Chapter 91
Its nothing worth listening to. Raymond didnt say anything back to Duke Luthella, who was making a humorless joke. The old duke also knew that his own words held no worth. Nobody would have believed him anyway. Who would believe any promises hed give in this kind of situation? Even if the duke was the one who held the upper hand right now and not Raymond, it would not change anything.
Why have you come here to do this? Why are you getting involved? Will this bring you honor?
The duke continued to try and talk himself out of this. Raymond had met many of this kind of noble. They lived their lives as though they were wielding three tongues, and as the moment of their deaths loomed before them, they just did everything they could to try and compromise.
But even if he heard them out, Raymond never changed his demeanor towards them. Because it was all meaningless. Still, hed give them a little more time.
In his mind, Raymond counted the seconds passing by. Too much had passed.
Tell me, why did your king send you here specifically? No, was it even the king?
I do not know.
I definitely bribed him well enough. This is a breach of trust. A peace treaty had been signed not too long ago. A lot of people are thinking that peace will come now. Did Verdic betray me?
Are those your final words?
Answer me.
I do not know.
Bang!
Curiously enough, the sound of the gun was muted. Indeed, its not a lie that this was a new weapon. The duke collapsed. He spasmed a little. Raymond frowned.
I got lucky.
These were Raymonds ensuing words. He had always been on the side of good fortune. At least, when it came to blood splatters and the procurement of guns. His nerves were constantly taut, and this was the result. He was still alive. If bad luck were to strike him, he knew hed drop dead. He didnt know for how long hed stay lucky, but so far, he still was.
Duke, you are
an unlucky man. Raymond was about to say that, but he decided not to. He still managed to live to that ripe old age. Duke Luthella was born a royal and became a duke, living his entire life as one of the main pillars of war. And he had children and grandchildren even when most of his descendants died at Raymonds hands. But that was just a case of them being unlucky.
May I use your water?
Raymond didnt know why he asked that aloud, but he felt compelled to.
Thank you.
Brain matter was trickling down from the corpses head. Raymond turned to the water faucet that could be found in the dukes quarters. In any case, there werent many people left in this residence whod be able to use this water.
Shwaa
Its quite practical to have a direct line to clean water like this in his room. Neither Raymond nor Countess Elva had such an amenity in their own homes so that they could have access to water right away. For a higher aristocrat, it was very easy to set up something like this.
Raymond washed his face and hair, both of which were dirtied by blood and grime. There was a mirror there.
Damn it.
Raymond bowed his head.
Bang!
CRACK!
The mirror broke. Raymond felt the back of his neck growing hot. A body slid down to the floor.
E-E-Enemy!
He heard a voice shrieking behind him. Raymond picked up a piece of the broken mirror from the floor and threw it in the direction of the voice. Stab. It reached the target. He only improvised, but it worked. However, he could still hear restrained, heavy breathing behind him.
A small voice. A young one. A girl. Why was she in the dukes room? His gun wasnt loaded. And what he threw hit her. Was she dead? No. He could still hear her breathing.
H-Huuk
The sounds of sobbing. Was she the dukes child? No, it couldnt be. At that age, shed be his granddaughter or great-granddaughter. But its strange.
Everyone should be dead.
Raymond continued to look through the curtains until the girls crying subsided. Then, there was the sound of her crawling. Slowly. To where he might not be able to see her. Considering her condition, he wouldnt even need to use his gun. No, its better to be more efficient with time.
S-Stay away!
Raymond counted how many more bullets he had for the gun. In any case, he succeeded in putting an end to Duke Luthella. All he had to do now was wait for Zion to catch up. But how long would that take?
A-AACK!
Thud!
Raymond hit the girl hard on the back of her head. As she collapsed, her black hair cascaded across the floor. Raymond stepped on one wrist with his foot.
Please please no
At most, fourteen? Maybe fifteen years old? It was a young woman. However, she was practically naked. Damn it. Raymond grimaced.
The gun is cheap. All it amounts to is one shot. Its a sloppy pistol that can be used only for suicide. And if you dont manage to hit yourself at a vital point, you wont die. Ah, I cant believe Im thinking about this now. No, stop. Just kill her. Dont think.
K-Kill me.
Damn it. Raymond looked down at the young woman, who was barely even dressed. The urge to cuss rose within him. So shes a prostitute. Then, Raymond did as she said.
Crack, crack
She died instantly.
God damn it, Duke.
Raymond took a step towards the body of the duke on the floor. He lay there, dead, his eyes wide open. The back of his head had burst open after Raymond shot him with the gun, and his condition was nothing like the girls right now.
He crouched down next to the dukes corpse, and he closed his own eyes.
Duke. Duke. Take a look.
The corpse remained silent.
She said Im an enemy.
Is this truly supposed to be an honorable war?
What were you thinking when you pointed out that I killed your children and your men?
And yet, goddamn, the last person in your room is a prostitute? Besides that, a girl thats so evidently young? Duke.
Raymond resisted the pressing urge to kick the dukes head. Dont think. Dont think about anything. Would anything change if he were to voice his opinions? If Raymond would die, Zion would replace him. If Zion would die, Chelsey would replace him. When Chelsey would die the military would provide.
The average number of people Raymond could kill by himself was more than ten times that of Zions. Its just more efficient for Raymond to do this. Thats all. And what would change if hed rebel against the orders he was given? Insubordination would only land him either the death penalty or a dishonorable discharge. What good would that do to Raymond when, all his life, he lived only as a soldier?
I will not think.
He repeated this to himself. Raymond stared at the wide-open head of Duke Luthella. His brainwhich would have held all kinds of knowledge, despair, ambitionwas now no different from the organs of a dead animal.
Raymond closed his eyes. He heard a familiar gait approaching from the distance. Now, Raymond could return.
Zion.
Sir Raymond, you really are something. Its thanks to you that I could come in safely like this.
Dont compliment me. Compliments would just be the onset to something unfortunate later.
Youre being too much, sir.
Zion entered the room while grumbling under his breath. And when he saw the corpse of Duke Luthella, he smiled broadly.
Whoa, that old geezers finally dead! What a dirty, long life he lived.
Dont talk like that.
With Raymonds scolding going through one ear and out the other, Zion started cutting one of Duke Luthellas hands. It was part of their work. The sound of flesh and bones being hacked echoed inside the room.
As Raymond began to think on his own once more, he felt a little squeamish. Not because of the cruelty of this act, but because the sound reminded him of meat being cut.
Well be having beef for dinner.
Perhaps Zion was imagining the same thing. Raymond scowled and helped Zion just to finish the job.
Oh wait, whys that girl here?
Zion asked. Raymond picked up the girls body. Shes certainly dead now. She was cold.
Hoh, I cant believe he got himself a whore despite everything. This old geezers something else, too.
Raymond laid the girls corpse on the dukes bed. What hes doing right now was nothing but a self-serving, hypocritical act that wouldnt help anyone, but he still wanted to do it.
She looks fairly good-looking though?
One more word out of you and you wont be able to use your throat anymore. If you want to protect your fairly good-looking face, you better shut it.
The black-haired girl was explicitly dressed in racy clothes. It was uncomfortable to see, so Raymond covered her with a blanket.
Ah.
What is it? Zion asked.
Seems like shes not a prostitute.
Raymond noticed that the girls body was exceptionally clean. This child wasnt a whore. Raymond knew well enough what they looked like, those people who rolled around the floor. And this girls features resembled Duke Luthellas. The man he shot.
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