“This time I will ask. What did you do to my body?”
If Cliff, the man who killed him and collected his body himself, doesn't know, then who would?
“I’m the curious one. I confirmed that you were dead that day, and I even gave instructions to put you in a coffin.”
Cliff said, his breath heavy after a strong drink.
“If you were me, would you just throw away the body of someone you killed yourself? The body is evidence, after all?”
It made sense. Erne's body was a reminder to Cliff of his crimes. Criminals tend to want to hide even the smallest bit of evidence.
“Bring it.”
As Cliff gave orders to the butler, the butler came with a bag of money and placed it on the table.
“This is the compensation that the Countess demanded at that time.”
It was within arm's reach of Erne, but Cliff picked up the bag himself and handed it to him.
“Take it. You must have a mountain of debt to repay.”
Erne stopped talking. He saw something like a white piece of paper under Cliff's hand, which was holding the money bag.
"Hurry."
The moment their eyes met across the money bag, Cliff rolled his eyes slightly and looked at the butler.
It was a fleeting moment, but there was fear in Cliff's eyes. Erne was not about to miss it.
“...Yes.”
Erne reached out. He felt the rustling texture of the paper in his palm.
“Have a nice trip.”
“I hope we never have to see each other again.”
Erne left the living room without looking back. The old butler personally took hold of Erne's reins and escorted him to the front door.
Only after confirming that the butler had fully entered the mansion did Erne open the note that Cliff had secretly delivered.
"Follower, now in the mansion, being threatened, help."
“He put poison in my glass and asked me to save him.”
There is no conscience here either, no conscience. The note was crumpled unsightly in Erne’s hand as he frowned.
Cliff was clearly watching the butler. It must mean that the butler was also one of the followers.
“I thought something was strange ever since my body became like that because of the truth potion.”
Does he have a chronic illness? Erne couldn't have known if he knew Cliff after all these years.
“Since he wrote a note instead of saying it on the spot, I guess that means there are a few more.”
Erne hesitated for a moment and then turned his head toward the Marquis of Mosley. Things seemed to be getting noisier than expected.
“Stop looking at me. My face will be pierced.”
“How can you not look at someone who was supposedly dead when he’s alive? What about getting married? Is that real?”
Erne neatly ignored Marquis Mosley's questions.
“Tell your men. Cliff Ackerman must be kept alive. If you act like a fool, you won’t be spared.”
“Looking at your personality, it’s the Erne I know.”
The young Marquis, who was about the same age as Erne, shook his head repeatedly. At first, Marquis Mosley thought he was seeing a ghost when he saw Erne suddenly coming to him and telling him to go catch his followers.
He said he was dead, but is he still hunting his followers after he's dead? He muttered in a daze, so Eyrn grabbed him by the collar and shook him, telling him to come to his senses.
'I don't know what brought you here.'
It's absurd that Erne is alive, and then they have to go catch his followers all of a sudden.
The Marquis had to catch the follower, so he brought the soldiers to the place Erne told him to go, but he was completely out of his mind.
'It's Erne's fault.'
Erne didn't even give the Marquis time to gather his thoughts.
“Did you catch Roam?”
“You reported it?”
“Yeah. I told you the location, so you should have caught him, right?”
“That’s what I mean...”
He Couldn't catch it.
Even though he went there as soon as he received the tip, they had already withdrawn. When Erne heard this, he lost his temper and said that he couldn't eat even if he fed him.
The Marquis of Mosley had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.
“You go to Cliff Ackerman. Leave the rest to me and the soldiers.”
“It can’t be this sturdy.”
Erne opened his eyes and looked at the Marquis.
The words, “If that’s the case, then don’t come to me,” rose to the tip of his tongue, but the Marquis held them back. He had owed Erne his life several times, so he had no choice but to hold back.
While the Marquis surrounded the mansion with soldiers, Erne entered the mansion first through the back door.
When shouts like “Who are you!” were heard inside the mansion, Marquis Mosley drew his sword.
“Everyone, come in!”
Cliff was safely rescued by Erne. The butler was captured with three other followers in the living room just below where Cliff and Erne were conversing.
Judging by the tadaman candles, the herbal scent, the inverted triangles drawn on the floor, and the murky red gems, they were definitely up to something.
“Oh, I don’t know what they were doing.”
Cliff, who looked visibly relieved after being rescued, shamelessly asked Erne for water.
“Don’t make such a scary face. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Cliff, who had gotten a glass of cold water from Erne, who did not want to talk to a drunkard, emptied the cup coolly. Then, he suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
“He must have let his guard down, that old man.”
“Speak so I can understand.”
“The day I drank the potion of truth, I realized I was under a spell of binding. It wasn’t my chronic illness, but the spell that made me vomit blood.”
Cliff had connections with a group of followers before the rebellion. They were often his clients and also provided him with the support he needed to win trials.
However, after the rebellion failed, Cliff broke off relations with them.
Then the surviving followers began to blackmail Cliff with evidence that he had made deals with them. Eventually, Cliff provided them with escape funds several times.
“I didn’t know you had a spell on you. It was a spell that made you vomit blood and die if you tried to talk about them.”
“Then why did you go to a sanatorium?”
“That was a real treat. They kept me alive, wondering if I was still useful.”
Cliff couldn't remember where he went or what had happened to him.
“When I came to, I was in front of the capital city gate. My body looked like this.”
The butler said that if he listen to them, they will let him walk again, but if he don't listen, it will be very painful.
“But you see, Erne. No law says a person has to die.”
Cliff, who had been frowning while talking about the butler, raised the corners of his mouth to a smirk.
“There is one follower I deal with the most. He is a higher-ranking person than the butler within the follower group. He came to me and said that if I gave him money, he would free me from my bonds.”
The butler seemed completely unaware that he would betray him. Cliff secretly handed over the deposit certificate that he had hidden in the study to the butler.
“Did he break the spell of bondage?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, I was able to write you a note.”
The butler, who had placed a stronger binding spell on Cliff, let his guard down, so he occasionally gave Cliff some time alone.
“They asked me to call you, and I thought this was the moment.”
If anyone could save Cliff, it was Erne.
Erne was about to ask what had happened to his body, but Cliff raised his finger to cover his mouth, meaning to ask him to tell him more.
“When I first decided to kill you, the butler suggested that we get the poison from the followers. He said that it would be a waste to just provide the funds for your escape. He also said that the followers would be the best for that purpose.”
Cliff agreed and bought the poison from the followers, not knowing at the time that the butler was on their side.
“He asked me to hand over your body in return.”
“What are they going to do with my body?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t even ask. I just put you in the coffin and they took it.”
Cliff had believed that they would handle it well. Then, when Ern suddenly appeared alive, Cliff must have been very surprised.
“I was thinking about it, and I think they did some kind of experiment on your body.”
"Experiment?"
“When I first sent out assassins, the butler didn’t object. But later, when I tried to increase the number of assassins, he stopped me.”
Isn't that strange? said Cliff, fiddling with his glass of water.
“I think they’re trying to see if you can keep fighting the assassins.”
Not only that. It was the butler who called Erne into the mansion, gave him compensation money, and asked him to give him some relevant information.
“While you and I were talking, the butler was watching you.”
In fact, that made it easier to pass the note secretly.
“Before you were caught, what did the three psychics who were your followers gather downstairs and do? I think they were watching to see how you reacted while we were talking.”
There was a look of concern in Erne's eyes as he swept back his hair.
“Go ask the butler for more details. Oh, thank you for saving me today.”
Cliff smiled shamelessly with a 'Is that enough?' expression.
“It’s still too early to feel at ease. Since there are circumstances where you made a deal with a follower, you too can be punished for treason.”
“In the case of a person who is in danger of death or serious injury resulting from a threat, punishment shall be given in consideration of the circumstances.”
Cliff briefly recited the law to Erne's words.
“I can’t use my legs, but I can still use my head.”
If Cliff, the man who killed him and collected his body himself, doesn't know, then who would?
“I’m the curious one. I confirmed that you were dead that day, and I even gave instructions to put you in a coffin.”
Cliff said, his breath heavy after a strong drink.
“If you were me, would you just throw away the body of someone you killed yourself? The body is evidence, after all?”
It made sense. Erne's body was a reminder to Cliff of his crimes. Criminals tend to want to hide even the smallest bit of evidence.
“Bring it.”
As Cliff gave orders to the butler, the butler came with a bag of money and placed it on the table.
“This is the compensation that the Countess demanded at that time.”
It was within arm's reach of Erne, but Cliff picked up the bag himself and handed it to him.
“Take it. You must have a mountain of debt to repay.”
Erne stopped talking. He saw something like a white piece of paper under Cliff's hand, which was holding the money bag.
"Hurry."
The moment their eyes met across the money bag, Cliff rolled his eyes slightly and looked at the butler.
It was a fleeting moment, but there was fear in Cliff's eyes. Erne was not about to miss it.
“...Yes.”
Erne reached out. He felt the rustling texture of the paper in his palm.
“Have a nice trip.”
“I hope we never have to see each other again.”
Erne left the living room without looking back. The old butler personally took hold of Erne's reins and escorted him to the front door.
Only after confirming that the butler had fully entered the mansion did Erne open the note that Cliff had secretly delivered.
"Follower, now in the mansion, being threatened, help."
“He put poison in my glass and asked me to save him.”
There is no conscience here either, no conscience. The note was crumpled unsightly in Erne’s hand as he frowned.
Cliff was clearly watching the butler. It must mean that the butler was also one of the followers.
“I thought something was strange ever since my body became like that because of the truth potion.”
Does he have a chronic illness? Erne couldn't have known if he knew Cliff after all these years.
“Since he wrote a note instead of saying it on the spot, I guess that means there are a few more.”
Erne hesitated for a moment and then turned his head toward the Marquis of Mosley. Things seemed to be getting noisier than expected.
***
“Stop looking at me. My face will be pierced.”
“How can you not look at someone who was supposedly dead when he’s alive? What about getting married? Is that real?”
Erne neatly ignored Marquis Mosley's questions.
“Tell your men. Cliff Ackerman must be kept alive. If you act like a fool, you won’t be spared.”
“Looking at your personality, it’s the Erne I know.”
The young Marquis, who was about the same age as Erne, shook his head repeatedly. At first, Marquis Mosley thought he was seeing a ghost when he saw Erne suddenly coming to him and telling him to go catch his followers.
He said he was dead, but is he still hunting his followers after he's dead? He muttered in a daze, so Eyrn grabbed him by the collar and shook him, telling him to come to his senses.
'I don't know what brought you here.'
It's absurd that Erne is alive, and then they have to go catch his followers all of a sudden.
The Marquis had to catch the follower, so he brought the soldiers to the place Erne told him to go, but he was completely out of his mind.
'It's Erne's fault.'
Erne didn't even give the Marquis time to gather his thoughts.
“Did you catch Roam?”
“You reported it?”
“Yeah. I told you the location, so you should have caught him, right?”
“That’s what I mean...”
He Couldn't catch it.
Even though he went there as soon as he received the tip, they had already withdrawn. When Erne heard this, he lost his temper and said that he couldn't eat even if he fed him.
The Marquis of Mosley had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.
“You go to Cliff Ackerman. Leave the rest to me and the soldiers.”
“It can’t be this sturdy.”
Erne opened his eyes and looked at the Marquis.
The words, “If that’s the case, then don’t come to me,” rose to the tip of his tongue, but the Marquis held them back. He had owed Erne his life several times, so he had no choice but to hold back.
While the Marquis surrounded the mansion with soldiers, Erne entered the mansion first through the back door.
When shouts like “Who are you!” were heard inside the mansion, Marquis Mosley drew his sword.
“Everyone, come in!”
***
Cliff was safely rescued by Erne. The butler was captured with three other followers in the living room just below where Cliff and Erne were conversing.
Judging by the tadaman candles, the herbal scent, the inverted triangles drawn on the floor, and the murky red gems, they were definitely up to something.
“Oh, I don’t know what they were doing.”
Cliff, who looked visibly relieved after being rescued, shamelessly asked Erne for water.
“Don’t make such a scary face. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Cliff, who had gotten a glass of cold water from Erne, who did not want to talk to a drunkard, emptied the cup coolly. Then, he suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
“He must have let his guard down, that old man.”
“Speak so I can understand.”
“The day I drank the potion of truth, I realized I was under a spell of binding. It wasn’t my chronic illness, but the spell that made me vomit blood.”
Cliff had connections with a group of followers before the rebellion. They were often his clients and also provided him with the support he needed to win trials.
However, after the rebellion failed, Cliff broke off relations with them.
Then the surviving followers began to blackmail Cliff with evidence that he had made deals with them. Eventually, Cliff provided them with escape funds several times.
“I didn’t know you had a spell on you. It was a spell that made you vomit blood and die if you tried to talk about them.”
“Then why did you go to a sanatorium?”
“That was a real treat. They kept me alive, wondering if I was still useful.”
Cliff couldn't remember where he went or what had happened to him.
“When I came to, I was in front of the capital city gate. My body looked like this.”
The butler said that if he listen to them, they will let him walk again, but if he don't listen, it will be very painful.
“But you see, Erne. No law says a person has to die.”
Cliff, who had been frowning while talking about the butler, raised the corners of his mouth to a smirk.
“There is one follower I deal with the most. He is a higher-ranking person than the butler within the follower group. He came to me and said that if I gave him money, he would free me from my bonds.”
The butler seemed completely unaware that he would betray him. Cliff secretly handed over the deposit certificate that he had hidden in the study to the butler.
“Did he break the spell of bondage?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, I was able to write you a note.”
The butler, who had placed a stronger binding spell on Cliff, let his guard down, so he occasionally gave Cliff some time alone.
“They asked me to call you, and I thought this was the moment.”
If anyone could save Cliff, it was Erne.
Erne was about to ask what had happened to his body, but Cliff raised his finger to cover his mouth, meaning to ask him to tell him more.
“When I first decided to kill you, the butler suggested that we get the poison from the followers. He said that it would be a waste to just provide the funds for your escape. He also said that the followers would be the best for that purpose.”
Cliff agreed and bought the poison from the followers, not knowing at the time that the butler was on their side.
“He asked me to hand over your body in return.”
“What are they going to do with my body?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t even ask. I just put you in the coffin and they took it.”
Cliff had believed that they would handle it well. Then, when Ern suddenly appeared alive, Cliff must have been very surprised.
“I was thinking about it, and I think they did some kind of experiment on your body.”
"Experiment?"
“When I first sent out assassins, the butler didn’t object. But later, when I tried to increase the number of assassins, he stopped me.”
Isn't that strange? said Cliff, fiddling with his glass of water.
“I think they’re trying to see if you can keep fighting the assassins.”
Not only that. It was the butler who called Erne into the mansion, gave him compensation money, and asked him to give him some relevant information.
“While you and I were talking, the butler was watching you.”
In fact, that made it easier to pass the note secretly.
“Before you were caught, what did the three psychics who were your followers gather downstairs and do? I think they were watching to see how you reacted while we were talking.”
There was a look of concern in Erne's eyes as he swept back his hair.
“Go ask the butler for more details. Oh, thank you for saving me today.”
Cliff smiled shamelessly with a 'Is that enough?' expression.
“It’s still too early to feel at ease. Since there are circumstances where you made a deal with a follower, you too can be punished for treason.”
“In the case of a person who is in danger of death or serious injury resulting from a threat, punishment shall be given in consideration of the circumstances.”
Cliff briefly recited the law to Erne's words.
“I can’t use my legs, but I can still use my head.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment