# Chapter 35
Lost in thought, Levi almost answered the sudden question before quickly shaking his head. Ion, thinking someone had silenced Levi, felt anger already rising within him. Perhaps because he had asked who gave the orders, a hint of tension briefly appeared on Levi’s otherwise expressionless face.
“Then…!”
*Screech—*
Ion, who was about to speak again to gain even a little information about Levi’s handler, tensed up at the strange sound coming from somewhere. Levi did the same.
Then:
*BOOM—!*
An ear-splitting explosion was heard from somewhere in the annex hall.
It wasn’t just a single explosion.
Levi escaped from Ion’s protective embrace and grabbed his arm.
“Get out of here!”
Pulled along by Levi, Ion’s ears were almost deafened by the sounds of explosions erupting from everywhere, as if they had been waiting for this moment. The blast turned everything in front of him hazy, making it difficult to see clearly. The impact was significant since they hadn’t been able to prepare for this unexpected sudden explosion.
As Levi pulled Ion through the dust, he saw the black object he had placed earlier explode right next to where he had stepped. The pain was so intense that it felt as though his right arm had been torn off.
‘They were bombs.’
He had no doubt. When Kalvern had given him several palm-sized black rectangular objects and he asked what they were, Kalvern said they were devices to surprise people.
It wasn’t a lie. The small black wooden blocks were indeed bombs, which certainly qualified as surprising devices.
But the “timing” Kalvern mentioned was the problem. He had said Levi only needed to leave the annex within 30 minutes after setting them up, but in reality, they exploded after what felt like only about 15 minutes.
Another bomb burned Levi’s left sleeve and his skin underneath. Though he clenched his teeth to endure the pain, he tried not to think too deeply about it and resigned himself.
He wouldn’t die from something like this anyway. If left alone, he would heal by himself.
‘But…’
The sound of another bomb exploding was heard nearby. This time, Ion, who was being pulled by his hand, was in danger. Without further thought, Levi spun around and tightly embraced Ion. At the same time, Levi felt a pain as if his back was being torn to shreds.
Even in the midst of this, what was strange was that he found himself thinking how fortunate it was that Ion wasn’t hurt.
In front of the annex, which was in chaos due to the explosion, numerous soldiers had gathered. They caught Ion, who was dizzy from suddenly inhaling the smoke, and refused to let him go.
“Grand Duke! Please receive treatment from the imperial physician first!”
“Let me go! Levi! Where is Levi?!”
“What are you talking about, Your Grace! You came out alone!”
“The Grand Duke must be disoriented from the explosion…!”
Levi, who had escaped to the shadows just before people rushed in, using the explosion’s smoke as cover, was secretly watching the annex while hiding his body. Though Ion’s body had some brick dust and ash from the explosion on it, there didn’t seem to be any injuries. If he had to name something in poor condition, it was probably just that he had inhaled some of the thick smoke from the explosion.
“Thank goodness.”
Relieved after visually checking Ion’s condition, Levi hid completely behind a tree with confused eyes.
He had desperately saved a target he had failed to assassinate. While it was his rule not to attack or kill people unless they were to be his sustenance, this person was someone Kalvern had ordered him to kill. Even if he couldn’t use him as sustenance, he should have killed him as ordered.
‘Kalvern might get angry if he finds out.’
They were both safe only because Levi remembered the order in which he had placed the bombs. Given that the explosion range was unexpectedly wide for their size, if they had just blindly run without considering the sequence, they would have been caught in explosions from all directions and been seriously injured or killed.
Levi looked down at his body. Due to the explosions, various parts were melted and torn. If that was all, it would be fortunate, but his body was also in tatters. He felt blood flowing from his arms and back, dripping onto the ground.
Levi, with his exhausted body, remained hidden behind the tree until he saw the imperial physician come to examine Ion, only then leaving.
When Levi arrived at the inn they were using as a temporary hideout, he saw men lined up as if they had been waiting for him as soon as he entered. They were also helpers of Kalvern, but they always looked at Levi with near-hatred in their eyes.
“You’re late.”
Kalvern, coming up from underground, approached with a slight smile.
“Why are you so late? The explosions happened a while ago.”
He lightly chided Levi as if not caring about his tattered appearance.
Levi’s lips moved from beneath his partly burned mask.
“They were… bombs.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Not 30 minutes.”
“Hmm— I guess I miscalculated.”
He hadn’t told Levi they were bombs, and the timing was way off. Nevertheless, Kalvern was smiling as if he had done nothing wrong.
“Well, you should have escaped more skillfully. Right?”
The men around snickered at Kalvern’s words.
“Oh, but you know.”
Kalvern, who had stopped laughing, suddenly faced Levi with cold eyes. His hand painfully grabbed Levi’s hair.
“Ngh…”
“I went to watch a little earlier.”
His red eyes gleamed with madness.
“I sent you to assassinate the Grand Duke, but it seems you had some fun there? From what I saw today, you were frantically trying to protect him?”
Levi stiffened his shoulders at Kalvern’s words.
“No, that’s not it…”
Kalvern released his hair but then placed his hand on Levi’s back.
“It seems like it to me, so what do you mean it’s not? I saw you shielding him when everything was exploding.”
“Ugh…! Ah—!”
Kalvern scratched Levi’s back, which was covered in blood due to severe burns, with his nails raised. Levi, who had been clenching his teeth to suppress his groans, couldn’t hold back and let out a painful sound.
Kalvern embraced the staggering Levi, pulling him close, and stroked his head.
“Yes, yes. I suppose sometimes you want to do other things, right? I, with my generous heart, should understand.”
Kalvern, who had been gently patting Levi as he gasped for breath, suddenly threw him to one of the nearby men.
“Lock him up until he reaches a state of starvation.”
Levi opened his eyes wide and stretched out his hand to grab Kalvern.
“Wait, just… I won’t do it again. I won’t do it again…”
Kalvern looked at the pleading Levi with an exaggeratedly sympathetic expression and patted his shoulders.
“First starve, and then we’ll have a big meal soon.”
“Kalvern…!”
“Ah, if he stays injured, will the state of starvation come faster?”
With a bright smile, Kalvern nodded to another man.
“Don’t let his wounds heal. If he recovers too quickly, it’s fine to stab him anywhere except the collarbone.”
Amid the contempt and mockery of the men, only Levi wore a desperate expression.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Damn it!”
Ion, who usually appeared calm, uttered a harsh curse. The soldiers who had been showing him respect flinched in surprise and bowed their heads.
Walking briskly through the imperial palace corridor, Ion stopped at the rose garden where Emperor Tis was enjoying a tea party with his knight guard.
Tis, who had been talking with his guard, belatedly noticed Ion and stiffened his face.
“Come have a cup first.”
Tis gestured to an attendant who was standing at a distance due to their conversation. The attendant approached, set up a teacup in front of Ion, and poured fragrant tea. Perhaps thanks to the rich aroma, Ion was able to catch his breath and calm his anger for a moment.
Tis, looking at Ion while tilting his teacup, spoke first.
“I heard about the annex. They really destroyed it spectacularly.”
“Those bastards…”
Ion felt his anger rising again and ground his teeth.
“Did you see the one who planted the bombs?”
Meeting Tis’s sharp eyes, Ion answered honestly, thinking that he wouldn’t believe him even if he denied it.
“It’s the person I’ve been looking for. He’s probably being used forcibly.”
“Forcibly? Do you mean he was brainwashed or drugged?”
Ion recalled Levi’s eyes. His eyes were as clear and deep now as they had been before.
“I don’t think so. Especially drugs—they wouldn’t work on him.”
“Hmm…”
Holding his teacup, Tis casually stroked its surface with his fingertips and spoke indifferently.
“If it’s neither brainwashing nor drugs, then it’s voluntary.”
“No. That person would never do such a thing voluntarily…!”
“Pull yourself together and see it objectively, Grand Duke Verdit.”
The emperor deliberately used his title to remind him of his position. Tis’s gaze turned cold as frost.
