Chapter 14.3

Liat, with her knees hugged and her face buried in them, was on the verge of losing her mind. Her attempt to send a signal through the brooch had failed, and Karden had emptied the basement room, making it a blank white space under the pretext of ‘educating’ her.

‘I want to get along with you, so I’ll give you a choice. Should I bring the woman who gave you that gift? For your loneliness.’

‘Hmm… But if I see you getting close to someone else, I might get jealous. I might act out, like in the dungeon.’

‘Punishment must be given, so hurry and choose. Don’t just cry—choose.’

Just like in the dungeon, Karden told her to choose between watching someone brought in die or being trapped in a void. Liat chose the latter herself, but spending time in an all-white space was unbearable.

Forced to take drugs so she couldn’t sleep, she lost even the escape of dreams.

She couldn’t tell how time passed, whether she was hungry or sleepy. She was mentally pushed so far she couldn’t sense basic needs.

‘Alvin, please come quickly…’

It was unclear if the pendant’s destruction had transmitted her location, but it had certainly reacted.

Karden probably hadn’t noticed. The magic flowing in Liat’s body was different from the criminal’s—more delicate and intense—so she could send it through her blood. When he wasn’t around, she’d made wounds several times to check. While being dragged, she’d pretended to fall and left drops of blood on the magic circle he’d drawn.

A dull pain in her ankle made her lift her head. As she touched her swollen injury, she remembered the event clearly.

When Liat fell on the magic circle, Karden pulled her up and gripped her shoulder hard. His bloodshot eyes were full of desire, as if he would force her legs apart any moment.

His gray eyes were fixed on her, and as she met his gaze, the sound of nightmares echoed from far away. Her legs gave out, and she tumbled down the stairs.

There was pain, but it was a relief. Karden wasn’t so crazed as to embrace an injured woman, so his excitement cooled.

Karden wanted to stay with her, but said he had to leave because ‘vermin’ were causing trouble. Hearing her brother’s name, it seemed Roigi was interfering. Karden’s grim expression showed how serious the situation was.

He probably wouldn’t return soon. Long-distance magic travel had drained much of his power.

Alvin had never lied to Liat, and was the kind of man who made the impossible possible for her. Liat, who hated losing, prayed with all her heart that Alvin would find her and win this time.

And then, as if by magic, the outside became noisy. The barrier that blocked sound seemed to have tangled with her magic, messing up the spell.

Karden, who hated others seeing her, kept no servants and served her himself.

So the source of the commotion…

“Alvin…!”

Liat, legs trembling, forced herself toward the door. Knowing it was locked from the outside, she threw herself against it. The pain in her ankle worsened, but she didn’t stop.

“Alvin!”

Hoping her voice would reach her lover. It didn’t take long for her whole body to turn red and blue.

* * *

“Is this the place?”

“Yes. But please stop and don’t go any further.”

Alvin and his party arrived at a mansion hidden in the mountains, not far from the Marquisate. According to Liliana, it was concealed by magic. When the brooch signaled, a temporary crack had revealed its location.

“Whew…”

Everyone, faces tense, started to move, but at Liliana’s words, froze and quickly stepped back.

“If you take one more step, the owner of this mansion will be alerted.”

Liliana steadied her breath and examined the magic stones on the ground. Each stone contained high-level magic, so it was nearly impossible for her to fully disarm them.

“I can only hold it for a short time.”

“That’s enough.”

Alvin had trained with several companions to fight magicians for just this day. Today would be the day their sweat paid off.

Liliana placed each person in front of a magic stone and handed them a potion. At her signal, they opened the bottles and poured them over the stones.

The red-glowing stones turned black.

“Now!”

Alvin ran straight to the mansion, broke a window, and entered. The cold mansion had no trace of warmth or people.

He split the search party to scour every room, but found not even a hair. While searching, a memory flashed—he looked for a hidden basement.

In a room at the back, he found a suspicious carpet covering the floor. Lifting it, he saw only scattered red dots.

As Alvin inhaled, his nose stung and he frowned. The other rooms were spotless, but this one was especially dusty.

Noticing something odd, he tapped the floor with his toe. Outside, Liliana shouted that the potion’s effect was ending, and chaos erupted as the search party called for Alvin.

Liliana’s power faded, and trap magic activated everywhere.

Alvin drew his sword, ready to face the mansion’s returning owner.

“So annoying.”

Snap. With a familiar sound, the commotion ceased and time seemed to stop for everyone except Karden.

“Even if I look fine, I’m pretty worn out. All this long-distance travel…”

Invisible pressure forced one knee to the floor. The force was so strong his skin broke and bled through his pants. His sword clattered to the ground.

Seeing Alvin immobilized, Karden approached with twisted mockery.

“Up close, you haven’t changed since childhood.”

“…”

“Just like that day.”

Karden didn’t spare sympathy for the man who couldn’t save his lover.

As the pressure increased, Alvin felt his body breaking and groaned, while Karden smirked.

Raised under someone’s protection, the young master would never beat him—Karden was certain of his victory. Wasn’t his overwhelming power the reason his father had adopted him?

“You’re no match for me.”

Karden wiped sweat from his brow, laughing. His magic was nearly spent, but he was confident he could finish things before it ran out.

“If I decorate the wedding hall with your corpse, wouldn’t Liat like it?”

But he overlooked one thing.

Alvin’s acting had improved day by day thanks to Liat.

“Grr…!”

As the blade flashed, blood spurted from Karden’s hand, painting the air. Severed fingers dropped and rolled on the floor. The shock broke the force restraining Alvin.

Alvin didn’t stop at cutting fingers—he slashed at Karden’s ankle. The situation reversed, and Karden was knocked down where Alvin had just been.

Karden writhing on the floor looked like a bug. It was hard to believe this pathetic creature was the source of all their nightmares.

Roigi had drained his magic by sabotaging Himbrid’s business, but more than that—

Crunch.

Alvin had grown stronger. Overpowering someone drunk on their own strength was easy.

Only an indescribable emptiness remained. He’d expected the monster’s blood to be black, but Karden’s was just red.

‘Because of this thing, all this time…’

Alvin crushed the severed fingers underfoot, crouched before Karden, and shoved them into his mouth. Seeing his tongue move to cast a spell, Alvin poured a prepared drug into his mouth and clamped his nose and mouth shut.

Even as Karden’s throat moved, Alvin didn’t let go, choking him. Karden struggled, but couldn’t escape Alvin’s grip.

“…If I k*ll you now, Liat will be sad.”

Alvin eased his grip so Karden could breathe. Harsh, metallic gasps rattled from his throat.

Alvin calculated the odds of Karden recovering, and decided to sever his fingers and tongue.

“…I only cut off the ends, so you won’t die.”

Looking down at Karden lying in a pool of blood, Alvin shook his hands. He hoped Karden tasted at least half the helplessness and pain they’d suffered.

Thump, thump.

A faint sound echoed from the basement.

Outside, the search party and Liliana entered the room. Thanks to Liliana’s protective magic, there were no casualties.

Liliana pushed a magic stone into Himbrid’s mouth.

Her magic stone, born of determined research, pierced the heart—the essence of magic—and drained his power almost permanently. For Himbrid, who’d trusted only his own strength, it was the cruelest punishment.

“Liat must be down there.”

Liliana, with a serious face, searched the floor and revealed a hidden magic circle, trying hard to break it. Sweat dripped as she worked, but breaking a high-level mage’s circle alone was impossible.

Fortunately, someone else’s magic was tangled in, weakening it.

Thump, thump. Hearing the seeker’s call, Alvin stabbed the floor.

The magic circle shook and attacked the intruder. Liliana’s pendant’s protection shattered, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air, but Alvin didn’t hesitate to push the sword in.

Before Alvin’s body turned to ash, the blue light faded and a doorknob appeared.

“Liat.”

Alvin, legs trembling, hurried down the dark stairs, broke the door, and met Liat.

Her body was battered from hitting the door.

“…I found you.”

Both were so ruined they couldn’t protest even if buried underground, but they smiled.

They didn’t have time to savor their reunion. Leaning on each other, they took deep breaths, confirmed each other’s presence with all their senses, and collapsed in an embrace.