It was impossible that the target Iscallion was trying to summon was trivial. But I still couldn’t guess the reason why he did such a thing.

“I know.”

The Crown Prince spat out in a hoarse voice.

“When you told me you loved me, that guy was eavesdropping.”

“What?”

My heart sank.

‘Did he see me confessing to another man the day after I received his confession?’

Only then did I understand Iscallion’s sudden outburst.

I couldn’t justify his actions, but it was clear that I was the trigger for this whole process.

No matter how I thought about it, I was the bad one here.

“So it’s all my fault…?”

“Why is it your fault? It’s that guy’s fault for misunderstanding on his own.”

I couldn’t even hear the Crown Prince’s words. I could only think that I was doomed.

I had to stop him before he committed a bigger mistake.

* * *

“What brings you here at this hour, lady? His Highness Iscallion has not yet returned.”

Despite my sudden visit, or rather intrusion, the old man was not surprised.

Even though he was a fake Grand Duke, there was an aura of inviolable dignity about him. Despite his age, his clear golden eyes proved that he was also of the Pontos family.

However, he seemed to have suffered greatly from Iscallion’s absurd antics, as his face looked extremely worn out to the point where it was pitiful to see.

“I know. I just put him to sleep, so he probably won’t wake up today.”

The fake Grand Duke’s eyes twitched.

“Honestly, tell me. How much do you know about Iscallion’s plan?”

“Plan? What do you mean?”

The fake Grand Duke asked back.

Then the Crown Prince pointed his sword at the back of his neck.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but what meaning is there in threatening an old man’s life?”

“Indeed, Your Grace would think so. But there are still too many lives in Pontos Castle that are too precious to die.”

This time, he couldn’t remain indifferent.

“Please don’t harm the others.”

“We are not the ones harming them. It’s your lord. I want to stop him from committing more sins. I need your help.”

“If I can help, I sincerely want to do so. But first, I think I need to hear the whole story. What exactly is happening?”

I exchanged a glance with Pinion.

The old man really seemed to know nothing.

We had no choice but to take him to the underground prison and show him the large summoning circle drawn on the floor and the missing people.

The old man staggered in shock.

“Ah… So it has come to this.”

“Do you know something?”

“Abel, who died at the hands of His Highness Iscallion, said that a wolf trapped in the infernal hell would reappear on the ground. He said he received a revelation in a dream. This old man thought Abel was just spouting nonsense beyond his capacity. I thought everything was resolved when His Highness Iscallion returned, but I have no idea what’s happening… This old man can’t understand.”

He answered gloomily.

“A wolf? The wolf, the brother of the King of the Underworld?”

“Yes.”

I was speechless at the summoning target, which was much bigger than expected.

“If the wolf is really summoned, do we stand a chance?”

“I don’t know either. Although our ancestors were wolves, too much time has passed. Now we are no different from humans. However, if a being that has held a grudge for tens of thousands of years reappears on the ground, it would be a disaster. I will do my best to help. I swear on the honor of my family.”

From then on, everything happened swiftly. The fake Grand Duke immediately ordered the evacuation of everyone in the castle, and the knights of Pontos obediently followed his command.

Perhaps because the atmosphere in the castle had been ominous for the past few days, everyone seemed tense and prepared for the worst.

We also helped, but it took a lot of time to wake up and evacuate the people who were sleeping. I was anxious that Iscallion might wake up.

Janet was watching over him, but she alone would not be enough to handle Iscallion.

When it seemed like everything was almost done, we decided to return to the castle.

“Please forgive my lord’s sins.”

The fake Grand Duke bowed his head to us.

“Isn’t it too shameless to hope for mercy after kidnapping a noble of the empire?”

The Crown Prince said coldly.

Just as I was about to point out his attitude, Janet hurriedly appeared.

“Master, Iscallion has woken up and is heading for the castle. I tried to stall him, but it was not enough.”

“Already?”

It was a drug that was supposed to put even a strong man to sleep for three days, but I guess it was too much to expect it to work perfectly on the male lead.

“Got it. You did well.”

I realized belatedly that I had spoken too naturally with Janet in front of Gined. However, Gined seemed too busy to care.

Not long after Janet flew away again, the ground suddenly began to tremble. It was similar to an earthquake, but it wasn’t.

At the same time, without anyone saying anything, we all started running towards the castle.

* * *

[Long time no see, Shahar.]

Shahar looked at his brother without surprise.

“What were you thinking when you did this?”

[I need to settle the unfinished business.]

“The battle ended long ago, and our era is over.”

[Don’t we both look too energetic to say it’s over? Ah, are you blinded by a human woman and can’t see anything?]

“We have already fulfilled our roles. This world now belongs to others.”

Shahar couldn’t understand. Why did his brother keep clinging to the past even after so much time had passed?

[Surely, you don’t intend to play with a young girl like an old relic, do you? Seeing that you came up to the ground, it seems that playing with that human girl was quite special.]

“It’s none of your business.”

Shahar showed anger for the first time.

The wolf chuckled.

[I hope your love play was sweet, Shahar. That way, the ending will be more tragic.]

The wolf, who had been lying down, stood up. The summoning circle beneath him bound Shahar’s body.

Shahar realized that his brother had been preparing for this day for a very long time.

[Don’t be too late. It would be a pity if you couldn’t see that girl’s death with your own eyes.]

Leaving behind only a sinister laugh, the wolf disappeared.

* * *

Iscallion, who had been deeply asleep, woke up not long after.

The place where Lou had left was already cold. He laughed at the ropes tightly wrapped around his body.

“In the end, Sister abandoned me.”

His voice was hollow. The snake was not visible, but it was no longer useful. He intended to use and then discard it from the beginning.

Iscallion easily broke the ropes and returned to Pontos Castle.

For some reason, the castle was empty, and a woman was standing alone in his way.

Iscallion immediately recognized that she was not human.

The woman sighed deeply.

“It seems I chose the wrong master. Who knew I’d be worked so hard.”

Then, with a tone of disbelief, she asked,

“Kid, what exactly do you like about Lou Dronay to go through all this?”

Iscallion, who had been silently drawing his sword, reacted belatedly to Lou’s name.

“Lou is your master?”

“Yes. The biggest mistake of my life.”

Lou’s servant.

Iscallion even felt jealous of that. Without holding back, he swung his sword at the woman.

“Where did you learn to attack without warning? No wonder you got dumped.”

Janet shouted sharply. She had long known she couldn’t match Iscallion.

Since her initial goal was to buy time, she provoked him and ran away, risking herself.

But it wasn’t long before Iscallion figured out her intention.

In an instant, he approached, grabbed her hair, and slammed her to the ground.

“Wa-wait!”

A flustered Janet used her charm magic, but it was useless.

Without a word, Iscallion swung his sword. Just as the blade was about to sever her neck, Janet barely managed to transform into a bat and escape. Iscallion thought about throwing his sword at the bat but decided against it.

Time had already been wasted. He turned back to his original destination. Fortunately, it didn’t seem too late.

He stood for a moment at the entrance of the prison, looking at the fallen people. Those barely clinging to life let out faint groans.

He knew Lou would hate this. But being abandoned by her was even worse.

As he stepped inside, he heard someone gasping.

Iscallion turned his head. A terrified Seren was looking at him.