* * *
But Ranshel didn’t spare a glance in that direction.
His gaze remained coldly locked on Zavad.
His goal had never been there to begin with.
“If you help me, I can help you just as much. Isn’t that fair?”
Zavad pressed on, face tense with anxiety, but Ranshel didn’t respond.
Zavad’s eyes darted frantically, searching for the right answer.
And then—he spoke the worst possible one.
“Think carefully.”
“……”
“It’s for your precious little sister, isn’t it…?”
‘Ha…’
Ranshel let out a long breath.
Then, with an icy glare, he stared Zavad down.
“…Young master, I don’t know what kind of delusion you’re under.”
Zavad flinched at the weight of Ranshel’s lowered voice.
“But you have no value to me whatsoever.”
Ranshel reached out with both hands—and grabbed Zavad by the collar in one swift motion.
Zavad, caught off guard, was yanked forward.
“Wha—!”
In terms of raw strength, Zavad may have been stronger.
But he couldn’t shake off Ranshel’s grip.
Ranshel had skill to compensate for his lack of strength.
Zavad, still just a boy, couldn’t compete.
Ranshel tightly twisted the fabric of Zavad’s shirt in both fists and pulled it upward with force.
He knew exactly where to press on the neck and collarbone to render someone powerless.
Zavad, startled and breathless, couldn’t fight back properly.
All he could do was claw at Ranshel’s arms with trembling fingers.
“Those items you say are so valuable… They lost their meaning the moment you became the owner.”
“Khk… What…”
“Who in this castle doesn’t know I’m your personal servant? Do you seriously think I could sell something that expensive without a middleman? By the time someone from the castle acts as an intermediary, they’ll already have figured out where the goods came from. No one’s going to risk buying that. You know why?”
Their eyes clashed fiercely.
Ranshel delivered each word like a nail driven straight into Zavad’s ears.
“Because who the hell would pay top coin for something tainted by a cursed noble like you? Huh?”
“……”
“You still don’t understand your place? Do you really not realize that everyone in this manor finds you unpleasant? No matter how expensive something is, no one wants even the hem of their clothes touching anything that belongs to you! Why don’t you get it!”
Thud!
Ranshel shoved Zavad’s collar away roughly.
Zavad stumbled back, barely catching himself against the wall.
“No. You knew, didn’t you? You said it anyway. Why? Why did you do that?”
Ranshel gritted his teeth.
His head was spinning.
He needed to think.
What had he missed?
“Why would he throw away such a precious book from his mother? Why push it off onto me to take it?”
Only now did Ranshel realize that the seemingly innocent boy before him wasn’t as naïve as he looked.
That meant he had to reevaluate the moments he’d brushed off before.
His mind, which had been chasing countless possibilities, finally locked onto a single certainty.
He spat the words out, as if poisoned by them.
“Right. You were testing me—to see if I’d actually take the book. You wanted to know whether I judged your things to be valuable. You were sure I’d never take it if I knew what it was. That’s why you asked me for help. Because you figured I’d bite the bait.”
‘That conniving little brat.’
He’d been weighing him all this time, probing him, waiting for the right moment.
Wondering how best to use the soft-hearted, gullible servant.
‘…Hold it in. Getting angry won’t get you anything.’
What he needed wasn’t empty venting, but hard, undeniable results.
Numbers he could see. Ranshel glared at Zavad, trying to steady his ragged breathing, and finally spoke in a calmer tone.
“…There’s nothing you own in this manor, young master. And obviously, that means you have nothing to offer me either. So what’s the point of negotiating?”
Zavad stood with his head bowed low.
The hand resting on the wall curled into a tight fist.
“Oh, you’re curious about what I did with the book, aren’t you?”
Zavad’s head snapped up.
Ranshel nonchalantly dusted off the hand that had grabbed Zavad’s collar, as if ridding it of filth, and said coolly:
“I just threw it away. I thought I might sell it for some cash, but when they heard it was yours, everyone told me to get rid of it fast.”
“……”
“That’s how I figured it out. Otherwise, how could someone like me possibly catch on to your intentions? Someone uneducated and worthless like me.”
Zavad stared hard at Ranshel’s face, as if trying to pick apart the truth from lies.
But he wouldn’t be able to read anything there.
Ranshel wasn’t someone who stumbled over lies.
Until now, he’d simply pitied the young, helpless boy in front of him.
But no more.
He needed to stay sharp.
If it’s for something precious, he can do anything.
In Ranshel’s life, that was just a given.
Zavad seemed to finally accept that he couldn’t convince Ranshel.
His voice sounded resigned.
“…The bookmark?”
“…What?”
“There must’ve been one. Inside the book. I don’t care about the book anymore, but just that…”
Snrk.
Ranshel covered his mouth with the back of his hand like he was stifling a laugh.
The gesture was perfectly visible in Zavad’s eyes.
“Why would I have opened a book I was going to throw out anyway? If it was so precious, you shouldn’t have thrown it to me in the first place. What are you even saying now? Did you really think I’d be keeping it safe and sound?”
Zavad moved his lips a few times, then fell silent. His face looked… defeated.
[Contribution Score Changed.]
[Event Contribution]
[The Most Villainous One = 1% → 3%]
Yeah, this is more like it.
Ranshel crossed his arms and chuckled.
“Shouldn’t you be calling me stupid or something? But of course, you’re a noble young master—no sense, no foresight.”
“…Shut up.”
“That’s my line. Don’t piss me off. Just keep your mouth shut.”
“I said shut up!”
Zavad hurled the teacup from the table. Ranshel caught it mid-air.
“Throwing things again, even though you know who’ll have to clean it up. Are you kidding me?”
“What’s it to you?!”
Crash!
Clatter!
Zavad swept everything off the table with the edge of his hand.
The teapot, the sugar jar, and all the rest clattered to the floor, shattering into chaos.
“Just clean it up already! That’s your job, isn’t it? Isn’t that what filthy commoners like you do!?”
“Oh, sure. Of course. And now I know what your job is too, young master.”
Sitting in that room, locked away, with nothing to do—this was his only entertainment, wasn’t it?
Ranshel laughed.
Zavad bit his lip, fists clenched tight.
“Right. That thing you wanted help with—what was it exactly? Let’s hear it.”
“…Forget it. I must’ve lost my mind to think I could ask someone like you for help.”
“And what now? Going to ask someone else?”
“I’ll handle it myself. If you say one more word, I swear, I’ll kill you.”
‘Please hurry up and grow up enough to actually do it.’
Ranshel let out a snort and walked over to the cabinet, pulling out a broom and dustpan.
* * *
Dont hurt each other… :-(((