The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 174

Chapter 174: The Flower That Blooms at Night (3)

Silence fell.

Cain stared at Lourens without a word, and Lourens, too, gazed back at Cain without any explanation.

Even Princess Elena found it difficult to interject in this confrontation.

“Captain! No, Butler, why are you calling him Captain?”

Anje, a maid covered in dirt as if she had just crawled out of a pit, holding a broom, cried out in surprise.

Confused about why she had called Butler Lourens “Captain,” she still obediently stood in front of Cain.

Thump.

She placed her hands on her hips and scolded Cain.

“What do you think you’re doing to our savior! Do you even realize how we saved your life?”

“How?”

“Well…….”

At that moment, Maid Anje began to retrieve her memories that had been veiled by the magic of ‘night.’

It began with a small clue, but through desperate recollection, she overcame the illusion of ‘night’ and spoke.

“Well done!”

Cain turned to look at Lourens, who was still plastered against the wall. As if he had expected this, Lourens let out a resigned chuckle and nodded slightly.

“I apologize for that.”

“Captain, no, Butler. Um, Butler Captain? Anyway, why are you apologizing for me?”

Unlike Lourens, who had escaped the clutches of ‘night’ due to the presence of the Princess, Anje, a member of the Special Intelligence Division, seemed to be struggling. Confused between ‘night’ and her original memories, she stammered over his title for a while.

“Get down.”

At Lourens’ low command, Anje immediately dropped to the floor.

“Roll left.”

“Ugh!”

Her body moved before her mind could catch up.

“Roll right.”

“Ugh!”

She could only react to the familiar voice of her commander, the commands she had followed since childhood.

“Get up. Who am I?”

“You are the devil instructor back from hell!”

“Get down again.”

Cain released his grip on Lourens’s neck. He effortlessly pushed himself off the wall and rolled Anje over.

“Are you back to your senses now?”

Snap━!

Anje snapped to attention like a well-trained soldier and shouted,

“Yes, Captain!”

“Who am I?”

“You are Captain Lourens, my eternally brilliant senior!”

Nod━.

Lourens didn’t say anything more and simply pointed at the floor with his chin. Anje, who was prepared for the consequences of her playful remark, immediately resumed rolling without a word.

“Anyway, despite the eventful start, it’s a pleasure to meet you, hero.”

Lourens offered a polished greeting, befitting a nobleman.

“Aaaaagh━!”

Except for Anje, who was still automatically rolling in the background.

“I am Lourens, head of the Empire’s Special Intelligence Division.”

“Cain.”

“I am Elina.”

With the impeccable demeanor of a butler with decades of experience, Lourens gestured towards the interior of the mansion.

“Instead of talking here, it would be better to continue this conversation while listening to what Lord Wiseman, the Magic Lord Marquis, has to say.”

“Why?”

At Cain’s question, Lourens scratched his cheek awkwardly and glanced out the window.

The true scenery of ‘night’ unfolded before them.

“Because the magic failed.”

He stared at the beginning of a ‘night’ that seemed to have no end.

🔹🔹🔹

Inside the drawing-room of the mansion.

Wiseman, the Magic Lord Marquis, prepared tea with practiced ease, like the mistress of the house she once was.

Pitter-patter━.

With a flick of her fingers, empty teacups descended in front of the four newcomers.

Glug━.

A teapot, seemingly suspended in mid-air, poured plain water into the cups.

“Why don’t we get any tea?”

Naturally, it was Anje who dared to question the Magic Lord Marquis. Wiseman smiled faintly and replied,

“It would be a shame to waste precious tea leaves on someone who might not even appreciate them.”

“As expected of Lord Wiseman, the Magic Lord Marquis.”

Anje nodded solemnly, as if in agreement with her words. Lourens, who seemed lost in thought, glanced briefly at Elena and continued,

“Her Highness the Princess is also present.”

Wiseman took a sip of her tea thoughtfully before replying,

“Anyway, you won’t remember it tomorrow.”

“That remains to be seen, considering the Kreuz Imperial blood flows within her.”

“Then she must be a single-digit princess, not the ambiguous 13th.”

“Lord Marquis. Your recent remark was rather audacious.”

The Empire’s Hound.

As the head of the Special Intelligence Division, an organization dedicated to the endless glory and eternal prosperity of the Empire, Lourens was strict.

Wiseman, the Magic Lord Marquis, shifted her gaze from him to Cain.

Snap━.

She snapped her fingers.

The cup of plain water in front of the princess vanished, replaced with an identical cup of tea as Wiseman’s.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes.”

Slurp━.

Watching their exchange, Cain picked up the teacup in front of him and poured its contents onto the floor.

“This is absurd.”

Wiseman turned her gaze, previously fixed on Lourens, towards Cain.

“Is the hero throwing a tantrum because he didn’t receive special treatment?”

At her taunt, Cain’s lips curled into a smile.

“Yes, I am angry.”

Cain rose from his seat.

Standing tall, he looked down at everyone.

“I’m angry at you guys for kidnapping me and bringing me all the way to the Empire after I got hit by a sword and fell off a cliff.”

Step━.

Cain took a step forward with his left foot.

He reached for his left hip, where nothing was, and then rested his right hand there. Wiseman chuckled at the comical sight.

“Why are you grabbing at thin air?”

“Because I’m angry at you for casually casting ‘night’ and sipping tea.”

“Is that so?”

Twinkle━.

Margette Wiseman’s eyes momentarily flickered.

Flare.

A compressed inferno of crimson flames shot towards Cain’s head with lightning speed.

Cain stared ahead.

If he blinked even once, the madwoman’s flames would pierce his skull.

He wasn’t confident.

‘Oh, Summer, come forth.’

He knew he couldn’t block it.

『’Summer’…… Descends.』

Fwooosh━!

A brilliant sunlight pierced through the darkness.

A radiant sunlight emanated from Cain’s right hand, revealing the artificiality of the magical lights illuminating the drawing-room.

[‘Summer’ says that those who cast magic without warning need etiquette lessons.]

Slowly.

The holy sword, ‘Summer,’ began to materialize in the empty space where Cain’s hand rested.

Shhhhwooosh━.

With a single, elegant swing.

The crimson flames of Wiseman’s Flare were split in half.

“Any last words?”

The blade of the holy sword stopped right in front of Wiseman’s neck.

“……The real hero indeed.”

Wiseman swallowed hard.

She wished there was even a sliver of malice in his eyes. But Cain’s violet eyes, fixed on her, held no emotion.

He was simply swinging a bell.

No, he was swinging it as if it were a piece of firewood, completely devoid of feeling.

Even Wiseman was unnerved by how accustomed the true owner of the holy sword seemed to be to taking lives.

“Indeed.”

Cain replied calmly.

He had asked for her last words, and she had spoken.

Thud━.

Without hesitation, he plunged the holy sword into Wiseman’s neck.

‘The Flare was real, but this is fake.’

Blood splattered before his eyes.

But the sensation in his hand was like piercing through empty air.

It was an impeccably crafted illusion.

“…….”

Lourens glanced at Princess Elena. He and his team had witnessed countless deaths during their time in the Special Intelligence Division.

But someone of the Princess’s standing would have hardly seen such a sight.

He hadn’t expected Cain to actually strike, so he hadn’t reacted in time. Now, as he moved to shield her eyes from the gruesome scene…

He saw Elena’s face, devoid of any emotion. Her expression was as cold as if blood were flowing with the consistency of molten metal.

Then, as if on cue, she reacted belatedly.

As if she were acting.

Lourens etched that image of Elena deep into his memory.

“They say you are the one who fulfilled the long-cherished wish of the island nation.”

At the window.

Wiseman’s body , slain by Cain’s blade, vanished, replaced by her figure perched on the window sill.

“When I first heard it, I thought it was just another exaggerated tale of a hero. But seeing you swing your sword so mercilessly, perhaps it’s true.”

However, she seemed unstable.

Even if it was an illusion, it was still connected to her main body. Being directly struck by the holy sword must have taken a toll.

Thud━.

Without a word, Cain raised ‘Summer’ once more.

“You want to leave this ‘night,’ do you?”

Wiseman quickly interjected.

This time, if she didn’t answer immediately, Cain would surely stab her without hesitation……

Thud━.

“I’ll leave on my own.”

This time, it was her forehead.

The teacup the second Wiseman held clattered to the floor, and her illusion flickered.

“Such a temper.”

This time, she appeared by the door.

The third Wiseman hurriedly raised her hands as Cain adjusted his grip on the sword.

“You can’t get out without me anyway.”

“We’ll see how long it takes.”

[‘Winter’ says that she likes Cain’s appearance the most.]

[‘Summer’ sighs.]

Wiseman shook her head.

And she pointed to her own heart.

“You’ll achieve nothing by repeatedly killing me. This ‘night’ is a magic I’ve lost control of.”

“……?”

“This wasn’t the original spell. I used the ‘Devil’s Heart’ as a sacrifice this time, and the devil stole my magic.”

Cain lowered his sword slightly.

This was not the story he knew.

‘A hidden truth?’

He had assumed that Margette Wiseman, the Magic Lord Marquis, had orchestrated the Märchen Mass Suicide by unleashing the magic of ‘night’ out of madness.

He had suspected that Turtle Mauve was somehow connected to the true culprit.

Wiseman checked her pocket watch.

It was almost midnight.

She gave a wry smile and replied,

“Like this.”

Tick-tock━.

The minute and hour hands aligned.

The stroke of midnight announced the end of the day.

🔹🔹🔹

“Young Master.”

Cain’s eyes snapped open.

“If you sleep any longer, you’ll be late for your first day at the academy……?”

The surprised one was actually Butler Lourens, who was trying to wake Cain.

“Butler.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The Lourens who had regained his memories as the head of the Special Intelligence Division was gone. Only Lourens the butler remained.

Cain stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“Let’s go kill the Emperor.”

“What… did you just…?”

Lourens’ blue eyes clouded over for a moment before clearing again. As if he had broken free from the illusion of ‘night,’ he frowned deeply.

“Please refrain from such pronouncements, even if it is for the sake of waking me up.”

“Do you remember anything from just now?”

Lourens paused, as if trying to recall something, before shaking his head.

“I distinctly remember the scene where you stabbed Wiseman, the Magic Marquis, but it’s all a bit hazy, like a dream.”

“I see.”

Cain got out of bed.

Clatter.

Despite being dressed in sleepwear, the golden holy sword was firmly secured to his left hip, without even a scabbard.

[‘Summer’ is grinning triumphantly.]

[‘Winter’ clicks her tongue at ‘Summer’s childish behavior.]

“Something about a Devil’s Heart.”

Lourens chuckled wryly and shook his head.

“As you have witnessed, Wiseman, the Magic Lord Marquis, possesses quite a peculiar personality, so I am not entirely sure myself. I have only heard that this ‘night’ is no longer entirely hers to control.”

“Well then, first━”

Cain turned his head.

From his bedroom window, he could see the entrance of the mansion. A luxurious white carriage came to a stop at the gate.

“Tsk, looks like a friend came to visit.”

He watched as Elena spoke awkwardly to the gatekeeper. Lourens, his eyes wide with surprise, rushed to the window.

“How does Her Highness remember……?”

“She said she remembers everything.”

“……!”

“And it seems her habit of waking up early for exercise is true.”

And behind her.

He saw Mauve, looking bewildered, being escorted towards the mansion. It seemed that even he wasn’t exempt from the summons of a royal.

“How refreshing.”

Although she hadn’t said a word, Cain smiled as he observed Elena’s perceptive actions.

He had no intention of playing along with this illusionary farce any longer.

“Lourens, fetch Anje. We’re going to see Wiseman.”

And with that, he dashed towards the exit.

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