Right in front of him, Christoph stood towering, his entire body drenched in blood. Still with the same impassive expression as before, but now, blood covered his face. It wasn’t his blood. Mostly, it was the blood of those who had died.

The only injuries he sustained while moving were a few scrapes from grazing bullets, some deep lacerations from knives that were still bleeding but not life-threatening, a slightly dislocated right wrist from colliding with a piece of rubble, and a swollen ankle causing him to limp.

Christoph looked down at the last man, who, even without further intervention from him, would expire within moments. Then he turned away. As if unsure of what to do, he blinked a few times, then limped a few steps towards the warehouse with a collapsed wall. And he picked something up from the rubble-strewn floor.

Christoph dusted off the transceiver he had dropped earlier, then stared intently at it. Probably due to falling onto the rubble, the switch had broken and flipped to speaker mode, and sound emitted from the device. If he wore it on his ear, his eardrum would be damaged.

Christoph put the transceiver, which occasionally emitted the captain’s panting breaths interspersed with curses: [“CHRISTOPH! …… CHRISTOPH! YOU BASTARD!!”], into his breast pocket. Then he touched the tracking device attached to his collar to determine his location.

“Where are you?”

Christoph asked indifferently. The transceiver was silent for a moment, then yelled loud enough to burst an eardrum.

[“I’M ON THE 1ST FLOOR OF THE GODDAMN BUILDING YOU ARBITRARILY MOVED TO! DAMN IT, THE EXPLOSION SET OFF THE ALARMS, AND THE ELEVATORS ARE DOWN!!”]

The voice was loud. The transceiver’s speaker mode performance was also quite good. He should have put it in his pants pocket instead of his breast pocket. Christoph glanced at his breast pocket with an annoyed expression, then muttered indifferently.

“What’s so bad about the 32nd floor?”

[“You try climbing it yourself and see if you can still say that! You bastard, if you get caught, you are dead!”]

“It’s not my fault.”

[“I told you to be careful! It’s because you were careless, who told you to change positions on your own! And Taher too, if he’s caught, he’s dead for sure.”]

“Then that saves me the trouble. He’s lying at my feet.”

The captain was silent for a moment. Even the panting breaths disappeared.

Christoph looked down at his dead comrade beside him, whose eyes no longer held any light. He heard the captain click his tongue and curse: [“Damn it”], from the transceiver.

He was about to retort to the captain’s rude remark: [“Just stay there”], when a man appeared at the doorway.

The man stepped out, his eyes wide with horror as he looked at the corpses scattered everywhere, his face stiff. The gun he gripped tightly in his hand was pointed towards Christoph, but it didn’t seem to be aimed properly.

The man glanced around and then glared directly at Christoph, fear etched on his face. He tried to appear calm, gritting his teeth, but his knees were still shaking. As Christoph slowly turned towards him, he seemed to become even more tense, even breathing becoming more difficult.

Christoph silently watched the man. The man tried to sneer contemptuously, then gasped through clenched teeth, spitting out venomous words.

“I heard there’s a butcher in the Tarten family who slaughters people like pigs, it must be you. Something like you, not knowing your place, daring to point a gun at my father—a prince of a powerful nation—and even trying to harm him. What a shameless butcher.”

Christoph remained expressionless, silently observing the man, unsure if he had even heard his trembling voice. He slowly observed the features of his face, his physique, his expression, then muttered: “Ahhh.”

“So it’s Rashid’s good-for-nothing, wastrel son. Assar, right…… I thought I wouldn’t recognize you because you’re a bastard, but you’re exactly the same.”

Christoph spoke indifferently, tilting his head as he looked at the man. As if pondering how to deal with him.

The man’s face flushed red. It seemed that at this point, anger had overtaken fear. Seeing his expression change as soon as he heard the word ‘bastard,’ it seemed like that was his weak point. He remembered hearing that the man believed the reason he wasn’t treated properly by those around him, including his father, was because of that.

“You fucking piece of shit…… I’ll rip you apart!”

The man growled each word in a trembling voice. And at the same time, as if his body acted before his mind, his finger squeezed the trigger. *Pew――* Perhaps he hadn’t expected to pull the trigger himself, a loud bang erupted from the gun without a silencer, the bullet flying wide of Christoph, embedding itself deep into a crate inside the ruined warehouse.

Christoph glanced at the crate. Then he turned his cold gaze back towards the man.

“You shot first……?”

It seemed the man understood the meaning of the sentence to be: ‘You made the first move.’ He glared at Christoph, his face a mixture of fear, anger, and confusion, then tightened his grip on the gun.

Just then, as Christoph casually raised his gun, the captain’s panicked voice rang out from the transceiver in his pocket, where the entire previous conversation had been broadcast.

[“NO! STOP! DON’T CAUSE ANY MORE TROUBLE, CHRIS! EVEN IF HE’S A BASTARD, HE’S STILL RASHID’S SON!”]

The captain yelled: [“EVEN IF HE’S TRASH, HE STILL BEARS THE ROYAL TITLE!”] Christoph paused as he adjusted his grip on the gun. He frowned slightly.

That’s right. That’s why the captain and Jack had told Christoph not to cause trouble. The problem wasn’t killing him. If he wanted to, he could slit the idiot’s throat anytime, but the problem was that he wore the veneer of royalty, even if only half.

Killing him would be easy. But the aftermath would be troublesome.

The man seemed to notice the fleeting look of trouble on Christoph’s face. At least, he definitely noticed Christoph’s hesitation upon hearing the phrase ‘Rashid’s son’. His face was drenched in sweat, reflecting a mixture of unease and arrogant complacency.

“That guy’s pretty smart. Right, even though I’m a bastard, I’m still royalty. If you kill me, you won’t get away with it either.”

The man glared at Christoph with murderous eyes. Christoph looked back at him for a moment, then clicked his tongue. He muttered: “Troublesome, but there’s no other way.”

“I don’t care. Even if I’m internationally wanted.”

“At least the people who deserve to live will live well,” – Christoph dropped a line while thinking of someone he knew. The man’s face paled. But before that, the yelling came again from the transceiver.

[“You idiot! Think about your family first! This situation is different from that Riegrow lunatic! Think about the relationship between Tarten and Al-Faisal! This won’t just end with you!! ―――Please, at least don’t kill him.”]

The captain finally relented and made a minimal request.

But.

“…….”

This time, Christoph actually stopped as he was raising his gun.

Tarten.

The family he had abandoned. He had said he had nothing to do with them anymore when he left Dresden. So whatever happened to Tarten had nothing to do with him. Even if they were in trouble because of him, even if they blamed him and chased him away, he wouldn’t care.

“So…… you’re a direct descendant of the Tarten family, right……? Is this okay? Don’t you know how much trouble your family will be in? ——That greedy old Al-Faisal might have covered for you when you pointed a gun at my father last time, looking after his own interests, but this time it won’t be so easy!”

The man yelled in a trembling voice.

Although the relationship between Tarten and Al-Faisal could change at any moment depending on the situation, on the surface they were still maintaining a solid amicable relationship. And even though the current political situation had solidified and was irreversible, Rashid and his faction were still looking for opportunities to attack Al-Faisal, even if only with minor scratches.

Those things, the name Tarten that should have had nothing to do with Christoph anymore – the family that abandoned him and he abandoned them – now became a burden on his shoulders.

……No, not Tarten.

He didn’t care about Tarten. They might face difficulties, but not to the point of collapse. But there was one person he was responsible for if anything happened related to the name Tarten.

“……―.”

Christoph looked down at the hand holding the gun pointed at the man. He clicked his tongue. Because his right wrist was dislocated, he had to hold the gun in his left hand, which he wasn’t proficient with. At least, it was very difficult to intentionally miss a specific location.

“I’m not sure I can hit a non-lethal spot, avoiding vital points……”

Christoph muttered with a slightly melancholic look. Upon hearing that, the man flinched, then stared at Christoph with a pale face, and from the transceiver, the captain yelled Christoph’s name again.

[“WAIT! STAY RIGHT THERE! WAIT UNTIL I GET THERE…… DAMN IT, THIS STAIRCASE IS SO STEEP!”]

A flicker of anxiety crossed the man’s face as he heard the captain’s yell.

He didn’t have much time left. No, actually, the one who was in a hurry was him. Once the captain – and probably the other security personnel running after him – arrived, he wouldn’t have a chance to harm anyone.

Perhaps because of that. The man trembled, roared angrily: “Damn it…… damn it…… you lowly madman, daring to disrespect your superior……!”, and pulled the trigger.

*Bang―* A loud gunshot rang out, a spark flashing. But even at close range and aimed at Christoph’s chest, the bullet flew pathetically wide, only grazing his arm. Christoph glanced at the scratch from the grazing bullet.

The man seemed to have fired unconsciously, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide. He shrugged slightly as if frightened, but then glared at Christoph who was looking at him with a gloomy expression.

What to do. Shooting with his left hand wasn’t a problem. He was fully confident he could land 2-3 shots. But he wasn’t confident in his aim. What if he accidentally hit the head or the heart?

[“Christoph! Are you alright? Assar, is he alright?!”]

The captain yelled again. Christoph frowned.

“I didn’t shoot. He’s fine.”

Christoph slowly lowered his gun. With the gun no longer pointed at him, the man looked at Christoph with a mixture of suspicion and relief. He seemed to realize Christoph had no intention of shooting him. And he began to rethink when he had that intention.

“Right…… you’re thinking correctly…… if you shoot me, you’ll be wanted for life…… your family will also be in big trouble…… even if you left there, Tarten can’t shirk their responsibility……”

The man said while scrutinizing Christoph’s face, and when Christoph frowned slightly, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes.

It was Tarten. Tarten’s responsibility.

The man looked at Christoph with gleaming eyes. His mouth opened wide in a sneer.

“Right, if you shoot me, you won’t get away with it this time. I’ll make your prestigious family pay the price. ――Ah, I remember you caused trouble before too, making one of the Tarten heirs kneel and beg for forgiveness, right?”

In that moment.

Christoph’s impassive face stiffened slightly.

The man was just spouting whatever came to mind. He didn’t know which words would trigger Christoph’s memories.

Christoph’s grip loosened. The gun in his hand swayed. And the man, with a shrewd ability to recognize his opponent’s weaknesses and the opportune moment to strike, didn’t let up, continuing his attack.

“It won’t be that simple this time. Even if the head of Tarten comes to kneel and beg for forgiveness, I won’t let it go easily. I’ll make Tarten take responsibility for what their people have done!”

The man’s loud shouts didn’t reach Christoph’s ears. He didn’t even see him.

What Christoph saw and heard at this moment were memories of the past. The image of Richard kneeling on the ground. It had happened because of him. When he acted recklessly, just like now.

“……―.”

He didn’t want to see that sight again.

That man. Richard Tarten. The proud man, always holding his head high, never bowing to anyone, he never wanted to see him lower his head to the ground. Not even once.

“Drop…… drop the gun. …… Drop it!”

The man pointed his gun at the gun in Christoph’s hand. Christoph was silent for a moment, then sighed. He looked coldly at the man, then opened his mouth to speak.

“Alright. I wasn’t planning on dying, but if you want to vent your anger, I’ll indulge you. But lower your gun. I don’t want to entrust my life to your terrible marksmanship. ――Do you have a knife?”

Christoph threw the gun to the ground and looked at the man. The man seemed stunned to see Christoph act as if nothing had happened, but it seemed he wasn’t brave enough to ignore this offer and take a risk. He quickly chose between putting his own life in danger to take his opponent’s life, and being guaranteed safety to vent his anger on his opponent.

The man cautiously approached, using his foot to kick Christoph’s discarded gun further away. Only then, seeming to feel more secure, he threw his own gun down, and pulled a knife from his person. The sharp serrated blade of the military knife, about a handspan long, glinted coldly.

“――Which hand. Which hand shot my father.”

The man’s eyes, gleaming with excitement, fixed on Christoph. Christoph obediently held out his right hand. And at that moment, as if waiting for it, the man swung the knife.

He was probably aiming for the hand, but the slash went completely off course, plunging straight into the middle of Christoph’s forearm, right between the wrist and elbow.

“……―!!”

Christoph’s impassive face crumpled slightly. His pale skin became even paler. But he remained silent, not even a whimper escaping his lips, only looking down at his stabbed arm. The man looked at him with a horrified expression.

The man, seemingly losing his mind with excitement, twisted the knife still embedded in Christoph’s arm. And this time, Christoph paled further, his teeth clenched tight, but still he didn’t make a sound. The man stared at Christoph in disbelief, twisting the knife back and forth, but even as the wound was torn wider, blood gushing out, staining his forearm red, Christoph still didn’t open his mouth.

“Huh…… right…… to be able to kill people like that, you must be truly ruthless. Or you don’t feel anything anymore. Huh? Huh? Doesn’t this hurt? Does it?”

As if further excited by the sight of blood, the man trembled as he continued twisting the knife. And Christoph, aside from his pale skin, the cold sweat on his forehead, and his tightly pressed lips, his expression was no different than usual, only glaring at the man.

It hurt. How could it not hurt? But he had no intention of uttering even a single groan. He felt if he cried out once, he wouldn’t be able to suppress the subsequent moans. Once his endurance crumbled, it would be even easier to crumble the next time. He didn’t want to show weakness in front of this kind of person, not even a little.

“――Then, what if I chop off one of your hands? Can you still endure it silently?”

The man, seemingly almost driven mad with excitement, growled as Christoph’s arm, drenched in blood, was now covered in wounds. His eyes gleamed unnaturally.

“Right, daring to commit such blasphemy against my father deserves the price of a hand. Doesn’t it?”

The man placed the blade of the knife against Christoph’s wrist, gripping the handle tightly with both hands. If he just put his body weight down, Christoph’s wrist would be severed.

Christoph’s eyes twitched slightly. He tore his gaze away from his bloody arm and glared coldly at the man.

At that very moment.

“Stop.”

A low voice echoed from behind the man.

The enraged man turned his head. As his body tilted, Christoph also saw the owner of the voice.

Richard was standing there.

‘Ah, right, he was there with the captain earlier,’

Christoph thought unconsciously and looked at Richard. His eyes met Richard’s impassive gaze. But then, as Richard looked down at Christoph’s arm, his expression suddenly hardened terrifyingly. Enough to make anyone’s heart freeze with a shiver.

But only for a moment. Immediately afterwards, he returned to his usual impassive face as if nothing had happened.

“I believe that’s enough, please stop here, Sir Assar.”

Richard turned to the man and spoke softly. His voice was low and even, without any inflection, as calm as ever. His expression was also quite gentle, though not as much as usual.

The man raised an eyebrow and glared at Richard, then seemed to recognize who he was.

“Ah, the master of Tarten has come to retrieve his dog.”

The man sneered. He tensed slightly as he observed Richard, who bowed his head with a calm expression: “It’s a pleasure to meet you”, but when Richard finished his greeting, he relaxed. His sneer deepened, as if feeling safe and free from danger.

“Alright, I won’t give Tarten any trouble after I’m done disciplining this guy. So, stay there. After I’ve punished this arrogant bastard, who committed a heinous crime, I’ll return him to you.”

The man turned back to Christoph, adding: “It will be quick.” He tightened his grip on the knife handle. At that very moment, Richard calmly spoke again from behind.

“It would be best if you stopped here.”

This time his voice was a little stronger than before. But it still sounded gentle and soft, which only made the man turn back to glare at him more fiercely.

“Shut up. I said I won’t give Tarten any trouble, I’m just taking this guy’s wrist!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man pressed the blade against Christoph’s wrist. And just as he was about to plunge the knife down……

“Give Tarten trouble…… You’re welcome to try.”

Richard’s words ended. It wasn’t the gentle and warm voice he usually used. It was a chilling, terrifyingly cold voice. Along with that voice……

It seemed Christoph heard a sound. A small *Click* like metal striking metal. A very familiar sound, but Christoph didn’t realize what it was until he saw the man in front of him looking down at him with a strange expression.

It was a gunshot. The sound of a gun with a silencer.

“……―.”

The man stared at Christoph with wide eyes, his body frozen in place for a few seconds. Then he slowly, slowly tilted, collapsing onto the floor like a broken puppet, and lay motionless. Blood flowed steadily from a small hole in his temple.

Christoph raised his head. He saw Richard lowering the still-smoking gun.

“…….”

‘Richard,’ – He only muttered the name in his mouth. Christoph stared blankly at Richard, still biting his lip to endure the tearing pain in his arm. Richard coldly looked down at the fallen man, then raised his head. Their eyes met.

In that moment, Richard’s complexion changed.

He strode towards Christoph, his face pale and stiff beyond belief, a stark contrast to the calm and composed demeanor from just moments before. Christoph silently watched Richard, who was rushing towards him as if about to fall.

Stopping right beside him, Richard’s cold eyes looked down at Christoph, then tossed the gun he was holding to the side. Only now did Christoph realize it was his own gun, the one the man had thrown away earlier. He had never imagined Richard would use it.

“…….”

Christoph unconsciously opened his mouth. Blood pooled in his mouth as he tried to suppress a rising moan, causing him to quickly close his mouth and frown. He turned his head and spat out the blood. Richard, who had been standing motionless like a statue beside him, immediately knelt down on one knee.

Without hesitation, he used his bare hand to wipe the blood from the corner of Christoph’s mouth, his face pale and stiff.

“……Richard.”

“Your arm…… where else are you hurt?”

Richard’s voice was stiff, as if he were angry. The arm wouldn’t stop bleeding, the blood covering the wound so he couldn’t see the severity, it looked horrific. Like a piece of raw, red meat stuck there.

“Just a sprained ankle. I’m fine otherwise.”

Christoph looked puzzled at Richard, who was carefully examining his body from head to toe.

Afraid that he’d missed an injury, Richard didn’t dare touch him, only tremblingly tracing his hand over Christoph’s body from a inch away, slowly moving downwards to check. Yet he himself didn’t seem to realize his hand was shaking, nor did he try to stop it, only silently watching Christoph.

……No, not just his hand. His pale lips were trembling too. His almost unblinking eyes, intently focused on Christoph, were also wavering uneasily.

Like someone seized by fear, Richard couldn’t relax his face, frozen in terror, only silently watching Christoph with ceaselessly trembling hands.

“Christoph. …… Christoph.”

Only after whispering Christoph’s name countless times did he seem to realize his lips were trembling. As if nothing else existed in his mind, Richard kept repeating Christoph’s name.

Christoph couldn’t tear his eyes away from Richard, because he was so different, a sight he had never seen before, making him wonder if the man in front of him was truly the person he knew.

The trembling man, his face drained of blood, so distraught that he didn’t know what to do…… was that really Richard Tarten?

A strange feeling crept into his heart. A bizarre, indescribable feeling.

That pale, empty face—was truly filled with fear.

――Fear of what?

Christoph watched Richard with a strange feeling, one that was difficult to put into words. The man he had seen through the scope, his face empty, rushing towards him frantically, was now standing right in front of him. Still the same face, overflowing with fear…… fear that he was too late, or perhaps…… that he hadn’t made it in time.

“……I’m alright.”

Christoph just said it, even though he felt it wasn’t something he would normally say. Looking at Richard’s pale and stiff face, for some reason, a pang of pain shot through his heart.

He really was alright. The moment he was stabbed repeatedly, he had broken out in a cold sweat and felt dizzy, but now that the intense pain had subsided, that feeling was gradually disappearing. Moreover, no matter how painful it was, it couldn’t compare to seeing Richard’s face like this. He didn’t want to see that face. So, this was fine.

“I’m alright.”

Christoph repeated once more, then looked down. He saw Richard’s trembling hand. The hand stopped just above his knee, almost touching, but not quite.

Christoph looked down and silently took hold of that hand. The moment their hands touched, Richard flinched. Even Christoph, despite being the one who reached out, was startled. His hand instinctively recoiled, but didn’t leave Richard’s. The moment Christoph pulled back, Richard’s hand hurriedly followed.

Richard tightened his fingers around Christoph’s hand. As if afraid the hand he had just touched would leave, he gripped their intertwined hands so tightly it hurt. That hand was ice-cold. Richard’s hand was freezing with cold sweat.

He was truly afraid. He was also truly in pain. Looking at Christoph’s blood-soaked arm, he seemed to be in even more pain than Christoph himself.

“It’s okay.”

Christoph didn’t know what to say other than repeating those words. It wasn’t like him at all. He had never spoken such empty words of comfort with the intention of caring for someone else’s feelings.

But at this moment, he just hoped those words could offer some comfort. Thinking about that, Christoph suddenly realized. He didn’t like seeing Richard in pain.

Why?

Because――.

But before the vague answer that surfaced in Christoph’s mind could fully form, a sound echoing from afar interrupted his train of thought.

The noisy sound of footsteps from the other side of the gradually opening door drew closer. And then,

“‘CHRISTOPH!!’”

The same voice rang out from the transceiver in his pocket and from beyond the door. Immediately after, the captain rushed out from the doorway.

Having run all the way up to the 32nd floor without taking a breath, the captain was panting as he stepped out into the garden. Then he grimaced at the gruesome scene before him. While he had grasped the situation to some extent through the sounds from the transceiver, witnessing it firsthand was a completely different experience.

“Damn it……., it’s a graveyard. ――Where’s Assar?!”

The captain yelled and stepped over the corpses. Then, he spotted the body of a man lying sprawled near Christoph. His mouth dropped open, and he stood frozen for a long moment.

“Shit. Almost finished, and then this shit happens……”

He muttered through gritted teeth, then glanced sideways. He seemed to want to say something to Richard, who was intently examining Christoph’s wound, but in the end, he only moved his lips without speaking. Then he grumbled: “I don’t know, whoever killed him is responsible”, and turned to yell towards the doorway where the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.

“HEY! TELL THEM TO RESTART THE ELEVATORS! THEN CONTACT THE INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM, AND THE CENTER AS WELL! ――LEAVE THE SCENE AS IS, DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING, FIRST CONFIRM THE NUMBER AND IDENTITIES.”

The people who had been following the captain began to appear. Among them were colleagues working under Al-Faisal, management personnel from the center, and even Richard’s bodyguards.

All were stunned by the scene before them, but followed the captain’s instructions without hesitation. Meanwhile, Richard stood up. Unlike when he was tending to Christoph – though his face was still stiff – he calmly turned to look at the captain.

“It seems we need to take the injured to the hospital first.”

When Richard said that, the captain glanced at Christoph – the only injured person present – with a somewhat disapproving look. The captain glanced at Christoph’s arm and clicked his tongue, frowning in thought for a moment before muttering: “That much then…………”

“That much can wait a bit. As the most important witness, first take a brief statement, then take him. ――Chris, are you alright?”

But before Christoph could answer, Richard firmly shook his head.

“No. We must go to the hospital first. I was the first to arrive at the scene and witnessed the incident, so I will stay and give my initial report.”

With a decisive conclusion, Richard didn’t give the captain another chance to speak and immediately turned around. He beckoned to his bodyguard, who had just arrived.

“Carton. Take him to the hospital.”

“Wait, Tarte――.”

But the words of the captain, who was frowning and calling out to Richard, were cut short. Richard turned his gaze towards the captain, and it was no longer the amiable and kind young man he knew. Seeing Richard’s icy face, the captain unconsciously swallowed his words.

“Look at his injuries before you speak. Can’t you see his arm is mangled? If you can see that and still say we can delay, you should go to the hospital and get your eyes or brain checked.”

Despite his calm and unexcited tone, under Richard’s sharp gaze, the captain didn’t dare to utter a word. He just stared blankly at this unfamiliar man with an expression of: ‘Who is this guy?’, then shrugged and took a step back.

The quick-witted bodyguard immediately understood Richard’s intent and approached Christoph. Christoph knew that he could try to endure, but here, he didn’t need to say ‘I’m alright’ anymore, so he obediently followed the bodyguard. Because he noticed that Richard’s clenched fist was still trembling slightly.