Chapter 26. Clearing the past. (6)
Clink!
The wine glass slipped from Hector’s hand and fell to the floor, shattering.
“Hector?!”
Cain looked at Hector in surprise.
“What happened,”
Phew!
Dark red blood came out of Hector’s mouth.
thud!
Hector fell on the table, clutching his neck.
“Hector!”
Cain kicked off his chair and stood up.
“Ugh, wow… … .”
Hector collapsed on the table and could not move. She just screamed in pain and writhed.
Every time he exhaled, blood came out of his nose and mouth. The white tablecloth turned red in an instant.
“What on earth is this?”
Cain hurriedly picked up Hector’s body and hugged him.
“Kuh, big.”
Hector tried to make his voice sound somehow. But her entire throat seemed to have been cooked and she could not make any sound.
Instead, blood flowed down the front lip, forming a river of blood.
“Cruk, croak.”
A pain that was more severe than the pain I once felt when I was hit by Cadenza’s flame, as if I was tearing off raw flesh.
“Hector, Hector!”
In his flickering vision, Hector saw Cain crying and hugging him.
and,
“… … .”
He made eye contact with Carlo, who was staring at him next to him.
“-!”
Hector’s eyes widened.
Carlo was not at all surprised by this sudden and shocking situation.
Rather, he was calmly and meticulously observing Hector’s changes.
As if he had anticipated this situation, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
‘… … no way.’
Only then did Hector realize.
The last cup handed to me by the lord I had served my entire life contained a fatal poison.
‘Ka, Carlo… … !’
Hector was so angry that all his hair stood on end, but he couldn’t let it out.
“K-keuk!”
All he can do is grab Cain’s forearm with trembling hands.
“Hector! Wake!”
Cain repeatedly called Hector’s name with a pale face.
“People, people.”
He started shouting outside the restaurant.
“Is there anyone out there? “Bring a doctor right now!”
At Cain’s urgent cry, the restaurant door was quickly opened. The butler and servants appeared between them and rushed in.
“What’s going on!”
“Hector… … !”
The moment Cain was about to answer,
Tuk.
Hector’s hand that was holding Cain’s forearm fell away.
“… … Hector?”
Cain felt it and turned his head. And then he found Hector motionless.
“Hector?”
Even though he called out loud, Hector’s closed eyes did not move.
“Ahhh.”
It seemed like time stopped for a moment. The sight of Hector not breathing was clearly visible.
“Oh, no.”
Even if I blinked repeatedly, the unrealistic scene before my eyes remained the same.
That moment,
“… … ah.”
An unfamiliar sense of relief came over Cain.
The joy of no longer having to see Hector’s burned face. A sense of relief, free from the guilt that was weighing him down.
All of that poured down in ecstasy from the top of my head. At the same time, I felt the corner of my mouth twist up.
“-!”
Cain was so startled that he froze in place.
‘… … ‘Am I laughing now?’
People began to flock around him as he stood blankly.
“Are you still a member of the National Assembly? Hurry!”
——————
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“Deacon, here’s a towel… … .”
There was another person smiling faintly in the noisy atmosphere.
“… … .”
It was Carlo, whose eyes were blood-red, but not hot, and had heartless eyes.
* * *
Hector’s funeral ended amid everyone’s tears and grief. It progressed quickly, as if it had been prepared in advance.
And a few days later, Carlo quietly summoned Cain to his study. The story he told with a miserable face was extremely shocking.
“yes?”
Cain looked at Carlo with a haggard look.
“Benifer… … Lord Est Contadina?”
“We’ve already gotten the chef’s confession.”
Carlo answered in a serious tone.
“They say it was instigated by Bennifer’s associates. “Please add the poison you prepared when we eat.”
“Who the hell is one of the chefs!”
Cain frowned as if he couldn’t understand.
“Haven’t you all been working at the castle for a long time? “It makes no sense that one of them betrayed!”
“They said he was suffering from debt. “They must have rolled their eyes when they said they would write it off.”
thud!
“Why?”
Cain couldn’t help but hit the table with his fist.
“Why would Lord Bennifer do such a thing? Why all of a sudden!”
“Didn’t I tell you before? All she had in mind was giving her empire to him.”
Carlo clicked his tongue with a bitter expression on his face.
“You must have felt threatened because you became the owner of Cadenza. “It was an attempt to prevent the Ardante family from growing too much.”
“Just like that!”
Cain’s face distorted.
“Is that why you use such a dangerous method?”
“Bennifer is a person who will do anything to achieve her goals.”
Carlo declared in a calm tone.
“There were rumors that the reason she took over the Contadina family was because she poisoned my husband.”
“… … .”
“I already had blood on my hands once, so the second time would have been easier.”
Cain clenched his fists and remained silent. Her anger flowed like waves over her distorted face.
“Benifer… … .”
Cain’s pronunciation was muffled, as if he had placed a curse. He was truly angry now.
Paat-
In response to his emotions, the pattern on the back of his hand glowed more clearly.
Cadenza was very pleased with her master’s fierce anger. Because the sword of summer burns with its owner’s emotions as fuel.
“… … .”
A smile crossed Carlo’s lips as he glanced at the back of Cain’s hand, but he naturally hid it with his clasped hands.
“… … “I can never forgive you.”
Cain muttered as if chewing. His eyes boiled with hatred toward Bennifer.
“Benifer will definitely have to pay for this. “The price for daring to mess with the Ardante family.”
“If that’s what you think…” … .”
Carlo accepted Cain’s words slowly, but it was a thoroughly calculated move.
“… … “I guess I should declare a territory war.”
Words with enormous weight came out of Carlo’s mouth.
Those were words he had prepared for a long time and desperately wanted to say out loud.
“Yeongjijeon.”
Cain nodded as if he understood everything.
“The justification is sufficient.”
“Yes. “We just declare and advance.”
“Wouldn’t His Majesty the Emperor intervene?”
Carlo laughed out loud at Cain’s question.
“What about matters between families? “This is just revenge of the Ardante family for preempting the Contadina family.”
“… … .”
“Even if you are the emperor, you cannot intervene in the battle of Lingzhi. Of course, you can express your displeasure and urge them to stop.”
Carlo finished in a confident tone.
“But that’s just it. “We will have to pay for Hector’s blood.”
“Yes, father.”
Cain nodded heavily. With a confident face without any hesitation or guilt.
Carlo looked at Cain and secretly smiled happily.
‘Hector, you have really done a great job.’
In fact, he did not ask the temple to heal Hector. This is because if Hector’s burns recover, the integrity of the cadenza will be damaged.
The proposition that ‘the wounds of a cadenza can never be healed’ had to be strictly adhered to.
Only then will people kneel before the power of Cadenza and fear and worship Cain. Like dealing with God.
Before doing so, Cain needed to erase the guilt he felt toward Hector.
A truly useless feeling of guilt.
‘You’re stupid. ‘How dare you stand in my son’s way?’
So Carlo used the card called Hector to good effect. To erase Cain’s guilt and at the same time establish a milestone.
This is the milestone of the territory war with the Contadina family.
If they win this territory war, the Ardante family will take control of not only the southern part of the empire, but also the vast territory in the eastern part.
There was no family in the empire with this much power. Even the emperor would have to humble himself in front of the Ardante family.
“Hehe… … .”
Carlo swallowed a low laugh into his mouth.
Everything was going very smoothly.
‘First of all, it would be a good idea to go east and clear out the bandits around the capital.’
It was a good opportunity to justify Cain’s actions. At the same time, we can clean up the shady back part of the Mare Guild.
“Heh… … .”
Carlo had no doubt about it.
Only a future as brilliant as a flame awaits Cain, who holds the cadenza.
A future where everyone in the empire bows their heads, and Cain, wearing the emperor’s crown, stands proudly before him.
* * *
A few weeks later, the gateway to Obest territory.
“Hitch!”
The guard sniffed and pinched the snot that was sticking out.
“Oh, that. “The weather is really cold.”
They were waiting for someone.
“When will Vice-Captain Konrad come?”
“I heard it will arrive sometime today. So, you need to prepare well.”
The guards’ eyes gradually became fainter, as if they were searching a distant place.
“Vice-captain, this time… … .”
“Yes, definitely him…” … .”
A deep sense of camaraderie blossomed between them.
Because of him, Abel Kindreal, the lord’s son.
Last fall, the Obest estate was in an uproar because of Abel.
He disappeared like smoke from the estate without a word.
“Even if I think about it again, I still don’t understand. “It means you haven’t really passed the gateway.”
“Why doesn’t anyone believe us?”
The guards felt extremely unfair. In particular, Jonas, who followed behind, was really annoyed at the stir-fry.
For some reason, Jonas came back with a black and bruised face. He hung his butler Philip with a dying face next to him.
“No, then you couldn’t find Master Abel?”
“Where on earth did it evaporate?”
The guards couldn’t understand what was happening.
In any case, Abel’s absence brought them peace. This is because the number of people coming to the territory to follow Abel has decreased.
“But this time, Vice-Captain Konrad took the initiative himself.”
“After successfully completing the northern subjugation war, Master Abel will come to visit you.”
The Ovest territory in the westernmost part of the empire was always late with the rumors.
Therefore, most people only heard the news that the northern subjugation war was won. And I had no doubt that Conrad would be at the forefront.
The guards looked into the distance with pounding hearts.
“Huh?! see!”
Then one person noticed a cloud of dust rising in the distance. I saw knights wearing silver armor and a flag with the image of a wolf clearly drawn on it.
“The Ovest Knights are back!”
“Vice-Captain Konrad is returning!”
All guards tidied up their clothes and straightened their postures. The guard captain, who had finished preparing, shouted loudly.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
The Ovest Knights were approaching this way with great stoicism. The guards stood up straight and turned their eyes towards him.
Meanwhile,
“… … “Huh?”
“… … “Huh?”
Stupid sounds came out of the mouths of some sharp-eyed guards.
“Who is it? “Who made the sound?”
The guard captain furrowed his brow and glared at him.
“Vice-Captain Conrad is coming now, are you going to look like this, huh?!”
Despite the guard captain’s grim gaze,
“No, that. Captain… … .”
The guard raised a trembling finger.
“Stand in the lead… … .”
“What in the lead!”
The guard captain looked at the fingertips with irritation,
“… … omg!”
I opened my mouth wide.
Clear water-colored hair, and radiant facial features beneath it. The blue-violet eyes were drowsily curved.
“Howdy.”
Abel Kindreal.
The most troublemaker and troublemaker of the Obest territory, he was leading the way, waving a luxurious fur cape.
Even when viewed from a distance, the quality of the fabric and the value of the things worn on the body were outstanding. He had a dignified appearance that could be trusted even as a prince of an empire.
“Uh, why?”
The guard captain was so embarrassed that he even stuttered. And he belatedly discovered Vice-Captain Conrad following Abel.
“No, vice-captain, why… … . “Uh, huh?”
Then I noticed unfamiliar faces standing behind me again.
“Hmm.”
A beautiful platinum-blond girl with an expressionless face,
“Hehehe.”
Even an old man smiling while stroking his long beard.
“What the hell is this… … . “Well, what happened?”
Step by step.
Abel approached the bewildered guard captain.
“What are you doing? You’re not opening the door.”
It was a splendid return of the prodigal son who had run away from home.
fantasy,
