Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Red Star (11)
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I didn't miss the trembling at the tips of Carmel's fingers.
His legs were faintly shaking, and the center of gravity on them was shifting little by little.
Though he spoke with overflowing confidence, in reality, he seemed to be calculating escape routes over and over.
"Really, can you stab it?"
In my view, Carmel had an opportunistic nature.
He kept a foot in both camps, ready to switch the moment one side collapsed.
Probably the current situation was no different.
For Carmel, death was something to avoid at all costs.
He was struggling just to avoid dying right now—how could he possibly choose suicide?
"R-Really. I can stab it."
Carmel brought the blade up above his wrist as if he would thrust it in at any moment.
"If I get caught by you, whether I die like this or like that, it's the same, isn't it? If I'm tortured, like that bitch, every hole will leak whatever fluids there are. Better to commit suicide than die without dignity."
"...Why are there so many suicide threats?"
Carmel's eyes gleamed subtly at my words.
As if he had gleaned some evidence from what I just said.
For some reason, having instantly gained a certain conviction, Carmel steadied his trembling body and spoke again.
"If you don't need the documents, feel free to kill me. I don't think you'd believe you haven't found all the evidence anyway."
I took a step closer to Carmel as he continued.
He flinched but forcibly composed his expression.
His lips were still curved in a smile.
"But if that's not the case, it'll take quite a long time to gather all the evidence."
He handed over justification and initiative to my side.
Then, like a salesman, he persuaded and guided choices through conversation.
Saving the opponent's mood and face while lowering his own status to avoid being seen as a threat.
The foundation of this tightrope walk was Carmel's absolute trust and confidence.
The bastard was a born gambler.
'Do the documents really exist?'
Carmel had provided a believable trigger by personally killing Eryl from Red Star.
Probably, the documents truly existed, and it was also true that he planned to hand them over.
But whether those provided documents were distorted again was another matter entirely.
"If you're thinking of deceiving me, you'll end up like that woman earlier."
Carmel flinched at my words, shoulders jerking as he sealed his lips.
After a brief silence, he continued in a subdued voice.
"You want to win this fight too. It's not something that ends with a single piece of evidence."
I peered into Carmel's eyes again.
"Tell me. What's the condition?"
"Nothing at all. Just remember that I'm the one providing the evidence, and I'll be grateful."
Carmel continued with a faint smile.
"What I'm handing over is something Red Star originally ordered disposed of. It's the fruit of my efforts to oust those bastards who started wielding massive influence in the family through the second son."
"Location?"
Carmel took a sheet of paper from a servant waiting nearby.
The paper he offered me was covered in cipher text.
"These are the coordinates."
"You joking?"
"...A security measure."
Carmel slowly drew in a breath.
"I encoded the hidden location, then used drugs and spells to erase my own memory of it."
"That's insane."
"I had to go that far to fool that bitch. Otherwise, I'd have been exposed and purged. Above all, I didn't want to be tortured. And right now, that's my only insurance."
"Then the cipher?"
"Combining my memory with this paper completes it. Literally, only I know it—only I can decipher it."
In those words, I sensed a duality of hypocrisy and sincerity layered together.
He wanted to cooperate.
No—he knew he had to at least pretend to cooperate to survive.
I stared at the paper and asked again.
"What if there's no document when I get there?"
Carmel replied with confident conviction.
"That won't happen. No one knows the location but me."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I arrived at an underground abandoned warehouse beneath a desolate farm on the outskirts of Luos Territory.
Following Carmel's guidance, I opened the hidden door under an old millstone and descended.
The stench of mold and dust.
The lock was broken, and signs of entry were sloppily concealed.
Traces of a hasty visit.
As if they'd noticed our presence mid-task and retreated.
"...Someone's been here."
Carmel responded in a fluster.
"What? What do you mean? I'm the only one who knows this place! R-Really! Why would I try to trick you if I'm trying to live?!"
Without replying, I drew my spear.
Glancing at the horrified Carmel backing away, I strode inside.
The underground room had been tidied up.
An empty box sat open on the underground desk.
The area that once held old debris was swept clean of dust, leaving only footprints.
Realizing what had happened, Carmel broke into a cold sweat.
His eyes darted around, trying to piece together how this could be.
I thoroughly searched the underground room, checking for any traps.
No killing intent from outside, either.
Not an ambush.
'Carmel really did intend to hand over the documents, probably.'
If this were a trap, there'd be no point dragging me to an empty location.
So the question was who had taken the documents meant to be here.
I turned to Carmel, sunk in confusion and terror.
"That paper. Can you crack the cipher with just that?"
Carmel clamped his mouth shut for a moment.
When he finally spoke again, some time had passed.
"It's not impossible..."
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Carmel snapped his head up.
"...Before coming here, did you meet a butler named Reban?"
I gave no answer.
Carmel pressed on, as if even that silence was anticipated.
His words weren't really for me.
They were a tool to convince himself and grasp the situation.
"The fact they could open the underground door, and that family intel leaked—"
At that instant, someone descended into the basement.
"Pfft. No need to overcomplicate it. Just monitor big brother's every move. If you don't know the hiding spot, check every suspicious place. And combine the ciphers? Big brother's code becomes easier than a crossword puzzle."
Carmel gnashed his teeth upon recognizing the woman descending the stairs.
"Ellen...!!"
I slowly regarded her, my grip loose on my spear.
A blonde woman of bewitching allure.
Heavily armed family knights lined up around her.
Was this Ellen Luos, the one Reban had mentioned?
Even as I kept my eyes on Ellen, my mind raced.
I recalled Reban's gaze and words from when he'd handed over the seal.
-If the young lady is truly qualified, she won't miss the chance to turn the tables.
'If Reban was Ellen's man, it explains how he knew recent family matters despite having left.'
Carmel lost it upon seeing the documents in Ellen's hand.
"Ellen, Ellen...!!! You damned bitch!! You know nothing about this situation! That's not something you get to hold!"
Ellen covered her mouth and laughed.
"Such harsh words."
I directed a question at Carmel.
"Is that the real document you hid?"
"......Yes. I don't know what scheme she pulled, but it looks like it's ended up in Ellen's hands."
Carmel spoke to me almost eagerly.
His eyes gleamed dangerously, a toxic mix of rage, goodwill, and murderous intent.
"No need to overthink it. Just kill that bitch quick and take it."
A blonde head rolled down the stairs.
The severed head came to rest at Carmel's feet.
"Th-This is Yurik's...!!"
Yurik was Duke Luos's second son.
Ellen licked her lips as she observed Carmel's reaction.
"Ah, big brother. Poor, foolish big brother."
The next moment, all expression drained from Ellen's face.
"This time, it's big brother's turn."
From Ellen's words, I pieced together the situation.
While conflict erupted between Red Star and me.
Ellen had purged her younger brother, cracked the cipher ahead of time, and seized the documents preemptively.
The ex-butler handing me the duplicate seal was part of the plan, too.
I blocked the knights advancing on Carmel.
Carmel's face lit up, only to crumple in despair at my next words.
"Purge him or whatever—just hand over the documents first."
Ellen, switching expressions on a dime, replied with an innocent smile.
"Ah, of course. That was the finale, after all."
Ellen handed me the documents.
I accepted them, then returned to Carmel's side.
I whispered just loud enough for him alone to hear.
"Verify if the documents are real. I'll kill Ellen and save you."
Carmel's expression brightened.
Of course, I had no intention of saving Carmel.