Kalz tightened his grip around my shoulders in response to Leon’s words.
“If I say no?”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to use force.”
Leon clenched his jaw and drew a dagger from his belt. The moment I saw it, my body moved faster than my thoughts.
“Leon, put that away. Now.”
“Get out of the way, Bell. It’s dangerous.”
I stepped in front of Kalz with my arms spread wide. Leon flinched but didn’t lower the blade.
“I told you before—one of the missing people was found torn apart by a beast.”
“You’re not seriously accusing him, are you?”
“I am. Anyone would, after seeing those fangs.”
Sure, Kalz’s fangs looked intimidating—even I wouldn’t deny that. But I also knew the worst he could do with them was growl.
“While you were gone, two more bodies were found.”
“Two more people died?”
“Yeah. And just like before, their bodies were marked by what looked like beast attacks. But this time, one of them had wounds consistent with a blade. Now do you get why I’m doing this?”
If the cause of death was a stabbing, then this wasn’t just some accident. Someone had murdered them.
“People are furious. Tensions are rising. They’ve been demanding we head to the castle. And today, there was a strange flash of light in the mountains—right in the direction of the castle.”
“…So that’s why you came.”
“Exactly. At first, I was hoping you could calm everyone down. Tell them not to worry, that there’s no monster in the castle. That would’ve been the best way to protect the peace you care so much about. But things have changed.”
Leon shifted his grip on the dagger.
“Now that I know there really is a monster living here, I can’t just ignore it. So move, Bell.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll do what I have to—drag him to the village, or end it right here.”
“Don’t do this, Leon!”
“If we end up with a fourth body, you think people are just going to stand by and cry?”
“Kalz, that’s enough from you too! Don’t provoke him if you’re not planning to fight!”
“So Kalz is his name. That’s what you were avoiding saying all this time, huh? Too bad. You won’t be getting the chance to say it again.”
“I never gave you permission to say my name.”
“Enough! If you don’t want to see me throw myself into your fight, both of you shut up!”
“……”
“……”
Finally, they both went quiet. How the hell did it come to this? All I wanted was to drop everything, crawl into bed, and cry myself to sleep. But this mess was my fault. My choices brought us here. That meant the responsibility was mine. I couldn’t run from it.
“Leon, first—put the dagger down. We’re not animals. We can talk.”
“And what if the monster lunges at me the second I do?”
“He won’t. But if you’re that worried, then both of you sit on the ground, keep your distance. I’ll stand in between. If either of you makes a move, I’ll stop you. I might not be able to take you down, but I can buy enough time.”
“But—”
“If you don’t like that, then go ahead—stab me and walk past.”
“…Fine.”
Using my life as a bargaining chip was insane. The fact that it actually worked? Even more insane. No—none of this was funny.
The two of them sat down, clearly unhappy, but they listened.
“Alright. Now we talk. Leon, look—Kalz might not be ordinary. But he is not the one attacking people in the village. I swear on everything, he’s not the killer.”
“Bell, I’m not saying I don’t trust you. But what if he’s tricked you? Or threatened you into keeping quiet? Until I know the truth, I can’t turn a blind eye.”
“You came at him with a knife before even trying to get the facts straight.”
“Leon, I’m not defending him for no reason. The thing is—Kalz doesn’t even leave the castle. All he does is trail me around nagging or lie around reading books. He’s a total recluse. How’s someone like that supposed to hurt people in the village?”
“A recluse, huh? So that’s how you see me?”
“You’re not with that monster every second of the day, are you, Bell? Don’t tell me you’re even spending the nights with him.”
“And what if he is?”
“Oh, come on! Kalz, just shut up. You’re not helping—this is already complicated enough.”
Kalz snapped his mouth shut, clearly annoyed, and I sighed.
“No, we’re not together all the time. But even when we’re apart, I usually know where he is. Do you seriously think a guy his size could sneak out of the castle without anyone noticing?”
“What about at night? He could slip out after dark and no one would know.”
“And why would he? You think he’s suddenly craving human blood? He’s picky about vegetables, for crying out loud, and insists on eating strawberry cake instead of real meals.”
“I don’t know. Who can say what a monster’s thinking?”
There he went again. Once Leon got stubborn, he stopped listening to anything. And here I was, after spilling my guts and confessing everything, suddenly checking the last item off my emotional checklist: Do I want to be with him 24/7? Hell yes. If I’d figured that out earlier, maybe I’d have had a stronger argument now.
But it was obvious—talking Leon down wasn’t going to work. If I couldn’t shut him up here, there’d be no saving the peace of this castle. I had only one card left to play.
“So, all we need to do is prove Kalz isn’t the killer, right?”
“Sure, but do you even have any proof?”
“No. But if we find the real killer, that’ll be proof enough.”
“Wait—you’re going to find them? You?”
“What choice do I have? It’s the only way to make everyone accept the truth.”
I pointed at each of us in turn—myself, Leon, Kalz.
“We’re doing this together. All three of us.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. You want me to team up with someone I still think might be guilty?”
“That’s rich coming from the guy who pulled a knife on me the second we locked eyes.”
“Then what do you want me to do? Let one of us die just to settle this, while the real murderer runs free?”
They fell silent, just glaring at each other. But in the end, the only person who could get through to Leon was me.
“Leon, you don’t actually hate Kalz, do you? You’re doing this because you’re worried about the village. Then doesn’t it make more sense to find the real killer?”
“Well… yeah, but…”
“Look, I know you’re scared. That’s normal. But you already know Kalz. He hasn’t changed at all. Remember when you visited the castle? You even said he seemed decent—bit sharp-tongued, but decent.”
“That was back when I thought he was human.”
“He is human. He just looks different, that’s all. And while we’re on the subject…”
I took a breath, calming the heat rising in my chest. The anger was still there—burning—but before I called him out for what pissed me off most, I wanted to stay as cool-headed as possible. Maybe I went too far, because when I spoke again, my voice was like a blade—sharp, cold, and unforgiving.
“Don’t you ever call Kalz a monster again. Not just him—anyone in this mansion. Say it one more time, and I swear I won’t let it go. I’ll never forgive you. Got it?”
Startled by the fury in my voice, Leon nodded, shoulders slumping.
“…Got it.”
“Good. Then don’t make that mistake again.”
“…Wait, did you just say ‘people’ in the mansion? Who else is here?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s go inside. I don’t want another ‘you’ showing up uninvited. That okay?”
It had to be. I had a contract, but Leon didn’t. If he went down the mountain and spilled the truth about the castle, we’d be in serious trouble.
Kalz, who’d been watching me with an odd expression, finally gave a reluctant nod.
“…Let’s go to the study.”
