Chapter 236 Part 2: The Response She Hoped For
“So… are you going back to his manor?”
“Yes. If you try to stop me again, I’ll report your behavior to His Highness.”
“Ah! I wouldn’t dare!”
The moment Evelia said that, Grey Dove immediately backed off.
After all, Red Crow had always been someone who meant what she said. Grey Dove believed that if Evelia said she would do something, she absolutely would. She never even questioned if there was any exaggeration or bluff in Evelia’s words. She simply bowed her head and admitted she was wrong.
But even if Grey Dove didn’t believe her, it wouldn’t matter. Evelia could easily report the matter to the Second Prince. Compared to Grey Dove, a well-known eccentric, the Second Prince would definitely put more trust in the loyal Red Crow who had been by his side for years.
“…It’s getting late. Looks like I’ll have to leave tomorrow. Grey Dove, don’t stop me again tomorrow.”
Evelia looked at the setting sun and gave her final warning.
Originally, she had planned to leave with Rachel today. But to avoid raising too much suspicion, Rachel had suggested Evelia accept Grey Dove’s invitation. Who would have thought the “short visit” would end up lasting the whole day?
Grey Dove wanted Evelia to stay, but all throughout the day, Evelia’s thoughts were focused only on Armand.
She didn’t really have any strong feelings toward Grey Dove. Not close, not hostile. So, during the entire walk, they barely spoke. Grey Dove just talked about herself, about the people of the House of Nightingales, her “family” and “home.” Evelia, however, wasn’t really listening. Even if she heard the words, none of it stayed in her mind.
Evelia had always been a lone wolf. That kind of team-and-family talk didn’t interest her.
It was a pity that she couldn’t leave with Rachel today, but at least… tomorrow, they definitely would.
Grey Dove looked sadly at the back of her idol. After all these years, she had finally found her again, only for them to part so soon.
Even though she now knew Evelia’s current identity, Grey Dove also knew very well that Evelia had a mission to complete. She absolutely could not casually approach or delay her.
As someone from the House of Nightingales herself, Grey Dove understood clearly the kinds of punishments the Second Prince could give. She didn’t want to experience any of that, so she never broke the rules.
Still… she wished Red Crow would return “home” soon, return to where she truly belonged.
If she couldn’t interfere with the mission… then she would simply help it finish faster.
Grey Dove thought to herself, since this was the Second Prince’s mission, then it was probably to take the life of that Royal Knight Captain.
After all, most of the top assassins in the organization already knew the Second Prince wanted to replace the upper ranks of the Royal Knights with his own people. And everyone also knew that killing the Knight Captain wouldn’t be easy.
So naturally, Grey Dove figured out that Evelia’s job must be to get close to the captain… and find a way to kill him.
…Hmm…
She followed quietly behind Evelia, thinking through all the pieces in her mind.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Armand was heading north, following the directions given by Viscount Scassia.
Although the Viscount made it sound easy, the journey north was far from simple.
Armand had only arrived at Viscount Scassia’s place just as the sun was setting. By the time he finished everything and left, it was already getting dark. At first, the light of the fire helped him see, but with the shorter autumn days, the sun quickly disappeared, and darkness took over.
Though it wasn’t completely nighttime yet, the daylight was already gone. The cold autumn wind cut through like knives.
If Armand had been in good health, he might have handled it fine. But now, with the poison in his body flaring up from stress and anger, the effects couldn’t be held back anymore.
In the silence of the night, only the sound of his coughing could be heard along the road. Even the horse stopped, startled by his harsh coughs.
“…It’s nothing serious.” Armand patted the horse, spit out the blood stuck in his throat, and whispered, “Just keep going. I can still handle this.”
The always-smiling Mr. Armand that Evelia had in her mind… could no longer smile.
Maybe it was because he had just left his old family home, but his spirit was in even worse shape than when he first left the capital.
Since he was a child, his parents had taught him to be a kind and gentle knight. He always remembered the knight’s code of justice and treated it as his life’s belief.
Though there was a time when he had done many things that went against that justice, he had been working ever since to make up for it, to atone for his past.
He believed he had done enough. Even without pressure from others, he was determined to carry on his parents’ wishes and become a true knight from the bottom of his heart.
But the punishments never stopped coming. One after another, like they were fated. It was as if his life, his destiny, was never meant to be peaceful.
He once thought of Evelia as a way to make up for a past regret. Once he saw that Evelia was still someone who could find her way back, he decided to help her, to make up for his past mistake.
Maybe Evelia saw his help as a kind of “saving.” But the truth was… Armand was trying to save himself.
As long as Evelia could walk out of that darkness…
As long as she could come to understand this flawed but somewhat beautiful world…
That was enough. As long as she could live on, that was enough.
To Armand, Evelia’s existence was a way to redeem himself.
If she smiled, he felt happy.
If she was sad, he felt hurt.
It looked like Armand was the one guiding Evelia with his emotions. But in reality, it was Evelia’s emotions that were quietly leading Armand.
If all of Evelia’s current behavior was just an act. If in the end, she chose to follow the Second Prince instead…
Then the mission the Second Prince had given her, she really would have completed it perfectly.
Armand didn’t believe in gods. But even so, he had once gone, in disguise, to a church’s small, dark confessional room. Just like how he had stood earlier in front of his parents’ portraits. He didn’t go there to pray, but simply because he needed a place to let his feelings out.
“—I know I’ve sinned. I’ve always been trying to make up for it. But sometimes… it just feels like this hopelessness is swallowing me whole.”
That’s what he had said while sitting in that confessional. He knew the nun behind the screen could only hear, not see him, so he spoke in a flat voice with no emotion.
But under that voice, he was curled up, holding his face in his hands, his face pale as snow.
He wanted to do too much. He wanted to save too many people, but he couldn’t always save everyone.
Every day, he smiled from the heart.
Every day, he treated everyone around him kindly.
Every time, he tried to solve their problems, always thinking, “Did what I did help them, from their point of view?”
He was always living for other people, and the pressure on him was far greater than most could imagine.
He often said, “Once I retire, I’ll live a quiet life, plant flowers and vegetables somewhere far away.”
But deep down, even he knew… he probably wouldn’t make it that far.
“……”
He never spoke those words again after that confession.
He tried hard to “let it go.” He even told himself he would forgive himself one day.
But the pressure always came back. It would always return to crush the poor fool who only knew how to smile.
“Cough… cough…!”
He needed a way to let it out. That visit to Viscount Scassia wasn’t enough.
Maybe right now, Armand should just go crazy, rush into the royal city with his sword and cut down everyone in his path, then stand in front of the Second Prince and curse him to his face.
But that would be unwise. He still had things he needed to do. If he charged in recklessly, then everything he had endured and held back for the past ten years would be for nothing.
Armand wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, swaying as he sat on his horse.
Did Evelia… really die just like that?
As expected… this really isn’t working…
Having to go through the same kind of thing a second time, it was like a scabbed wound being torn open again. The pain ran deep.
Armand lowered his head. He no longer had that fire in his eyes like before.
“Cough…”
He shook his head hard to stay awake, then took a deep breath of the cold night air. The icy chill went straight to his core and helped clear his foggy mind a little. He didn’t want to collapse on the road and become food for wild beasts in the mountains.
His eyes widened as he tried to make out the path ahead in the darkness. If only there were some light. But sadly, he couldn’t risk showing even a bit of brightness right now.
He could only rely on the dim moonlight to see where he was going, struggling to think clearly as he moved under the shadows of the trees.
He needed to find them quickly… and hopefully, ask about Rachel’s whereabouts.
But if they were all death-loyal soldiers from the House of Nightingales…
Then it might be impossible to get anything out of them.
Viscount Scassia had mentioned the name "Red Crow" earlier. Although what he said while he was in the Knight Order might not have been accurate, if this matter was related to the House of Nightingales, then Red Crow was probably involved.
…If they ran into each other again, it would be a tough fight.
Armand knew his current condition made it hard to move around in heavy armor. If he encountered Red Crow, it would be even more troublesome.
But Red Crow was always moving, hard to track. If this was a chance to meet him again, then Armand had to get the truth, no matter what.
“…Haaah…”
Armand let out a frustrated sigh as these thoughts filled his mind.
If it really came down to it… he might need to take the medicine.
But not the kind meant for healing injuries, he meant poison.
That special medicine could force his body to perform at its best for a short time. But it came with a heavy price, strong toxins that would leave him suffering even more afterward.
Even the royal doctor who gave it to him had warned him, “Only use it if there’s absolutely no other choice.”
Still… if he had to—
“—Hmph.”
Just as Armand was struggling with whether to take the vial, his horse let out a heavy snort. Armand immediately became alert and looked ahead.
There, hidden in the darkness, was a gray building.
Maybe because he was so used to noble manors, this house looked extremely shabby to him, more like a temporary base than a place where people actually lived.
He got off the horse and made a “shhh” gesture, pointing to a hidden path and silently telling the horse to find a more secluded hiding spot farther away. It was a path barely noticeable in the dark.
The well-trained horse didn’t hesitate at all. It quietly obeyed and walked off with soft steps.
This time, unlike when he visited the old house, Armand didn’t walk in openly. He put on his cloak. Although he didn’t wear heavy armor because of his injuries and need to move quickly, he still strapped on a light chest plate for protection.
He carefully circled around the house. It was strangely quiet inside. Even when he deliberately made some noise with his footsteps, not a single sound came from within.
Did he arrive too late? Had they already left this place?
Thinking this, Armand felt annoyed with himself for being delayed on the road.
But in truth, Evelia and Grey Dove simply hadn’t come back yet. This place was quite far from the royal capital, so even when they were still on their way, it would take some time to arrive. Plus, with the sun setting so early now, night had already fallen while they were still on the road.
Armand didn’t know this. He was still carefully checking the house to see if anyone was inside. After all, the people from the House of Nightingales were known for their tricks, he couldn’t just go in the usual way.
But since there hadn’t been any sounds from inside for a while, Armand decided to stop testing. Losing his patience, he walked up to the front door, slashed the lock with one strike, and then threw a few glowing crystal stones inside for light.
He waited at the door for a few seconds, staying alert. When he noticed nothing strange, he confirmed the house was empty.
Even so, he didn’t let his guard down. After all, the House of Nightingales could have set traps inside. So he walked in carefully, using the glowing stones to look around the interior.
To his surprise, the house was clean and tidy. It was clearly a place someone lived in regularly. The furniture was neatly arranged, and the dishes in the living room had been washed and placed perfectly on the table. It looked like someone trained had arranged them.
In fact, this kind of table setup was just like in wealthy homes, like his own manor. But it was a bit too perfect, no personal touch at all.
Even though it followed the official guidelines for how things should be placed. Each plate, bowl, knife, and fork set exactly the same way. It just felt too cold and lifeless.
Who would seriously place every dish and utensil so neatly like that at home? This wasn’t a restaurant.
It looked like something a strict old lady, who only cared about rules, had done. Something done just to pass inspection.
While thinking that, Armand noticed out of the corner of his eye a bottle of tomato ketchup on the table.
Because Evelia never cared about brand or flavor and would eat any kind of ketchup, that bottle was clearly one she had used before. It was placed naturally among other condiments, so it didn’t stand out too much.
Armand didn’t think too much about it. But seeing it reminded him of her, and he couldn't help but feel a bit down.
“……”
His thoughts drifted for a moment. He pulled his gaze away, but maybe because of that ketchup bottle, his mouth felt a little sour. Even his stomach felt uncomfortable. On top of that, after rushing for two days only to find no one here, his mood soured even more.
He took out a few more light crystals and tossed them around the house. Since it was empty, he wanted to make sure there weren’t any hidden secrets. He even threw some crystals into hidden spots to light them up.
Clink—clatter.
Just as he threw a crystal into one of the bedrooms, it seemed to hit something metal. Then came the sound of chains rubbing against each other. That immediately caught Armand’s attention.
He quickly walked toward the source of the noise, heading to where the light had fallen.
“—?!”
When he saw what the light had revealed, his heart trembled.
“...Rachel?!”
In that dark corner, the one lying there was Rachel.
And at that same moment, Evelia and Grey Dove finally arrived back.
From a distance, they saw the glowing lights inside the house. Evelia, more worried about Rachel than Grey Dove was, reacted first.
She quickly threw on her red cloak, the one belonging to the Red Crow, and rushed toward the house.