“Who is this.”

Herod sneered as he recognized the familiar figure.

“Well, it’s quite unexpected to have you here when I was just talking about you. Not to mention you broke past my house security.”

“Your security is terrible, so I suggest you replace those guys.”

“That’s indeed a good preventive plan. But I’m not in the mood right now.”

With a fed-up expression, Herod gestured at Rette and the guards to leave before he approached Tidwell.

The implied threat weighed more heavily in the air with each step he took.

“How did these gentlemen collapse like a sandcastle just because of one intruder bastard? Meanwhile my damned partner breaks into my house like this.”

“You. Have you found the spring user?”

“What?”

Herod’s expression became glacial.

It was already an open secret that he was looking for the spring user, so it didn’t shock him when the topic suddenly was broached.

Rather, his expression suggested that he was greatly annoyed by the intruder’s question.

Tidwell did not seem to have much interest even when Herod searched for the spring user so desperately.

Besides, Tidwell had other interests, and they were in the same boat, so they didn’t need to keep each other in check.

Why did he suddenly raise it now?

“Are you kidding me?”

“Just tell me if you find them or not.”

“If you ask me with that attitude do you expect me to say yes and tell you?”

“So you haven’t found them.”

Haha!

Herod laughed bitterly.

“Yeah, I haven’t found them. Some fool screwed up my plans!”

“By plans do you mean the scheme you both made at Marquis Callister’s banquet?”

“Yeah! You know everything already, so it’s my turn to ask you, Tid. Can you even imagine what I feel now? To have what you longed for within your grasp only for it to disappear at once?”

Herod wanted to smash Tidwell’s head right away for killing Duke Leontine and breaking off his deal with Ravia Leontine.

“The first time I heard about the accident, I thought it was bullshit! Does it make sense that Duke Leontine died? Without deciding on his successor? That can’t be possible! There’s no way it was an accident! There’s no way my close partner would go that far!”

Bang!

The edge of the marble desk that Herod hit began to crack.

“Why must you kill Duke Leontine of all people? Even in a situation where you have nothing to gain for sure? Do you even know what you have screwed up? Are you fucking crazy?!”

“All I know is I would’ve at least been in my right mind had my sister and my partner not teamed up to betray me.”

“Haha. You’re crazy. Then you should’ve gone to your noble sister instead of bursting through my door. I’m sure you know that Ravia Leontine knows about the spring user.”

Herod snarled unsympathetically. All he knew was that this bastard ruined his plans so that he couldn’t get any information about the spring user from Ravia Leontine.

Why did he leave the real key, Ravia Leontine, just to find me and pull this crazy stunt?

“You haven’t been interested in the spring user all this time, right? So now why are you doing this? Do you have other people you need to save immediately? Is Ravia Leontine going to lay in a coffin soon?”

After spitting out all those questions, Herod belatedly realized what he had said.

Is Ravia Leontine going to lay in a coffin soon?

He realized that was the point of this chaotic conversation. It was later confirmed by Tidwell’s sunken expression and the sudden chill in the room.

Ha.Ha.

Herod snorted a stifling laugh, and asked with one eyebrow raised.

“Is that the answer?”

“….Yeah.”

In a voice full of grief, Tidwell only replied curtly as if that one syllable was the best he could muster.

Herod burst into laughter as soon as he heard the answer. He couldn’t help it because it was so funny.

Now he understood the situation. The reason why Tidwell left his sister to find him.

It was both funny and pathetic to see someone who was no stranger to death acting like he was in the depths of despair.

But his laugh soon dissipated like an ember in the rain because Herod wasn’t really in the mood for trivial entertainment.

Even Herod, who had been glaring at Tidwell with rage, felt a bit of sympathy toward the broken man. After venting his anger, he could sympathize with Tidwell’s situation a bit.

He recalled Tidwell’s earlier reply.

–All I know is I would’ve at least been in my right mind had my sister and my partner not teamed up to betray me.

People who listened to Herod and Ravia’s conversation ‘properly’ would never think like that.

So Herod took a dejected breath.

“Tidwell….How come you only choose the worst options ever?”

“…So you have no clue at all about the spring user either?”

“You know how meticulous your sister is.”

The answer was no. Ravia was only going to give Herod what he wanted after he completed her request.

So Tidwell had no reason to stay here either. But as Tidwell turned around, Herod asked him.

“Tidwell, I don’t know what you heard at Marquis Calister’s banquet. But have you ever thought of this?”

“….What?”

“From Ravia Leontine’s standpoint, wouldn’t it be much easier to use me to kill you?”

For Herod, it was no longer important how much he treasured his bond with Tidwell or how much he needed him. If Ravia had information about the spring user, she could treat him as her dog as much as she wanted.

“She chose to kick you out over such an easy method…Have you ever thought about the reason behind her decision to use an approach that was safer for you?”

“…..”

“There was only one deal between us. After she kicked you out, she wanted me to take care of you.”

It was to prevent Tidwell’s downfall.

Herod further explained that she would give the information about the spring user in return for that.

There could be only one reason why she discarded the easy method and was willing to go such lengths.

“Tidwell. Ravia Leontine is…”

“Enough.”

A cracked voice resembling a dull wood noise sounded abruptly. Tidwell’s face was already sunken beyond measure. He looked like a beast with a huge stab wound in the chest.

“….Alright, I apologize to you. That’s all I gotta say.” Tidwell said, and proceeded to stagger toward the doorway.

He simply had no confidence in hearing more. He had no confidence to take on his sin on top of everything. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to walk anymore.

He heard the illusion of his sinking emotions that were rustling like dead leaves. When he heard that, it felt like his whole body was swarmed by the ants that wouldn’t stop gnawing at him, so he wanted to stop walking.

But he couldn’t do that yet. This low life still had one reason to not die yet. Though he didn’t know whether it was for her sake or his sake.

He couldn’t fall apart yet.

‘Ravia.’

Tidwell uttered her name silently. And mulled over it.

That was the only reason for him to exist. Just like fishes opening their mouths to gasp for air.

He tried to replicate Ravia’s thoughts.

‘I need to know what my sister was thinking.’

Herod also had no answer. Ravia leaped to the ground taking all the answers with her.

She really didn’t intend to survive.

It was evident from the way she chose to jump from the window of the highest floor where the sharp fence was located right under it. She wanted to die no matter what happened.

But would the wise Ravia leave leftovers on her plate?

‘No way.’

Ravia counted all possibilities. Even the possibility of not dying. So she must’ve left a clue about the spring user somewhere.

Whether to deliver it to Herod, or for the sake of laying another trap.

He was sure that she would leave it somewhere. And all that was left was to find it.

‘Her life is still in danger.’

Frustrated by the situation, Tidwell opened the carriage door and collapsed like a man who had been kicked in the stomach.

And a figure watching the scene from a distance soon disappeared toward the forest.

Thud, thud, thud.

A small foot, rushing up the stairs, stopped in front of a room.

“Miss Rette? Why are you here in the middle of the night?”

“Send this note to Quincy. Now.”

“Is this a note? There’s nothing written on it.”

“It’s very important. Deliver it right away so you won’t be caught by Herod.”

Now! The girl’s hushed voice filled with urgency.