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“Oh my god…”

Wendy couldn’t help but cover her mouth.

The maids, sleeping peacefully among the ice flowers, looked like princesses from a fairy tale.

That made the scene even more gruesome.

They couldn’t speak for a while.

It was too hard to accept the horrific reality before their eyes.

In the heavy silence, Vanessa finally spoke.

“…What kind of person was William, who did this…? Wasn’t he the Count’s father?”

“He died when the Count was still young.”

Albert sighed.

He had to dredge up painful memories with a trembling voice.

“…When I first met William Ruelberta, he was a boy deeply interested in magic.”

“Magic?”

“Vanessa, you might not know this, but the Ruelberta family has been cursed for generations, unable to use magic. Or, more accurately, they are born without any magical power.”

Albert remembered William Ruelberta, who became Count at a young age.

He remembered that brilliant boy.

“William wanted to break free from that curse. So he invested heavily in magical research. And I was a craftsman deeply immersed in magical research at the time. No…”

Albert closed his eyes.

“I was insane.”

He continued with a voice filled with regret.

“I wanted to create a formula that could harness the natural magic power. It had immense potential. I created and experimented with countless formulas. All thanks to William. He spared no expense in supporting me. Magic crystals, any material I needed—he provided it all.”

“It must have been a dream-like environment for craftsmen.”

At Vanessa’s words, Albert nodded.

“Yes. I worked for the Ruelberta family for a long time with that immense support. I quit when I found out that William was secretly conducting clinical experiments on animals with my formulas. He was analyzing and modifying my formulas, doing inhumane things.”

Albert’s shoulders trembled.

“I should have stopped him then. But I was too afraid… I was scared. I feared that the power supporting me might turn against me…!”

“Grandpa…”

“All I did was burn all my research and run away. I was despicable. And foolish. If I had thought a little more, I would have realized how dangerous those formulas were… how they could be misused…”

Albert looked at the four glass tubes. With a face full of regret, he gazed at the dead bodies inscribed with his formulas.

“Are they dead…?”

“No. Their magic power has been frozen with ice flowers. It’s like they’re in hibernation.”

Tristan, who had said this, picked up an ice flower petal that had fallen to the ground.

“My father… William Ruelberta turned them into corpse puppets. They were treated as emotionless tools. And now they sleep here, unable to die.”

The petal melted away in Tristan’s fingers.

Wendy could see deep, unfathomable sorrow in his face.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“Now, I intend to save them.”

“Save…?”

Albert, pondering what that meant, soon frowned.

“Don’t talk nonsense. How do you plan to save them when they’re already like this? Their hearts have been replaced with devices that simply supply magic power. They’ve literally become walking magical tools. So, no matter how much of a Count you are, no, even we can’t save them.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“Albert. Do you believe in souls?”

“What… souls?”

Tristan’s out-of-context question left Albert speechless.

Souls? What on earth is this man talking about?

“I once read about it in a book. There’s a hypothesis about souls that has existed for a long time.”

Not just Albert, but even Vanessa listened to Tristan’s words with a look of confusion.

“All living things possess magic power. From a blade of grass to humans, and even beings like dragons, called natural disasters. If you’re alive, you have magic power. So perhaps… the soul resides within that magic power?”

“That’s absurd!”

Albert couldn’t help but shout.

He knew how nonsensical the Count’s words were.

“With that hypothesis, Count, you’re saying you’re a human without a soul!”

“Yes. Maybe so.”

Tristan smiled coldly at Albert’s remark.

It was a smile so eerie it made one doubt if it was even human.

“I might just be a shell whose soul has been devoured by a curse. I’d prefer it that way. It would make it easier to carry out my plans.”

“Plans?”

“Formulas are a power that can control and bind magic. I believe their souls are trapped within the formulas.”

Tristan revealed his plan.

“I will bring them back to life.”

“Count! That’s a clear taboo!”

An excited Albert shouted.

Bringing the dead back to life.

Is there any greater sin than that?

“You… the Count will commit a greater sin than William! God will not tolerate this!”

“I don’t care.”

“They’re suffering even now!”

“I don’t care. Whether they’re suffering or not, I’ll think about that after I bring them back.”

“This is not something a mere human can do! Even if God came, He couldn’t save them!”

“I don’t care. I will save them.”

“You’ll fall into hell!”

“I don’t care about that!”

Tristan roared.

The sudden outburst made Albert and the others shrink back.

They couldn’t even breathe.

Tristan’s intense emotions seemed to choke them.

“…If I can bring them back to life, I will gladly become a demon.”

“Count…”

“They were mine from the beginning. Their souls too. Even God cannot take them from me.”

Tristan approached.

“Albert. This happened because of the formulas you created. You must finish what you started.”

Tristan, now standing before Albert, looked down at him.

Overwhelming him.

“Take responsibility and cooperate. Albert. No matter how long it takes, create a formula. One that surpasses what you made and can save them. As the head of the Ruelberta family, I will spare no expense in supporting you.”

It was an order.

Albert slumped.

It felt like he had encountered a demon and received an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“…Are you really telling me to commit another sin?”

“It’s not a sin. This is atonement. Albert, it’s the only way you can atone. And at the same time, it’s your chance to be freed from your sins.”

A chance.

Tristan’s words were tempting.

That’s why Albert wavered.

“What if the hypothesis is wrong…?”

“That’s for you, the craftsman, to figure out. I’ll take full responsibility.”

Tristan’s mouth twisted.

“I’ll go to hell alone.”

At that moment, Albert realized his fate.

He could never escape.

From the sins he had committed.

And from the Ruelbertas.

Albert muttered weakly.

“The Count is truly an enigma… I can’t tell if you’re scolding me or trying to help me…”

“It’s just that your atonement benefits me.”

“Is that so…”

Albert gave a bitter smile. Tristan, passing by him, called out the names inscribed on the glass tubes one by one.

“Muiry, Rika, Cynthia, Bess…”

Just by calling their names, Wendy could tell.

They were important people to Tristan.

And she could sense the regret, pity, and deep sorrow in his voice.

Albert sighed.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take everything? You’re an insatiably greedy man… Are you a demon? No… perhaps a Demon Lord who opposes God.”

“No. I am Tristan Ruelberta.”

The moment he faced Tristan’s resolute expression, Albert felt an indescribable fear.

“For now.”

 

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