Chapter 150
While the gang members were being restrained by the knights, a lone man stirred in the forest shrouded in dim twilight.
"Ahhh... So they really got taken down, huh."
Muttering without any particular surprise, the shadowy figure gave a wry smile.
In his line of sight were the gang members being restrained at the entrance to the White Dragon Offering Hall.
"That's why I told them not to go through with it... It's so predictable it's not even funny."
The one speaking with a sarcastic tone was a man in his twenties. His features somewhat resembled Clael's.
The man's name was Girael. He was once called Girael Burn.
He was Clael's older brother, and the very person who conspired with the bandits to have his brother killed.
Girael was a bishop of the Holy Nation of Shinecross... Acting on a request from Carmine Imari, he had gathered the gang groups of this country.
And... he had been plotting to kidnap Reina and Clael.
Selling even his own younger brother for money... Though their faces looked alike, Girael's ruthless nature was the complete opposite of Clael's.
"Ahhh... Mission failed. Well, at least I made a profit off the advance payment."
The success bonus was a shame to lose... but he wouldn't cling to it any further.
He wanted money.
He wanted women.
He wanted power.
He wanted honor.
He wanted to see others suffer. He wanted to see them frustrated. He wanted to see them in despair...
Though born to a kind-hearted marquis couple, Girael had been a scoundrel from birth.
If it benefited him, he wouldn't hesitate to push others down, and... it infuriated him when others gained more than he did.
Girael was the lowest of the low... but he had trained himself not to obsess over profit and loss more than necessary.
Once he knew he had failed, he would retreat quickly.
Run, hide, and vanish.
It was because he had lived that way for so long that, even after being wanted, he had never been caught and had always managed to escape.
"Time to scram... Sorry, but I'm outta here."
Offering an apology that would never reach the gang members who had once been his temporary allies, Girael pushed through the trees and fled.
He could escape to another country, then steal, rob, or swindle again to make money.
Saying such things, he evaded the soldiers' encirclement and fled... but...
"Huh?"
Something was wrong.
He suddenly realized it.
The forest felt off. It was different from when he had arrived.
No insects chirped, no birds sang... It was eerily silent.
"Hey now... This is kinda bad, isn't it?"
"You have good instincts."
"Tch...!"
Girael jumped back.
He quickly turned toward the voice... but no one was there.
"No way... You gotta be kidding me..."
There should have been no one.
And yet... a void in the empty space opened like a door, and from it, a young girl appeared.
Beautiful silver hair. Jade-colored eyes. Her features were so perfectly beautiful... but the expression on her face was terrifyingly cold.
"Saint Reina Laurel... No way, you're showing up here...?"
Girael's face stiffened.
The one who emerged from the void was Reina Laurel.
To Girael, she was one of the targets for kidnapping.
(I was trying to avoid running into her... and now we're alone in a place like this? This is the worst.)
However, Girael had no intention of getting involved with Reina.
The reason was simple. He was afraid.
Girael was a greedy man, but his danger sense was exceedingly sharp.
When he secretly observed Reina in the royal capital for information gathering, Girael felt an overwhelming fear.
A being not to be touched. A bomb in human form. Untouchable.
Feeling an abnormal 'pressure' from Reina, Girael chose to avoid her and target Clael instead.
"...Honestly, I don't want Lord Clael to do anything dangerous."
Reina's lips, like rose petals, trembled.
Her words seemed more like a monologue than something directed at Girael.
"If I could... I would put Lord Clael in a small box and hold him in my heart forever. I don't want anyone else to touch him. I want to keep him all to myself... But I know that's wrong. I know I mustn't do that."
"............"
"Lord Clael freed me from my father. To confine him and restrict his actions would be like repaying kindness with betrayal. That's why I didn't stop him this time either."
(Wait a second... Could this be my chance to escape?)
Girael glanced nervously at the surrounding trees, inching backward slowly.
He watched for an opening to escape from Reina, who spoke like a doll built for monologue.
"But... it's not like I'm not angry, you know?"
"Tch...!"
A chill ran through every pore of his body.
A primal fear. A fundamental sense of danger as a living being.
"It's true for the others too... but I especially can't stand you. Someone doing evil with a face so much like Lord Clael's—I won't accept that."
"No way... You gotta be kidding me..."
"Confess your sins and then take your own life. If you do that... perhaps even someone like you might find the gates of Heaven open."
It could be interpreted as a merciful line... but Girael broke into a cold sweat, his face contorting in terror.