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Chapter 48
His finger casually pointed at himself.
“Oh. Are you referring to me?”
“Then who else could I be referring to in this room besides you?”
“You never know. One of my subordinates might be here. How can you be so certain that I’m the only one in this room?”
With an exaggerated gesture, the man poured tea into the cup in front of him and set the teapot down.
The man with pitch-black eyes, without a moment’s hesitation, dumped the tea in front of him straight into the trash.
“With someone as suspicious as you—like you’ve got a hundred snakes writhing inside you—it’s obvious.”
The teacup that had been filled to the brim was now empty, its bottom exposed. A thin layer of brown tea remained pooled at the bottom.
“To hear that a snake like me has a hundred more snakes inside… should I take that as an honor?”
The man fiddling with his mask smiled faintly as he looked at the objects in front of him.
His gaze drifted to the chessboard, which looked like a game abandoned midway. He picked up the pieces and began to move them.
“And rather than saying I’m suspicious, wouldn’t it be more accurate to say I prefer certainty?”
The chessboard, which had seemed mid-game, was restored to its original starting state.
“That sounds more precise.”
All the pieces returned to their initial positions.
“It’s a shame you didn’t even take a sip of such fine tea.”
At the regretful tone, the other man replied with a crooked expression.
“I already ate, so I’m full.”
“Oh dear. It seems I mistimed it.”
The masked man glanced briefly at the empty teacup before looking away, as if disappointed.
“For those of us who aren’t heads of great houses, this is quite a waste. These tea leaves are from the West—something even most nobles couldn’t afford.”
“That must have cost quite a bit.”
The leader of the West narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the teacup again.
“What a pity.”
“Indeed. My mistake.”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders lifting slightly.
He rolled the last remaining die in his hand. The die floated briefly into the air before being drawn back into his palm.
As he repeated the motion several times, the room fell into a deep silence without conversation.
“Then… I assume you’ve secured the development rights for the West and the Central City.”
Ignoring the earlier question about why he disliked Ian Cadelion, he began speaking in earnest.
The focus of the conversation subtly shifted.
Sensing it, the head of the Ashila family cut in.
“So, what about your answer to that earlier question?”
“Ah. That question.”
The Ashila head’s black eyes narrowed as he studied the man resting his chin on his hand.
The man’s dull, reddish-gray eyes sank briefly, as if recalling a distant past.
“It’s not that I dislike Ian Cadelion—I dislike the Cadelion name itself… But doesn’t everyone carry at least one secret?”
He tilted his head slightly, his red hair falling loosely.
“I’m no different, so I hope you understand.”
A faint smile touched his red lips.
But the eyes behind the mask were colder and darker than a winter lake.
Watching him intently, Kane Ashila let out a small laugh.
“For people like us, not even sharing something like that? Isn’t that a bit stingy?”
“But it’s precisely because we’re people like us that we can sit face-to-face like this.”
Otherwise, who knows what would have happened to you.
Unspoken, the words carried sharp thorns.
“That’s true. No one knows what might have happened.”
Maybe I would have killed you.
His black eyes flashed for a moment.
“Haha. That’s quite amusing.”
Or perhaps the position of Ashila’s head would have been replaced.
The candlelight flickered as if about to go out. In that dim light, the man’s once fiery hair now looked dark, as though stained with blood.
After a moment of silence, staring coldly at the Ashila head, he spoke again.
“Shall we continue our discussion?”
He leaned toward the chessboard.
It was the same board he had reset moments ago.
“I trust you’ve obtained the development rights to the West and Central City by now.”
He lifted a chess piece slightly.
“Without that, the entire plan would fall apart.”
Tap.
A piece tilted and knocked over another, creating a chain of instability. The fallen pieces blocked the paths across the board.
Seeing this, he smiled coldly.
Of course, there were many other methods.
It was just that this one would deal the greatest blow to Ian Cadelion.
“Currently, several magical beasts are being smuggled into the Central City periodically by monster hunters.”
Those creatures were being kept underground, meant as entertainment for foolish nobles.
Bored nobles sought ever more stimulating amusements.
They delighted in barbaric spectacles—beastmen trembling, wielding knives wildly, only to be devoured in the end.
“And if those are transported quickly through routes connected to the West?”
That was the point he was aiming for.
“It would significantly shorten the time compared to initial estimates. No need to pass through other regions either.”
A pawn appeared and moved from the Central City to the West.
In his large hand, the chess piece looked unusually small.
“Of course, the number of smuggled beasts is still minor—nothing the North would pay attention to.”
A white knight leapt forward over a black pawn.
“But if we proceed with our plan…”
The knight repositioned itself to watch the pawn again.
One square forward, then diagonally back.
A position ready to capture.
“They’ll start paying attention soon.”
“And from that point, we must already have gathered the beasts and begin eliminating—no, incinerating—the evidence.”
He released the chess piece.
“So it becomes a race against time.”
Unlike before, most of the black pieces now took aggressive positions.
The Ashila head, faintly smiling, uncrossed his arms and began moving pieces himself.
“First—how long can we divert Cadelion’s attention away from the northern mountains?”
A white piece stepped forward, facing west and south.
“Second—do we have enough magical beasts that even if they grow suspicious and withdraw, it won’t matter?”
A pawn at the end of the board returned as a queen.
“Third—how thoroughly have we erased the evidence?”
His black knight was captured by a white rook.
The masked man nodded, then moved his fingers.
A black rook captured the white rook.
“Especially the third point—you should understand its importance from the previous incident.”
With that, the black queen stood in position to take the white king.
“So in short, all three conditions must be met.”
The Ashila head smiled coldly and split the white king in half.
The man across from him shrugged, unconcerned about his own pieces.
“If successful, as you planned, the history of this continent will be completely rewritten.”
He spoke as if it concerned someone else.
“Or perhaps uprooted entirely.”
He tapped his face lightly with his finger, narrowing his eyes.
“I’m not entirely sure myself.”
“Well…”
The Ashila head looked lazily at the board.
“We’ll know once the plan succeeds.”
He gathered his coat and left the room.
“That was entertaining today.”
“Haha. Your enjoyment is my pleasure as well. It was an honor for me too.”
The masked man bowed slightly, smiling slyly behind his black mask.
Creak. Slam.
The revolving door turned, and the door shut.
The masked man stared coldly at the chessboard.
The white king lay split in two, its pieces scattered.
“May your wish… be fulfilled.”
Under the scorching summer sun, even the animals seemed to have fled to the stream. The birdsong that was usually nearby sounded distant.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room.
Ian, wearing a black coat, walked toward me from afar. His hair sparkled in places, like transparent gemstones reflecting sunlight.
How does it look like someone added lighting effects to his hair? Some parts shine, some don’t…
Maybe Ian himself is just radiant.
Ah—light is walking toward me.
I covered my face with my hand. I just felt like trying it.
“Ariel, what are you doing?”
“As you can see, doing my best to be lazy.”
Pretending to be distracted, I glanced at my hand and buried my face into the pillow while lying on the bed.
Ugh. I really don’t want to go to training.
Without even looking, I grabbed a pillow nearby and pulled it toward me.
Hmm. Thickness, size—perfect.
It even smells nice. Must’ve been freshly washed.
“Perfect…”
Satisfied, I hugged the pillow and rested my face on it.
Then I heard a soft thud beside me.
I turned my head—Ian had lain down next to me, fiddling with some documents.
And his other arm…
My gaze followed it—
—to the “pillow” under my head.
Oh.
Damn.
It was Ian’s arm.
