SOTBW - 88

Nathan had been recuperating at his residence since his ears were severed. Since it was not a situation where he could fight on the battlefield, the command naturally passed to the oldest knight in the Colnux Order. The knights of Colnux fought to the best of their ability, ensuring that Nathan didn’t have to worry about the field situation.

This was something Nathan had long wished for. That the knights would sacrifice themselves so that, as the commander, he could maintain his dignity and honor without having to face the grotesque monsters directly.

Although he had lost his ears, there was no need to feel depressed. The trial aimed at Maximón was progressing steadily, and the Armunzen family, upon hearing the news, reported it to the king and requested that Edwin Elgort be questioned.

The situation was progressing quite well. While no one dared to openly criticize Maximón due to fear, the unrest and dissatisfaction toward him were coming to the surface because of this incident.

However, Nathan himself had little interest in political struggles. While he would prefer Maximón, who had caused him this situation, to be punished, if the trial ended up being inconclusive, he could accept that as well. What Nathan truly wanted was to leave the Noctis Fortress. He had no desire to get involved in the political infighting between nobles over control of the fortress or the long-vacant position of the commander.

Using the loss of his ears as an excuse, he longed to leave Noctis and spend the rest of his life in a quiet rural area, just recuperating. Of course, he knew that was impossible. In Noctis, there were soldiers who fought against Serith even after losing an arm. Losing his ears was a trivial matter by comparison.

Though he stayed at his residence, citing the continued infection in his injured ears, if this situation continued, his relationship with the knights, which had been well-maintained, would start to fracture. Nathan sighed and drank from his wine glass. The failure to kidnap Najane had caused everything to go awry.

Where did it all go wrong? The original plan had been to kidnap Najane and hand him over on the outskirts of the fortress. That was all. If he could bribe the soldiers of Romsoa well, it would have been a quiet and clean operation, but somewhere along the line, things had gone awry.

The only consolation was that all the criminals transferred to the authorities had committed suicide. Now, there was no one left who could prove Nathan’s guilt. Yet, Nathan, still plagued by vague unease, occasionally had his servants taste his food first.

The news that Najane had nearly been kidnapped spread quietly throughout the knights. Those who had their eyes and ears in the order must have heard about the commotion. That person would also have realized that Nathan had failed in the operation. If that were the case, Nathan should have been interrogated or some new plan should have been communicated, but for the past few days, everything had been unusually quiet.

Nathan instinctively sensed a foreboding. Now, the only ones who knew the true story of the kidnapping were Nathan and that person. If Nathan were removed, that person would be completely free from Maximón’s investigation.

On the other hand, Nathan couldn’t help but wonder if they would really abandon him, the son of the Duke of Armunzen. Recently, he had learned that someone had used the name of the Colnux Order to dispose of the bodies of the criminals who had committed suicide. The knights believed that Nathan had sent people to collect the bodies of his fellow comrades who had been branded criminals, but that was not the case.

When Nathan had heard that story, a chill had run down his spine. It was all too clear who was behind it.

Nathan stared at the setting sun before filling his wine glass to the brim.

He considered sharing this story with his family, but since leaving any evidence could lead to discovery, he had only written in a letter that he had been attacked unilaterally by Maximón. If it were discovered that he had tried to make connections with members of the Church to escape Noctis Fortress, he might be used against his family instead.

Nathan still absentmindedly touched his throbbing ear, which felt like it had been stabbed with a knife. The pain made his face involuntarily contort. Was joining hands with that person a hasty decision? But there had been no other choice. Nathan had been destined to fight for his entire life at Noctis Fortress, and he desperately wanted to change that fate.

His severed ear, however, would eventually force him back into the field, and yet Nathan lacked the courage and guts to fight Serith. Until now, he had used the loyalty of his knights as a shield to survive, but that was nearing its limit. Living a life turned upside down like an owl, facing the growing Serith, was becoming painful.

He had to escape somehow.

If there was no other way, even if he had to threaten that person...

“Commander, the meal and medicine are ready.”

The servant’s knock on the bedroom door scattered all the thoughts that had filled Nathan’s mind. Nathan turned away from the window and stood up. As he opened the bedroom door, the warm air and the scent of food filled his nostrils.

The servant, who Nathan had never seen before, politely greeted him while placing clean bandages and holy water on the corner of the table.

Nathan, sitting heavily in the wooden chair, watched the servant intently as he began to unwrap the blood-stained bandages from his ear.

“I don’t recognize your face.”

Nathan muttered as he carelessly threw the bandages aside, stained with dark red blood.

“Where is the person who worked here before? Did they quit?”

The servant explained kindly, moving closer to Nathan.

“That person had something to attend to and will be away for about a day.”

Nathan grumbled irritably as he grasped his wine glass.

“To act without even explaining things to the master first...”

The servant chuckled softly.

“Lowborn blood is inevitable, you see. No matter how much you beat them, they cannot understand the wisdom of the sages or learn proper etiquette. But what can be done? It’s simply their fate.”

“How dare you speak like that when you’re a commoner yourself? You’re an amusing one,” Nathan sneered.

The servant smiled as he poured holy water into Nathan’s ear.

“That’s not true, Commander.”

Without any warning, the cold holy water poured into Nathan’s ear, causing him to jump up in shock. He hastily shook off the damp clothing and turned around. He had been ready to slap the rude servant across the face. But it wasn’t the servant. It was Venus holding the water bottle. Venus… not the servant...

Nathan froze in place. The one who had knocked on the bedroom door earlier, saying the meal and medicine were ready, was definitely a stranger. Had Venus been here from the beginning? No, that couldn’t be. There had only been Nathan and the servant from the start.

Nathan’s eyes wavered in confusion. Venus, placing the water bottle that had held the holy water on the table, smiled.

“I am, after all, the heir to a renowned noble family, chosen by a great genius and grand magician who once dominated the world. A hero selected by the world itself, someone far beyond the reach of ordinary people like you.”

“...When, when did you...?”

Nathan stuttered as he stepped back, colliding with the table. His body trembled as though he had seen a ghost. He couldn’t make sense of what was happening. How could the servant be Venus? It was impossible.

The face, voice, and body were all different. How could the servant and Venus be the same person? Nathan felt something was wrong, but he was paralyzed, barely able to breathe. Venus, forcing Nathan into the chair, smiled warmly at him.

“Don’t be so flustered. We’ve been talking for a while now.”

“The servant, that servant...”

“Ah, are you looking for me?”

Nathan, frantically scanning the room, slowly looked up when he heard the impudent voice above him. Half of Venus’ face had morphed into the servant’s appearance. It was as if two faces were moving separately, wearing an astonishingly detailed mask.

Frozen in fear, Nathan felt cold sweat running down his back. This was a nightmare. It couldn’t be happening unless it was. When Venus returned to his original face, he looked down at Nathan and chuckled softly.

“You look like a rat seeing a cat. It suits you well.”

The light, frivolous tone quickly turned heavy and solemn. Venus gently patted Nathan’s shoulder and met his eyes. Nathan maintained a calm expression, but the fear in his eyes was undeniable. Venus gripped Nathan’s hunched shoulder tightly with a cold hand and grinned.

“I should have come sooner, but I had so much to do. I was late visiting you, you know. Please understand. You were the most useless person in my plan, so I didn’t bother with you much. But now that I’m here, feel honored.”

Venus slowly withdrew his hand from Nathan’s shoulder. The spot where his hand had been was now frosted white. Flustered, Nathan quickly tried to brush away the spreading ice with his clothes. Venus watched the scene with amusement.

“By the way, you royally messed up the task I gave you.”

“That’s...!”

Desperately trying to remove the ice clinging to his fingers, Nathan cried out in panic. Venus lightly clenched his fist into the air. Suddenly, Nathan’s mouth snapped shut as if it were forced shut by an invisible hand. His lips curled inward as his mouth was forcibly sealed, and Nathan scratched at his lips in agony.

Venus stared at Nathan with hollow eyes. Despite seeing Nathan in pain, he appeared completely indifferent.

“It’s fine. I didn’t expect much from you anyway. People like you, trash, are always the ones to ruin my plans. I knew you’d fail, so don’t worry about it. But I must admit, I’m a little disappointed. What I hoped for was that she’d start doubting those around her because of that incident… Still, I’ll give you credit for doing your best.”

At least now I know where that damn dragon is.

Venus sneered and snapped his fingers. The forced seal on Nathan’s lips loosened, and he gasped for breath. Nathan, his mouth numb, groggily touched his lips.

By now, his whole body was drenched in cold sweat. His lips quivering like a goldfish, Nathan trembled as he stared at Venus. He wanted to escape, but his body felt glued to the spot. His legs felt as though they were stuck to the ground.

Venus savored the fear emanating from Nathan. It was only when he felt overwhelming superiority over his opponent that he truly felt alive. As he poured expensive wine into a glass, Venus casually asked Nathan, feigning politeness.

“Do you still want to leave Noctis?”

Nathan didn’t respond. He simply took a very slow, cautious step backward. Venus watched him and made a sympathetic expression.

“If you want, I could grant you freedom right now.”