Chapter 94
“The Truth Revealed”
Ban always thought he had a good instinct.
After all, his life had first been as a mercenary, then as someone who survived by selling information.
Skill was important, yes, but without instinct, he believed he could never have survived in such a brutal world.
That was why Ban felt the situation he had just witnessed was dangerously close.
“The Count of Elliana…?”
Golden hair that shone like sunlight, eyes as blue as the sky—he looked exactly like Heidi Elliana, the fiancée of Delphian Xeros.
So Ban easily guessed the man’s identity.
But one thing felt strange: Why did the Count come all the way to remote Raymond, with such a pale, shaken face?
“Is this the place for certain?”
“Yes. I confirmed it with hunters and herb-gatherers who passed this road.”
“……”
“And also…”
The man handed something wrapped in a handkerchief to the Count.
The Count’s face twisted as he accepted it.
What in the world is it…?
Under the moonlight, the man’s expression distorted with pain. He clutched at his chest, looking like he might collapse any moment.
The Count stared at the small two-story house, his face white as paper, and whispered like a groan:
“Anna…”
Anna?
Ban frowned at the unfamiliar woman’s name.
Suddenly, a memory struck him—purple hair caught on the window frame of that house.
Purple hair… the same as Rebellia Piace’s. Exactly the same.
Ban’s mind flashed with the image of Marquess Piace’s face overlapping with Rebellia’s.
The cabin in Babylon Forest where Rebellia had stayed, the purple hair in Raymond, and now the Count speaking the name Anna.
A terrible thought crept into his mind.
He told himself it couldn’t be true, yet once the possibility appeared, it refused to leave.
“No, impossible. They said the Marquess’s wife went to the countryside to recover from her illness.”
Ban recalled what he had seen inside the house:
Windows sealed tight, not a sliver of moonlight able to enter.
A kitchen covered in dust, as if no fresh food had been cooked there for years.
The only trace of life—a small upstairs room at the end of the hallway.
And the padlock on the door and entrance, as though the person inside was being imprisoned.
Ban shivered remembering it.
At first, he thought Ren had exaggerated, but reality was worse.
The Count, face tense, asked the man before him:
“Can you track where the woman went?”
“Luckily, she left not long ago. There are still wagon tracks on the forest path. If we hurry, we should catch up.”
“Good. Then—”
“Count!”
At that moment—
A knight barely managed to deflect an arrow flying toward the Count, but another arrow grazed his arm.
Ban narrowed his eyes at the masked assassin who appeared.
What is going on here…?
“Who sent you!”
The Count—Edwin—shouted in anger and confusion.
The assassin answered calmly, almost amused:
“Why should a man about to die care about such things?”
“……”
“If you had just stayed quietly in Adelie, you wouldn’t have died like this.”
Edwin bit his lip and muttered bitterly:
“So… if you’re guarding this place, then it’s true. The one I’ve been searching for was here. So the Marquess lied—Anna wasn’t sent away to recover from illness.”
“Ha ha ha!”
The assassin laughed loudly, then suddenly drew his blade.
“You’re smarter than I thought. A shame… you realize the truth, only to die right after.”
“C-Count, stay behind me!”
“Arthur?”
The knight tried to shield his lord, but his vision blurred, and his steps faltered.
The assassin sneered.
“Oh, did I forget to say? That arrow was poisoned. I imagine your noble knight can’t even see properly now.”
“You wretched fiend…! You coated your arrows with poison…?”
“Poison? Ha! If victory can be won without fighting, isn’t that the wisest way?”
Ban, watching silently, couldn’t deny it.
On the battlefield, being “honorable” or “shameful” meant nothing.
Survival was what mattered.
Still, he thought grimly: If I don’t step in, both of them will surely die.
The knight was already a burden, poisoned.
The Count was old, his strength fading.
The assassin raised his blade with a chilling laugh:
“Don’t be resentful. The one you seek will soon follow you anyway—”
Clang!
A sudden clash of steel rang out.
“W-who are you!”
Ban exhaled lightly as he parried the assassin’s sword.
“Why should a man about to die care about such things?”
His own words, thrown back at the assassin, carried a dry mockery.
Perhaps his meddling was a bad habit—but Ban still thought:
I have questions I need answered. So I’ll step in.
The assassin snarled, closing the distance with lethal speed.
Ban tightened his grip on his sword.
Let’s hope the two people behind me survive long enough to give me the answers I want.
Lovers. Let’s Call Ourselves Lovers.
“…But there’s no such thing as a lover who tries to kill the one they love.”
At Calliere’s words, the first feeling that rose in me wasn’t excitement or fluttering—it was guilt.
I looked down at the small vial in front of me.
Girnen’s poison.
According to that man, even this small amount could easily kill five grown men.
And he had told me that if I didn’t use this poison, he would kill my mother.
“Sigh…”
My head throbbed in pain, and I collapsed forward onto the desk.
If what they wanted was my life, I might have already drunk this poison ten times over.
For ten long years, my mother had been imprisoned by Father, forced to live each day in that tiny, dark room.
How could I possibly ask her to die for my sake?
Maybe… maybe if I told Calliere everything and asked for his help…?
“Milady!”
Startled, I quickly clenched the vial in my hand and turned toward the voice.
It was Mei, smiling brightly as she came in.
“What were you doing?”
“Ah, oh, nothing. Just… nothing really.”
Mei tilted her head at my awkward answer, then pointed out the window.
“The weather’s so nice today. Would you like to go look around the village?”
“…The village?”
“Yes! Because of the wheat shortage, all the trading guilds are coming into the territory one after another. They’ve brought all sorts of goods—there’s bound to be something fun to see!”
“…Alright, let’s go.”
I quickly slipped the vial into my desk drawer and stood up.
For just a little while longer…
I prayed that these peaceful, warm days would last—just a little longer.
