Judging by the scale, it seemed like the main building where Danju’s office was located. The fire didn’t seem to catch well, perhaps due to its size. My mind was already a mess, and seeing the burning building brought back unpleasant memories.

‘I’m losing it.’

Of course, if I had successfully infiltrated the estate with the intention of causing harm, the next step would naturally involve arson. I knew this logically, but it was a bit much to accept in the current situation.

On a different note, a thought occurred to me.

What if the sorcerer’s claim about the Black Celestial Gate, supposedly unrelated to heretical magic, was a lie?

‘What if, contrary to his words, the Black Celestial Gate is deeply connected to heretical magic and he cursed Danju’s heirs to seek my help with the volcano…’

My train of thought was interrupted by someone I suddenly encountered.

“Ah, Master…! Huh!”

It was a servant running with a bucket full of water, presumably on his way to put out the fire.

Upon seeing me, the servant, who seemed pleased for some reason, suddenly froze and pointed vaguely at my clothes and face.

“Ma-Master, that blood… where are you injured?”

“Ah.”

I still had the sorcerer’s blood on my blade. It was also on my clothes and hands.

When I thought about it, some of the blood would have also stained my face when the sorcerer touched it. I rubbed my face with my hand a few times, finding the fact belatedly displeasing.

“This is… not my blood.”

“Excuse me? It’s not your blood, Master?”

“Yes, so I’m fine. Have you seen anyone else? Like my retainers or my brothers.”

“Ah, yes, well! There was an attack! They were masked, and they even set fire to the halls and killed a few servants! The warriors that Danju hired have already headed in that direction!”

I squinted my eyes for a moment.

I hadn’t managed to check the face of the fake eldest son earlier due to the sudden mention of an attack, but I couldn’t afford to make that mistake again.

Upon closer inspection, it was someone familiar.

It was the same servant who had invited me to dine with Danju this morning after examining the fake eldest son. But to be honest, at this point, it was hard to let go of my suspicion whether what I was seeing was real or fake.
The fake eldest son had returned with a radiant face ever since the moment he’d blocked the sword I swung at him. When he’d run toward me pretending to be a servant, he’d had an ordinary face you’d encounter anywhere.

“Really? Are you sure it’s that way?”

Is there a way to tell if it’s not a fake? I’d like to see Lord Jemongakju when I go back. I wonder if he can spare some time.

The servant hesitated before replying.

“Y-Yes, yes, it’s true! It’s the pavilion where the young lord and young ladies were! Guarded by your master!”

Guarded by my master… He’s not my master; he’s a priest…

‘Never mind, it’s better to go than to explain.’

Moreover, thanks to that comment, a sense of trust was instilled in the servant before me.

Though I’m taller than average, in the eyes of those who don’t know us well, I appeared to be Ha Hyun’s sister, and Ha Hyun appeared to be my priest. We’d experienced this a few times at the inns on our way from Hwasan.

Compared to that, the fake eldest son had seemed to know both me and those around me already, naturally referring to Ha Hyun as my priest.

I sighed inwardly and nodded at the servant.

“Understood. I apologize for earlier. The situation is a bit uneasy.”

“No, no, it’s alright!”

“Thank you for informing me. I’ll go check it out.”

“Be, be careful!”

As I started to run again, I heard the servant shouting from behind.

Seeing that he even bid me farewell, it must be the same person I saw earlier today. Though I didn’t want to keep thinking this way, ever since I was grandly deceived, everything felt suspicious, which was a bit awkward even now.

In multiple ways, it became increasingly clear that the servant from earlier had pointed me in the right direction. For one, the surroundings started to look vaguely familiar, and I faintly heard the sound of clashes and urgent screams or shouts.

Before long, I finally arrived near the pavilion I’d been aiming for.

Inside the walls surrounding the pavilion, intermittent screams still erupted amidst the sound of weapons clashing. Since I intended to enter anyway, I slowed my pace to catch my breath, which had quickened from the run here.

Though unintended, I finally noticed the people who lay around, bleeding.

‘…Are they dead?’
I hesitated for a moment, but soon realized that the clothes worn by the fallen person were not the uniforms of the warriors employed by the upper echelon. What they were wearing was nondescript black clothing.

‘Covert attire.’

Those who commit unjust attacks like this usually opt for unpatterned black clothes, perhaps because they mostly operate at night, blending into the darkness.

Yes. They were all enemies.