Chapter 115: The Truth They Knew

“…Yes? What are you… talking about?”

You didn’t know. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything, but you should probably see for yourself.

No sooner had I felt a sense of relief than an ominous feeling washed over me.

I had a feeling that what I’d done was a bigger deal than I thought.

I jumped up from my seat and threw open the closed hospital room door. A man lay in the bed, his robe off, revealing his face.

Skin so pale it was almost white, white hair. At this point, Daniel couldn’t help but laugh.

“…Ha, haha.”

What is it with today? Why do terrible things always come all at once?

I think I know who that man is. No, don’t lie to yourself. Daniel knew exactly who that man was. I can’t be sure since his eyes are closed, but if my guess is right, there are red pupils hidden beneath those eyelids.

A sigh-like voice filled the room.

“…Deon Hart.”

A figure the Revolutionary Army needed to eliminate as a top priority.

Only then could I understand the doctor’s attitude. He had shown me an incredible amount of consideration.

“Why, of all people?”

My mental energy for the day was already spent. Any more than this was my limit.

I suppressed the rampaging leaders of the Revolutionary Army, saw my mother coughing up blood, and saved someone who showed the same symptoms as her. And now I have to kill that person?

‘No way. I can’t do it.’

At least not today, Daniel couldn’t kill Deon Hart. He was certain of it.

‘…’

As if in a trance, I approached him. The quick-witted old doctor quietly closed the hospital room door, and in the space that felt frozen in time, Daniel silently sat on the chair in front of the bed.

You have no idea how lucky you are. If this were any other time, you would have been killed the moment I discovered your identity.

Slowly getting up, I braced myself on the bed with my right hand. I reached out with my left and placed it on his neck. His pulse felt a little fast, probably due to blood loss.

‘…If this were really Deon Hart as per the records, he would have opened his eyes and reacted the moment I touched the bed… no, the moment I got close. So he really is in bad shape.’

I withdrew my hand. As I was about to step back, his disheveled clothing caught my eye. More specifically, the strange mark revealed between the folds of his collar.

—Right, he was said to be afflicted by the Demon King’s curse.

It was supposed to weaken the body. Even so, his years of experience on the battlefield meant his combat abilities were treated separately.

That’s why Deon Hart, despite being cursed by the Demon King, still ranked high on the Revolutionary Army’s list of targets for elimination.

“He’ll die soon enough even if I don’t kill him.”

He should be getting up and on guard right now, but look at him, still with his eyes closed and completely defenseless. Even if it wasn’t me, someone else would kill him soon. Why should I bother dirtying my hands?

Rationalizing like that, I got up. The thought of my mother kept resurfacing, making it impossible for me to stay here any longer.

Leaving the room, I came face to face with the doctor who had been waiting outside. He glanced over my shoulder at the room, as if to check if Deon Hart was dead or alive, before finally meeting my gaze.

Daniel slowly shook his head.

“When he wakes up, send him back without letting anyone else see him. Of course, he shouldn’t memorize the route. And this matter…”

“I’ll keep quiet. My memory’s been terrible lately anyway, so I’ll forget about it soon enough.”

“…Still, please don’t forget about security. Don’t forget to put the blindfold on him.”

“Yes.”

I turned away and left the area. Walking down the hallway, I struggled to recover my mind, which had somehow pushed past its limits.

Normally, I would go see my mother to rest, but that wasn’t an option right now. I should stop thinking about Mother and instead think about Deon Hart. Like, about the Demon King’s curse.

‘Curse… a curse, huh? Was the coughing up blood caused by the curse?’

Coughing up blood… Mother.

The stream of consciousness I had forcibly diverted returned, despite Daniel’s efforts, and focused back on his mother.

Thinking about curses, it suddenly occurred to me that if Deon Hart was afflicted by the Demon King’s curse, then Mother must have been cursed by the world.

‘To have coughing up blood be what she gets after a difficult life.’

Seeing her weakened body, I knew her time was limited. I just didn’t expect it to come so close and so suddenly.

The blood that came from my mother was a warning. Your mother doesn’t have much time left.

‘I have to hurry.’

Before Mother passes away, I need to show her her ideal world.

Only then did Daniel realize where his feet were taking him. Right, I already knew. To shorten the time, I need to meet ‘him’.

Daniel composed his expression and quickened his pace. His hurried steps revealed his impatience.

***

Wow, I thought I was going to die.

When that guy put his hand on my neck, I really thought he was going to choke me to death and tensed up. My heart is still pounding because of it, but thankfully, he didn’t notice?

I cautiously opened my eyes and looked around.

It’s a hospital room, so it looks ordinary. But I know this is definitely not an ordinary place.

I don’t know for sure, but considering the complicated procedures I went through to get here, I’d guess it’s some kind of secret organization…

‘…So, am I captured? Am I a hostage?’

They might have brought me here for treatment initially, but that’s probably not the case anymore.

My appearance is quite unique. The guy who tried to choke me earlier, and seeing this face, my identity has probably been exposed.

‘So, let’s get out of here.’

I don’t know the way, but if I just keep going, I’ll find an exit. I need to get out of this place.

I slowly tried to raise my upper body… then flopped back down and closed my eyes. I heard footsteps outside.

Sure enough, the door opened, and someone came in.

‘Is it the guy from earlier?’

The footsteps got closer.

My nerves were on edge. In the strange tension, the approaching footsteps stopped right beside me.

A strange voice spoke.

“…How long are you going to pretend to be unconscious?”

!

So surprised, I couldn’t help but snap my eyes open.

Staring directly into my wide-open eyes, an old man with greying hair smiled gently. His voice held not a trace of hostility.

“You need to know who to fool. I’m a doctor.”

…

“Follow me. I’ll escort you out.”

Really? They’re going to take me outside for free? No, more than that…

I pointed to the blindfold the old man was holding.

“That’s… ?”

“It’s so you don’t memorize the way. Please understand.”

…

The old man smiled, as if he couldn’t see my expression.

***

Back in his office, Cruel paused, surprised to see an unexpected figure.

“…Duke.”

Why is the Duke here? If he had something to tell me, he wouldn’t come himself, he would have summoned me.

What’s more, he’s looking at the chessboard on the desk. Realizing he hadn’t tidied up the chessboard because he left in a hurry, Cruel put his hands behind his back, hiding his twitching fingers.

The Duke glanced at him and slowly straightened up.

“You’ve arrived.”

“What brings you here?”

“I thought we needed to discuss your participation in the hunting competition. I already have a lot on my mind, and I don’t want to waste time and energy on unnecessary misunderstandings.”

…

Of course, whether it’s a misunderstanding or not remains to be seen.

The Duke, keeping his true intentions hidden, smiled faintly.

“Ah, before that.”

…?

“Kneel.”

For a moment, his green eyes flickered slightly.

As if doubting what he had just heard, Cruel’s green eyes met the purple eyes of the still-smiling Duke, before he lowered his gaze as if resigning himself to his fate.

One knee touched the ground, and Cruel lowered his head.

A knight’s respect for his lord.

Nothing has been confirmed yet, so there’s no need to cross the line and antagonize him. Cruel is an undeniably valuable asset, so the Duke was satisfied with this much and decided to let it slide.

“You participated in the hunting competition.”

Yes.

…

…

A strange silence descended.

The Duke, who had been looking down at Cruel as if at a loss for words, finally sighed and opened his mouth.

“Alright. I won’t beat around the bush.”

…

—Did you think I wouldn’t find out?

Cruel’s eyes trembled. At this moment, he was grateful that he was bowing his head. If he had been looking the Duke in the eye, his agitation would surely have been noticed.

How much does he know? How much should I reveal? Surely he hasn’t found out about the ‘plan’.

‘I need to answer…’

I have to answer.

His mind raced. The silence was growing longer. Just when he thought things were about to get really bad, the Duke continued.

“Why did you let Deon Hart live?”

With great generosity, he brought up the past he had let go of, cornering him.

“You could have used the Revolutionary Army, but you deliberately led them towards a request for assassination, and when I allowed it, you arbitrarily set a condition to pay half the agreed amount even if he was only injured…”

…

“Looking at your behavior, you’re acting without knowing your place. Did you think I wouldn’t realize that it was to lower the chances of Deon Hart dying?”

Those driven by money move with less dedication than the ideologically motivated Revolutionary Army.

Cruel chose the request.

Those who are driven by money also value their lives. So, if you create a situation where they can earn a significant amount of money just by inflicting injuries, there’s no reason for them to risk their lives trying to kill him.

Cruel paid out of his own pocket to create that situation.

“Moreover, during this hunting competition, you even went as far as to save Deon Hart directly.”

What on earth is he thinking, committing such an act? Does he really want to kill Deon Hart?

“Explain yourself.”

A purple glint flashed in his eyes. It was truly a sharp intensity, but Cruel was actually relieved.

He hasn’t figured everything out.

His calculations were done, so there was no need to delay further. He opened his mouth without hesitation.

“I wanted to kill him with my own hands.”

“…If that’s the case, you should have said so from the start. You’ve only wasted valuable manpower.”

“I apologize.”

“That’s enough.”

There’s no way the Duke’s suspicion would be cleared up with just this. His answer was full of loopholes.

The Duke also knew this fact, but instead of nitpicking and digging into every detail, he chose a different method.

“Surely you don’t think my suspicions will be cleared up with just this.”

…

“Therefore, I propose a wager.”

Telling Cruel to rise, the Duke slowly walked to Cruel’s desk. He picked up the black king that had been pushed off the chessboard and spoke, examining it slowly.

“Deon Hart must die. Until now, I’ve entrusted it to you and issued orders through you, but since doubts have arisen, I can’t simply stand by and do nothing.”

…

“You can continue to try and kill Deon Hart in your own way. I will also move separately. The one who kills him first will be the winner of the wager. The benefit given to the winner… shall we leave it up to the winner to decide?”

The loser would have to grant the winner’s wish.

The Duke had a lot of money and many people at his disposal. It was a clearly unfair bet, but Cruel had no choice.

Perhaps that’s why, instead of an obvious answer, a different question came out.

“…Why are you so intent on killing Deon Hart?”