction.
Walter grabbed the wooden sword again to suppress his rampaging desires.
Every time he used magic, the twisted desire for Edith consumed his mind.
──────────✿◦•
A few days later, Hans had another meeting with Elizabeth.
“Alright. Did you say you have something to say about Walter?”
“Yes, Milady.”
Hans felt that his situation, being pushed around and facing Elizabeth, was truly miserable. But that was all.
⋙“Go and tell Elizabeth that you’ve never seen Walter alone with any woman.”⋘
⋙“…!”⋘
⋙“Please, Hans. I don’t want to kill anyone.”⋘
When Edith talked about poison with the same threatening look as Walter, he realized that he could no longer underestimate her.
Having already consumed all the poisoned tea and cookies, all he could do was a timid revenge on Walter.
“Walter, that guy is homosexual.”
“… What?”
“He never said it himself, but the servants all knew that he didn’t even show interest in women.”
“…”
“The guy named Cassius, who ran away with him at night, is his lover. Who knows, he might be chasing after other men just like he did to me.”
Hans knew this was petty, but he said it with emotion, realizing it was the only way he could get back at Walter.
“Walter likes men?”
Elizabeth struggled to process the unexpected information Hans presented to her.
And after the private meeting with her ended, late at night, Hans headed to Edith’s room to avoid the eyes of the other servants.
Thanks to the threat, his attitude was even more servile and polite than before.
“As Milady ordered, I came from Lady Elizabeth’s room to tell her that Walter does not interact with women. So please…”
Hans clutched his stomach, which was starting to ache with a desperate expression.
It might not have been excruciating pain, but the fear of thinking he was soon going to die intensified.
Edith, rolling a prepared antidote in a small glass bottle in her hand, asked a question.
“What else did Elizabeth ask?”
“She asked about the people who were friendly with Viscount Fortrion… Oh, she also asked for the names of the servants who have worked here since Walter was kidnapped.”
“I see. It must have been difficult. Thank you for your hard work.”
It seemed like Elizabeth was determined to uncover more about Walter.
Most likely, the assassins are actively searching for him now.
Edith concealed her mixed emotions and handed Hans the antidote.
Even though it was called an antidote, it was essentially another brew of the cedar tree branches that had caused his abdominal pain.
However, this time, it was brewed without mixing it with tea, so it was certain to relieve his pain.
“Drink this, and don’t consume any other teas today.”
“Yes, yes!”
Hans drank all the medicine with a look on his face as if he had discovered a ray of light.
Then, Edith handed him five gold coins. It was the money Sophia had given her as the starting funds.
“So, you were planning on pocketing the money you were blackmailing me and running away, Hans?”
“…!”
Hans couldn’t help but look at Edith with a surprised expression.
He hadn’t told anyone about his plan yet.
A trembling voice suddenly emerged.
“H-How did you know?”
“There’s always a way to find out.”
Edith had noticed that he was asking for 50 gold coins. It was a sum that could buy a fairly luxurious brick house in a city near the capital, allowing him to settle down.
It was obvious that he wouldn’t be able to spend such a large amount of money if he stayed in Fortrion Manor, so it was easy to guess that he was planning to leave the manor.
“Since you helped me deceive Elizabeth, you’re going to face consequences if you stay here. So, leave Fortrion Estate today and live with your mouth shut.”
Both Edith and Hans had lived lives far removed from wealth, so they knew the value of 5 gold coins.
With 5 gold coins, he could find a decent place to stay in the surrounding estates.
There was no reason for Hans to reject her offer as she gave him the funds and a chance to escape.
After carefully putting away the gold coins, Hans responded once again that he would leave today. He then looked at Edith, brushing her blonde hair aside, and asked.
“If Walter hadn’t come to help Milady, I would have assisted Milady like I am now.”
“…”
As Hans openly displayed his genuine affection, Edith, dumbfounded, pointed towards the door with her chin.
There was no way he could replace Walter.
──────────✿◦•
In the wee hours of the early morning, a secret meeting was taking place in Elizabeth’s room.
“No one among the servants knows anything about Walter.”
After interrogating the servants for several days, Elizabeth shook her head in frustration as if she were tired of it.
Aizen, who had been trying to extract information from the servants while pretending to be friendly, was in the same boat.
“The only information that we could get is the well-known facts that everyone knows… that the Viscount gave him special treatment or that he was kidnapped seven years ago.”
“What about the ones who are pursuing Walter and Cassius?”
After noticing that Walter had disappeared from the manor, Elisabeth deployed half of the assassins she had brought in as servants to the territory.
However, Walter and Cassius disappeared without leaving a trace, whether they suddenly fell to the ground or rose into the sky.
As if someone was working behind the scenes to ensure their safety.
『 What about the other ordinary servants?』
Just as everyone was wondering the same thing, good news came from an unlikely source.
“Miss Elizabeth. There was a gambler named Geoffrey who died in a carriage accident while trying to kidnap Edith during the pregnancy celebration party.”
“Oh, I remember. He was the Viscount’s gambling friend, right?”
“Yes. Just in case, I gave money to people who were with Geoffrey and the Viscount when they were drinking and gambling, and I investigated them. They said something intriguing.”
“What did they say?”
“I heard that sometimes the Viscount and Geoffrey would head to the bank together. I don’t know if it’s related to Walter, but it might be worth investigating.”
“Hmm…”
At the time when Geoffrey died while attempting to kidnap Edith, Elizabeth had no choice but to hear information about him even though she did not want to.
『 The Viscount said he was acquainted with him before he kidnapped Walter.』
If Geoffrey had been alive, they could have questioned him about what the drunken Viscount might have said about Walter, but since he’s dead, it seemed like they should at least try to rob the bank as a last resort.
“Aizen. Tomorrow you go to the bank the gamblers mentioned. If you give my name to any bank in the territory, they will show you the dead person’s safe and account details.”
“It doesn’t seem like there will be anything significant… but let’s do it.”
Aizen responded indifferently, without even speculating about what he might find in Geoffrey’s safe deposit box the next day.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
