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Chapter 4………………………………………………..
“So, do you understand now? Why I can’t grant your request.”
On the back of the Black Wolf members’ hands was a black wolf emblem engraved with magic. And that emblem only appeared in two cases:
When the owner wished it, or when the leader granted permission.
Therefore, the fact that the emblem appeared under Melina’s touch proved that she was the leader of Temno.
“…Are you truly the leader of Temno?”
“I’ve proven my identity, so would you kindly return now? We still have business to finish.”
Temno allowed no outside interference in its affairs. And if the leader herself had stepped in, then not even the emperor could intervene.
By revealing her identity to the man, Melina was making that fact clear.
“What do you intend to do with that man? Surely you’re not planning to quietly sweep this under the rug?”
She had known he wouldn’t back down easily, but his persistence even after she revealed herself irritated her slightly.
Melina curled her lips into a radiant smile. Hiding her emotions had long since become second nature to her.
“Of course not. If someone commits wrongdoing, they should be punished.”
“Punished, you say? Since when did slave auctions become punishable offenses in Temno? If anything, they should be rewarded.”
Watching the sneering man, Melina thought it was fortunate she had stepped in first.
If he had captured Vern before she arrived, he probably wouldn’t have handed him over so easily.
“So the Grand Duke’s intelligence network is only this competent? What a disappointment.”
“What?”
The man, who had remained calm until now, finally raised his voice. Melina smirked as though amused.
“It seems you still don’t know that Temno has already dismantled the slave trade. His crime is that he defied my orders and continued the slave auctions. I came here personally to deal with it.”
The man clamped his mouth shut, visibly shaken.
“Please convey my apologies to His Grace the Grand Duke for causing trouble unintentionally. Since I’m here, the slave trade will be completely eradicated, so there’s no need for concern.”
Even though the mask only revealed his eyes and mouth, she could tell he was unsettled.
“But if you still can’t rest easy, I’ll give you his corpse. Would that satisfy you?”
The man said nothing and merely stared at Melina.
Unable to withstand his burning gaze any longer, Melina turned away first.
“Give me the sword.”
She walked over to Vern and held out her hand to Shan. He simply stared at her silently.
“My lady, you needn’t force yourself. Your presence alone is enough. Leave the execution to Shan.”
Ran stepped forward and whispered softly. There was a reason both of them reacted this way.
For Berta, killing people was nothing unusual, but for Melina, it had once been unimaginable.
For the past six months, the hardest thing for Melina had been overcoming her fear and guilt regarding killing.
At first, she started with animals. But even that made her heart pound wildly and her hands tremble so badly she could barely do it. Still, she had to succeed. If she was going to live as Berta.
Only after desperately recalling the annual hunting competitions and brainwashing herself into seeing it the same way was she finally able to do it.
But she couldn’t sleep all night afterward. The fading light in the animal’s eyes and the sensation of the blade sinking into flesh tormented her endlessly.
Even after overcoming that hurdle, killing a person still seemed impossible.
As she agonized before what felt like an insurmountable mountain, she once again faced the threat of death.
Assassins came after her because she had banned the slave trade, but unlike usual, neither Shan nor the Black Wolves stepped in.
Amid overwhelming killing intent that made her legs shake and blades flying at her from every direction, her body moved before her mind could think.
To survive, I have to kill.
When it was all over, she collapsed where she stood, trembling violently. Then she cried endlessly in Ran’s arms after he appeared belatedly.
Even afterward, it took a long time for her to recover from the guilt and shock.
Just because she had done it once didn’t mean she became accustomed to it.
That was why she mainly used concealed weapons rather than swords. She could subdue opponents without killing them.
“No. This time, I have to do it myself.”
If only Temno members were present, Shan could handle it. But since that man was watching, she had to do it personally.
She needed to clearly demonstrate what kind of being Temno’s leader was—and what her stance on the slave trade truly meant.
Seeing the determination in Melina’s eyes, Shan handed over the sword. The man’s gaze on her felt painfully intense.
“Temno’s law is me. I banned the slave trade, and you disobeyed.”
“Please spare us!”
Vern and his subordinates all threw themselves to the ground and cried out.
“There is no mercy for those who oppose my will.”
She thrust the sword into Vern’s chest.
The sensation in her hand was still horrifying, but she bit the inside of her cheek hard to keep it from showing on her face.
“Ghk!”
As she pulled out the blade, Vern collapsed forward. Melina lifted her head to avoid looking at him.
“Handle the rest according to the rules.”
“Yes!”
The booming response of the Black Wolves echoed through the forest.
After returning the sword to Shan, Melina walked back toward the man.
“Will you take the corpse yourself? Or do you need us to transport it for you too?”
The man stared blankly at Melina, who spoke as though nothing had happened.
She couldn’t read a single thought from his silver-gray eyes.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ve witnessed the execution, so I’ll take my leave. I’ll relay your words to His Grace. But you must also keep your promise.”
He meant her promise to eliminate the slave trade from the Grand Duchy.
Since that was her intention from the start, Melina nodded calmly.
“You needn’t worry about that.”
“Then farewell.”
Melina silently watched the man bow and turn away, then lightly flicked her hand.
Whoosh!
At the sharp sound cutting through the air, the man swiftly spun around.
At the same time, the concealed weapons that had left Melina’s hand grazed past his ear by a hair’s breadth.
“What exactly are you doing?”
he growled fiercely. In dodging the weapons, his hood had fallen back.
His hair was black.
“Well, I revealed my identity and hair color. It’s only fair that you show yours too.”
Melina turned away before he could respond. She heard the sound of him grinding his teeth behind her, but ignored it.
“Why did you do that?”
Ran approached and asked.
“I needed to confirm who he was.”
“Did you figure it out?”
“Yes. Things are about to get very interesting.”
Ran didn’t ask who the man was. Instead, he asked something else.
“Are you alright?”
He was probably worried about her killing Vern earlier. The smile disappeared from Melina’s face.
“No, I’m not. But when the time comes, I’ll still do what must be done.”
It was a vow to herself, a way to steel her weakening resolve.
Would the day ever come when she became numb to all this?
Part of her wished it would come quickly. Another part feared that it actually might.
Leaving the aftermath to the Black Wolves, she slowly walked away, with Ran silently following behind her.
Three more days passed after the auction house incident, but the Grand Duke still refused her request for an audience.
“At this point, I’ve waited long enough. Ran, I’m going to the Grand Duke’s castle tonight.”
After what happened at the auction house, she’d expected permission within a day or two. But as expected, the gates of the Grand Duke’s castle remained firmly shut.
Probably no one except the Grand Duke would dare treat a Temno-affiliated merchant company this way.
No matter how powerful someone was, refusing trade with them usually meant losses, considering the wealth and connections Temno possessed.
“So he thinks I can’t get in without permission? He really underestimates Temno.”
Melina pouted.
When the sun set and darkness seeped deep into the alleys, Melina, dressed in black stealth clothing, headed toward the Grand Duke’s castle with Shan.
The castle was an ancient fortress, marked everywhere by the traces of time.
“Now then, where might the Grand Duke be?”
She had already memorized the interior layout after reviewing all the information she possessed.
Looking up quietly, she saw that although the bedroom lights were out, there were signs of someone inside.
“Don’t come into the bedroom until I call for you.”
At Melina’s order, Shan silently nodded.
Using the wall and terrace railings, she climbed to the third floor. After landing safely on the bedroom terrace, she carefully opened the handle and slipped inside.
But the moment she entered, she froze at the cold sensation of a blade near her.
“You’re remarkably persistent.”
At the familiar voice, she felt relieved she had found the right room—but only for a moment. His next words made her tilt her head in confusion.
“What’s the point of talking? I’ll end this quickly.”
The Grand Duke raised his sword immediately, forcing Melina to speak in haste.
“Wait a moment!”
Her calm heart began pounding rapidly at this completely unexpected turn of events.
“A woman? Ha, now I’ve seen everything.”
The Grand Duke let out a hollow laugh and brushed back his hair.
“So if you can’t kill me, they told you to seduce me instead?”
The room was too dark to clearly see his expression, but the anger in his eyes was unmistakable.
She didn’t know what misunderstanding he had, but if this continued, she felt she’d end up unfairly blamed.
“I think you’ve misunderstood something. I didn’t come here to kill or seduce Your Grace.”
“A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding, you say? Then what exactly should I think of someone sneaking into my bedroom like a rat in the middle of the night?”
“Don’t you recognize my voice?”
“Should I be remembering an assassin’s voice?”
“Three days ago. The slave auction house. Does that help you remember?”
The Grand Duke, who had done nothing but mock her words, paused at the mention of the slave auction house.
“Would you light the room? Then I can greet you properly.”
His piercing stare felt sharp enough to sting her skin. Even so, Melina calmly met his gaze.
“Just because your voice sounds similar doesn’t mean I can be certain you’re Temno’s leader.”
As expected, her suspicion had been correct.
The knight from the Grand Duke’s family who had appeared back then was the Grand Duke himself. Otherwise, how could he know her voice?
She had only been uncertain after hearing his voice at the auction house, but seeing his hair color confirmed it.
Black hair was the symbol of the imperial bloodline.
“That’s why I’m asking you to light the room.”
“And while I’m lighting it, how do I know what you’ll do?”
Even though her voice and physique should have been enough for him to recognize her, the Grand Duke still refused to lower his guard.
“Then… would you believe me if you saw this?”
Melina handed him the token proving her status as leader. The golden plaque engraved with the black wolf emblem could belong only to Temno’s leader.
Still keeping his sword pointed at her, the Grand Duke accepted the plaque and examined it.
As he inspected it carefully, his eyes widened slightly. Then he looked Melina over again with a sharp, scrutinizing gaze.
