CH 107

“Princess, Princess. How about putting some blood here? My skull, I mean, like my head is broken.”

With the help of Vanessa, who had learned art before the house collapsed, Oslo smiled broadly with a brush in his hand, having acquired paint that looked like dark red blood. 

I laughed softly at his out-of-place exuberance. 

“Sir, aren’t you too excited?”

“I don’t know when I’ll ever have the chance to play a trick on this guy if not now.” 

Although Oslo claimed to be Damon’s friend, he was strangely passionate about bullying him. 

‘Well, he’s so excited I can’t possibly stop him.’

I followed him and dipped the whip into a bucket full of paint, glancing at Damon who was tied up in the corner of the basement.

“I think everything’s ready so I will go and wake him up.” 

Lancel, who was in charge of surveillance and stuck closely to him, murmured as he looked at me. I nodded and he violently emptied the bucket that the maid had brought at Damon.

Splash–!

Along with the sound of cool water, the cold wind wrapped around his body and he opened his eyes. I felt sorry, feeling that it was too much but I did my best to clear my throat. 

“Cough, ahem.”

“.........!”

Damon knitted his brows when he saw me approaching him while dragging Veronica’s whip. 

“What is it?”

“I see you’re awake.” 

I pointed with my fingertips at the restraint tying his arms and feet before he could escape. I could clearly see the process of his handsome face turning into despair. 

“I thought you wouldn’t open your mouth even if I ask nicely, so I prepared this for you.” 

I brought out Oslo with some cheap villain lines like that from the novel. When Lancel opened the door, he excessively vomited blood and fell forward. 

“Cough, ugh!” 

If one looked closely, they would find out that it was fake blood, but that was the reason why I chose the basement where you couldn’t see what was in front of you properly.

‘It was actually used as a torture chamber so there was a strong smell of blood.’ 

Wrinkling my nose at the strong fishy smell, I placed my foot on Oslo’s neck. 

“If you don’t tell me what you know about the holy relics, Oslo won’t die a peaceful death.”

“...He is Lagrange’s knight.”

“You were also a Lagrange knight.” 

Perhaps due to the restraining ball that suppresses magic, Damon’s face took on the form of ‘Marquis Deus’ which I knew of. 

“I will have to hear that story as long as you intend to interfere in my plan.” 

Even in the dark, his blue and silver hair shone brightly, fluttering pitifully. I didn’t really have any intention to kill Oslo, but the desire to know the truth was strong. 

Alternately looking at me who had my lips shut and Oslo who was wailing as if on his death row, Damon smiled wryly. 

“You’re such a spoiled student. How can you treat your teacher like this?”

“Because you’re a teacher with a lot of secrets.” 

Since Damon had shown no sign of confessing, Lancel started kicking Oslo. Oslo cried and vomited blood at the kick of the butler with slender legs who had never held a sword in his life. 

‘He’s even crying?!’ 

How was a knight like this so good at acting? The more I knew, the more there seemed to be more layers to uncover like an onion. 

“All right. I’ll tell you everything I can, so please stop.”

“Lancel.” 

At Damon’s words, I raised my hand lightly to deter Lancel. He, with shining eyes having a good time kicking a knight he’d otherwise had no chance of beating, flinched and stepped back. 

“It was a long time ago when I had become a knight in Lagrange. Derek Lagrange’s swordsmanship teacher was my friend.”

“Your friend?”

“He was Oslo’s father. To be honest, that child is like a nephew to me.” 

What child?

Oslo was a middle-aged man with a beard who wasn’t mature enough. 

“Damon, exactly how old are you?” 

I was shocked to see Damon’s face, and no matter how much I gave him a high age estimate, he seemed to be someone in his late twenties. 

“I don’t think my age is important right now.”

‘Well, that’s true, but if Oslo is like a nephew to him then isn’t he already a grandfather?’ 

I had heard that there were people with ages that were difficult to determine among the wizards, but I never knew they could look like such young people. 

“Do you know anything about Faber, Princess?”

“Faber?”

“On the outside, it’s a coalition of intellectuals. I talked about this briefly in class.” 

I vaguely recalled the description of the coalition of intellectuals. 

‘I think it was said to be a gathering of sorcerers, wizards, and alchemists?’ 

“The people belonging to Faber are spread out across the continent. That includes Lagrange.” 

“Is Josef Euclid also a member of Faber?” 

“Yes. He is one of Faber’s elders.” 

‘I knew it.’ 

Josef was too interested in demons for a man from Euclid. 

“What’s the purpose of the coalition?” 

Damon moistened his lips as if thinking over the question I asked with narrowed eyes. I turned toward Oslo to urge him to answer. 

He held me in place with his sigh. 

“The imperial family has no power, and the South is only focusing on keeping the North in check. And suffering is the sole responsibility of people.” 

I raised my eyebrows at his slow but full of hidden meaning explanation. 

“That’s not Lagrange’s fault.” 

“No. We are looking for an opportunity to drive out the power-hungry southern nobles and the puppet emperor to establish a republic.” 

I clenched my fist tight at Damon’s secret which was greater than what I expected. 

As the Valliere imperial family was on the verge of collapsing, it was natural that there were many families aiming for the position of the ruler, but now, even the common people were planning a revolution. 

“Faber has judged that the North, no, Dietrich Lagrange to be a very suitable tool to take Euclid’s power.”

“Tool?”

My mood turned sour at Damon’s choice of words. When I frowned, he smiled briefly and continued talking. 

“But you intervened. With the Lagrange as it is now, it will be impossible to win against Euclid. That’s why–”

“Is that why you’re hiding the holy relic?” 

His words sounded as if he was trying to regulate Euclid’s power. Astounded, I grabbed him by his collar. 

“Do you think we’re your marionette?” 

In order to create the fine line between the South and the North, they were putting a limit on Hermann’s ability. 

I stared at Damon in shock and he dodged my gaze unable to meet my eyes. 

“Princess.”

“Dietrich does not exist to be your weapon so that you could use him to keep the South in check!” 

“If you are really a Princess, you should face the reality.” 

Looking back at me stomping my feet in anger, Damon continued silently. I bit my lips at his words. 

“What exactly are you trying to say? That Lagrange was originally a scapegoat for the entire continent?” 

From the moment I was born as Anissa, I constantly pondered about the meaning of Lagrange’s existence. 

A barren and lonely land where not a single grain could properly grow and only cold death dwell like the dawn. 

Lagrange, who stood at the center, was given the power of the Grand Duke like a gift, but in the capital city, we had to endure all kinds of scorn for the reason that we were ‘Lagrange.’ 

As if it was promised, the demons who were aiming for the souls of the contractors only targeted the souls of the children of the North, and in order to deal with that great power, Lagrange fought a civil war with no expectation. 

‘And this whole tragic background was replaced with a single explanation that they were a villainous family.’ 

I swallowed an annoyed groan at Lagrange’s terrible setting. 

“If you know the power of the holy relic, you must also know its location.” 

For the sake of Dietrich and the children, I had even destroyed Asmodeus, so there was no reason that we could not keep Euclid in check. 

‘I really can’t afford to trust only in Charlotte now.’ 

With a firmer goal, I squeezed my first holding on to Damon’s collar. His dry gaze fell to my cheek.

“I need to find out everything.”

“If you do such a crazy thing, you will be in danger, Princess.”

“Don’t pretend you’re worried about me. If you don’t tell me, I will really kill Oslo.”

“Let’s stop this clumsy acting.” 

Damon grabbed me by the shoulder as if to dissuade me. He patted me and gestured to Oslo slumped on the ground.

“I know you wouldn’t have tortured him.”

“!”

My eyes widened and looked back at him, then he slowly swept the back of his hand over my eyes. 

“Then why did you tell me about Faber?”

“There must be a reason why that child wants to do the Princess’ request even to the point of putting a show like that.”

“............”

“Besides, I owe you a debt, Princess.”

“What debt?”

Damon confessed incessantly as if he had decided to offer me a confession today. 

He moved his bound rest to open his coat. Inside the pocket of his coat, there was an envelope that glowed white in the dark. 

“Please read this.” 

I slowly reached out and took the letter from him. When our eyes met, he couldn’t hide his gaze shaking with conflict. 

“Instead, this is the last time I’ll let you off the hook, Lady Anissa.”

Poof!

As if being caught by me was a joke, the handsome wizard disappeared in the blink of an eye.