Chapter 34
In the meantime, Lucifer checked the note the woman had handed him earlier.
“Look here. She says she likes me.”
He tried to show the note to Katrina, who had absolutely no interest.
“She says my eyes are pretty. Like rubies.”
“Stop talking and get up. We need to keep investigating.”
They had rested enough.
There were still many houses left to check.
“Katrina said it was creepy, though.”
“……”
Yeah. It was creepy.
Those bright red eyes that sometimes stared at her with an unreadable expression.
“If you’re just going to get in the way, maybe you should leave?”
“When have I ever gotten in the way? I’ve just been quietly following you around like a well-behaved dog.”
“No. Just you being here is a distraction. I can’t concentrate because of you.”
“Am I on your mind?”
“What?”
Katrina frowned in disbelief, but Lucifer’s eyes curved like he was delighted.
Still twisting her words to his liking.
Same as always…
Ugh. So irritating.
“You’re working really hard. It’s not even your job.”
It is my job.
If you think about it, the reason she even came to this territory started with Lucifer.
That damned monastery.
So sick of it.
“But how much can you really change what’s already been decided just by working hard?”
“Still, it’s nice to see someone putting in effort.”
What he really meant was: it’s useless no matter what you do.
That smug attitude was absolutely infuriating.
‘What did I ever do wrong?’
That question nearly burst out of her mouth…
But now, she knew.
So she stayed quiet.
“It was fun.”
So much time had passed that she thought nothing could hurt her anymore when it came to those people.
But in that moment, it felt like her heart was being ripped apart.
And then…
The past, which should have long since turned to dust, resurfaced.
Thrown into a foreign world with no family, friends, or ties, Katrina grew increasingly lonely.
The family that adopted her constantly picked at her, attacking her with barbed words and threatening to throw her away when she was no longer useful.
Katrina couldn’t understand why she had to be reincarnated into this place and endure such humiliation.
In truth, she didn’t have much attachment to her original world.
She was alone there, too.
Han Seryeong lost her parents at a young age and lived with her aunt’s family.
Though her aunt treated her well, she always had more important children to care for.
Katrina truly had no lingering attachments to her old world.
But at least, in that world, no one hated her. No one rejected her. No one tormented or cornered her.
“The more you struggle, the higher you try to fly… the more exciting it gets.”
“……”
“To see how hard you fall.”
There was no one in her original world who tried to tear her heart apart like this.
Katrina couldn’t respond to Lucifer.
Memories from her past surfaced, draining all her will to fight.
She turned her head and thought:
Ignore him.
She had too much to do to waste time on this. She needed to get moving…
That’s when it happened.
Clatter, clatter!
The urgent sound of hooves rang out.
Of course. It was a knight from the castle.
“Lady Abiche! There you are!”
The knight spoke as if he had been searching for her for quite some time, visibly relieved.
At that moment, Lucifer’s eyes changed. As if he was extremely displeased.
“The Lord of the Castle has urgently requested your return!”
* * *
At the summons, Katrina returned to the castle with Lucifer.
Upon entering, she found Gilbert waiting for her.
He slowly brushed his hand over his jewelry-laden fingers and twisted the corners of his mouth into a smirk.
“Is it true, my lady, that you followed the sound of the flute last night?”
What?
…How did Gilbert know about that?
The only people who knew were…
“It is my understanding, from your investigation, that those lured by the flute were influenced by dark magic.”
Katrina calmly looked at Lucifer, who had followed her in.
When their eyes met, he smiled like a crescent moon, as if asking what was wrong.
“If that’s true, you’d better step away from the investigation.”
If she was removed, her deal with Hildegard would become void. And then she’d be sent to the monastery…
Lucifer, you little—so much for keeping secrets.
So this is how he betrays her?
I knew I couldn’t trust you!
“I actually saw you leave that night, Katrina.”
Then an unexpected figure spoke up.
…Niel Franz?
Wait—it wasn’t Lucifer who told him?
“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk and saw you. I asked where you were going, but you didn’t answer. I thought it was strange, so I followed…”
“……”
“And Lucifer stopped you, didn’t he?”
Katrina bit her lip.
…Niel had really seen her that night.
“Lucifer, be honest. You were with Katrina that night, weren’t you?”
Dammit, Niel Franz! Shut up already!
Katrina knew for sure she didn’t have dark magic.
But if it got out that she had been lured by the flute…
Especially Gilbert—he would insist she was interfering with the investigation and force her out.
Katrina looked at Lucifer.
Everyone was now looking at him.
As if her very life depended on his next words.
And Lucifer… looked like he was enjoying the situation.
I’m screwed.
That’s all she could think in the moment.
Lucifer would definitely say something to make things worse for her.
“You saw all that from behind, Niel?”
“I just… thought something was wrong, so I followed her.”
“Then did you also see this?”
Lucifer spoke in a slightly surprised tone.
“When I… kissed Katrina?”
“…What?”
Niel was stunned by Lucifer’s words. Naturally—nothing like that happened!
Katrina was also completely taken aback. What the hell was he saying?
“You didn’t even see it properly. So I don’t know what you think you saw.”
Lucifer began discrediting Niel.
“……”
“And Katrina hates you, doesn’t she? Maybe she didn’t respond because she dislikes you.”
Rather than helping Katrina, Lucifer made her out to be a complete jerk.
…But why help me at all?
He wasn’t the type to ever help someone.
So it was strange.
“This is urgent!”
Just then—
A fellow investigator burst into the study.
“The culprit has been caught!”
…The culprit?
“What? Is that true?!”
Gilbert shouted in shock.
And the attention shifted entirely.
* * *
Silas was bound and loaded onto a wagon under the watch of holy knights.
His wrists were chained tightly.
Yet despite that, Silas looked completely relaxed.
He slept the whole way in the wagon, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world—so much so that even the knights clicked their tongues in disbelief.
Is he even a real criminal?
But whenever Silas was awake, a heavy aura seemed to grip the entire road.
He mostly stared out the window, but it was still unnerving.
Those bright yellow eyes would sometimes gleam with a strange light—not quite human.
Even the knights who had tied him up found it disturbing enough to avoid eye contact.
“Is that freak really a noble…?”
“Did you see his yellow eyes? Gave me the creeps.”
The knights driving the wagon whispered behind his back.
They were creeped out by Silas, but also amused by the fall of a powerful noble like the Archduke.
After some time on the road, the wagon came to a stop.
The knights had decided to rest from exhaustion.
And that’s when it happened.
One knight peeked into the cargo area to check on Silas.
His face turned deathly pale.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Si-Silas Rockfenheim is gone!”
That madman had escaped—again.
