7. Jealousy is my strength (11)
It was absurd, but at the same time, it was tempting.
Iris’ voice, which drew Shien’s interest in that way, was still flat.
“Did you hear that the archwitch is visiting the academy?”
“Yes, my ears started to sting from the beginning… … .”
“He sees that the cause of the abnormally high temperature is inside the academy. If we can find the cause first, it will make a lasting impression.”
“So that I may enter as His disciple?”
Iris nodded. It was a gesture that revealed a slight sense of satisfaction, as if the conversation was finally going well.
“Yes, the vision of the Archwitch is finally falling into our hands. How cool is that?”
“However, there is no guarantee that I will become a disciple… … .”
“You can make it like that.”
It was an arrogant declaration that he spat out while folding the fan again.
“First of all, try to mobilize as many legitimate numbers as possible, and if that doesn’t work, you can remove the competitors step by step. How simple is it?”
“Will the Archwitch just leave it alone?”
“You are indifferent to worldly affairs. On the contrary, you might snort, saying that you have to overcome such hardships.”
“What about Sir Ian?”
The topic was changing surprisingly quickly.
The two of them weren’t too relaxed to discuss the facts they knew each other in depth. On the contrary, the two sisters preferred to briefly organize only the necessary matters.
Shien’s light gray eyes sank into a cold light.
“What does the coming of the Archwitch have to do with Sir Ian? You seem to be pretty confident.”
“The Archwitch showed interest. I don’t know why, but… … .”
“What about Vilteon’s brother?”
For the first time, Iris was speechless.
The blue eyes turned to Shien again. However, it was after Shien regained his former calm self.
Sharp eyes were scanning Iris’ face. His pupils hadn’t been torn vertically yet, but he had a face that said he was willing to do so whenever needed.
“If it’s to the point where even my sister comes forward, it’s usually not an important thing. But brother Vilteon doesn’t say anything… Isn’t that too strange?”
“Shien, please.”
As if she didn’t even want to talk about it, a plea leaked from Iris’ mouth.
It had to be.
The first prince, Vilteon, was competing with Iris for the next imperial power.
The fact that the two were not on good terms had long been accepted as common knowledge.
“Have you ever said that before? You and I are fundamentally different from that human being. You are born with reptilian heart as well as eyes… Do you think that hanryang would go well with you?”
“You know, sister… The fact that it doesn’t matter if you look good or not.”
Shien intentionally gave a dubious smile and let out a stupid laugh.
“hehehe, isn’t giving and receiving more important? As long as we really ‘get along’.”
“… … What do you want?”
Even while snoring, there was no stopping Iris from answering her question.
This development was already expected. It seemed that the little sister she knew had returned little by little, and on the contrary, she seemed to have slightly improved her mood.
However, it didn’t take long for Iris’ composure to break.
“That’s after talking with Vilteon’s brother.”
A pained sound leaked out of Iris’s mouth.
Negotiations with Cien have always been like this.
Once gaining the upper hand, Shien was more persistent and brazen than ever. Unless you pay a reasonable price, they will line up and try to bargain.
She was a woman who could not be used as a servant.
So there was a side that was rather more reliable.
As long as the price was clear, there was no way Shien would violate the contract. There was no choice but to be sticky like this between something ‘coming and going’.
“you really… … .”
“Rather than that, ‘the cause of the abnormally high temperature’? If it’s enough to change the climate of the area, it won’t be normal.”
Before I knew it, Iris and Xien’s companionship continued to the trail.
Even the escort knights that followed had long since disappeared. There must have been an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Service hiding around, but it was clear that Iris was trying to hide her presence as much as possible.
It meant that I didn’t want to stand out anymore.
It was the right environment for sharing confidential stories. Iris finally revealed the inside story with a sigh.
“… … I don’t know the detailed principle either. The archwitch only mentioned it in passing, and other than that, there are no clues.”
“Then how… … ?”
“I investigated every case within the academy.”
It was a calm tone, but the meaning of that one word was extraordinary.
Investigate all incidents within the academy.
Writing was easy. However, in order to make that one sentence a reality, an enormous cost was required.
It was a fact that could be known by simply tapping a calculator.
He must have investigated all the rumors circulating in the academy where tens of thousands of people reside. I couldn’t even estimate how much manpower and money would have been required.
And the power to mobilize it in a short period of time, and the driving force that does not hesitate to make a decision.
Indeed, he was a talented person who could compete for the next imperial power.
Shien’s astonished gaze turned to Iris. Actually, Iris was just putting on a calm expression, as if she had done something obvious.
“Now do you understand? This is the power of organization. Even Sir Ian, whom you cherish so much, can’t do anything without our strength. That’s why it’s called ‘tool’.”
It was a sudden bruise.
Shien inadvertently got furious and wanted to say something, but he had no choice but to pout his lips as he soon lost his temper.
It was not wrong.
so i was more annoyed.
When did he say that he had seen Sir Lee Ahn so arbitrarily?
Xian’s voice naturally became blunt.
“… … So, did you get any results?”
“Of course it was. I am on my way to check the results now.”
It was a tone that conveyed the feeling of pride as it is, which is rare.
Cien had a questioning look on his face, but he didn’t bother to ask. Isn’t this information that Iris would recite if she just waited patiently anyway?
And Shien’s guess was correct this time as well.
“My henchman is staying at the academy. Alpenhauser’s twins are indeed resourceful… You quickly found a strange rumor circulating within the academy.”
“A rumor?”
“Rumors of some students disappearing at night and returning.”
It was a confident voice, but Shien didn’t seem to agree.
There were many students who disappeared and returned late at night.
Whether it’s enjoying a late-night tryst, or going out to enjoy drinking and dancing.
There were countless reasons. To the extent that even defining this as an ‘abnormal phenomenon’ is unreasonable.
Of course, Iris wasn’t stupid enough to not know about the physiology of youth.
“Doesn’t it feel like nothing special to you, who is attending the academy? But what if those who were missing all night show a common change?”
“Hmm, change… … .”
“They say that the proportion of people going out during the day has decreased significantly. Even if they go out, they like shady places, so they prefer forests with lush vegetation like this.”
Xian’s expression was still puzzling.
In fact, it was just a story at the level of suspicion.
It was recently that the weather continued to be sweltering like midsummer. Of course, you may not want to go out during the day, and even if you go out, it is human nature to want to stay in a shaded place.
Can this really be called a ‘suspicious act’?
Even with such a look of distrust, Iris did not erase her faint smile.
“It’s okay, because there are still places for us to look around anyway. Today, I brought you here hoping that you would use those ‘eyes’ to keep track of the child.”
“Are you in front of me? One of those ‘missing’ victims.”
No answer came back from Iris.
He was a silent poet. Xian sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes for the first time in a while.
I promised not to use it in the future.
However, he had secretly written about it several times in the meantime, and if it was a serious matter like this, Sir Ian would not blame Shien. There were few abilities as useful as the ‘dragon’s eye’ when it came to detecting anomalies that were inconspicuous.
It was then.
The two women’s bodies stiffened as they walked.
A chilly silence descends.
The cause was at the end of the trail. This fishy smell of iron tickling the tip of the nose meant only one thing.
smell of blood.
The eyes of the two women collided in the air. And at the same time Iris sent out a hand signal, the escorts who had been stationed around them began to gather one after another.
It was an obvious borderline.
The safest option was to send one of the escorts forward. However, Iris and Shien deliberately decided to head for the scene.
In case you didn’t know
The site right after the discovery had the most information preserved. If two women with good eyesight could look into this, they might get a surprisingly decisive clue.
One step, one step.
Every time the two women’s bodies faced forward, the scent of blood that pierced their noses became more intense. Correspondingly, the tension between the two women was also reaching its climax.
Pak, Pak.
The sharp sound of blades digging into the skin tickles my ears. It was clear that violence was being committed from beyond.
The two women held their breath before the epicenter of the blood scent.
The order was simple.
Right after the escorts enter, two women break in under their protection.
The plan was carried out without even an inch of error.
But if there was something I hadn’t considered, it was the existence of the man waiting for the two women.
Blood in a puddle flows like a stream.
The body of the man who sat with his back leaning against the fleshy hill was covered in blood. The blood that had soaked his head was dripping down like a wisp of sweat.
Even though there was no sign of injury to the body.
He yawned as if he was bored, then smiled kindly at the two women who had intruded.
Facing the man’s golden eyes.
Iris froze and said nothing. I just stared blankly at the horrors the man had created.
Corpses, corpses, corpses.
The scene where people, beasts, and unidentified masses of flesh were mixed was bloody. One of the most terrifying scenes was that there was one among them that was still moving.
An arm that had lost its owner wriggled to its feet and, wriggling its fingers like a leg, rushed towards Iris.
Before Iris, who had stiffened her body, took a step back.
Pak, and blood was scattered on the ground.
Key eh eh eh-
The hatchet thrust down like a guillotine stopped the arm that moved freely. Even after that, the lost arm, which struggled for a while, eventually lost its strength with a pitiful groan.
Everyone’s attention was focused on the man.
Black hair, golden eyes, and even a hatchet floating in the air.
There were too many clues to guess its identity. But the incomprehensible question is, why the hell is he here?
And what the hell happened here?
The company’s answer to this was simple.
“It was a monster.”
Heh, swallowing a laugh, the man emphasized his conclusion again.
“The missing ones… It turned into a monster, as you would expect.”
It was quite arrogant and disrespectful for a second son of a country viscount, but for some reason.
Iris did not dare to scold the man in front of her.
So, a riddle was solved.
With one man’s hand, so simply.