Before going to rescue Tanashia.

Ascan was searching for a way to divert Luphilmo’s attention elsewhere.

He would have liked nothing more than to kill both Seruna and Luphilmo, but he exercised patience — their disappearance would weaken Helsion’s power.

For now, Helsion was still necessary as Emperor to instigate war with other nations.

‘If I interfere with the transport of Calspelliver, Marquis Manoko will grow even more suspicious.’

If Ascan acted directly, Luphilmo would likely dig in with even greater tenacity.

Luphilmo had already noticed the suspicious movements of the Imperial Guard tonight and declared he would personally supervise the transport of Calspelliver.

He didn’t seem to know exactly what Ascan was after, but if things escalated further here, the plan to switch Calspelliver with a counterfeit would become impossible to execute.

‘Something that hides my involvement yet moves that sly fox, Marquis Manoko……’

It needed to appear completely unrelated to Ascan, yet instantly capture Luphilmo’s full attention.

But time was far too short to orchestrate such a perfect scheme.

Ascan frowned deeply, sweeping his bangs back in frustration.

There was no other choice. The outcome was uncertain, but he could only hope Luphilmo would take the bait.

Ascan called over Carlton, the nearest Imperial Guard.

“It’s almost time to transport Calspelliver, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Commander.”

Since Helsion’s recent ascension to Emperor, the nobles of Calua Empire were fiercely competing to seize power.

According to intelligence, there was a noble who had been meeting frequently with Luphilmo lately — for now, using him to lure Luphilmo away was the best option.

“We don’t have much time. Where is Bill?”

“The Lieutenant is currently having a private conversation with Lady Brellof.”

“……Lady Brellof?”

Tanashia and Bill? Something about that pairing felt ominous.

Just then, Bill approached Ascan from afar, his face unusually bright.

“Brother.”

Even in this tense situation, Bill’s cheerful expression seemed oddly out of place.

“Did something good happen?”

Bill nodded, replying with a playful tone.

“Well, if you call it good — I think it might successfully divert Marquis Manoko’s attention.”

“How?”

“I just met Lady Brellof. She said she wants to help you — told me she doesn’t need to know what it’s about, just tell her how to do it.”

“……What?”

There was no way to know how Tanashia had caught wind of today’s operation.

Even Luphilmo had only sensed something suspicious — the Imperial Guard had meticulously prepared this for a long time. How could she, a noble from another empire, possibly know?

She was truly no ordinary person — there was no other way to describe it.

Bill continued.

“I realized — there’s no better bait than Lady Brellof. She’s the person the Manoko family is currently most fixated on. So I casually hinted that it’d be good to redirect the Marquis’s attention. She’s clever — if she understood me……”

“You said that?”

Instantly, Ascan’s expression hardened.

If Tanashia heard Bill’s words, she absolutely wouldn’t stay idle.

She was the same girl who once tried to take an arrow meant for him. Who knew what she’d attempt this time — perhaps even choosing a dangerous path.

Ascan quickly turned to Carlton and spoke again.

“Bring me someone from the Manoko family inside the banquet hall. We need to find out what trap they’ve prepared for today.”

“Understood.”

Carlton vanished instantly after replying.

The one surprised by Ascan’s order was Bill. He spoke with a bewildered expression.

“Brother, isn’t it a good thing if Lady Brellof volunteers to step in?”

Ascan and Bill had long pursued the same goal together.

They needed Calspelliver to bring about the world’s destruction — and for Bill, sacrificing Tanashia for that purpose meant nothing.

But not for Ascan. Even if it meant losing the chance to obtain Calspelliver tonight, he could never sacrifice Tanashia.

Their values differed — so did their judgments.

“Bill, I understand why you dropped that hint — but this method won’t work.”

“But it’s Calspelliver, Brother. Sacrificing anyone for it wouldn’t be a waste……”

“Don’t make me say it twice. Lady Brellof — absolutely not.”

Bill stared at Ascan with slightly trembling, shocked eyes.

But Ascan remained unmoved. Under no circumstances could he allow Tanashia to be placed in danger.

Just then, Carlton, who had disappeared moments ago, swiftly returned and reported.

“Commander, we’ve captured someone from the Manoko family.”

“Let’s go immediately.”

Ascan set off without hesitation. Knowing Tanashia might make a dangerous choice, he had no time to hesitate.

Left behind, Bill hurriedly called out, grasping at Ascan’s departing figure.

“Brother, it’s almost time to transport Calspelliver! Leaving now is practically admitting you’re giving up this opportunity!”

Yet Ascan didn’t stop. He merely glanced back and replied softly.

“Opportunities can be seized again later. But Tanashia — there’s only one of her.”

Bill couldn’t respond. He felt the resolute light in Ascan’s eyes — no rebuttal would be tolerated.

Thus, Ascan followed Carlton toward the Imperial Guard’s territory inside the Imperial Palace.

Inside a room, a man dressed as a palace servant was bound.

Ascan immediately removed the glove from his hand and lightly gripped the man’s throat with one hand.

The gesture seemed casual, yet the man’s face flushed red as he struggled violently, apparently choking.

“Kkh!”

Ascan watched the man thrash in pain, unmoved, and spoke.

“Let me warn you — if you don’t answer my questions immediately, you’ll wish you’d just died instead.”

The man knew exactly who Ascan was. His face was covered in terror — captured by the notoriously cruel commander of the Imperial Guard.

And now.

I never expected Ascan to come rescue me — I could only gape at him as he suddenly appeared.

Ascan swiftly approached and scrutinized my face, scolding gently.

“Why won’t you ever listen?”

“No, how did you……”

“I told you to return to the mansion first.”

I stared blankly up at him, and he gently stroked my cheek with his large hand.

“Are you alright?”

Earlier, I’d heard ringing in my ears after smelling Luphilmo’s perfume — but thanks to Ascan’s arrival, I no longer felt any unusual symptoms.

But that wasn’t the important part.

‘Wait, hold on!’

I was grateful he came to save me, but this completely ruined the plan.

Whatever was supposed to happen tonight, Bill said Luphilmo’s attention needed to be diverted.

‘But what do we do now that you’re here?’

I could only silently move my lips, unable to even ask the question.

Luphilmo, who had been quietly watching our exchange, finally spoke.

“I didn’t expect Count Atreus to come all the way here. I suppose you truly meant it when you said you’d protect Lady Brellof.”

He acted as though nothing had happened moments ago — perfectly composed.

But I could sense deep regret in his gaze toward me. Internally, he must have been bitterly disappointed that Ascan’s arrival ruined his hypnosis attempt.

“Marquis Manoko, you just praised my mental fortitude and sprayed me with perfume — what exactly was that?”

I wanted to accuse him outright of trying to hypnotize me — but lacked sufficient evidence.

The grandfather clock’s chime, the unidentified scent.

I knew from reading the original novel that he excelled at hypnosis — but that wasn’t publicly known information.

Moreover, Luphilmo was Marquis Manoko, a man of immense power in the Calua Empire. Proving he attempted to hypnotize me wouldn’t be easy.

He knew this well — shrugging his shoulders as if he had no idea what I meant.

“I merely complimented Lady Brellof’s mental strength — remaining perfectly composed even in this remote place. The perfume? Intended to improve your mood, nothing more.”

It was an obvious lie.

Whatever mechanism it was, the chime of the clock combined with the perfume’s scent made me feel mentally hazy.

Clearly, he’d tried to hypnotize me — it was frustrating that I couldn’t prove it right now.

But I couldn’t just back down. To secure at least some advantage, I forced a smile and spoke.

“I don’t disbelieve Marquis Manoko — but from my perspective, it feels unsettling. I should personally verify whether that perfume you sprayed on me contains any harmful substances.”

Luphilmo narrowed his brows at my words — his displeasure was immediately obvious.

“Even for Lady Brellof, this is an excessive demand. Are you implying I might have harmed you?”

“That’s what investigation will determine.”

To avoid falling into such danger again, I needed to examine Luphilmo’s perfume.

Ascan, sensing my intent, quietly added in a low voice.

“I will report what just occurred to His Imperial Majesty. We will thoroughly investigate how Lady Brellof came to be here and who guided her — leaving not a single doubt unresolved. If the Marquis refuses to hand over the perfume here, we’ll consider it non-cooperation with the investigation and escort you to the Imperial Guard’s interrogation chamber.”

I heard Luphilmo grind his teeth.

“Count Atreus — just because you enjoy the Emperor’s trust doesn’t mean you can overstep your bounds.”

To that, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Ascan’s eyes — clearly mocking Luphilmo’s words.

“I am acting under Imperial command to protect Lady Brellof. Do you not understand how grave a crime it is to threaten a guest personally invited by His Imperial Majesty? I wonder who truly fails to grasp their position here.”

Ascan’s words were perfectly logical.

I looked up at him anew, impressed. Perhaps it was because he was the novel’s hidden antagonist — I never realized he could argue so effectively.

By using Helsion’s Imperial command — to protect me — Ascan gained legitimate justification.

If Luphilmo refused to hand over the perfume now, dragging him to the Imperial Guard’s interrogation chamber would be entirely justified.

Luphilmo glared at me and Ascan with furious eyes — but he wasn’t a fool. He knew the situation was unfavorable.

With a displeased expression, Luphilmo handed over the perfume from earlier.

Ascan casually snatched it and said,

“We’ll examine it and return it to you.”

Luphilmo stared at Ascan without replying, then turned and walked out into the dark corridor.

I’d nearly lost sleep over the thought of walking away with no gain — but thankfully, seizing the perfume meant I’d secured at least some advantage.

Now that only Ascan and I remained in the room, I smiled faintly and said,

“I didn’t know you could argue so well.”

At my compliment, Ascan stared at me as if flabbergasted — but immediately afterward, his face hardened as he grabbed my hand.

“What is this blood?”

“Ah, ouch!”

I involuntarily cried out in pain.

A needle was embedded in my palm — the pain was considerable. Worse, the mechanism made it impossible to easily remove the needle — even straightening my hand was difficult.

“It’s… a ring I made to resist hypnosis……”

“When on earth did you make this?”

Ascan frowned, staring at my bleeding hand.

His gaze, fixed intently on the wound, was so murderous that fear overwhelmed even the pain I currently felt.

“Stop looking. It’s nothing serious.”

“You call this nothing serious? Huh. Let’s go to a physician immediately.”

Ascan sighed deeply and tried to lead me outside — but I stood still, looking up at him with a serious expression.

“Wait — before that, I have something I want to ask.”

Ascan looked at me curiously.

I’d deliberately fallen into the trap to divert Luphilmo’s attention — but Ascan’s unexpected appearance suggested something had gone wrong.

Given how things stood, I needed to know what was supposed to happen tonight.

“Today……”

The moment I began to speak—

Suddenly, Carlton burst into the room and urgently reported.

“Commander — Marquis Manoko has just declared he will personally supervise the transport of Calspelliver!”

Calspelliver?

Hearing Carlton’s report in this context, a possibility I’d never imagined before suddenly occurred to me.

In the novel, Ascan desired Calspelliver. He also knew the party’s schedule in advance — and tonight’s party’s unique feature was the chance to view Calspelliver.

Piece by piece, like a puzzle clicking into place, my previous uncertainties began to resolve.

The reason Luphilmo’s attention needed to be diverted.

Judging from Carlton’s report, it seemed the goal was to prevent Luphilmo from supervising Calspelliver’s transport.

I didn’t need to look far for reasons — my own purpose for attending tonight’s party was precisely to see Calspelliver.

Then perhaps Ascan, too……

Maybe he’d attended the party targeting Calspelliver all along.

I looked up at Ascan with a surprised expression and asked,

“Don’t tell me — you planned to steal Calspelliver tonight?”

Even to my question, Ascan’s expression remained unchanged. But his answer came instead from Carlton’s sharp, involuntary gasp.