There will be many people who will regret it, Elze thought.
The attendants were slowly preparing to empty the dance hall and bring in the beasts. A sigh naturally escaped Elze's mouth as she looked inside the party hall. Shr thought it would pass quietly, but this kind of thing happened as expected.
As is tradition at the New Year's party, Count Mapel, who was the king of the party, asked Shan to perform an outrageous clowning act under the pretext of demonstrating his sword skills: killing a wild beast with a dessert knife.
In fact, it was something that could have been refused. However, refusing or showing signs of retreat was exactly what Count Mapel wanted, the so-called preemptive strike.
That's why Shan decided to join Count Mapel in his role as king, and that's why he had this big cage set up in the dance hall.
The cages that filled the dance hall were enormous. Shan and the beast were supposed to be locked up in a tall cage made of solid iron bars. Elze approached Shan, who was standing there holding a dessert knife, and whispered softly.
“Are you okay?”
Shan was tall and had broad shoulders. The dessert knife in Shan’s hand looked like a child’s toy.
Shan was snickering, holding a knife that was barely a hand's length away. He thought the situation was funny. Shan answered Elze while swinging the knife playfully.
“Yeah. I don’t think that’s okay.”
He tilted his head slightly towards Elze and whispered in return.
“I just wore a banquet dress for the first time in a while. What if the clothes get ruined?”
“Oh my.”
At best, he was worried about clothes. Shan laughed at Elze's sigh. But the laughter sounded strange, so Elze looked at his face again. And asked suspiciously.
“...Are you angry?”
“No way.”
But it was a face that looked very much like that. Shan sneered with a very crooked smile on his lips.
“Poor thing. Stuck in a backwater like this, thinking they’re real kings just because they got a doll out of a pie.”
“...”
The way he spoke seemed to be really angry. Elze was praying to herself that he wouldn't cause any major trouble, but then she heard the click-click-click of the shoes.
“Count Targayel.”
It was Cecilia. She blinked her heavily made-up eyes and spoke to Shan.
“I think it would be better if you withdraw your rash decision even now.”
Elze was treated as if she were invisible. Cecila continued talking, looking only at Shan, without even giving Elze a glance.
“Do you know what kind of beast the Count is going to bring down and act like that? With just a dessert knife. This is no different from committing suicide.”
Shan looked at her with a face of incredulity. Cecilia raised her head arrogantly and said.
“I don’t understand why you are so stiff when you could just put aside your pride and bow your head once.”
There was a hint of superiority in Cecilia's attitude. It was a sense of superiority that she was in control of this situation. However, Cecilia's shallow satisfaction was soon shattered.
“Countess Mapel.”
Shan answered in a cold, indifferent tone.
“I appreciate your concern, but I will take care of it.”
From the beginning, Cecilla had not expected such a lively attitude. It would have been less shocking if there had been even a hint of hatred. However, there was no emotion in Shan’s words. It was just a businesslike, stiff, truly dry tone.
Cecilia's eyes opened wide as if they were going to burst. She shuddered, her face contorted, and she opened her mouth.
“...because of you.”
She continued speaking in a faster voice, excited.
“Do you know what I’ve been through because of you? Being dragged to this remote village!”
“I'm dragging you here?”
However, Shan did not agree with Cecilia's feelings. He simply stated the facts coldly.
“Isn’t this your own choice? I understand that your father still resides in the capital. And I heard that he has disapproved of this marriage.”
“...”
Cecilia was speechless at his remark. Shan brought up the part that Cecilia had pretended not to know. The truth that was revealed was like a shard of broken glass that pierced Cecilia.
As he said, it was all Cecilia's choice.
Even though she knew she couldn't have it, she wanted to have it. She didn't want to leave anything by his side, thinking that if she got rid of everything around him, he would come to her. The malice grew endlessly without stopping, and eventually, it consumed Cecilia herself and drove her to ruin.
Cecilia now knows that she does not love Shan Cirxus. She clings to him only because of her pride in not having what she wants, and her greedy desire to possess.
But now there was no stopping. Cecilia was determined to see it through to the end.
“...Just wait and see.”
Her eyes were filled with venom as she spoke, spitting out her words.
“This time, I won’t be the only one to break.”
Cecilla turned her head away after saying those words and returned to her seat proudly. Then she sat down next to Count Mapel, twisted her body in a coquettish manner, and whispered something to him. Judging from the way Cecilia’s eyes were directed in this direction, it seemed like she was talking about Shan.
Elze focused on the shape of her mouth, and a chill ran down her spine as she understood what Cecilia was saying.
"Make him crippled somewhere. Make him a cripple with an arm or a leg."
Anyone who heard it would think it was insane. Nevertheless, Count Mapel laughed out loud at Cecilla's whisper and replied, "Yes."
Cecilia, who had gotten the answer she wanted, smiled deeply and gave Count Mapel a deep kiss. Elze clicked her tongue at the sight of them sharing a wet kiss amid the cheers and jeers of the people around them.
“Cecilia, you kiss that old Count and you like him at the same time?”
Shan frowned and answered Elze's question, which she said she couldn't understand.
“The Count has greed for wealth, and she has greed for possessions. They are both just means to achieve their own desires.”
Shan paused for a moment, then muttered slowly.
“Even though they took away her title and made her a commoner, they still left her with a way to make a living...”
Even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered. Knowing this fact, Shan did not completely corner Epernon. He left open a way for him to survive even if he was not a noble.
Nevertheless, Cecilia came to the border and married Count Mapel. As Shan was about to say something more to Elze, a huge roar was heard.
“!!”
The source of the roar was a lion. A heavily maned male lion was locked in a small cage and was being carried around by four attendants.
The lion, much larger than Shan, was truly impressive. It was easy to understand why Count Mapel was so confident.
The servants, sweating profusely, connected the cage containing the lion to the cage in the dance hall. Then they opened the iron gate and put the lion in.
The lion roamed the cage with its eyes glaring. It had a rather ferocious air as if it had been starving for several days. The lords and ladies who had been frozen in place at the sight let out a small scream.
Everyone looked like they had completely sobered up. The only ones smiling were Count Mapel and Cecilia. Count Mapel pointed at them with his hand and opened his mouth.
“Yes, now everything is ready.”
He continued, pretending to be generous.
“If you’re afraid, even now...”
But before Count Mapel could finish speaking, Shan walked towards the cage, opened the door without hesitation, and went inside.
The iron door slammed shut, and the sound of metal interlocking rang out. Everyone was taken aback by the sudden, unexpected turn of events. The only ones who remained calm were Shan and Elze.
Elze sat at the table and watched leisurely. For some reason, she felt bored, so she fumbled with her hands and picked up a cookie. The crunchy texture was quite nice.
The reason she wasn't nervous was simple. It was all thanks to the chimera.
Even though he had killed a chimera that was made up of several beasts, Shan's current opponent was a mere lion. Compared to a chimera, it was as easy as a rabbit. Shan, who had entered the cage, glanced over. Elze waved her hand lightly.
Shan grinned and threw the dessert knife upward. The small knife spun around and fell back to Shan. And the moment the knife was caught in Shan’s hand again, Shan and the lion rushed at each other.
The lion roared loudly and struck with its huge forelegs. The teeth in its gaping mouth were close together and sharp. The lion struck Shan with its forelegs and tried to bite his neck. However, the lion's blows were literally over in one strike.
Shan leaped lightly, stepped on the lion's head, twisted his body in midair, and swung his knife gracefully as if he were drawing a picture.
The knife dug in gently, severing the artery at the back of the neck exactly. The small, blunt knife inflicted a wound deeper than its length on the lion.
Blood flowed out. The lion lunged at him, spitting out blood and twitching its limbs, but Shan simply kicked it away.
The lion flew like a small rubber ball and crashed into the iron bars. The cage, unable to support its heavy weight, caved in and was dragged back several steps. The lion died instantly, lying limp on the ground.
“...”
It was over before they could even open their mouth. All that was left was a bloody party venue, the corpse of a dead lion, and Shan, who was perfectly healthy and not even breathing.
Shan, covered in blood, ran his hands through his damp hair. Then he looked at Count Mapel.
Count Mapel, whose eyes met his, flinched involuntarily and leaned his butt against the back of his chair. Shan smiled at him. Shan’s hand seemed to flutter, and then something flashed and flew away.
“!!”
It silently brushed Count Mapel's cheek. Count Mapel froze for a moment, then hurriedly touched his cheek. After confirming that there was no injury, Count Mapel let out a sigh of relief. However, he soon felt startled.
“Gyaaaah!”
Cecilia, who was sitting next to him, screamed and pointed at Count Mapel's head. Count Mapel's wig was stuck on the chair along with his hair.
The main character who skewered them was the dessert knife that Shan was holding.
Count Mapel tried to pull out his knife in a panic, but it was stuck so firmly that it wouldn't come out at all. Cecilia cried and screamed.
“Someone please pull this out quickly!!”
The young lord sitting next to him stood up and grabbed the knife, but it was no use. Everyone was sweating profusely because the knife wouldn’t come out even when two or three people clung to it. Elze shrugged her shoulders for a moment and then walked over to him.
“Get out of the way.”
And after pushing them away, she grabbed the knife. The knife, which would not come off even when the men clung to it and struggled, was easily pulled out of Elze's hands.
As the knife was pulled out, the hair fell out with a thud. The hair that had been stuck with the wig was cut off by the knife. Count Mapel's face turned pale as he saw that only one side of his head was cut short.
“Ahhh...”
He fumbled with his head, making an incomprehensible sound. At that time, everyone was at a loss, unable to do anything. Shan, who was standing inside the cage, started to walk at a stomping pace.
Everyone instantly became quiet at Shan's movements. In the silence, the sound of blood dripping from Shan's feet resonated throughout the area. Shan stood awkwardly in front of the iron bars and opened his mouth.
“I think this is enough...”
He asked, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.
“What, do I need to show you more?”
[Continued in Volume 7]
The attendants were slowly preparing to empty the dance hall and bring in the beasts. A sigh naturally escaped Elze's mouth as she looked inside the party hall. Shr thought it would pass quietly, but this kind of thing happened as expected.
As is tradition at the New Year's party, Count Mapel, who was the king of the party, asked Shan to perform an outrageous clowning act under the pretext of demonstrating his sword skills: killing a wild beast with a dessert knife.
In fact, it was something that could have been refused. However, refusing or showing signs of retreat was exactly what Count Mapel wanted, the so-called preemptive strike.
That's why Shan decided to join Count Mapel in his role as king, and that's why he had this big cage set up in the dance hall.
The cages that filled the dance hall were enormous. Shan and the beast were supposed to be locked up in a tall cage made of solid iron bars. Elze approached Shan, who was standing there holding a dessert knife, and whispered softly.
“Are you okay?”
Shan was tall and had broad shoulders. The dessert knife in Shan’s hand looked like a child’s toy.
Shan was snickering, holding a knife that was barely a hand's length away. He thought the situation was funny. Shan answered Elze while swinging the knife playfully.
“Yeah. I don’t think that’s okay.”
He tilted his head slightly towards Elze and whispered in return.
“I just wore a banquet dress for the first time in a while. What if the clothes get ruined?”
“Oh my.”
At best, he was worried about clothes. Shan laughed at Elze's sigh. But the laughter sounded strange, so Elze looked at his face again. And asked suspiciously.
“...Are you angry?”
“No way.”
But it was a face that looked very much like that. Shan sneered with a very crooked smile on his lips.
“Poor thing. Stuck in a backwater like this, thinking they’re real kings just because they got a doll out of a pie.”
“...”
The way he spoke seemed to be really angry. Elze was praying to herself that he wouldn't cause any major trouble, but then she heard the click-click-click of the shoes.
“Count Targayel.”
It was Cecilia. She blinked her heavily made-up eyes and spoke to Shan.
“I think it would be better if you withdraw your rash decision even now.”
Elze was treated as if she were invisible. Cecila continued talking, looking only at Shan, without even giving Elze a glance.
“Do you know what kind of beast the Count is going to bring down and act like that? With just a dessert knife. This is no different from committing suicide.”
Shan looked at her with a face of incredulity. Cecilia raised her head arrogantly and said.
“I don’t understand why you are so stiff when you could just put aside your pride and bow your head once.”
There was a hint of superiority in Cecilia's attitude. It was a sense of superiority that she was in control of this situation. However, Cecilia's shallow satisfaction was soon shattered.
“Countess Mapel.”
Shan answered in a cold, indifferent tone.
“I appreciate your concern, but I will take care of it.”
From the beginning, Cecilla had not expected such a lively attitude. It would have been less shocking if there had been even a hint of hatred. However, there was no emotion in Shan’s words. It was just a businesslike, stiff, truly dry tone.
Cecilia's eyes opened wide as if they were going to burst. She shuddered, her face contorted, and she opened her mouth.
“...because of you.”
She continued speaking in a faster voice, excited.
“Do you know what I’ve been through because of you? Being dragged to this remote village!”
“I'm dragging you here?”
However, Shan did not agree with Cecilia's feelings. He simply stated the facts coldly.
“Isn’t this your own choice? I understand that your father still resides in the capital. And I heard that he has disapproved of this marriage.”
“...”
Cecilia was speechless at his remark. Shan brought up the part that Cecilia had pretended not to know. The truth that was revealed was like a shard of broken glass that pierced Cecilia.
As he said, it was all Cecilia's choice.
Even though she knew she couldn't have it, she wanted to have it. She didn't want to leave anything by his side, thinking that if she got rid of everything around him, he would come to her. The malice grew endlessly without stopping, and eventually, it consumed Cecilia herself and drove her to ruin.
Cecilia now knows that she does not love Shan Cirxus. She clings to him only because of her pride in not having what she wants, and her greedy desire to possess.
But now there was no stopping. Cecilia was determined to see it through to the end.
“...Just wait and see.”
Her eyes were filled with venom as she spoke, spitting out her words.
“This time, I won’t be the only one to break.”
Cecilla turned her head away after saying those words and returned to her seat proudly. Then she sat down next to Count Mapel, twisted her body in a coquettish manner, and whispered something to him. Judging from the way Cecilia’s eyes were directed in this direction, it seemed like she was talking about Shan.
Elze focused on the shape of her mouth, and a chill ran down her spine as she understood what Cecilia was saying.
"Make him crippled somewhere. Make him a cripple with an arm or a leg."
Anyone who heard it would think it was insane. Nevertheless, Count Mapel laughed out loud at Cecilla's whisper and replied, "Yes."
Cecilia, who had gotten the answer she wanted, smiled deeply and gave Count Mapel a deep kiss. Elze clicked her tongue at the sight of them sharing a wet kiss amid the cheers and jeers of the people around them.
“Cecilia, you kiss that old Count and you like him at the same time?”
Shan frowned and answered Elze's question, which she said she couldn't understand.
“The Count has greed for wealth, and she has greed for possessions. They are both just means to achieve their own desires.”
Shan paused for a moment, then muttered slowly.
“Even though they took away her title and made her a commoner, they still left her with a way to make a living...”
Even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered. Knowing this fact, Shan did not completely corner Epernon. He left open a way for him to survive even if he was not a noble.
Nevertheless, Cecilia came to the border and married Count Mapel. As Shan was about to say something more to Elze, a huge roar was heard.
“!!”
The source of the roar was a lion. A heavily maned male lion was locked in a small cage and was being carried around by four attendants.
The lion, much larger than Shan, was truly impressive. It was easy to understand why Count Mapel was so confident.
The servants, sweating profusely, connected the cage containing the lion to the cage in the dance hall. Then they opened the iron gate and put the lion in.
The lion roamed the cage with its eyes glaring. It had a rather ferocious air as if it had been starving for several days. The lords and ladies who had been frozen in place at the sight let out a small scream.
Everyone looked like they had completely sobered up. The only ones smiling were Count Mapel and Cecilia. Count Mapel pointed at them with his hand and opened his mouth.
“Yes, now everything is ready.”
He continued, pretending to be generous.
“If you’re afraid, even now...”
But before Count Mapel could finish speaking, Shan walked towards the cage, opened the door without hesitation, and went inside.
The iron door slammed shut, and the sound of metal interlocking rang out. Everyone was taken aback by the sudden, unexpected turn of events. The only ones who remained calm were Shan and Elze.
Elze sat at the table and watched leisurely. For some reason, she felt bored, so she fumbled with her hands and picked up a cookie. The crunchy texture was quite nice.
The reason she wasn't nervous was simple. It was all thanks to the chimera.
Even though he had killed a chimera that was made up of several beasts, Shan's current opponent was a mere lion. Compared to a chimera, it was as easy as a rabbit. Shan, who had entered the cage, glanced over. Elze waved her hand lightly.
Shan grinned and threw the dessert knife upward. The small knife spun around and fell back to Shan. And the moment the knife was caught in Shan’s hand again, Shan and the lion rushed at each other.
The lion roared loudly and struck with its huge forelegs. The teeth in its gaping mouth were close together and sharp. The lion struck Shan with its forelegs and tried to bite his neck. However, the lion's blows were literally over in one strike.
Shan leaped lightly, stepped on the lion's head, twisted his body in midair, and swung his knife gracefully as if he were drawing a picture.
The knife dug in gently, severing the artery at the back of the neck exactly. The small, blunt knife inflicted a wound deeper than its length on the lion.
Blood flowed out. The lion lunged at him, spitting out blood and twitching its limbs, but Shan simply kicked it away.
The lion flew like a small rubber ball and crashed into the iron bars. The cage, unable to support its heavy weight, caved in and was dragged back several steps. The lion died instantly, lying limp on the ground.
“...”
It was over before they could even open their mouth. All that was left was a bloody party venue, the corpse of a dead lion, and Shan, who was perfectly healthy and not even breathing.
Shan, covered in blood, ran his hands through his damp hair. Then he looked at Count Mapel.
Count Mapel, whose eyes met his, flinched involuntarily and leaned his butt against the back of his chair. Shan smiled at him. Shan’s hand seemed to flutter, and then something flashed and flew away.
“!!”
It silently brushed Count Mapel's cheek. Count Mapel froze for a moment, then hurriedly touched his cheek. After confirming that there was no injury, Count Mapel let out a sigh of relief. However, he soon felt startled.
“Gyaaaah!”
Cecilia, who was sitting next to him, screamed and pointed at Count Mapel's head. Count Mapel's wig was stuck on the chair along with his hair.
The main character who skewered them was the dessert knife that Shan was holding.
Count Mapel tried to pull out his knife in a panic, but it was stuck so firmly that it wouldn't come out at all. Cecilia cried and screamed.
“Someone please pull this out quickly!!”
The young lord sitting next to him stood up and grabbed the knife, but it was no use. Everyone was sweating profusely because the knife wouldn’t come out even when two or three people clung to it. Elze shrugged her shoulders for a moment and then walked over to him.
“Get out of the way.”
And after pushing them away, she grabbed the knife. The knife, which would not come off even when the men clung to it and struggled, was easily pulled out of Elze's hands.
As the knife was pulled out, the hair fell out with a thud. The hair that had been stuck with the wig was cut off by the knife. Count Mapel's face turned pale as he saw that only one side of his head was cut short.
“Ahhh...”
He fumbled with his head, making an incomprehensible sound. At that time, everyone was at a loss, unable to do anything. Shan, who was standing inside the cage, started to walk at a stomping pace.
Everyone instantly became quiet at Shan's movements. In the silence, the sound of blood dripping from Shan's feet resonated throughout the area. Shan stood awkwardly in front of the iron bars and opened his mouth.
“I think this is enough...”
He asked, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.
“What, do I need to show you more?”
[Continued in Volume 7]
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