Turning

A royal who shamelessly used the tone and language of a third-rate street thug... Even after everything he knew about Kishiar, Yuder found himself surprised all over again by seeing yet another unfamiliar side to him.

Of course, it seemed he was the only one thinking that—Kiole and the old servant both swallowed nervously, visibly tense.

Five minutes later.

“Please... Please stop. I’ll talk—I’ll tell you anything!”

Just as he had declared, Kishiar succeeded in completely breaking his opponent’s will and extracting the information he wanted.

Yuder looked down at the old servant lying on the ground, crying with a hollow expression, and thought:

Truly incredible.

Kishiar hadn’t used fists or swords. Nor had he tortured the man with magic or Awakener abilities. He had simply had Nathan Zuckerman pull out a few of the servant’s belongings—and then used his sharp deduction skills and silver tongue to completely dominate the man.

First, by smelling the contents of a portable medicine case the servant carried, Kishiar deduced that his health was so poor he couldn’t endure without narcotic painkillers. From his speech patterns and choice of words, he gauged the man’s place of origin, estimated age, and previous profession. And from a small portrait tucked inside his pocket watch’s lid, he figured out everything about the man’s family.

Even the missing left thumbnail gave him all he needed to understand both the man’s hidden past and current status.

The man desperately tried to deny it or withhold the information, but it was pointless. Kishiar had already gleaned all the answers from the smallest changes in breath and the direction of his gaze.

After just a few one-sided questions and answers, and five minutes, Kishiar uncovered that the man was originally a mercenary of fallen noble blood—with a criminal record as a wanted murderer. When he deduced the man’s original name from back when he was on the wanted list, using just his appearance and the fact that he was missing his left thumbnail, everyone was stunned.

To think he memorized all unsolved major criminal cases where the suspects had escaped for decades...

If anyone could do it, it would be Kishiar. Yuder thought so, but Kiole looked completely out of it, as if he were about to faint while standing.

As for the old servant—who had just had all his secrets laid bare—he was terrified because he believed Kishiar served under Kiole. Everything proceeded smoothly from there.

The servant was °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a fallen noble who had failed to become a knight and turned to mercenary work. After committing murder, he had been wanted, but the Duke Diarca’s first wife had extended a helping hand, creating a new identity for him and hiding him as a servant.

Of course, that help wasn’t out of pity—but to create a useful, hidden soldier to use at will.

There was a law that, if a serious criminal escaped and was later caught, not only the criminal but also their entire family could be punished. So no matter how well he had hidden for decades, a single report could cost him his life—and the lives of his loved ones. According to Kishiar’s deduction, the man had family he cherished deeply—enough to carry their portrait inside his pocket watch.

The servant considered the Duke’s first wife his savior and had been truly loyal to her. But someone with secrets and a life being held hostage makes for an ideal tool in the hands of those who would exploit them.

“This man likely came here when Lady Langretsi la Diarca was still alive. As a fugitive, this hidden estate would’ve been a good place to disappear—and the people who sent him probably hoped he’d uncover something about her.”

Both the Duke’s first wife and Langretsi were dead, but the servant remained. Because Duke Diarca hadn’t shut this mansion down, but had instead repurposed it as his personal secret space.

Knowing Duke Diarca, he probably saw the man’s background as useful—someone he could exploit. A piece he could use to monitor Madam Bishu and keep her in check if she ever stepped out of line.

And just as Yuder suspected, the old servant nodded in agreement to Kishiar’s words.

“Y-Yes. I came here as a gardener around the time the second wife was sent here to recover. After she passed, His Grace commended my loyalty and skill in raising Ellaria... and kept me on. He ordered me to watch Madam Bishu and report her movements regularly.”

But a person’s heart—and their desires—are never-ending.

After hiding safely for decades, the servant began to crave more. He wanted to rise to a more important position inside House Diarca. When word spread that the youngest son, Kiole, was suddenly making waves and the previously stable succession structure had begun to shift, that ambition grew stronger.

Him again.

Listening to the servant’s story, Yuder clicked his tongue inwardly. Just by letting Kiole live and forcing him to shut up quietly, how far had the ripple of change spread? It was beyond measure now.

In chaotic times, opportunities always emerged. The old servant decided to prove his value to someone influential within the main estate. He reached out in secret, hoping to obtain some useful information about Duke Diarca from this mansion—and deliver it to First Son Kiorne.

As for why Kiorne—well, it was the Duke’s first wife, Kiorne’s mother, who had originally saved his life, and Kiorne seemed most likely to inherit the dukedom.

But before he could achieve that goal, contact with Duke Diarca was lost.

And then—today. Kiole appeared, out of nowhere.

“Upon inspection, this man doesn’t seem to know anything concrete about what you’re searching for, Lord Kiole. He’s useless... Shall we dispose of him?”

Kishiar clicked his tongue and shook his head. Kiole, who had been listening absentmindedly to the cascade of revealed information, flinched at the word.

“Dispose...?!”

Sensing he would be killed the moment he was deemed useless, the servant shouted in panic.

“If you’re looking for something—anything—please ask me! I’ve worked here for a long time. I know many things! Just spare my life...”

“Do you? Then do you know exactly what Duke Diarca came here to do? Why he kept this place protected in secret? Do you know what Madam Bishu used to do before?”

“......”

The servant went silent. He must have been confused as to why someone claiming to be sent by Duke Diarca was asking such things. But just as Kishiar grinned, clearly about to whisper something provocative to Kiole, the man clenched his fists, shut his eyes, and opened his mouth.

“...I don’t know in detail. When His Grace came here, he forbade anyone from getting close. I never saw him directly. Not just me—no one did. But... as a gardener... I noticed that when he visited, he always lingered a long time on this walking path.”

Hm?

“When he came, he would always pass through the pond, then the annex with the statues, and finally come to this path. That’s all I know. I tried to care for the flowers and grass around the places he walked... tried to observe. I didn’t discover anything, but... that’s everything. Truly.”

Which means...

Yuder’s eyes turned toward the path.

The vault must be in there.

His gaze met Kishiar’s. The corners of Kishiar’s lips softened just slightly—too subtle for anyone else to notice.

As if to say, Whatever you’re thinking—it’s correct.