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chapter 05
Dejan’s eyes trembled slightly.
“The culprit might be someone from Adolphe.”
He moved his frozen lips as if searching for something to say, then finally hung his head low.
The feeling of looking down at the top of a tall man’s head from above was peculiar.
It made me feel like a conqueror who had forced this man to his knees before me.
‘That will happen soon enough.’
I let out a small laugh.
“For your information, I’m telling you this because I have no intention of sending you back anyway.”
“What do you plan to do with me?”
“Anyone listening would think I was some ruffian trampling on your pure heart.”
The line felt so unfitting for an immortal that I chuckled.
“Still, considering your status, I won’t lock you in the dungeon.”
Dejan Vojislav Nemanjić would be reported as missing after failing his mission.
Evidence disproving his death would be the large amount of blood scattered in the forest. Everyone would tacitly acknowledge his death and not search for him.
If a body was needed, I could easily fabricate one.
“You are a sacrifice for my great undertaking.”
The immortal died the moment he set foot on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Plene without permission.
“So give up sooner rather than later.”
“The lady knows nothing of the true terror of demons.”
He, who had been quiet all along, spoke softly.
He clenched his hand, which had no fingernails, and slowly bit out his words.
“And you do?”
“I am cursed by a demon.”
I placed my hand on his clenched fist and asked with a smile.
“So, you know how to summon a demon?”
“…”
“I won’t ask. You wouldn’t tell me now anyway.”
I pried open Dejan’s fist and placed a glass bottle on it.
“You will regret this.”
“If you change your mind, use this. Now, get some rest.”
Ignoring Dejan’s warning, I turned away.
Isn’t there a saying about taking the long way around when in a hurry? Now was the time to catch my breath.
To secure Dejan Vojislav Nemanjić more surely.
—
* * *
Dejan sat alone at the edge of the bed, mulling over Idir.
‘What a formidable woman.’
She wore a thick smile plastered on her face, yet her eyes held a chilling gleam.
Watching her composure, as if she could see right into someone’s mind, and her exceptional reasoning sent shivers down his spine.
‘If I had let my guard down, I would be dead by now.’
Dejan rubbed the back of his neck and swallowed a sigh.
The threat disguised as a proposal she had left behind echoed in his head.
She had given up and left today, but this was still the heart of enemy territory. If Idir so wished, she could harm Dejan anytime, in any way.
Regardless of the fallout that might follow.
‘She’s probably already devised countermeasures for when I go berserk.’
Suddenly, Dejan realized he had grown accustomed to being treated like a dangerous beast.
‘Not that it’s wrong.’
He let out a self-deprecating laugh and stood up.
Whatever the situation, the top priority was to return to his own territory.
‘Threatening to report me to the temple was probably just an empty threat.’
If it became known that Idir had tried to summon a demon, she would be in trouble too.
So how much of what Idir said could he believe?
Dejan mulled over their conversation.
“I will pray for the power to take revenge.”
He could believe that. No, he had no choice but to believe it.
The cold anger that had rippled beneath her calm, unwavering green eyes had revealed her true feelings.
‘Perhaps there’s a connection.’
He needed to look into the assassination of the Grand Duchess.
Dejan quietly watched the guards patrolling outside. They moved in pairs, circling the building at a steady pace.
He slightly opened the window; it lifted without resistance.
Taking advantage of a moment when the guards were out of sight, he leaned his upper body out.
‘This should be enough.’
The structure was such that once it got dark, he could easily scale the wall and climb onto the roof.
After surveying the area, Dejan planned his escape for nightfall.
He firmly wedged his fingers into the gaps between the building’s exterior walls and began climbing quickly.
Thup. It took less than ten minutes for him to get his hands onto the roof.
It was a stealthy movement, so much so that no one should have noticed Dejan.
No one except one person.
“Just as the Lady predicted.”
The knightess, as if she knew Dejan would come, held her sword to his nose with a lofty demeanor.
Dejan let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha. I fell for a cheap trick.”
“Surrender, Sir Dejan Vojislav Nemanjić.”
Giselle said coldly.
“We are holding your adjutant hostage.”
“…”
So that’s why the escape seemed too easy.
‘I overlooked that he’s a troublemaker who brings disaster with his mouth.’
He must have revealed my location by running his mouth.
“If you don’t believe me, feel free to escape as you are.”
“…”
“Instead, Sir Gray Holdin’s finger will be delivered to your home.”
“Wouldn’t torturing him yield information faster than torturing me? Why didn’t you do that?”
“It was the Lady’s order.”
“…?”
“The Lady dislikes wasting time on unnecessary things.”
‘So she means to focus solely on crushing me.’
Cursing inwardly, Dejan slowly raised his hands beside his head.
Just as Giselle’s sword tip began to relax at the gesture of surrender, he struck both sides of the blade with his palms.
With a sound like air being sucked in, the silver blade shattered and spun through the air.
He thought she would be flustered, but Giselle simply lowered her body without changing expression, pulled another sword from her waist, and swung it.
“Kh!”
Giselle’s calm and swift response nearly caught Dejan instead.
A small scratch appeared where he had narrowly dodged.
The wound healed simultaneously with the beading of blood, but his insides boiled relentlessly.
Giselle didn’t miss his opening. She twisted her upper body with a flexible motion and aimed precisely for Dejan’s vital point.
‘This isn’t a move to subdue…!’
It seemed Idir had given her permission to kill him.
“Don’t you need my blood?”
“Your life is not what’s needed.”
“If you kill me…”
“We have already prepared for that.”
“…!”
What on earth was Idir thinking? One moment she acted like she would lock him up for life, and now she was trying to kill him.
At this point, he even doubted whether Holdin was alive or dead.
“Where is my adjutant?”
“…”
Giselle didn’t answer.
She merely swung fierce attacks at Dejan.
Dejan quickly ducked his upper body.
Scrape. His foot slipped, and the roofing materials covering the roof creaked like an old instrument.
“Giselle! What’s the situation?”
Just then, Idir’s melodious voice came from below the building.
“As you instructed.”
“Ugh!”
Another familiar voice briefly mixed in with the noise.
Dejan quickly stuck his head over the roof edge. Sure enough, Holdin’s hair was gripped in Idir’s hand.
When their eyes met, she smiled brightly and waved her hand lightly.
“Good evening, Sir Nemanjić.”
“…Lady.”
Dejan muttered like a groan.
Meanwhile, Giselle, who had easily taken his back, brought her blade close to Dejan’s nape.
It was a precarious distance; the slightest move would cut his skin.
“Did I mention I have a hostage?”
Idir asked innocently.
Her expression and voice were so guileless that a stranger might think she was asking to play.
“I’m thinking of making better use of the hostage from now on. What do you say?”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“Sigh.”
Holdin, gagged, struggled. But Idir only gripped his hair tighter.
Holdin looked up at him with terror-filled eyes.
‘This isn’t an empty threat.’
To Idir, Holdin was nothing more or less than a hostage’s value.
“…I’m coming down now.”
In the end, Dejan surrendered to her. And he ended up locked in the dungeon alongside Holdin.
—
