127. Before the Storm (2)

The servant glanced back as he walked down the street. A knight named Arsene Vern was staring at the back of the servant’s head with a hard expression on his face the whole time he walked. The servant felt as if a well-forged blade was stabbing him in the back of the head. He had only been ordered to convey his words to the Count. I didn’t know why I had to receive such terrifying stares.

“The Count.”

A low voice suddenly heard. The servant flinched and jerked his head away. Arsene Bern’s gaze pierced the servant.

“How are you?”

He was asking how he was doing, but the expression on his face was unbelievable. The servant didn’t go against the man’s heart and rolled his head to see if he could give an answer, but soon gave in to the pressure and struggled to open his mouth.

“well… How are you?”

“I guess so. You must be doing well.”

Arsene said that in a sharp voice. The servant didn’t know what emotion was underneath that voice. Like a person with an old enemy in front of him, those eyes were looking somewhere other than himself. The servant, along with Arsene, arrived in front of the count’s waiting room. The knight, who had the emotion of anger all over his face, was ready to go into a perfectly calm state before he knew it. The servant broke into a cold sweat at the change and gestured to guide Maxim.

“The Count is waiting inside.”

The servant clearly showed that he did not want to be with Arsene, and walked quickly down the hallway. Arsene and Maxim raised their hands on the doorknob, inhaled and exhaled.

‘When you face your enemy, don’t show your emotions carelessly. Isn’t it time for you to know him too?’

During the hiatus after No Man’s Land, whenever Naira trained with Maxim, she would always say that and pat Maxim on the head. Now is the time to get your emotions under control. It was a time when I had to put my claws in, pretend to be improbable composure, and get information while having a decent conversation.

As soon as Maxim finished preparing his heart, a voice came from inside the room.

“You may come in.”

Maybe he was trying to boast that he could understand all of his breathing even sitting in that room. Maxim opened the door and entered the room without looking too surprised. tidy up Maxim reminded himself again and opened his eyes. And, I faced the face of the ‘enemy’.

“Long time no see, Sir Arsene.”

“Long time no see, Count.”

Maxim did not hesitate to pull out the chair across from him, even though Leon Benning did not recommend it. The Count did not show any signs of discomfort. I just watched Maxim’s actions with eyes full of interest, as if I were observing an animal I hadn’t seen before.

“It’s the first time we’ve met since the last Mage Tower search. Isn’t this the first time the two of you have met face-to-face like this?”

“okay. I never thought I would see you again like this.”

“I think there will be one more day like this someday.”

Leon Benning raised his eyebrows and shrugged. There was no need for tension. Maxime looked behind Leon Benning’s back, then turned his head when the Count spoke again.

“First of all, let me ask you about the search for the magic tower.”

“As much as you like.”

Leon Benning put his pods together and rested his chin on the table. At the attitude of asking a serious question, Maxim returned a cold gaze.

“Where is Adeline?”

Maxim’s expression was contorted. The question now was why the order given to Adeline had not been carried out by either side. Why did Adeline not die even after failing to kill Maxim?

“I don’t know why you ask me where the Count’s knight is. Since the full-scale seizure and search began, I have never seen his face.”

At Maxim’s answer, the count narrowed his eyes.

“is it? I haven’t seen Adeline’s face since I ordered her to act with you, which is odd. There is no way that a faithful hound will leave its master without any reason. I should have held on to the leash a little tighter.”

“I do not know. Wasn’t everything just the owner’s misunderstanding, I think. Shouldn’t the hunter have chosen his target a little more carefully?”

The Count untied his clenched hands and straightened himself again. For a brief moment, Maxim could feel the ghastly life in those inorganic eyes, then disappear. You couldn’t openly question them, and you couldn’t disperse your powers during the martial arts tournament to find a missing knight.

“Now that we have a precedent, we need to hold on tighter to the hound’s leash.”

“I didn’t know you had so many hounds.”

At Maxim’s words, the Count let out an empty laugh.

“Well, let’s stop talking about my hound. There was something else I wanted to call you and talk about.”

Leon Benning, who had been knocking on the desk, changed his voice. It was not a voice that was lightly exchanging questions, but a heavy and fiercely low voice, as if trying to interrogate the sinner.

“Arsene Bern. I think you are a very strange character. No, it’s not that strange. I think he is a very suspicious person.”

Maxim felt the force of Leon Benning swell with the momentum to press him down. Maxim resisted the momentum that was getting heavier as if he would not tolerate wearing a mask. Invisible swords interlocked in the air, firing red sparks.

“As Your Majesty’s faithful servant, I have no choice but to always pay attention to who is by your Majesty’s side. In particular, if you are a knight who serves Your Majesty closely, you must pay more attention.”

“Did you even try to dig behind me?”

Maxim replied in a sharp voice. But Leon Benning just shrugged.

“One piece of advice. If you don’t understand that it’s an aristocratic way of speaking, it will be difficult to survive in the palace.”

Leon Benning smiled as usual despite Maxim’s protesting words. Maxim furrowed his eyebrows uncomfortably at that laugh. The count’s laugh was a false one, even if it was false. It’s just that he raised the corners of his mouth to reveal an expression close to a smile.

“Did you say he was Hugo Bern’s nephew, commander of the escort knights? Thanks to that, it was very difficult to figure out where you were from. It’s not from a noble family, so it should be in a very remote place.”

“I remember that I didn’t do anything that would be considered particularly suspicious.”

“The most suspicious thing was that I couldn’t properly grasp any information about you. Age, origin, and the sect of swordsmanship used. Even the name.”

The sound of Leon Benning banging on the desk is annoying to Maxim.

“It’s like the time you joined the escort knights, and the fact that even though you had such skills, I couldn’t find any rumors about you. It felt as if someone who didn’t exist had suddenly fallen from the sky.”

therefore,

Leon Benning held out a finger.

“I made a hypothesis. The character Arsene Bern did not exist from the beginning. The person sitting in front of me right now is a person who hides his true identity and acts secretly.”

Silence settled in the room like mist. Maxim did not respond to Leon Benning’s words, and Leon Benning’s inorganic gaze was still trying to penetrate Maxim.

“I am Your Majesty’s loyal knight. How can you use the word secret drug carelessly?”

Leon Benning didn’t even pretend to have heard Maxim’s words, but narrowed his eyes and looked down. It was as if he was trying to recall an old memory.

“Four years ago, there was a knight candidate from the academy who spit out those words to me in exactly the same way as you. I don’t blindly hate people who rebel against me. But if that rebellion is to get in my way, to be an annoyance to my eyes, then it’s a different story.”

With a wink that seemed to be opening, Maxim answered Leon Benning in a firm voice.

“You must have been a strong candidate.”

“Everyone is brave. But do you know what happened to that brave candidate afterward?”

“… You wouldn’t have forgiven. Did you even remove it?”

Leon Benning laughed again.

“no way. Even if it bothered me, he was a candidate for a knighthood, and he was a man who was called the academy’s prospect. Just because you said you were going to kill me Ah, did you die? He said he wasn’t the kind of person who could get away with it. Of course, I didn’t forgive you like you said. It was necessary to prepare another alternative.”

“What happened to that candidate after that?”

The Count raised his head again and faced Maxim. It was a look that asked if you knew better. Maxim was not agitated.

“Leave it to your imagination.”

“Is that all you have to say by calling me?”

“This is a warning, Arsene Bern. It’s not like he didn’t even understand.”

“sorry. Since I am rude and ignorant of aristocratic speech, I will pretend I did not understand what you said.”

Maxim replied in a firm voice, and Leon Benning was still looking at Maxim. Then he shook his head with a colder expression than ever before.

“Actually, there are a few more questions I wanted to ask, but let’s end today’s meeting here. We will have a chance to meet again like this.”

chance to meet again. I also hope that the day will come when we can meet you face to face like this. Of course, with the sword drawn in one hand and the point pointed at your throat.

Maxim closed his eyes and nodded.

“Yes. Then, I look forward to the day we meet again.”

At the end of Leon Benning’s gaze, Arsene Berne moved away. With calm and confident footsteps, the knight opened the door to the room and soon disappeared. Leon Benning had been staring at the spot where Arsene had disappeared for a long time. The manner of speaking, the spirit of a knight, and the sense of Leon Benning himself. A knight named Arsene Bern was saying that all of that was Maxim Appart, whom he had been looking for so long.

“Lilia.”

As Leon Benning spoke quietly, a bloody woman emerged from the darkness cast by his shadow. The woman was wearing a tight red dress that exposed the curves of her body. It must be clear that it matched the color with the red hair that flowed in a thick curve. Deliberately placing her arms to support my voluptuous breasts, the witch smiled. It was the kind of laugh that would make any man who sees her for the first time give up everything, whether liver or gallbladder.

“Here you are.”

Before the Mage Tower’s investigation began, she moved her base to Count Benning’s family. Purple eyes glowed in the dark. The witch was licking her lips as she looked at the door where Arsene Bern disappeared, as if she had found a tasty-looking prey for the first time in a while. Its tongue glided past her red, thick, glossy lips.

“That article looks delicious. It makes me wonder what kind of blood he has.”

“It was small talk. So, what is your opinion?”

The witch narrowed her eyes, then shook her head.

“I don’t feel any trace of the curse. Even though I kept my eyes on that knight from the moment he entered the room, I couldn’t feel any traces of the curse or brainwashing that the count said.”

A shadow fell over Leon Benning’s expression. In an instant, the room was filled with the chill he emitted.

“I thought you were the last person I saw with Maxime Appart.”

“Obviously we met then. But it was completely different from the energy I felt then.”

After saying that, the witch returned with an interest-filled look. Those eyes were like the eyes of a predator looking at its prey, or like the eyes of a woman looking at a man she loves unrequitedly. With a flushed face, the witch asked the Count for permission in a voluptuous voice.

“By the way, that knight. Would it be okay for me to eat later?”

“Arsene Bern must die in this martial arts competition.”

The Count answered so briefly. It seemed that she did not show even the slightest interest in the witch’s interest. The witch let out a snort of regret.

“Huh. It’s been a long time since I found a man who seems to be delicious. Then, is it okay if I take the next turn?”

“I will, but there must be no next turn.”

Leon Benning gave a short answer before standing up. If you couldn’t be sure, you had to use this opportunity to get rid of it unconditionally. From the Mage Tower, no, from the east, Arsene Bern has been steadily taking its place as a variable.

I should have removed it earlier.

The time had come for action to begin in earnest. And, in order to execute the plan without hesitation, the stones that could block the path had to be removed. Leon Benning got up from his seat and before leaving the room, he looked back at the witch and Lilia and gave the order.

“As I said, tighten the control of the puppets even more.”

Lillia shrugged.

“As I said, if you blur their egos too much, they will become lumps of meat that can’t even use swordsmanship properly. Wouldn’t it be useful if at least the swords were chunks of meat that could be used?”

“That’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own.”

Leon Benning spat out cold words, opened the door, and disappeared. Lilia looked at the door where Leon Benning had left and let out a laugh.

“Perfect control cannot exist, but be greedy.”

Then, recalling the face of the knight who had opened the door and disappeared before that, he recalled the face with excited eyes. Just thinking about that face, just feeling that momentum again made my mouth water and my heart beat fast.

“ha… .”

A sweet sigh that melted the longings of many men flowed from her lips. Witches will not easily miss their prey. Until one day he rammed his teeth into the knight’s neck, savored the taste to his heart’s content, and played with him as a toy.

“Arsene, Bern.”

Lillia repeated the name again in her mouth, like a child melting and eating candy.