I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 138

‘You, how could you… Ugh.’

The dying man’s last gasping words were clear. Khalid, feigning riding in another direction, had instead pursued Ellerdine Weiss. Weiss, seeing Khalid, had seemingly believed their paths coincidentally crossed and greeted him quite warmly.

‘I suppose I’d be safe by your side.’

Khalid looked at Weiss with indifferent eyes, an almost herbivore-like reaction that revealed his ignorance. As Khalid rarely showed emotion unless it concerned a specific person, Ellerdine Weiss didn’t pay it much mind.

However, the situation changed when a wolf lunged at Ellerdine Weiss. Weiss was thrown from his horse in an instant.

‘Ugh!’

His leg seemed broken. His horse, startled by the lunging wolf, had already bolted. Khalid dismounted and approached Ellerdine Weiss.

Ellerdine believed Khalid Via would protect him. But instead, Khalid grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him.

‘Khalid! Khalid Via!’ Ellerdine Weiss called out desperately, but Khalid didn’t react. Then, as the snarling wolf leaped forward, Khalid shoved Ellerdine’s face into its jaws. One eye, wide with betrayal, was visible. Yet, Khalid did not avert his gaze.

Crunch.

The wolf, having crushed his head, shook it. Khalid stood still, silently watching as the wolf tossed the mangled head of Ellerdine Weiss far away.

It would have been better if the wolf had simply been content with its kill. The beast, unable to tolerate a human standing before it, immediately lunged at Khalid. It was not difficult for Khalid to avoid the wolf’s direct charge and plunge his sword into its spine.

Thrust, crack.

He tightened his grip on the sword, scraping it sideways with a crunch. Splash, blood spurted, drenching Khalid’s body. Khalid surveyed the area after the wolf completely ceased moving.

There was no one else around.

Khalid then left the spot and met the Emperor and Nox.

***

The hunting festival continued to be the talk of the Empire long after it ended. A total of twelve wolves were found in the forest—a significant number. Evidence also confirmed that someone had released them, with clear wheel tracks and multiple wolf paw prints on the still-damp ground.

The Emperor struggled to uncover the wolves’ origin because, in the wake of the incident, voices of blame began to rise against him.

“How could the Imperial Palace host a hunt without first checking the forest?”

“My son, my son died, mauled by wolves…”

“My husband left so confidently, boasting he’d win and return…”

The families of those killed by the wolves wept at their funerals, their grief compounded by the sudden and unexpected deaths. The Emperor attended every funeral, trying to quell the public outrage.

Despite their tears, the families would clench their lips when they saw the Emperor. Everyone pretended otherwise, but they knew: rumors circulated that someone had released the wolves. But for whom would those wolves have been released?

The Emperor—it must have been aimed at him. But why did their sons and husbands have to be caught in the crossfire and die? The resentment towards the Emperor grew, silently but steadily.

“This is the last scheduled event, Your Majesty,” the attendant said, and Feltion felt his breath catch. The resentful gazes that followed him, the responsibilities that naturally came with being Emperor. Feltion stepped into his carriage and asked, “…The last must be his funeral.”

“Yes,” the attendant bowed deeply. “It’s Duke Ellerdine Weiss’s funeral.”

Feltion’s carriage moved forward. He pressed his lips together, covering his eyes with one hand. It was true that someone had released the wolves. The moment the wolves were subdued, he had immediately ordered their origin to be investigated.

“Sandes wolves, then.”

Sandes was quite a distance from here, a place where fierce beasts and all sorts of mysterious animals made their home.

“Who, and for what purpose, released the wolves?” Feltion believed that if twelve wolves had entered the capital, there would surely be some trace left behind.

To find their origin, he sent people to Sandes to investigate. Indeed, there was a record of acquiring twelve wolves. However, for some reason, there was no trace of them passing through the capital’s gates.

“Those who can pass through the gates without a trace,” Feltion murmured quietly. Of course, all items passing through the capital gates are reported. However, items belonging to high-ranking nobles were only reported and not directly inspected. Freely entering and exiting the gates—that was the privilege of high-ranking nobles.

High-ranking nobles, in this context, meant those from the rank of Marquess and above. A sudden thought made Feltion frown.

“No way, Nox…”

It can’t be you. He was bitten by a wolf while protecting him. After being treated by a healer for his wolf bite, he returned to his mansion, seemingly uninterested in the incident.

If he was the one who committed the act, especially if it was an act of revenge against the Emperor himself, something didn’t add up. Protecting him made no sense, and neither did his lack of interest in the aftermath.

Even as he denied and denied it, the name Nox was firmly lodged in his mind.

“But now that everything is over, to lose him so senselessly…”

Ellerdine’s mother wept silently. Feltion’s heart grew heavy. The Emperor felt a desire to flee this place, but knowing the responsibility he bore, he took her hand, kissed her wrinkled knuckles, and vowed, “I promise I will find the culprit and tear them limb from limb.”

“…You must do so,” she replied.

With a heavy heart, the Emperor returned to the imperial palace. The funerals held across the capital began to conclude one by one a few days later. People still whispered, and the investigation showed no progress. Yet, the suspicion that it might be Nox never left the Emperor’s mind.

“We’ve confirmed the description of the person who bought the wolves from Sandes,” a subordinate reported.

“What were they like?”

“They were said to be of average height, with their hood pulled down low. Since it’s a place where animals are traded discreetly, they apparently didn’t get an exact identification of the buyer.”

“…Is that so?”

There was a record of the wolves being bought, but no trace of them entering the city gates. The Emperor pondered. Excluding the deceased Ellerdine Vice, there were a total of two Dukes and three Marquesses in the Empire.

“…Investigate the items Nox Rainerio has recently brought in.”

“You mean His Grace, Duke Rainerio?”

“…Yes.”

“Understood.”

A sudden headache washed over Feltion, and he clutched his forehead. If it really is you, what am I to do?

Feltion bit his lip, slowly turning the thought over in his mind. If evidence emerges that this was your doing, then you…

Will you come back into my hands?

***

Nox was turning the pages of a book with his now-healed hand. However, Esterion kept glancing at the injured hand, clearly concerned.

“Do you not trust magic?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust it, but…”

“My hand is fine now. Don’t worry about it.”

“Understood.”

Nox skimmed the pages he had been idly flipping through a few more times, then closed the book with a thud. He placed it on his desk and said, “Everything will run smoothly. All of it.”

Nox smiled softly. There were two things he could achieve with this incident.

One was Ellerdine Vice’s death. And the other was…

“Feltion, if you have a brain, you should suspect me.”

That Feltion would become wary of Nox Rainerio because of this incident.