The reason why Zich stood by quietly even after catching up to Condel was to see how Glen would respond. At this point, Zich was sure that Glen was an imposter and someone who had regressed like him. These days, he even thought that Glen might have regressed more than once. Simultaneously, Zich was also open to the possibility that he could be wrong. Thus, he had to keep checking what Glen would do. Furthermore, it was also true that Zich didn’t know exactly what Condel’s skills were.
Zich tried to gather a lot of information from the conversation that was happening before him. Still, he hadn’t expected to see a scene that might have come out of some low-quality, third-rate novel.
‘No, I should have expected this.’
Since Zich hadn’t interacted with Glen much after the regression, he forgot how Glen had blabbered on about all the evil deeds Zich had done. Glen was certainly someone who would act like the ‘main character who taught a villain walking the wrong path the truth.’
‘Huh? A villain walking the wrong path?’
Zich stared at the scene in front of him like an audience member watching a play. Filled with rage, Condel attacked Glen, and Glen blocked the shadows with Tornium. Glen struggled to fight off all the shadows surrounding him; they were about thirty of them. Yet, Glen didn’t seem to care for his dire predicament. With a pitiful expression, he shouted, “If you don’t believe me, try it right now! Sia Rubrent might open her eyes! But she won’t be the lover you knew!”
“Shuuuut uuup!”
“Damn it, you bastards!” Glen cursed. After he repelled some shadows, he slammed the window open. Then, he pointed towards the inner corners of the room with Tornium. “Then why won’t you complete that damn experiment right now!” Although he had spoken politely before, Glen spat out curses now.
Glen’s angry burst halted Condel for a moment. The shadows were also busy focusing on the room’s inner corners that they didn’t rush towards Glen who had wide openings now.
“All your efforts are a waste! Your lover will not come back alive!”
“Who would believe a lie like that…!”
“Did you really have no doubts about this nonsense!”
“…” Condel couldn’t answer. In his heart, he also had a seed of doubt. Bringing someone back from the dead was something he had only heard about in fairytales. Yet, he had no choice to cling to this hope since it was the only method that could bring back the lover he had lost. Condel’s response was strong. If another person told him the same thing as Glen, Condel might not have responded in this manner, but the problem was that Glen knew everything about his ability.
If someone who didn’t know anything about the situation yelled at him for believing in a method that could bring alive a person from the dead, he wouldn’t have even blinked an eye. However, since Glen knew what Condel’s abilities were, he was more persuasive. Glen said, as if he understood Condel’s thoughts again, “I know. I know, sir. You are someone who only tried to revive your lover. However, does your lover want the same thing?”
‘Seriously?’ Zich felt like exploding into laughter now. He clenched his teeth to prevent any laughter from bursting out.
“I am asking you. Was the person named Sia Rubrent a villainess?” Glen asked.
“What are you saying! There was no one more angelic than her!” Condel answered.
Even as other servants outcasted him for his scary appearance when he was a mere servant, only she embraced him with a smile. If a person like that was a villainess, even the great Karuwiman angels were basically devils.
“Then, let’s imagine that Lady Rubrent is still alive. What do you think she would feel? Do you think she would be able to live in this world while smiling and holding your hands like you imagined?”
“….” Condel didn’t say anything. The shadows he controlled lowered their bodies and stuck to the ground like lost soldiers.
“Please stop this now,” Glen said quietly. “She won’t come back alive. Even if she did, she wouldn’t like the things you are doing right now.”
“…” Condel still didn’t respond and stared at the ground blankly.
Zich’s eyes scowled when he saw Condel like that. He didn’t pity. He thought, ‘Wow, this kind of thing really works on him?’ As if he realized that a powerful boss who held the whole underworld under his grasp was a complete loser, Zich’s eyes turned cold. At the heroic main character’s pleas for justice, the villain was realizing his own wrongdoings and letting go of his sins.
‘No, it’s not to that level. Is he crushing his opponent’s will to continue fighting?’ Of course, if that was the case, it was also an overdone cliché. Zich finally realized what Glen’s intentions had been. ‘I was wondering where he got the confidence to just rush right in, but he had a trick like this under his sleeves.’
The current Condel was a tricky opponent even to someone like Zich. Thus, Zich wondered how Glen, who lagged much behind his current self, would be able to handle Condel. If Glen was truly a just figure like his image suggested, he probably would have rushed forward with no second thoughts, but if Glen was a suspicious person like Zich thought, Glen must have prepared an alternative plan.
‘This must be the alternative plan.’
As if he had known about everything beforehand, Glen gave completely idiotic advice (in Zich’s perspective) to Condel; and bafflingly, they seemed to work. Although Condel Siede appeared to be someone who had lost his mind, Zich understood. ‘I suppose this just shows how real his love for Sia Rubrent was.’ Zich also thought, ‘So what? Even if you love someone, that doesn’t mean you can cause harm to others.’
Then how was that different from him? Did it matter that the love that Condel pursued was bigger than the strength Zich sought?
‘It’s all bullshit.’ In the end, Condel had inflicted harm on others to achieve what he wanted. In other words, he was the same kind of person as Zich.
‘And I am also a villain.’
Naturally, Condel was a villain now. No, honestly, Zich didn’t even need to think so complicatedly. Condel almost killed Joachim and Evelyn.
‘This is the end for a guy like that?’ Zich was never going to let that happen. For that reason, he intervened.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Zich clapped his hands. He put a great amount of strength in his claps, so everyone around him could clearly hear him.
“Wow, I saw such an interesting sight.”
Glen frowned. He felt relieved when Zich stayed quiet while he ‘persuaded’ Condel, but now that Zich was making his move again, Glen raised his guard. Condel’s reaction was more intense than Glen’s. The empty and crestfallen expression on his face was completely gone, and Condel shot a hateful glare towards Zich.
“Mr. Zenard, I’m very impressed. Should I have expected this from a Karuwiman Honorary Knight? You were able to persuade a criminal with just a couple of words. As a fellow Karuwiman Honorary Knight, I’m very proud of you.”
‘A fellow Karuwiman Honorary Knight?’ Now that Condel thought about it, a person in the investigation team whom he bribed with money told him something like that. Zich, the fucking bastard who deserved to go to hell, and Glen, the person who had been talking to him, were both Karuwiman Honorary Knights.
“I had no idea that you were holding onto information like that.”
“If we’re talking about withholding information, I also have something to say. Mr. Zich, wasn’t it you who found out about Condel Siede first? Moreover, you investigated him without our knowledge.”
“Of course. I have no intention to criticize you for something like that. Moreover, you were able to utilize that information so well. You were able to completely change Condel Siede.”
“Mr. Zich, I didn’t change him. He just had a shred of consciousness left in his heart, and all I did was put my trust in that part of him.”
“Well, whatever tricks you used, their effects were clearly astounding. It seems like Condel lost his will to continue fighting.”
‘…Whatever tricks you used?’ Condel slightly raised his head.
However, Glen was so busy with Zich that he didn’t notice Condel’s gaze.
“He was such a strong guy that I was wondering how to defeat him, but it’s very fortunate that he was persuaded by a few words. My companions will be arriving soon. You did a great job dragging out the time.”
“I didn’t speak with such intentions…!”
Glen continued to talk, but Condel was no longer able to hear Glen’s voice.
‘…Persuasion? His companions are going to arrive soon?’ Zich’s words slowly began to reassemble in Condel’s mind. The two people near him were both Karuwiman Honorary Knights. Thus, there was a high chance that they planned this situation together. ‘While I was arguing with that guy over there, enough time passed for their companions to arrive. Was that guy just trying to buy time?’
Moreover, Zich’s words about using ‘whatever tricks’ were still on his mind. It sounded like in order to buy time, the man in front of him was using whatever tricks and methods to immobilize him. If the man named Glen had used a fair method to persuade him, Zich would not have said something like that. Then, what was the trick that Glen used?
‘…The things he said to me.’
That was the first thing that Condel thought of. Just the fact that Glen conversed with Condel was probably not the trick; therefore, it was probably the content that was the trick.
‘…Did he lie to me?’
A chilling thought passed through Condel’s mind. Now that he thought about it, he had been very close to giving up on everything, even while time passed by and his situation became more disadvantageous for him. Moreover, it was all because of some shrewd words from one person who knew everything about his ability but had nothing to back him up.
‘Perhaps!’
Condel’s gaze headed towards Zich and Glen who seemed like they were arguing. One person had tried to stop him, and the other person had thrown all kinds of insults at him and his love. At that moment, Condel clearly heard Zich’s words once more.
“So as two Karuwiman Honorary Knights, I have the same standpoint…”
Condel no longer paid attention to Zich’s words.
‘Those two, they’re both the same?’
Condel’s head, which had been completely empty in despair, became clear again.
“He, haha….” A burst of quiet laughter began to flow out of his lips.
Zich and Glen turned around to look at Condel.
“Hehehe, he, hehahahahaha! Ahahaahhahah!” Creepy laughter erupted out of Condel; he didn’t seem normal.
Glen was startled. “Why are you…!”
“You fucking dimwit!”
Punch!
Condel punched his cheek with his fist. Glen’s face stiffened. However, Condel continued to laugh as his cheek puffed up and blood came out of his mouth.
“I was foolish! I can’t believe I fell for the words of a person who is the same person as that bastard who insulted my Sia!”
Condel’s eyes became bloodshot. “How dare you trick me with your nonsense!”
“Sir, no! Not at all! I wasn’t trying to trick you! You really won’t be able to resurrect Sia Rubrent…!”
“Shut up! I’m not going to believe the words of someone like you! No matter what happens in the future or how many people I have to sacrifice, I’m going to bring back my love!”
“Even if your lover happens to come back alive, she won’t like what you did!” Glen desperately shouted, but his words were no longer able to reach Condel.
“We can just stay hidden! We were on the run anyways! If we go to a place far away from where my actions won’t be able to reach her ears and we stay hidden, no one can hinder our happiness!”
Words could no longer reach Condel. Glen realized this and bit his lips. Condel laughed like a madman and took out more shadows from beneath his feet. Zich watched this sight and also laughed like a madman inside his mind.
‘Yep, great job! Do you think I’ll just let you atone and move on!’
Zich could never let such a thing happen.