Chapter 37

And there was a man who saw them from a distance.

“Is that Ver Grant?”

While working for Ben, Ralph had become well acquainted with the Grant family. In his arms was today’s target, Prillance Weiand. Held in Ver’s arms, the woman’s face was not visible. Nevertheless, her rich brown hair caught his eye.

“Tch.”

Even though she was not the woman he was looking for, the appearance of a brunette woman in the arms of another man made him feel distaste. His face gave a small frown.

That fact made him feel worse than the failure of today’s mission. In the same way that he had come, Ralph vanished quietly.

***

At the same time, there were numerous people in the Kingdom of Barua’s square. Nevertheless, the surrounding was as quiet as a mouse.

White chrysanthemum flowers were piled up in the middle of the square. Among the people, the white chrysanthemum petals scattered in the wind.

“I express my sorrow at the death of the people who lost their innocent lives. I swear to strengthen the patrols in the kingdom to prevent this from happening again. Finally,”

Roman’s solemn voices spread across the place and reached the people of Barua.

“Let us take a moment of silence for them.”

Roman took a step back and closed his eyes. The people followed him in silent tribute. A small tiny sob rang in the middle of the silence.

Visiting the scene of the incident before the memorial service, the vivid bloodstains from that day still tormented the people.

And there remained the pain of those who had to die for no reason, the sorrow contained by those left behind. The people gathered here were compelled to console them with silence.

After a while, Roman opened his eyes and returned first to the castle. His clenched fists represented his state of mind.

“Tell me.”

Brad followed Roman in entering the room.

“I apologize.”

“I don’t need your apologies. Bring me what I asked.”

But Brad could not open his mouth. Roman knew that he was making excessive demands. They had looked around the place of the incident for several days while visiting the injured to comfort them.

And in the end, they couldn’t figure out how or why this happened.

“I’ll make sure to catch them with my own hands.”

Tapping on the desk with his index finger, Roman fell into deep thought.

The Kingdom of Barua needed reform.

“Rectify the current laws so that we can get a grasp on how their finances flow.”

At the end of Roman’s thoughts, the constant sound disappeared.

“Yes, sire.”

Funding was the most important component of an underground operation.

In other words, he was lessening the things he had been tolerating before.

A declaration of war within the kingdom.

It would lead to resistance from other organizations toward the one that caused the incident. The head would naturally reveal itself.

“I’m looking forward to seeing who is behind this.”

Roman’s lips held a crooked smile.

***

“Ack!”

The man’s cries echoed. His hands were lying on the floor. A trail of blood could be seen.

However, except for the man, no one empathized with his pain. Sitting in the middle of the room was Jack.

“Now you won’t be able to gamble anymore. Isn’t that right?”

Jack’s inquiring tone sounded frightening. A voice with no emotion. Yet, it was the same as looking at a furious visage.

“Euk! I…I was wrong…I was wrong…I was…!”

“Wait, isn’t it still possible since you still have your left arm?”

Venting his anger in an unfamiliar way, everyone witnessing became afraid. He was a benevolent master who provided opportunities for those who tried to live diligently. But for those who didn’t, he treated mercilessly.

“That’s right. They say that for gamblers, no matter how many fingers they have, as long they still have even one, they will gamble again.”

The conclusion was already settled. A dangerous glint appeared in Jack’s eyes and blood spilled like a fountain once more. A portion of the man’s body fell to the floor.

“Ugh…Ugh…”

Seeing the terrible sight in front of them, everyone turned their heads and frowned. Even then, Jack was the only one who didn’t bat an eye. He looked at the man with frigid eyes.

“P, please…spare me…please…spare me…”

The deranged man pleaded intermittently; his spirit already drained halfway.

“Too early.”

A short snort could be heard coming from Jack.

“There is still a mountain of things left for you to regret in the future.”

Even though the sound of laughter came out, neither the expression on his eyes nor his mouth matched with the sound.

“It’s not amusing if you already regret it. Isn’t that right?”

“My…foot!”

‘I was wrong’ – the screams of the man filled with regret occupied the entire space.

The eerie atmosphere created by the disharmony of the sight and sound was very strongly embedded in the minds of the people in the space.

‘Never betray Marquis Weiand.’

The same phrase filled their minds.

“Master.”

The butler, Derek, came over and whispered. The wrinkles on Jack’s forehead were deeply furrowed.

“Clean this up.”

With a hardened face, Jack soon quickly rose from his seat. As the door closed, the man’s desperate voice continued endlessly.

Then, the loud screams disappeared in one breath. There was only a sense of silence, as if nothing had happened.

Jack headed to Prillance’s room. He opened the door and hurriedly entered.

“Prillance.”

Her disheveled and messy appearance was prominent. Jack embraced Prillance as she was. Even though she looked like this, he was thankful that his daughter was safe. Then, he scanned her body for any injuries.

“Though she bumped against the hard surface of the carriage a couple of times and has a few bruises as a result, they aren’t life-threatening.”

The attending physician reported on her condition.

“The Viscount saved my life.”

Ver was not here. She was the only one that remained after he had left.

“And he got severely wounded as a result.”

Her face was full of worries. She was worried about the wounds on his arms and other parts of his body.

“This father will take care of him.”

Clasping her hand, Jack reassured her. And when Jack glanced at the attending physician, he quickly understood and left the room. He must have gone to Ver Grant, who was currently gathering the knights.

“Get some rest.”

Only then did Prillance lie in bed. Jack helped her lay comfortably on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Then he stroked her head until her breath became steady.

After she fell asleep, Jack’s eyes turned fierce once more.