Karl's hands were moving faster than the thud of a chain crashing down onto the deck.
“Don’t touch the master.”
The low, threatening voice sent shivers down Ferdinand's spine.
“Ugh, ugh! How dare you touch the body of a noble? You little slave, no better than livestock-”
But Ferdinand could not continue speaking.
This was because Karl had bent his arm further, forcing him into a situation where his bone would break at any moment.
'This crazy kid. What kind of power is this so stupid?'
“Karl, my brother. Be polite.”
Only after Odette sounded a cold warning in her voice did Karl let go of Ferdinand's arm.
“If you put that damn hand on my master’s wrist again-”
“Karl, I told you to be ‘polite.’”
“-Your noble Ferdinand’s wrist will be bent in a very funny way. This lowly slave will make it happen.”
Ferdinand was upset that he had been beaten by a slave, but he had just realized the power gap.
He is a D-class Transcendent, but the difference in strength between him and someone who hasn't even awakened is this big.
Moreover, unlike the polite speech that he used without any response, Karl's eyes were full of murderous intent.
That's why Ferdinand kept his mouth shut for the time being, even though he was grumbling.
'I'm the one who wants to break that guy's arm so badly...'
Odette, who was watching this, also had no desire to stop Karl.
But it was just at the point where things between Ferdinand and the Count were starting to go sour. There was no need to give the Count an excuse to go and whine.
Odette looked toward the land as she prepared to disembark.
Thanks to the clear view, she could clearly see the Count's carriage procession running in the distance, and even the carts following at the end of the procession.
'That wagon must be carrying the cage containing Dolly and Rudolph.'
As Odette had expected, none of them were released.
When she revisited their cage this morning, the two were fighting, grabbing each other by the collar and threatening to kill each other, rather than reaching an agreement.
'Goodbye, Dolly. Goodbye, Rudolph.'
The Count never tolerates insults directed at him.
So the ending for these two people is set. One of them will die, and the other will live a life worse than death.
Just as Odette in her past life lost all honor and became nothing more than a mere object of ridicule, so too will Dolly become.
The Count's carriage procession headed to the Count's villa on the outskirts of the capital.
A private villa for the Count, built in a quiet location.
There was a huge maze garden there, a maze of cedar trees that looked like wonderful geometric circles when you stood out from the window of the villa.
In the middle of the maze was a cage covered with a tent.
Soon the Count walked slowly into the maze garden and removed the tent covering the cage, revealing Dolly and Rudolph in their haggard form.
The two fought all night without even sleeping, following Odette's words.
“You piece of trash! You only do the easiest tasks and then you blame me?”
“Aren’t you the one who’s trash because you can’t keep up with the times?”
Dolly's voice was no longer heard as she fought day and night without being able to wash or drink a single sip of water.
The Count twisted the corners of his mouth when he saw their appearance.
“It’s really funny. Those who are worse than worms can do this to me.”
Dolly and Rudolph, who were inside the cage, trembled because the anger contained in the Count's voice seemed ready to explode at any moment.
This is the first time they have seen the Count like this.
“Lord, Master...”
Dolly tried to plead, but only a hoarse sound came out of her throat.
“I didn’t know I’d get that choker, and I certainly didn’t know I’d end up using it on you guys. Your tricks have made things a lot more complicated.”
The Count chuckled. It was a laugh that felt strange because it didn't fit the situation.
“Well, who cares who wears the gladiator’s choker? The human world is really just one giant colosseum, and everyone is a gladiator. Isn’t that right?”
“...”
“Whether it’s the maid I trusted and worked for for quite some time or the president of the magazine I sponsored. If I turn my back for even a moment, they’ll bite my neck right away. You two deserve to wear expensive gladiator chokers.”
As he said that, the Count's laughter grew even wider.
Dolly opened her mouth anxiously.
“Oh, oh-”
'I have something to report to you about Miss Odette.'
Dolly tried to spit out those words to survive.
Didn't the Count want to know about Odette? It was in the hope that if she reported on the salon and other matters, she might be spared.
“Lord, Master-”
'It wasn't that I hit the master in the back of the head, it was Miss Odette who changed the trap.'
But still, only an unpleasant, rasping sound came out of her throat.
“No, you might actually look the best in a choker. You used the red brooch I gave you to slander me, didn’t you? You’re the first gladiators to have screwed me over like this.”
He slowly withdrew his giggling laughter.
“It’s okay. I’m just trying to use you guys to restore some of my honor.”
Dolly swallowed hard, moistening her throat.
“...Well, that girl-”
That's right, the girl has a secret!
It was a moment when she tried to continue speaking even with her throat in a mess.
“Shut your mouth!”
Boom!
“Don’t touch the master.”
The low, threatening voice sent shivers down Ferdinand's spine.
“Ugh, ugh! How dare you touch the body of a noble? You little slave, no better than livestock-”
But Ferdinand could not continue speaking.
This was because Karl had bent his arm further, forcing him into a situation where his bone would break at any moment.
'This crazy kid. What kind of power is this so stupid?'
“Karl, my brother. Be polite.”
Only after Odette sounded a cold warning in her voice did Karl let go of Ferdinand's arm.
“If you put that damn hand on my master’s wrist again-”
“Karl, I told you to be ‘polite.’”
“-Your noble Ferdinand’s wrist will be bent in a very funny way. This lowly slave will make it happen.”
Ferdinand was upset that he had been beaten by a slave, but he had just realized the power gap.
He is a D-class Transcendent, but the difference in strength between him and someone who hasn't even awakened is this big.
Moreover, unlike the polite speech that he used without any response, Karl's eyes were full of murderous intent.
That's why Ferdinand kept his mouth shut for the time being, even though he was grumbling.
'I'm the one who wants to break that guy's arm so badly...'
Odette, who was watching this, also had no desire to stop Karl.
But it was just at the point where things between Ferdinand and the Count were starting to go sour. There was no need to give the Count an excuse to go and whine.
Odette looked toward the land as she prepared to disembark.
Thanks to the clear view, she could clearly see the Count's carriage procession running in the distance, and even the carts following at the end of the procession.
'That wagon must be carrying the cage containing Dolly and Rudolph.'
As Odette had expected, none of them were released.
When she revisited their cage this morning, the two were fighting, grabbing each other by the collar and threatening to kill each other, rather than reaching an agreement.
'Goodbye, Dolly. Goodbye, Rudolph.'
The Count never tolerates insults directed at him.
So the ending for these two people is set. One of them will die, and the other will live a life worse than death.
Just as Odette in her past life lost all honor and became nothing more than a mere object of ridicule, so too will Dolly become.
***
The Count's carriage procession headed to the Count's villa on the outskirts of the capital.
A private villa for the Count, built in a quiet location.
There was a huge maze garden there, a maze of cedar trees that looked like wonderful geometric circles when you stood out from the window of the villa.
In the middle of the maze was a cage covered with a tent.
Soon the Count walked slowly into the maze garden and removed the tent covering the cage, revealing Dolly and Rudolph in their haggard form.
The two fought all night without even sleeping, following Odette's words.
“You piece of trash! You only do the easiest tasks and then you blame me?”
“Aren’t you the one who’s trash because you can’t keep up with the times?”
Dolly's voice was no longer heard as she fought day and night without being able to wash or drink a single sip of water.
The Count twisted the corners of his mouth when he saw their appearance.
“It’s really funny. Those who are worse than worms can do this to me.”
Dolly and Rudolph, who were inside the cage, trembled because the anger contained in the Count's voice seemed ready to explode at any moment.
This is the first time they have seen the Count like this.
“Lord, Master...”
Dolly tried to plead, but only a hoarse sound came out of her throat.
“I didn’t know I’d get that choker, and I certainly didn’t know I’d end up using it on you guys. Your tricks have made things a lot more complicated.”
The Count chuckled. It was a laugh that felt strange because it didn't fit the situation.
“Well, who cares who wears the gladiator’s choker? The human world is really just one giant colosseum, and everyone is a gladiator. Isn’t that right?”
“...”
“Whether it’s the maid I trusted and worked for for quite some time or the president of the magazine I sponsored. If I turn my back for even a moment, they’ll bite my neck right away. You two deserve to wear expensive gladiator chokers.”
As he said that, the Count's laughter grew even wider.
Dolly opened her mouth anxiously.
“Oh, oh-”
'I have something to report to you about Miss Odette.'
Dolly tried to spit out those words to survive.
Didn't the Count want to know about Odette? It was in the hope that if she reported on the salon and other matters, she might be spared.
“Lord, Master-”
'It wasn't that I hit the master in the back of the head, it was Miss Odette who changed the trap.'
But still, only an unpleasant, rasping sound came out of her throat.
“No, you might actually look the best in a choker. You used the red brooch I gave you to slander me, didn’t you? You’re the first gladiators to have screwed me over like this.”
He slowly withdrew his giggling laughter.
“It’s okay. I’m just trying to use you guys to restore some of my honor.”
Dolly swallowed hard, moistening her throat.
“...Well, that girl-”
That's right, the girl has a secret!
It was a moment when she tried to continue speaking even with her throat in a mess.
“Shut your mouth!”
Boom!
The Count kicked the bars with his hunting booted foot. His kick was full of murderous intent.
Dolly, startled, pulled back from the bars.
The Count inserted the key into the cage's lock.
The heavy lock fell to the floor with a thud. As the cage opened, the Count pulled the two chokers and inserted the key. Then, with a beep, beep, he adjusted the time.
“Now that I’ve put it on, I should use it well.”
"Yes?"
“Oh, my lord. What is that?”
“I’ll give you one hour. Kill each other within that time. The one who kills you will automatically have his choker removed, so I’ll spare that person’s life.”
What Odette had predicted happened exactly as it happened. Dolly's face turned pale.
“Don’t even think about attacking me. Even if you do, the choker will explode.”
The Count chuckled and threw two daggers and two pistols from his bag. Then he leisurely left the maze garden.
When they were fighting all night, Dolly wanted to kill Rudolph right away.
When the time came to actually kill him, his hands started trembling.
Dolly and Rudolph stared blankly at each other for a moment. The faces they had loved enough to promise to marry.
But then a coldness came over Rudolph's eyes. Then he quickly grabbed two pistols.
'Oh, damn it.'
Dolly, barely holding onto one of the remaining daggers, started running towards the maze.
From the beginning, the Count had no intention of letting either of them go free.
Even if one of the two succeeds in the murder, the intention is to save their life and make them live a miserable life.
The Count called to a footman who was waiting at the front gate of the mansion.
“Gather the reporters. Especially the reporters I support.”
To be admired as a man of character in just three years, the Count's image management alone was not enough. He was supporting not only Rudolph but also several newspaper reporters.
'The street where the press agencies are concentrated is not far from this villa. I should get there soon.'
The best highlight timing will come before.
Fortunately, calling the reporters was worth it, as Rudolph and Dolly started fighting quite ugly.
Gasp, gasp-.
After being chased by Rudolph for 40 minutes, Dolly finally reached a dead end.
“I can’t help it, Dolly. If we really have to be strict, I should be the one living, right?”
Rudolph smiled wickedly.
“...You said you loved me...!”
In the urgency of facing death, he managed to let out a short scream, his voice like it was scratching a blackboard.
“Love? Love, my ass. I wanted to marry you because you were a useful source of information.”
Rudolph spat in Dolly's face, then pulled the trigger without hesitation.
'Rudolph Kaspar! How could you!'
Taang!
Dolly, startled, pulled back from the bars.
The Count inserted the key into the cage's lock.
The heavy lock fell to the floor with a thud. As the cage opened, the Count pulled the two chokers and inserted the key. Then, with a beep, beep, he adjusted the time.
“Now that I’ve put it on, I should use it well.”
"Yes?"
“Oh, my lord. What is that?”
“I’ll give you one hour. Kill each other within that time. The one who kills you will automatically have his choker removed, so I’ll spare that person’s life.”
What Odette had predicted happened exactly as it happened. Dolly's face turned pale.
“Don’t even think about attacking me. Even if you do, the choker will explode.”
The Count chuckled and threw two daggers and two pistols from his bag. Then he leisurely left the maze garden.
When they were fighting all night, Dolly wanted to kill Rudolph right away.
When the time came to actually kill him, his hands started trembling.
Dolly and Rudolph stared blankly at each other for a moment. The faces they had loved enough to promise to marry.
But then a coldness came over Rudolph's eyes. Then he quickly grabbed two pistols.
'Oh, damn it.'
Dolly, barely holding onto one of the remaining daggers, started running towards the maze.
***
From the beginning, the Count had no intention of letting either of them go free.
Even if one of the two succeeds in the murder, the intention is to save their life and make them live a miserable life.
The Count called to a footman who was waiting at the front gate of the mansion.
“Gather the reporters. Especially the reporters I support.”
To be admired as a man of character in just three years, the Count's image management alone was not enough. He was supporting not only Rudolph but also several newspaper reporters.
'The street where the press agencies are concentrated is not far from this villa. I should get there soon.'
The best highlight timing will come before.
Fortunately, calling the reporters was worth it, as Rudolph and Dolly started fighting quite ugly.
***
Gasp, gasp-.
After being chased by Rudolph for 40 minutes, Dolly finally reached a dead end.
“I can’t help it, Dolly. If we really have to be strict, I should be the one living, right?”
Rudolph smiled wickedly.
“...You said you loved me...!”
In the urgency of facing death, he managed to let out a short scream, his voice like it was scratching a blackboard.
“Love? Love, my ass. I wanted to marry you because you were a useful source of information.”
Rudolph spat in Dolly's face, then pulled the trigger without hesitation.
'Rudolph Kaspar! How could you!'
Taang!
The sound rang out, but Dolly was still alive. It was because it was a blank bullet, not a live one.
A panicked Rudolph aimed his next pistol and pulled the trigger. But this gun also contained only blank bullets.
It was a prank by the Count who wanted to see a sword fight.
Rudolph's face turned pale as he only brought two guns and no knife.
Dolly, who had grasped the situation, held the knife in her right hand.
“Dolly...! Now, just a moment.”
'Shut your mouth, you son of a bitch. Go to hell!'
The tables were turned. Dolly waved her hand without hesitation.
Shut, Rudolph's heart was stabbed.
"Ugh!"
Rudolph fell to his knees in pain.
Dolly burst into laughter as she watched Rudolph turn pale with bright red blood spreading across his chest.
'I won, hahahahaha!'
The disappointment she felt when she found out the true feelings of the man she was in love with and the regret of having loved something like this.
Finally, Rudolph died. Then, with a click, the choker came off Dolly's neck.
The choker had already fallen to the floor, but Dolly, enraged by the betrayal, stabbed Rudolph a couple more times.
'How could you pull the trigger without hesitation? What? Have you never loved me?'
And then, to finish, she spat in Rudolph's face.
But despite all those actions, she didn't feel any sense of victory.
The face of the dead Rudolph reminded her of the face of her lover who had been sleeping soundly next to her a few days ago. The face of the man she loved so much that she would not mind risking her life for him.
'Bad kid... I loved you...'
A belated sadness and emptiness overwhelmed Dolly. It felt like she, not Rudolph, had fallen into hell.
She sat down on the floor of the maze and burst out laughing.
Not knowing that reporters were recording the scene with astonishment in the reception room on the 5th floor of the villa, which had the best view of the place.
The reporters who had been bribed by the Count obediently followed the Count's orders not to include the choker in their articles.
He only took pictures of moments of murder without the choker, and he intentionally deleted the choker from the illustrations.
In fact, that was also better for the reporters. If the murderer was clearly a villain, they could describe the murder scene in front of their eyes more shockingly.
Before long, Dolly's murder case was covered in all the newspapers, and Dolly was revealed to be a woman blinded by money who brutally stabbed her fiancé to death.
Some questioned whether the 'Gladiator's Choker' was related, but the Brentano family, known as the sole owner of the item, denied it, saying 'I have never sold the item', and the conspiracy theory was dismissed as a bland one.
Dolly became very famous. Her name was sold in all kinds of gossip magazines as the protagonist of a murderous passion, 'Dolly the Mad Witch'.
This was the first time that she, who had always been the one creating rumors, became the subject of a rumor.
A panicked Rudolph aimed his next pistol and pulled the trigger. But this gun also contained only blank bullets.
It was a prank by the Count who wanted to see a sword fight.
Rudolph's face turned pale as he only brought two guns and no knife.
Dolly, who had grasped the situation, held the knife in her right hand.
“Dolly...! Now, just a moment.”
'Shut your mouth, you son of a bitch. Go to hell!'
The tables were turned. Dolly waved her hand without hesitation.
Shut, Rudolph's heart was stabbed.
"Ugh!"
Rudolph fell to his knees in pain.
Dolly burst into laughter as she watched Rudolph turn pale with bright red blood spreading across his chest.
'I won, hahahahaha!'
The disappointment she felt when she found out the true feelings of the man she was in love with and the regret of having loved something like this.
Finally, Rudolph died. Then, with a click, the choker came off Dolly's neck.
The choker had already fallen to the floor, but Dolly, enraged by the betrayal, stabbed Rudolph a couple more times.
'How could you pull the trigger without hesitation? What? Have you never loved me?'
And then, to finish, she spat in Rudolph's face.
But despite all those actions, she didn't feel any sense of victory.
The face of the dead Rudolph reminded her of the face of her lover who had been sleeping soundly next to her a few days ago. The face of the man she loved so much that she would not mind risking her life for him.
'Bad kid... I loved you...'
A belated sadness and emptiness overwhelmed Dolly. It felt like she, not Rudolph, had fallen into hell.
She sat down on the floor of the maze and burst out laughing.
Not knowing that reporters were recording the scene with astonishment in the reception room on the 5th floor of the villa, which had the best view of the place.
The reporters who had been bribed by the Count obediently followed the Count's orders not to include the choker in their articles.
He only took pictures of moments of murder without the choker, and he intentionally deleted the choker from the illustrations.
In fact, that was also better for the reporters. If the murderer was clearly a villain, they could describe the murder scene in front of their eyes more shockingly.
Before long, Dolly's murder case was covered in all the newspapers, and Dolly was revealed to be a woman blinded by money who brutally stabbed her fiancé to death.
Some questioned whether the 'Gladiator's Choker' was related, but the Brentano family, known as the sole owner of the item, denied it, saying 'I have never sold the item', and the conspiracy theory was dismissed as a bland one.
Dolly became very famous. Her name was sold in all kinds of gossip magazines as the protagonist of a murderous passion, 'Dolly the Mad Witch'.
This was the first time that she, who had always been the one creating rumors, became the subject of a rumor.
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