Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Not Falling for This Twice (3)
Ghislaine pondered various possibilities for how Elena might have gotten into an accident.
Among them was the assumption that there might be a traitor within the castle.
Of course, the Guard Knights were suspicious too, but who would have thought that Jamal, who had been protecting Elena for so long, would be involved?
“What do you think? Would you like to go take a look as well, Your Highness?”
“Sure, let’s go take a look.”
Ghislaine lightly nodded and followed Jamal along with Elena.
They navigated through the bustling crowd and soon slipped into a quieter place, soon entering the Poor District.
It took a bit of time to get there, but Elena was filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing something new and walked eagerly.
Though she was slightly intimidated by the gloomy atmosphere typical of the Poor District, she didn’t seem overly worried with the Guard Knight at her side.
Ghislaine quietly observed another Guard Knight, Philip.
‘Is this guy in on it too?’
With his slightly flushed face and silent demeanor, he seemed somewhat out of place.
In her previous life, both Elena and Philip, along with Jamal, had been found dead.
If both were traitors, then the reason for their deaths would be obvious.
‘They probably silenced them.’
Joining a risky plot to kill the lord’s daughter isn’t a safe venture.
Usually, one had to put their life on the line, but it seemed like neither of them had thought that far.
“Here we are!”
When they arrived in a clearing, Jamal exclaimed with a hint of excitement.
Looking around, Ghislaine noticed that old, crumbling houses densely surrounded the open space.
Discarded materials and garbage filled the alleyways.
‘Indeed.’
The trash piled up around made it look difficult to escape.
Upon closer inspection, the arrangement clearly suggested human intervention. At first glance, it looked like ordinary rubbish, but it had cunningly blocked potential escape routes.
“Ugh, what’s supposed to be here? Just a bunch of trash.”
Elena frowned. After all the effort to come all this way, she appeared frustrated by the disappointing atmosphere.
As soon as Elena’s voice sharpened, Jamal waved his hands in a panic.
“It’s just that preparations aren’t complete yet. Soon enough, people will arrive and show you something spectacular!”
“Hmph, forget it! I’m going back. Let’s go, brother.”
Elena wasn’t foolish.
Though she tried to sound casual, her anxious demeanor was hard to hide.
She had trusted the Guard Knight she had known for a long time, but being led to a dump could understandably raise suspicion.
“Lady, wouldn’t it be a waste to leave without looking around?”
Jamal interjected playfully, blocking Elena’s path with a smirk.
Just a moment ago, he had appeared tense, but now he radiated confidence as if he didn’t care about anything.
“Move aside, I’m going back.”
“Just wait a moment.”
“Philip!”
Elena turned angrily to Philip.
But he stood beside Jamal without saying a word.
“W-wait, could it be both of them…?”
Elena grabbed Ghislaine’s arm tightly in pure fear.
With both Guard Knights acting suspiciously, a terrible premonition settled in.
“W-what’s going on… why are you doing this?”
She barely managed to speak, her voice trembling slightly.
Jamal laughed as if it was nothing serious.
“I’m not harboring any grudge against you, my lady. You’ve treated me kindly, and I didn’t mind acting as your Guard.”
“But then why…”
He shrugged.
“It’s just that a contract came in with good conditions. It’s a shame I won’t be seeing you anymore.”
Jamal grinned deviously, licking his lips.
“Well, I brought you here as promised! Let’s wrap up this deal quickly!”
As Jamal shouted, three people emerged from an abandoned place.
One was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man accompanied by two younger men.
All three had a common impression that would easily fade from memory if glimpsed in a crowd, making them suitable for lurking in the shadows.
The middle-aged man scanned the surroundings and then asked Jamal.
“Looking at your face, you seem to be the Grand Duke of Perdium, right? I don’t think you were mentioned in the request.”
“Right, he followed like a fool. I’ll throw him in as a bonus. A gift!”
“An unexpected fortune. This could yield better results. Prepare yourself.”
The middle-aged man nodded approvingly, and the other two men blocked any escape routes.
Elena looked around, her face pale.
“Jamal! What on earth is going on here!”
Jamal replied, still wearing a nonchalant grin.
“Who knows? My job was just to bring you here. What happens next is up to these gentlemen. They’ll either sell you as a slave or kill you.”
“W-what?”
Elena was so shocked she could barely finish a sentence, prompting Ghislaine to step in.
“You’ve sold us out. Do you think you can get away with this kind of act in the territory?”
Despite Ghislaine’s warning, Jamal didn’t seem bothered at all.
“As long as we get our money and run far away, it’s all good. I’m really tired of this underprivileged territory that keeps having fights. There aren’t many people leaving Perdium like us, you know?”
“But no one leaves with such a ruckus.”
“You weren’t part of the original plan, so consider it bad luck for you. Well, since you’re here, some of the maids didn’t follow, so your arrival saved a few. Looks like you’ll do something good before you go out in a blaze. Heh.”
“Bad luck, you say…”
Ghislaine wore a mysterious smile. Jamal, thinking he had given up, shook his head.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. I feel a little bit guilty, but there’s nothing I can do.”
However, his expression showed zero regret.
With a sly grin, Jamal approached the middle-aged man. Philip, on the other hand, showed a darker expression. He seemed to feel a hint of guilt.
Jamal inspected the middle-aged man and frowned slightly.
“Your hands look a bit light, don’t they? If this is just a joke, it’s no fun. You both know we’re Knights, right?”
In response, the middle-aged man pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it.
“Worrying too much. It’s cumbersome to carry around that kind of money. When exchanging large sums, using a northern merchant alliance’s IOU is much more convenient.”
“Tsk, gold coins are better. There shouldn’t be any issues when exchanging, right? If it’s fake, I’ll make sure to kill you.”
The middle-aged man chuckled and nodded.
“Don’t worry. There won’t be any issues. I promise.”
As the middle-aged man assured him, Jamal reluctantly accepted the paper.
Just as he was about to raise his mana to verify its authenticity, he read what was written and widened his eyes.
[Invitation to the Digald Ball]
The paper was worthless—a ball invitation from another territory.
“What the hell!”
As Jamal furiously reached for his sword…
Woosh!
The middle-aged man, having swiftly drawn a dagger, stabbed Jamal in the gut.
“Gah, ugh!”
“Seems like you don’t like what you picked up on the way. Not fond of balls, huh?”
Without pausing, the middle-aged man once again moved the dagger.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In a flash, the middle-aged man stabbed Jamal multiple times, then slightly stepped back before continuing his speech.
“No lie here. If you die here, it won’t be an issue at all.”
“You son of a bitch… you deceived us…”
Jamal clutched his belly and staggered, collapsing.
As danger loomed, both Jamal and Philip had considered the possibility of such an event.
Yet, confident in their Knight skills, they had chosen to proceed, only to be caught off guard by the middle-aged man’s cunning move.
“AAAHHH!”
Philip, unable to contain his fury, unsheathed his sword and lunged at the middle-aged man.
Clang!
The middle-aged man smoothly drew his own sword to parry Philip’s attack.
After exchanging blows for a moment, the middle-aged man expressed mild admiration.
“You’re quite good.”
True to his profession as a Knight from Perdium, Philip had respectable skill.
However, the middle-aged man was on a much higher level.
Slice!
As the middle-aged man ramped up his mana, Philip quickly met his end, his throat severed.
“Gah!”
Philip sputtered blood before collapsing. The middle-aged man approached him with an indifferent expression and cleanly severed his neck.
Then, he moved toward Jamal, who was bleeding profusely and dying.
“P-please… spare me…”
Even while dying, Jamal begged for his life.
“Sorry, I prefer a clean job.”
“You bastard…”
“Still, thanks for your hard work. Do enjoy your gift.”
With that, the middle-aged man expressionlessly beheaded Jamal.
Once he dealt with both men, the middle-aged man pulled out a pipe and lit a cigarette.
“Ah… this is the best time to smoke. Now, shall we finish this?”
Exhaling smoke, he looked back at the siblings.
Elena clutched Ghislaine’s arm even tighter, tears pooling in her eyes, trembling.
She was terrified not just by the scene of a person getting their head chopped off but also at the thought of meeting the same fate.
“O-oh, brother! Let’s run!”
Elena tugged at Ghislaine’s arm again, indicating a desperate need to escape, but Ghislaine shook his head.
“It’s okay, let go. You’re surprisingly strong?”
“Let’s get away quickly!”
“Just three of them? There’s no need to worry.”
Ghislaine chuckled and attempted to pull away, but it wasn’t easy.
“Do you exercise? Why are you so strong?”
“What?”
Elena looked bewildered.
The middle-aged man, who had been watching quietly, chuckled as well.
Said to be a bit off, the Grand Duke of Perdium seemed to fit that description.
Whether the enemy laughed at him or not, Ghislaine released his mana, spreading it like thin threads in all directions.
In his past life, he would have encompassed the entire space within his sight as his territory, but that wasn’t possible now, so he scattered the mana into thin strands.
‘Thinner and wider.’
Such mana manipulation wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Even decent Knights wouldn’t know such techniques, and even if they did, they’d have no clue how to perform them.
Only those who surpassed their limits and could freely wield mana could utilize such a technique.
Though his body hadn’t fully matured, Ghislaine’s experience and knowledge were already at that level and beyond.
Even with a lesser amount of mana, he had no problem running it delicately.
‘No one else is around.’
With nothing catching on the threads of mana, Ghislaine carefully released Elena’s grip on his arm.
“What’s your name?”
In response to Ghislaine’s question, the middle-aged man brushed off his pipe ashes and replied.
“As a courtesy to the noble, I’ll tell you my name. It’s Frank. Go complain in the afterlife.”
“Not the name of this area, then. Who hired you?”
“Not something I need to disclose.”
As Frank shrugged, the two men blocking the exit approached closer.
One of the men asked Frank.
“What should we do with them?”
Frank pondered for a moment and then stated coldly.
“Beheading is too ordinary, so tear them apart. Ensure that Count Perdium sees and gets furious. Don’t forget to leave them alive for as long as possible. It’ll look prettier when they wriggle in pain.”
“Understood.”
Thump.
At that moment, Ghislaine’s heart raced wildly.
Painful memories that had haunted him for a lifetime resurfaced.
Seeing Elena’s mangled body return in tatters, Ghislaine had cried and felt nauseous.
The image of Elena’s last moments had remained vividly imprinted in his mind, never to be forgotten.
‘Not once have I forgotten it.’
Blood rushed to his head, and his face started burning with rage.
How long had it been since he felt this fired up?
Excitement was a bad omen before a battle, but Ghislaine let himself go with the whirlwind of emotions. His hands trembled slightly, and his breathing quickened.
Seeing this, Frank sneered.
‘Such a rookie.’
Just watching the slight tremor in his hands showed how severely lacking Ghislaine was in skill.
But there was one unsettling thing…
‘Is he smiling?’
Even in this scenario, the man was smiling. His eyes sparkled with a terrifying insanity.
But what could a loser like Ghislaine do? Ignoring his bad premonitions, Frank urged his subordinates.
“Seems like the rumors are true—he really is a lunatic. Get started.”
The two men took a step closer to Ghislaine.
Elena hesitated, backing away.
“O, brother!”
Worrying for Ghislaine, she called out to him like a scream, unable to flee.
At that moment, Ghislaine spoke softly.
“I’ve finally found you.”
“What?”
“I’ve wanted to see you. Truly.”
“What the hell is this idiot saying…”
In a flash, Ghislaine’s hand shot out, grabbing one man’s throat.
“Gah, ugh!”
Whoosh!
His fingers pierced through the neck and completely broke through. Blood began to spray, soaking his clothes.
“Cough, gag…”
The man trembled, dropping his sword.
With his bloodied hand, Ghislaine slowly pulled the man closer to his face.
A voice filled with delight rang out.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wished to see you. I’ve dreamed of this moment my whole life.”
Without restraint, Ghislaine violently yanked back his hand.
Splatter!
The decapitated body of the man dropped onto the heap of garbage.
