An invitation to the castle. It was nothing less than an open declaration to harm me. Still, I couldn’t punish them without proof. For now, on the surface, it was just an invitation.

“If you tell me one thing, I’ll consider your invitation.”

Of course, I planned to go even if she didn’t tell me anything. Still, it was better to ask for something in return than to accept out of hand. I thought of something she might be reluctant to answer.

“Why did Countess Hartrain become Zetak’s patron?”

“…….”

Karial stopped and stepped back. The expression on her face vanished completely. She held her sword loosely and stared at me silently. Just like before. In the past, whenever she was cornered, her emotions would vanish like a puppet. But the question I asked now wasn’t as urgent as the one before. In fact, it was she who had wanted me to go to the Administration Palace and look at the documents.

“You wanted me to look at Zetak’s palace registration papers. I thought it was to make me realise he was a spy, but that wasn’t it, was it?”

“That’s right. I wanted you to know that it was my mother who became his patron. And I wanted you to see it with your own eyes.”

“Why?”

“Because… I wanted you to be curious, Your Highness.”

“…….”

“I hoped you would come to me out of curiosity. When I first investigated the child, I realised something. If he really was Zetak, sooner or later you would hear something about me, Your Highness.”

About her. There was much in those words. Preservation. Display cases. Necrophilia. What else could there be? The fragments I’d heard only covered so much. Or perhaps Zetak’s persecution should be added.

“In other words, you wanted me to come to your castle.”

A faint smile appeared on her otherwise expressionless face. It seemed I was right. I would learn Karial’s secret from Zetak. In the Administration Palace, I would discover that Karial’s mother was Zetak’s second sponsor. At this point, it would be natural to become curious and dig deeper. It seemed that Karial had been waiting for me to approach her in order to uncover Zetak’s past. However, I had no intention of investigating further. I preferred to wait for Zetak to speak for herself.

“Why did the Countess become his sponsor?”

“I don’t know.”

Her words were a lie. Somehow I was sure of it. She definitely knew the reason.

“You shouldn’t trust that child. That deceitful boy has fooled you perfectly for four years.”

“If it’s about him being a spy, it doesn’t matter.”

“No, it’s not that simple. Your Highness has no idea how much danger you put your life in by keeping that boy by your side.”

Danger? Well, I suppose so. As a spy, he may have been ordered to poison my food. Maybe that’s what she means. But I knew that Zetak had refused all such orders. That’s what I thought she meant, but then Karial said something completely unexpected.

“The child’s transformation into a monster did not begin after he was cast out of the palace.”

Her voice was very quiet, perhaps mindful of the people around us.

“The process of fusion may have begun after he was cast out. But the moment he was cast out by Your Highness, the changes in his body had already begun. After he was imprisoned, he no longer received the medicine from my mother.”

“…….”

“Do you still not understand? Or are you just pretending not to know? I’ve heard about the documents you saw in the Administration Palace. You already know, don’t you?”

This child was some kind of test subject. Her voice was soft, but her words were clear. A test subject. Yuria Hartrain, the second godmother. The medicine she gave Zetak.

“You make quite a bold statement.”

Her words were practically an admission that her family had been involved in the Chimera experiments. Karial knew about Zetak spider legs. Was she acting so boldly because she believed she held that secret? No. She wouldn’t say something like that so recklessly if that were the only reason. That would only mean revealing another of her weaknesses to her opponent.

“I’ve already made up my mind. Your Highness must have heard everything from that child.”

No. Zetak hadn’t really revealed anything. I had only pieced together fragments to form my assumptions. But it seemed that Karial had misunderstood, thinking that I already knew everything. Then I realised why she’d acted so boldly. She believed she was being pushed to the edge of a cliff. And so, even though it was risky, she decided to play her last card. Meanwhile, neither Zetak nor I had any intention of taking action against her for the time being.

“I’ve answered your question, so I trust you’ll be attending my birthday banquet.”

“Well, I’m not sure that counts as answering my question. I asked why the Countess became Zetak’s patron, but you didn’t answer.”

Although she had already indirectly hinted at the answer, I said that to get her to reveal more of her thoughts.

“That child again.”

Karial clenched her teeth as if consumed by frustration.

“Just once, just once… Can’t you just look at me? Can’t you just look at me without him?”

“…….”

“Fine, then. I guess I’ll just have to make you focus on me.”

She brought her sword down on mine with all her might. Was it just her intention to overpower me with brute force? I thought so, but it seemed she wasn’t such a simple person. As the distance between us closed with the clash of our swords, she lowered her voice, as if about to reveal a secret.

“This child, haven’t you noticed that he reacts a little slower on his right side?”

Her sudden comment didn’t make sense to me. When I remained silent, she smiled and continued.

“You didn’t seem to notice. Well, he’s always been good at that sort of thing. It’s not surprising that Your Highness didn’t notice he was blind in one eye.”

“What…?”

Completely taken by surprise, I turned to look at Zetak. No matter how quietly she spoke, with his hearing he must have heard every word of my conversation with Karial. His eye, blind? No. His gaze had always been precise, his reactions never felt slow. But if what Karial had said was true –

“The laria flower pinned to his right eye was quite beautiful.”

…if it’s true. Zetak’s vision could only have been restored by merging with the monster. Holy power is not omnipotent. Even if it can restore appearances, there are certain cases where it cannot fully restore functionality. Like what I tried to do for Riog when his were shattered. Or what Karial did to Zetak when his eye was severely damaged.

I slowly glanced over at Karial. When our eyes met, she flinched, stepped back and drew her sword. Yet her gaze was filled with a sense of exhilaration. To make you see only me. That’s what she said. She repeated the words, deliberately trying to absorb my momentary anger. I know. Zetak wouldn’t want me to take revenge for her. Wasn’t it the same with Riog? Even if I did, it wouldn’t make him happy.

If I showed anger now, I’d be playing right into Karial’s hands. Too many eyes were watching. As someone from a family that held sway over social circles, Karial knew I couldn’t afford to act against her in a situation like this. She understood this only too well, so she openly provoked me – just to get my undivided attention.

Let it go. Zetak would take his own revenge. My rational mind was fully aware of this. But despite the cold reasoning in my head, my grip on the sword tightened involuntarily.

“You’re being a bit…”

…rude. I muttered and took a step forward. I knew it wasn’t the wisest thing to do. But even knowing that, my body acted on its own. I felt a surge of murderous intent towards her – and snuffed it out completely. For the first time since I entered the gym, I was the one who made the first move.

Monsters reveal their intent to kill when they are trying to assert dominance or pressure their opponent in battle. But when they really intend to kill, they erase all traces of it completely to prevent the target from reacting instinctively. Out of old habit, I approached, suppressing my killing intent, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to kill him. His right eye. I wanted to gouge it out, but I also knew I couldn’t. I can’t kill him. I can’t hurt his eye. I repeated to myself and swung my sword.

“Ah!”

My sword struck her knee. It was the same tactic Bapharos had used on Riog – attacking non-vital areas. Even though it was a blunt practice sword, once momentum built up, its impact could not be ignored. As she staggered back, I swung my sword again at her retreating leg. The blow landed on her thigh and she screamed as she stumbled backwards. Though it felt awkward to use my left hand, my opponent was no more than a noble’s daughter who swung her sword for show.

Shoulders, waist, knees. I hit her in every part of her body that wasn’t vital. It wasn’t a real sword fight anymore – it was as if I was using the sword as a club, beating her mercilessly. With each blow, Karial screamed in pain and staggered. Her desperate attempt to hold her sword with both hands and defend herself seemed almost pathetic. Even as I struck her all over, I deliberately avoided her right arm. If she let go of her sword, the fight would be over. She could have dropped her sword and surrendered, but I knew she wouldn’t.

I knew that Karial had expected this reaction from me. Yet she repeated the same words, determined to face my full wrath. Her eyes were filled with tears of pain, but she gripped her sword even tighter, as if she would not let go no matter what. It was as if she said she would endure anything. So I swung my sword freely. The sound of each blow grew louder and louder until Karial finally collapsed, crying from the unbearable pain.