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Chapter 33
“Haha. If that was a new kind of welcome, then what a shame. Luckily, I always wear good protection since I live off information.”
A pointless argument with no intention of backing down—
filled the room with silence and tension.
Evan’s words were smooth and clever.
Kalid’s words were sharp like a blade.
“Protection? That’s ridiculous… it was too light for armor. A magic tool… and he activated it instantly.”
Kalid let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
He knew he had been rude.
Truthfully, he hadn’t planned to go that far.
But when he saw Irene from afar—
and a strange man reaching toward her defenseless—
he had acted without thinking.
By the time he heard the splash—
it was already too late.
“First… I will apologize for throwing you into the lake. I thought you were threatening Irene.”
“I see. I was only trying to remove a feather from the lady’s hair. But… I understand how it could be misunderstood.”
Evan accepted it calmly.
From a distance, it could definitely look suspicious.
But right now—
his concern wasn’t Kalid.
It was Irene.
A stranger reaching toward her—
it could indeed feel threatening.
“Then the lady must have misunderstood as well. I will visit her tomorrow and apologize.”
“No need. I will explain it to Irene myself.”
“No. An apology should be given in person. I will visit her myself.”
At those words—
Kalid’s forehead twitched.
Evan clearly had no intention of backing down.
“I will tell Irene your request first. Then I will arrange a meeting.”
Reluctantly—
Kalid stepped back.
He had no reason to stop them from meeting.
And if Irene wanted to meet Evan—
he wouldn’t interfere.
With that, the lake incident was settled.
Kalid moved to his office to discuss the real matter.
“This is the report you requested from Arakne.”
Evan took out several documents from a small brown pouch—a magic tool—and handed them over.
Kalid watched with interest.
“You carry quite a variety of magic tools.”
“You noticed. They were all left to me by my master.”
“Your master must be quite capable. I would like to meet him.”
Evan’s eyes shifted briefly.
“…I’m sorry, but I don’t know where my master is right now. And… even I cannot understand his intentions. I’m not sure if he would ever show himself. If I ever contact him, I will pass on your words.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
Kalid found the pouch extremely useful.
A tool that could store many things without weight or space limits—
was very tempting.
Soon, he might be called back to the capital.
It could be useful for Irene.
For a moment, Kalid even imagined putting Irene inside the pouch.
He clicked his tongue slightly in regret as Evan put it away.
“Before discussing your request, there is something I found out first. About the wolf tribe’s mate.”
“What? How did you find that?”
“That is a secret. But it’s from a reliable source—and it won’t leak.”
Evan smiled awkwardly.
He remembered his master’s scolding voice—
but convinced himself this was fine.
He was only telling someone who should already know.
“As you know, the wolf tribe only has one mate.”
“Yes. I know that.”
“And they can form something called an ‘imprint’ with that mate.”
“Imprint?”
Kalid was shocked.
As the successor of the wolf tribe—
he should have known this.
But he lost his tribe at a young age.
There was no one left to teach him.
“I couldn’t learn everything… but with an imprint, they can feel each other’s emotions and understand each other’s hearts.”
“Really? Do you know how to form it?”
“I could not find that information.”
“I see…”
Kalid felt disappointed.
At the same time—
he felt regret.
He had never properly tried to learn about his own tribe.
“After this, I will search my grandfather’s belongings.”
He made that decision silently.
“Next is about the healing power you requested. Unfortunately, no survivors of the Hardy family were found.”
“…So no one survived…”
Kalid sighed heavily.
He had hoped—
even a distant relative—
might still be alive.
“But… there is something suspicious.”
“What is it?”
“There is someone who took away anyone with even a trace of Hardy blood—children and adults alike.”
“What? Who would do that—and why?”
“We are not certain. But we believe it is because of the Hardy family’s ability.”
“But healing power is weak in distant relatives.”
Special abilities grew stronger with purer blood.
The Hardy family was especially strict in this.
“Perhaps…”
Evan hesitated.
Kalid’s heart began to pound anxiously.
“It seems they conducted experiments using their blood… and even direct descendants were included.”
“What?”
Kalid felt like his heart dropped.
Evan quietly handed him the documents.
With trembling hands—
Kalid took them.
“Kalid…”
A bright voice echoed in his mind.
A smiling child—
like an angel—
appeared in his memory.
Kalid closed his eyes tightly.
After a long moment—
he opened them and began reading.
The documents were experiment records.
Detailed logs—
describing what was done to the Hardy children—
every single day.
Then—
he saw a familiar name.
Page after page—
filled with horrific details.
Their bodies and minds restrained by magic—
blood taken multiple times a day—
wounds deliberately inflicted.
The more he read—
the paler he became.
Until finally—
his anger felt like it would explode.
“Where did you find these documents?”
“That is—”
“Another business secret?”
“Yes. I cannot tell you. But it is reliable.”
Even Evan’s voice grew heavy.
He knew how terrible it was.
He had felt the same shock and anger—
when he first learned the truth.
But he couldn’t reveal everything.
This information—
was tied to his own weakness.
“Is all of this… true?”
“…Yes. Unfortunately.”
“…Ha…”
Kalid held his head in pain.
After a long silence—
he lifted his head.
His eyes were firm.
“Master Evan. Can you find the location where these experiments took place?”
“It will not be easy.”
“I know. But I must find it.”
Kalid wanted—
even the smallest trace of that child.
And deep inside—
he still held onto a tiny hope.
“Oh—and this was found recently in the North. It seems connected to Your Highness’s mana rampage. The person involved dropped it.”
Kalid took the bloodstained papers.
As he examined them—
something felt familiar.
Nothing important was written—
but the handwriting stood out.
“The writer has a habit of extending the ends of letters.”
“Yes. And here—on the documents I gave earlier. Do you see it?”
“…Don’t tell me?”
