Martina.
As one of Belducias’s loyal followers, she had recently ended her secluded life and revealed herself to the outside world.
Her cautious decision was prompted by the recent mysterious deaths of Salvetor and several of her other associates.
Of course, the deaths of these few companions meant little to Martina, who had barely any camaraderie with them.
She was only elated by the thought that with the competition eliminated, it was the perfect time for her to rise as the king’s envoy.
Martina began searching for a suitable place to engage in her activities, and she easily found one.
The Dunsany family.
The decaying family estate was the perfect stage for her.
There, it should be easy enough.
Having arrived at this remote rural domain where, even with a careful look around, no well-equipped soldiers or magicians could be seen, Martina set her plans into motion.
As a preliminary step to cater to her most demanding king’s taste, she killed the Baron’s daughter. She then broke the Baron’s spirit with sorrow, turning him into a martyr of madness, and placed a severe curse on his body.
The Baron, now the vessel of a powerful curse, embraced his dead daughter’s body and began chanting unholy words, with a glorious self-immolation before him.
The next victims of the curse, to be completed upon the Baron’s death, were the residents of the domain.
Ah, Your Majesty.
Even the thought of the favors the mad king would bestow upon her for the atrocities it would create made Martina’s heart feel like it would burst.
But what is this!
She twisted her body in pain, feeling her molars shatter under the powerful grip of the man who had grasped her cheeks.
The excruciating agony made her feel as though all her plans had turned to ashes.
“Ah, aack!”
Ruon growled softly.
“Don’t you have an answer?”
There was only one reason he hadn’t killed her: He wanted to extract useful information.
“Regardless, you will die. That’s for sure. However, depending on your answers, the end might be a little more comfortable.”
Having said that, Ruon eased the pressure of his fingertips slightly. Martina, who had barely escaped from the agony, spoke laboriously.
“···Who, who the hell are you?”
“Wrong.”
“Kck!”
Chhk.
The bone-chilling sound of her molars and surrounding teeth being shattered under the pressure echoed through the corridor.
Ruon, facing the soundless scream of Martina, spoke.
“One last question. Where is Beldusias?”
Listening to his relentless, emotionless voice, Martina had no choice but to admit it. She could never escape this man.
Discarding all the fundamental questions, like how Tibella’s dogs could have even found her In this secluded place, she trembled as she barely managed to regain control of her quivering lips.
“I-I don’t know either. We only borrow his power through rituals and sacrifices.”
The tooth fragments in her mouth made pronunciation difficult, but she was still understandable.
“It’s a kind of contract.”
Though she could endure the pain in her back and throbbing mouth, she couldn’t bear Ruon’s cold expression as he silently stared at her.
Unaware of the effect of Ruon’s ability [Devil’s Adversary], Margrita was trapped in instinctive fear, yet she continued speaking.
“He is an envoy acknowledged by the king… Yes, an envoy. If he’s an envoy, he must know. Unlike us, he was directly anointed by the king.”
‘An envoy?’
Judging that he had finally heard something valuable, Ruon immediately questioned her.
“Where can this so-called envoy be found?”
“That, he’s at the Great Li-“
Just as Martina was about to say more, her body suddenly began to tremble like the leaves of an aspen tree.
Seeing her foaming face and abnormal convulsions, Ruon quickly stepped back.
“Merciful Mother-“
Before Igor could do anything, the rapidly inflating head of the woman exploded.
Though Ruon was an outsider to magic, sorcery, and curses, he could easily tell that an unknown force had forcibly killed the woman.
Looking down at the bloodied and fleshy floor, he muttered under his breath in frustration.
“Cutting her off at such a crucial moment. That’s petty as hell.”
Igor scratched his chin as he faced Ruon, with a strange sense of satisfaction.
“Did you not hear her?”
“What?”
“She mentioned the Great Library, didn’t she?”
When Ruon stared at him intently, Igor continued with a slightly triumphant expression.
“I think I heard her say the beginning, at least, so I can’t be sure, but it was enough to make me think of the Great Library.”
“…You might be right.”
As Ruon nodded, the light emanating from the pommel of the Holy Sword began to absorb the dark power it had drawn from the headless woman’s body.
Feeling the satisfying resonance of the Holy Sword in his hand, Ruon spoke.
“Let’s go get the two outside.”
***
Wuden, having served this household for three generations, had experienced various ups and downs in his life. However, even for someone like him, the horrifying scene before him was beyond his expectations, causing him to collapse and slump to the ground.
“Oh my, what on earth…”
Wuden was trembling so violently that he wondered if he would have fainted if he hadn’t mentally prepared himself.
Surprisingly, the maid Mia kept her composure.
After carefully wiping the blood-covered Baron’s body with a damp towel, she turned to Ruon.
“Would you please carry the master to his bed?”
Ruon nodded in response to her calm request.
“Sure.”
Mia spoke as he placed the almost weightless and lifeless Baron on the bed.
“What happened… Can you tell me about it?”
Ruon hesitated to answer, not knowing the full story of the incident, except that the woman had tried to use the Baron for her plans, Igor spoke up.
“It’s not much different than what you might expect. The woman you found suspicious was a demon’s minion, and she drove the Baron to madness.”
After he let out a short sigh, Igor continued.
“The power of my Mother managed to drive away the madness, but the aftereffects will likely be significant. Even if he regains consciousness, he’ll find it difficult to function normally.”
Struggling to find her voice, Mia spoke up as Igor finished speaking.
“—It’s enough that he’s alive, me and Wuden will figure it out.”
Bowing her head deeply enough to reveal the crown of her head, she continued.
“Thank you for your kindness, Tibella’s knights. You are the true heroes.”
Feeling that feeble consolation was unnecessary, Ruon led Igor out the door. They could hear Mia’s sorrowful weeping from inside the room as they closed the door.
Considering the ages of Wuden and Mia, they must have been people who had been with the Baron since his childhood.
Not daring to imagine how much pain they were going through, Igor bit his lip.
“Is this how it’s supposed to be?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve resolved the situation, but I don’t feel proud at all.”
Ruon shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s not about seeking self-satisfaction.”
After a moment of silence, Igor spoke up.
“…Walking the path of such kindness, Ruon, no matter what others may say, you are truly worthy of being Tibella’s champion. It reminds me of how privileged I am to be a part of this journey.”
Before Ruon could respond, Igor knelt in front of the door, clasped his hands, and began to pray.
Watching him for a moment, Ruon suddenly recalled what Amella had told him long ago.
“No matter what your intentions are, sometimes people only remember the results, and those results stack up and form an impression of a person.”
‘You were right.’
Ruon smiled faintly.
As he moved towards his goal of killing Belducius, he realized how accurate her words were, now inadvertently walking the path of a hero.
Meanwhile, beyond the window, the setting sun squeezed out its final light. Along the blood-stained corridor where the crimson glow had descended, Ruon walked slowly.
***
“Oh my, Mother… Didn’t they give us too much?”
“Why? Is there gold in there?”
“How did you know?”
“What?”
Igor extended the leather pouch toward Ruon, and as he peered inside, he saw two gleaming gold coins.
It was the leather pouch that Wuden had insisted on giving them as they were leaving.
Knowing the circumstances of the impoverished estate, Ruon and Igor had tried to refuse, but the old steward was quite insistent, so they reluctantly accepted it, but what better reward than gold!
It was an unimaginable sum.
Igor mumbled anxiously.
“They shouldn’t have given us so much just to defend their family’s pride…”
Ruon lightly shook his head.
“The Baron wasn’t going to let us leave without a reward.”
With that said, Ruon took the lead and began walking, with Igor quickly following behind.
“So, are we heading to the capital?” Igor asked.
“I suppose.”
Thanks to Igor’s understanding of the last words of the exploding servant, their next destination naturally became the capital city, Bern, where the Great Library was located.
The Holy Sword, which was now fueled by Belducius’s power, also indicated toward the west, where Bern was situated, so there was no need to hesitate.
After traveling for hours beneath the heavy, gloomy sky, the two finally took a moment to rest under a hunched pine tree.
Ruon said, “Now that our pouch is quite ample, we’ll buy some horses or something at the next stop. We can’t keep walking like this forever.”
Igor’s face lit up.
“Oh, my goodness! Sir Ruon, you finally brought it up. Thank you, Mother.”
Ruon chuckled.
“Has it been tough all this time?”
“Please don’t mention it. Do you have any idea how pathetic I felt, praying to Mother every night, trying to heal the blisters on my swollen feet?”
“Alright, I get it. Can you just put away your feet?”
Igor withdrew his sore feet, which he had been rubbing, and smiled sheepishly.
“…I’m sorry.”
Right then.
Mee-ee-ee-eee!
Startled by the resounding bleat, both of them stood up abruptly.
“Is it a mountain goat?”
“Could a mountain goat be so loud?”
Ruon replied and walked towards the direction where the noise came from.
Mee-ee-ee-eee!
At the bottom of the steep path, a massive monster roared fiercely.
All around the goat-headed creature, roaring wildly at the sky, was a mass of mutilated body parts.
Igor, who arrived a little later, muttered.
“A chort?”
At that moment, from the opposite side of the monster, a loud and boisterous voice resounded.
“You fucking goat! Can’t you back off? You little piece of shit! You’re not even worth eating!”
The thick cursing was coming from inside an iron cage on top of a large cart.
‘What the hell is that?’
While Ruon furrowed his brow, someone inside the iron cage noticed the two on the hilltop and shouted loudly.
“Hey, brothers! Help me out! I’d prefer to get out of here!”
