Does She Leave the House (11)

The number of people increased to four, so I dragged a chair from Evan’s room and sat down. The narrow room was full.

Needless to say, I immediately asked her to write a letter expressing her intention to divorce. Now all Merson had to do was to leave this behind.

“But why are you here?”

Chenin, who was scribbling roughly, suddenly raised her head and looked at Evan. Evan pointed his finger at himself and asked, “Me?”.

“Yes, you.”

When Guernia woke up, Evan would be identified as a suspect in County Abitz’s invasion, so he had no choice but to hide in this inn with us.

“I am an obvious victim, but I am afraid that I will become a petty perpetrator.”

He laughs self-deprecatingly, perhaps finding his situation was unfair.

“Then why did Madam suddenly change your mind?”

I’m also curious about Chenin, who had blazing fire in both her eyes and seemed unlikely to come even if she died, to suddenly have a change of heart and knock on the door on the seventh day.

Darkness passed over Chenin’s face, who was raising her nose like a snobby lady.

“I saw it.”

It was very obvious that she was trying to get herself together. Chenin pretended nothing was wrong, but the trembling Chenin clearly conveyed what she had experienced.

“What?”

When her hand holding the pen began to tremble, she put it down and hid it under the table.

“Death.”

“Death, who?”

Chenin stared at me.

“Me, all of Sezaine, and the Emperor.”

In the midst of unresolved issues, these words brought another storm.

We were shocked by the words alone, but we wanted to hear more from Chenin as we barely picked up from these small details.

She began to tell one after another what she had learned after the banquet at the County.

Count Abitz is a man with all the desires in the world. He had a morbid desire to grab everything in sight, whether it be material desires, sexual desires, honors, or gourmet, and wanting to win everything that looked good, even by despicable means.

Chenin said that she was very surprised that the Count, who was so united with ambition, had noticed the rebels in advance and helped the Emperor to stop them. Because he was never a great man who would dedicate himself to working for others, especially for the country or the Emperor. Rather, it would have made more sense if he was the one who rebelled.

However, at the time, Chenin, who was not very interested in anything Count Abitz did that did not fit her heart, ignored it. As long as the County didn’t go bankrupt, she would be able to keep the title of Countess, so that was enough.

“But after the banquet, everything changed. Because you said useless things about the Count trying to kill me.”

“I would have said that.”

“I would have known even if it hadn’t been through your mouth.”

“I don’t know that. Can you go back to the main topic?”

She stared at me as if she was going to say something more, and then, perhaps not wanting to go on with the argument any longer, Chenin meekly began to continue her story.

“I was carrying the note you gave me with a hopeless heart. And I happened to open Count Abitz’s safe, and there was a document saying that the chief attendant Guernia was responsible for disposing of the bodies of those who died during the Bennon Massacre.”

The Bennon Massacre. It was when I first met Merson. Just thinking about it makes chills run down my spine and goose bumps on my limbs.

People who were bleeding and dying. I still vividly remember the man whose name I don’t know who collapsed in front of my eyes. And the culprit behind it is sitting next to me.

I had never been afraid of him for three years because I thought Merson and Kayle the Demon King were separate, but now I felt a bit difficult about Merson. Undeniably, as soon as I try to admit that the two are one and the same person, things I do not want to recall are forcibly pulled out.

“Erina.”

Did he feel a change in my mind? Merson quietly called my name. Needless to say, I put my finger to his lips and covered his mouth.

I moistened my parched lips and focused on Chenin again.

“Guernia was involved in the Bennon massacre?”

“Yes. It’s not even Count Abitz’s private land. But strangely, that wasn’t the only thing. The data of the village where countless people died were meticulously organized and piled up. And the same goes for Sezaine.”

“Sezaine has nothing in common with those villages.”

“They’re trying to set up a wizard training center in Sezaine. The reason why they occupied half of the territory in advance was to get things done as quickly as possible. The conditions may have already been met.”

“You mean an academy?”

This question came from Evan. Chenin laughed and shook his head.

“To cultivate talent? Do you think it suits Count Abitz? Not only that, but the payment history of magic tools constantly being purchased was also in the safe.”

“It’s black magic.”

With Merson’s answer, Evan’s eyes widened, almost popping out.

“Magic tools were meant to contain the blood of the dead, and it was to be distributed to Count Abitz’s soldiers, who had no natural talent for magic. With this, they could use black magic. I also found out about black magic this time.”

“What, what do you mean by this time? Are you saying that someone told you, or another proof…….”

“Guernia.”

An unexpected name came up. And there was a crack in Chenin’s expression. Showing she was preparing to bring out a difficult story compared to what she had said earlier.

“Yesterday, the Count called me. It was unusual. That lump of greed to seek me first. Just looking at the Count’s oily face gives me nausea and goosebumps, but I don’t know why I sprayed the perfume I had been saving and looked in the mirror one more time before going to him. I immediately regretted it.”

It was very late in the morning, around the time when the eyes of the animals that roam at night were slowly closing. One of the maids stopped by Chenin’s room to wake her up, prepared for a slapping.

Chenin, who had been unable to fall asleep throughout the night right after the banquet, was fortunately awake and went to the Count’s room with a sane mind.

“Count?”

Even though Chenin had arrived, the Count was preoccupied with gazing at the deep blue dawn sky. Although she really hated it, Chenin approached the Count with the intention of giving him a hug.

“I have work to do.”

Fortunately, the Count spoke to her before Chenin could get any closer to the Count.

“… Is it Sezaine’s matter again?”

“No.”

She was relieved. Because she didn’t want to do anything about Sezaine anymore.

“It’s simpler than that. You can do it well enough.”

“…….”

“If you do it well, I’ll make a social space just for you. A banquet just for my dear Countess.”

The Count came up to Chenin’s side and ran a thick hand fluttering on her chest. Chenin pulled the Count’s hand down to hold her chest and spoke leisurely.

“What is it?”

Even if she dislikes it, Chenin can’t help but open her ears when the Count talks about what she wants.

The Count grabbed Chenin’s chests with force, almost bursting them.

“Ack!”

“Go to Guernia’s room right now and strangle her as hard as you can. Like this. She’s unconscious, so she won’t even know she’s dying.”

After releasing Chenin, Count Abitz caressed her back with a gentle hand unlike before. He even extends his hand out the door and escorts her.

“Countess, I will trust you and wait.”

Bang-

The door is closed. Chenin had no choice. She abandoned her hometown and family and wanted to become a noble, so she even got married. But she was treated worse than when she was in Sezaine.

She was driven to the edge of a cliff, but she could at least end a person’s life. She thought that even if she hesitated, someone would kill Guernia anyway. But it was better for her to do it herself, since she could benefit from it.

In the light of a small lamp, she passed through a long, dark hallway and reached Guernia’s room. It was closed, but it felt cold inside, like a dead person’s room.