Chapter 2

Abbie was given priority for treatment over interrogation because she had testified that the client who requested the job had asked Ted to call her. She was fortunate to be judged innocent early on, and her noble status helped.

After Abbie finished the long questioning and left the interrogation room, her parents stood up from the wooden bench in the corridor and silently hugged her.

Seeing Abbie with a bandage on her forehead, her mother burst into tears.

"Father, Mother, I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. It's because Ted did something foolish."

"What about Ted? What happened to Ted?"

Before her parents could answer, a low voice came from behind.

"That man is still on the run. Why did you protect him? Stepping in front of a sword about to strike is incredibly foolish. If it had been anyone else and not me, you would have been killed for sure."

Turning around, Abbie saw a tall man looking down at her with cold eyes.

His messy black hair, narrow blue eyes, straight nose, and tight lips. His cheeks had no trace of excess flesh.

His well-defined features made his cold expression stand out even more, giving him a cruel appearance. He was so tall that she had to look up, and it was clear from his clothes that he was well-built.

"Because Ted is like a brother to me. You're the foolish one!"

"Abbie! Stop it!"

"Abbie, please stop. I apologize. She is just upset. Please forgive her."

Ignoring the voices of her father and mother, the man asked Abbie,

"Hmm. I'm the foolish one? Why?"

"The arrow Ted shot was just a toy. Yet you tried to kill him. That's why you're called the 'Apostle of Slaughter.'"

The man showed a slight look of sympathy on his face.

"The arrow that boy shot was laced with a potent poison. If it had hit my eyes or mouth, I would not have survived. Besides, he abandoned you, who protected him, and ran away."

Saying this, the man looked down at Abbie with cold eyes, turned around, and left. Abbie stood there, speechless, muttering, "Poison? That's... impossible."

※...※...※

In the king's office, the king and Gilbert, known as the 'Apostle of Slaughter,' were having a conversation.

"You were lured with a letter about corruption among the elders and then targeted with a poisoned arrow?"

"Yes. It was fortunate that I was cautious, as it was a crossbow venue."

"Did the man escape?"

"Yes. I intended to wound him enough to get information about his employer, but a girl interfered."

"A girl? His sister?"

"No, just an acquaintance. A foolish girl."

"Did you not kill the girl who interfered?"

"She was still a child, about fourteen or fifteen. But my sword grazed her forehead."

The king, who had been looking at Gilbert's face, softened his expression.

"She must have been protecting the man who tried to kill you. You don't need to worry about it."

"That's true, but..."

"Alright, I'll have my people investigate the man's whereabouts and background. You've done well. Oh, by the way, what about the marriage proposal from the daughter of the Earl of Hengins? How about at least meeting her? They are very eager."

"Your Majesty, please don't worry about my marriage."

"Don't say that. The war and civil war are over. You need a settled life. Alright, you can leave for today."

Gilbert bowed and left the king's office. He walked down the corridor and entered an empty courtyard. He sat on a bench under a wisteria arbor, out of sight.

"Poison, huh. Too many possibilities to pinpoint the culprit."

He looked up at the wisteria flowers. It was the height of spring, and the hanging clusters of wisteria flowers filled the air with a sweet fragrance.

The war with the neighboring country had ended, and the civil war that followed had finally come to an end. The king's position was now secure. To bring this security to the country, Gilbert had slain many people.

This was not the first time his life had been targeted. Even before the war, Gilbert Igan had been in constant danger.

The first person to try to kill him was his stepfather.

After his mother lost his father to illness, she remarried a distant relative on his father's side. The two of them got along very well.

After her remarriage, Gilbert frequently suffered from vomiting, diarrhea, and heart problems. The doctor, fearing involvement, did not say it was poison but advised him to be careful with what he ate. His mother, however, dismissed the doctor's warning, saying, "It can't be."

His condition worsened after his stepfather and mother had a daughter. The maid his father brought with him was always tense when bringing Gilbert his meals. With the help of his devoted wet nurse, Gilbert withdrew to the family estate. As expected, his health improved.

One day, he mustered the courage to go to the capital and told his mother, "I think my stepfather has been poisoning me." His mother, looking at the nervous thirteen-year-old, changed her expression and glared at him.

"How dare you call your father a murderer."

Her stepfather entered the room.

"What's going on?"

"This child is saying something ridiculous, it's really annoying."

Her mother used a sweet, pleading voice and ordered him to leave the room. The triumphant look and words of her stepfather are still etched in his memory. Her stepfather said to his back,

"You must be upset because your sister took your mother. Gilbert, stop being jealous. Try to be more mature."

Her mother chose her new husband over her son, who was almost killed.

'The fact that even my mother wouldn't help me' formed the foundation of young Gilbert's worldview.

After his wet nurse died and he entered the military academy, he devoted himself to swordsmanship.

(If I die, so be it. No one will mourn my death. I have nothing to lose.)

Thinking this, his fear of death diminished. After graduating, he participated in the war with another country and the subsequent civil war, throwing himself into dangerous situations and continuously slaying enemies.

It was around this time that Gilbert, despite his youth, became known as the 'Apostle of Slaughter' to both enemies and allies.

As Gilbert's reckless fighting became known, his stepfather declared that the young sister would inherit the family because "it was uncertain when he might die in battle." The sister's fiancé was his stepfather's nephew, and the stepfather's procedures were swift and thorough.

(Usually, the procedures would be done after I die in battle.) But Gilbert, having given up on his family and parents, readily handed over the inheritance to his sister.

He had already resigned himself to the fact that his real family and parents no longer existed in this world.