It wasn’t the first time I received an escort from him, but the feeling conveyed from the hand we held was different from before.

What should I say?

Much more reassuring and heart-fluttering.

I paid the coachman and walked the path as shown on the map through the Outer District, accompanied by Askan.

Walking beside me, Askan asked in a subdued voice.

“By the way, where are you going by avoiding your bodyguard?”

“I want to interrogate someone secretly, someone related to my mother’s death.”

My answer was unexpected, and a surprised emotion crossed Askan’s face. He looked directly at me with a sober expression and responded.

“Tell me in advance.”

Huh?
Unconsciously, I looked up at Askan. He spoke quietly, as if hiding his chilly gaze while looking straight ahead.

“I would have brought him right in front of you.”

Somehow, laughter escaped. Perhaps it was because I could sense Askan’s consideration for me.

“I’ll ask for your help next time.”

My response seemed to please Askan, who also chuckled and nodded.

Thus, Askan and I entered a dim alley behind the bustling district.

Kains, a former mercenary who retired about twenty years ago, lived a luxurious life but fell into financial difficulties due to gambling. The information from the Kalua Empire guided us to his residence, a narrow alley where the carriage couldn’t enter, so we got off nearby.

As we walked a bit, we saw rogues wandering the dark alley. Even though they tried to approach when they noticed nobles like us, strangely, they all staggered back when met with Askan’s chilly gaze.

Askan was the strongest in the novel’s world. The warning sent by such a top predator seemed somewhat different.

We soon arrived at Kains’s residence.

It was a roughly built house with wooden boards, and aside from being shabby, it looked like it would collapse with a strong gust of wind. However, such matters seemed irrelevant.

I wanted to capture Kains quickly and uncover the truth about Shal’s death.

I took out the map I received through the Outer District to confirm.

“This is the place.”

“Who do we need to capture here?”

“A former mercenary named Kains.”

Askan nodded and went inside first. I followed him into the humble house.

The first thing that struck me was the nauseating stench that could paralyze my nose.

‘What on earth is this smell?’

Turning my head involuntarily, I saw a body lying on the bed.

The state of decay indicated that a considerable amount of time had passed since death.

It was a gruesome sight that made me feel like vomiting, but more than that, I worried if the dead person might be Kains.

‘No, this can’t be. This was the only information I knew from reading the novel!’

I quickly approached the corpse. However, I was soon blocked by Askan’s firm arm.

He looked at me calmly and said like calming me down.

“I’ll check. You stay here.”

Although I wanted to handle it myself, I had never examined a corpse before.

Knowing that Askan would handle it better than me, I reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Once I gave my permission, Askan stepped confidently toward the corpse. Examining the decomposed body, he asked,

“Do you know anything about this man named Kains?”

The characteristics of the intruder in the novel who broke into Shal’s villa on the day he died were briefly described.
One of the intruders used twin swords, and strangely, they mentioned that the hilt of one of the swords was tied with red fabric.

For a long time, the one who fell into the information network for the first time while searching for such a person was Kains.

I responded as calmly as possible.

“A man who uses twin swords, and he ties red fabric on the sword’s hilt.”

Askan immediately examined the hands of the corpse. Then, nodding, he said,

“There are calluses formed when holding a sword in both left and right hands. It’s undoubtedly someone who used twin swords, just as described.”

“Does that mean… the deceased is Kains?”

“Rarely do people use twin swords. At the moment, the probability is high that it’s Kains, but to confirm more accurately, I’ll instruct the guards to investigate.”

While speaking, Askan continued to search the house. It seemed he was looking for any clues that could be of help.

Soon, he pulled out something from a corner. It was two dusty swords that seemed to have been neglected for a long time.

The red fabric I had seen in the novel was tied to identical sword hilts like twins.

“Oh…”

Unconsciously, I staggered. Askan quickly approached and supported me.

The disappointment felt as great as anticipated. I wanted to believe otherwise, but judging from the circumstances, the decayed corpse seemed to be Kains.

‘However hard I try to help…’

The desire for revenge was self-evident. But more than that, the emotion of wanting to fulfill Oland’s revenge was stronger.

In my mind, there was only a faint memory of Shal. Although the sadness and regret about what might have happened if she hadn’t died always existed…

Compared to Oland, who had been searching for the culprit for over 20 years, it was nothing.