“Let go of me!”

Duncan resisted fiercely.

Duncan, who had always been neat, could no longer be described as such. The vest over his shirt was torn, and there were scratches on his cheek.

“You stay still. Don’t flutter like live fish on land. Tsk.”

Duncan was tied tightly to a restraint sphere that neutralized his magical powers. The large man wiped his bloodstained hands on Duncan’s shirt and dragged him along.

Earlier, the massive magic bullet fired right at Duncan’s magic ball and detonated it.

The carriage was shattered, and the two skillfully saved their lives, but in the end, the experienced mercenary managed to catch Duncan.

“His Excellency the Grand Duke will not stand still.”

As Duncan struggled, he widened his eyes and glared fiercely.

His captor replied as he scratched the nape of his neck.

“Huh? Are you the only one who has a master? I have a master too. My master won’t stand still.”

“Right, right.”

Beside him, another member of Larva (who came to accompany his comrade) added with a nod.

Then, perhaps hot-headed from being dragged along, Duncan shouted.

“My master has a very dirty personality!”

The chubby Larva member shouted back in a fit of rage.

“Our master flips out gently!!!”

That was the moment.

“.....”

“.....”

Without realizing it, they exchanged glances of compassion towards each other.

The two felt a strong affinity.

Alas, how futile was the battle of craziness between masters.

In any case, only the subordinates serving them were robbed.

Somehow quiet, they entered the drawing room of the residence of Marquis Winston in a fairly sombre mood.

Kyle occupied the sofa, burying his body deep in it, clasping his chin.

“Get down.”

Before him, Duncan went down on his knees. He clenched his teeth.

It was Duncan who was treated like the limbs of ‘Vivantum’.

Besides, this highly loyal deputy did not easily bow his head in front of others.

―That was Heinrich’s order.

The arrogant owner treated even his limbs like that.

Therefore, even though he was tied up in front of the marquis and forced to kneel, his eyes were rough like a freshly captured beast.

“Marquis Winston, I will not forgive this disrespect. You should have made a formal summons request to the Grand Duke.”

“.....”

“If I go back, His Excellency the Grand Duke will formally take this matter into account.”

Kyle, who had been silently wearing leather gloves, opened his mouth belatedly.

A soft yet deep voice flowed out.

“Are you sure you can go back to your master?”

“....!”

For a moment, Duncan’s spine stood upright as if he had been pierced by a bamboo spear.

This man was serious.

Perhaps his grave could be this drawing room.

He had the vigor and momentum to do so.

‘The smell of blood.’

Even though the marquis had calm and docile eyes, Duncan could feel the relentless murderous intent behind them.

“I won’t drag this out. Are you the one who gave away Lady Annette’s position to the prince?”

“.....”

Duncan’s eyes were grayed out.

It was then that he realized why he had been captured.

Kyle’s eyes darkened to a deep green in the living room where there was no light.

He pressed Duncan, who had shut his mouth tightly.

It was a voice that lacked emotion and had no pitch.

“Thanks to you, the Duchess is in danger. She was content with living a simple life there.”

“.....”

“Also, I lost my men in an unofficial battle.”

It was something Duncan didn’t know. That <Winston’s Shield> fought there..

But it was something that would happen if Gerard had dispatched his chasing squad, and in turn, if the marquis had tried to protect Annette and the island of Bayonaire.

To begin with, Duncan was unaware of the situation at that time.

Because he wasn’t on Bayonaire Island.

—Since, secretly, he went to El Dorado to meet Gerard.

“Answer me. Why did you do that?”

Kyle’s eyes turned frosty.

“What did your master say to give such an order? What a crazy thing to do.”

“.....”

Duncan remained steadfast in silence.

At that moment, the marquis’ hand was raised. A strong hand in a leather glove slapped his cheek violently.

He fell sideways with a loud bang. Blood pooled in his mouth.

There was no warmth or mercy in the hand that grabbed his hair roughly.

Crackle—

A shotgun was stuck in Duncan’s mouth. The marquis interrogated him without hesitation as he drooled saliva on his chin like a gagged beast.

“My brothers died in that battle.”

“.....”

In an instant, Duncan closed his eyes as if foreshadowing death.

He felt he was going to meet his end here if he didn’t say it.

—Duncan decided to just die.

Heinrich was his master, whom he had accumulated much more hateful feelings than affection for, but he did not dare betray him.

As if reading the change of heart, Kyle’s eyes narrowed.

“In that case, I have no choice but to tell everything to the Duchess of Valienne.”

“.....”

“That it was the work of your master, Grand Duke Hyacinth. Which dragged Prince Gerard in and ruined Bayonaire Island, and as though that wasn’t enough, it led her mother to her death.”

The leader of Larva was a person who was good at intimidation and knew how to effectively move people’s hearts. In a way that only tells the truth.

“She thinks that the snitch who gave her position is responsible for her mother’s death.”

“.....”

“I will tell her that it is your master.”

“....!”

It was then that Duncan, who had stubbornly squeezed his eyes shut, opened his eyes.

His eyes trembled anxiously.

Kyle continued his words, taking in the anxiety and agitation with an expressionless face.

“Your master will be very pleased.”

Duncan knew.

That if that happened, his master would be in an irreversible situation.

His master’s inner self would die.

His master, who has spent his whole life longing for only her, would be shattered.

By all means, if he even got a look of contempt from her..

..Could he breathe normally and live like a human?

“Uhhhhhhhh!!!”

Only then did Duncan hurriedly struggle and open his mouth.

Kyle took his magic gun out of his mouth.

“Please don’t do that, please.. please, Marquis Winston.”

Duncan, noticeably humbled, shook his head.

“I will tell you everything.”

To protect his master, he raised his head and said,

“My master didn’t mean to do that.”

‘Let’s listen.’

With narrowed eyes, Kyle slowly sat back down on the sofa.

Finally, he was going to hear how well Duncan’s opened mouth talked.

━━━━???━━━━

“There’s no way that something from a dirty courtesan bloodline could be my son.”

Little Heinrich was holding his breath, listening to what Belsac, his father, had to say.

“Then, Grand Duke, who is the little beggar who came to see you?”

“An existence that was born because it could not be killed.”

In response to the question of his noble wife, Belsac described Heinrich in that way.

The woman, who must have been his father’s wife, smiled contentedly, and hugged the baby in her arms with tender hands, as if she had never done anything harsh.

The baby seemed to be a very, very precious child.

It was the day Heinrich first visited his biological father.

Hanging outside the window and overhearing their conversation, Heinrich quickly descended to the floor.

His little hands were swollen, almost purple, like frostbite, and all he was wearing was a thin coat.

His stomach was empty.

—It was winter.

Even after hearing the conversation, he pretended not to know and went to the front door.

He would like to meet him, just in case.

‘When his father sees me, who looks just like him, his heart will change..’

As soon as the doorkeeper opened the front door, he frowned at the child who only came to his waist.

And, he spit out the words of his master, as nicely as possible.

“He says he can’t see you because you’re dirty.”

“.....”

“Please leave.”

If the original words were enough to kill a child’s heart, the nice words were enough to leave an irreversible bruise on the child’s heart.

That day, as he left the grand duke’s residence, Heinrich wiped his cheeks with his small hands, again and again.

But he couldn’t stop crying.

After that, there was no one who visited the funeral of his mother who abandoned the world. Belsac turned a blind eye as if it was a matter of course.

Only a young son and a priest who cared for the poor attended the funeral of the courtesan, who had lived a difficult life.

―That was the first and last memory of his biological father Heinrich had.

“.....”

This was the 99th floor of the tower.

The nine great wizards lived in the tower along with their families.

The wizards who worked for them were also living here with their families.

Perhaps this was why.

In this common space, there were a lot of particularly friendly groups of families.

Standing there like a distant stranger..

Heinrich whispered in a very low voice.

“I shouldn’t have come alone.”

He was floating alone in that warm landscape like an impurity.

Kook.

Someone pulled Heinrich’s sleeve.

From his waist.

“.....”

Silver hair, and shiny eyes. Red lips like a cherry.

It was a boy just like him.

―And he was also a boy who looked exactly like his father.

“.....”

For a moment, Heinrich’s expression crumpled.