Chapter 25: How many must I kill to atone for the sin of hurting her?
Thanks to Cedric’s help, Leonard and I managed to escape the bandits and dashed down the mountain as fast as we could.
We ran endlessly.
Eventually, a lake came into view through the tangled trees.
“We should be safe now.”
Seeing the black carriage parked by the lakeside, we finally stopped running.
We were so exhausted that it was hard to regain our composure.
“Did something happen?”
The startled coachman rushed toward us, full of concern.
Leonard reassured him, saying it was nothing to worry about.
Once we had caught our breath, Leonard asked me a question.
“Who exactly is that person?”
“Who?”
“The magician who unleashed all those spells.”
“Oh!”
He was referring to the one who had held off the bandits.
“I’ve seen many royal magicians, but none as skilled as him. Who is he?”
There was something in Leonard’s gaze, beyond mere curiosity, as he asked.
“Oh, him…”
He’s the man who loves flowers so much that he even sneaked into the Imperial Palace to see them?
Of course, I couldn’t reveal the truth.
“He’s a newly appointed royal magician. We happened to share a similar hobby and became acquainted.”
Leonard let out a faint, incredulous laugh at my explanation.
“To be friends with such a powerful magician… Your Majesty truly is remarkable.”
“I do hear that I’m rather unusual from time to time.”
I chuckled lightly and climbed into the carriage.
But then.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Leonard did not board the carriage.
“I still have some business to attend to here.”
“But… won’t it be dangerous?”
At my question, concerned about his safety, he merely gave me a reassuring smile.
Of course, it wouldn’t be dangerous.
If I hadn’t been captured, there would’ve been no danger for him in the first place.
“The coachman is quite skilled with a blade. Ordinary bandits won’t pose a problem.”
“Now I feel reassured. Please be careful.”
“Don’t worry. Oh, before you leave…”
Leonard gestured to the coachman, who handed him a small box.
“Your Majesty, please accept this.”
Opening the box, I found a small ring.
“This is…?”
“Do you remember the ring I gifted you before, Your Majesty?”
If he meant the ring he had previously given me…
“Oh.”
The ring Fay had lost.
The one that had turned up under my bed.
At the time, I had asked Leonard to have an identical ring made.
Using his gift as an excuse.
This must be what he was referring to.
“I didn’t want to give you a ring identical to the Imperial Consort’s.”
Leonard’s eyes curved beautifully as he explained.
“I wanted to give you something more meaningful.”
“Even so, a ring… That’s quite the significant gift.”
The ring inside the black box was the most ornate I’d ever seen.
Encased in platinum, the deep bluish gemstone shimmered with delicate craftsmanship.
Leonard averted his gaze slightly as he spoke.
“My original intention was to make a request alongside this gift…”
“You’re not going to ask me to be your lover again, are you?”
“…”
So that was it.
“My answer remains the same. I can’t accept this gift.”
As I moved to return the ring, Leonard’s hand was quicker.
Blocking mine, he quickly interjected.
“Please accept it as a token of apology for today’s mistake.”
He was referring to the incident with the bandits.
But that wasn’t his mistake.
He had been caught up in something beyond his control.
What am I supposed to do?
As I hesitated, Leonard’s voice turned earnest.
“Please accept it. It would ease my conscience greatly.”
“…Alright. I’ll accept it without any burden.”
“Thank you.”
Leonard, as always, placed a hand on his chest and bowed politely.
The door closed, and the carriage began to move toward the palace.
***
In the quiet forest.
An old cabin was engulfed in flames.
The flames greedily devoured the cabin filled with the memories of two brothers.
“Heh heh heh, sir.”
The bandit leader, Coleman, rubbed his hands together obsequiously.
Behind him, other bandits stood with their heads bowed, anxiously observing.
The oppressive attitude they had displayed toward Helena and Leonard earlier had completely disappeared.
This was all due to the man wearing the golden mask standing silently before them.
Behind the golden-masked man were two others clad in black masks.
“Well, well, it seems the great master has graced us with his presence today.”
Coleman spoke to the man in the golden mask.
The individuals he had initially received instructions from were the black-masked men.
But now, the golden-masked man had appeared as well.
Judging by the atmosphere, it was clear that the one in the golden mask was the true master.
“Watch your tongue!”
One of the black-masked men shouted.
“This man is not someone you can address so carelessly.”
Coleman hunched his shoulders.
“Oh, my apologies. My ignorance led me to make a grave mistake.”
Coleman awkwardly laughed, stealing glances at the golden-masked man.
“Hehe, my lord. I’ve done exactly as instructed. Now, if you could just settle the payment…”
Suddenly, the golden-masked man looked down at him.
That cold, indifferent gaze made Coleman hastily avert his eyes.
‘What kind of gaze is that…?’
He had met plenty of deranged individuals in his time, but never had he seen such a void-like stare.
It was as if he was being looked at like a mere insect, something not even worth acknowledging.
A chill ran down his spine, making his skin crawl.
Clink.
At that moment, a small pouch fell at Coleman’s feet.
The golden-masked man had tossed it.
Coleman hastily opened the pouch to inspect its contents and cautiously raised his head.
“My lord, the amount is insufficient.”
“You insolent fool…!”
The black-masked man shouted once more, seemingly ready to draw his sword at any moment.
The golden-masked man raised a hand, signaling for calm.
“The agreed-upon amount should be correct.”
The golden-masked man spoke.
“That is true, but…”
Coleman straightened his slouched shoulders.
“The situation has changed somewhat, hasn’t it?”
“Changed?”
“You had only asked us to teach a lesson to the lady and the ruffian.”
“…That’s correct.”
“But no one mentioned that the lady and her companion would be such formidable individuals. Not to mention the magician.”
“…Magician?”
The golden-masked man murmured, seemingly intrigued.
“Thanks to them, several of my men were injured. Doesn’t that mean the payment needs to be recalculated?”
“How many were injured?”
Sensing an opportunity, Coleman elaborated further.
“Whoever they were, they had terrifying skills. In just a brief encounter, six of my men were severely injured. One had his nose crushed, and three others had broken bones.”
Sighing dramatically, Coleman lamented the situation.
“The magician was also terrifying, but luckily, none of my men sustained serious injuries there, so I won’t include that in the calculation this time.”
He made sure to appear as though he was conceding, knowing his place as the subordinate party.
“A crushed nose and broken bones… They should be grateful they survived.”
The golden-masked man’s cold sneer twisted Coleman’s expression.
“Speaking so callously about injured men, are you?”
“……”
“In any case, this incident has caused significant losses, so I’d appreciate it if the payment could be adjusted accordingly.”
“How much do you want?”
Coleman held up one hand, spreading his fingers wide.
“Five gold coins?”
“Are you joking? It should be five times that.”
“Five times…”
The golden-masked man’s gaze shifted from the bandits to the half-burned cabin.
“…Indeed, it seems there was a miscalculation.”
His right hand moved toward his left sleeve.
Coleman smiled with satisfaction.
He resisted the urge to reach out his hand prematurely, afraid the golden-masked man might reconsider and lower the amount.
But instead of producing a pouch of coins, the golden-masked man drew something else.
Swick―!
“Argh!”
With a sharp cry, Coleman collapsed, blood spraying from his chest.
Caught off guard, Coleman had sustained a fatal wound to his torso.
Coleman glared at the golden-masked man.
Or rather, at the blood-stained sword in his hand.
“D-damn it… What’s the meaning of this…?”
“You were correct; the calculation was indeed off.”
“Damn it! We followed your orders exactly! So what’s wrong now?”
“You did everything right. Except…”
The golden-masked man’s eyes turned cold.
“Who gave you permission to harm her?”
“Who? The lady? What harm? All that happened was her wrist got a little scraped!”
“A little scraped?”
The golden-masked man scoffed icily.
That heartless gaze made Coleman shudder as though struck by lightning.
“You’re telling me… That minor injury…”
“Is more than enough to justify killing all of you.”
The golden-masked man’s voice was sharp and final.
“But since you destroyed that,”
He gestured toward the burning cabin with his chin, continuing,
“I’ll at least commend you for that.”
Coleman, trembling at the low laughter escaping from behind the mask, spat defiantly.
“Damn it… You’re insane! Fine! Kill me then!”
At Coleman’s shout, the bandits rushed forward all at once.
Amid the bloodthirsty chaos, the golden-masked man remained unfazed.
He smirked coldly.
“How many do I need to kill to atone for the sin of harming her?”
—
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