With a smile on her face, Gray watched Eblana leave, then shut the basement door behind her.
The moment it clicked closed, the calm expression on her pretty face vanished without a trace. In its place remained only an icy, almost absolute indifference.
After listening until Eblana's footsteps disappeared down the corridor, Gray took a slow breath and lay back down on the sickbed. Staring up at the ceiling, she could not help curling her lips into a faint, sinister smile.
That little brat named Eblana had never explicitly agreed to anything, but the fact that she had stopped fighting was proof enough that she had, at the very least, accepted the argument Gray had fed her. From that alone, it seemed possible that, rather than resorting to force, she might be able to coax the girl into leaving with her by gentler means.
But there were two problems.
First: even if the young lady was willing to leave of her own accord in order to keep her adoptive father from being dragged into the conflict, that was only her decision.
As for the man called Zuo Jian—he had said nothing. Gray did not believe that this enigmatic man would simply stand by and let Eblana leave with her so easily.
Second: the information Earl Warwick had uncovered pointed to two red dragons. The only one who had met and spoken with her so far was Eblana. As for the other one's intentions, she knew absolutely nothing. And considering that today's conversation with Eblana had only happened because the girl had come to her of her own initiative…
If the other red dragon stayed by Zuo Jian's side, Gray would have no opening at all.
Narrowing her eyes, Gray came to a conclusion.
The idea that this could be resolved without violence had been a lie from the beginning.
A lure, nothing more—bait meant to guide the situation toward the outcome she wanted, and to make that not-yet-grown red dragon mistakenly believe that entering the game herself could buy her so-called adoptive father safety.
She needed an opportunity.
A perfect opportunity.
One where the moment she moved, success would already be assured.
Just as she had done in the past, back in Kazdel.
Though calling her a mercenary might not have been entirely accurate. She had always been more like a hunter lurking in the dark.
She prepared bait no one could resist, hid herself in shadows no one noticed, and waited quietly for her prey to bite—then delivered the finishing blow.
Relying on that method, refining it again and again on the boundary between life and death, she had only grown more skillful. Even in a madhouse like Kazdel, where lunatics and monsters roamed everywhere, she had managed to thrive.
And the only time she had ever failed…
Closing her eyes, Gray recalled a night no different from any other mission from her past: silent wilderness, campfires crackling softly between scattered tents.
And yet, during that operation, all she had been able to do was stare, wide-eyed, as her target—despite taking what should have been a fatal stab—still managed to tighten his grip on that greatsword and slash at her with terrifying force.
Damn it. Every time she thought back on it, all it did was remind her what a cursed place this world was.
That trick had ended who knew how many formidable mercenaries. The specially forged blade in her hand had pierced the armor of countless legendary fighters. And yet when it came to that rookie mercenary called Hoederer, it had failed.
The bastard had been absurd beyond belief. Any normal person would have bled out long before losing that much blood, but he had only looked slightly twisted in pain before swinging a massive sword one-handed and chasing her down with it.
Why was it that the skill she had honed through endless brushes with death became worthless before some greenhorn who had just entered the trade, some idiot who still carried around a few tattered books?
Letting out a long breath, Gray forced herself to stop dwelling on it.
Thankfully, she had long since fled that damned place called Kazdel. Those old memories had already faded into time like dust in the wind.
Now she was in Victoria—a land full of prissy Felines putting on airs. Snapping the necks of these little housecats would be easier for her than drinking water.
Gray did not believe she would run into anything truly troublesome here.
As for that unreadable man, Zuo Jian… she only needed to do what she had always done.
Wait for the right moment. Wait for the prey to let its guard down. Then deliver the fatal—
Just as that thought formed, her head suddenly began to swim.
Before she could react, her consciousness plunged once more into bottomless darkness.
When Gray opened her eyes again, dazzling light flooded her vision. At her bedside stood the man, even with a mask on unable to conceal the seriousness in his gaze.
He was holding a plate of very plain breakfast, which he set down gently on the bedside table.
"You are…" she asked, playing dumb.
At that, Zuo Jian removed his mask, revealing his face, and said directly,
"Good morning, Ms. Gray. Let me properly introduce myself again. I'm the doctor you were looking for—Zuo Jian Lefort. You can just call me Zuo Jian."
"Oh—it's you…" Gray said, putting on a look of surprise.
She had only just begun to continue when he cut her off.
"How long have these symptoms been going on?"
"What?"
Caught by the abrupt seriousness in his tone, she genuinely faltered for a second.
"Or let me put it another way, Ms. Gray… on average, how many times a day do you use Originium Arts?"
Hearing that, Gray stiffened. Her body tensed almost instinctively, disbelief flashing through her. This man had seen through her disguise that quickly?
Or was it Eblana? No—that seemed unlikely. Judging by what had happened earlier, the girl had had no reason to alert Zuo Jian. Otherwise, she would never have gone behind his back to confront Gray on her own.
"Don't be nervous, Ms. Gray. I have no desire to pry into your privacy, but…" Zuo Jian said.
At the same time, Medical Skill Lv. 2 activated, and the information in his mind aligned itself piece by piece with the condition of the woman before him.
"Your blood analysis shows extremely high Originium content, along with signs of rapid proliferation. That's a side effect of frequent, high-intensity use of Originium Arts."
"I don't know what kind of work you did before, but your profession clearly depended heavily on your Arts. I won't ask what those Arts are, because that's your privacy. But as your doctor, there's something I need to tell you."
"Stop using Originium Arts. Leave your old way of life behind. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
Gray cut off his advice with sudden harshness, a sharp chill flickering in her eyes.
"You'll die."
"And soon," Zuo Jian said flatly.
His answer carried no exaggeration, only grave certainty. Meeting Gray's gaze, he spoke with complete seriousness.
"If this rate of proliferation continues—or to put it another way, if you keep using Originium Arts the way you have been—your lifespan probably won't even last another month."
"Hah. That's quite a frightening diagnosis. Who knew Dr. Zuo Jian could tell exactly what was wrong with a patient just by drawing one tube of blood—even how many days she has left to live."
Gray laughed softly, her tone barbed, almost mocking.
It seemed as though one of his words had struck a nerve, enough that for a moment she nearly forgot to keep up her act.
"Have you been suffering from frequent headaches lately," Zuo Jian continued, "along with coughing blood, and even occasional episodes of fainting?"
His description struck nearly every symptom she had been experiencing these past days with unnerving precision, leaving Gray momentarily speechless.
Seeing that, Zuo Jian knew his judgment had not been wrong. He stepped closer and said,
"Like I said, you urgently need to leave that kind of life behind. For the sake of your body, you need to begin a new life."
"If you don't mind, you can stay here for the next few days. I'll help you put together a lifestyle plan that can slow the progression of your condition. If you cooperate with treatment and medication, it's entirely possible to extend your life significantly."
With that, Zuo Jian turned as if to leave.
But at the next moment, Gray's voice came from behind him.
"I don't have that kind of money, Dr. Zuo Jian."
At that, the man half turned and looked at her on the bed.
"No charge, ma'am. Consider it…" he said quietly, "my last attempt not to disgrace these clothes."
Then he left the basement infirmary and came up to the living room, where his two adopted daughters were eating breakfast.
The moment he saw them, he carefully hid the worry that had been on his face and replaced it with the warm smile of a kind father.
"How is it?" he asked softly. "Does breakfast suit your tastes today, Eblana? Loughshinny?"
"So-so."
"Mhm!"
Faced with those two completely different replies—and the equally opposite expressions that accompanied them—Zuo Jian seemed thoroughly accustomed by now. He simply stepped forward and patted both girls gently on the head.
"I have to go out for a bit later, Eblana, Loughshinny. Be good and stay at home, all right?"
"Oh, and if the lady downstairs wants to come upstairs, remember to tell her not to do anything strenuous. Ideally, she should remain in bed."
Before leaving, he still took the time to repeat all the usual instructions for children staying home alone: don't open the door for strangers, don't trust outsiders too easily, and if anything unexpected happens, call him immediately—no matter what it is, he will come back at once.
Only after both sisters could repeat his warnings back to him did Zuo Jian finally feel at ease. He took the round hat from the coat stand, opened the front door, and said his goodbye.
"I'll be back soon."
"Be careful on the way!"
Standing in the doorway, Loughshinny waved as Zuo Jian's figure gradually disappeared down the street. Just as she was about to turn back inside, she suddenly felt a grip around her wrist.
Turning around, she saw that it was her sister Eblana, who had seized her arm without warning.
"S-Sis?"
The abruptness of it clearly startled Loughshinny.
As for Eblana, she seemed to have expected exactly that response. Wearing her signature smile, she said,
"What? Aren't you curious where that guy is sneaking off to all by himself?"
"But… he told us to stay home…"
"Oh? I don't remember hearing that," Eblana replied. "Or what—don't you want to go?"
"Don't you want to see what Zuo Jian is up to out there?"
Her voice carried a subtle temptation, drawing out the little thoughts Loughshinny had been hiding in her heart.
When Loughshinny failed to resist any further, Eblana knew she had her. Without hesitation, she locked the front door behind them and, taking Loughshinny by the hand, quietly began trailing after Zuo Jian.
She would make herself see it.
She would make Loughshinny see it too.
What kind of scheme that man was hiding behind the scenes.
She had to remind her sister—remind herself—that everything about him was fake.
She would not do as that Sarkaz woman had implied.
She would never make some foolish sacrifice for that hypocritical man.
Absolutely not.
Driven by that conviction, Eblana led Loughshinny after him all the way until they saw him enter a place that looked like some kind of under-the-table exchange office.
"An exchange house… Heh. Just as I thought. He is plotting something."
It felt as if she had finally caught hold of evidence. And yet along with the satisfaction of finally uncovering his true face, a strange reluctance also rose within her—as if she did not actually want the truth.
A ridiculous thought slowly surfaced in her mind.
What if… what if everything he had done really had been an act…?
If that were true, then everything they had shared during this time—the warmth, the peace, the everyday happiness—would have been nothing more than sugar coating around a poisoned scheme, meant only to numb them and lull them into lowering their guard…
No. No, that was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, Eblana lifted her head sharply and stared at the half-closed wooden door in front of her, clenching her fist.
This was what she had been waiting for.
This was the moment when the truth would finally be exposed.
Those weak, fearful thoughts had no place in her mind.
Everything was that man's scheme. He was gradually seizing control of her thoughts.
She would never allow it.
She was standing before the truth now, and she would use that truth like an antidote to dispel the illusion of peaceful daily life he had cast over her.
Come on. Show me your true face.
After all your scheming, how exactly were you planning to use me and Loughshinny?
She pressed her ear against the door, trying to make out the voices inside.
"Haha… Mr. Lefort, honestly, I can hardly believe anyone would sell an estate of this scale at such a price. If you went through formal channels, you could easily get at least twice as much."
A strange man's voice sounded from inside, tinged with astonished amusement.
"I know," Zuo Jian replied. "But you also know that if I go through the proper procedures, auctioning off an estate this size in Victoria would take at least half a year. Regrettably, I don't have that much time."
That was Zuo Jian's voice.
Eblana recognized it immediately, and her brows furrowed.
What did that mean? Zuo Jian was selling the estate?
Wasn't that the property passed down through his family?
Just as confusion began to surface, the stranger inside voiced the very same question she was thinking.
"To be honest, there's one thing I'm curious about. Of course, you don't have to answer if you'd rather not—it's just my own small curiosity. Mr. Zuo Jian, this estate is your only remaining asset, isn't it? What could possibly have made you so desperate for money that you'd sell your ancestral home at such a low price?"
"…For my two children."
From inside the room, Zuo Jian's answer came short and firm.
At that moment, he slowly stood and spoke to the man in front of him.
"Personally, I don't dislike Victoria. But regrettably, my two adopted daughters do not seem able to live peaceful lives here."
"This country… does not seem very kind to them."
"Wait—if that's what you mean, then your children are… Tarans? Or perhaps… Infected?"
"Ahem. My apologies. There's no need to answer that. I respect your privacy. Please, go on."
Zuo Jian fell silent for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and continued with utter sincerity.
"To be honest, I don't want my children to live lives that are fundamentally different from everyone else's because of outside factors."
"I want them to live like ordinary children. To play, to study, to grow—just like any child should."
"Of course. Of course they deserve that," the other man said at once, nodding seriously, clearly moved by Zuo Jian's words.
"And I… want to give them a complete childhood."
Outside the door, Eblana's eyes widened abruptly.
Her whole body went rigid, as though something had flowed upward from the tips of her toes and spread through every inch of her.
Her gaze seemed to pass straight through the door and settle on the man she had always regarded with suspicion and hostility—watching his broad back as he bowed to a stranger for their sake, speaking in an earnest voice:
"So please. I'm counting on you."
"Of course, Mr. Lefort. As a father myself, I understand how you feel. Rest assured, I'll do everything I can to secure you the best possible price for your commission."
The stranger patted Zuo Jian on the shoulder, the gesture full of respect for this young father who was willing to sell off his family estate for the sake of his children.
....
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