Walter placed his hand on the hilt of his sword with a nervous expression when he saw Albrecht suddenly appear on the way to the main building.
Anne also seemed to have heard some of Albrecht's story and stepped forward to protect me.
Albrecht looked at them both with a somewhat humorless expression and said to me:
"I have something important to tell you. Would you please hand over the things below?"
Walter, who heard those words, got angry and tried to step forward, but I stopped him first.
"Walter, Anne, just rest for a moment. It won't take more than a few minutes."
As expected, the two of them did not follow my words right away.
Anne seemed worried and hesitant, and Walter seemed suspicious of me and didn't move.
He was still wary of me, so he probably thought I might be conspiring with Albrecht or something.
I spoke to them again in a stern voice.
"Hurry."
Only then did Anne and Walter bow their heads.
Anne replied with a worried voice.
"Then I'll be waiting under the shade of the tree over there. If you need anything, please call me anytime. If anything comes up that's inconvenient-"
"I will. Don't worry."
So I sent Anne and Walter away and took Albrecht, who was left alone, and headed to a corner of the garden.
It was a quiet place where people could not go, so it was a place where we could have secret conversations without feeling uneasy.
"I was looking forward to it, but I am very disappointed."
As soon as we arrived at the place where there were only two people, Albrecht immediately said that.
When I didn't respond, the bastard continued to criticize me.
"Since you went to the territory with the Grand Duke, wasn't it a good opportunity? The security would have been more lax than at the Grand Duke's residence."
"Are you saying that since the guards were lax, you should have taken advantage of the opportunity to directly stab the Grand Duke?"
"I guess it would have been okay to at least try."
Without even trying to suppress the empty laughter that was flowing out, I retorted to Albrecht.
"My role is to provide assistance. Whether you swing your sword at the Grand Duke or poison him, that's your job."
Albrecht's eyes furrowed slightly.
He seemed displeased, but he changed the subject without showing it openly.
"Anyway, it's fortunate that there's still a chance. It looks like he went to Baron Baldeck's territory to subdue the monsters, and something must have happened there. As soon as he got back, he was locked in the annex."
"..."
"I don't know what it is, but if you wait for a moment when he's alone like that, things will be a little easier."
Before I could ask what he meant, Albrecht handed me a small pouch.
"What is this?"
"It is a powerful sleeping pill. Even a small amount can put you to sleep as if you were dead for a day. Ask the Grand Duke to meet with you tonight. Then, when you have a chance, put this in his teacup and put him to sleep. Then, I will send an assassin up at dawn."
"...Even if he is the type that recovers easily from wounds, it doesn't seem like he can detoxify himself, so sleeping pills will probably work. Besides, he is currently staying in the annex. Unlike the main building, which is heavily guarded, it would be relatively easy to break into the annex."
As I held out my hand, Albrecht smiled with satisfaction and dropped a sleeping pill into my hand.
And then I threw the bag of sleeping pills he handed me on the ground in front of him.
After that, I trampled it with my feet.
Crunch crunch.
"I don't know how many times I have to repeat the same story. It's not my job to actually do it."
"..."
"All I can do is find out his weaknesses and tell you."
"..."
"If you have nothing more to say, then let's go. I'm not free enough to waste time here."
After saying that, I was about to pass the guy and head towards Anne and Walter.
"As expected, you were a traitor."
"What?"
"You had no intention of cooperating in the first place."
The guy said those words in a voice that was several times more gloomy than usual.
When I looked back again, the bastard's wicked eyes were glaring at me without a single waver.
"You acted as if you wanted to cooperate, but you never intended to kill him in the first place. Are you not being possessed by the monster that took you by force, and daring to betray His Majesty?"
"Watch what you say."
He gave a cold rebuke and put his hand back.
Afterwards, I fumbled with the dagger I had carefully hidden in my sleeve so that it would not be seen by him.
Since I was threatened before, I had also prepared myself.
If anything, I was planning on taking out my hidden dagger and attacking him.
Luckily, the bastard didn't come close, and I opened my mouth again.
"I just rejected your plan because it was so shabby and dangerous."
"..."
"You're going to send an assassin directly into the Grand Duke's residence? Are you in your right mind? Even if it's an annex, the Grand Duke's residence isn't so lax in its security that it would allow an assassin to invade. And even if you make a normal attack, that man would quickly recover. If that happens, it's obvious that not only you, but also I and His Majesty will be in danger. Why should I go along with such a stupid operation?"
"..."
"I just ignored you because you were talking about some ridiculous plan, but now you're talking nonsense like I'm a traitor or I'm possessed by a monster."
Now there was no expression on Albrecht's face.
Only a blank expression remained firmly on his face, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking.
I couldn't tell if he was angry or if he thought it was plausible, but he opened his mouth without stopping.
"Don't act rashly. I'll find the safest and most certain way to kill him. But do what I'm told. Don't forget that I promised to give you a way out of here."
There was still no answer from him.
I started walking again, trying to Ieave the place, leaving him behind, just standing there like a sculpture, glaring at me.
As I was leaving, I heard Albrecht's voice behind me.
"I'll give you a week."
"..."
"You'd better hurry, I can't wait any longer."
It was a warning that if I still hadn't figured out Kishian's weakness by then, he would do whatever it took.
I hurried out of there without answering.
A cold sweat that I didn't even know was flowing was soaking my back.
***
The time when the sun sets and darkness begins to devour the world.
Walter entered the west wing with quiet, quick steps.
The soldiers who would never let Elona in when she came to visit easily let Walter in when he came to visit.
It was because Kishian himself gave his permission.
Once a day, Kishian was to receive a report from Walter about the Grand Duchess.
Due to the ongoing pollution, it is impossible to be with the Grand Duchess.
Therefore, in order to find out how the Grand Duchess spent her days and whether anything dangerous happened, he had to hear reports from Walter.
So Walter, who had free access to the western wing, was soon able to reach the second-floor bedroom where Kishian was.
Walter stood at the door and knocked lightly to let people know.
"I have come to report on Her Highness the Grand Duchess's movements. May I come in?"
"Come in."
Walter, who entered the bedroom, was at a loss for words for a moment.
Although Kishian always kept his surroundings neat and tidy, his bedroom was now a complete mess.
Walter quickly approached Kishian, who was standing amid the chaos, holding his head.
"Are you okay?"
"It's nothing. I just have a slight headache. I guess that's one of the symptoms of contamination."
Although not as much as Gert before being purified, Kishian's spirit was clearly being polluted as well.
Accordingly, even though he tried to control himself, violent impulses would arise without warning, and at the same time, a dull headache would also torment him.
Kishian stared at Walter, his head clutched and his brow furrowed.
"So, the Grand Duchess."
"..."
"Report."
Despite Kishian's order to report, Walter paused for a moment.
It also seemed like he was hesitating.
Just as Kishian was about to urge him again, Walter's lips slowly opened.
"It would be more accurate if you heard it for yourself rather than me explaining it to you."
As he spoke, Walter took out a small crystal ball that could fit in the palm of his hand.
As soon as Kishian saw the bead, he knew what it was.
"Is it a magic tool?"
"It's a tool for recording sound. It's recorded inside."
Walter added his explanation to Kishian, who was looking at him with a puzzled look on his face, with his lips not moving easily.
"The sound of the Grand Duchess meeting with the Emperor's servants and plotting a scheme is all recorded in it."
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