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In an unnamed tavern not far from the Duke’s Manor

Amidst the scattered broken bottles and shattered tables, a single boy stood alone.

“Is this all you’ve got? I knew it was nothing special.”

Despite the bold words, Ruto was sweating coldly on his forehead.

Unlike an ordinary human, with a body that regenerates multiple times, and enhanced physical abilities through aura,

if he hadn’t been trained by the organization, it wouldn’t have been easy to defeat any of the fallen men on the floor.

“With this, the mission is complete. He didn’t even need to show up…”

“Humph~”

Just as he was about to leave, a relaxed voice came from the entrance, and

Ruto immediately hid behind the bartender’s table and loaded his gun.

“Oh? Why is it such a mess here?”

The man reflected in the bottle was a young man with brown hair tied in a ponytail.

On the surface, he looked like a local resident come to drink, but

his nonchalant demeanor in front of the fallen men was suspicious beyond belief.

‘An outsider… from the East? There’s something off about his vibe for a mere civilian…’

“Did you do all this?”

“What?!”

Ruto looked up at the voice that came from right above his hiding table,

to find a mysterious man in traditional Chinese robes crouched down, staring at him.

There was no feeling of malice or anger, just pure curiosity in the man’s gaze.

“Wow~ You look young, but you’re really amazing! I’ll give you a compliment, clap clap!”

Immediately, Ruto pointed his gun at the man and pulled the trigger.

Bang! The sound echoed throughout the entire space.

*

“Checkmate.”

“Ugh… Just one more game!”

Stella and Siel had been playing chess for hours on end.

The outcome was six matches, six losses for Stella, marking an overwhelming defeat.

If it were any other day, she wouldn’t have asked for just one more game,

but the incessant nagging from the mischievous man beside her had gotten under her skin.

With her face contorted in annoyance from the constant defeats, Stella requested another match.

“This time, I’ve got it! So let’s go again….”

“I think I want to stop; I’m getting tired…”

Having exhausted all her mental energy, Siel slowly drifted off to sleep, bowing her head on the desk.

Seeing Siel asleep, Stella smiled faintly as she picked her up.

As Stella carried Siel to her bed, the Unknown Man silently watched the two.

“…This scent… you!”

A flash of white rushed towards the Unknown Man like lightning.

The earth-shattering noise echoed throughout the Duke’s Manor.

Startled, the butler and maids rushed to open the door to Siel’s room and shouted.

“Your Highness! Are you okay…?”

“No. Wait, what on earth is happening here…?”

What caught their eyes was Siel sleeping safely within a sturdy protective barrier,

and beside her, Stella standing over the Unknown Man, glaring fiercely at him while punching a wall right beside his head.

The Unknown Man, crossing his arms and looking unfazed, seemed to have anticipated this outcome.

*

Thanks to the commotion, most people inside the Duke’s Manor soon gathered in one place.

Except for Duke Gruwein, who had gone on an expedition to exterminate the monsters that appeared at the northern outskirts,

the Duchess and the sleeping Siel were accompanied by Stella, who kept watch over them.

Most of the gazes were fixed on the lone man surrounded by the knights and the Unknown Man.

“Are you saying Siel fell asleep due to a sleeping drug? Not because she was tired?”

In response to the Duchess’s question, Stella nodded.

“When I tried to lift her into bed, I caught a whiff of faint poison from the princess,”

“Then we need to treat her quickly!”

“But… the toxins are completely neutralized.”

“What do you mean…?” The atmosphere was filled with confusion at Stella’s words, yet

Stella herself had a serious expression, seemingly struggling to comprehend the situation as she looked at the Unknown Man.

“At first, I thought you poisoned her drink since you handed her a drink during the game.”

“That’s right. I took it from the maid and brought it to both of you to drink.”

Stella glanced at the maid who had delivered the drink and continued speaking.

“So, if the maid brought it intentionally, it could have been poisoned for either you or me, which doesn’t make sense.

In that scenario, the only person who could offer the drink to the princess is you.”

Hearing Stella’s words, the head butler immediately ordered the soldiers.

“Unknown Man, or should I say Duke Unknown, you’ll need to be held in the prison until you arrive.”

“Wait! I haven’t finished my story yet.”

As the knights tried to drag him away, Stella stopped them, and the head butler asked with a voice full of doubt.

“What do you mean by not finished yet, Miss Stella? Didn’t you just accuse him of being the culprit?”

“I didn’t say the Unknown Man was the culprit; I merely thought he might be.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

At that moment, a physician who had been investigating in the princess’s room approached them.

Selena, gripping her trembling hand, asked the physician.

“Did poison come from the drink Siel had?”

“Um… When comparing the glass of drink that the princess had to those of the others,

there was no reaction for any poison. Instead, there was a small amount of a sleeping substance.”

Selena sighed deeply with relief at the physician’s answer.

“What a relief… But why was there sleeping medicine in Siel’s drink?”

“I mentioned it. It’s because the princess’s condition was neutralized. It’s right that the drink was neutralized and an antidote was added.”

At Stella’s question, the Unknown Man shrugged, nodding nonchalantly.

He wore a grin, as if he’d anticipated the discussion leading to this point.

Stella continued explaining with a biting tone.

“The princess was already poisoned long before we arrived.”

“Long before? How long ago was that…?”

“Long before me and the Unknown Man came.”

Stella pointed to Beladrin, the maid responsible for the princess’s meals.

“You often brought stale food to the princess, didn’t you? That’s why

I thought the princess looked fatigued, but it wasn’t that; it was you who poisoned her?”

Beladrin immediately shouted, denying her accusation.

“What? What are you saying? That doesn’t make sense! Do you have evidence?”

Confidently as though she had figured everything out, Stella pointed at the maid.

“It’s obvious. With the frequent appearances of the demon race and the Duke absent, while the Duchess is sick,

the culprit who gives bad food to a young princess in such a situation is none other than you!”

Under Stella’s relentless scrutiny, Beladrin protested, venting her grievances.

“N-No! While I may have brought stale food, I never poisoned her! I’m not a spy or anything…”

“How dare you poison my daughter!…”

“Y-Your Grace…”

At some point, Selena had drawn one of the knights’ swords, her hands visibly trembling.

Her previously calm demeanor had transformed into a chilling rage,

her face frozen in anger, reminiscent of a frost maiden from a fairy tale, causing both Stella and the Unknown Man to sweat coldly.

‘The power of the unique ability belonging to the three great families—powerful, tougher than I could have ever imagined.’

“Don’t push yourself. I’ll take care of the Duchess and interrogate her, so don’t worry about it.”

“That maid is not the culprit.”

The Unknown Man shook his head in disagreement.

“That’s impossible. It’s a fact she’s the trashy maid who fed the princess rotten food,

and yes, I did neutralize the poison in the drink.”

“Sir…?”

Ignoring Beladrin’s dumbfounded gaze, Stella nodded, signaling him to continue.

“So?”

“But do you know? The type of poison I neutralized is very special, it’s made from the belladonna plant.”

“…Special poison?”

“It only grows in cold regions, and there are numerous conditions that make it difficult to cultivate,

which means one has to work here for a long time and have the strength to manage a garden.”

Stella listened to the Unknown Man and fell deep in thought, her expression serious.

Then, as if she had realized something, she looked at someone.

“Looks like you’ve finally grasped that the person who could participate in managing the food prepared by the maid, and

has the authority to bring in and cultivate specific flowers in the garden.”

Click!

As she finished her sentence, the Unknown Man held a black gun in his hand.

He aimed the gun at the direction Stella was looking and pulled the trigger.

The deafening gunshot echoed through the Duke’s Manor like thunder.

“Head Butler Sebastian, you’re the culprit—or should I say Akandis?”

“…How did you figure it out… Hehe… I honestly don’t understand…”

The head butler, who had cut through the bullet aimed directly at his brow with a black great sword, said ominously, revealing his intent to no longer hide.

As if shedding his skin, he pulled back the flesh of his face to reveal long grey hair inside.

The sight of the man shedding his disguise sent chills down the Unknown Man’s spine.

“Eerie murderer Arhan…”

“My plans have gone awry, so… should I just kill everyone? Hehe…”

Just as the Unknown Man aimed at him again, he was bewildered.

Arhan, who had just moments ago been in front of him, vanished with a crackling sound.

Turning his head towards the noise, he saw Arhan hovering in the air, above him a small figure.

The highly condensed magic power began to gather in her right fist.

She looked as if she would never let her target escape, glaring at him with the eyes of a hunter.

“Who’s killing who? You want to die?”

Even while flying, Arhan grinned derangedly while spitting blood.

“Oo…? This is surprising; you’re the one I heard about…”

“Shut up!”

Crack!!

Before Arhan could finish his sentence, Stella’s fist, concentrated with magic power, struck his abdomen.

His body bent vertically as a cracking sound echoed, and he crashed to the ground.

 

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