“Hard to say. Maybe I will.”

“Then cancel it right now! It’s not too late yet!”

A shout burst out of Habel’s mouth—louder than anything that fit him.

This was his last chance to return. If there was even a trace of regret in him, stopping now was the right thing to do.

“It’s something I have to finish.”

“But—”

“Because it’s what I did.”

Habel, who looked like he was about to say more, eventually pressed his lips shut. One look at Dorman’s unyielding eyes told him there was no point in arguing further.

“When are you going to tell her? It sounds like the one in that other world has already finished choosing.”

After a long moment, Habel’s gaze drifted to where Camilla was sleeping, the way Arena’s had just done.

He knew, better than anyone, that none of this was her fault. And yet, he couldn’t stop the resentment from rising anyway.

“I don’t think it’s time yet.”

“What....”

“I’m waiting. Giving it time.”

Habel let out another short sigh. That resentful look in his eyes turned back toward Camilla again.

“It isn’t her fault.”

Dorman, who already understood exactly what was in his heart, gave a small, humorless smile and lightly shook his head.

“From beginning to end, it was all my choice.”

“...I know.”

That was why it made him even angrier. Because there was nowhere to put this tangled feeling.

He couldn’t take it out on Dorman.

In the end, a long sigh spilled out of Habel’s mouth again.

Chapter. Looking for Jainer

“.......”

Arsian, who hadn’t moved an inch since early evening—not even from his seat at the desk—finally moved for the first time.

Something was in his hand.

“Hm.”

A cushion. A cushion with perfect stitching.

A rare, faint smile touched his face as he looked at it. At last, the cushion embroidered with Camilla’s face was finished.

Should I use a floral pattern for the gift box?

At first, he’d intended to keep it for himself. Because Laila absolutely refused to give up the cushion she had...

But Rio caught him in the middle of embroidering it.

When are you giving it to me?

W-What?

My face cushion.

T-That’s...!

I’m looking forward to it.

Remembering Camilla’s bright smile when she said she was looking forward to it, he’d only sped up his stitching. The thought of keeping it for himself had been tossed far away.

How much patience had it taken to finish even this one?

If it hadn’t been Camilla’s face, he would’ve thrown it away a long time ago.

“This part is....”

It’s worse than the real thing!

He’d fixed the eyes dozens of times, over and over, but it was impossible to capture Camilla’s distinctive red eyes properly.

“Still... well.”

The hands lifting the cushion with both palms were, unlike him, unbelievably careful.

He rolled his stiff neck once, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) loosening it, then—looking drowsy—headed straight for the bed.

But just as he was about to drift off, his eyes snapped open again.

Arsian’s brows drew together slightly as he sat up. Even then, he didn’t forget to tuck the cushion neatly under the blanket.

Because he couldn’t let blood get on it.

“What is it?”

Arsian had been pouring out Killing Intent like he was about to kill someone on the spot, but he froze at the unexpected sight in front of him.

His frown deepened as he stared at the one—no, the thing—that had appeared in his room.

“What is that?”

[.......]

A black wolf.

Luna, the Guardian of the Ducal House of Sephra, gave her massive body a light shake at Arsian’s curt question, then let something that had been on her back drop to the floor with a THUD.

“What did you go pick up?”

What fell to the floor was a person. And it was a face Arsian knew all too well.

Jainer—the one freeloading in Camilla’s house.

“Don’t bring back weird trash. Put it back where you found it.”

Jainer didn’t even groan, like he’d completely lost consciousness. And the blood still hadn’t stopped—his injuries looked serious.

As if I care.

To Arsian, Jainer was nothing but a shameless assassin who still had the nerve to think he could live with Camilla.

“.......”

Arsian stared down at him in silence for a moment, then headed back to bed. And as if nothing had happened, he started trying to sleep.

Camilla’s face cushion was already cradled in his arms like something precious.

[.......]

Seeing that, Luna picked Jainer up in her mouth.

“Hey. That’s not food.”

Luna brought Jainer closer to Arsian and set him down—as if telling him to take a look.

In the end, Arsian got up again, cursing under his breath nonstop.

“I told you to just keep watch. Just watch! If he looked bad, you should’ve left him alone—or tossed him somewhere else and come back. Why did you carry him all the way here?”

It had been bothering him that the Master of Khan was stuck to Camilla’s side, so not long ago he’d finally asked the Duke of Sephra to lend him a Guardian for a while.

Just in case.

And, unexpectedly, the Duke of Sephra had readily handed Luna over to him.

Protect her well.

I’d do that even if you didn’t tell me.

It seems like there’s been a lot going on lately.

He’d almost snapped back that it wasn’t his concern, but he was the one who needed the favor, so he just took Luna and left quietly.

Normally, she was a nasty-tempered beast who only listened to the master of the house—but she was sharp enough to realize this was about Camilla, and she followed his words without a fuss.

He’d ordered her to tail Jainer in secret, and if he even looked like he might harm Camilla, to deal with him immediately.

It’s been about two weeks since then, hasn’t it?

And yet, out of nowhere, she’d dragged that bastard back here when he was practically dying.

Or was it...?

Was he already dead?

“Handle the corpse yourself.”

He’d barely finished speaking and was about to lie down again when he had to sit back up.

Luna kept shoving Jainer toward him, sniffing insistently like he wasn’t dead—and Arsian had no choice but to unleash a storm of curses.

*****

“Jin is dead?”

“I’m sorry.”

“And you couldn’t even recover his soul?”

“It was urgent, so....”

A tongue click rang out, unusually loud.

“He still had plenty of use left in him.”

“The other one’s skill wasn’t as easy as we thought.”

Daniel’s voice had gone cold, and it kept growing more urgent.

Jainer came to see him.

Jin, who’d chased after him, died.

And on top of that, this entire attempt to remove Jainer had ended in total failure.

As he reported all of it, Daniel’s lips dried out.

“If he’s the Master of Khan, he was never going to be an easy opponent.”

“Y-Yes.”

When the Emperor of Fable understood and agreed with him, Daniel kept letting out quiet, repeated breaths of relief inside.

They’d learned something about who Jainer Escra was because of this, but the damage on their side was far bigger than expected.

Not just Jin—so many of the ones the order had raised with special care had died that it was hard to even count them.

All for that one man.

“And him?”

“...We lost him.”

They couldn’t even finish him cleanly. They’d inflicted serious injury, but he still got away.

At some point, he vanished without a trace. They had no idea what condition he was in now, or where he’d gone.

“Tsk.”

The Emperor of Fable clicked his tongue, the sharp sound scraping at Daniel’s ears.

Daniel’s body hunched smaller.

“The Ducal House of Sorpel?”

“I checked immediately. He didn’t return there.”

The Emperor of Fable listened in silence, then clicked his tongue again.

Realizing the Emperor’s mood was worse than ever, Daniel started trembling slightly.

“How much do you think he knows about the order?”

“He didn’t seem to know our exact identity, but he had a great deal of information about what we’ve been doing.”

More than anything, the fact that he’d brought up the Crimson Stone couldn’t be ignored.

The use of that holy relic could not be allowed to become known to the world yet.

“He’s close with Camilla Sorpel, isn’t he?”

“He’s the one her biological father brought in as an adopted child.”

“Then he may already have told her.”

“That, I....”

“Finding him comes first.”

“Yes. I’ll deal with it as quickly as possible.”

At Daniel’s words, the Emperor of Fable slowly shook his head.

“Even after you sent Jin and the others, you couldn’t deal with him. We can’t take another massive loss just to dispose of one person.”

“But...!”

How could they leave alone someone who knew even the order’s secrets?

But Daniel, who rushed to voice his objection, couldn’t finish.

Because the Emperor of Fable’s eyes were cold enough to freeze him in place.

“...I’m sorry.”

Daniel remembered, all over again, that the ones Jainer had killed this time were the ones the Emperor of Fable had especially cherished and raised.

He kept swallowing dry saliva.

They’d sacrificed those people, and yet there was nothing to show for it.

Daniel dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

He knew better than anyone how ruthless that man was.

Even someone he’d kept at his side for a long time—if he didn’t like them anymore, he could throw them away without hesitation.

“Daniel.”

“Yes, Master of the Order.”

“You will find him.”

“...Pardon?”

“You will find him and dispose of him.”

“...Me alone?”

“Why? Do you need more?”

Daniel’s eyes shook wildly, as if they had nowhere to settle.

Even those raised by pouring in all the order’s power hadn’t been able to deal with him.

And now he was being told to find that man and solve it alone.

He’d been cast out.

If he succeeded, he’d be taken back.

If he failed, it meant: die as you are.

Daniel bowed his head, his gaze trembling, then slowly opened his mouth.

The answer he could give had already been decided.

“I understand.”

*****

DING-!

“Welcome.”

A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties greeted the customer with a bright smile.

As a clerk at the largest general store downtown, she was armored head to toe in friendliness.

“Is there anything you’re looking for? I can help you.”

The customer, with a gray robe pulled low, swept their gaze lightly over the inside of the shop, then turned toward the clerk.

“There is something I’m looking for.”

A young woman’s voice drifted out from inside the robe. A glimpse of pink hair showed—soft and pretty.

“Yes, miss. If there’s anything you want, please tell me. There isn’t anything our trading house can’t get.”

“I like snakes.”

“...Snakes?”

“I want something with two black snakes carved into it. Can you get it right away?”

“Things with black snakes aren’t common... Please wait a moment. I’ll speak to the shop owner.”

Smiling broadly, the clerk went into the office set up inside the shop.

A short while later, she came back out—still smiling just as widely.