At Haimon

As dawn broke, a gloomy atmosphere hung over Haimon Castle.

The cause was Shen’s disappearance and Lavna’s death.

The servants pretended otherwise, but they whispered that people around the cursed Lady Io were dying off one by one, as if being warned.

Scarl, who was quietly searching for Samigina at dawn, intervened between two maids upon hearing a sound he couldn’t ignore.

“What did you just say?”

The young maids looked at Scarl’s face and thought they were in big trouble.

The large, fierce-looking man before them was Lady Io’s prospective fiancé.

Naturally, he wouldn’t be pleased to learn that his betrothed might die soon, and if he heard the servants gossiping about it…

“Ah, we didn’t say anything!”

“We don’t know anything!”

Scarl let the young maids who scurried away escape, and frowned.

‘Gone.’

Scarl checked the floral scent of the perfume on his wrist once more.

He hadn’t contacted everyone in the castle yet.

But the guy was being too quiet.

“It can’t end like this. Is he outside?”

Four days remained.

Considering his methods, he would target Io within at least three days.

“I have no choice.”

It was rude to knock on a woman’s door before breakfast, but…

“Th-there. Even if you are Baron Scarl, this is too much…”

Scarl, who entered the detached residence where Io was staying, pushed aside the maid who was blocking him.

“Quiet. Get out of my way.”

“Kyaa!”

Io’s voice was heard from inside the room at the maid’s scream.

“Lenny? Lenny! What’s wrong?!”

Io burst out, sword in hand, flinging the door open.

In her nightgown, with stray hairs sticking out here and there, Io confronted Scarl.

“Uh… why are you here?”

“Put the sword down.”

Io was weak against assertive actions.

Scarl naturally reached out and snatched the sword from Io’s hand.

“A good sword.”

“H-how?”

Lenny, the maid who had been blocking Scarl from behind, felt herself quietly slipping away at the sight of the two.

After the maid had completely disappeared from view, Scarl pushed Io into the room.

“Get inside.”

“W-wait! This is my room! I haven’t even washed my face yet…! And that’s my sword―”

“Shh.”

A bleak room without a single window.

Just a bed, a tea set, a table, and a wardrobe.

It was inadequate for the space where a count’s daughter would stay, but…

‘Good for a siege.’

“It’s fine.”

It was perfect for creating a trap to catch the guy, using the things he had prepared.

Cough-

While concentrating inside Io’s room, Scarl heard the guy’s cough from somewhere.

‘Which one has he turned into this time?’

He naturally handed Io’s sword back as he continued his thoughts.

Io, who had snatched it away with a clatter, carefully placed the sword in its scabbard and wrapped herself tightly in a nightgown she wore to bed.

“Why?”

“D-don’t look. I’m embarrassed.”

Io, flustered as if she was the only one conscious of it, bristled at Scarl’s smirk.

“Why on earth! Did you come into a maiden’s room at this hour!!”

He needed to see the room’s structure once.

Cough-

At the sound of coughing again, Scarl put his index finger to his lips.

“Be quiet, Io.”

“Wh-what? This is my room! You get out!”

“I’ll be out soon.”

The coughing was getting closer.

He was either passing by the door now or was nearby.

Scarl turned around without looking back, lest he miss him.

Io, feeling her pride hurt by his actions, trembled with a red face as if her blood pressure had risen from the morning.

“What is it! How can someone like that protect me!”

Regardless of what Io said inside, Scarl followed the faint coughing.

A silhouette entered a bedroom where a servant was staying.

‘Here.’

Knock knock

A young maid with a sickly look on her face popped out when he knocked on the door.

“W-what’s the matter? Cough cough-”

“What’s your name?”

The maid reacted as if she didn’t care about Scarl’s indifferent gaze.

Scarl wasn’t one to miss the faint murderous intent in the eyes of the maid looking up at him.

“…Jonia.”

Scarl, who thought he had found him easily this time, pushed the door open when he didn’t feel any presence inside.

“W-wait a minute! Cough cough-! Th-this is my roo-?!”

Scarl covered her mouth and lifted her up as she was.

Jonia, who couldn’t even resist, was left dangling and dragged inside by Scarl, who grabbed her face.

Jonia, thrown onto the bed, trembled and curled up.

“Haa- haa- haa- P-please save me.”

“Save you from what?”

The child you killed was only about 15 years old. A demon.

Why don’t you know that the more you continue that hypocritical act, the more I want to kill you faster?

Jonia’s eyes were crying, but her mouth was smiling.

“I-I’ll take it off. J-just save me. Baron.”

Only then did Scarl realize that the guy had some kind of scheme.

‘Ha. Not bad.’

Only twice.

He wouldn’t even know that I did it once, but he lured me in by sacrificing a precious life.

‘Smart. As expected. But.’

He was sorry to the servants of Haimon Castle, but.

Cutting off all of his lives here was the way to minimize the damage.

If he escaped and left Haimon territory, he didn’t know where, where he would appear, or what he would do. There were countless cases of being stabbed in the back and betrayed later.

That being said, could he have prevented their deaths if he hadn’t come?

The first territory where Samigina appeared was 100% doomed without the Hero’s intervention.

Only then would the world know.

Samigina, the wicked shapeshifter who used the body of the person he killed as is.

‘Now the third time.’

He gets stronger every three times.

It could be said that the main body’s power is gradually increasing.

If he could only use the power of the person he transformed into until this life, then the next six times he would be able to use the mana of his true form more and more, making it even more difficult.

‘I brought all the preparations for the last three times.’

No matter how powerful he becomes.

The prey is most vulnerable the moment it molts.

Samigina would never be able to escape this building.

Regardless of what intentions the guy had in luring him in, there was no reason to hesitate in dealing with the body now.

A piercing scream echoed loudly through the building, but it was still too early for everyone to come.

He closed the eyes of the person who died of suffocation and knocked on Io’s door again as if he had gone out for a drink.

“It’s me.”

“What is it again!”

“Open the door, Io.”

He would see the end of it today.

Io’s cooperation was essential for that.

“The guy has appeared.”

Because it was the first sound she had heard from Scarl’s mouth.

Io tilted her head, wondering what strange thing this person was saying again, and then her pupils dilated as if she had realized something.

“Th-that… d-demon?”

“Yes.”

There was a brief gap before the guy took on a new body.

“He’s constantly staying around you. Even the nanny is actually…”

Io, with an expression of disbelief, shook her hand at Scarl, who was telling the truth.

“Th-that’s a lie, right?”

Io’s arm, covered in goosebumps, could be seen.

Io curled up on the chair, constantly stroking her arms.

“Unfortunately, it’s real. Besides that…”

And at the words that followed, Io was shocked and couldn’t get up from her chair.

Scarl looked at her bitterly.

“Trust me. I came to save you.”

“I-I don’t know. Just. I don’t know what’s what. I don’t even know you…”

Her tearful eyes, like a wandering lamb, lost their way and roamed around the room.

Scarl, who approached, grabbed Io’s shaking head with both hands and forced her to make eye contact.

“Pull yourself together. He’ll dig in when your heart is at its weakest. Stay here until tomorrow. Don’t open the door no matter who comes. Got it?”

The last three lives of the guy could disguise himself as anyone.

“H-how? The demon might break down the door and come in!”

Did she feel the fear of death?

Scarl continued in an even stronger tone.

“I’ll put up a barrier that he can never enter. You just have to stay in here until everything is over. After I leave, you put this on the door. Remember. Don’t open it to anyone until tomorrow.”

He would use the things he had prepared to prevent the guy from leaving the detached residence and block access to Io’s room.

That was all he had brought.

A terrible scream echoed through the building.

Io covered her ears with a pillow on the bed, but the clear scream continued to echo as if someone had died in front of her eardrums.

Io thought she was going crazy.

If she hadn’t heard Scarl’s words first, she would have opened the door and gone outside at the familiar voices of the servants she was hearing now.

“Please… please end it quickly. Scarl.”

Io shed tears, constantly muttering Scarl’s name.

Krintos also learned of the existence of the screams coming from the detached residence where Io was.

He could no longer ignore the deaths of the servants, so he approached the building with the knights. As soon as he opened the entrance, he was able to meet his daughter with a pale face.

“Io! What’s going on!”

“Father, that Scarl…”

Io, who was hugged by Krintos, leaned on her father’s shoulder and shed tears.

“Inside, inside, Scarl is catching a demon. That guy! He’s killing people indiscriminately! Help me!”

“What? I knew he was that kind of guy! Let’s go! Quickly!”

“Be careful. Father. He’s very strong.”

As Krintos entered with the knights, Io began to smile bitterly.

“Stupid humans.”