'Impressive.'
He had approached me while hiding his presence, and had even managed to grab hold of me for a brief moment.
Not many guilds could produce several experts of this caliber. It was clear this bastard was the strongest fighter leading the pack.
Most of the assassins were likely just there to tie down the surrounding knights; the actual mission to assassinate the target must have been given to him.
"Heok."
"······!"
A stir rippled through the assassins. Whether my guess was correct or not, their movements noticeably slowed. They had lost their will to fight.
Slaying the assassins who had lost their center was an incredibly easy task for both the knights and me.
"Agh!"
"Damn it!"
Screams of assassins began to echo from all over the forest one after another.
*Peobeok, peok!*
Corpses of assassins piled up in an instant. When the knights held them down,
*Swaak!*
spears flew out, killing every last one of them in sight.
*Saak!*
When an assassin's leg was slashed, sending them crashing to the ground,
*Kwajik!*
their heads were stomped and crushed.
"Just, just one guy...."
"It's over, it's over...."
"We're screwed today too...."
Eventually, the knights gave up and focused on collecting the corpses. As they lined the bodies up in a row,
*Puk! Puk!*
I walked slowly in front of them and pierced each of their hearts with my sword. I was confirming the kills.
"Don't leave a single one alive."
"······Yes."
Matthias slowly bowed his head, and
*Puk!*
joined in confirming the kills. Some twitched, while others were already dead and didn't move an inch.
There was more to continuing this seemingly meaningless act than just confirming the kills.
"Keugh...."
Because the assassin leading the group was still breathing, despite looking like a pouch leaking blood from all over his body.
In other words, this was closer to an act of showing him. I was shoving the sight of killing the assassins he had painstakingly raised like bugs right in front of his nose.
"Schmaichel!"
He tracked my movements with bloodshot eyes.
*Ppadeudeuk.*
It was to the point where even the sound of his teeth grinding could be heard. That sight....
"Haha."
It was quite amusing. When I couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, the reactions of the people around me varied.
"······!"
Matthias hastily turning his gaze away,
"······Hah."
*Gulp.*
The knights silently swallowing their saliva.
And,
"What is so funny?"
And now even the assassin, who had perhaps reached the peak of his anger and grown calmer.
"Curious?"
I asked back with a hint of a smile on my lips. Sensing something, the assassin didn't answer.
"It was just funny."
I slowly approached him and wrapped both my hands around his neck.
"By the fact that you bastards also feel anger and sorrow just the same."
Ever since my parents passed away in a carriage accident three years ago, I hadn't been able to get a single day of proper rest.
Immense power and wealth in the hands of a mere 19-year-old boy. There was no way my collateral relatives would leave such a mouth-watering prey alone.
Interfering in the management of the estate under the pretext of becoming my guardian was a rather cute level of offense. Servants were replaced every day, and the things I cherished and loved died off one by one.
'Still, I comforted myself, thinking I shouldn't become the same kind of human as them.'
Promising to become a lord fairly and righteously, no matter how cowardly the methods my collateral relatives used.
But that was a foolish and naive thought. Because the Dane Schmaichel of my past life, who thought that way, had died.
My enemies pounced on me without hesitation, using any means and methods possible. They bribed my closest aides, hid poison everywhere, and concealed blades in every corner.
At times like this, standing tall to protect my pride was, in fact, a foolish act. I had to roll in the same muck and fight by throwing mud back at them.
I had to make them feel this same shittiness as well.
'I'll make them feel it soon enough.'
Even a mere assassin suffers when they lose someone precious. Therefore, I had to inflict the same pain onto 'him'.
Thinking that made me feel a little better. I felt the smile seeping onto my lips twist even further.
"Your Grace, the mastermind...."
I brushed off Matthias's regretful whisper and moved my hands.
*Ppudeudeuk!*
The assassin's face twisted backward.
"Kuh...."
He collapsed to the floor, exactly in the twisted state I had left him. His rolled-back whites of the eyes were filled with terror.
"We lost again today."
I said to Matthias, who shrugged as if he had known this would happen.
"I don't need to know the mastermind."
"But for our strategy...."
"However, I agree with your idea. Let's look for another method."
"Oh? If you say so."
Matthias accepted with a brightened expression, then mobilized the knights to clean up the situation.
"Hyah!"
We left the piled-up corpses as they were and departed. Here, in the northern lands of Schmaichel, corpses did not rot.
It was for two reasons. Because of the cold and dry climate, they froze under the piling snow.
And,
*Grrr.*
*Kwong!*
because the monsters that swarmed in at the scent of blood would take care of them. It felt as if a thick stench of blood was rushing in from behind.
Leaving the darkness and bloodstains behind, our party left the forest. Then, we headed to the Kalmar Mine.
**
"My Lady."
Rose, who had been leaning against the window, turned around at the sound of her name.
"Selma."
"The air outside is cold. Please come inside."
The head maid Selma and the other maids were huddled together. All of their faces were filled with worry for Rose.
"No. I'm fine, so I will stay a little longer."
"His Grace will not return until tomorrow. When he goes to the mine, he usually comes back the next day."
"I know... Mmph."
"Please come over here to the fireplace where it is warm. If you were to catch a cold, My Lady, His Grace will have my head."
In truth, Rose was perfectly fine. She had just been so flustered that day that her face turned red. She was naturally prone to flushing easily anyway.
Despite that, Dane had repeatedly asked Rose if she was alright in front of all the servants, breathing fire as he relentlessly berated the physician.
'Your Grace, the Madam needs her rest.'
It was a relief that the head maid Selma shooed him away quickly. Had he stayed a moment longer, Rose would have surely found a mouse hole to hide in.
'I'll add more firewood to the fireplace!'
'I'll bring a steaming hot compress!'
Selma and the maids firmly misunderstood that Rose had caught a cold after spending her first night with him. If Rose coughed even slightly, they would fuss and make a huge scene.
It was because Dane had worried over her excessively.
'Well, it was understandable....'
Rose had never seen an adult man's naked body so up close in her life. Furthermore, it was no other than Dane Schmaichel. Her close contact with him was a dazzlingly dizzying experience for Rose.
*Hwareureuk!*
Just thinking about that day made her face flare up again.
'Oh my, oh my.'
Rose quickly fanned her face with her hand to cool it down. If she kept this up, she might be misunderstood to have a cold again.
"My Lady, please hurry...."
"Alright."
Rose feigned defeat and sat in the chair in front of the fireplace, guided by Selma.
*Tadak, tadak.*
The sound of firewood burning in the fireplace, the pleasant warmth. The coziness of the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Everything was warm and peaceful.
But Rose knew. She knew this peace was like a thin sheet of ice that could shatter at any moment.
'A month later on his birthday, he dies....'
The collateral relatives utilized this remaining month very thoroughly. Climbing the castle walls to raid the bedroom, or poisoning the food brought in, was just the basics.
Every day, they stayed up all night with eyes wide open, forced to watch the silver tableware turn black. They suspected, verified, and inspected. Until everyone's nerves were on the verge of snapping.
'They endured it all so well, but...'
Dane had died the moment he greeted victory. Over a mere glass of wine. Stiffening up like a log.
'Who poured the wine that day?'
Because it was such a shocking ending, the memories of that day were both clear yet hazy. Rose racked her brain again and again, trying to recreate the scene at the dinner table that day.
'Me, His Grace. The butler was there too... Fabri was naturally there.'
It was a banquet enjoyed like sounding a victory cry, in celebration of passing his 22nd birthday. Everyone gathered to celebrate and share the joy.
'Right, Joel. He was there too. Ma... Matis? That person was there as well.'
The Knight Commander, Matis—rather, Matthias—had always been aloof towards Rose. No, to be precise, he was hostile. Because of that, Rose couldn't even properly remember his name.
Regardless, almost everyone who frequented the castle, as far as Rose knew, was present at that table.
Rose pondered again and again about how Joel could have poisoned him. She considered the possibility that the poison was already in the wine itself, or smeared inside a pre-prepared wine glass.
'The wine wasn't in a decanter. It was poured straight from the bottle.'
Everyone drank the wine together that day. Only Dane showed signs of poisoning. Perhaps it wasn't the bottle, but Dane's glass that was the problem.
If so, the wine in the couple's bedroom was cleared of suspicion. In fact, Dane had said he never even touched that wine.
In the end, this was the core issue. How did Joel poison Dane?
'What did His Grace consistently consume?'
In her past life, Dane had never once eaten a meal with Rose. Therefore, she had no information about his eating habits.
'Could it be... Mr. Fabri?'
Fabri oversaw all the food in this castle. Then could Fabri be an accomplice? No, maybe the poison was in the ingredients.
Then who was in charge of the food deliveries? Since this castle hadn't had a mistress until now, the management of the inner castle was entirely handled by the head maid, Selma.
'If so, I have to suspect Selma as well.'
The culprit was definitely Joel. But there might be an accomplice working with him.
Rose suspected everyone and weighed every possibility. She sketched out every possible scenario that could occur.