By Zephyria 
Thump, thump, thump—
A heavy, metallic scent accompanied the dull sounds echoing from beyond the dark study. In between, there were squelching noises, as if juices were leaking out. Gasping groans that failed to transition from inhalation to exhalation repeatedly scraped against a throat.
“Kugh, ugh, gack….”
Along with the sounds, objects on the desk were swept away by an arm, rolling off one by one. The curtain rod and S-hooks were pulled taut, creating a continuous clattering noise. Beneath them, a man with bloodshot, upturned eyes thrashed his entire body in violent resistance.
However, the floor covered in a thick carpet perfectly absorbed the light struggle, secretly concealing the commotion as if it were nothing. Since it was unlikely that anyone would visit in the dead of night, only the leaking moonlight illuminated the glittering weapon.
The shadow, gripping the spine of the knife with a thumb, plunged instantly into the cloth-wrapped man’s neck.
“Huk—.”
After stabbing the weapon twice from behind, the figure twisted the handle of the blade nearly 180 degrees.
“K-ack, aaagh—.”
Squelch, rip, tear. As the razor-sharp blade tore through flesh and the carotid artery, blood filling the airway surged out from the gaps of the man’s lips. However, the tablecloth serving as a gag prevented any beast-like screams from escaping. Instead, shredded skin tissue and sticky clots of blood pushed out in clumps from beneath the nape.
The gown the man wore became soaked in fresh blood. His complexion, which had been beyond reddish and turned dark red, faded into a bloodless, waxen color.
Soon, the body lost its center of gravity and slid down powerlessly.
Thud—
Looking down at the miserably sprawled corpse, the figure rolled their eyes toward the ceiling with a warm sigh.
“Whew….”
Having engaged in an unplanned forced march for the past few days, they could feel the strain on their strength.
The figure wiped the beads of sweat from their eyes with a forearm and used the curtain that had wrapped the man’s neck to wipe the remaining blood off their gloves.
While sliding the blade back into its leather sheath and tucking it into an inner pocket, they nudged the target lying at their feet with a toe, as if checking if any breath remained.
Only when the blood spreading across the carpet reached them did they step back and avert their gaze. After surveying the room—which had been intentionally tossed to look like the work of a common criminal—they were about to leave through the window after gathering the scattered ledgers.
That was when a massive bookshelf, covering an entire wall, caught their eye.
There, not only thick books but also expensive objets and candlesticks were neatly displayed. Among them, a single bright yellow gem trapped in a glass case captured their attention.
The craftsmanship was so delicate that despite the dead of night without a single candle, the gem itself sparkled. It was so striking that the figure wondered why they hadn’t noticed it until now.
“…….”
The figure approached it as if possessed.
It was because a certain person came to mind who would suit such a thing.
Splash—
As they sank deep into a steaming bathtub, water overflowed in proportion to their volume, pouring across the bathroom like a waterfall. The waterfall drenched the rotten, slippery wooden floor, cleanly washing away even the occasional stray drops of blood.
Because the floor tilted slightly, the basket containing clothes drifted leisurely into a corner like a small boat. Even the lighting scattering through the thick steam flickered occasionally as if reaching the end of its life, but Terzio didn’t particularly mind.
He simply massaged his neck and shoulders, which had been strained more than usual, and then pulled something sparkling from the water.
With a clear clinking sound, a silver chain caught on his fingers and was slowly drawn up. At the end of it hung a brilliant gem that resembled the sun.
“Hmph….”
A satisfied smile spread across his lips, which were crossed by a scar. Small diamonds were densely attached around the gem—the size of a large jujube—forming a border. It was a level of craftsmanship bordering on transcendental skill, making even the yellowish lighting of the dwelling look like the radiance of a chandelier.
He decided, by his own definition of justice, that the product of such skill and effort should be coveted not by corrupt officials who suck the marrow out of others, but by those who pursue ‘justice.’ At the same time, beneath the surface, he practiced the fitting justice of the moment an assassin feels the greatest pleasure.
Caressing the surface of the golden gem, he stuck out his long tongue and licked the source of the light that shattered like fragments. Soon, narrowing his eyes, he increased the speed of his left hand moving up and down. In the shimmering water, a heated excitement gradually swelled.
Tilting his head back, he let out a sigh that sounded like a lament.
Creak—
“Terju, Terju, where are you?”
Judy, who had been holed up in the basement, belatedly noticed the signal that the entrance to the dwelling had opened and came up to the first floor.
Her apron and gloves were mottled today as well with various chemical stains. She wore goggles as large as her own face on her head; perhaps because she had been conducting a dangerous experiment until moments ago, the lens surface where hydrochloric acid had splashed was melted and warped. She didn’t seem to care, however.
Looking around the living room, she pulled off her gloves, stuffed them into her skirt pocket, and approached the wooden table set to one side. It was a space where she often sat with her partners to plan or eat, and it was always kept clean unless something special happened. However, unfamiliar papers were scattered across the tabletop.
Looking closer, today’s newspaper was laid underneath, and a thick bundle of documents was held down by a rubber band on top of it.
Judy tilted her head.
“Again?”
It seemed Terzio had succeeded in obtaining a new ledger. She had wondered if the atmosphere between him and Leonardo had become awkward a while back, and since then, he seemed to be going out almost every day.
Judy pouted her lips with a worried expression.
“Isn’t he pushing himself too hard lately…?”
Even so, her reaching hand flipped open the first page of the ledger covered by a folder.
Familiar names that had been mentioned several times in this place were listed in a row. These people gathered on a fixed date every month to conduct some sort of auction, which was externally disguised as a simple charity auction or a social gathering. However, looking into the details, the group consisted mostly of imperial faction nobles.
Furthermore, key figures from the Delberg Merchant Guild appeared in rotation, as if they had set a turn. What that pointed to was obvious.
For the partners of Libertas, who were trying to uncover the collusive relationship between the two groups, accumulating multiple identical lists meant gripping a link that would prevent them from easily escaping.
Of course, this list was not a convenient piece of evidence proving actual attendees. It was merely a compilation of entry records for the estates where the events were held or lists of invitation recipients. Therefore, unrelated people were occasionally mixed in, but when coincidences repeat, they can no longer be seen as coincidences.
Countless such ledgers were piled up in the secret warehouse of the dwelling, and Terzio had been frantically gathering similar evidence by roaming the streets every night recently. The reason he was so devoted to this was likely….
Just then, Judy’s fingertips stopped as she flipped through a few more pages.
It was because she saw a name at the bottom of the list that was familiar in a different sense.
‘Hugo Agrizendro.’
“Ah….”
A complex sigh escaped from her dainty, mandarin-colored lips. She began to worry deeply about Leonardo’s reaction upon seeing this. It wasn’t that the Duke’s name had never appeared in the ledgers collected so far, but recently, the frequency had been gradually increasing. This was already the third time.
And that was likely because Terzio was intentionally collecting this name. On the surface, his goal seemed to be narrowing down the key figures with clear contact with Delberg, but in reality, it was skewed toward proving to Leonardo that the Council Legion Commander was not a trustworthy person. Even to the point of staining his own hands with so much blood.
While she remained frozen, unable to tear her gaze away, the sound of a door creaking was heard from a part of the hallway.
Startled, Judy instinctively pulled out a page from the ledger she was holding. Her hands, flustered and unsure of what to do, stuffed the paper haphazardly into her apron pocket.
Then, she closed the ledger and naturally moved away from the table.
“Terju?”
Calling out calmly, pretending she had been looking for him all along.