Chapter 44: Honorary Count Deon Hart

The Hart Count Estate, famously bestowed directly by the Emperor himself.

Even there, in the secluded forest at the rear of the mansion, a servant treaded.

Uneasy movements, trembling pupils. His intentions were clearly not pure as he glanced around repeatedly before finally lifting his head and whistling softly.

Flap.

A common bird landed on his hand.

He gently stroked the bird before tying a white piece of paper to its leg and promptly releasing it into the air.

Lingering would only make things worse if someone else spotted him, so he hurried as much as possible.

“All done?”

!

He spun around, startled.

An old man in a neat tailcoat stood by a tree, watching him. He had no idea how long he’d been there.

It was a face no servant in this mansion could ever forget.

The head butler of this estate, Rememver, distinguished by his silver-blue eyes and his hair, which was turning a pale silver-blue.

With an unreadable expression, he watched the bird fly away before lowering his gaze to meet the servant’s.

“I had some idea, but to think you were actually a spy.”

“B-Butler.”

His initial panic was fleeting. The servant bit back whatever excuse he’d been about to offer.

What the butler had seen was too clear for any denial. That left only one option: kill him.

Fortunately, this was the secluded forest, and there were no other witnesses.

Besides, even if his opponent weren’t an old man, he was just a commoner. Killing him shouldn’t be too difficult.

Of course, he knew the head butler before him was no ordinary person—he’d even subdued members of the Revolutionary Army—but he was planning to use a weapon, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Making a swift decision, the servant subtly gripped the handle of the dagger in his pocket.

His eyes, which had been darting around cautiously, now gleamed with murderous intent.

“The mastermind…”

“Uwaaaah!”

“…I need to know.”

Thwack!

The servant’s head was severed.

His head hit the ground first, followed by his body, which collapsed belatedly.

Rememver remained standing in his original spot, watching the body fall.

Even with the sudden death of the servant, he didn’t flinch. He didn’t scream. He showed no signs of surprise or panic.

He simply watched it with a calm gaze before slowly shifting his attention to the figure behind it.

A man in black clothes stood behind where the servant had been. No one knew when he had appeared.

Rememver’s eyes fell on the blood-soaked sword in the man’s hand as he slowly finished his sentence.

“The mastermind is obvious.”

It would likely be someone from the noble faction, a hostile kingdom, or perhaps the Revolutionary Army.

If he had to guess the most likely candidate, it would be the noble faction, specifically Duke Starbe Illuster, their leader.

Planting a spy within the Count’s Estate required considerable influence.

In that regard, hostile kingdoms were too far away to exert such power, and the Revolutionary Army, lacking a proper base and forced to operate in hiding, wouldn’t have the means to infiltrate the estate of a hero.

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to be certain, but the bird that just flew away meant there would be someone else gathering information, so there was no need to dwell on this servant.

‘It might be a bit dangerous…

But he wouldn’t be alone; the Killer Knights would be with him, so worrying was pointless. If anything, he should be hoping their bloodlust didn’t lead them to kill all the attackers.’

He waved his hand dismissively towards the man standing silently as if awaiting orders.

Without giving him another glance as he vanished instantly, Rememver looked down at the corpse staining the forest floor red and spoke as if tossing aside a trifle.

His silver-blue eyes held no particular emotion, as if this outcome were the most natural thing in the world.

“By the authority of the butler, I hereby dismiss you.”

***

“Deon Hart has gone to the border to subjugate monsters. And with only one knight order accompanying him.”

Duke Starbe slowly curled his lips into a smile as he burned the note over a candle. His leisurely gaze shifted to Cruel.

At his unspoken demand, Cruel replied as he always did.

“I will place a contract for assassination.”

“Always the same answer.”

“…”

“You did the same thing last time. Back then, I thought you’d simply overlooked the Revolutionary Army as an option…”

—But I don’t think that’s the case anymore.

A sharp glint flashed in his purple eyes. Cruel lowered his gaze slightly, silently enduring the scrutiny.

In the suffocating silence, the Duke, who had been scrutinizing Cruel’s expression, spoke as if to test him further.

“Why? Using the Revolutionary Army would be far more efficient than placing a contract.”

It was only natural that those motivated by a clear purpose would be more zealous than mere hired killers.

It would save money and be a more certain kill.

Yet, Cruel was subtly pushing for the contract method.

“…You seem unwilling to explain.”

“My thinking was short-sighted.”

“Unlikely.”

“…”

Receiving no reply, the Duke sighed dramatically.

He casually brushed the ashes that had fallen onto his desk, his tone even.

“Well, fine. Do as you please. The result is what matters.”

“…Thank you.”

“But it would be wise not to be clumsy. It would only make you look foolish.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

The conversation ended.

Picking up new documents and scanning through them, the Duke glanced at Cruel’s expression.

The man stood there as always, not revealing a hint of emotion.

Knowing he wouldn’t glean anything from that face, he refocused on the documents and muttered inwardly.

‘I prefer obedient dogs.’

Let’s observe.

To see if he’s making any unnecessary moves.

***

“Are you sure about this?”

A man who had silently assisted Cruel since his battles at the border of the Demon Realm couldn’t help but ask.

He knew it was impolite to question him, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Yes.”

“Are you certain? His Grace will undoubtedly…”

The Duke couldn’t possibly be unaware.

Senze was deeply worried about how the Duke would react to Cruel’s actions.

The Duke was intelligent and suspicious. Depending on how he interpreted this, Cruel’s life could be in danger.

Therefore, Senze had hoped he would only carry out the Duke’s orders, but

“It’s not as if I’m refusing to place the assassination contract.”

Cruel was resolute.

“Place the contract, but add a condition. I’ll pay half the agreed amount even if he’s only injured.”

“The cost of the additional condition…”

“I’ll cover it with my own funds.”

He couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

What did he want to do with Deon Hart?

Senze, unable to even guess the nature of his feelings towards Deon Hart, studied Cruel’s expression before giving up and quietly bowing his head.

***

Silence bred misunderstanding. But explaining myself now wouldn’t be believed anyway, and if the monsters disappeared, it would be a problem. So, under the pretext that monster subjugation was the priority, I quickly changed the subject, and Sir Lien and I watched the subjugation side-by-side on horseback.

Sir Lien had her reasons for not fighting.

Firstly, the Killer Knights were ridiculously skilled, and more importantly, a vulnerable person like me needed at least one guard.

Being dragged to a place like this was bad enough; dying would be truly unfair. I might not even accept it and become a vengeful spirit.

And another reason would be that Sir Lien joining that spectacle wouldn’t suit her.

“Eurghhhhh!”

“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing! The monsters are all coming this way!!”

“Is it my fault you’re an easy target?!”

“That bastard’s got a death wish!!”

“Shut up and kill them!”

Whack! Thwack!

Blood splattered everywhere, and monsters were torn apart.

It looked like what would happen if you mashed red pudding with a spoon. They were mincing the monsters.

Sir Lien going in there to fight alongside those guys?

Absolutely not a good fit.

Sir Lien was the epitome of a knight.

Her style was to cleanly sever an enemy’s head. If she were to step into that fray, she’d be covered in blood in an instant without even doing anything.

That would be quite an unpleasant experience. Considering it could potentially lead to a resignation letter, I had plenty of reason to stop her.

I was lost in thought when it happened.

“You lot! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“……Hmm?”

A voice filled with fury made me belatedly raise my head.

I was about to ask why he was angry, but my gaze was blocked by a massive wall, unable to reach Sir Lien.

Instead, I found myself face-to-face with a pair of eyes.

“…….”

“…….”

My thoughts froze for a moment.

A black face, a massive body, eyes glaring at me with resentment and fury. And to top it off, fangs bared as if it would bite me any second.

So, this is…

‘Shit, what is this?!’

I was so shocked that I couldn’t even scream.

Pale as a ghost, I froze, staring blankly into the monster’s eyes.

I wished I could just faint, but this body, which never did what I wanted, betrayed my expectations once again.

It usually fainted at the slightest provocation, so why was it so resilient now? Perhaps it was a small mercy that I hadn’t let out a pathetic scream.

Struggling to loosen my stiff body, I moved my lips with difficulty.

“What… is,”

“We felt like we were having all the fun.”

“When we came to our senses, this was the only one left. Most of them ran away.”

“Almost all of its means of attack have been cut off, so it won’t be much fun, but it’s better than nothing. You should enjoy yourself too, Count.”

“You were considerate enough to just watch us? You didn’t have to hold back; we’re touched.”

What the hell are they talking about? Enjoy what? Are these morons thinking I’m one of them?

If it were a joke, I could understand it, but I could clearly sense that they were completely serious, which made me feel even more hopeless.

Even worse was Sir Lien’s reaction.

“Ah, is that so?”

Why are you agreeing with them?!

Piecing together the members’ conversation, it was easy to figure out what they wanted from me.

They want me to kill this monster.

Since they said ‘Count, too, should enjoy himself,’ they mean I should kill it as brutally as they did.

It wouldn’t be difficult to do.

Since I wasn’t here for leisure, I was fully armed. I could take out one of the daggers strapped to my body and tear apart the defenseless monster in front of me.

‘But I really don’t want to.’

If I did that, something inside me would break. No, it would be destroyed.

I was hesitating when it happened.

‘……?!’

A chill ran down my neck, and a sense of dread made me instinctively turn my body.

I merely turned to find the source of the chilling sensation, but luckily, it saved my life.

Thunk!

“Ugh!?”

“Count!”

I felt an impact on my shoulder, followed by a searing, spreading pain.

Following my instincts, I clutched my shoulder and twisted my head to see the cause of the pain.

“An arrow?”

Judging by the location, it was originally aimed at my neck.

A monster wouldn’t shoot an arrow. Was it an ambush?

If so, by whom? Unless they wanted war, a neighboring kingdom wouldn’t target us without crossing the border.

‘……Stay calm.’

I didn’t survive eight years on the battlefield for nothing.

The instincts of the battlefield returned, and my mind started working sharply.

I could figure out the details later. The immediate priority was the number and location of the attackers.

My eyes darted around, scanning the direction the arrow came from.

‘Quite a few of them came.’

They even rode horses to chase us, yet I didn’t notice them until they were close enough to shoot arrows.

Ah, my ears and eyes were preoccupied with the monster subjugation. Those things were quite large and noisy.

‘In that case…….’

What should I do…

That was the end of my thoughts.

The world turned white, and my consciousness broke.

And when I came back to reality, it was all over.