Chapter 30
Eclite trailed behind the man.
His staggering steps led him deeper and deeper into a narrow alley.
At some point, the once-bright moonlight could no longer reach between the walls, and the dense darkness began to hover in the air like something unpleasant.
Sensing something strange, the man tried to turn around—
But Eclite stirred the wind with a sharp motion, stopping him from doing so.
“What the… where’s that wind coming from…?”
Eclite followed him silently to the end.
The man disappeared through the back entrance of what appeared to be an ordinary inn.
Eclite looked up at the building with a blank expression.
Only faint light leaked through the cracks—it was far too quiet for a place that called itself an inn.
Then, sensing movement, he turned his head—
Kamari was there.
“So this is the place.”
Kamari gave Eclite a nod of respect.
“You found it precisely. We haven’t assessed the interior yet.”
“There don’t seem to be any gaps we can peek through, either.”
Eclite extended his hand, and Kamari handed him the sword she had prepared.
“Looks like we’ll have to go in and find out.”
“I believe so, yes.”
“No one gets out. Not a single one.
We can’t have an incident here—especially not in Fiore territory.”
“Understood.”
Just as Kamari and Eclite were about to enter the inn, another presence stirred.
In a flash, Eclite swung his sword.
Clang—!
The metallic clang rang out as a rifle blocked the blade.
“Well now.”
And that voice—light as a feather.
Eclite’s eyes narrowed in recognition as he looked at the person who blocked his sword.
“You.”
“If Your Grace recognizes me, could you lower your sword?
Or were you planning to pretend it was a mistake and take a swing anyway?”
The one who blocked his sword… was Isana.
Eclite lowered his blade with visible displeasure.
Only then did Isana notice Kamari beside him and smile.
“So she really was the Duke’s guest.
Thank goodness there’s no need to kill each other.”
Kamari flinched slightly at his pleasant smile, but quickly spoke with a cold tone.
“You said we’d meet again.
You couldn’t wait, so you followed me all the way here?”
“Huh?”
Isana tilted his head in confusion, and Eclite let out a sigh as he stepped between them.
“Enough with the nonsense. Why are you here?”
“I’d say… probably for the same reason Your Grace is.”
Isana gave a slight, chilling smile and reported what he’d discovered.
“Following your tip, I searched the orchard—and found a liquor bottle.”
“……”
“It looked like someone had deliberately dumped it in the well.
And judging by how that well was only used for the sheep, it seems the person who did it knew that.
The wild beast that attacked the livestock likely drank from that well.
We’re not sure what kind of beast it was yet,
But the locals suspect it was a wolf.”
At that, Eclite paused.
“You’re saying someone deliberately provoked the beast?”
“Wouldn’t you agree?”
Kamari looked puzzled at the theory.
“But if the liquor made them aggressive, shouldn’t the sheep have turned violent too?”
“That’s why I wanted to ask Your Grace—
The beasts causing chaos in the North… were they all carnivores?”
Isana’s pointed question made Eclite’s expression harden.
If the liquor left behind during the hunts had been drunk by wild beasts,
And that’s what caused the aggression—
Then it shouldn’t have mattered whether they were herbivores or carnivores.
But every report… only involved carnivores.
So then—does this liquor only provoke carnivorous beasts?
“To humans, it’s just a strong drink.
But why would someone go to the trouble of creating a brew that only affects carnivorous beasts?”
Isana watched Eclite’s face and knew he didn’t need an answer.
Kamari, too, caught on to Eclite’s thoughts and voiced the same suspicion.
“If someone deliberately released that alcohol—
What reason would they have to provoke only carnivores?
To steal the sheep? To ruin the orchard?”
“Their goal might not have been livestock. In fact, I don’t believe it was. Who would go to all that trouble—such a messy and complicated scheme—just to steal a few sheep? I’m more interested in the man who went missing—Shuran. Has anything like this happened in the North? Any cases of people disappearing?”
Kamari shook her head.
“No disappearances. But, are you implying human trafficking?”
Her voice had dropped noticeably, but Isana only smiled softly.
“We have to keep every possibility open. It’s clear this isn’t just a simple case.”
Eclite frowned slightly at his words. Even if it was human trafficking, there was no clear reason to use a liquor that only affected beasts. If it were something that triggered a reaction in humans, it would at least make more sense.
“Tracking down the smugglers might answer things faster.”
Eclite gripped the hilt of his sword again.
Kamari rolled her shoulders, loosening up.
Isana stood his rifle upright and spoke.
“I’ll stay behind and cover you. I’ve already placed snipers in the surrounding area, just in case.
There won’t be even the slightest chance of Your Grace being put in danger.”
“…Me? In danger?”
Eclite muttered, clearly displeased, but Isana remained respectful to the end.
“Just procedure. It’s our duty to protect Your Grace.”
Eclite ignored him and, without a word, pulled on his black mask and strode forward.
Isana watched him go, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“I’m looking forward to this.
I might finally get to witness a glimpse of the infamous monster duke they speak of like a legend.”
Eclite and Kamari stepped confidently into the inn.
On the outside, it looked utterly ordinary.
A few people sat eating and drinking—but the way they looked was far from ordinary.
Everyone inside threw glances at the pair.
It was an inn—people coming and going should’ve been normal.
But the stares were filled with wariness, as though the arrival of outsiders was completely out of place.
That’s when the large innkeeper approached.
“Ah, apologies. No rooms left, with the night market going on.
I could recommend another place if you’d like—”
Kamari glanced around the room.
“Doesn’t seem like a full house for an inn with no vacancies.”
“What’s full is full. You should leave now.”
When the innkeeper reached for Kamari’s wrist, she instantly twisted his instead.
“Argh! You crazy wench—!”
As his scream echoed through the room, the other patrons shot to their feet.
Kamari smirked coldly at the reaction.
“Looks like all of you know each other. The way you jump in like it’s your own fight tells me everything.”
“You—what the hell is your problem?!”
“Not much of a secret anymore.
This is what I do.”
With that, Kamari knocked the innkeeper down and in the same motion, drew a dagger, holding it to his throat.
The others around the room froze—shocked at how quickly the small woman had overpowered the large man.
Kamari pressed the blade to a vital point and spoke coldly.
“You’re trading illegal liquor, right? Where is it?
Who’s the original smuggler?”
“You… you damn—”
Though the innkeeper trembled from head to toe, he clamped his mouth shut.
“I won’t ask twice. Don’t waste my time.
If you’re not going to talk, I’ll make sure you never talk again and move on to someone else.”
“Screw you!”
At his shout, it was as if a signal had been given—
The disguised smugglers in the room drew their blades and rushed at once.
Kamari sighed.
“Charging in like that doesn’t make you stronger.”
Before the blades could even reach her, Eclite stepped in.
His sword intercepted every strike before they landed.
Without a word, he severed the ankles of the first wave of attackers.
“ARGH!”
Ruthlessly cutting through them, Eclite nonchalantly flicked the blood off his blade.
The floor around him was soaked red, a brutally quiet display of violence.
The men who had charged so confidently suddenly froze.
They hadn’t even noticed the pressure hiding behind the small woman.
Now just standing near him was enough to make their spines go cold.
Kamari clicked her tongue.
“When you swarm in like that, you die faster.
Your movements are easier to read.
But if you’re going to annoy me in a group, I might as well kill you all and be done with it.”
The innkeeper had underestimated them, but the sudden rumble from upstairs made him grin wickedly.
“No matter how strong you are, it’s still just two of you.
You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that—but this is where it really begins.
Let’s see how long you last!”
Even before he finished his sentence, more armed men came pouring down the stairs.
Eclite let out a short sigh and raised his sword again.
“So many of them… annoying.”
He had hoped to handle things quietly.
Kamari, realizing the innkeeper wouldn’t talk willingly, was about to knock him unconscious—
But before she could move, a blade flew toward her from behind.
The innkeeper lunged and grabbed her wrist mid-motion.
“Don’t act tough—just DIE!”
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
A sniper’s bullet tore through the air , splitting the attacker’s head wide open before he could strike Kamari.
The innkeeper went pale.
“A… a sniper…?”
A slight blush spread across Kamari’s cheeks as she realized the sniper’s bullet had protected her.
The smugglers, now aware that they were surrounded by sharpshooters, froze in place, their faces pale with fear.
Eclite spoke quietly in their direction.
“Move again, and this time… you all die.”
There was no excess in his words.
It didn’t even sound like a threat or a warning.
It simply felt like the truth—if they moved, they would die.
Eventually, one of the terrified men opened his mouth hesitantly.
“W-We don’t know anything. We were just supposed to… buy time…”
“Shut up, you idiot!”
the innkeeper shouted in a panic.
Eclite gritted his teeth.
“Buy time?”
Irritation deepened on his face.
This wasn’t the real place.
It was a decoy, meant to delay them.
They had been lured here on purpose.
Realizing the situation, Isana and the sharpshooters rushed in.
The so-called smugglers were nothing more than pawns.
After a quick search, not only was there no sign of illegal liquor—
The place turned out to be nothing but an underground gambling den.
These men weren’t even true smugglers.
Isana let out a tired breath.
“We’ve been played.”
Eclite sheathed his bloodied sword with a blank expression.
“They’re not completely unrelated.
They bought time, and that was enough.”
“Well, we’ll get something out of them eventually.
Everyone talks if you press hard enough.”
Isana smiled faintly, though there was a slight edge to his voice.
Eclite clenched his jaw as he watched the men being rounded up.
“Was I too careless?
They even went as far as to orchestrate a fake front like this.”
“Make sure it’s all cleaned up properly.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Kamari was helping the sharpshooters haul out anything suspicious from the inn.
As she reached for a heavy chest, Isana silently picked it up first.
Kamari looked at him in surprise, and he offered a polite smile.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Isana Blanc.
You appear to be one of His Grace’s personal guards—
I look forward to working with you.”
“You’re quite forward.
But really, you don’t have to do this just because you think I’m struggling.”
“Hmm?”
Kamari promptly lifted the chest right out of his hands.
“That shot earlier—protecting me.
And the way you kept watching me? It was obvious.”
“Uh…”
“My name is Kamari.
Next time, feel free to use it.
I’ll allow at least that much.”
For the second time, Isana was caught off guard by this woman.
He had never been at a loss for words in front of a woman before.
But then again, she was clearly nothing like the women he had dealt with until now.
He’d been focused only on Eclite this entire time, assuming he’d be the main force.
Yet surprisingly, Eclite hadn’t moved much.
It was almost as if Kamari was deliberately keeping him from having to.
“Well… it’d be a real issue if His Grace were to act too forcefully.”
Isana looked over at Kamari’s cool expression.
“Maybe she’s mad I jumped in on my own.
I could see someone like her getting upset over that.”
“If you’re bothered that I stepped in—
Of course, I know you’re strong enough to handle yourself.
But leaving a woman in danger still goes against a knight’s code, and…”
“No need to hide behind chivalry. I already understand.”
“Then… what’s the issue?”
Just then, the Tiers arrived and entered the inn.
Isana approached them with a confused expression.
“What are you doing here? You’re guards, right?
What business do you have here?”
“We figured you might be here.
We saw Tiers posted all around the area, so we followed just in case.”
“What are you talking about? Why are you all out here?”
That’s when Eclite stepped forward with a chilling expression.
“What about the head of the house?
Why are you here instead?”
“The head…?”
Isana echoed back the words, but one of the Tiers lowered his head, his face tense.
“She’s… not here either.”
Eclite’s face turned even colder.
“What… do you mean by that?”
“She’s gone. No matter how hard we looked— The lady of the house is nowhere to be found.”
Isana’s voice rose in disbelief.
“What kind of nonsense is that supposed to be?!”
In that moment, Isana went silent, as if struck by a sudden chill in the air.
Eclite said nothing and simply turned away, scanning the surroundings.
His gaze was terrifyingly calm—
A heavy, deathly silence settled in his eyes as he swept the area with deliberate precision.
Then, his eyes stopped—
On the man who had bumped into Amelia.
Eclite began walking toward him without hesitation.
The man, sensing something was wrong, stepped back nervously.
“W-What? Why are you looking at me like that…?”
Eclite slowly pulled off his mask and spoke in a level voice.
“That collision—was it truly by chance?
Or was it no coincidence that you bumped into her?”
“I don’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“I won’t ask again.
If this isn’t the place—where’s the real base?”
His voice was quiet, but the restrained fury clung to every word like something thick and suffocating.
It felt as though his rage would consume him at any moment.
The man couldn’t bear the chilling dread crawling up his spine and snapped.
“I told you, I don’t know anything!”
He drew a hidden dagger and swung.
Isana moved to intercept, but Kamari stopped him.
“Unless you want to die by accident, stay out of this.”
“Huh?”
The man’s blade grazed Eclite’s cheek—drawing blood.
But Eclite didn’t flinch.
Breath caught in his throat as a sharp wave of urgency overwhelmed him.
There was no more time.
If this really was an intentional abduction—
A thought he had tried not to entertain suddenly rushed forward—
And a crack spread through his composure.
“Did they… take her?”
“What?”
Boom—!
At that moment, the ground shook violently.
The air twisted unnaturally.
Everyone in the inn turned pale and screamed.
“E-Earthquake! It’s an earthquake!”
Then, out of nowhere, A blinding flash of lightning tore through the clear sky.
And in an instant, everything was swallowed in pitch-black darkness.
Isana gritted his teeth, barely keeping his balance as the atmosphere turned apocalyptic.
“What the hell is happening?!”
Kamari held her breath, trembling in the complete lack of visibility.
“Forgive me, Lord Cahillro… I can’t stop His Grace anymore.”
Standing before the man, Eclite spoke again, this time in a lower tone.
“I’ll ask you one last time.”
The man—now ghostly pale—couldn’t speak.
Even in the crushing dark, Eclite’s figure was oddly visible…
And there was something inhuman about it.
“Where is she?”
“I-I really… I don’t—urk!”
The man’s body seized up; his breath stolen.
Eclite’s eyes—glowing a deep, furious red—pierced through him like blades.
It was like being stared down by a monster.
The man wanted to look away, to escape that gaze—
But his limbs were frozen, his warmth drained.
Only fear remained, consuming him whole.
“If you don’t speak now…
It’ll get harder to breathe.
But you won’t die.
Not until the truth comes out of your mouth.”
“Gghk—hah—!”
The man clutched his throat, gasping uselessly for air.
No oxygen came.
Only the sensation that his lungs were being shredded from the inside out.
Then, with fingers twisted into unnatural claws,
Eclite drove his hand into the man’s shoulder.
And in that same chilling calm, he repeated:
“So, speak. Now.”
Crushed beneath the sheer force of madness and killing intent, The man’s eyes filled with tears of blood that streamed silently down his cheeks.
