Chapter 127
“Dark Intentions”
The voice mixed with his breath sounded familiar.
“Will she come back?”
“Most likely.”
“…Alright. Prepare.”
Their footsteps came closer to the door. For a moment, I thought about hiding, but before I could move, the door suddenly burst open.
“…Y-you…”
Our eyes met. The two of them were just as startled as I was.
“It’s been a while. No—only a few days, hasn’t it?”
I forced a calm smile, keeping my face composed, as I looked straight at the real Belzer Swordmaster.
The man before me—it was definitely him. The same one I had seen at Mansion Eona.
The Swordmaster’s eyes trembled.
And then, in the next instant—
“……!”
He spun around and bolted toward the back door.
I lunged to grab him, but his servant—who had been pretending to be the Swordmaster—blocked my way.
I twisted the servant’s arm, throwing him to the ground, and immediately dashed after the fleeing Swordmaster. His jaggedly cut hair confirmed it—he was the masked man from that night.
“Stop!”
I shouted, though even I wouldn’t have stopped in his place.
He only ran harder, more desperately.
As I chased him, memories surfaced.
‘That’s right…’
I finally remembered where I’d seen him before. During the monster subjugation in Centia, he had been among the knights of the Robel Order.
He stumbled on the stairs as he fled.
“…Ugh!”
I grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him upright, and pressed a teaspoon against his throat.
I had secretly taken it after tea earlier.
The cold touch made him shudder.
‘But he really is the Swordmaster… so why isn’t he using his aura to fight back?’
Come to think of it, wasn’t it strange that everyone tied to the masks had been Swordmasters?
Aron, the Entry family’s Swordmaster years ago, myself almost bound by contract that night… and now him.
‘Now that I think of it, even Aron hasn’t used his aura lately.’
Though Aron once relied on aura constantly in battle, I couldn’t recall seeing him use it recently.
“Don’t you want your aura back?!”
I remembered the Belzer Swordmaster’s desperate cry at Mansion Eona.
Could it be…
“You’ve lost your aura too, haven’t you?”
The Swordmaster trembled, lips sealed shut.
I pressed the teaspoon closer.
He swallowed hard.
“If not, then show me your aura. Right now.”
This was the final proof. If he couldn’t summon it, then he was indeed one of the masked men—and his motive lay in that “contract.”
“You’re a Swordmaster, aren’t you?”
I pressed like an aura-obsessed maniac, but he gave no reply.
Finally, I raised my hand. The teaspoon glowed golden, wrapped in sword aura.
His eyes shook with shock at the sight.
Then suddenly—he shoved me away and sprinted toward the back of the room.
He snatched up a decorative sword from display.
“If you keep pushing me, I won’t stay still.”
I swung the golden teaspoon lightly, grazing his sleeve.
His pupils shook violently.
‘…Was that an expensive outfit?’
I’d worry about the bill later.
I aimed the teaspoon at his neck again. Even with death at his throat, he didn’t use aura. No—he couldn’t.
“You made that contract too, didn’t you?”
“Contract? What are you talking about?”
“The one with the so-called god.”
While he faltered, I slipped behind and twisted his arm.
“Urgh…”
“They promised aura would be returned if you signed, right? Then why can’t you use it even now?”
“I… can’t say…”
He dragged his words out, luring my focus. Then he kicked my leg hard.
“Ugh.”
I staggered, and he bolted for a trumpet in the corner.
He blew it loudly.
From far away, footsteps thundered closer—more than one.
‘His private soldiers?’
I slammed the door shut and locked it, but there were too many of them.
Even as I bound the Swordmaster, the door burst open.
The soldiers charged at me.
I pressed the golden teaspoon to the Swordmaster’s throat, but they didn’t hesitate.
“Yahhh!”
They came at me recklessly.
‘What kind of training is that?!’
Thanks to them, the Swordmaster was knocked away from me.
He grabbed his fallen sword and raised it high.
“…!”
This could get dangerous—!
Just as I searched for a way to dodge,
“Better stop there.”
A sword flew from the other side, grazing the Swordmaster’s cheek before slamming into the wall.
He froze.
“Stand down!”
Knights of Elche stormed in, binding the Belzer soldiers.
Roitz pulled me free from their midst and spoke to the Swordmaster:
“At Mansion Eona, we discovered items bearing Belzer’s crest. A formal investigation begins now.”
The Swordmaster collapsed with a shocked face.
I looked once at him, then at Roitz’s hand holding mine, and finally let out a breath of relief.
Evidence from Mansion Eona backed my claim. Witnesses even came forward.
By then, Belzer had all but admitted he was the masked man that night—yet he still refused to speak of his motives.
“You made the contract, didn’t you, Sir Belzer?”
No matter how many times I asked, he said nothing.
He only glared, breathing raggedly.
But his reaction reminded me of Aron.
It felt like… something was blocking him from answering. As though he wanted to speak but couldn’t.
‘Could the contract itself forbid them from telling?’
Maybe that was why none of them ever revealed their reasons—Aron, the Entry Swordmaster, and now Belzer.
When the interrogation ended, the sun was already sinking.
Roitz and I climbed into the carriage, riding toward the sunset.
I glanced at him.
“Sorry… this was supposed to be our date, but all you did was work.”
On the way to Belzer’s estate, I had only sent him two words by portable telegraph: Belzer. Investigation.
Yet he had understood perfectly, even preparing everything. He had even uncovered evidence from Eona Mansion.
That had saved us—if it had been only my word, the matter might have escalated into a feud between families.
‘Of course, I trusted him enough to head straight for the Belzer estate.’
I looked at him for a long moment, then turned my eyes to the sunset.
“The day’s already gone, hasn’t it?”
“No. The one who let excitement cloud duty was me. I’ve reflected on it. I always learn from you, Serdin.”
I turned back at his words.
He was still gazing at me.
“This isn’t some new form of scolding, is it?”
“It’s the truth. And besides…”
The carriage stopped. We had arrived at the park.
“Today’s not over yet.”
He stepped out, smiling, and held out his hand.
“Shall we take a walk?”
I stepped down, the cool evening breeze brushing my cheek.
We began walking side by side. He knew the park so well it seemed like he had scouted every path beforehand.
“The breeze feels good, Serdin.”
“It does.”
I answered in a dry voice.
I wanted to talk easily, but words wouldn’t come.
‘It’s just a walk, isn’t it? Nothing more.’
Walking was the most ordinary of acts—two-legged beings doing what they were born to do.
And yet, beside Roitz, it felt impossibly difficult. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
‘At this rate, I’ll die of this…’
I should have trained not just my body, but my heart too.
Next time, I’d have to practice controlling my heartbeat.
I glanced at him. His hands swung awkwardly, one brushing against mine.
Like a spark, a tingling rush ran through my whole body.
“Serdin.”
He stopped, as if hesitating over words.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing… just something I wondered. If you don’t like it, just say no…”
He trailed off, shaking his head. Then corrected himself.
“No. It’s not just wondering.”
He bent slightly, meeting my eyes.
“Right now, I’m full of dark intentions, Serdin.”
