Chapter 73

-Thunk. Thunk.

A chilling sound echoes against the floor.

In this dark and gloomy place, every drop of liquid that trickles down sends shivers up one’s spine.

The coldness creeping up the back starts to spread across the entire body.

Theo opens his mouth.

“Oh, right. With the gag in her mouth, Miss can’t speak, can she? I really made a silly mistake.”

Eyes adjusted to the darkness reveal the approaching figure.

Slowly getting closer, he lowers his stance.

“But Miss, you won’t scream, right? Understood?”

The gag is removed.

Immediately, a scream is let out.

“Help me!!”

This must be inside some building.

If so, someone should come help. Given that her voice isn’t too soft, and after screaming for help, someone might hear.

Anyone who knows the youngest daughter of the House of Bargrand was touched would surely step forward to help.

Yet, despite all her efforts, the surroundings remain silent.

There is no response, except for Theo laughing crazily right before her eyes.

“Miss, what are you doing? If this gets out, I’ll be seen as the kidnapper. Well, even if that happens, no one around would hear.”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t the Duke’s Mansion.”

Flora’s pupils start to tremble uncontrollably.

Fully adapted to the darkness, her eyes clearly see Theo’s expression.

“Don’t worry, Miss Flora. You have done nothing wrong. The bad guy is ultimately him, right?”

Theo Lamstair, always smiling at her with a kind attitude, had a warm smile that always put her at ease.

But now, the smile she sees…

It’s not the kind, friendly face she has always seen.

‘How could I not notice such a person until now?’

Only now does she feel a sense of unease.

Only now does she see what the smile contains.

She had been completely fooled by that artificial facade.

Thus,

Without knowing anything, she had been led into something…

Theo steps back and sits on a chair, starting to bandage his wound.

“I didn’t want to bring Miss here in such a manner either.”

“What?”

“You know, I only intended to deal with that guy. I planned to handle him nicely, but Miss didn’t show up at the trial, so my innocence couldn’t be proven.”

“…”

“You could have helped, Miss. If you had supported me at the trial, testified on my behalf, then I wouldn’t have ended up like this. Why didn’t you come?”

That’s nonsense.

Even if she had been there, she wouldn’t have supported Theo.

“… Ah, speaking of which, I heard the guy who got expelled from the Second Knight Order foolishly brought someone back and then got rid of all witnesses. Is that what happened?”

Flora stays silent.

Theo responds with a disgusting smile.

“Well, naturally, considering how loyal I’ve been to Miss, she wouldn’t betray me.”

“Don’t talk about loyalty like it’s disgusting.”

“… Miss?”

“Your actions towards me were just to gain favor, not true loyalty!”

Even if her arms were tied behind her back,

Even if her legs were fixed to the chair,

Even if her whole body was bound, Flora had to say this:

“You rotten bastard. I shouldn’t have trusted you from the beginning…”

Seeing this, Theo gives her a sinister look and grabs her shoulder.

“No, Miss, don’t say that.”

“Take your hand off me!”

“You need to tell me, Miss Flora. After I removed the gag for you, if you don’t say anything, I’ll get angry, you know?”

Theo grabs Flora’s shoulder harder, pushing her closer while showing her the wound bleeding from the cut.

“Thanks to you, I ended up like this. After being foolishly expelled and then bringing back the idiot, I had to take care of all the witnesses, hence this situation. I tried to save you, Miss, but you ended up in this hellish Tullea Mine. It’s not right, is it? Eh?”

With an eye that looks like it might pop out, he says,

“Haha, yes. Yes, Miss, you might have been deceived by that scum Carsein’s tongue. But if you speak, everything will be resolved. We can get rid of that scum Carsein and shift the blame to me.”

Lowering his stance,

With the same hand that killed the warden, Emma, and his subordinates,

“Let’s start again. Miss Flora’s one and only knight, Theo Lamstair, will kill the vicious criminal Carsein Bargrand here. And he will be pardoned. For removing the kidnapper.”

Is this possible?

Theo said with a wicked smirk.

*Splurt*

Thick saliva, full of betrayal, drips onto Theo’s face.

“What, Miss? What are you doing?”

“I… I can’t believe I…”

Unable to contain her anger at the disgusting words,

Flora’s golden hair is grabbed tightly.

“Why did you do this to me after treating me like a lady? Do you think I’m just a child?”

“Let go! Let me go!”

“Among the nobles, there’s no one more annoying than you. But I stayed because of the Bargrand family. Just because of your bloodline.”

Flora couldn’t hold it in anymore and spat at Theo again.

“Ha, still not over it?”

Theo’s hand rises high.

*Slap!*

A red mark appears on her cheek, aside from her mother’s.

“Still don’t understand the situation? Don’t you realize you’re the youngest daughter of the Bargrand family? You’re stuck here. Unless I let you go, you’ll be stuck somewhere no one will find you.”

“!”

“Thinking I treated you well makes you feel like you’re really important? Compared to your two older sisters, you have nothing special.”

I couldn’t say anything.

Her two sisters were capable enough to take on their roles in the Bargrand family.

Compared to those sisters, Flora was pitifully unable to read even a single word, distancing herself from books, and was useless at everything.

So when this happened, she didn’t know what to do.

She had to scream for help when the gag was taken off,

She had to call for help by shouting for assistance.

She couldn’t do anything.

‘That’s right.’

Outside the Duke’s Mansion is a harsh world.

Anything could happen.

Just like being kidnapped now.

Being the daughter of the Duke attracted Theo Lamstair’s attention.

Without status, she was powerless.

In the cold, dark, and scary place, the touch came with hidden malice behind the kindness.

To frame Carsein as a criminal.

She finally realized that this world was cruel.

That’s why, even though she was trembling, Flora could answer Theo directly.

“Yes. You’re right. I can’t do anything. But I won’t help a scum like you. Never.”

“What?”

“I’ll make sure there’s no crime to pin on you, especially not on Carsein. Instead, I’ll testify that you tried to deceive and use me!”

“I won’t be fooled anymore.”

“If you side with that scum, then—”

The veins on Theo’s neck bulged.

“Ha, if that’s how you want it, I can’t help it. I didn’t plan to go this far.”

“Suck!”

“Properly, you’d make a decent slave. Sold abroad, you’d bring money too.”

“!”

“It’s your own fault. Live the rest of your life as a beggar in a foreign land.”

Theo puts the gag back in.

“Ah! Take it out! Take it out!”

“Hold still, damn it! Damage to the product lowers its value!”

Flora struggled desperately.

*Slap!*

“Kya!”

“If I knew, I’d have seduced your elder sisters instead of you. Tsk!”

A rough hand grabs Flora’s jaw again, forcing the gag in.

Desperate and helpless, a tear rolls down her cheek.

At that moment, a single tear hit the floor.

A ray of light suddenly burst into the dark space.

*Klang!*

With a heavy metallic sound.

***

Flora’s kidnapping.

The escape of Theo Lamstair, who somehow managed to break free.

This meant only one thing to me.

That I had to take him down.

There was no other way to interpret it.

In Episode VI, Carsein eliminates two enemies from the Duke’s House completely.

Unless this issue is resolved, the next chapter won’t progress.

So, merely finding Flora isn’t enough.

The Status Window wanted more than just a search from this Hidden Episode.

Eliminate the enemy.

Remove the obstacle blocking Carsein’s path.

It meant showing results, not just inner growth, but external achievements as well.

Once I realized this, I had my purpose.

This situation is like Chapter 2, but moved forward.

At the beginning of Chapter 2, the serial killer appeared.

It turned out to be Theo Lamstair, who had escaped from prison.

In the worst-case scenario, Flora was taken hostage, and I had to rescue her alone.

I don’t know the reason, but I don’t fully understand.

All I know is that Theo Lamstair escaped from the Duke’s prison with someone’s help and eliminated all witnesses.

‘If we consider this foreseeable…’

There was one thing I missed, which also made this situation predictable.

On the day Claire arrived, one person was taken to the Second Knight Order.

If he had been called back and escaped, he might have used the same method to break out of prison. There might have been a place to hide between the Duke’s Mansion and the training hall.

Moreover, they were taken to the Tullea Mine after spending a day in the Duke’s prison, not immediately.

This one-day delay might have given Theo a chance. With Emma’s people as guards, it would have been easier to manipulate.

Even if I had handled things after realizing this,

Would the game have allowed this convenient development?

‘No, it wouldn’t.’

Given Theo was alive, he would have twisted the episode’s progression to continue.

If the system consistently showed such an attitude…

Theo Lamstair’s escape was inevitable.

[Time Limit: 7 minutes 22 seconds]

Fortunately, I didn’t forget this and came alone.

If I had brought Harnier, the threat might have forced him to kill the hostage and flee, similar to the bad ending in Chapter 2.

‘…Here.’

A dim shack.

I reached the place where the villain had been secretly trading.

My tense body warned that I couldn’t relax at all.

The smell of blood in this dark place made every hair stand on end.

‘Can I win?’

Most likely, once I enter, I too will be covered in blood.

His sword will aim for my neck.

So, if I don’t want to die, I have to win with all my strength.

Against Theo Lamstair.

But is it really possible?

I asked myself.

The answer came quickly.

So, I had to use every means available.

*Bam!

“What the hell is this—!”

*Klang!

He reacted by drawing his sword.

Even though he responded unexpectedly, I expected it. Given Carsein’s frail body, it wouldn’t be easy to overpower him in one strike.

*Klang! Klang!

*Pssh*

“Guh!!!”

Despite the shock, he managed to cut my shoulder. Blood spurted out.

I couldn’t stop.

While he was still disoriented, I had to keep pushing him.

If it were Bruce Evans, who underestimated his opponent, I could have closed the gap and brought him down in an instant. But even that guy was far inferior to Theo Lamstair.

The stats are lacking.

With these insufficient stats, there’s no way I could win against Theo Lamstair, regardless of the difference in numbers.

Even excluding the game’s numerical differences, it’s the same.

Even if he hadn’t fought properly, could Carsein’s weak body really win?

Impossible.

So, without engaging in a prolonged battle, I went straight for the kill.

*Swoosh!

I cut his left thigh.

Already not in perfect condition, he started to falter as soon as I cut his leg.

This was it. I had to finish him off.

He had to be rendered incapable of wielding a sword.

But.

*Swoosh!

“…”

“Pure luck. Yeah, your sword skills aren’t much different anyway.”

I got my shoulder cut too.

He grabs his sword again.

In the dim shack, he shows his killing intent.

“Do you really think you could beat me?!”

*Klang! Klang!

Unrelenting attacks continued.

I was pushed back.

Clearly, I was weaker in strength.

The disparity in physical power and sword skills was so vast, it was incomparable.

Even though I launched a surprise attack, my HP was dropping due to the status ailment.

He was faster. For every step I took, he took two. Even in speed, he had an advantage.

Despite looking more exhausted, I couldn’t catch my breath.

But.

“That’s nothing. You caused damage to many others. Huh? Die already.”

*Klang! Klang!

I understood.

I could win.

“Got it. You’re just a loser filled with inferiority.”

As Kim Min-hyuk, I wouldn’t lose to him.

The sword fight was purely based on brute force.

Even though I was physically superior, his sword was pathetic.

“Yeah, I’ll make you suffer the most painful death. You won’t survive this!”

*Klang!

“You—!”

*Pssh!

So, I could easily counter.

With less strength and slower speed.

Because his sword contained only inferiority.