# Chapter 33
“Right. Didn’t you think of that?”
Hest made a clicking sound with his tongue as if deliberately wanting Ion to hear it.
“No matter how much sustenance is needed, using your ability in the form of ‘assassinating’ specific people is inefficient. Especially if the target is a noble, it becomes more troublesome.”
It would be better to take anyone seen on the street as sustenance rather than sneaking into a mansion crawling with private soldiers to target the life of a high-ranking grand duke.
Hest, now facing Ion who had returned to his usual cold expression, delivered the final blow.
“Someone ordered Levi to kill you.”
❖ ❖ ❖
A small village half a day’s journey from the capital of Delos.
It’s a very quiet place with few residents and almost no visitors from outside.
Levi, who had set foot in this tranquil village, headed towards a familiar inn with a small signboard. As if out of habit, he quickly closed the door as soon as he entered.
Inside, there was no innkeeper at the counter, no waiters moving around to take orders, not even guests who had come to rest.
Though it appeared to be a bustling inn from the outside, the interior was eerily quiet.
Levi, as if this emptiness were natural, passed through the lobby and headed toward the stairs. There seemed to be only stairs going up, but if one lifted the carpet in front of them, there was a path leading underground.
As he descended underground, he could see a few flickering lights below and hear people talking.
“Then we should prepare bombs from the inside…”
“We still lack the supplies to attack the fortresses simultaneously.”
“We need to conserve our forces too. We need to make a big hole with minimal troop losses…”
The men gathered around a rectangular table, engaged in serious conversation, quickly shut their mouths and looked in Levi’s direction when they sensed his presence. They exchanged glances, cleared their throats, then whispered something to the man sitting at the head of the table before hurriedly getting up from their seats. Then they passed by Levi, glancing at him. Their gazes were not like looking at a fellow human but more like viewing a strange exotic animal or an unpleasant monster.
Soon, only Levi and the man at the head seat remained underground.
“Welcome.”
Kalvern, a red-haired man with fierce eyes, smiled kindly toward Levi.
“You failed, didn’t you?”
Levi nodded and approached as Kalvern asked while extending his hand as if beckoning him closer.
“That person doesn’t die.”
“Or was it that you had no will to kill him?”
“…”
Kalvern pulled up a nearby chair for Levi, who remained silent, and told him to sit. As soon as he obediently sat down, Kalvern yanked the chair, pulling Levi closer. Kalvern’s sharp eyes, now close enough that their breaths mingled, captured Levi’s pupils as if trying to read his thoughts.
Kalvern slowly removed the glove from Levi’s right hand.
“Did you touch him with this hand?”
“Yes.”
The long glove came off, revealing a black hand. Though Kalvern knew that Levi’s black hand could take life simply by touching a person, he grasped it lightly as if it didn’t matter at all. Holding Levi’s black hand, Kalvern gently pressed his lips against various parts of the back of Levi’s hand.
“There’s no way anyone wouldn’t die from this hand.”
“It’s true.”
“Hmm…”
Kalvern exhaled suspiciously, glaring at Levi.
“I guess you’re not hungry yet. It’s been a while since you’ve eaten sustenance.”
“No. I need… sustenance.”
Levi shook his head and tried to pull his hand away from Kalvern’s grasp. As if mocking this attempt, Kalvern squeezed the black hand mercilessly. Though not as painful as when Ion broke his wrist, Kalvern’s strength was considerable, making it ache.
Kalvern, seemingly enjoying watching Levi’s face as he endured the pain, finally released his hand.
“Well, fine. I’ll let it go this time.”
Kalvern put his arm around Levi’s shoulders in a friendly manner and spoke quietly.
“I have something else for you to do.”
Levi was secretly relieved. He had been worried that Kalvern would send him to assassinate the Grand Duke Verdit again. Not only did his black hand not work on him, but he was strangely frightening, and Levi didn’t really want to kill him.
“Three days from now, there will be a small ball at the Imperial Palace.”
“Ball?”
Levi tilted his head at the unfamiliar word. Kalvern stroked Levi’s hair and kindly explained.
“It’s where nobles wear fancy clothes or dresses and dance together. That’s all you need to know.”
“Yes. What should I do there?”
He acted quite eagerly, as if trying to make up for his mistake.
Kalvern, looking adoringly at Levi reflected in his red eyes, whispered in his ear.
“Go cause a little trouble.”
❖ ❖ ❖
The grand ballroom of the magnificent Imperial Palace.
Perhaps because it had been a while since a ball was held, there were quite a number of nobles in attendance. People adorned with various decorations over their splendid dresses and tailcoats were all wearing equally elaborate masks. Some masks covered only around the eyes, while others were round and wide, hiding everything from the forehead to the chin. Entranced by the colorful masks and attire, the food and wine placed among them were almost neglected.
Ion, attending the ball wearing a mask that covered his entire face, slipped in among them and headed to the terrace with just a glass of wine in hand.
‘This really doesn’t suit me.’
He had originally planned not to attend but had reluctantly stepped in as a substitute for the emperor, who was swamped with official duties. But as both men and women approached him with strange atmospheres, clinging to him, he started to think it might be time to slip away.
From their perspective, the empty spot beside the perpetually single Grand Duke Verdit might seem tempting, but the person in question had no intention of having anyone by his side.
‘I’ve shown my face, so I should be able to leave now.’
His head was complicated enough; there was no need to stay in a place like this for long.
Ion’s face darkened behind his mask as he stood on the terrace, feeling the cool night breeze. His mind, briefly cleared while exchanging light greetings with nobles, quickly became entangled again.
‘Levi…’
After fleeing from his assassination attempt, Levi had not appeared again. No matter how much Ion pretended to sleep and waited from night until early morning, there was no sign of him coming. Even though he had deliberately left the window wide open.
“Someone ordered Levi to kill you.”
As Hest had said, it seemed certain that someone was controlling Levi from behind. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense for Levi to voluntarily attempt assassination, especially targeting a grand duke of a country.
“Who would dare…”
It was fortunate that he was wearing a mask. Without it, he might have shown murderous intent that would have made it seem like he came to kill someone rather than just make an appearance.
‘How can I meet him again?’
It was extremely frustrating that there was no way for him to make contact from his end.
That day, it had been a mistake to aggressively push Levi because he was too excited. Besides uncovering who was behind this, he should have created an opportunity to meet with Levi again.
He felt furious at his own stupidity. He had reminded himself countless times that if he met the regenerated Levi, he must be aware that Levi wouldn’t remember him, but why did his mind go blank at that moment? It felt like he became a child again in front of Levi.
The more he thought about it, the more his chest tightened, so he leaned against the terrace railing with his wine. Rather than appreciating the beautifully decorated garden in his view, he was lost in thought.
“…?!”
Ion’s eyes caught something black moving quickly between the acacia trees in the distance. Given the distance and the darkness, he couldn’t analyze the figure’s appearance in detail. At most, he could tell that they were wrapped in black clothes.
‘At the very least, not a guard.’
The black clothes meant to blend into the darkness, the discreet movements with unnecessary actions eliminated, and the fast pace that would be lost if one looked away for a moment.
There was no way someone like that would be among those proudly standing guard at the Imperial Palace. Their body movements were fundamentally different from those who had received regular training.
Ion’s eyes narrowed sharply behind his mask.
‘An assassin?’
As soon as that thought occurred, his heart pounded heavily. The black eyes of Levi, who had come to assassinate him, flashed before him.
Ion, after placing the wine glass down on the terrace, clenched his fists tightly. He was completely focused on not losing sight of the black shadow’s movement path.
He could see the intruder in black clothes, moving stealthily, passing through the trees and heading toward the annex. Since the ball itself was taking place in the main building, there were no people walking around or guarding the annex.
