Sigrid

“Wow, you’re completely ignoring what I just said, aren’t you? What is it?”

“Why did you become the Captain of the 1st Imperial Guard?”

‘What kind of question is this at this hour?’ Beramund tilted his head, but Sigrid’s eyes were serious. So he answered lightly.

“Because it’s something I can do. And—”

He shrugged.

“I do like those 1st Guard guys, for better or worse.”

“I see.”

Sigrid nodded in understanding and said,

“Then, even if it’s temporary, please appoint me as a member of the Imperial Guard from now on.”

At those words, Beramund’s eyes narrowed. His gaze scrutinized Sigrid before he said,

“Alright, I, Beramund Lunatil, hereby appoint Sigrid Ankertna as a temporary member of the 1st Imperial Guard from this moment. Happy?”

“Thank you.”

As she turned to leave, Beramund grabbed her arm. He whispered in her ear,

“If there’s someone you want to kill, tell me.”

“I’ll do what I can do myself.”

At Sigrid’s answer, Beramund grinned and released her arm.

“So there is someone you want to kill.”

Sigrid didn’t answer and left the mansion after giving a knightly salute. She entrusted her horse to a nearby coachman for a fee, as it was too conspicuous.

Count Oren’s mansion wasn’t that large.

Although it was a count’s domain, it was a rural territory and not very profitable, so even though it was in the First District, he couldn’t afford an expensive mansion.

Sigrid scanned the count’s residence with her eyes and spotted a familiar silhouette.

“Morris?”

Someone whispered from behind, making Morris jump.

“S-Sig?!”

“What brings you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

They stared at each other blankly. Sigrid raised an eyebrow and asked,

“Seria?”

“You too?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’ll enter the count’s mansion, find Seria, and then keep watch.”

“What?”

“And if I catch him in the act of assaulting Seria, I’ll execute him on the spot.”

“What?”

“I have two privileges now as a temporary Imperial Guard member.”

“What?”

“The right to inspect mansions without notice and the right of summary execution.”

“……”

Morris’s mouth fell open, and Sigrid shrugged.

“Both are legal rights. They’re rights given to Imperial Guard members.”

“…And then what?”

“And then……”

Sigrid recalled what Lowengrin had told her earlier and said,

“I’ll make him lie.”

“Can you explain properly?”

At Morris’s words, Sigrid nodded.

Sigrid changed into black clothes in the inner part of the garden. Morris, his face beet red, desperately tried to stop her in the garden, but to no avail.

“It’s fine because no one can see.”

Dismissing Morris’s protests, she changed clothes and slipped into Count Oren’s mansion like a shadow.

‘It’s not illegal trespassing. Imperial Guard members have the right to conduct immediate investigations.’

She had the right to enter any mansion as she pleased. Sigrid, recalling the right she had used day and night in the past, climbed the wall and slipped through an open window. As an aura user, it was child’s play for her.

Remembering the floor plans she had seen earlier, Sigrid found the ventilation duct in the basement.

“Is a woman okay?”

“It’s fine. Well, I don’t know if it’ll be fine for her. But the Count will taste her soon.”

“Have you seen that serf girl from before who he likes to beat while raping? Her facial bones were so caved in, it was hard to recognize her.”

“Shh, keep it down.”

After spending just a short time in the ventilation duct, Sigrid obtained the information and went deeper inside.

‘Usually, criminal facilities are in the basement. For soundproofing. And nobles like luxury, so they wouldn’t keep their own room smelling musty. So, a room connected to a large ventilation duct in the basement would typically be suitable for the purpose.’

That was her thinking.

And her thinking was correct. Through the gap in the ventilation duct, Sigrid could see a luxurious room that was hard to believe was in the basement. Except for the tiled floor and strange tools.

And in the middle, Seria was tied to a bed.

Sigrid held her breath and watched the situation.

Until the ‘enemy’ arrived.

‘Enemy.’

Recalling that word, Sigrid experienced a strange feeling. Until now, she had no enemies. She didn’t need enemies or allies. If her lord said to cut, she cut; if he said to fight, she fought.

She didn’t have any ill feelings towards her opponents.

She just followed orders.

‘So I didn’t have friends either. But—’

Friends—

Friends—

‘I see.’

In this situation—crouching in the ventilation duct, waiting for the enemy to enter—Sigrid felt her heart pounding. Her cheeks burned.

‘Morris, Alkerto, Lowengrin, Marie-Chez, they’re all my friends.’

They came running because they were worried. They saved her. She hadn’t realized it in the chaos, but now that she did, Sigrid suddenly felt like she might cry.

‘I have people to help, and people to ask for help.’

Sigrid, immersed in happiness, smiled warmly before her face hardened.

The sound of a door opening was heard.

Seria, who had been lying limp on the bed as if dead, started thrashing wildly. Sigrid slowly began to push open the ventilation duct. The detachable design for easy cleaning made her job easier.

Count Oren approached Seria with a smile.

“Your guardian is dead, and there’s no one to protect you. You have no chance of escaping my hands.”

“Mmph, mmmmph!!”

Muffled screams escaped through Seria’s gag. Count Oren reached out and removed her gag.

“It’s no fun if you can’t scream.”

He liked punching women the most. He enjoyed the pain-stricken and fear-filled faces of those who couldn’t resist, unable to move a muscle, wailing in resistance.

“Hitting over clothes ruins the mood.”

Count Oren reached out and started tearing Seria’s clothes.

“No!! Arkana! Arkana!!! Help me! Please, help!!”

Seria screamed and wailed. The sound of clothes ripping and her screams further excited Count Oren.

“Scream more, I said scream! Scream lou—?”

The last word didn’t leave his throat. Count Oren couldn’t understand what had happened. Seria stared with wide eyes at Count Oren’s neck.

Blood dripped from the pure white blade that had pierced his throat. Count Oren could see the blade that had run through his neck as he lowered his gaze. When he opened his mouth, blood gushed up.

That was the end.

Sigrid pulled the sword from his neck. And before Count Oren’s body could fall onto Seria, she grabbed him and pushed him to the side. Seria’s mouth fell open, and Sigrid covered it with her hand before lowering her mask. Seria felt all the strength leave her body as the tension drained away. Feeling her calm down, Sigrid slowly removed her hand.

“By the right of summary execution granted to me as an Imperial Guard member by His Majesty the Emperor, I have caught Count Oren in the act of kidnapping, imprisoning, and attempting to rape a free citizen, and have executed him on the spot.”

Muttering softly, Sigrid turned to Seria and asked,

“Are you alright?”

Tears poured from Seria’s eyes.

“Ah, uu—”

“Shh, I’m sorry, Miss Seria. I can’t take you out of here right now. Instead, I have a different request. Can you understand what I’m saying? Can you do it?”

Seria, trembling all over, looked at Count Oren’s corpse and nodded. Sigrid couldn’t tell if it was a nod or just her body shaking.

“Mr. Arkana is safe.”

At those words, tears flowed from Seria’s eyes. Even Sigrid could tell she was barely holding back her sobs.

“Now, I need you to scream that Count Oren has been murdered, loud enough for everyone in the mansion to hear. Try to get to the ground floor. Up, to the first floor. Someone will come to help you. They’ll call you ‘miss.’ Do you understand?”

Seria nodded repeatedly.

“And you can either say you didn’t see the killer, or that you did. You can describe the appearance however you want.”

—Lying is also a method.

Sigrid played her third card.

‘It’s a lie that doesn’t harm anyone.’

Seria hesitated for a moment before nodding vigorously. Sigrid said, “Good,” and cut the ropes binding Seria’s hands and feet, pocketing them.

“Then count to a hundred, and then scream.”

“Y-Yes—”

Seria barely managed to answer with trembling lips. Sigrid leapt up into the ventilation duct and carefully closed it. Seria watched blankly, unable to believe a fellow human could do such a thing.

Click—

As the ventilation duct closed completely, Seria staggered off the bed. Her legs wouldn’t support her. But she had to do it. Avoiding the fat count’s corpse beside her, Seria stood in a corner and began counting.

“One, two, three, four, five—”

After counting to a hundred, Seria screamed.

“Murder!! Help!!! The Count!! The Count!!”

When she opened the door and went out, surprisingly, there was no one in the corridor. It was the count’s precaution to prevent servants from hearing screams, but it was fortunate for her. Seria screamed at the top of her lungs as she staggered up the corridor. Soon, people came rushing in.

“The Count, he’s dead!”

At Seria’s words, everyone rushed downstairs without thinking to grab her.

“Count!”

“Oh my goodness!”

Seria continued screaming as she made her way to the first floor. As screams engulfed the mansion, soon there was a knocking sound at the door.

“What’s going on?!”

Those who entered the chaotic mansion by opening the door were Morris and several capital guards. Seria said, panting,

“The Count has been murdered! By, by some assailant!!”

“This way, miss.”

As Morris spoke, reaching out his hand, Seria grabbed it tightly. And then she fainted on the spot.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Sensational stories spread quickly.

So the story of Count Oren spread through high society at a tremendous speed. Rapidly fluttering fans and red lips ceaselessly spread the rumors.

“I heard he tried to rape a free citizen?”

“Oh my—”

“Speaking of which, did you know? In the basement of that mansion, they say all sorts of perverse devices were installed.”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my.”

“I hear that young lady is in great shock.”

“She must be. Poor thing.”

As champagne and wine circulated, the rumors swelled even more.

The next Count Oren and his wife finally couldn’t bear it and decided to leave the capital for their territory to hold the funeral. And the noble ladies showered Seria with gestures of compassion. There was even talk of the Alsekidna Viscount’s family employing her as a maid.

Servants of nobles need letters of recommendation.

The noble ladies praised the Viscountess for her truly kind gesture, wondering if they could hear even a little of the story from that time.

After all, a crime that happens to others is also an exciting piece of gossip. Additionally, the name of Sir Morris Deforest occasionally floated around.

“So that’s how you got your vacation?”

Alkerto asked with a smirk, resting his chin on his hand. Morris sighed and nodded. As he poured the wine he had brought into glasses, he said,

“Everyone kept asking the same questions over and over. Plus, they were desperate to make me into a hero. The knight who rushed into the mansion at the sound of screams and rescued the lady.”

After pouring wine for Alkerto and himself, Morris raised his glass.

“So Captain Revel gave me a reward vacation. Gratefully.”

“A toast to the Captain,” Morris said as he drank his wine.

“In reality, it was all Sigrid’s achievement.”

“But you definitely helped too, didn’t you? The knight who burst into the mansion and carried the young lady out in his arms.”

At Alkerto’s teasing words, Morris sighed deeply and said, “Stop it.”

“It’s causing a commotion at home because of this……”

“At home? Aren’t your parents pleased?”

“There are various issues.”

Morris shrugged, and Alkerto fell into thought for a moment, wondering ‘What could it be?’ Morris continued,

“Besides, like Count Oren, he’s someone who regards commoners’ lives as worthless.”

“Ah, right. About that matter.”

“Hm?”

“Why didn’t you let them cut out that bastard’s tongue?”

Morris furrowed his brow, thinking ‘What are you talking about?’, but then he realized and exclaimed,

“Alkerto!”

As Morris looked at Alkerto with a face that said ‘How could you do that?’, Alkerto looked back at him with a ‘Why?’ expression.

“That person is a victim. He was oppressed and pressured by the Count.”

“But if things had stayed as they were, Sigrid would have been suspended.”

“It was resolved well, wasn’t it?”

“That’s too results-oriented. Anyway, that person did commit a crime, didn’t he?”

At those words, Morris furrowed his brow, and Alkerto chuckled and said,

“You and Lowengrin— well, maybe Lowengrin is a bit better? You seem to think that the weak are always victims… The weak and victims can be perpetrators too. It’s not only the strong who can be perpetrators.”

At those words, Morris was silent for a moment before hesitantly saying,

“But cutting out the tongue is too much, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

Alkerto laughed again. Morris sighed.

“It’s complicated.”

“It is.”

Alkerto said as he raised his glass. He still seemed uncomfortable moving, wearing a triangular bandage. After drinking the wine, Alkerto’s eyes widened.

“Isn’t this expensive?”

“Yes, it is expensive.”