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“What do you think? Shall we go take a look as well, my lord?”

“Yeah, let’s go check it out.”

Nodding lightly, Ghislain followed Jamal along with Elena. Pushing through the bustling crowd, they soon veered off to a quieter area, eventually entering the slums. Although the journey took some time, Elena eagerly walked on, filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing something new.

The eerie atmosphere unique to the slums scared her a little, but with the bodyguard present, she didn’t seem overly concerned. Ghislain quietly observed the other bodyguard, Philip.

‘Is this guy in on it too?’

Philip’s face was slightly flushed, and he walked silently, looking awkward. In his previous life, Elena, Philip, and even Jamal had been found as corpses. If both of them were traitors, the reason for their deaths was obvious.

‘They must have been silenced.’

The cost of being involved in the dangerous conspiracy of killing the lord’s daughter wasn’t cheap. Typically, one had to risk their own life, but it seemed neither of them had thought that far ahead.

“This is the place!”

As the group arrived at a clearing, Jamal excitedly shouted. Surrounding the open space were dilapidated, run-down houses. Every path was littered with discarded materials and trash.

‘Of course.’

The piles of trash scattered around would make it difficult to escape. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the layout had been deliberately manipulated. At first glance, it looked like ordinary garbage, but the exits were skilfully blocked.

“What’s supposed to be here? It’s just trash everywhere.”

Elena furrowed her brow. After spending time and effort to come all this way, the dismal scene clearly irritated her. Her voice turned sharp as her disappointment grew, and Jamal frantically waved his hands.

“It’s just not ready yet. Soon, people will come and show you something amazing.”

“Hmph, forget it! I’m going back. Let’s go, brother.”

Elena wasn’t a fool. Though she spoke calmly, her unease was evident. She had trusted her long-time bodyguard and followed him, only to be led to a place filled with nothing but trash—it was enough to raise suspicion.

“My lady, isn’t it a waste to leave without seeing the show after coming all this way?”

Jamal blocked her path, grinning slyly. His face had been tense a moment ago, but now his attitude brimmed with confidence as if he no longer cared what happened.

“Move aside, I’m going back.”

“Just wait a moment, will you?”

“Philip!”

Elena turned toward Philip, her face filled with anger. However, he simply moved to stand beside Jamal without uttering a word.

“Could it be… both of them…?”
Terrified, Elena clutched Ghislain’s arm tightly. With both bodyguards acting suspiciously, an ominous feeling crept over her.

“Why, why are you doing this…? What’s going on?”

She barely managed to speak, her voice trembling slightly. Jamal laughed as if it were nothing.

“I don’t hold any grudge against you, my lady. You’ve been kind, and being your bodyguard hasn’t been bad.”

“Then why…?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“A job with better conditions came along, that’s all. It’s a bit of a shame that I won’t see you again, though.”

Jamal grinned wickedly, licking his lips.

“Alright, I’ve brought the lady as promised! Let’s finish the deal!” Jamal shouted, and three men emerged from a rundown building.

One was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, and the other two were younger. All three had unremarkable faces, the kind that would easily blend into a crowd without drawing attention—perfect for disappearing.

The middle-aged man glanced around before asking Jamal, “He looks like Ferdium’s Grand Duke. Wasn’t he part of the deal?”

Jamal chuckled. “Yeah, the fool followed us all the way here. I’ll throw him in as a bonus. Consider it a gift.”

“A pleasant surprise. This will yield an even better outcome. Prepare yourselves.”

The middle-aged man smiled satisfactorily and nodded, prompting the other two men to block their escape route. Elena, now pale with fear, looked around in desperation.

“Jamal! What the hell are you doing?”

Jamal responded with a nonchalant smile.

“Who knows? My job was just to bring you here. After that, it’s up to these guys. Whether they sell you as a slave or kill you, I don’t really care.”

“W-What?”

Elena was too shocked to respond coherently, so Ghislain stepped in.

“You’ve sold us out. Do you really think you’ll get away with something like this in the lord’s territory?”

Despite Ghislain’s warning, Jamal didn’t seem worried.

“We’ll be long gone by the time anyone finds out. Besides, I’m sick of this wretched place, fighting every day. There are plenty of others leaving Ferdium just like us.”

“But they aren’t leaving after causing trouble like you.”

“Consider it bad luck, Grand Duke. You weren’t part of the plan, but at least the maids didn’t follow because of you. You’ve saved a few lives, I guess. After a life full of mischief, at least you did something good before you die. Haha.”

“Bad luck, you say…”

Ghislain gave a smile that Jamal found hard to interpret. Mistaking it for resignation, Jamal shook his head.

“Apologies, truly. My conscience stings a little, but I have no other choice.”

Despite his words, Jamal’s face showed no sign of remorse. Smirking, he walked toward the middle-aged man. Philip, on the other hand, wore a grim expression. It seemed he felt at least a shred of guilt.

Jamal glanced over at the middle-aged man, his expression tightening slightly.

“You seem a bit light-handed. If you’re playing a joke, it’s not funny. You do know both of us are knights, right?”

In response, the middle-aged man pulled out a piece of paper from his coat and waved it.

“You worry too much. Carrying around that much money is inconvenient, don’t you think? When dealing with large sums, it’s easier to use the Northern Merchants’ Union’s letter of credit.”

“Tch, I prefer gold coins. There won’t be any problems when exchanging it, right? If it’s fake, I’ll make sure to kill you.”

The middle-aged man chuckled and nodded his head.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any issues, I promise.”

As the middle-aged man reassured him, Jamal reluctantly accepted the paper. He started to draw on his mana to verify its authenticity, but when he saw the writing on the paper, his eyes widened in shock.

[Invitation to the Digald Ball]

It was a worthless invitation to a ball in another territory.

“You bastard!”

The moment Jamal, filled with rage, tried to draw his sword—

Thud!

The middle-aged man, who had already pulled out a dagger, stabbed Jamal in the stomach.

“Urk, ugh!”

“I found this on my way here. You don’t seem to like it. Not a fan of balls, are you?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man moved his dagger again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He stabbed Jamal multiple times in quick succession before stepping back slightly.

“I didn’t lie. Once you’re dead, there won’t be any issues at all.”

“You son of a… You tricked us…”

Jamal staggered, clutching his stomach, before collapsing to the ground.

Jamal and Philip had considered the possibility of things going wrong, given the dangerous nature of their plan. However, confident in their skills as knights, they had pushed ahead, only to be undone by the middle-aged man’s cunning move.

“Arrghhh!”

Unable to hold back his fury, Philip drew his sword and charged at the middle-aged man.

Clang!

The middle-aged man drew his sword in an instant, effortlessly parrying Philip’s attack.

After exchanging a few blows rapidly, the middle-aged man offered a slight nod of approval.

“Not bad.”

As expected of a Ferdium knight who had fought many battles, Philip was indeed skilled. However, the middle-aged man was on an entirely different level.

Swish!

When the middle-aged man summoned more mana, Philip’s neck was swiftly sliced through with ease.

“Gurgle…”

Spitting out blood, Philip collapsed. Without batting an eye, the middle-aged man approached and made sure to sever his head completely.

Afterward, he turned toward Jamal, who lay dying in a pool of his own blood.

“S-Spare me…”

Even as he lay dying, Jamal begged for his life.

“Sorry, but I like things neat.”

“You bastard…”

“Anyway, thanks for your efforts. I’ll take the gift.”

Without any change in expression, the middle-aged man decapitated Jamal.

After dealing with both men, the middle-aged man took out a pipe from his coat and began smoking.

“Hoo… It really tastes the best when smoked at times like this. Now, shall I finish this up?”

He exhaled smoke from his mouth and glanced back at the siblings.

Elena gripped Ghislain’s arm even tighter. She was on the verge of tears, her body trembling uncontrollably.
It wasn’t just the fear of seeing a person get their throat slashed in front of her—it was the terror that she might suffer the same fate.

“O-Opaa! Let’s run away!”

Elena tugged on Ghislain’s arm again. She desperately wanted them to escape, but Ghislain shook his head.

“It’s fine, let go. You’re surprisingly strong, you know?”

“I’m telling you, we need to run!”

“It’s just three guys. No need to worry.”

Ghislain smiled, trying to free his arm, but it wasn’t easy.

“Do you work out? Why are you so strong?”

“What…?”

Elena’s face twisted in disbelief. The middle-aged man, who had been watching silently, chuckled.

They said the Grand Duke of Ferdium was a bit unhinged, and it seemed that really was the case.

Despite his enemies sneering at him, Ghislain began to release his mana, spreading it out like thin threads in all directions.
Had this been his past life, he would have made the entire space within his sight his domain. But for now, he could only spread his mana thread by thread.

‘Thinner and wider.’

This kind of mana manipulation wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Even the average knight wouldn’t know how to wield such a technique. Even if they knew, they wouldn’t have a clue how to use it.

Only those who had transcended to the highest skill level, capable of controlling mana at will, could perform such a technique.

Though Ghislain’s body hadn’t matured yet, his experience and knowledge had already far surpassed that level.
Despite his limited mana reserves, manipulating it with precision was not an issue.

‘There’s no one else besides these three.’

Nothing caught in his mana threads. Now confident that no other enemies were hidden nearby, Ghislain carefully pried Elena’s hands off his arm.

“What’s your name?”

At Ghislain’s question, the middle-aged man knocked the ashes from his pipe before replying.

“…I’ll tell you out of respect for nobles. It’s Frank. Go ahead and curse my name when you meet the reaper.”

“That’s not a local name. Who hired you?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

At Frank’s nod, the two men who had been blocking the escape routes moved closer.

One of them asked Frank, “How should we handle this?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Frank answered coldly.

“Beheading is too common. Break his whole body apart. Make sure the Count of Ferdium sees it and flies into a rage. And don’t forget to keep him alive as long as possible. The more he writhes in pain, the better it’ll look.”

“Understood.”

Thud.

The moment he heard those words, Ghislain’s heart pounded heavily. Painful memories that had tormented him his entire life resurfaced in his mind.
The memory of Elena’s mutilated body, brutally carved up and returned to him, still haunted him.
He had wept and hurled at the sight of her corpse.

That final image of Elena had etched itself so vividly in his memory that he could never forget it—not even in death.

‘I have never forgotten. Not even once.’

Blood rushed to his head, and his face began to burn.
When was the last time he had been this enraged?

Excitement before the battle was dangerous, but Ghislain allowed himself to be swept up by the intense emotions. His hands began to tremble slightly, and his breathing quickened.

Seeing this, Frank smirked.

‘What a complete amateur.’

Just by watching his hands tremble, Frank could tell how poor Ghislain’s skills were. But there was one thing that bothered him…

‘Is he smiling?’

Despite the situation, Ghislain’s lips were curled into a smile. His eyes gleamed with an unsettling madness.

But what could a mere weakling like him possibly do? Frank brushed off the uneasy feeling and urged his men forward.

“He really must be as crazy as the rumors say. Hurry up and finish him off.”

The two men moved closer to Ghislain.

Elena stepped back hesitantly.

“O-Oppa!”

She was so worried about Ghislain that she couldn’t even think about running and screamed his name in fear instead.

At that moment, Ghislain spoke in a low voice.

“Finally, I’ve found you.”

“What?”

“I’ve missed you. So very much.”

“What the hell is this bastard talking about…”

Ghislain’s hand shot out like lightning, grabbing one of the men by the throat.

“Keuk, keugh!”

Puhook!

His fingers pierced through the man’s neck, completely tearing it open. Blood gushed out, soaking his clothes.

“Kuh, keugh…!”

The man dropped his sword, his body convulsing.

Ghislain, his hand now drenched in blood, slowly pulled the man closer to his face.

A voice, thick with ecstasy, echoed out.

“You have no idea… how long I’ve waited for this moment. I’ve dreamed of it… every single day.”

Without hesitation, Ghislain flung his arm backward.

Puh-uhk!

The man’s head was ripped off, his lifeless body collapsing into a heap of trash.