In fact, Aloken had other plans from the beginning. He went through the deal to figure out how much the weakness of Carl he had gained the other day was worth. The result was satisfactory. Carl seems to want to protect the person who was taken hostage. After that day, he even withdrew from the meeting related to Fanora.
“The hunting ground is so unsatisfactory that it will be difficult for me to listen to your request.”
“…”
“Are you disappointed? You know better that you’re not in a position to ask me for anything.”
Aloken realized this weakness was critical to Carl and sought to take advantage of it.
“I hurriedly changed her place of residence. I wonder if it’s not too much for her since she doesn’t even have money.”
“…”
“It would be futile.”
Now, he could finally bring the third son of Andras, who is like a colt, to his knees. Carl’s hard head annoyed him, but that’s fine now. Aloken raised his eyebrows and said, “If you’re so worried about the hostage, you can take one last job, right? I need some help from you.”
“You said you wouldn’t touch her if I parted away with Lady Fanora.”
“I didn’t touch her. Until now.”
“…”
“This is really the last time. Do me a favor, and I swear I’ll take my hands off her.”
His eyes looked up to the right for a moment. Then those eyes came back and looked straight to Carl as if to give credibility.
“So, I hope your sister, the Marquis…”
“…”
Aloken Jalier. He was someone who never knew feelings from the beginning. Moreover, being a person without conscience, he was naturally skilled at lying. However, even in his lies, there were some distinctive characteristics.
He rolls his eyes to the right again.
Among them, the most noticeable unnaturalness was definitely his eyes. When Aloken was lying, his eyes turned to the right for no reason.
“You’re lying.”
“What?”
“You’re going to keep using me while you figure out my weakness, right?”
It was usually a small shake that could not even be detected. However, this change was noticeable to Carl. When others lied to him, he instinctively felt repulsive. He felt as bad as seeing an animal whose joints folded upside down.
“No, I’m afraid you’ll even draw your sword and retaliate one day.”
“…”
“I have no intention of being so greedy.”
Carl laughed bitterly at his words and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, Carl opened his eyes again, took out his pocket watch from his arms, looked at it, and continued the conversation. “Alright. Do as you please. By the way…”
However, Carl’s subsequent words were completely different from the subject so far.
“There is something I want to ask you.”
“Really?”
“From a long time ago.”
Carl had a good impression compared to the man in front of him. His red eyes were unshakable. It was as if there was some certainty.
“If I knew it would end like this, I would have asked Lord Aloken first.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“If you answer this question sincerely, I will believe everything you have said.”
Aloken nodded as if to give it a try.
Carl asked the question only after his permission was granted. “Duke, do you love Lady Fanora?”
Aloken wondered what Carl was trying to say because he brought it after a long time. But what came out of his mouth was a surprisingly old-fashioned topic.
“…”
Carl Andras’s expression had sunk somewhere. At first glance, he looked as if he was submerged in depth. Aloken was sure his question wasn’t meant as a joke.
Does he ask me these things because he still has lingering feelings for her?
Aloken rolled his eyes for a moment and said proudly, “Yes. With all my heart.”
As soon as Carl got his answer, he smiled softly. “I see.”
Hearing his answer, Aloken thought his eyebrows would be twisted, but it was an unexpected reaction.
“You still care about my fiancée. It’s unpleasant, so stop it.”
“…”
“Anyway, it’s a continuation of what I discussed earlier.”
He started walking with Carl behind his back. There was no sign of the escort coming, so he intended to return on horseback.
“The Marquis of this kingdom has been—”
But Aloken couldn’t finish his words. Carl Andras’s docile face suddenly changed as soon as he turned around. The red-haired man hardened his complexion and listened to the surroundings to confirm that no one else was around. And what happened next was literally in an instant.
“…!”
Aloken reached for his horse’s rein and heard a dull thud at the same time. The sound was too close. Right, it was a ringing sound in his head. He turned around in surprise. In the meantime, a sharp pain spread from the back of his head. Even though he was being hit only once, his eyes flashed. It was the aftermath of a concussion.
“Ugh…?!”
When he looked back, Carl’s fist was already in front of him. Aloken Jalier felt another intense pain. This time, it was at his jaw. The eerie sound of the roots of his molars being pulled back rang through his ears.
“Gasp!”
Here? Me? He was greatly staggered by the heavy blows that followed but belatedly lowered his hand and pulled out the sword at his waist. In a way, this longsword was Carl’s weakness. Aloken confirmed that his opponent was unarmed and was letting his guard down. No matter how skilled Carl was as a knight, Aloken believed there was no way he would defeat an opponent armed with bare hands.
“Keugh, keuheuk!”
However, that judgment was Aloken’s misjudgment and mistake.
In the end, Aloken couldn’t hurt his opponent even after drawing his sword. As soon as he drew his sword, his wrist was kicked, and he missed his sword. After that, Carl’s fist, loaded with power, was thrust into his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His lungs seemed about to burst.
“…!”
Aloken soon bent down with a painful expression.
Who would have expected it? He never thought the day would come when the Duke of the North, who has the best swordsmanship skills, would be beaten unilaterally.
In less than a minute, Aloken gasped for breath and collapsed. It was an overwhelming skill difference that didn’t need to be reconsidered. In fact, from the moment Carl’s first attack was taken away, Aloken’s destiny was set. Having been hit in the head at first, it was hard for him to stay conscious throughout the fight.
“Keugh… Keu…”
Now, neither his arms nor his legs could move as he wished. Unlike opera villains who hesitantly give the protagonist a chance, Carl speaks a word only after making him unable to resist.
“If you could have beaten me just because you hold a sword, my family wouldn’t have come this far.”
The smile had disappeared from Carl’s face. His gloves, which were clean, had already been ruined by his fight with Aloken.
“You…”
Aloken looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. Although his body was broken here and there, and it was difficult to breathe, he was still conscious. He wondered. Why the hell did Carl Andras attack him?
“How dare you…”
Does this guy know the kingdom investigators as idiots? Otherwise, how dare he do this in a place like this? From Aloken’s POV, the whole situation was incomprehensible. Bloodstains were left on Carl’s clothes, and he couldn’t escape in this narrow hunting ground.
“Do you know that?”
“…”
“Marquis told me not to be recklessly hostile to the Duke, and that I should bow down.”
“…”
“But she said it would be okay to kill the other person if they seemed like someone who would harm our family.”
Carl said, picking up Aloken’s sword from afar. It was as if he was explaining why he did this.
“We have a static relationship.”
“…”
“That’s why you tried to use me to find my sister’s weakness.”
Shrung. Carl put the sword he had picked up into Aloken’s scabbard properly and looked around to see if anything else had fallen nearby. Fortunately, there was nothing more to clean up. All that was left now was the bloodstains of Aloken that had soaked into the soil.
Did the Marquis order to get rid of me? Aloken thought, quietly catching his breath. However, Carl immediately denied his thought.
“I’m against killing someone just because they support a different faction.”
Carl approached Aloken and squatted down. His face, seen up close, was filled with skepticism for some reason.
“…”
If so, then why? Before Aloken could question it, Carl reached out and squeezed his collar. How strong is he? Carl lifted the tall man very easily with only one hand.
“Keugh…!”
As the pressure increased in his throat, Aloken wriggled and frowned. He was out of breath. That’s why he tried to call out the third son of Andras to let go.
“Let go of this…!”
But Carl didn’t do him a favor. He picked Aloken up and moved north, probably not wanting to leave traces of being dragged on the ground. After a few steps, he saw a blue ribbon woven between the trees, and after crossing it, they came to a cliff.
“?!”
Aloken was suffering from severe dizziness and could not resist much. He tried to roll his eyes, stifling his wobbly sensation.
“…!”
This place wasn’t a hunting ground. No, it wasn’t the time to care about that anyway.
“An… dras…!”
Arriving at the destination, Carl grabbed Aloken by the collar, dragged him, and walked to the cliff’s edge. Now Aloken couldn’t even tell him to let go. If he just takes one step back, he will be welcomed by the blue river.
“Ugh!”
Aloken moved his upper arm with a look of considerable bewilderment. His disheveled appearance was a rare sight. However, Carl watched him struggle without any change in expression.
This beast!
There was one thing Aloken didn’t know. Carl Andras actually had a lot in common with him. Aloken was just lucky to live a friendly life.
Carl was also a person who wasn’t sensitive to the pain of others from the beginning.
“…!”
He could be cruel enough if he wanted to and do the same things that Aloken would do.
If Aloken had been a person who cared a little about others, he would have noticed this right away. However, as much as his empathy ability was low, Aloken interpreted the flat Carl. Now, he realized that the opponent in front of him was doing something not good.
“What are you… doing… now…!”
“Don’t expect an apology from me.”
“Carl!”
“Because you’ve never apologized to anyone before.”
Soon, they stood at the edge of the cliff.
“Wait! I’ll do what you want!”
Now, a river was flowing under Aloken’s feet. He would surely not be safe if he fell from such a height. As the threat to his life looms in front of his nose, Aloken strains his voice and becomes angry.
“Killing someone just because of a mere hostage…!” He exclaimed in disbelief, veins popping in his neck.
The position of a duke wasn’t an empty title, so it was obvious that if Carl had done something to Carl, something would happen. It could escalate into a war between families that spread from one lineage to another. So, how could he have committed such a foolish act?
“You’re going to be executed…!”
But Carl wasn’t swayed by his threats.
After a while, Carl loosened his grip. Aloken felt his body drop into the air, and he looked up at him with wide-open eyes.
“!”
But then. When he fell, he saw Carl on the cliff, pulling something out of his arms. It was a beautiful golden pendant.
“…”
Then, the red-haired man holding the pendant instantly disappeared from the cliff’s edge. The scene was etched into Aloken’s mind.
No.
An unexpected attack. A hunting ground with strict access. Two schedules with overlapping dates.
No way.
And a pendant.
Slowly, all the pieces fell into place.
Ganimede.
This was the last word Aloken could think of before reaching the water’s surface.
In fact, Aloken had other plans from the beginning. He went through the deal to figure out how much the weakness of Carl he had gained the other day was worth. The result was satisfactory. Carl seems to want to protect the person who was taken hostage. After that day, he even withdrew from the meeting related to Fanora.
“The hunting ground is so unsatisfactory that it will be difficult for me to listen to your request.”
“…”
“Are you disappointed? You know better that you’re not in a position to ask me for anything.”
Aloken realized this weakness was critical to Carl and sought to take advantage of it.
“I hurriedly changed her place of residence. I wonder if it’s not too much for her since she doesn’t even have money.”
“…”
“It would be futile.”
Now, he could finally bring the third son of Andras, who is like a colt, to his knees. Carl’s hard head annoyed him, but that’s fine now. Aloken raised his eyebrows and said, “If you’re so worried about the hostage, you can take one last job, right? I need some help from you.”
“You said you wouldn’t touch her if I parted away with Lady Fanora.”
“I didn’t touch her. Until now.”
“…”
“This is really the last time. Do me a favor, and I swear I’ll take my hands off her.”
His eyes looked up to the right for a moment. Then those eyes came back and looked straight to Carl as if to give credibility.
“So, I hope your sister, the Marquis…”
“…”
Aloken Jalier. He was someone who never knew feelings from the beginning. Moreover, being a person without conscience, he was naturally skilled at lying. However, even in his lies, there were some distinctive characteristics.
He rolls his eyes to the right again.
Among them, the most noticeable unnaturalness was definitely his eyes. When Aloken was lying, his eyes turned to the right for no reason.
“You’re lying.”
“What?”
“You’re going to keep using me while you figure out my weakness, right?”
It was usually a small shake that could not even be detected. However, this change was noticeable to Carl. When others lied to him, he instinctively felt repulsive. He felt as bad as seeing an animal whose joints folded upside down.
“No, I’m afraid you’ll even draw your sword and retaliate one day.”
“…”
“I have no intention of being so greedy.”
Carl laughed bitterly at his words and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, Carl opened his eyes again, took out his pocket watch from his arms, looked at it, and continued the conversation. “Alright. Do as you please. By the way…”
However, Carl’s subsequent words were completely different from the subject so far.
“There is something I want to ask you.”
“Really?”
“From a long time ago.”
Carl had a good impression compared to the man in front of him. His red eyes were unshakable. It was as if there was some certainty.
“If I knew it would end like this, I would have asked Lord Aloken first.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“If you answer this question sincerely, I will believe everything you have said.”
Aloken nodded as if to give it a try.
Carl asked the question only after his permission was granted. “Duke, do you love Lady Fanora?”
Aloken wondered what Carl was trying to say because he brought it after a long time. But what came out of his mouth was a surprisingly old-fashioned topic.
“…”
Carl Andras’s expression had sunk somewhere. At first glance, he looked as if he was submerged in depth. Aloken was sure his question wasn’t meant as a joke.
Does he ask me these things because he still has lingering feelings for her?
Aloken rolled his eyes for a moment and said proudly, “Yes. With all my heart.”
As soon as Carl got his answer, he smiled softly. “I see.”
Hearing his answer, Aloken thought his eyebrows would be twisted, but it was an unexpected reaction.
“You still care about my fiancée. It’s unpleasant, so stop it.”
“…”
“Anyway, it’s a continuation of what I discussed earlier.”
He started walking with Carl behind his back. There was no sign of the escort coming, so he intended to return on horseback.
“The Marquis of this kingdom has been—”
But Aloken couldn’t finish his words. Carl Andras’s docile face suddenly changed as soon as he turned around. The red-haired man hardened his complexion and listened to the surroundings to confirm that no one else was around. And what happened next was literally in an instant.
“…!”
Aloken reached for his horse’s rein and heard a dull thud at the same time. The sound was too close. Right, it was a ringing sound in his head. He turned around in surprise. In the meantime, a sharp pain spread from the back of his head. Even though he was being hit only once, his eyes flashed. It was the aftermath of a concussion.
“Ugh…?!”
When he looked back, Carl’s fist was already in front of him. Aloken Jalier felt another intense pain. This time, it was at his jaw. The eerie sound of the roots of his molars being pulled back rang through his ears.
“Gasp!”
Here? Me? He was greatly staggered by the heavy blows that followed but belatedly lowered his hand and pulled out the sword at his waist. In a way, this longsword was Carl’s weakness. Aloken confirmed that his opponent was unarmed and was letting his guard down. No matter how skilled Carl was as a knight, Aloken believed there was no way he would defeat an opponent armed with bare hands.
“Keugh, keuheuk!”
However, that judgment was Aloken’s misjudgment and mistake.
In the end, Aloken couldn’t hurt his opponent even after drawing his sword. As soon as he drew his sword, his wrist was kicked, and he missed his sword. After that, Carl’s fist, loaded with power, was thrust into his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His lungs seemed about to burst.
“…!”
Aloken soon bent down with a painful expression.
Who would have expected it? He never thought the day would come when the Duke of the North, who has the best swordsmanship skills, would be beaten unilaterally.
In less than a minute, Aloken gasped for breath and collapsed. It was an overwhelming skill difference that didn’t need to be reconsidered. In fact, from the moment Carl’s first attack was taken away, Aloken’s destiny was set. Having been hit in the head at first, it was hard for him to stay conscious throughout the fight.
“Keugh… Keu…”
Now, neither his arms nor his legs could move as he wished. Unlike opera villains who hesitantly give the protagonist a chance, Carl speaks a word only after making him unable to resist.
“If you could have beaten me just because you hold a sword, my family wouldn’t have come this far.”
The smile had disappeared from Carl’s face. His gloves, which were clean, had already been ruined by his fight with Aloken.
“You…”
Aloken looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. Although his body was broken here and there, and it was difficult to breathe, he was still conscious. He wondered. Why the hell did Carl Andras attack him?
“How dare you…”
Does this guy know the kingdom investigators as idiots? Otherwise, how dare he do this in a place like this? From Aloken’s POV, the whole situation was incomprehensible. Bloodstains were left on Carl’s clothes, and he couldn’t escape in this narrow hunting ground.
“Do you know that?”
“…”
“Marquis told me not to be recklessly hostile to the Duke, and that I should bow down.”
“…”
“But she said it would be okay to kill the other person if they seemed like someone who would harm our family.”
Carl said, picking up Aloken’s sword from afar. It was as if he was explaining why he did this.
“We have a static relationship.”
“…”
“That’s why you tried to use me to find my sister’s weakness.”
Shrung. Carl put the sword he had picked up into Aloken’s scabbard properly and looked around to see if anything else had fallen nearby. Fortunately, there was nothing more to clean up. All that was left now was the bloodstains of Aloken that had soaked into the soil.
Did the Marquis order to get rid of me? Aloken thought, quietly catching his breath. However, Carl immediately denied his thought.
“I’m against killing someone just because they support a different faction.”
Carl approached Aloken and squatted down. His face, seen up close, was filled with skepticism for some reason.
“…”
If so, then why? Before Aloken could question it, Carl reached out and squeezed his collar. How strong is he? Carl lifted the tall man very easily with only one hand.
“Keugh…!”
As the pressure increased in his throat, Aloken wriggled and frowned. He was out of breath. That’s why he tried to call out the third son of Andras to let go.
“Let go of this…!”
But Carl didn’t do him a favor. He picked Aloken up and moved north, probably not wanting to leave traces of being dragged on the ground. After a few steps, he saw a blue ribbon woven between the trees, and after crossing it, they came to a cliff.
“?!”
Aloken was suffering from severe dizziness and could not resist much. He tried to roll his eyes, stifling his wobbly sensation.
“…!”
This place wasn’t a hunting ground. No, it wasn’t the time to care about that anyway.
“An… dras…!”
Arriving at the destination, Carl grabbed Aloken by the collar, dragged him, and walked to the cliff’s edge. Now Aloken couldn’t even tell him to let go. If he just takes one step back, he will be welcomed by the blue river.
“Ugh!”
Aloken moved his upper arm with a look of considerable bewilderment. His disheveled appearance was a rare sight. However, Carl watched him struggle without any change in expression.
This beast!
There was one thing Aloken didn’t know. Carl Andras actually had a lot in common with him. Aloken was just lucky to live a friendly life.
Carl was also a person who wasn’t sensitive to the pain of others from the beginning.
“…!”
He could be cruel enough if he wanted to and do the same things that Aloken would do.
If Aloken had been a person who cared a little about others, he would have noticed this right away. However, as much as his empathy ability was low, Aloken interpreted the flat Carl. Now, he realized that the opponent in front of him was doing something not good.
“What are you… doing… now…!”
“Don’t expect an apology from me.”
“Carl!”
“Because you’ve never apologized to anyone before.”
Soon, they stood at the edge of the cliff.
“Wait! I’ll do what you want!”
Now, a river was flowing under Aloken’s feet. He would surely not be safe if he fell from such a height. As the threat to his life looms in front of his nose, Aloken strains his voice and becomes angry.
“Killing someone just because of a mere hostage…!” He exclaimed in disbelief, veins popping in his neck.
The position of a duke wasn’t an empty title, so it was obvious that if Carl had done something to Carl, something would happen. It could escalate into a war between families that spread from one lineage to another. So, how could he have committed such a foolish act?
“You’re going to be executed…!”
But Carl wasn’t swayed by his threats.
After a while, Carl loosened his grip. Aloken felt his body drop into the air, and he looked up at him with wide-open eyes.
“!”
But then. When he fell, he saw Carl on the cliff, pulling something out of his arms. It was a beautiful golden pendant.
“…”
Then, the red-haired man holding the pendant instantly disappeared from the cliff’s edge. The scene was etched into Aloken’s mind.
No.
An unexpected attack. A hunting ground with strict access. Two schedules with overlapping dates.
No way.
And a pendant.
Slowly, all the pieces fell into place.
Ganimede.
This was the last word Aloken could think of before reaching the water’s surface.
