“Huk, huh!”

Calton made a surprised sound and then seemed to realize something, hastily covering his own mouth with his hand, like a lid on a pot.

It was an action that clearly indicated he got caught, even without a response.

“Did you really try to steal Calspelliver today?”

I looked at Askan with an incredulous gaze. He sighed quietly, reproaching Calton with his gaze.

Calton, who realized the situation, bowed deeply and spoke quietly.

“…I apologize, Captain.”

Askan responded with a lowered voice compared to before.

“Be prepared for disciplinary action.”

“Yes.”

Calton bowed his head without a word.

I felt sorry that Calton would face disciplinary action because of me, but now there was something more important that I needed to know.

“Tell me, was the reason you tried to divert Marquis Manoco’s attention really to steal Calspelliver?”

“Didn’t you already figure it out? Since the Marquis has made a move, it’s a hopeless situation. Let’s go treat the wound first.”

Askan didn’t deny it anymore. It seemed that, given the distorted plan, he judged it didn’t matter even if I found out.

From his current attitude, I could deduce a lot.

Firstly, Askan wasn’t sincerely loyal to Helcyon.

If Askan truly cared for Emperor Helcyon, he wouldn’t have thought of stealing Calspelliver, the treasure of the Kalua Empire.

And…

There was a very high possibility that Askan had succumbed to corruption.

The feeling that what I had feared was gradually becoming a reality. It seemed that the reason he wanted Calspelliver was probably for the world’s destruction, just like in the novel.

‘What should I do?’

I rubbed my head, which was not injured, with my uninjured hand.

Because I had read the novel “Beloved Saint,” I knew Askan’s childhood better than anyone else.

It wasn’t blaming him for wanting the world’s destruction. Perhaps, even if it were me, I would have made the same choice.

I just wished for him to be happy from the beginning to now.

Now, it seemed like there was a high chance that Askan’s past had turned out differently from the novel.

I had hoped that his past would be different from the novel I had read so far.

But it wasn’t the case. If Askan was really in a corrupted state, there was a high chance that his painful past from the novel had actually happened.
Currently, he seemed so fine, having become the Count Atreas and even the Chief of the Guard. I didn’t know. His heart must have rotted and festered.

Thinking about the pain he must have endured until now made my heart ache.

“…It must have been really difficult.”

Even though I knew everything, I couldn’t protect him.

Thinking about Askan going through tough times in a place where I wasn’t present made my nose tingle with sympathy.

“Brellof Engae?”

Askan looked at me with a puzzled expression, not understanding the English. Then, as I sniffled for no apparent reason, he seemed quite surprised.

“Sorry, looks like I caught a cold.”

I made excuses to avoid unnecessary worries, but Askan didn’t seem to believe it. However, since I couldn’t express my current feelings in words, I forced a smile.

Yes, it wasn’t too late now.

Even now, I wouldn’t just stand by and let those who tormented Askan get away with it.

I woke up, splashing cold water on my face with my uninjured hand.

There was no time to be lost in reverie. If Rupelmo had moved, it meant that stealing Calspelliver had become difficult.

If I had restrained Rupelmo, as I had held him, we might have succeeded, but because Askan came to rescue me, things got twisted.

In short, it meant giving up on Calspelliver and coming this far. If that was the case, I couldn’t just stay quiet.

‘If that’s what Askan wants, I’ll make it happen for him.’

In the original work, Calspelliver was Askan’s weapon. I had to help him find the original owner.

I looked at Askan and spoke seriously.

“Since you’ve been honest with me, tell me how you planned to steal Calspelliver. Maybe I can help.”

Askan looked firmly at my hand, which was bleeding.

“Enough. Let’s go see a doctor.”

“We don’t have time. Calspelliver has been locked up securely until now. Today might be the only chance to get it back.”

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

Askan showed no signs of wavering. It seemed he prioritized treating my injuries.

An unexpected response came from an unexpected place.

“Hyung, what’s there to hide in this situation? We’re already at a loss, so just tell them.”

Slowly revealing himself to where we were, the person was none other than Bill.

Askan looked at Bill with an expression that couldn’t be discerned. Then, he spoke quietly to me.

“Done. Let’s go to the doctor.”
“How about it? There’s no hope for now, but you never know.”

With only Bill’s explanation, there were many parts that I couldn’t understand.

I asked the questions that came to my mind.

“What exactly is difficult? Is it because Manoco Marquis is supervising, and the timing for switching with a replica has become impossible?”