Chapter 04
“Do you understand now? Why I cannot grant your request?”
On the back of Heukrang’s hand was a black wolf emblem etched in magic. And that emblem only appeared in two cases: when the bearer willed it, or when the head gave permission.
So, the fact that the emblem appeared at Melina’s touch was proof that she was the leader of Temno.
“…You’re saying you’re really the head of Temno?”
“Now that my identity is proven, would you kindly leave? We have our own matters to conclude.”
No outside interference was allowed in Temno’s affairs. And if the leader intervened personally, even an emperor could not interfere. Melina had revealed her identity to make him fully aware of this.
“What do you intend to do with him? You’re not going to just let this slide, are you?”
Though she knew he was not someone to back down easily, a small irritation arose at his persistence despite knowing her status. Melina lifted the corners of her mouth into a bright smile. She was well-practiced at hiding her emotions, so this was trivial to her.
“Of course not. If he’s done wrong, he must be punished.”
“Punished? Since when did slave auctions become a crime in Temno? I could understand if it were rewarded, but punished?”
Seeing the man sneer, Melina felt she had made the right move by acting first. If he had captured Bern first, he likely would not have let him go so easily.
“It’s disappointing that the Grand Duke’s intelligence is only this much.”
“What did you say?”
For the first time, the man, who had been calm until now, raised his voice. Melina smirked, finding the moment amusing.
“You still don’t know that Temno has abolished the slave trade. His crime is continuing slave auctions in defiance of my orders. I came personally to deal with that.”
The man’s lips pressed tightly together, clearly unsettled.
“Please convey my apologies to the Grand Duke for the unintentional trouble. Since I am here, you need not worry—the slave business will be completely abolished.”
Even with only his eyes and mouth visible behind the mask, she could tell he was shaken.
“If you still feel uneasy, I can even give you his corpse. Will that satisfy you?”
The man said nothing, only staring at Melina. Under that intense gaze, she finally turned her body away.
“Hand me the sword.”
Melina approached Bern and reached her hand to Shan. He looked at her quietly.
“Master, there’s no need to strain yourself. Your presence alone is sufficient; leave it to Shan.”
Ran came closer and whispered. Their reactions had reason: killing someone was trivial for Berta, but for Melina, it was something she had never truly considered. Over the past six months, her greatest struggle had been overcoming fear and guilt over taking a life.
She had started with animals. Even then, her heart pounded and her hands shook so violently she could barely manage it. But she had to succeed. To live as Berta, she had no choice.
Only after recalling the annual hunting tournaments and psyching herself up did she finally manage it. But she could not sleep that night. The image of the dying eyes and the sword cutting through flesh haunted her.
Even if she had overcome one stage, the thought of killing a person was still unthinkable. Just when she was agonizing over a mountain she could never hope to climb, death threatened her again.
Assassins had come because she had banned the slave trade, but unlike before, Shan and Heukrang did not intervene. Between the deadly intent shaking her legs and flying weapons, her body moved instinctively, rather than her mind.
“To survive, I must kill.”
When it was all over, she collapsed, trembling, and finally cried in Ran’s arms. It took a long time to recover from the guilt and shock. Doing it once did not make it any easier.
Thus, she relied mostly on martial techniques rather than swords. She could subdue her opponents without killing.
“No, this time I’ll do it myself.”
If only Temno members were present, Shan could handle it. But with the man watching, she had to act personally. She needed to make clear what it meant to be the head of Temno and her stance on the slave trade.
Meeting Melina’s resolute gaze, Shan handed over the sword. The man’s eyes burning toward them felt piercing.
“Temno’s law is me. I have forbidden the slave trade, and you defied me.”
“Spare us!”
Bern and his subordinates fell to the ground, pleading.
“There is no mercy for those who oppose my will.”
She drove the sword into Bern’s chest. Though the sensation in her hands was still horrifying, she bit her inner cheek to prevent it from showing.
“Ugh!”
As she pulled the sword out, Bern collapsed forward. To avoid seeing it, she raised her head.
“Handle the rest according to regulations.”
“Yes, sir.”
Heukrang’s resounding response echoed through the forest. Melina returned the sword to Shan and approached the man again.
“Do you want to take the corpse yourself, or should I carry it for you?”
The man calmly stared at her as if nothing had happened. His silver-gray eyes revealed no thought.
“Enough. I’ve seen it executed, so I’ll leave. I’ll convey your words to His Highness. You, too, must keep your promise.”
He meant she must uphold her declaration to abolish the slave trade. Melina simply nodded, having come for that purpose anyway.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Then this concludes it.”
After Melina bowed lightly, she watched the man leave and subtly moved her hand.
Whoosh!
The wind cut through the air as the man turned nimbly. The throwing knives she had released barely grazed his ears.
“What are you doing?”
He growled ferociously. His hood had fallen off as he twisted to avoid the knives, revealing black hair.
“Since I revealed my identity and showed my hair, fairness requires that you see mine as well.”
Melina turned away before him. She heard teeth grinding from behind but ignored it.
“Why do this?”
Ran came closer and asked.
“I needed to confirm who he was.”
“Did you find out?”
“Yes. This is going to be quite entertaining.”
Ran did not ask who he was, only something else.
“Are you all right?”
She must have been concerned about what she had just done to Bern. The smile disappeared from Melina’s face.
“I’m not all right. But when it’s necessary, I’ll do it.”
She made a vow to herself to strengthen her resolve. Would there ever be a day when she could become indifferent to this? She wished it would come soon, but feared it might actually happen.
Leaving the aftermath to Heukrang, she walked slowly, with Ran quietly following.
Three more days passed since the auction incident, but the Grand Duke still refused to grant a meeting request.
“We’ve waited long enough. Ran, tonight we’ll visit the Grand Duke’s castle.”
She had expected the visit to be allowed within a day or two after the auction incident, but the doors remained firmly closed. There was probably no one else outside of the Grand Duke who would snub a Temno-affiliated merchant. Even Temno’s wealth and influence would make refusal costly for anyone else.
“You think I won’t go if permission isn’t granted? They clearly underestimate Temno.” Melina pouted.
As darkness spread through the alleys, she and Shan, clad in black stealth outfits, headed for the Grand Duke’s castle. The castle was an ancient structure showing the marks of time.
“Let’s see… where could the Grand Duke be?”
Having reviewed her materials, she already knew the layout of the castle thoroughly. Looking up quietly, she noticed the bedroom lights were off, but there was movement inside.
“Don’t enter the bedroom until I call.”
Shan nodded silently. Using walls and terrace railings, she climbed to the third floor. Landing safely on the bedroom terrace, she carefully opened the door and entered.
But the chill from the blades in the room made her stop immediately.
“Persistent, aren’t you?”
Relief that she had found him quickly faded at his incomprehensible words.
“Words are useless. I’ll end this quickly.”
The Grand Duke immediately raised his sword, and Melina quickly spoke up.
“Wait!”
Her calm heart began racing at this unexpected turn.
“Woman? Hah… now, I’ve seen everything.”
The Grand Duke laughed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair.
“If you cannot kill me, then perhaps you came to seduce me?”
Though the room was dark and his expression was hard to see, the deadly intent in his eyes was clear. She had no idea what misunderstanding he had, but staying here would likely lead to trouble.
“You seem to have misunderstood. I am neither here to kill nor seduce Your Highness.”
“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding? Then what should one think of someone sneaking into one’s bedroom like a rat in the dead of night?”
“Do you not remember my voice?”
“Do I need to remember an assassin’s voice?”
“Three days ago, the slave auction. Does that help you remember?”
Hearing the words “slave auction,” the Grand Duke, who had been mocking her and refusing to listen, paused.
“Could you turn on the light? Let’s properly greet each other.”
The intensity of his gaze made her skin tingle, yet she calmly met it.
“Just because my voice is familiar doesn’t mean you can be sure I am the head of Temno.”
Her suspicion had been correct. The knight who had come before was indeed the Grand Duke himself. Otherwise, how would he have recognized her voice? She had doubted it at the auction but confirmed it by seeing his hair color. Black hair was the symbol of the royal family.
“So, please, turn on the light.”
“And what do you think you will do while I do that?”
Even though he could recognize her from her voice and build, the Grand Duke remained cautious.
“Will you believe it if you see this?”
Melina handed the Grand Duke the badge proving her leadership. The golden badge, etched with a black wolf emblem, could only be held by the head of Temno.
The Grand Duke, still pointing his sword at her, took the badge and examined it. His eyes widened slightly, then he scrutinized her with a sharp gaze once more.
