* * *
Thankfully, there was no need to revise the plan.
Zavad’s room had been charred just enough to look serious, and the remaining flames were extinguished before they spread too far.
That was thanks to a seasoned gardener who stepped in while everyone else was frantically fetching bowls of water.
The gardener had connected a long hose to the water he’d stored for the garden and brought it into the castle, coordinating with the servants to put out the fire swiftly.
The physician who had started the fire claimed to remember nothing and resisted, but the guards dragged him off and locked him up in the castle’s underground cells.
Ranshel had asked Gary to monitor him in case he tried to contact the outside, offering a reward.
They had to uncover who was behind the scheme against Zavad.
The palace servants were curious where the infamous second young master would be staying next. They didn’t have to wait long.
An attendant from the capital delivered documents about an entrance exam.
The Duke of Pomel, who received a sealed letter from the royal family through the attendant, wasn’t pleased but still assigned an escort to ensure Zavad’s safe journey to the capital.
Zavad took the gardener who had saved his life along as his personal servant, and the boy who had been his original attendant came along as well.
“Well, so this is how it turned out in the end…”
Ranshel let out a sigh inside the rattling carriage.
Zavad frowned at the sight of him staring sullenly at the floor.
“Still clinging to that place? Was castle food really that good?”
“You make me sound like a gluttonous pig.”
“A piglet, maybe. You’re tiny.”
“I’m taller than you.”
“Only in height. That scarecrow made of straw over there probably has more muscle than you.”
Zavad pointed out the window.
Ranshel followed his gaze with a disinterested glance—then his eyes widened.
The golden wheat fields were rippling like waves.
Everything in sight shimmered with golden light.
The scarecrow Zavad had mentioned stood tall, scaring off birds eyeing the grain.
The scene was so beautiful that Ranshel couldn’t even think of a retort.
That wasn’t just a scarecrow—it was a knight guarding a kingdom of golden fields.
The feeling blooming in his chest couldn’t be suppressed, and he murmured quietly:
“It’s amazing… I want to pluck it and pin it on the carriage.”
“…That thing?”
Zavad seemed completely uninterested in the scenery.
Instead, he gave Ranshel a baffled look, as if he were seeing something truly strange.
Ranshel wasn’t bothered by that kind of gaze anymore.
What unsettled him lay elsewhere.
‘Did Charlotte really leave the Empire…?’
He couldn’t be sure.
But what mattered more was Zavad’s resolve.
The only reason Zavad had been able to endure the abuse was because he believed Charlotte would one day return to the castle—to him.
(TL: Change Sharot to Charlotte)
So until that happened, he wouldn’t destroy the Pomel household.
Because the only home she could return to was Pomel Castle.
Baroness Veliche, who adopted Charlotte for political gain, would never help a daughter who had become a scandal.
Of course, it was questionable whether the Duke would ever allow a runaway wife to return, especially one who left with another man.
‘…But he probably would.’
Why else would Laruca be so intent on erasing all traces of Charlotte?
The Duke was still obsessed with his second wife, the one who was never his to begin with.
He married her knowing she belonged to another man—accepting that much was only natural.
…Yet, even with all those assumptions—
Ranshel opened the quest window with a heavy heart.
[Quest Notification
You are a key figure who provides hardship to the main character Zavad Pomel, triggering his growth. Contribute to his downfall and reach the predetermined ending.
Goal: Sub-character Ranshel’s Ending — The Most Villainous One
Completion Requirement: Contribute 80% or more to the main storyline event Bottomless Swamp
Reward: Return to your previous world in a healthy body]
Nothing had changed since the day he first received the quest.
Ranshel was still fated to die in Zavad’s revenge arc, as the villain.
What that meant was becoming all too clear.
‘Charlotte is never coming back…’
From what Ranshel knew, Zavad’s mother would either die or disappear.
No matter what the path looked like, the destination wouldn’t change.
His mouth tasted bitter.
What could she be doing, leaving behind a son who waited for her with such devotion?
Couldn’t she have stayed in the first place?
Even if love was important…
“……”
He couldn’t hold back the sigh.
Charlotte’s love was no different from the kind Zavad gave to Frey.
The same went for him in the game.
When Zavad fell in love, he became a fool—easily giving up everything he worked so hard to achieve.
Charlotte probably never loved the Emperor or the Duke.
She found her one true love and offered her very soul.
The foolishness of that love must’ve been hereditary.
A truth Ranshel would rather not have discovered.
He clasped his hands tightly and dropped his head, sighing between his knees.
Charlotte’s fate wasn’t something he could change.
What he needed to do now was figure out how to avoid running into Frey at the academy.
‘Can’t we just meet again when we’re all grown up or something…?’
Zavad nudged Ranshel’s foot with the tip of his shoe, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Hey, Ranshel.”
“Yes, sir?”
“What’s your problem?”
“…If you’re suddenly picking a fight, I guess that is the problem, isn’t it?”
“No, I mean—why the long face and sighing? Want to go back to the estate?”
“Uh, not particularly… But if I said yes, would you turn the carriage around?”
“No. You think I’d turn back just for you?”
Zavad sounded utterly baffled, and Ranshel felt a spark of irritation.
“Then why even ask?”
“Just wondering if you wanted to step outside the carriage. Wanna run alongside?”
“…I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“Didn’t say anything about riding. I said run.”
“…This is servant abuse.”
“And who’s the one getting on his master’s nerves after bumming a ride?”
“……”
“If you get it, then keep your mouth shut and don’t even breathe too loud.”
With that, Zavad folded his arms and closed his eyes, making it perfectly clear he didn’t want to be disturbed.
Truthfully, it wasn’t normal for a low-ranking servant to ride in the same carriage as their master.
Ranshel only ended up here because Zavad had seen him struggling to mount a horse and declared that he’d ride with him.
Petro was deeply moved by Zavad’s generosity, but in Ranshel’s view, it was just a show.
Zavad had no other choice but to take him along since he couldn’t ride.
In any case, if Ranshel rubbed him the wrong way, he could be tossed out at any time.
What a filthy class system.
Scowling, Ranshel tapped the floor of the carriage with the sole of his shoe.
“I said no breathing sounds.”
“……”
Seriously, what a sensitive young master.
Ranshel decided he’d better behave before he really got thrown out.
* * *
