Chapter 40

On a dark night, a log cabin at the foot of a mountain was brightly lit. Surrounded by the forest, the place was quiet as darkness eroded the sound. A woman’s scream broke through the silence.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Instead of his usual laughter, someone’s outraged voice could be heard.

“Just where! Where on earth are you? “

But a few moments later, Ralph’s harsh breath and livid voice did not reach the woman’s ear. He threw the sagging woman’s body like a flimsy object and took off his dirty, crimson-stained gloves.

His deeply wounded left hand swept through his hair wet with sweat which glistened in the light. The wound looked so grotesque that it was obvious it was not just a minor injury.

The woman who couldn’t stand his harsher-than-usual behaviour quickly collapsed. He grabbed and raised the fallen woman’s hair. The lifeless body was heavy.

The light in her brown eyes had already disappeared, nevertheless, he stroked her brown hair tenderly. He felt her matted hair at his fingertips. The blood dripped from her head and passed through the corner of her eyes, making it look like she was crying.

“Prillance Weiand.”

Ralph, who had released his pent-up anger after his meeting with Ben, suddenly lightened after recalling the fine brunette.

Her slender wrist had almost broken. And suddenly her hand stopped trying to reach Ver.

There was something about that gesture that left a person hanging. Imagining he was touching that rich hair, his face turned euphoric.

But soon he recalled Ver Grant, who had caught her, and grimaced.

After leaving his hand, the head thumped off the mattress and fell to the floor. The woman was stretched out like a deflated balloon. Ralph quickly changed his clothes and left the place without any second thoughts.

The woman’s eyes which had lost its light would soon be buried somewhere in this mountain. For a very long time.

***

As Prillance recovered, Ver soon returned to his daily routine. Immediately after the incident, the more intense training forced the knights to perspire profusely every day.

“Take a break.”

At Ver’s direction, the knights put down their sword. With their hoarse breath coming out, their clothes were all soaked with sweat.

“Thank you.”

Ver said, receiving a simple but well-packaged meal. Unbeknownst to him, many maids were longing to hear even just a single warm word from him. However, the chances of helping out the knights were limited.

“I’d like to ask you something. Will it be alright?”

“Y- yes!”

The servant replied without hesitation. She couldn’t believe she had the opportunity not just to give his food, but to talk to him as well. She thought today must be her lucky day. He was so popular among the maids that it was hard to get even a little bit of his attention.

“About the horse attendant.”

However, her thoughts were soon diverted, and she became flustered.

There was a command issued to never speak about what happened to the family.

It happened the day after Prillance returned to the mansion after being in an accident.

“I just wanted to hear what he was like.”

Adding that he didn’t know the attendant too well, he spoke cautiously. It was possible he didn’t know since he wasn’t at the mansion at the time and was saving Prillance that day.

Among the employees in the mansion, Ver was considered the hero and prince who saved the young miss. The first maid who greeted them that day said that he looked like a prince as he ran towards the mansion, and the knights who saw her rescue all spoke about how he looked like a great warrior who risked his life saving the princess.

The story of how Ver preciously brought Prillance to the mansion was a popular conversation topic in the mansion. The rumors grew steadily, and soon, Ver became the most popular man in the Marquis residence.

“Everyone in the mansion knows he frequented the gambling dens. In fact, it was because of gambling that his family went bankrupt.”

“What was he usually like?”

“He was always drunk. It is a wonder how he didn’t get himself into any trouble sooner.”

What she had said was similar to what he had heard other people talk about. Other than the mansion, people had stated that they either saw him at a bar or a gambling house.

Seeing Ver troubled over the situation, the maid’s imagination flew by itself.

The strong warrior who defeated the villain.

“Do you know if he met anyone at these places?”

“I know for sure the people of this mansion wouldn’t know. No one was close to him.”

At the end of her words, the servant went back to work as he was lost in thought.

For the past few days, he had been asking the people in the mansion about the coachman, however, nothing particularly special or helpful came out of it.

“I’ll have to turn outward for my investigation.”

The horse attendant’s personal information wasn’t of much use. Perhaps after learning that the man was working for the Marquis of Weiand, someone from the bar or the gambling house could have approached him.

Although the target was Prillance, it’s possible that the attack was aimed at the Marquis of Weiand.

He had a hunch that things were more complicated than it seemed. Truthfully, he wanted to kill the man who gave her such terrible memories. Whatever the maid imagined wasn’t far from his imagination.

***

A man entered the gambling house. He took a seat and participated in a few gambling activities before standing up and wandering around, looking like he wanted to participate but did not have money to do so.

However, his gaze was different from those who gambled. He was an investigator who had come here under Jack’s orders.

“If you don’t have money, do you want me to lend you some?”

“There’s not much interest.”

“If you pay it little by little every day, you’ll be able to pay it off quickly.”

The moneylenders who recognized the behavior he displayed soon surrounded him. The investigator followed them.

The place was swarming with men who eagerly displayed their strength.

Unable to recognize the lean muscles hidden underneath the investigator’s clothes, they pressured him to borrow money. However, the investigator lightly overpowered them and soon got to work. He tried to find out more about who the horse attendant met.

However, all the moneylenders stated the attendant hadn’t gambled recently. They commented that he hadn’t shown up in the gambling hall since a few days ago. It did not agree with what he had heard from others who said he was constantly gambling.

Then, just as he was about to return after a fruitless attempt, a man caught his eye. Although he had covered himself up, the man was definitely Ver. The man was about to leave the gambling house as well.

“You have to investigate very carefully. You can’t miss anything, not even a small detail.”

Jack’s face and words suddenly came to mind. He trailed after Ver. Ver left the gambling house, and behind him, the investigator followed carefully.