I Became a Slave to the Man I Abandoned Novel (Completed) - Chapter 96

It was Valthias Deron who had been consistently provoking Nox Rainerio.

He pressed his lips tightly with a fingernail. Unaware of how they were turning red along the shape of his nail, he laughed ferociously.

He decided he would overlook it just this once and took his hand from his lips. Three times; he was, in his own way, a merciful master. There should be at least that much of a chance.

But he didn’t know. That this one time would be the last.

As the Emperor’s attendant left the office, his close confidants began to gather one by one. And towards the end… Khalid arrived.

His confidants sat in their respective places. And, as if immediately noticing the empty seat, they asked each other, “Where has Marquis Valthias Deron gone?”

The Emperor’s attendant then offered an excuse. “A letter arrived stating he’s unwell and won’t be attending today.”

“Tsk, to be so divided already.”

“He truly seems unwell. An assurance that he will definitely participate next time arrive with the letter.”

The Emperor listened to their conversation, then sat in his own seat and said leisurely, “Let’s begin.”

“Yes.”

And so, discussions began among the others, excluding him. Khalid, who usually offered little opinion unless it involved matters requiring force, quietly listened to the words.

Only when his name was called did he shift his gaze to look at the speaker, but there was no further reaction. The Emperor said nothing, even as he observed the rather uncooperative Khalid. He felt there was no need to increase the fatigue when he already sensed the friction between them due to Nox.

“So, the count’s family was overthrown last time, and all the territories he managed fell into the possession of Duke Via, didn’t they? However, it seems difficult for the Duke to manage those places directly… it might be good to appoint someone separate to manage them. It would be better to fill them with new people rather than using the existing ones…”

Ellerdin Weiss subtly observed the reactions. This was likely a scheme to subtly insert some insignificant collateral relative. Khalid found it all bothersome and waved his hand, telling them to do as they pleased.

“Just decide everything and send up the paperwork.”

Ellerdin Weiss smiled brightly. “Understood.”

And so, the conversation moved on to the next topic. Then, Khalid suddenly felt something moving inside his pocket. A signal was coming from the magic stone he carried.

He possessed a total of three magic stones. One shared with the guard assigned to monitor Nox, one that allowed him to see Nox, and one connected to the Emperor. However, the one connected to the Emperor wouldn’t be ringing now, and the same went for the one connected to Nox.

Nox couldn’t send a signal first from the one he had. So, the only one left was the one the guard monitoring Nox carried. Khalid furrowed his brow deeply and pulled out the magic stone from his pocket. Everyone’s gaze turned towards Khalid. He infused the magic stone with mana and asked. No, before he could even ask, a scream erupted.

“Sa-save me. Save me, Your Grace!”

“What?” Khalid’s face contorted as he asked again.

“Your Grace’s slave…! Ugh!”

Click.

With that, the connection was cut. Khalid and the Emperor heard it clearly: Your Grace’s slave, referring to Nox. The Emperor shot up from his seat and looked at Khalid.

“What happened to Nox?”

Khalid immediately pulled out the magic stone connected to Nox. As he infused it with mana, light spread across the stone, projecting a large image of Nox. For some reason, he was holding a sword. And that sword…

“What the…!”

It was plunged into the body of the guard who had just been connected to Khalid. Crunch, squelch. The sword, which had pierced the body, was pulled out with a squelch, and blood splattered instantly onto his cheek. But his body and shirt were already soaked in blood. It meant he had already cut down several people.

“Is he finally trying to escape?” Khalid gnashed his teeth. Had he finally decided to break out by force after being whipped yesterday? But yesterday, he had bled so much it was as if all the blood had drained from his body, having been whipped countless times.

Just yesterday, such a thing happened, so he should have been unable to move a single step from his bed.

But Khalid didn’t know. Nox had to straighten his back and appear in high society the day after being whipped by his mother when he was young. Nox’s face was pale and soaked with cold sweat.

Suddenly, Nox turned his head. Having confirmed something, he turned his body towards what he was looking at. The magic stone illuminated the spot he was gazing at. There stood a carriage without a family crest. Nox climbed into the carriage without hesitation.

Inside the unremarkable carriage…

“I knew you’d be here.”

An unexpected figure sat there.

“Marquis Valthias Deron.”

Everyone watching Nox’s image widened their eyes.

“Valthias Deron…?”

“Why that guy?”

Nox looked at Valthias Deron, who was sitting in front of him, and said coldly, “Because you said you’d help me escape.”

“…”

Valthias Deron clamped his mouth shut, not offering a single word in response.

***

Nox opened his eyes in bed. His entire back felt as if it had been branded by fire, or stabbed by a knife—a pain so intense he couldn’t accurately describe it. Yet, he rose, his expression serene, as if nothing had happened the day before. He peeled off the shirt clinging to his back.

He then looked into the small wardrobe attached to his room and found something: the clothes he had first arrived in—a black vest and a slightly faded shirt. Beside them, shoes were neatly placed. Until now, there had been no need to open this room’s wardrobe.

Seeing the clothes he had worn in the past here brought a fresh wave of emotions. The luxurious fabric, incomparable to the clothes he now wore, reminded him of his past status. Nox paid it no mind, removed the rest of his current clothes, and began to put on the ones he thought he’d never wear again. For Nox, these clothes now held immense significance.

He changed his clothes and gripped the doorknob. The locked door outside was certainly an annoying obstacle, but—

Bang!

It was no match for Nox, who had some mastery of swordsmanship and survival skills. Such a small lock was nothing. Nox slowly stepped out. The back of his freshly changed shirt was already soaked with blood. A passing servant gasped and ran off, likely to inform the butler or head maid. Nox ignored them, passed through the mansion’s main entrance, and stood before the barred gate guarded by soldiers. They recognized Nox and wore puzzled expressions.

“Why are you out here?”

“I believe the Duke ordered you not to come outside.”

They frowned and approached Nox to escort him back into the mansion. And their memories ended there.

The moment they came close, Nox drew the sword from one of their waists and instantly cut his throat. Thud, a comrade’s neck fell, and before a scream could even escape, the sword was plunged again into the guard’s chest. The sword must have pierced his lung, as the guard coughed up blood with a gurgle before collapsing. Nox rolled his eyes once. Where, he wondered, was the guard who constantly followed him?

Finding the guard was not difficult. He approached within a certain distance, as if trying to assess the situation. Nox keenly noticed his approach and, seizing the moment he tried to contact Khalid, he pursued and subdued him.

It didn’t matter if he had exchanged messages with Khalid. They would guard the city walls, thinking he was escaping, but Nox was headed elsewhere.

He looked at the dead eyes of the guards he had killed, then saw a carriage, creaking, standing some distance away. Nox immediately recognized whose carriage it was. The man who had once told him to escape. The man who had left him only those words and then vanished: Valthias Deron.

Nox got into the carriage and immediately spoke. “I knew you’d be here.”

He remained silent.

“Because you said you’d help me escape.”

The carriage slowly began to move, likely heading towards the castle gate. Nox smiled faintly, but his eyes were so deeply shadowed that it didn’t look like a smile at all.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

“What could you possibly do, you who only left the words about letting me escape? You wouldn’t have planted a spy in Duke Via’s household. You probably believed I would eventually come out alone.”

Nox tilted his head. “Like a rat. Prowling around. To get a piece of food.”

“You…!”

“And so, one thought led to another.”