* * *
Eren, who had been looking down at Carlyle, brought his ear closer to his face.
The difficult, labored breathing had stopped.
Unlike before, when a roar loud enough to shatter the entire mansion was heard, it was now silent.
The only sound was the wind blowing in from the window.
He went downstairs and slowly looked around.
The true appearance of the Firentium mansion, which had been hidden until now, was fully revealed.
It was like its owner, showing traces of having tried to hide its true self.
Eren’s footsteps echoed hollowly in the empty mansion.
There was no sign of life whatsoever.
When he stepped outside, he saw the magnificent exterior.
It was outwardly perfect, making it impossible to tell what had just happened inside.
Inside, blood from human bodies had been splattered everywhere.
Outside, the mansion was undamaged and looked even luxurious, as if nothing had happened.
Eren’s unfocused eyes blurred.
“What is this…”
Eren stood blankly and murmured softly.
Carlyle and Helid.
Two people were already dead in that short time.
He had confirmed with certainty that their breathing had stopped.
Yet, he didn’t feel a sense of relief.
It wasn’t because people he knew had died because of him.
Their deaths were not meaningful enough to evoke such cheap sympathy.
He was just angry.
Because while they had only died, the pain they had endured seemed diminished.
The method by which they escaped their suffering was too shallow compared to the time and depth of the hardship Eren had experienced.
“…Ha, hahaha…”
The fearful time that originated from them seemed to have been meaningless.
He had trembled with anxiety and desperately struggled to escape.
He thought he had fallen into a bottomless ocean, but it was just shallow water that didn’t even reach his knees if he simply stood up.
“I’m annoyed…”
He couldn’t clearly define what this feeling was.
Even he couldn’t fully grasp it. If he had to choose, ’emptiness’ was the most fitting description.
His blue eyes were hollow.
Eren stared at the Firentium mansion with a shadowed face, not moving at all.
“What…?”
Melody doubted her ears and sprang to her feet.
The knight’s body shook like an aspen tree under her cold, subdued gaze.
The knight quickly glanced at Melody, gasped, and instantly dropped his eyes.
“The bodies of Duke Carlyle Firentium and Viscount Helid Yulta have been discovered… at the Firentium Duchy’s mansion.”
The unexpected news made her head throb.
Bodies discovered at the Firentium mansion, where the Count was presumed to be.
And of all people, it was Duke Firentium and Viscount Yulta, who seemed to know the Count’s whereabouts.
“The Count, Count Nefendis? Was he found?”
“Th-that is…”
“Don’t stall, just speak.”
“We searched thoroughly, but Count Nefendis was not found anywhere…”
Melody’s aura turned ferocious.
Her shadow intensely wavered, as if to consume the knight.
“However, it seems the Count was indeed in that mansion.”
“What do you mean?”
“Items owned by Count Nefendis on the day of the accident were found in the Firentium mansion.”
She wanted to find Eren.
But the Eren she was looking for was nowhere to be seen, leaving only traces, and instead, the bodies of Carlyle and Helid were discovered without warning.
Melody clutched her throbbing head. She thought she had finally found a clue, but it had vanished tragically.
“Have you assessed the situation?”
“We are still investigating the exact details, but it seems there was a major struggle between the two dead men. Judging from the circumstances, Count Nefendis does not seem to have been directly involved.”
‘Of course.’
Melody vividly remembered the Count’s look toward the three men.
It was full of fear and terror, as if he were prey placed before a predator.
Furthermore, both were skilled swordsmen comparable to Ashard.
The probability that Eren Nefendis was involved in a fight between those two was slim.
“The dagger plunged into Duke Firentium’s neck was covered in blood, making proper fingerprint identification difficult… but only the Duke’s fingerprints remained clearly. It seems that…”
“The Duke committed suicide?”
“…It is not certain, but the probability is high. It seems he murdered Viscount Yulta and then took his own life. The Viscount’s neck was perfectly severed, after all.”
He didn’t seem like the type to commit suicide.
Melody mumbled softly.
Unlike the rogue Helid, Carlyle was a person who always maintained noble dignity.
His end, which was not a glorious death on the battlefield, felt somewhat strange and unfitting for him.
Following that, a faint sense of pity arose.
However, it did not last long.
Ashard, who had been silent for a while, was watching her.
“You may leave for now.”
Realizing that he had something he wanted to say, Melody cleverly dismissed the knight.
As the room door closed, a low voice resonated.
“Don’t harbor any pity.”
“…I wasn’t.”
“He deserved to die. No, his death was practically an act of mercy.”
“Mercy… you say?”
“You saw the attitude those bastards held towards Eren, didn’t you? They showed such behavior even in front of you and me…”
Ashard trailed off. Melody, realizing what he was about to say, sealed her lips as if she had nothing to add. His words were precisely correct.
He had always told Eren that the reason he came to Trovien was unimportant.
The war ended because he came to Trovien, and that was all that mattered to Ashard.
Because of that, he had never once wondered about the real reason Eren came here.
“Do you know what trade condition Eren offered me as soon as he met me? It was to protect him with all my strength.”
“…”
“The price for giving favorable information to Trovien was just that.”
It was obvious that the cause originated from the dead Carlyle, Helid, and Julius.
Melody cautiously looked at Ashard.
“I don’t know exactly what happened to Eren in Epentel or how he was treated. But I know he was anxious and afraid. I didn’t think you, being so smart, wouldn’t know what even I know.”
It was an explicit reproach.
Melody realized her contradiction; she always called Eren the savior of Trovien, but then dared to pity the people who had made Eren suffer.
It wasn’t a demand to be Eren’s absolute partisan.
It meant that if she was going to speak such words, she should at least consider Eren’s position.
Melody’s face was painted with despair as she realized her contradictory nature.
Ashard’s expression was also dark as he watched her.
Even though he shouldn’t have been so aggressive, he had unintentionally reacted sharply.
“…I apologize. I’ve been a bit sensitive lately and took my frustration out on you unfairly.”
He knew well how pathetic he looked right now, but there was nothing he could do.
He had been like this ever since Eren disappeared.
He kept telling himself he would find him, but he couldn’t control the anxiety rising in his heart.
Hundreds of times, he had thought, ‘What if I can’t find Eren? What if he’s so badly hurt he can’t come to me?’
At first, it was like that… but now, the thought suddenly emerged that Eren was deliberately not seeking him out.
Even though he knew it wasn’t true, whenever he tried to deny the thought, Eren’s expression of acting as if he was about to leave kept coming back to him.
“…Hoo.”
A low sigh escaped him.
It was an emotion born from deep devotion.
Ashard’s hands trembled restlessly.
Melody maintained silence at his appearance, which she had never witnessed before.
After a long pause, Melody cautiously opened her mouth.
“Marquis Renan has not been seen for the past few days. The timing of his disappearance is a little suspicious. Should I start an investigation—”
“No. I will do it.”
“…Yourself, Uncle?”
She didn’t want to stop him, but she had to.
On the day of the accident, he had collapsed from searching for Eren without rest despite his injuries.
He had rushed out despite the doctor’s insistence and collapsed again.
Ashard was a man who didn’t know, or even care, that he was overworking his body.
“You must not.”
“I wasn’t asking for your permission—”
“What do you think the Count would say if he saw you right now? I don’t think he would thank you for coming to find him in this state.”
“…”
“If you don’t want to worry the Count, go get treated first. I won’t just be idle in the meantime.”
Ashard let out a small laugh.
He was reminded of Eren nagging him, asking why he wasn’t getting treated when he was injured.
Eren would truly do that.
“…Alright. I’m counting on you.”
With those words, Ashard lost consciousness.
* * *
