# 55
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Ares headed underground, crossing the faintly rising dawn.
“Did something happen? You denied knowing anything, but now you're suddenly changing your story?”
While you were away, Countess Rwen came to visit the Count.
As Ares stopped abruptly and turned around, Joseph hesitated, unable to meet his eyes.
"Speak quickly."
Impatient urging continued.
Even a person sentenced to the death penalty is a direct blood relative…….
“I know you can meet direct blood relatives. Now to the point.”
Not long after meeting his daughter, he changed his mind.
Did those two doze off when they met?
“Dozing off? Your Excellency. I was watching! The two of them barely spoke. As soon as Countess Rwen saw the Count, she hugged him and wept.”
“Hug me?”
“Yes. After crying for quite a while, she just went back. After the young lady left, the Count remained silent. Then, suddenly, he claimed that he had orchestrated everything himself.”
Joseph stood stiffly at attention like a new recruit, glancing nervously at him. Ares, lost in thought for a moment, did not ask any further questions and hurried down to the dungeon. The soldiers and knights guarding the dungeon bowed respectfully to the Duke as he sprinted down. It was quite different from the stiff attitude he had displayed when he first returned.
The underground was filled with the cries of those who could not endure the abyss. However, Ares sat heartlessly on the judge's chair as if he could not hear such sounds. Then he gave an order to a soldier whose tension was palpable.
“Bring Count Lewen here.”
Shortly after, Count Rwen, dragged out of the abyss, had become a different person overnight. His thick shoulders, hardened by the sunlight, were hunched over, and his once confident expression held an undeniable despair.
Kneeling like a defeated soldier, he repeated the same words like a parrot.
“It is all my doing. It was my sole decision to win over ‘Seobal’ and the soldiers as well. It is all my doing, Your Excellency.”
Ares stared at him silently with his long legs crossed. Then, he casually tossed out a remark.
Have you ever been to the Wall of Death?
“…….”
"It is shrouded in a thick, hazy fog all year round. The fog settled on the ground is permeated with the stench of rotting dead animals. Even wearing fur, the damp chill penetrates to the bone."
Not a single common weed grew on the pitch-black stone wall that reeked of stench.
Still, compared to beyond the wall, it’s close to heaven. At least there are no evil beasts appearing through the thick fog.
“…….”
“You will be sent there. Name and honor will not be granted, even after death.”
Count Lewen looked up at the Duke blankly.
The interrogation led by Joseph Rexton and Crimson Isaac was strong enough to break his sturdy body. The terror of the infamous underground abyss was also powerful enough to break his mind.
However, it could not compare to the strange terror the Duke instilled.
If a god descended to earth to punish humans, wouldn't it look something like that?
Sitting diagonally on the judge's chair with his long legs crossed, he looked not only heartless but even bored. He remained that way throughout the entire process. A thought slowly welled up inside him that he would rather just confess everything. Just as the fear of death was overcoming his loyalty, an emotion that overwhelmed both fear and loyalty came upon him.
Father, Father… … .
Flora, Abi is fine. Don't cry.
Please, save me.
'… … .'
He was the one who understood the babbling of his daughter when she was young, which even the Countess could not understand. It was a small whisper that was almost a mouth shape, but the father understood his daughter's true feelings.
Count Lewen repeated the same words without even realizing that his cheeks were getting wet with tears.
“It is all my doing. I have absolutely no connection to Marquis Rinko.”
“…….”
A brief silence followed. Count Lewen realized that the Duke's mind was made up.
The Duke slowly rose from his seat. Then, as if to say he would no longer try to persuade the Count, he issued a concise order.
“Joseph, convene the Grand Council immediately.”
The sound of Lewen collapsing reached the Count's ears.
The canyon and river named Rwen, the schools of salmon vigorously swimming upstream, the triangular groves of conifers stretching tall, and the herds of reindeer roaming among them flashed before his eyes like a kaleidoscope. And so did the voices of his grandparents, who had shown him that land.
"This is the land bestowed upon you by Lady Richmond. Is it not truly beautiful? Take a good look, for this is the land you will one day rule."
The warm touch of his grandmother, who cherished him, plays above his head.
You must remain faithful for the rest of your life.
“Ughhhhh.......”
He eventually buried his head in the sharp stone floor and poured out tears mixed with regret.
* * *
Rwen's downfall was decided early in the morning.
Unlike the sunny day yesterday, a chilling cold swept in. Autumn rain drizzled into the stone walls, and a wind seeping in from an unknown source made dozens of candles sway back and forth. The shadows cast by the swaying candles undulated non-linearly, further heightening the tension hanging over the Blue Eagle Hall.
The Count's sin, echoing in the servant's clear voice, struck the Countess's cheek.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh."
Count Rwen was kneeling below the platform, and Countess Rwen was weeping while stamping her feet. Count Younger, Rwen, also stared blankly at his father, as if lost in thought. Flora, too, appeared momentarily dazed.
Her gaze fell upon Ares, who was sitting on the podium.
How can a person be so cruel?
She felt as though her heart were breaking to death, yet that man appeared not just heartless, but completely at ease. The saying that not a single drop of blood would come out if you pricked him must surely have been made about him.
The servant's voice, which had been going on for quite a while, suddenly cut off. The sound of the Duke's slow breathing was more chilling than the howl of the wind.
“Do you admit to the crime?”
Countess Lewen stopped sobbing and held her breath. She repeatedly muttered the word "please." But heartlessly, her husband betrayed her wish.
“Yes, Your Excellency. I admit it. It was all my own initiative.”
“Honey, honey!!!”
"father!!!"
Countess Rwen and the Little Count tried to run toward him while wailing, but were blocked by soldiers. Flora watched the retreating figures of her mother and brother with her hands clasped tightly together.
The sight of Count Rwen's family gave Ares a certain conviction. His gaze shifted from Flora to Marquis Rinko. At the Marquis's expression, which showed not the slightest sign of agitation, the corners of Ares's mouth tilted slightly.
The Marquis must have been breathing a sigh of relief, having barely escaped the trap that had wrapped around his ankle.
That can't be.
Marquis Rinko.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Ares, who had been sitting the whole time, slowly stood up.
Count Rwen, who had been slumped over miserably like the rubble of a collapsed castle wall, raised his head and looked at the Duke. The Countess, the Young Count, and Flora did the same.
Dozens of candles burning at his feet cast a massive shadow of the Duke. The shadow slowly engulfed the Banner's eagle from the tips of its toes. Soon, Richmond's eagle was completely consumed by Ares's shadow.
Ares gave an order while receiving the stares of the Richmond vassals pouring down on him.
“I entrust the punishment of Count Rwen to you.”
Marquis Rinko, who had been feigning composure, furrowed his brow. Edward, who had been guarding his father's side, raised his voice as if in protest.
But Your Excellency!
Don't make me say it twice.
Ares firmly cut Edward off mid-sentence and stared at the father and son. His eyes, reflected in the candlelight, gleamed chillingly like those of a tiger.
If you have decided to cut off your tail, you must do it with your own hands. Enduring the blood, pus, and pain flowing from the severed cut is also the burden of the one doing the cutting.
“Punish the Countess of Lewen, Marquis Rinko.”
Just then, with a rumbling sound, the rain began to pour down loudly. Heavy raindrops pounded violently against the window.
"father……!"
Edward grabbed Marquis Rinco's arm, but the Marquis shook his son's arm off.
My heart seethed with frustration because nothing was going right. Count Lewen was a man with a soft side. Yet, I never knew he would be so soft even on his own life.
You should have killed yourself. That would be the price for me protecting your daughter. What is this? How disgusting.
Start.
The sound of the Duke urging his attendant on was heard from behind.
The Marquis's eyes gleamed fiercely. It was obvious this was the Duke's scheme. Wasn't he essentially telling me to cut off my own tail with my own hands? Did he think I wouldn't be able to do it just because he told me to?
He was always a man of clear rewards and punishments. It is only natural to be cast aside if work is not handled properly. Furthermore, if one is to cut someone off, they must be severed cleanly to avoid any trouble later.
He handed down a cold punishment for the Count's charges that the attendant recited once again.
“…Therefore, Count Rwen shall serve at the Wall of Death as a soldier, and his service shall last as long as he lives.”