Night had quietly descended upon the Valecrest Manor once more, wrapping the enormous estate beneath an atmosphere far calmer than the bloodshed and chaos that had consumed it only a day earlier, while the countless corridors, courtyards, and gardens throughout the manor gradually sank into silence as the servants completed their duties and retreated indoors for the night.

The distant sounds of guards changing patrols occasionally echoed faintly through the territory, yet compared to the tension that usually surrounded the estate lately, tonight almost felt unnaturally peaceful.

Meanwhile, high above the quiet manor grounds—

Damon stood alone upon the balcony connected to his room.

The cool night wind drifted softly across the open space while the vast sky stretched endlessly overhead, filled with countless glittering stars surrounding the pale half-moon hanging low amidst the darkness. Silver moonlight fell gently across Damon’s figure, illuminating the strands of white hair flowing lightly within the breeze while his calm breathing remained steady against the quiet atmosphere around him.

And yet—

Despite the serenity surrounding the night—

His thoughts refused to settle.

...Who would have thought things would turn out like this?

Damon’s golden eyes remained fixed upon the sky while his thoughts moved quietly through his mind.

I came back to the manor this time only to uncover Sahira’s identity somehow, no matter what methods I had to use.

A faint sigh escaped him afterward.

If directly investigating beneath Father’s eyes failed, then I had already planned to gather information through my siblings instead... even if it meant slowly piecing together the smallest fragments one by one.

The night breeze continued flowing quietly around him.

And yet now...

Damon slowly lowered his gaze toward the distant territory visible beyond the manor walls.

I finally uncovered the truth.

The answer he had spent so much effort trying to reach had finally appeared before him.

No hidden assassin.

No deeply planted infiltrator carefully sent toward him.

No secret spy carrying out instructions from the shadows.

At least—

Nothing concrete enough to support those suspicions anymore.

Then why—

Why did he not feel satisfied?

Why did the uneasiness within him still remain?

Why did finally uncovering the truth leave behind no happiness at all?

Damon simply closed his eyes briefly before exhaling another quiet breath into the cold night air.

...Whatever.

At the very least—

One thing had become clear.

I can somehow trust her now.

Just then—

KNOCK KNOCK—

The sound of knocking lightly disturbed the silence behind him.

Damon slowly opened his eyes before turning away from the balcony and walking back into the room itself, the soft moonlight trailing behind him across the polished floor.

"Come in."

The door carefully opened a moment later, and Sahira quietly stepped inside while lowering her head respectfully in her usual timid manner.

Yet the moment Damon’s eyes landed upon her—

They narrowed faintly.

Without saying anything, Damon casually reached toward the desk nearby and picked up a small decorative object resting upon it before suddenly flicking it directly toward Sahira without warning.

THUK—

The object lightly struck Sahira on the forehead before dropping into her startled hands.

"Aah—!"

Sahira instinctively clutched the object while blinking repeatedly in confusion, her eyes widening as she looked toward Damon with completely genuine bewilderment spread across her face.

Meanwhile, Damon quietly straightened afterward while carefully observing every reaction she showed.

...Nothing.

Not even the slightest subconscious attempt to dodge.

No reflexive movement.

No instinctive combat response.

If she had truly been trained as a spy or assassin before entering the slave market, then even after memory erasure, her body should still retain traces of conditioned reaction.

But there had been absolutely nothing.

Only genuine surprise.

Only confusion.

And that reaction itself quietly settled another lingering suspicion within Damon’s mind.

Meanwhile, Sahira still stood there rubbing her forehead lightly while looking toward Damon with a small troubled expression, her timid voice carrying faint confusion rather than fear this time.

"...Why did you hit me?"

***

A cold and deathly atmosphere covered the large rear courtyard hidden behind the main structure of the Valecrest Manor, where darkness and silence merged together beneath the dim glow of scattered mana lamps that barely illuminated the vast stone grounds. The night wind carried a chilling sharpness through the open area while the shadows stretching across the courtyard seemed unnaturally heavy, as though even the air itself understood that what was about to happen would leave behind no mercy.

At the very center of the courtyard—

Duke Valecrest stood silently.

The long dark coat draped over his broad figure moved faintly beneath the wind while his fierce golden eyes remained fixed ahead with terrifying calmness, the overwhelming pressure naturally radiating from his mere presence making the entire area feel suffocatingly oppressive.

Beside him—

The head butler stood respectfully with lowered head.

And kneeling before them—

Ten figures trembled violently against the cold stone ground.

Some wore maid uniforms.

Some wore attendant clothing.

And some—

Guard armor.

Several of them had already broken down crying while others desperately tried controlling their breathing, yet despite their attempts to maintain composure, the terror visible across their pale faces could not be hidden anymore.

Meanwhile, standing slightly to the side of the courtyard, several cloaked individuals remained motionless beneath the shadows, their faces concealed entirely while faint traces of mana lingered around them like invisible blades.

The intelligence department.

One of the cloaked figures finally stepped forward before kneeling respectfully.

"These are the infiltrators captured according to your orders, Master," the figure reported calmly. "Some maintained external communications, while others possessed hidden identities and unauthorized movements throughout the territory."

The head butler’s eyes briefly moved toward the kneeling spies before shifting toward the cloaked intelligence operatives again.

And inwardly—

Even he felt faint shock.

The Duke’s orders had only been issued recently.

Yet within such a short amount of time—

The intelligence department had already uprooted hidden infiltrators buried throughout the manor itself.

The efficiency was terrifying.

Meanwhile, the kneeling spies had already begun collapsing mentally beneath the suffocating pressure filling the courtyard.

"O-our loyalty was always toward the Valecrest family—!"

"I-I was forced into it!"

"P-please spare us!"

"We only passed information once—!"

One of the guards even desperately crawled forward before slamming his forehead repeatedly against the stone floor.

"M-master! P-please show mercy! I-I have children—!"

Yet throughout all of it—

Duke Valecrest’s expression never changed.

Not even slightly.

His golden eyes simply looked down upon them coldly, carrying no hesitation, no pity, and no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

Then finally—

The Duke spoke.

"When poison enters a body," he said calmly, his deep voice echoing heavily throughout the silent courtyard, "removing only part of it guarantees the infection will spread again."

The kneeling figures visibly trembled harder.

"You entered my territory."

A faint pause followed.

"You hid yourselves within my manor."

His gaze slowly swept across them one by one.

"And you mistook my silence for weakness."

The pressure in the courtyard intensified instantly.

Several spies completely collapsed crying after hearing those words.

"M-master PLEASE—!"

"W-we were wrong—!"

"I-I swear we can still be useful—!"

But Duke Valecrest had already turned away from them.

His voice remained eerily calm.

"Kill them."

The courtyard froze.

Then instantly—

SHHK—

The cloaked figures moved.

No hesitation.

No wasted motion.

Only death.

One spy’s plea abruptly stopped as a blade pierced directly through his throat from behind, blood spraying violently across the stone floor while his body collapsed twitching beside the others. Another attempted crawling backward in panic before a shadow flashed beside him—

CRACK—

His neck twisted unnaturally sideways while blood poured from his mouth.

Screams erupted throughout the courtyard immediately afterward.

"AAAAAAHHHH—!"

"PLEASE—!"

"I DON’T WANT TO DIE—!"

One maid desperately tried running away only for a thin wire-like blade to slice cleanly across her legs, causing her body to collapse violently against the ground before another strike pierced directly through her chest.

Blood splashed endlessly across the courtyard stones.

Bodies collapsed one after another beneath merciless execution. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The intelligence operatives moved silently and efficiently throughout the massacre, their expressions hidden beneath the cloaks while the dying screams gradually weakened into choking gasps and twitching corpses scattered across the courtyard floor.

And throughout all of it—

Duke Valecrest never once looked back.

***

The atmosphere inside Damon’s room had gradually quieted once more after the cold events unfolding elsewhere within the manor, while the soft moonlight spilling through the balcony curtains mixed together with the warm glow of the mana lamps to create a strangely calm silence throughout the room.

Meanwhile, Damon and Sahira sat upon the edge of the large bed facing one another, though compared to Damon’s composed expression, Sahira still looked visibly confused from the object Damon had suddenly thrown at her earlier.

She continued holding the small decorative piece within her hands while lightly rubbing her forehead every now and then, her timid eyes repeatedly drifting toward Damon as though waiting for an explanation that never came.

Eventually—

Unable to endure the silence anymore—

Sahira quietly spoke.

"W-why did you suddenly throw that at me, young master...?"

Damon merely looked at her silently without answering immediately.

And Sahira, misunderstanding the silence entirely, quickly started speaking again in her usual nervous manner.

"A-are you hungry?" she asked softly. "S-should I bring you something to eat...? O-or maybe warm tea...?"

Her eyes carefully observed Damon’s expression afterward before she continued hesitatingly.

"O-or... d-do you want me to prepare medicine again...?"

Damon’s golden eyes narrowed faintly while quietly watching her reactions one by one.

No hidden nervousness.

No calculated responses.

No traces of the cautious awareness he expected from someone trained to deceive others.

Only genuine concern.

Only awkwardness.

And somehow—

That only complicated his thoughts further.

Meanwhile, Sahira continued glancing toward him uncertainly before quietly asking again,

"D-did I do something wrong...?"

The room fell silent for several moments afterward.

Then suddenly—

Damon spoke.

"Why did you sleep with me that day?"

The question arrived so abruptly that Sahira completely froze.

Her eyes widened instantly.

"...Huh?"

For several seconds, she simply stared blankly at Damon as though her mind itself had stopped functioning.

Then finally—

A deep red flush rapidly spread across her face.