“How should I put it… Unlike me, it feels like you haven’t completely sold your conscience yet.”

“You’re talking a lot of nonsense today.”

The man then spoke as he lifted himself off the counter he was leaning on.

“In that case, I’ll go to another agency…”

“Ah, I get it, I get it. You’re so impatient. You should know this too. People greet each other and engage in light conversation before starting a serious talk.”

Arun grumbled as he held out two request papers he had prepared in advance.

This was an agency that would handle all sorts of dirty work as long as you paid them.

The clients were quite diverse, ranging from nobles who secretly came from District 1 to commoners from District 3 who brought their life savings for revenge.

“There’s a less dangerous request that pays less, and a more dangerous one that pays more.”

“Give me both.”

The answer was always the same.

Even if there were three or more requests instead of two, he would have given the same reply.

For the man who couldn’t read, Arun read the contents of the request papers on his behalf.

The man lightly nodded without any response.

Arun now realized that he had memorized the entire content after hearing it just once.

In any case, he lacked social skills but was incredibly good at his job.

Muttering to himself once again, Arun looked him up and down.

Despite his pretty face, he had a huge physique and was also incredibly strong.

On top of that, he seemed to have some innate intelligence as well.

Considering how he flawlessly completed every request without any issues.

‘If only his status was a bit better, he wouldn’t be the type to do this kind of work in a place like this…’

I’m still too soft-hearted. To keep being drawn to a guy whose identity I don’t even know.

Grumbling inwardly like that, Arun slid a document across the counter.

“For the more dangerous request, you need to cross the central barrier. It’s a fake ID.”

He added some advice in a deliberately grumbling tone.

“Be careful, I heard things are a bit chaotic in there these days.”

At that, the man’s hand that was receiving the ID paused slightly.

“…Why?”

The man, who had been expressionless the whole time, reacted for the first time.

Arun then began to chatter excitedly.

“You don’t know? It’s been all over the newspapers. Ah, right. You can’t read. But you know of Grand Duke Kenepic, right?”

No matter how ignorant, surely he couldn’t be unaware of even that.

Grand Duke Kenepic was the most powerful authority in the empire.

Next to the emperor, no, some even said that he held sway over the emperor himself.

Having reigned as the guardian protecting the empire for the past 30 years, he recently passed away at a venerable age.

As a result, the folks in District 1 are in quite an uproar, Arun explained in a hushed voice.

After hesitating for a moment, the man asked again.

“…If he’s dead, why is District 1 in chaos?”

“Because the position of the empire’s top dog is vacant!”

How unusual for this taciturn man to ask so many questions.

He was always nonchalant, showing no change in expression even when taking on life-threatening requests.

Arun exclaimed excitedly.

“Everyone covets that position. There were rumors, mind you, that the Grand Duke rose to his current position through quite suspicious means.”

“…Suspicious?”

“He wasn’t from a central noble family, was he? They say he gained merit by fending off the invasion from the Northern Continent… But there were rumors that it wasn’t true.”

Arun whispered conspiratorially, lowering his voice.

Such rumors could be shared in this lawless zone.

If one were to say such things inside the central barrier, who knows who might overhear and report it.

“There’s that notorious northern barrier, so what invasion! Right?”

“…”

“There were also stories that the infamous human hunting that occasionally kidnaps people was related to the Grand Duke… Hey! Where are you going?”

As if he had heard enough, the man turned around without hesitation.

“Hey! People say goodbye when parting too! …Keep that in mind!”

Ding-a-ling-.

The door of the agency, pretending to be an ordinary hole-in-the-wall store, closed again.

Leaving the store, Pride headed towards the central barrier in the distance with unwavering steps.

However, his mind was in turmoil due to the information he had just heard.

District 1 was in an uproar?

‘The young lady… She’ll be fine, right.’

But soon he let out a snort of derision to himself.

What problems could she possibly have.

Worrying about a young lady living in a grand mansion when he himself lived hand-to-mouth, what a joke.

Inside that barrier, especially District 1, was a completely different world from this District 3.

Was there anything more meaningless than hell worrying about heaven?

Crazy fool. Get a grip.

Pride harshly reprimanded himself.

It had been over 2 years since he had left that mansion, yet he found himself thinking of her every chance he got like this.

The little girl who had asked tearfully, “Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

“Then I’ll give you a surname. How about Pride? I think it goes well with the name Ioan.”

She always looked lonely.

She who had smiled softly with her delicate profile.

But his pure goddess probably had no idea.

What kind of feelings the lowly slave she had shown mercy to by applying medicine had for her.

He realized his feelings for her on a night with a full moon.

“Ioan. Have you heard of the legend of the full moon? If you mix blood over the water under the full moon, you can share pieces of each other’s souls.”

She probably just wanted to play a prank she had heard about somewhere, hiding it from her father…

She had probably just given a corner of her heart to a mere slave because she had no one to rely on in that lonely mansion.

“…If I can have even a piece of the young lady, I’d be happy.”

That was everything to him.

From the moment that beautiful girl filled the heart of the boy who had nothing, who was utterly empty.

Because to him, there was only her.

Because rather than diminishing as his body grew, these feelings only grew day by day.

Out of fear that he wouldn’t be able to contain his desire when seeing her smile at him.

Two years ago, on the day he heard the news of her engagement, he ended up running away from that mansion.

‘The young lady will be leaving that mansion soon to get married anyway…’

Then there was no reason for him to stay there any longer.

In that mansion where he was brutally whipped, not even given a chance for the wounds on his back to heal.

‘Yes. Even if making a living is dirty and despicable, being free now is better.’

Living here, where he was born and raised…

Pride emerged from his thoughts and lifted his head to look at the scenery of the street.

Old and shabby buildings with not a single intact spot.

Vagrants lying covered in dirty rags in every alley.

Despite it being broad daylight, there were no women or children walking alone on the streets.

If they did, they would immediately be dragged into an alley or kidnapped.

Someone getting hurt was an everyday occurrence, and countless people died without anyone knowing.

This place was hell and where she lived was heaven.

‘A guy like me is more suited to be here.’

It’s more comforting to think that way.

Because no matter how much he struggled and fought every day, there was no way for him to crawl up to where she was.

But once again, his body betrayed his mind.

On the way back after completing a request in District 2.

His steps were already heading back towards District 1, where his saint resided.

Instead of a knife, he held a lavish bouquet in his hand.

When strutting around District 1, he made sure to dress properly so as not to look suspicious, and always carried a bouquet or gift box in his hand.

Even if he couldn’t afford anything too high-end, if he roughly put together a suit, no one would think he was a commoner or a runaway slave.

Perhaps they thought he was the lover of some noble lady.

Snorting derisively, he looked down at the colorful bouquet in his hand.

Today’s request was to kill a merchant who had swindled and ran away from the people of District 3.

The woman who ran a loan shark business in District 2 was a villain who fit the description of squeezing blood from a flee.

Even while rolling in the mud to survive as a runaway slave for two years, he had his own beliefs.

Never sell his body. And never kill the innocent.

Perhaps there was some truth to that agency man’s words that he still had a conscience left.

Of course, his conscience stemmed solely from his feelings for her.

‘Is it okay for me to go see the young lady with this filthy body…’

Even if he targeted villains, he had still committed murder.

It wasn’t something he should do while going to meet her who was as noble and kind as a saint.

However, contrary to his thoughts, his steps gradually picked up speed.

His destination was a low hill near the Pembrook mansion.

From here, he could see the mansion’s garden over the tall walls.

Although he couldn’t see inside the mansion, he could occasionally catch a glimpse of her when she came out to the garden for a walk.

She often came out to the garden to avoid her father.

Holding the bouquet, he took a seat on the hill and cast a longing gaze towards the heaven where his saint resided.

‘If I could see her just once, even from afar…’