Horrified and startled, Damia stepped back. Hemish dropped her lamp as she fainted, so now it was completely dark.

“No, who is there?!”

It was extremely dark inside the warehouse. But, the faint light of the lantern rolling down the floor illuminated an approaching figure inch by inch.

Clink, clank.

Every time the lamp flickered, she could see a man approaching this way intermittently. First, shoes, then a long gray robe. The next thing she saw… … .

‘Knife.’

A dagger was held in the opponent’s tightly gripped hand. Damia’s blood cooled when she saw this.

Fortunately, the scabbard hadn’t been pulled out yet, so it didn’t look like he had stabbed the Hemish. Instead, he probably just hit the back of her head, and she passed out.

Hemish was fortunate not to be stabbed, but it was her turn next. Sensing a crisis, Damia took a step back, staring desperately at her opponent.

“Who the hell sent you? What do you want?”

While asking questions in an attempt to buy time, Damia suddenly noticed it. The fact that the tip of the opponent’s long robe was drenched in an unknown dark red liquid.

‘… … blood?’

Come to think of it, earlier, two gatekeepers were guarding the warehouse entrance. But how the hell did that man break through them?

The moment an ominous imagination came to mind, the hairs all over her body stood up. She was now alone, confronting a killer in a dark warehouse.

Clink, clank-

The man continued to approach Damia. With each step, she was closer to death.

Damia clenched her jaw and suddenly flashed her lamp at him.

‘Even if I die here, I have to see who you are.’

Since Damie was shorter than him, the lantern illuminated the opponent from below. Thanks to this, his face was exposed in the light even though he was wearing a hood.

“… … !!”

When she finally saw the man’s face, Damia’s eyes widened.

“You—”

The man who stopped sauntering took off his hood. The face revealed in it had the pale skin color characteristic of a northerner.

“Long time no see, Dami.”

Black hair like the night sky. A man with water-colored eyes was smiling at her. Like a crafty snake driving its prey into a corner.

“Didn’t you miss your older brother?”

“… … Cesare.”

The moment she realized who he was, her blood froze. Cesare observing her hardened face as if licking it sweetly muttered:

“Every time I see you, you get prettier. You seem to have been doing well without me, huh?”

He narrowed his eyes, complaining he was sad and looked like a madman. In particular, the sharper angles of his face in the light made him look more dangerous.

“I’ve actually been having a really hard time, Damia. Thanks to you, it became known that I was still alive, and a bounty was hung around my neck and everything went awry.”

“… … .”

“But when I realize it’s due to your interest and love…. … I was so excited, I couldn’t stand it at all.”

So much so that I had to come here to see you like this.

Licking his lips with his red tongue, he trampled on the fainted body of Hemish. Upon being slapped hard on the head, she did not wake up but instead let out a painful moan.

“Ugh… … .”

Damia felt like she was covered in cold water. But, in this situation, she was the only one who could protect Hemish.

‘Please watch out for him.’

The warning Sienna had given before struck her ears like a hallucination.

Damia took a deep breath and then touched the glass bottle in her arms. And she warned Cesare in a cold voice.

“Take that foot off of her right now.”