episode_0346

As Shayden said, the duke’s knights don’t seem to have any particular suspicions about the family’s physician, so they don’t come near this room.

Most of them were focused on protecting the Duchess, who was in poor health, keeping Claire in check, and preventing outsiders from intruding. For that reason, it seemed as if they had never thought that someone inside, and especially a doctor, would hide Carcein.

‘Thanks to you, I feel relieved.’

As night fell and the guards at the duke’s residence became tighter, it was impossible to wander around freely. In this situation, not only was I hungry, but it was also difficult to find a place to sleep, so I was able to truly feel at ease.

It’s unclear how much more Karsane will explore the dukedom and venture out into the open, but this break has made it more likely that he’ll get out without too much trouble.

Since the layout itself already took a hint from Claire’s words about her close friend, it would have been easier to move around the duke’s mansion in the future.

If he knows all the paths of the Duke’s palace, he will quickly come up with an answer and be able to head to the next destination.

So Harnie closed the curtains with relief.

“…”

I pulled back the curtain and looked around to see Karsane silently lowering his head.

It was a back view that made me think a lot.

Harnie knows.

How calculating and cold-hearted a person Karsine is.

If so, this time was very precious to Karsain.

Time to relax. Time to heal your wounds. Time to fill your hungry stomach and get enough sleep to prepare for the next day.

If you think about it a little, you can understand.

How precious this time should be.

Having finished his calculations in his head, he will never waste this time. He will try to save every second and use it for what is necessary.

I will act with infinite vision of the future ahead of me, and I will never waste time planning several steps ahead.

Those are this man’s values.

This is the belief of this man who has always lived alone and in solitude.

But… the current Carcein was different.

Karsine just stared blankly into space, lost in deep thought.

Karsine was a person who would not listen to anyone no matter how much he was scolded and nagged to take a break and rest. He even did crazy things like sleeping half-asleep, which made me feel sick inside.

I was wasting my own time.

With such a complicated face.

-Tick tock.

Also, Harnier knows.

There is only one cause.

Before one of the little hands on that clock moves to the next space.

It was because of something that happened when the two people were not in the attending physician’s room.

If Karsin had followed his existing values, if he had followed his heavy beliefs, he would never have acted like that.

I wouldn’t have even given the Duchess that kind of look.

Even if you received something you needed, you would have just ignored it and said, “That’s just how it is.”

I would never have said or done anything like that.

If he had just calmly accepted what he deserved and turned away, it could have been seen as more in line with this man’s values and beliefs.

Moreover, considering what he had experienced at the Duke’s house so far, this should have been an even colder and more indifferent reaction.

But that wasn’t the case.

It was a huge change.

It was the moment when a crack appeared in the solid door that had been firmly closed to Carcein, and seemed like it would remain closed forever.

It was the moment when a spark of emotion was born in Karsene, who was being devoured by the monster called reason.

And Harnier knows.

The fact that the relationship between the two hats is incredibly complicated.

-Oh, Duchess? What brings you here…

Not long after Carcein had concluded the Duchess’s birthday party, Isabella came to see Harnier.

A long reflection followed. A long time of reflection followed. A time of painful self-reproach followed.

Isabella… truly thought of Carcein as her son.

-I, a bad mother, may not be able to change Karsain’s mind. But… I came here because I thought Yeong-ae wouldn’t be able to do that.

-…

-Please, take care of that child.

The last request I made to Harnie was also like that.

Isabella sincerely hoped for Carcein’s happiness, and she begged and begged.

It was such a pity.

My heart ached at the sight of the relationship between the two people becoming so tangled.

That’s why Harnie is approaching.

To fan this flame.

To open the door wider that is about to close again.

-Ugh.

“Do you regret it? Carcein.”

Harnier asked, lightly hugging Karsain from behind.

There’s no way I don’t know what that means.

The reason this happened is because of what happened in the Duchess’ room.

Karsine answers softly.

“…No.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“…”

Karsine did not answer readily.

“You’re doing this for a reason, right? Every action has a reason. Isn’t that why you’re doing this?”

“…”

After a long pause, he took out the note he had received from the Duchess and spoke.

“This note. It was the most important part.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for this, I might have made a big mistake about the location of the last place.”

“That was the most important note. But… That.”

“…That’s right. This is the note I received from the Duchess. And this is also the note we will never find.”

Karsine explained in detail why he could not find this note.

Also, as to why the note cannot be found.

Also, regarding the questions about the Duchess’s behavior.

When I heard the explanations, they were convincing.

“…This is the Duchess. No, my mother gave it to me on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“Yes. Otherwise… it doesn’t make sense.”

Isabella suffers from a peculiar mental illness called Elbern Syndrome, but at that moment, she came to her senses.

Trembling fingertips. Changed eyes. Clear voice.

From all these sensations, Carcein gave grounds for believing that the Duchess had caught him on purpose.

Also, the specific reasons why he knew exactly that there was a last note in that drawer and why he took the items in that drawer and handed them over to the person he needed were revealed one by one.

It was a clear conclusion that would not make sense unless he had come to his senses and conveyed it on purpose.

In this way, the true intention of the last action was revealed.

“So, I couldn’t help but say goodbye for the last time.”

It’s a title I’ve never used in my entire life because I hated using it so much.

The expression “final greeting” and the action of hugging.

And with best wishes for your health.

I’m sure Karsain had piled up a lot of things for the Duchess over the years…

At this moment, my closed heart opened.

The spark of emotion was slowly revealing itself through the cold monster of reason.

Harni hugged Karsine’s back tightly and expressed his appreciation for his choice.

‘Yes. That’s just the way you are.’

Although he may seem stiff and dry on the outside, he has a very kind heart inside.

He may seem like a cold, selfish person who only cares about himself, but inside that tough shell is a true nature that cannot be hidden.

Although he has walked a difficult path in life, he is not a vengeful spirit who yearns for revenge and is filled with hatred and betrayal.

He is not a madman who says it is time to resolve the grudge that has been lingering for a long time and takes revenge on the parties involved by revealing that grudge to the end.

He was a sage to the core.

He was a nobleman who could not commit such an evil deed.

No matter how outwardly he acted, no matter how much he did something that could be criticized, in the end, he was a true person who showed a warm heart towards others rather than a cruel end.

So, I couldn’t help but like it.

I was drawn to this side of him because I saw it so many times.

It was natural to think that the contract was a good idea.

Because this person’s nature and character have been like this from the beginning.

I’m embarrassed. I’m really embarrassed.

‘This is also why I fell in love with you.’

That’s why I fell in love with this person.

‘Thank goodness. Really.’

Karsine will soon return to where he came from.

I had already made up my mind to let him go.

But… there was one last regret.

The fact that Karsene still harbored a deep distrust of others created this foolishness.

I had to break down the firm belief that no one could help me.

I had to destroy the rigid value system that said I had to live alone in this world.

I’ve been working hard for that so far.

Stay by his side and get to know him.

I tried my best to defeat the monster called reason and revive my dulled emotions.

Finally, the results came.

Today, the true value of this effort has been revealed.

I want to ignore the fact that the future where I will have to break up with him is approaching…

From now on, I can place great significance on the fact that I can trust people, and I can let go of my foolishness a little bit.

-Tick tock.

Karsine turned his head with the sound of clock hands.

He checked the time and his mouth fell open.

Harnie smiled and answered playfully.

“Really. It’s finally resolved. I was worried how long it would go on like this.”

“…I didn’t realize that time had passed so quickly…”

“Do you know how many times I yawned because I was so sleepy? Huh.”

“Ugh. Sorry…”

“If you’re sorry, quickly spread out the blanket.”

“Yep.”

I immediately opened the blanket.

The bedroom, as always, insisted on co-sleeping.

Although he looked embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, Karcein eventually dragged himself to the bed as if he couldn’t handle it anymore.

On this occasion, I will indulge myself a little.

“…Harnie?”

“Why?”

“This is a bit…”

“It’s just our usual bedtime. What’s the problem?”

“It’s close. If we reach it like this…”

“If it touches, what?”

“…”

Karsine looked embarrassed and said nothing.

In response to the question, “Why is this so obvious?” he seemed to be asking why it was so obvious.

Regardless, Harnier delved deeper into Carcein.

I didn’t care how our skin touched and got crushed.

I could hear their breathing, and they were so close that the gas containing their body heat could tickle my skin.

“I’m sleepy. It’s cold, so don’t fall down, okay?”

“…”

To fill the budding emotions, to drive out that cold monster, warmth is needed.

Harnie closed her eyes, hoping that even a little bit of my body temperature would touch and not be erased.

…and this person’s body temperature too.

Hoping that it will never be erased from one’s self.

***

The morning has dawned.

Even though it was the ceiling of a building I was familiar with, it didn’t feel all that familiar now.

Because Isabella allowed me to leave without holding on, I was able to hide.

Second, after Flora.

My adoptive mother, Isabella, helped me.

It still doesn’t feel real to me, because I was certain that this would never happen, not only before I left this house, but also afterward…

Anyway, we should leave yesterday’s work as yesterday’s work.

After spending a day in hiding, it’s time to get moving.

-Tiring!

▶I found a note hidden by Karn Bagrand.◀

▶You have succeeded in bringing about results beyond the options!◀

The contents of the note again pointed to the following location.

Along with an apology that it was inevitable that this secret could only be kept hidden through a simple but multi-step process, information about the tree monster and the author’s right-hand man, the demon, was revealed.

“The third book. People often criticize him as a fictional character, but he is actually a real person.”

『Axious Felscream. That twisted-minded man is a pervert who enjoys destroying family relationships. If any of the murders that occurred that year are related to family, it must be his doing.』

『He doesn’t kill people himself… but that’s no different from a murderer. He sneaks in and sharpens his sword of hatred, and that person ends up swinging the sword. If you meet that person… be careful, too. Karsane.』

There’s a lot of advice out there about his unique ability to not kill himself by holding a knife and his ridiculous ability to hide anywhere.

Looking at that gave me an uneasy feeling.

If I had been chosen by that person and become a human who sharpened the sword of hatred…

The impression is that a frown forms on its own.

“Carcein. The letters are starting to connect again.”

Meanwhile, the status window also displayed a message along with Harnie’s voice.

▶By discovering the hidden fourth part, you can immediately find the location of the hidden treasure.◀

『The location of the next treasure─』

As I confirmed where the next treasure was hidden, I was shocked to see it.

“…Huh.”

“Rossel Bagrand’s tomb. That is, the tomb of my father, who will be built in the duke’s mansion soon after he passes away.”

-Tiring!

▶Go to Duke Bagrand’s tomb and steal the treasure.◀

▶Be careful! In the fields mentioned, a bad ending can be confirmed without notice!◀