Chapter 64
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Chapter 64
It was a remark that showed a profound understanding of Hailon.
'What is this?'
This was only the second time Kieran and Hailon had directly confronted each other.
Yet somehow, their comprehension of one another ran remarkably deep.
Certainly, if Kieran hadn't gone to such lengths.
Hailon would have dragged him straight to the Heretic Inquisition Chamber of the Holy Empire.
His blue eyes swept quietly across the surroundings.
After confirming the knights and priests bound by mental manipulation, Hailon's gaze returned to Kieran.
He spoke in an indifferent tone.
"I'm listening. Say what you have to say."
There was no fear, no surprise, no emotion whatsoever.
Only a dry, measured quality emanated from his voice.
If necessary, Hailon would sacrifice every hostage in this place as an offering to condemn Kieran.
Of course, he would do his best to avoid such an outcome.
At Hailon's words, Kieran smiled quietly.
His crimson eyes fixed upon Hailon for a long moment.
Then, tilting his head slightly, he whispered as though disappointed.
"Ah, as expected. It doesn't work on Sir Hailon."
“....”
Attempting mental manipulation on a Heretic Inquisitor.
Kieran was truly and utterly insane.
Chesa's thoughts were voiced instead by Duchess Ibroyel.
"Madman."
She had completely abandoned any pretense of dignity.
She sat casually atop the rubble of the collapsed building, simply observing the situation.
Duchess Ibroyel, perched awkwardly, waved her hand dismissively.
"Heretic Inquisitor, arrest that bastard already."
If Kieran were taken away as a heretic, Duchess Ibroyel, who had aided him, would naturally have to face interrogation as well.
The fact that she was demanding his arrest despite knowing this suggested the Duchess was thoroughly exasperated.
Amid the undulating black shadows and tangled chains, Kieran spoke with unhurried composure.
"I wish to propose a deal."
He believed whatever he offered would be useless to Hailon.
Yet Kieran cast precisely the bait that would ensnare Hailon.
"I will provide you with information regarding the witch Lichesia."
“....”
A flicker of disturbance crossed Hailon's eyes.
But Kieran's words were not yet finished.
"Ah, of course, that alone wouldn't be worth my life. So I thought I might add one more thing."
Kieran smiled crookedly.
"The Holy Empire conducted terrible experiments on fairies."
He handed Hailon a goblet laced with poison.
"Are you perhaps interested?"
***
Chesa's suspicion had been correct.
Hailon knew nothing about the Holy Empire's fairy experiments.
He accepted the deal Kieran offered and promised a brief truce.
Depending on the value of the information, Kieran might be dragged to the Heretic Inquisition Chamber.
Or perhaps a new arrangement would be forged instead.
Yet Hailon understood one thing.
Count Basilian would certainly extract his due price for his life.
With precision—neither tipping the scales nor falling short.
Freed from the chains of condemnation, Kieran completely rewrote the memories of the Holy Knights and priests who had witnessed the dark mage and the Heretic Inquisitor.
He left them remembering only that Duchess Ibroyel and Hailon had clashed, and that the Holy Temple was destroyed as a result.
They were those imbued with holy power.
It would have required far more strength than manipulating the minds of ordinary people.
Yet Kieran deftly manipulated the minds and memories of dozens.
It was no wonder he dared attempt to resurrect the dead.
With the manipulation complete, Kieran exhaled lightly.
His crimson eyes, which had shimmered with an eerie glow throughout his use of power, grew serene.
Watching Kieran's dark magic, Hailon slowly caressed the bracelet at his wrist.
Kieran caught sight of this and let out a soft chuckle.
He approached Hailon with an affable smile, as though they were intimate friends.
"Let us have a more substantive conversation soon. I shall visit the Holy Temple."
By his demeanor alone, he seemed no different from a cherished companion.
The ingratiating Kieran let out a short exclamation, then murmured with apparent regret.
"Oh dear... the Holy Temple is completely destroyed, isn't it?"
Leaving the crumbled ruins behind, Kieran flashed a grin.
"We shall have to meet outside the Holy Temple instead."
For someone who bore considerable responsibility for the temple's destruction, his attitude was remarkably shameless.
But that was not all.
"And your daughter will find it difficult to remain here any longer, so I shall take her with me for now..."
With the smoothness of flowing water, he attempted to whisk Chesa away as well.
Chesa regarded Kieran with deeply suspicious eyes.
'Wait... did he intentionally destroy the Holy Temple?'
It was certainly a plausible theory.
Of course, it was Hailon and Duchess Ibroyel who destroyed the temple.
But Kieran was more than capable of orchestrating the situation to ensure the temple's destruction.
Hailon seemed to harbor similar thoughts as Chesa.
The way he looked at Kieran was as if he were gazing upon the world's refuse.
For Hailon, who expressed emotion so sparingly, to display such a reaction—it was remarkable.
In many ways, Kieran was an extraordinary man.
"The child will remain under my protection."
Hailon cut off Kieran's words with cold precision.
"Are you holding her as a hostage?"
"I said protection, Count."
The situation, which had seemed to be progressing somewhat favorably, began to turn ominous once more.
It felt as though they might return to the beginning and fight all over again.
Chesa, the source of all this trouble, opened her mouth quietly.
"Um...."
Kieran and Hailon turned to look at Chesa simultaneously.
She spoke to these two men who were opposites in every conceivable way.
"I want to stay here."
Kieran tried to brush past it with a sly smile.
"In father's arms?"
Chesa regarded him silently.
Their gazes held for a long moment.
She placed her small hand upon his cheek.
In that tiny palm, Kieran could not move.
Chesa whispered to him slowly.
"Being Chesa Basilian... I still don't understand it well."
"...."
This time, Kieran said nothing at all.
His grip tightened around Chesa as he held her.
Across his smooth crimson eyes, fine cracks slowly began to form.
'Damn it, I have my circumstances too!'
Now that he had learned Countess Basilian was a fairy, he would investigate the Basilian Estate again.
But Chesa needed time to think things through as well.
The situation was so complicated that this was a moment requiring even greater caution.
Perhaps this very moment was the last chance to leave the Basilian Family peacefully.
"Do not press her."
Hailon took Chesa into his arms.
Kieran released Chesa without resistance.
"On the day of the transaction, I will take the child with me."
So he would give her another chance to speak with the child then.
For Hailon, it was a remarkably generous thing to say.
Kieran remained silent for a long time.
He gazed at his empty hands for a while before slowly parting his lips.
"...I will wait."
***
The situation seemed to be resolving itself.
Watching Kieran, who had gained nothing from the ordeal, Selea muttered with an indifferent expression.
"A viper through and through...."
To think he had manipulated people so cunningly, bending them to his will, only to be struck down by his own daughter and rendered helpless—it was almost amusing.
Having publicly declared Chesa Basilian as her successor, Selea was intensely curious about how this runaway incident would ultimately conclude.
She was brushing dust from her clothes when it happened.
A small boy approached her, and she raised her eyebrows.
"Your Grace."
"...Ishuel?"
The third child of House Basilian.
The hidden gem of the Basilian Family—one Selea had long coveted as a student of magic.
The young master, beautiful as a porcelain doll, had flushed cheeks and eyes burning with some inexplicable resentment.
"What troubles you? Has someone been cruel to you? Kieran, perhaps?"
As she coaxed him gently, Ishuel clenched both fists tightly.
His trembling hands convulsed with barely contained emotion.
"I am the one tormenting myself."
"...."
Such words were unbecoming of a boy his age.
Ishuel turned to the astonished Selea, his eyes burning crimson.
"Please teach me magic."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org