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Was it thanks to Myohail’s warning? Even in the chaos of the floor collapsing, I didn’t lose consciousness. Not only that, but I was also able to grasp the general situation.

First of all, fortunately, it wasn’t the castle’s floor that collapsed. The recent earthquake wasn’t the castle shaking, but the ‘space’ we were in itself being shaken.

I realized this when I saw the stone floor beneath me shatter like glass.

The scenery around us shattered into sharp fragments, and we were swallowed into a void that opened beneath us. It was similar to being swallowed by Jörmungandr’s mouth.

I looked around. The place we had fallen into wasn’t much different from the Castle of the Duke.

The dim stone walls and the damp atmosphere inside the castle. The long corridor was lit by torches, as if someone had left them on. But that wasn’t the only strange thing.

‘Doors…?’

What filled this place were none other than ‘doors.’ There wasn’t a single spot on the walls, ceiling, or floor without a door. From colorful doors that didn’t match the dark atmosphere to cute doors that looked like they belonged in a child’s room…

It was like a maze, with no way of knowing which room led where.

‘Hmm. I’ve never seen a space like this before….’

Myohail, disguised as Wendy’s hairpin, muttered telepathically in my head.

‘It feels like a barrier, but I can’t see any magic formulas anywhere…. It doesn’t seem like a trap either…. Strange, very strange….’

‘Is there a way out?’

‘Hmm…. I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know?’

‘That’s right. Regardless of who made this place or why, if we don’t know what kind of space this is, trying to break it recklessly might trap us here forever.’

The situation didn’t seem good. Even Myohail didn’t know about this space….

No, it makes sense. If my guess is correct, this is probably the ‘Trial Space.’

– Count. Remember this. The support of the demons is important, but what you must value most is despair. I believe that those who do not despair are unworthy of becoming the Demon Lord. So….

The message that appeared in the system window, ‘Trial of Despair,’ and the meaningful words Lukaela had spat out overlapped in my mind.

– Go and find your despair.

A ‘trial’ where a god tests whether their representative is worthy. Lukaela is testing whether to recognize me as the Demon Lord or not.

At first, I thought it was because Wendy had broken Prandecker, but seeing Myohail’s reaction, this is definitely the Trial Space.

But why…. Am I not the only one in this trial? Myohail, Ariel, Luna, and Wendy are all here too.

“Ugh……”

Luna groaned softly in my arms.

Thanks to Myohail’s magic, we landed safely on the ground, but Wendy, Luna, and Ariel were all piled on top of me, unconscious.

After a while, Luna stirred and opened her eyes.

“…Where are we?”

“You were out for a bit. Are you okay now?”

“Ah…. Yes. I’m… fine. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”

Luna also let out a sigh of relief, clearly shaken. Well, the castle suddenly shook, and the floor collapsed—anyone would be startled. In moments like these, she acts like a normal girl.

“Eek?! What, what is this?!”

Only then did Luna realize she was in my arms and quickly pushed me away, standing up.

“H-How dare you touch me with those filthy hands?!”

“I didn’t touch you.”

“Disgusting!”

“…I said I didn’t touch you.”

“Shut up! Even if you didn’t touch me, it’s still disgusting!”

What kind of logic is that…?

Luna started fussing, brushing off her clothes. There’s no point in being nice to her.

“Ugh…. Count?”

Wendy, who was also in my arms, opened her eyes. Once she grasped the situation, she immediately started checking me over.

“A-Are you okay?! Y-You’re not hurt, are you?!”

“I’m fine.”

“T-That’s a relief…. Sniff….”

Compared to Luna, Wendy is an angel.

Feeling somewhat touched, I patted Wendy’s head, but Luna was glaring at us again. I wish she’d mind her own business.

“Huh? Where are we…?”

Ariel, who had also been unconscious, opened her eyes, and we finally got a grasp of the situation.

We were trapped in this space filled with countless doors, just the four of us.

“Let’s just open any door for now.”

After looking around, Luna came up with a simple solution. Yeah, that seems like the best option. There doesn’t seem to be any other exit.

Ariel agreed with her.

“Her Majesty is right. There might be an exit beyond one of these doors.”

We stood in front of the nearest green wooden door. But as Luna stood there, about to open it, she suddenly turned her head and glared at me.

“…What are you doing? Are you expecting me to open this filthy door?”

“……”

She’s such a clean freak….

I wanted to force her to open it, but this isn’t the time for that.

I grabbed the doorknob and turned it.

Creeeak….

The door opened with a sound. I expected it to be dark inside, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was brighter than where we were.

“W-Wow, it’s like we’ve moved to a completely different space….”

Wendy muttered in surprise. And for good reason—through the window in the room we entered, bright sunlight was pouring in.

“…He doesn’t seem to resemble you at all, brother.”

“Eek?!”

Wendy flinched at the sudden voice. When we turned around, two men stood behind us, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“No. Then who does he resemble? Answer properly, you brat.”

“He looks too handsome to be your child, brother.”

The two men were looking into a cradle. Inside, a baby was babbling, and the two men were laughing as they watched.

“Then why don’t you say he resembles your sister-in-law?”

“Shut up. If you’re saying he’s handsome, but not like me, then who does he look like?”

The man grumbled, and I caught a glimpse of his face.

His calm, navy-blue hair, sunken eyes, and sharp jawline gave him a sleek appearance.

The aura he gave off was strangely similar to Bella Izakhel. More precisely, he had the scent of a seasoned swordsman.

Who is he?

Just as I was about to speak, a voice filled with disbelief rang out.

“This can’t be….”

Ariel, covering her mouth in shock, muttered toward the man.

“Is it really… you? Kyle…?”

What? That’s Kyle?

Ariel rushed toward the man, trying to hold onto him, the one she had lost long ago.

But her embrace passed right through him.

No, it’s more accurate to say she went through him. Ariel passed through Kyle’s body.

The shock caused her to collapse on the spot. Meanwhile, Kyle was busy talking to the man beside him.

‘Look carefully, Count. This is an illusion.’

Myohail’s low voice echoed in my mind.

‘It seems this room reflects events from the past.’

Certainly, the dead Kyle couldn’t be alive here. Just as I had seen Tristan’s past through a trial before, this trial seems to be showing Kyle’s past.

‘That man…. Duke Kyle….’

The Kyle from his lifetime seemed like a very cheerful man. Smiling at his child in the cradle, he looked every bit the image of a father.

But if that’s Kyle, who is the other man? From where I stood, his long hair obscured his face. No…. But that long hair reaching his shoulders feels familiar….

“Seriously, though. How about you becoming our child’s godfather?”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. Both Ari and I thought it’d be great if you were the godfather.”

“But…. I….”

At Kyle’s suggestion, the man seemed to fall into thought.

“…If I become the godfather, the child might end up with some bad rumors.”

“Why?”

“You know, brother. I…. Our family….”

“It’s fine.”

At that moment, the man beside Kyle turned his head. When I saw his face, my heart sank.

‘Why is he….’

He was a boy with a delicate, almost feminine face. His youthful features were identical to the man I had seen in a previous trial.

Only then did I realize that the past being reflected in this trial wasn’t Kyle’s past.

Kyle smiled and spoke to ‘that man.’

“Ari and I don’t care about any bad rumors about your family. So…. You don’t have to worry about that. William.”

William looked up.

Tristan’s father, the former Count Ruelberta. At the same time, the man who had been like a machine, devoid of any emotion, scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“If you say so, brother…. I’ll think about it.”

“William….”

Without realizing it, I gritted my teeth and muttered his name.

Thump….

A ‘wrath’ that wasn’t mine stirred within me.

*

“……You asked earlier, right?”

Ariel, who had just seen the past in the room we entered, composed herself and stood up.

“The only ones who could enter that study were Kyle and William.”

“…Was that so?”

“Yes, Count. Your father, William…. He was Kyle’s beloved younger brother.”

It was a newly revealed backstory.

Who would have thought William and Kyle were close….

Not only that, but the William I saw in the trial was so different from the one I knew that I wondered if they were even the same person.

From what I just saw, he seemed like a pretty ordinary person.

“But it’s surprising. I thought you already knew, Count.”

Ariel, being the one involved, already knew, but I only found out today.

William wasn’t a character who was explored in detail in the original story. It’s only natural that I know so little about him.

I decided to play it off.

“…I wasn’t particularly close to that man.”

“…I see. Well…. I guess it makes sense you’d dislike him, given what he was like….”

Now I was curious about William. Asking Ariel directly would be one way, but she’s already full of prejudice against him. Also, to find the key to clearing this trial, it’s best for me to investigate the past myself.

Above all…. The image of William pulling the trigger at the end of the trial lingered in my mind. What kind of existence was William, to have been so close to Kyle, and why did it end in tragedy?

I was lost in thought when someone tugged at my sleeve.

“Count…. A-Are you okay…?”

It was Wendy. She was looking up at me with a worried expression.

“…Yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“R-Really…?”

“Yeah.”

But Wendy suddenly grabbed my hand. She closed her eyes tightly and trembled until her face turned bright red.

“Uuuuuu……!”

“…What are you doing?”

“C-Cheer up…….”

“…If you’re going to cheer me on, don’t do it so half-heartedly.”

“Eek?! S-Sorry! I-I was trying to share my strength with you….”

Is she trying to share Wendy Power or something?

I appreciate the sentiment, but receiving something like that would probably just bring me ‘misfortune.’

“…I’ll pass.”

“S-Sorry…. I-I guess someone like me cheering you on wouldn’t help…. Sniff….”

“……”

Wendy started tearing up and putting herself down again.

Ah, really, saying things like that is cheating….

Finally, I sighed and spoke to Wendy.

“What I meant is that you don’t need to do this…. Just being by my side is a big help to me….”

“C-Count….”

“…Don’t cling to me.”

At my sweet talk, Wendy, who had been on the verge of crying, smiled again.

“Lolicon….”

Luna, who had been watching from the side, muttered in disbelief.

Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt awkward and quickly opened the next door.

Creeeak.

When the door opened, this time, William walking on snow appeared.

But this time, it was a bit different from before.

[You are resonating with the trial.]

[Your resonance rate is 5%.]

‘Resonance?’

I was confused for a moment, but then I felt a strange sensation. I quickly realized what it was.

“Cough, cough…!”

I suddenly started coughing. But it wasn’t me coughing—it was William.

‘…What’s this?’

My confusion was short-lived, as I soon understood what was happening.

I was sharing the sensations that William in the past was feeling.

As proof, when William touched the snow on the ground, I felt the cold on my fingertips as well.

It was like watching a 4D movie.

William was wandering around in the snow. He looked like an adult due to his height, but he was probably in his late teens. Perhaps due to the Ruelberta family’s traits, he was already quite tall.

However, his body seemed quite frail.

Even now, he was coughing and sweating profusely. Just walking in the snow seemed exhausting for him.

‘Was William’s health this bad in the past?’

As I thought this, a loud voice called out from nearby.

“Hey! William! You brat! Didn’t I tell you to rest?!”

Who’s this now…?

A man in his mid-thirties approached, shouting at William.

He seemed to be of high status, given the luxurious clothes he was wearing.

“Huh? Are you ignoring me? William!”

The man yelled at William, and I found myself muttering without realizing it.

“Who…?”

But the words came out of William’s mouth, not mine.

This sensation sharing…. I’m still not used to it.

“Who?? You’ve been seeing Inseok all this time! I sent you to the north to recuperate….”

The man’s expression darkened at the wrong answer, but somehow, he didn’t seem too upset.

“You foolish brat….”

The man brushed the snow off William’s shoulder as he spoke.

“Have you already forgotten your father’s face? Huh?”

 

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