Drokan’s execution was absurdly simple.

The man who had controlled Dunnwon Village for months with his petty scrap of power met an end that was utterly pathetic.

Estella did not read aloud before the people either the list of crimes he wore proudly like medals or his name, notorious for having committed heinous acts.

“Uuugh! Uuuaaaahhh!”

“If you have any last words, write them there.”

Estella spoke magnanimously, glancing at the scroll and quill placed before Drokan.

But there was no way Drokan, who could not even read, let alone write, could compose a will.

“What? You don’t? You’re just going to go ahead and die?”

Knowing full well what Drokan was trying to say, Estella deliberately acted as though she didn’t and slid the Nevrion steel sword from her hip.

The simple act of drawing it sent a sharp, cold killing intent through the air.

“Uuuaaaahhh! Uuuaaaahhh!”

Drokan shook his bound body from side to side in resistance, but Bruno effortlessly lifted him and set him on the guillotine.

Those who had lost family to Drokan watched his final moment without blinking, as if they themselves were the ones holding the sword.

The crimes that the villagers had poured out, almost spitting blood, the moment Drokan was caught by Estella’s group, were so heinous it felt like a waste to kill him quietly on a guillotine.

“I’ll do it.”

As she was about to cut the rope holding the blade, Ciel approached, grasped her wrist, and spoke.

But Estella neither handed him the sword nor yielded, shaking her head firmly with a determined voice.

“I’ll do it.”

Estella, without a moment’s hesitation, cut not only the rope before her eyes but also the lingering ‘good girl complex’ that had been left clinging inside her.

Thud!

With the sound of the huge, dull blade falling, Drokan’s terrified head dropped to the ground.

Without even closing his eyes, his head fell into the rusted bucket placed beneath the guillotine.

From the day after Gerard showed him his research notes, the marquis began taking the medicine he made.

Ironically, the reason the medicine could be developed so quickly was thanks to Alexis’s obsessive research records.

That meticulousness had become a map to navigate out of a dead end.

'If you’re going to go mad, at least do it elegantly.'

That was what Gerard had said most often as he read Alexis’s research notes.

Today, right on time for medicine, the sound of knocking came at the office door: knock, knock, knock.

Whether it was a rule or a habit, Gerard always knocked exactly three times when he brought the medicine, with a distinct rhythm—knock, knock, knock!

So the marquis could tell from the knock alone that Gerard had arrived.

“Your Excellency, the mage has come.”

Because Raul and Tom had not yet fully recovered, Crofton was still serving in the butler’s place.

Speaking in a polite tone, he reported.

At first, Crofton had been delighted at what seemed a perfect chance to claim the chief butler’s position, but under the marquis’s cold, sharp presence, he now counted the days until Raul recovered.

That very morning, he had gone to check Raul’s condition in the infirmary.

Raul was still weak and limp, and Crofton had returned to the office deeply disappointed.

A moment later, the door opened and Gerard strode in carrying a tray with the medicine and a glass of water.

Because the medicine had to be taken within an hour of being made for it to work, Gerard had no choice but to handle every step himself.

It was extremely bothersome, but unavoidable.

If the patient had been anyone other than Estella’s father, it would have been unthinkable.

“It’s time for your medicine.”

Gerard was acting with a level of kindness that made him wonder if he’d ever been this polite in his life, all because of Estella.

'I need to get out of this damned house soon. A few more years here and I’ll be wagging a tail I don’t even have.'

Though he grumbled internally every time he opened his mouth, Gerard still carried out his duties promptly and with great skill.

When Gerard came in with the tray, the marquis rose from his desk and moved to sit on the sofa in the center of the office.

At some point, the time when Gerard brought the medicine had also become the time for the two to share conversation, and the marquis had come to quietly look forward to it.

“Today you’ll start with the red pill.”

The order of the medicine changed daily.

Because the marquis had been taking Carna for such a long time and had such a large amount accumulated in his body, the detoxification process was extremely complicated.

Every step was carried out according to Gerard’s meticulous calculations, for even a small mistake could leave the marquis permanently blind.

Gerard was obsessively involved in everything from making the medicine to the process of taking it.

Today there were seven pills in total.

The order, and the intervals of time between them, were all different.

The marquis took each pill from the tray in order, swallowing them obediently with water like a well-behaved student.

When he picked up the last pill and the water glass, Gerard’s urgent voice stopped him.

“You have to chew the last one. If it mixes with water in your mouth, it won’t work.”

The marquis sighed quietly.

Last time he’d been told to chew one, the bitterness had been so intense it had made his head spin.

But now was not the time to complain.

“This one’s rather big.”

His expression darkened slightly as he looked at it.

“You must eat all of it without leaving even a crumb. I’ll check your mouth afterward.”

Gerard had no interest whatsoever in looking into another person’s mouth, but since it was Estella’s father, there was no choice.

If this man went blind, Estella would suffer.

And that was a sight Gerard did not wish to see.

Every time the man gave him work, Gerard wanted to smack the back of Estella’s head, but when she was out of sight, he worried, and when she came back and started strutting around again, he found her annoying all over.

He thought of leaving this place as soon as possible, but then again, if he left, the house would probably fall into chaos, so he decided he might as well finish his contract.

Gerard watched to make sure the marquis chewed and swallowed the bitter pill completely, then held out the candy he’d brought.

Even as he did it, he wondered what on earth he was doing, but there was no helping it.

The candy, which Gerard had also made himself, contained ingredients to improve the marquis’s condition.

The marquis took it from him without hesitation.

When Gerard saw the way the marquis’s eyes brightened at the candy after the bitter medicine, they somehow seemed to resemble Estella’s, and he felt an unexpected lump in his throat.

He didn’t know why he felt this way, but it was a sticky emotion he’d never experienced before, and he didn’t know how to react.

Whether it was something he liked or hated.

“I am truly grateful to you.”

“You can just give me a generous reward.”

Gerard deliberately spoke coldly to hide his feelings.

“I’ll give you anything you want.”

“…Anything?”

When Gerard raised one eyebrow in surprise, the marquis nodded readily.

“Of course.”

“What if I asked you to give up your title?”

“That, you and Estella can settle between yourselves when she returns from Belzram.”

Realizing Gerard had been joking, the marquis replied with a sly grin, and Gerard waved him off with an exaggerated grimace.

“I’ll pass.”

The moment Estella’s name came up, Gerard immediately dropped the weak provocation.

For some reason, it felt like he could never win against her in a fight—or more precisely, that he didn’t want to see her hurt because of him.

A brief silence fell between them, filled with mutual concern for Estella.

Both knew well how hard it was to reach Belzram, and how dangerous First-Class Monster Zuhara was, so they didn’t need to say anything to feel the weight in each other’s hearts.

“How much longer will I need to take this medicine?”

The marquis asked lightly on purpose, afraid that if he spoke his worries aloud, they would become reality.

“For another year.”

“I see.”

Taking the medicine for another year would be unpleasant, but it also meant Gerard would remain in Wintfall for that time, which was a relief.

With Estella away from the castle, the marquis somehow felt reassured knowing Gerard was there.

Without realizing it, he had begun to rely on him a little.

“And I have one more favor to ask.”

“No.”

Gerard refused instantly, but the marquis smiled blandly and continued.

By now, he knew Gerard always ended up agreeing anyway.

Gerard might seem strict on the surface, but he was soft-hearted inside.

“It’s nothing difficult, so don’t worry. I want you to look over the list and documents the Imperial Medical Bureau sent yesterday and recommend a personal physician.”

“…Me?”

“You’re the only one I can ask right now.”

“What if I only choose weirdos?”

“That too, you can leave to Estella—”

“Ah! Fine. Honestly… you’d better reward me generously.”

Gerard shook his head, but in the end, he couldn’t refuse.

This damned house had kept him from leaving out of curiosity before, and now it was keeping him with unfinished work.

And Estella.

When she came back this time, Gerard was determined to give her a firm flick on the forehead for burying him in work.

So hurry up and kill that Zuhara or whatever it is, and come back safe and sound, without getting hurt, so I can give you that flick without hesitation.

After Drokan’s execution, the Blue Wind mercenaries whose Achilles tendons had all been severed were locked up in the village’s underground prison.

Fortunately, the village still had one public building left intact: the chapel, which had a prison beneath it for holding criminals.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can repay this…”

Oldrick, the village chief, slowly bowed to Estella.

His right knee was bad, so he leaned on a cane, and every step he took looked precarious, as if he might fall.

Though he was fairly tall, his gaunt frame made him seem even weaker than most.

Estella quickly took his hand and straightened his bent body.

“It’s nothing. It was only what had to be done… Once this is all over, I’ll return to Wintfall, tell the marquis about your situation here, and work out measures to help your village.”

“Thank you. Truly, thank you, my lady.”

Oldrick’s voice trembled as he expressed his gratitude.

His thin shoulders shook, and tears streamed down his face as if releasing all the worry and fear he had held back until now.

The tears that rolled down his gaunt cheeks gathered at the sharp tip of his chin, gleaming like hope.

He himself was already old enough that he could die without regret, but the problem was the children and young people of the village.

Most of them had nowhere else to go, so they couldn’t simply be told to leave.

Life had been hard enough already, but once the Blue Wind Mercenaries came, it became even harsher.

Food shortages went without saying, and even water was hard to get—anyone wanting to approach the fountain had to give those mercenaries something in return.

It was a bitter, humiliating situation, but without strength, they could only endure it.

For these people, Estella’s arrival was like that of an angel sent from the heavens.

Even when there were no villagers around, Estella and the Squirrel Mercenary Band had been given dry bread and water with sincere care.

They refused several times, but it was no use.

They had only stopped in the village to avoid sleeping outdoors for a night, but here Estella had found one more thing she needed to do.

'There must be many villages like this. I need to find them.'

Until now, she had been focused narrowly on defending Wintfall Castle, but when she thought of the countless others waiting for help, her urgency grew.

'I’ll deal with Zuhara as quickly as possible and move on.'

“Hyat!”

Riding toward the Black Glass Plain, Estella’s resolve was stronger and more earnest than on the day she left Wintfall.

Chapter 153

Comments