Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 168: The Poisoned Truth

"How dare you be so insolent? My Young Master is a son of the Di Malvento family, whom you serve. What gives you the right to defy him?"

As Rocco sulked in despair, Ragar suddenly spoke in a voice laced with pure menace.

In the blink of an eye, Ragar had moved.

When Rocco snapped his eyes open, Ragar was already standing directly in front of Yori, pressing the tip of a short knife against the guard’s throat with terrifying precision.

Yori tilted his head back slightly but showed no signs of fear.

Instead, he met Ragar’s glare with a composed expression, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"However, the one who holds the most power in the Di Malvento family right now is the acting head, that’s Young Master Sylas."

Despite the knife at his throat, he remained firm in his words.

Impressive.

But still... Yori didn’t get it.

He hadn’t realized yet that Rocco wasn’t just some clueless little runt.

A faint smirk played on Rocco’s lips as he remained in his slumped position.

Then, straightening up, he marched right up to Yori, puffed out his chest, and spoke with confidence.

"Are you sure about this, Yori? Really, really sure?"

"...About what? No matter what you say, I can’t let you through."

"Hmmm. Is that so? Are you absolutely sure about that?"

Rocco gave him a knowing smirk.

Beckoning with his hand, he watched as Yori let out a sigh and reluctantly knelt down.

Rocco leaned in close, pressing his lips near Yori’s ear, and delivered his ultimate trump card in a hushed whisper.

"Should I tell Georgio on you? Should I go snitch to my right-hand man?"

"Wha—?!"

Yori’s composed expression instantly shattered.

His brows furrowed in distress as he gritted his teeth.

Rocco smirked, watching as Yori’s face twisted in frustration.

Eventually, the guard let out a heavy sigh of defeat, his shoulders slumping.

"...Young Master Rocco, you’ll have to come up with an excuse to Young Master Sylas by yourself."

"Of course! Don’t worry, Yori—I’ll make sure to protect you!"

Following Yori’s lead, they ventured deeper inside.

Dim torches lined the walls, casting weak flickers of light.

The visibility dropped sharply past two meters, engulfing most of the corridor in darkness.

After walking for a while, they reached a dead end.

Unlike the metal bars that had lined both sides of the path earlier, what stood before them now was a heavy iron door—ominous and imposing.

Yori placed a hand on the door but hesitated, glancing back at Rocco.

"...I should warn you, the body is still preserved under magic, left in the exact state it was in upon death. The reality of a poisoned corpse may be far worse than what you’re imagining, Young Master Rocco."

A blank expression.

A detached tone. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Rocco understood now—Yori still saw him as an outsider.

To him, Rocco was just a clueless child who didn’t know how to read the room, someone who would only interfere with the investigation.

And honestly... he wasn’t entirely wrong.

But at the very least, Rocco was not an outsider.

Because the woman who had died alone in this cold, dark prison... was his mother.

"I’ll be fine. No— even if I’m not, it’s okay. I promise I won’t get in the way."

He squeezed Ragar’s hand tightly as he declared this.

To be honest, he was terrified.

He wanted nothing more than to turn around and run.

But he wasn’t an outsider.

He had to face this.

He couldn’t just leave everything to Sylas and his father.

He was a part of the Di Malvento family, too.

Perhaps something in his eyes conveyed that resolve, because after a brief pause, Yori let out a quiet sigh.

He lowered his brows slightly, as if in reluctant acceptance, and silently pushed open the heavy iron door.

"...If it becomes too much, leave immediately."

Those final words only made the fear tighten its grip around Rocco’s chest.

His legs wobbled slightly, but he forced himself forward.

Beyond the door was nothing but darkness.

The prison cell was suffocatingly dim, not a single light to be seen.

Spending time in a place like this—alone, in the pitch-black—would drive anyone to insanity.

In the center of the cell, something large loomed in the darkness.

Rocco squinted, trying to make it out, but the shadows refused to reveal their secrets.

Just as he took a hesitant step closer, Yori lit a single torch near the entrance.

Whoosh!

The sound of flames roared softly, and in that instant, the darkness peeled away—revealing a shadowy figure.

The moment he laid eyes on it, Rocco let out a pitiful gasp and stumbled backward.

"Ngh—M-Mother...?"

The figure was dressed in a simple, tattered gown.

At first glance, he had mistaken it for just an empty dress lying on the ground.

Because in the dim light, his mother’s skin—stained a deep purplish-red—and the wine-colored dress she had loved so much had blended together, becoming one with the shadows.

"...!"

His breath hitched.

A suffocating weight pressed against his chest.

"...Young Master, are you alright? If you’re feeling unwell, we should step outside—"

Ragar placed a large hand on Rocco’s back, offering silent support.

Rocco let his weak, trembling body lean into that steady hand and slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding.

He needed to calm down.

This was the first time he had seen a body poisoned to death.

In his past life, he had spent his days surrounded by death, so he had assumed it wouldn’t faze him.

He had seen corpses before.

He thought he was used to them.

But he had been wrong.

Whether the dead person was a stranger or someone familiar—it made all the difference.

His mother was someone he had never been close to.

No, more than that, he had disliked her.

And yet, just standing in front of her lifeless body was enough to send his mind into chaos.

If this had been someone he cherished... what would have become of him then?