Chapter 102: When everything is over – 5

With every step I took, bloody footprints marked the ground.

The long-awaited moment was finally approaching.

By now, even my breathing had grown calm.

The guards on the castle walls surrendered as they saw us, bloodstained and advancing.

“Surrender! We surrender!”

Even the maids and retainers knelt down, pleading for mercy.

“P-please, spare our lives!”

At the sight of my crimson helmet, everyone recognized me.

The name “Kailo Alan” murmured throughout the area like a haunting echo.

My comrades bound the hands of those surrendering behind their backs with rope.

One by one, they were subdued.

For now, our army was securing control over the castle.

The day’s skirmish still lingered faintly in other corners.

Perhaps it was the last desperate resistance of those too terrified to accept the inevitable.

As I walked, I glanced down at a maid who had been restrained.

“Where is Robert’s room?”

I asked.

The leader must be dealt with—only then will it all be over.

“T-the second floor…! It’s the nearest room by the stairs!”

We made our way to the second floor.

My thoughts were consumed with speculation about what Robert might be doing.

His face was one I had seen often, even as a child.

He had once lent wealth to Loctana’s impoverished territory, exploiting that leverage to pressure Vivian.

Though I didn’t know much about Loctana’s internal affairs, I was well aware of how often Robert had tormented Vivian.

How badly must he have wanted to swallow up the Rondor family to stoop so low?

How desperate must he have been to even conspire to take Vivian’s life?

I was curious about how he would react when faced with his crumbling ambitions.

Would he erupt in fury, or beg for mercy and surrender?

Robert Rondor, who had tormented Vivian, had also ensnared me in his schemes.

I had been there when Vivian drank poison and when the castle was engulfed in flames.

Perhaps Robert would harbor resentment toward me.

After all, I had thwarted his plans to target Vivian.

Maybe that’s why I was so curious about his reaction.

Vivian and I stood together, against Count Corrode and Robert Rondor.

The end of our battle was near.

Before long, we arrived at Robert’s door.

The ornate decorations and size left no doubt—this was his room.

Even the soldiers guarding it knelt down, awaiting our judgment.

“We… we surrender. Please, have mercy…”

Ignoring them, I looked at the door and gave a nod.

“Break it down.”

I commanded my comrades.

“It’s open.”

Someone said before the sound from inside reached us first.

Valon, who had raised his foot to kick the door, slowly lowered it again.

I gently pushed the door open, and as if to prove the words true, it swung open naturally.

—Creak.

Inside were four people: Robert Rondor, his wife, his son, and his daughter.

The latter three trembled, unable to even meet our eyes, but Robert stood tall, gazing out the window.

“It’s been a while, Kailo Alan.”

Robert said.

I observed his confident demeanor for a moment.

“…So, we’ve lost. I see.”

With a calm air, he sipped leisurely from a glass of wine, the sight of it strikingly out of place.

Had he gone mad?

Or was he drunk, emboldened by false courage?

It was the attitude of a man unaware of his impending death.

As the executioner of Rondor’s enemies, I had killed many.

Their reactions varied, but the essence was always the same.

However, this was the first reaction from Robert.

Perhaps it was because he still had time left to live.

“Do you admit your sins?”

I asked Robert without any preamble.

He twirled his wine glass for a moment before responding.

“What sins are you referring to?”

I frowned.

At this point, denying it would only make things more tiresome for both of us.

“…Don’t act shameless. Nestor, he—”

“I admit everything, but… what sin are you talking about?”

For a moment, I was confused.

“What are you saying?”

As I failed to grasp his meaning, Robert continued as if speaking to an idiot.

“You see, I’ve committed so many sins that I don’t even know which one you’re talking about. I’d like to know too. Of course, whatever you bring up will probably be something I’ve done. I’ve lived fiercely, after all.”

There was even a hint of mockery in Robert’s expression as he looked at me.

I couldn’t understand why he could remain so composed.

It wasn’t the attitude of someone who had laid down their sword in surrender but rather someone who was still in the midst of a fight.

“Colluding with Count Corrode.”

“I did that.”

“Poisoning Vivian’s food—”

“I put the poison in.”

“The fire that spread in Rondor Castle—”

“I started that fire. And you can’t imagine how many people I had to kill to cover it up.”

“And beyond that, I planted countless spies and informants in the castle, worked tirelessly to sway various retainers to my side, and spent a fortune to wreck Loctana’s marketplace. Really, the fact that you’ve endured like weeds is impressive. In a way, I even feel relieved.”

As Robert admitted to all his sins so nonchalantly, I found myself at a loss for words.

Yet he waited, expecting me to ask something.

His expression urged me to ask that question, as if he had eagerly awaited this moment and had answered everything else so openly because of it.

But I didn’t know what he wanted me to ask.

As we remained frozen, simply exchanging glances, Robert finally spoke in a low voice.

“…You don’t know?”

Still clueless, I asked again.

“…Know what?”

“Ha!”

Robert let out an amused laugh, then burst into a full, hearty chuckle.

“Hahaha!”

Using his laughter as an appetizer, he drained his glass, while everyone else in the room remained tense, watching the situation unfold.

Even his family seemed clueless about the cause of his laughter.

In this room, only Robert knew why he was laughing.

Under normal circumstances, I would have assumed he was putting on a crazy, arrogant act.

But then I remembered earlier, when the trio had tried to stop me.

Vivian, in particular, hadn’t wanted me to enter this place.

That memory lingered in my mind.

“This is a masterpiece. Oh, it’s truly a masterpiece.”

Whether it was because the drink went down the wrong way or because he was laughing too hard, Robert coughed repeatedly as he continued.

“To think I unknowingly created such a masterpiece. If this is a sin, then so be it. To have done all this and still failed to secure the family head’s position… God must have forsaken me.”

After drinking the last drop, Robert turned to me, extending his arms.

“I lost. Take me away. But if I’m going to die, let it be in front of my dear niece. I owe her an apology, at the very least.”

I had intended to kill him here if he resisted, but his composure made that impossible.

At the same time, his words left such a nagging unease in me that I couldn’t move for a while.

“What in the world are you talking about…?”

“I can’t tell you outright. Stay curious. That would bring me more joy.”

“Don’t feel uneasy.”

It was as if Robert had read my thoughts.

“Feel relieved. I was the one you fought in the dark all this time. I orchestrated the assassination attempt on Vivian, and you repeatedly thwarted me. It’s over now. In the end, you’ll cut off my head. It’s all going according to your plan, isn’t it?”

“Impressive. Truly impressive. Impressive, Kailo. What was it you said to me back at the ballroom? Despite being enemies, you said… what was the reason you protected Vivian? Ah, was it out of guilt? Because your father killed Vivian’s family… my brother and our nephew? Truly impressive to have such a noble character.”

I looked at Robert’s family.

“…Is it because of your family? Acting crazier on purpose to hope for some mercy?”

“I already made a promise to Vivian.”

“…What?”

“If I protected my honor… my family would be spared.”

I hadn’t heard of any agreement between Vivian and Robert.

The unease kept growing, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.

Perhaps Robert was just toying with me with his nonsense.

“…What honor do you have left? A man blinded by power who tried to kill his own niece.”

I retorted.

Robert smirked.

“…Exactly, Kailo. Exactly.”

Upon closer inspection, deep within his face lay a dormant rage that hadn’t yet exploded.

The corners of his lips trembled, and blood vessels had burst in his eyes.

It wasn’t the expression of someone indifferent to his family’s fate but rather of someone barely holding on to sanity for that one reason.

Finally, revealing a savage expression, he spoke.

“…She tell me to protect my honor… but hasnt she already shattered it all? What honor is there left for me to protect, according to my dear niece…?”

“…”

I decided to stop the verbal sparring and gave the order.

“…Take them all away.”

Robert and his family offered no resistance and were captured by us just like that.

It was a far more unsettling ending than I had expected.