Chapter 135: Chapter 135 - Escaping to Death!

The grand main hall remained buried beneath a suffocating silence after Damon’s final words, while the seven isolated figures standing before him visibly trembled beneath the countless gazes fixed upon them from every direction. None of the gathered servants dared whisper anymore, because by now everyone understood that this was no longer merely an investigation regarding a missing archive page.

This had become judgment.

At the very front of the hall, Damon remained seated calmly with Cecelia resting tiredly against him, her small body leaning weakly into his chest while his fingers continued absentmindedly patting her white hair in slow rhythm.

Then finally—

Damon raised his gaze toward the seven again.

"Let us continue," he said calmly.

The first man was immediately brought forward by the guards.

The middle-aged attendant nearly stumbled while approaching, cold sweat covering his forehead as Damon observed him silently for several moments before speaking.

"You were seen near the restricted archive corridor three nights ago," Damon said evenly. "Explain."

The man hurriedly lowered himself to his knees.

"T-that is true, young master... but I was only delivering cleaning supplies to the upper servants’ storage!"

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Why at night?"

"B-because the senior attendants ordered the daytime halls to remain clear for guests from the western territory..."

The man’s voice shook continuously as he spoke.

"I-I can bring the records! T-the storage logs should still exist!"

Damon glanced toward Cecelia quietly.

The little girl tilted her head slightly before murmuring softly,

"...Blue... pale violet..."

Truth.

But also worry.

Damon observed him for several more moments before lightly waving his hand.

"Clear his name."

The man nearly collapsed in relief before repeatedly bowing his head against the floor.

"T-thank you young master! T-thank you!"

The second servant was brought forward next.

This time a female maid.

"You were accused of secretly questioning guards regarding restricted sections of the manor," Damon stated calmly.

The maid immediately panicked.

"T-that was because my younger brother recently joined the outer patrol unit!" she cried hurriedly. "I-I only wanted to know where he was stationed because mother has been sick recently!"

Again—

Cecelia softly whispered,

"...Blue... worried..."

Another truth.

Another innocent suspicion.

Damon nodded calmly.

"Stand aside."

Then came the third.

A guard.

This one stiffened visibly beneath Damon’s gaze.

"You accepted money from an outsider," Damon said quietly.

The guard’s face instantly paled completely.

"I-I..."

The moment hesitation appeared—

Several servants nearby visibly stiffened.

But then the guard suddenly dropped fully to his knees.

"I-I admit it!" he shouted desperately. "B-but it had nothing to do with the archives!"

Damon’s gaze sharpened slightly.

The guard lowered his head completely while speaking in panic.

"M-my gambling debt became too large... I-I accepted money to secretly allow alcohol shipments into restricted areas of the outer district..."

Murmurs immediately spread through the hall.

"You fool..."

"That’s illegal..."

"He smuggled goods..."

The guard himself had already begun crying.

"P-please forgive me young master! I swear I never touched the archives! I-I only wanted enough money to repay the debt before my family found out!"

Damon slowly looked toward Cecelia again.

"...Blue... grey... black..."

Truth. Fear.

And shame.

But not the traitor he was searching for.

Damon sighed lightly before finally speaking.

"You will be handed over for punishment according to manor law."

The guard immediately began kowtowing repeatedly.

"T-thank you young master! T-thank you for sparing my life!"

Damon no longer looked at him afterward.

"Head Butler."

The old man immediately stepped forward.

"Take him away."

"Yes, young master."

The guards dragged the sobbing man away shortly afterward while the atmosphere within the hall only grew heavier.

Then—

The fourth and fifth suspects were brought forward together.

A young male attendant.

And a female maid.

The moment they saw each other standing side by side—

Both visibly stiffened.

Damon observed them quietly.

Then suddenly—

The maid burst into tears first.

"P-please forgive us young master!" she cried hurriedly. "W-we only met secretly because manor rules forbid servants from forming relationships without permission!"

The male attendant immediately lowered his head as well.

"I-it is my fault young master... I was the one sneaking her into restricted corridors at night so we could meet..."

For several moments—

The hall itself seemed unable to process the answer.

Then several servants awkwardly lowered their heads while others visibly twitched trying not to react.

Even Damon himself remained silent briefly.

Then finally—

A quiet sigh escaped him.

Cecelia softly murmured afterward,

"...Blue... warm... pale violet..."

Truth.

Affection.

And worry.

Damon slowly rubbed the side of his forehead.

"...Stand aside."

The two nearly collapsed from relief before bowing repeatedly while apologizing over and over again.

And just like that—

Only one person remained standing before Damon now.

A lone man.

The atmosphere inside the grand main hall became so suffocatingly heavy after the final suspect remained standing alone that even the servants gathered in the back felt as though their lungs had begun tightening beneath the pressure pressing down upon the chamber. Hundreds of eyes remained fixed upon the lone man standing before Damon, yet not a single whisper dared spread anymore, because by now everyone understood that the situation had crossed far beyond ordinary fear.

And still—

The man said nothing nor did Damon.

The silence stretching between them gradually became more horrifying with every passing second as small beads of sweat slowly formed across the man’s forehead before trailing down the sides of his face.

His breathing had already become uneven despite his desperate attempts to remain calm, while Damon simply sat there watching him silently with Cecelia still resting upon his lap.

Then finally—

A cold smile slowly formed upon Damon’s face.

"You still have a chance," he said calmly. "If you confess now and give me the name of the person behind you..."

A faint pause followed.

"...then I will grant you a painless death."

The words echoed heavily throughout the hall.

Yet the man remained silent.

His eyes simply remained fixed upon Damon without speaking a single word.

Damon’s golden eyes slowly narrowed after seeing that reaction.

Then calmly—He stood up.

Carefully lifting Cecelia into his arms first, Damon walked several steps before handing the little girl over to Sahira standing nearby. Cecelia instinctively grabbed Damon’s sleeve lightly for a moment before slowly letting go, while Sahira nervously received her into her arms.

Meanwhile, Damon’s gaze never once left the man standing before him.

"There is no escape for you now," Damon said quietly.

And just then—

Damon noticed it.

A barely visible tiny movement.

The man’s jaw had shifted unnaturally for a fraction of a second.

Damon’s expression changed instantly.

His brows furrowed sharply.

Then—

THUD—

The polished floor beneath him cracked faintly as Damon suddenly dashed forward with terrifying speed, appearing before the man almost instantly before violently grabbing his jaw with one hand.

The gathered servants gasped in shock.

The man’s eyes widened.

But before he could react—

BANG—

Damon’s knee slammed brutally upward into the man’s stomach, forcing his body forward while Damon’s fingers dug into his jaw with enough force to nearly dislocate it.

Then—

CRACK—

Damon forcibly pried the man’s mouth open.

And inside—

A strange green substance rested beneath the man’s tongue.

Poison.

The man suddenly laughed despite the situation, blood already spilling from the corners of his mouth as he stared directly at Damon.

"Damon Valecrest..." he rasped mockingly. "You can never kno—"

But before the sentence could finish—

Damon moved as his fingers shot directly into the man’s mouth.

Then grabbed.

The man’s eyes widened instantly in pure horror.

And the next moment—

RIIIIIP—

A wet, horrifying tearing sound echoed throughout the entire hall.

Blood exploded outward violently as Damon forcefully ripped the man’s tongue completely out from his mouth in one brutal motion.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!"

The scream that followed no longer sounded fully human.

The man collapsed immediately onto his knees while blood poured uncontrollably down his chin and neck, his hands desperately clawing at Damon’s arm while choking noises escaped his ruined mouth in panicked agony.

Several maids screamed in terror.

Some attendants visibly staggered backward in horror.

Even hardened guards felt their scalps numb after witnessing the sheer brutality of the act.

Meanwhile—

Damon remained completely expressionless while still gripping the bloody tongue within one hand and holding the man’s broken jaw upward with the other.

Then finally—

He spoke coldly.

"Take the children away from here."

Only then did the frozen servants suddenly move again.

Saffron had already gone pale while staring at the scene in complete shock, and Cecelia instinctively buried herself against Sahira after hearing the horrifying screams.

The attendants hurriedly escorted both children away from the hall immediately.

Meanwhile, Damon leaned slightly closer toward the traitor whose entire body now trembled violently from agony while blood continued pouring endlessly from his mouth onto the polished floor below.

"Do not even think about escaping into death," Damon said quietly.

Then Damon finally raised his voice throughout the hall once more.

"Head Butler."

The old man immediately straightened despite the visible shock still lingering across his face.

"Use every resource available within the manor," Damon ordered coldly. "No matter what it costs..."

His gaze lowered toward the screaming traitor beneath his grasp.

"...nothing is allowed to happen to him."

The head butler immediately bowed deeply despite the cold sweat running down his forehead.

"Y-yes, young master!"