"Why did you come back? You didn't plan to return to Tarten, did you? Isn't that right?
Didn't you go to T&R because you had no intention of coming back here?"
"… The inheritance… is a significant event that only happens once in decades…"
"Ha. So you came back because your family had an important event? That means no one
informed you, right?"
Christoph's face turned pale. He stared at Richard without blinking, his whole mouth stiff.
"How is your aunt? Ah, well, we'll see each other soon on the big day anyway. How many
years has it been? It seems like over ten years. Sometimes someone sends letters, but I've
never opened them, so I'm not sure if they were from her."
"...Thank you for your concern. My mother is well."
"… Yes. That's good."
Richard smiled kindly and nodded, saying "That's good" again. Seeing them, the smile on
Jeong Taeui's face faded away.
It seemed like something had just flashed through his mind. Warning bells rang in his head
about Christoph, whose face was getting paler. He looked at Richard with a lifeless,
expressionless face.
"But… How do you know if your aunt is well? She must have aged a lot by now. Besides,
she's had chronic illnesses since she was young, so her health isn't great… Could she be in
pain somewhere now?"
Richard's smile faded for a moment as he looked at Christoph, frowning and shaking his head
in concern.
"You will see her soon, so there's no need to worry."
Christoph quietly said. Only his lips moved mechanically like a lifeless machine, as if he
were talking to himself. His face was so pale it seemed like it would disappear if touched.
Jeong Taeui frowned.
Christoph was licking his lips.
At first, he thought Christoph was shivering despite the weather not being cold. But after
looking closely, he realized Christoph was whispering something. He wasn't talking to
anyone, just to himself.
Not just his lips.Christoph's whole body began to tremble.
With a pale face, he looked directly at Richard standing in front of him—not exactly at him,
but in his direction, though his eyes seemed to see nothing. His shoulders started to shiver as
if consumed by the cold.
Richard smiled as if he didn't notice this odd behavior. His smile was warm and sweet. Then
he leaned down and whispered in Christoph's ear.
"I hope I can see her in good health this time… Because I haven't chosen which animal
carcass to decorate her grave with yet."
"…!!"
Hearing that quiet whisper, Jeong Taeui unconsciously clenched his fists, his face stiff.
Christoph finally moved.
He didn't even realize when he started moving. Suddenly, Richard took a punch from
Christoph.
That harsh sound didn't end with one punch; it continued with two, three, four, and even
more.
"Christoph!"
Jeong Taeui shouted.
Christoph, expressionless and with eyes lost in an infinite void without focus, kept throwing
punches as if the person in front of him was just a rag doll.
"So noisy."
Jeong Taeui could understand the airy voice from those lips because he had heard it many
times.
Those words weren't for Richard or anyone else. Christoph kept aiming at dangerous spots,
attacking without regard for whether the person might die if hit in the right place.
"Chris! Stop!"
However, before Jeong Taeui could stop him…
A strong thud resounded. Unlike Christoph's continuous punches, Richard struck Christoph
hard in the side.
Christoph froze for a moment without even a groan. He bent slightly, touched his side, and
stared at his feet for a moment."What's wrong? Are you angry because I want to decorate my mother's grave with an
animal's body? Didn't you once bury a stray dog under Olivia's grave?"
Richard rubbed his fist as he spoke. Calm and indifferent, he smiled faintly at Christoph.
Then he abruptly stopped smiling and clicked his tongue.
"You're really a pathetic bastard. Born with the ability to get anything you want without
difficulty and without fear, except for this small abnormality…"
Richard sighed, tapping his temple with his index finger, looking at Christoph with pity. The
soft smile didn't leave his face.
Jeong Taeui took a deep breath.
Damn. This guy's a lunatic too.
Jeong Taeui instinctively clenched his other hand, feeling the white knuckles against his tight
fist.
Though Jeong Taeui couldn't understand every word exchanged, he sensed the cruelty in all
the words spoken, whether for the listener or the speaker.
Even as an onlooker, witnessing from start to finish, Jeong Taeui didn't know what to do
now. The only thing he knew was that he had no right to intervene between them.
Tsk. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and glanced at Ilay.
He had been watching them intently all along. He stood there with folded arms, as if waiting
for the end of a boring movie.
Ilay tilted his head slightly to the side and soon noticed Jeong Taeui's gaze. He briefly met
his eyes. However, facing that cold gaze, Jeong Taeui immediately remembered that he was
now Riegrow.
Damn. Yeah, no one's on my side in this world.
Jeong Taeui frowned. Seeing this, Ilay's cold gaze hardened even more.
At that moment, Richard, who had been mockingly tapping his head, slowly shook his head
in regret and said.
"That's why your mother got fed up and abandoned you."
Then came Richard's clicking tongue.
And.
Christoph, who had been bowing as if frozen, clutching his side, finally moved.But his target wasn't Richard. Instead, he walked purposefully toward the security guard who
had been watching them.
Christoph moved straight without blinking, his face expressionless as if soulless.
Seeing the waxy pale figure approaching, the guard instinctively wanted to step back, his hair
standing on end. However, before he could retreat, Christoph reached out.
The moment Christoph pulled his hand back, Jeong Taeui's face immediately changed.
What hung from the guard's belt and was now in Christoph's hand was a metal baton.
"Chris! Don't!"
Jeong Taeui shouted, but his voice didn't reach Christoph.
Christoph moved toward Richard, soulless, as if controlled by someone. It was a weapon that
could kill. No. In Christoph's hands, it would be a weapon to kill. In someone else's hands, it
might not matter, but in the hands of someone experienced, it could kill a person with one
blow. Even if not aimed at the head, it could easily break bones anywhere.
Richard's smile momentarily disappeared as he saw Christoph approaching without any
expression. But that was it; he still stood there without retreating or avoiding.
"What's wrong with this house…?"
Jeong Taeui cursed through gritted teeth.
He had never liked this place from the start. No matter how well it presented itself outwardly,
it meant nothing when internally it was always divided and fighting. Moreover, look at the
situation now; it wasn't just healthy competition but also fights ready to take lives at any
moment. Crazy Tarten.
Jeong Taeui had unknowingly stepped into such a place. Realizing this, he also realized:
'Thinking back, I've gone mad too. Everyone's lost their minds; it's truly bizarre.'
But while thinking that, Jeong Taeui found himself standing between the two of them.
Yes, since the church.
Back then, he had tried to stop Christoph from beating someone, and then he was the one
beaten unconscious.
… Jeong Taeui didn't think he would just end up unconscious facing that metal baton this
time.
As Jeong Taeui stepped between them, Christoph had advanced several steps.
Seeing Jeong Taeui suddenly appear in his path, Christoph seemed to hesitate for a moment
but then spoke emotionlessly, like a machine."Move aside."
"Chri…"
However, before Jeong Taeui could fully call his name, Christoph swung down.
The baton swooshed past his head. A gust of wind followed, cold and sharp.
"…!!!!!!!"
Jeong Taeui quickly dodged to the side. Though he had anticipated it, the speed was
terrifying. He thought he could avoid it since he knew beforehand, but the cold metal still
brushed his arm, making a strange sound as it cut through the air.
At the same time, there seemed to be frantic footsteps approaching from behind, but Jeong
Taeui had no time to pay attention.
When Jeong Taeui reflexively dodged, Christoph no longer noticed him and continued
toward Richard. Jeong Taeui didn't have time to think. He immediately grabbed Christoph's
elbow. The moment he caught it, he knew it would be a disaster.
Christoph's face now looked like a ghost. He mercilessly shook off Jeong Taeui's hand, his
elbow hitting his face hard.
"Ugh…Ouch…!"
The pain was blinding, his face felt split in two. Jeong Taeui was dizzy for a moment.
Christoph didn't care and continued his long strides toward Richard.
Jeong Taeui had no time to think. He ran while holding his throbbing cheek. When Jeong
Taeui caught up to Christoph again, the distance between him and Richard was only a few steps.