Olivia arrived at the study and threw a small bomb in the direction Bay had indicated: the eastern side. It was strong enough to break the wall, but Olivia quickly took several steps back.

If everything went according to plan, Poppin would hold Gael off, buying her some time before he could reach her here.

The massive bookshelf shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions. Thanks to the protection magic she had diligently learned from Marsdeb, Olivia wasn’t hurt.

‘There it is.’

Just as Bay had said, the hidden room was revealed. If only that room was all she could see.

Struggling to breathe through the smoke, Olivia forced herself toward the room. There was a figure lying on the floor.

Though the room was filled with evidence that could destroy Gael, none of it mattered to her.

“Bay…!”

Olivia cupped the face of the man, frozen like a black statue, with both hands. A dagger was embedded in the man’s neck, perfectly matching the stab wound on Olivia’s own body.

“Bay.”

Olivia bent down, holding Bay close to her chest, gently stroking her. A scream-like sob burst from her, but Olivia didn’t even realize she was crying.

“I’m here, Bay.”

Outside the mansion, the sound of explosions continued, as if Glenn and Illehan were approaching. But Olivia couldn’t hear any of it. She remained there, holding Bay.

‘I’m sorry for leaving you alone.’

How wonderful it would be if she could bring Bay back. No, how much better it would be if she had died instead.

Regret came too late, and it wouldn’t bring Bay back to life. She knew that forcing someone back through sheer human will wasn’t possible.

But if she could hear Bay’s voice just once more…

“Ah, you wretched woman.”

Olivia turned around without wiping her tears.

“I should have known that someone like you couldn’t change. I should have stopped Troy Marsden from bringing you back to life.”

Gael, coughing up blood, was stumbling toward her like a zombie, holding a machete in his hand.

“You… you’re truly vile.”

A torrent of words rushed through Olivia’s mind, but she could only manage that one sentence. Gael laughed as he gripped his machete tighter.

“Shut up…”

And just die. Gael whispered the last words as he swung the machete down.

For Olivia, who was skilled in combat, dodging the blade of a nearly-dead man was not difficult. But right now, she had someone she had to protect.

Bay was dead, but Olivia couldn’t bear the thought of Gael’s touch tainting his body. It was the least she could do for him.

However, the need to protect Bay restricted Olivia’s movements. She tried to block Gael from advancing further into the room, but the narrow entrance limited how much she could maneuver.

“Die! Just die!”

Gael screamed as he swung the machete repeatedly. Olivia deflected every attack, but she didn’t move from her spot, worried that she might accidentally step on Bay.

“You’re like a leech.”

Gael, his hatred evident, charged at Olivia.

‘No, Bay…’

No matter how strong-willed Olivia was, she couldn’t remain composed in the face of her cherished comrade’s death. Her focus faltered for a moment, and Gael didn’t miss the opportunity.

The blade came dangerously close to her face. Even at that moment, Olivia’s only thought was to keep Bay’s body unscathed.

“Buddy, down!”

But just as she was about to give up, a familiar, beloved voice called out to her. Olivia ducked, and Gael’s blade lodged into the wall. A large hand swiftly grabbed Gael and flung him backward with ease.

“Ugh…”

Gael collapsed on the floor, convulsing. Meanwhile, a familiar face quickly examined Olivia.

“Buddy, are you okay?”

Normally, Olivia would have scolded him for sneaking out again, asking if he was crazy, but she didn’t have the energy for that. Instead, she grasped Bay’s cold, blackened hand.

“It’s Bay.”

“…Sir Bay?”

“Yes, it’s Bay.”

Knowing that no words could comfort her, Marsden silently took off his coat. Gently, he nudged Olivia aside and covered Bay with it. Even in that moment, Olivia clung tightly to Bay’s hand, crying.

As Marsden draped the coat over him, he noticed the dagger still embedded in Bay’s neck. It was clear that Olivia had been stabbed with that very blade as well. That vile man had harmed Olivia and killed her dear friend.

With a sharp gaze, Marsden surveyed the room. Silently, he approached a drawer that was clearly locked and smashed it open with his sword. Using brute force, the drawer broke apart, revealing the item Marsden had been searching for. He picked it up and handed it to Olivia.

“…What is this?”

“It’s half of the forbidden book. I went out briefly to retrieve it.”

“Half? You didn’t have the whole thing?”

“I only found half of it. I suspected the other half might be with him, and it turns out I was right.”

The forbidden book didn’t just contain methods for bringing people back to life. It also held dark magic rituals and various other spells.

For some reason, though, when Marsden retrieved the book from a certain sorcerer, it had been torn in half. He had suspected that Gael was addicted to magic during his investigations, so this wasn’t surprising. He was only curious as to why Gael had only taken half.

“I’ll go ask why it was torn. You stay here with Sir Bay.”

With his sword still in hand, Marsden slowly walked toward Gael, who was lying on the floor in a mangled state.

“Ugh…”

“Hurts, doesn’t it? You should’ve expected this after all the pain you inflicted on others.”

“Screw you…”

“The evidence is overwhelming; half the mansion is destroyed, and by now, Lady Lottie Bartram has likely been rescued safely. It seems Lady Ronae Bartram has also finally escaped from this mansion.”

Hearing Ronae’s name made Gael grit his teeth and claw at the ground. But with the side effects of the magic and his multiple injuries, he looked like nothing more than a bug crawling.

“Who are you to take Ronae…”

“I didn’t take Lady Ronae away. She made the decision herself. She chose to leave you.”

“Shut up, you crazy bastard!”

Gael screamed in desperation, but his words had no effect on Marsden. Gael pounded his fists against the floor in frustration.

“Who are you to ruin my life? If it weren’t for you, by now I’d be happily with Ronae…”

“Do you really think so? That you would have continued to live happily with Ronae Bartram?”

Gael glared at Marsden with bloodshot eyes. He wanted to shout an affirmative, but no words came out, as if he had lost his voice.

“Enough useless talk. Why did you only take half of the forbidden book?”

“I only gave you the part you needed. It was a terrible mistake. If I had known Olivia would change to your liking, I would never have…”

“Olivia didn’t change to suit my desires. She grew stronger on her own.”

Marsden cut off Gael’s words coldly.

“It would be a waste to simply kill you. You allied with the Kingdom of Katlan, harmed innocent lives, tried to take away someone precious to me, and killed that person’s dear friend. Just killing you wouldn’t be enough.”

Marsden pressed the tip of his sword against Gael’s chin.

“You deserve to live, suffering as much as the lives you stole and as much as the immeasurable loss and pain you caused Olivia. That’s the life you should lead.”

Marsden flipped his sword to strike Gael on the back of the neck, aiming to knock him unconscious. He knew that harming Gael would result in the same pain for him, but unlike Gael, Marsden was strong enough to endure that pain. So, without hesitation, he aimed to bring him down.

However, as with most disgusting vermin, Gael was resilient. He barely dodged Marsden’s attack and laughed like a madman.

“Even if I lose everything, I can never let go of Ronae. I’ve lost so much because of her.”

Though it seemed impossible for him to even stand, Gael stubbornly pushed strength into his legs.

“I’ll start over. A new life… I’ll turn everything back.”

“Gael Abyss!”

Marsden rushed forward, but the moment Gael’s hand began to glow, he vanished like a mirage.

“Duke!”

Just then, Glenn and Celeste burst into the study. Marsden immediately informed them of the situation.

“Gael used teleportation magic. He’s likely heading for Ronae Bartram.”

“We’ve already sent Lady Bartram to the royal palace. Elite knights will guard her.”

At Celeste’s words, Marsden nodded in agreement, relieved.

“And the Marchioness?”

Glenn scanned the room, searching for Olivia. Marsden glanced in her direction, and Glenn quickly went over to her.

“Marchioness…”

“Glenn… Bay is…”

Glenn’s eyes landed on the figure covered by the black cloak. His eyes were filled with unspeakable sorrow. Bay had been such a good person, someone who shouldn’t have ended up in such a dark place.

Glenn silently vowed to help his master ensure that Gael paid for his crimes. He hugged Olivia as if making a promise.

“From now on, stay with Bay. Bay will always be with us.”

Olivia silently agreed. She would never forget Bay, and she would never leave him lonely.

From that day on, Gael’s crimes were fully exposed.

Collusion with the Kingdom of Katlan, experiments and killings of civilians, magic addiction, kidnapping, murder—all of it. Further investigation even revealed that Gael had orchestrated the theft of a bomb from Flatd Castle. In a hidden room, a ledger was found, written by Gael himself, documenting payments to Kellic, the thief responsible for stealing the bomb.

However, Gael’s crimes were definitively proven because Olivia regained another memory. It was the evidence the Prince of Katlan had risked his life to give her. Letters exchanged with the royal family, signed documents, and financial records.

The evidence had been hidden in an unexpected place.

***
According to Marsden, the King hadn’t seemed aware that Gael was the one who had lent him power. But from the evidence Olivia recovered, it appeared that the King either knew and pretended not to, or was mentally unfit to confess the truth.

The day after discovering Bay, Olivia went back to the annex where she had died. She stepped firmly on the spot where she had fallen.

With a click, part of the floor opened like a box. It was there, beneath the floor, that she had hidden the evidence before meeting Gael.

‘The signatures, the handwriting—it’s all Gael’s.’

When the King of Katlan was still in his right mind, he had drafted various contracts and agreements with Gael. Perhaps he had intended to destroy them later, but the Prince must have taken them and given them to Olivia. Proof of this was the prince’s body, found stabbed to death by the river shortly after.

Olivia personally delivered the evidence to Hellebore, who then issued an official warrant for Gael’s arrest.

Dressed in black, preparing for Bay’s funeral, Olivia constantly repeated her vow.

No matter what it took, she would find Gael.

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