Chapter 8

A fierce, angry voice cursing the lord of this estate reverberated in the wide hallway. A man had an overflowing intent to kill only me, and Craig was there, stopping him.

This scene was supposed to be highly unusual for me. But for some reason, there was also a ‘me’ that thought, ‘Ah, not again.’

“Heinreid! Damn it, Commander, let go! Let go of me! I’m going to kill you!!”

The man’s movements were completely restrained, but he still acted desperately and screamed. I tried to reach for the sword that was lying a little farther away from me… as if to say, ‘So, you’re going to cut me down with that?’

I guess, given the circumstances, he did well to manage sneaking in here so far; but he wasn’t able to avoid Craig, who was standing by in front of my door as usual and fought him right after. Seeing as he was restrained with no noticeable injuries, the difference in their strength seemed obvious.

At any rate, this man. If I remembered it correctly…

“He’s…”

“…Carlos Bureau. He was the guard on duty the day before yesterday when my lord fell down the stairs. I have already sentenced him to house arrest, but…” Craig replied bitterly.

I knew it. I didn’t know if it was the effect of the impact on my head or the change in individuality, but my memory before and after falling down the stairs was a bit hazy. If you look closely, even the sword lying around was one that was provided to Heinreid’s guards.

But, why? It was left up to Craig to decide on the punishment of this guard… Carlos. So, why did he just come at me in desperation without any plans?

I was perplexed, but the question was answered by Carlos himself.

“Shit, damn it! I knew it wasn’t enough to push you from there! You would have me killed anyway, so I definitely should’ve stabbed you to death with the sword from the start!”

“?! What’re you… Be silent!”

“Heinreid, you probably don’t remember anyway! Two years ago, you… you killed my best friend… Thomas! Urgh…”

Despite being restrained by Craig, Carlos’ screaming didn’t stop, as if he was going to take all the resentment in his life out on me.

…So that’s what it’s all about. This man, Carlos, had a grudge against the original Heinreid and tried to kill me out of that hatred. Two years ago, his best friend named Thomas… was probably killed. I had Heinreid’s memories, but the reason I couldn’t say for sure wasn’t because I didn’t remember what Carlos was saying.

No, that could be it, but… it wasn’t only that. If it was a common name in this country, Heinreid could have killed several people in a short period of time. That was why… it was really the worst since I couldn’t remember exactly which ‘Thomas’ Carlos was talking about.

“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely send you to hell!”

That’s right, that’s what should be done. Or rather, it will surely happen in the near future. After dying, I will fall straight into hell without needing to be judged.

So, it’s not good to be hasty… but it was a cruel thing to say. Carlos’ face was flushed with anger, but he was clearly exhausted. I didn’t know how tense he was during these two days of house arrest. I couldn’t say he was just getting what he deserves. Those were words that should be used when I die.

Anyway, I had no intention of executing Carlos just because I was almost killed. As I was pondering on a reason for letting him go unquestioned…

“My lord.” A calm voice called out from behind me.

When I turned around, Karl was standing there. He was standing up straight and beautiful as usual, but he was carrying something disturbing in his hands.

“You may punish the sinner as you see fit. If you wish to punish them here, please use this.”

I was presented with iron bars chained together into a whip. At some points, something like a thorn was attached… It was a torture device that Heinreid loved to use.

Just when I was about to say, ‘No, I don’t need that. Put it away.’ I realized something.

…Isn’t it, perhaps, a bad idea to release Carlos as it is now?

It was easy to overlook. Heinreid was the ruler of this estate, so there was no one who could go against him if he said a few words and overlooked the situation. However… this time wasn’t a crime of unreasonable accusations, but a blatant ‘assassination attempt’. It was a clear rebellion against His Majesty the King’s favorite, His Excellency the Duke. If I was at least attacked in a less populated place (even if my safety wasn’t guaranteed), I could’ve taken care of it privately, but…

Right now, this was the hallway of the mansion. There were too many eyes around me, not just Karl, but the general servants as well. For some reason, even the fact that I fell down the stairs had reached the King almost overnight. To think that I could hide an assassination attempt… would be far too optimistic.

And if it reaches the King, he would never forgive Carlos, even if I did. When I saw yesterday’s letter, I thought that the King’s obsession with Heinreid was a bit out of the ordinary.

I didn’t know what attracted the King so much, but Carlos couldn’t be saved if this were the case.

Shit, what should I do? Even if I hide him under my command, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before he eventually finds out. Some place where I can’t see nor touch… But a place like that in Rodvelia territory is… No.

I suddenly turned back to Carlos again. And I stared at the man who was still holding the struggling avenger in his arms.

…If it was Craig. If it was Craig, he should have his own escape routes and shelters in place. I remembered the list of prisoners and Karl’s report. All the unnatural deaths, according to Karl, were released by Craig. Even if he said “released”, I didn’t think he was throwing them into the wild. Many of the prisoners must have been severely injured and unable to move. There should exist a place somewhere he could carry them inconspicuously to and let them recuperate. Karl didn’t go so far as to say where, and the fact that Craig was still alive today might probably mean that the King didn’t know about it yet.

What I set up on the spot was an uncertain strategy based on a few vague pieces of information. But this was the only thing I could think of right now, and I had no choice but to do it.

And to increase the success rate even a little… I needed to be evil.

I took the iron whip Karl was holding out to me and slammed it to the ground as hard as I could, feeling the discomfort of it in my hand.

Bang! It gave off a violent sound and Carlos’ screams were cut off for a moment. Before he could yell out again, I let go of my words.

“…I see, I see. Carlos, I understand well what you’re saying. However, it’s a shame. You’re the only one who’s going to hell.”

I heard someone gasp.

Everyone in here had their attention on me. I had to play my part… To get Carlos to ‘die’ without leaving anything out of place.

Amidst the silence, I continued on regardless.

“Best friend? You’re right, I don’t know. You said his name was Thomas, but well, I wonder which Thomas was he? I can’t even remember the number of Thomas I killed two years ago, but… well, in any case, he might have used to be your best friend, but I don’t think there are any chunks of meat left now, is there? What a vain attempt at revenge.”

“What… what did you… say?”

“Shut up, don’t give me those grating complaints, you lowly peasant. …Say, Craig, hasn’t it been a while since an assassination attempt was made, was it two months ago? He was a member of the guards, so this is your fault as you’re in charge, but I’ve been getting a little bored lately. As a reward for providing me with just the right thing to kill time, I’ll let you live. Isn’t that generous of me?”

As we talked, I walked down to Carlos even more slowly.

Clack. Clack.. Only the sound of my soles that echoed in the hallway sounded unpleasant.

I stopped when I was right in front of Carlos’ eyes and caught his jaw with the hilt of the iron whip. I slowly pressed it against him, letting him know the coldness of its presence.

“Well then. You said earlier that you were going to be executed anyway, right? I’m quite busy right now… I’ve completely forgotten about you, but you must’ve been very scared for the last two days, not knowing that, right? Eventually, you were driven to the point of committing foolish acts again and hastening your own death. How pathetic. …If I’ve determined the time of your impending death, would you have shown me a better look?”

…I wonder what kind of expression (face) Heinreid, or I, have right now? Carlos had become silent with his face blue, even though his enemy was right in front of him. It must be a very detestable face.

I drew my mouth to Carlos’ ear and whispered. “I will punish you personally. The details are, let’s see…”

Memories of violence erupted and placed my head in chaos. Right now, am I speaking human language properly? I don’t know. A noise-like sound echoed deep inside my ears and couldn’t hear myself. But this time, every time my lips moved, Carlos’ face turned from blue to white… Supporting him, Craig was biting his lips so hard that it bled.

Shudder.

“! …—?”

The moment I saw Craig’s expression (face), for an instant, a sweet numbness… coursed through my back and into my waist. I shuddered once from it, as if it welled up from within. Just now, what…?

…No, it was just my imagination. The fact that I felt something… must be a sign that this was the limit.

I stepped away from Carlos and Craig as quickly as I could. I said, ‘I won’t be using it any more today’ and pressed the iron whip against Karl.

“Craig, throw him into Prison One. His execution will be carried out tomorrow morning. Until then… I suggest you take your time and savor the true horrors of death.”

The only sound that leaked out of Carlos’ throat was a muffled, empty sound that didn’t shake the air at the slightest.

”

”

After seeing Craig silently dragged the man away, I withdrew back into the office. I closed the door, slowly sat down on the spot and looked up the ceiling as if I were praying.

…Craig, I’m sorry for putting you through so much trouble. But you’re the only person I can entrust with people’s lives. You don’t have to trust me (Heinreid). This kind of man, betray him thoroughly… and save people from his atrocity.

I took a deep breath once, and sluggishly stood up and went back to my desk, using the closed door as a support.

…It’s okay, I’m sure Craig will do well. He’s a guy who does things when he has to — that’s what I found out from Elmer’s case. I have to get on with my work.

The next day, Craig came to my room to wake me up as ordered. I couldn’t sleep a wink when I went to bed and had dark circles under my eyes, but Craig had even darker circles moreso than yesterday, and… with a few words, he told me that Carlos had committed suicide.

…It was probably a lie. Craig must’ve done everything he can to free him. I had to believe it, otherwise I’d…

I had to work as Heinreid anyway if I were to question him, so I forced myself to suppress my desire to know and uttered a few words without interest, ‘I see.’

If Carlos was still alive, then this should be okay. Heinreid was a man who didn’t show interest to dead people, and Karl wouldn’t say anything unless asked.

Thus, this assassination attempt incident was just one of the deaths that happen daily in this estate. It was settled by writing a single word of ‘dead’ on the list of prisoners.