Chapter 745: Goodwill

"Hey, hey, hey, kid. Did Jacques break something in that head of yours?"

In the dungeon, the person who said this to Thales was not the sarcastically laughing Lausanne the Second, but Lady Hilley, who stood to the side with her hands on her hips and her brows knit tight.

She raised a hand, unable to believe him.

"Being pedantic is one thing, but what are you trying to do now? Reform a murderer?"

Thales politely pressed his lips together and exhaled while Lausanne the Second's laughter nearly ran out of breath.

"Of course not," he said, thoughtfully watching the vampire killer whose laughter was gradually weakening. "No one in this world can be reformed by someone else. People can only awaken on their own."

"Tsk, tsk." Hilley answered him with a disdainful snort. "What a pity you did not join the church as a preacher."

Thales did not reply. He only turned his head and smiled faintly at her.

"Who do you think you are, kid?"

The captive's voice sounded at just the right time.

"Mohassa, the prophet who saves the suffering?"

Lausanne the Second struggled to lift his head, his expression fierce.

"Whether I am beyond saving, whether I can be reformed, whether I awaken on my own, what the hell does any of that have to do with you?"

The chained vampire killer seemed to have suffered the greatest insult of his life, and for once his words turned vulgar.

"Or do you think that because you are His Princely Lordship, never mind saving the suffering, there ought to be people fighting to drink your chamber pot every night, thanking you with tears of gratitude?"

On the other side, Lady Covendier raised her brows, showed a look of disgust, and even deliberately fanned a hand under her nose.

Thales frowned.

Mm. Not the best opening.

Thales sighed and combed his fingers through his hair.

He ignored Hilley's contemptuous expression and Lausanne the Second's cold gaze, and sat down directly on the floor without caring about the filth. He stared thoughtfully at the killer.

"As the judge who handled the old duke's assassination case, the late Chief Judge Brennan was also on the revenge list Federico gave you. So you broke into his home."

Lausanne the Second snorted coldly.

Thales's gaze was complicated.

"But that night, you did not hurt anyone else. Not the gardener, the cook, the butler, the servants, or even the neighbor's dog."

"Because they were smart enough to know not to block my way," the killer said coldly. "Guess what happened to their employer?"

Hilley gave a small laugh. She made a face toward some unseen place and shook her head again and again.

But Thales remained serious. He only stared at Lausanne the Second with complete focus.

"Chief Judge Brennan took poison and died by his own hand."

Lausanne the Second smiled maliciously.

"That rotten old man planned to use poisoned wine to 'have a drink' with me, to outwit the murderer. He just did not expect me to empty my cup and be perfectly fine." The killer's expression turned savage. "Then it was his turn. Tell me, should he drink or not?"

Thales looked at him without expression.

Lausanne the Second withdrew his smile, his eyes cold.

"Good thing he drank. If he had fallen into my hands, I would have tortured him until living was worse than death."

Hilley raised her brows and rubbed her gloves, whether intentionally or not.

Thales said nothing. He only sighed.

"According to tips from the public, we found the hideout you and Federico used these past few days on Old Grave Street."

Lausanne the Second's expression did not change.

"What, do you want me to praise you?"

"It was a building-material warehouse. In an isolated secret room there were many chains," Thales said, ignoring his sarcasm. "According to the report, when your blood thirst flared and you lost your reason, you would lock yourself in there to avoid harming others."

Hilley frowned slightly and looked at the captive before her, who no longer looked human.

The dungeon fell quiet for a moment.

"Avoid harming others? Ha." Lausanne the Second spoke with disdain. "During that time, in order to kill people, I drank no small amount of blood."

But Thales shook his head.

"Both Federico and the Corleone family offered to supply human blood for your actions, but you refused them all."

"What, is a vampire who does not drink blood so strange? I have even seen Northlanders who do not drink wine!"

"Even when you had no choice but to go out and hunt blood food," Thales continued, "you deliberately chose the isolated dregs from the Blood Bottle Gang and the Brotherhood. Especially the most vicious kind, the kind with no attachments..."

Isolated dregs.

When he heard that phrase, Lausanne the Second lost focus for an instant.

"Not necessarily no attachments," he suddenly said. "Even dregs in a gutter have family and friends."

There would be people willing to devote themselves to revenge for them, willing to face death without turning back.

No matter how ridiculous or stupid the scene looked.

Hilley's expression changed slightly. She began to study the captive in a different light.

Thales narrowed his eyes.

"During that period, the two major gangs were on edge. They were so nervous that they would rather earn less each day and close early, which actually made things much easier for the security officers."

The killer came back to himself and sneered.

"Then why did I not see you giving me an honorary citizen award?"

Hilley had been observing Lausanne the Second all this time. Now she also turned her head, shrugged, and shook it.

But Thales still refused to give up.

"And each time you hunted, you deliberately avoided places where women, children, and the poor gathered."

Hilley's gaze shifted.

Lausanne the Second's expression paused.

Thales probed.

"I suppose... chivalry?"

In the next second, the killer's face changed abruptly. He spat in rage.

"Chivalry, my ass!"

He clenched his teeth. Under the crushing weight of his shackles, he strained to twist his neck and roared savagely.

"Women and children... did Little Blade not tell you? Women's monthly blood is foul and filthy, unlucky as hell. Even blood slaves cannot bring themselves to drink it!"

Hilley frowned.

Lausanne the Second remained agitated. The chains on his body clattered without stopping.

"As for poor bumpkins... what, has Your Precious Highness still not smelled enough of the rot and piss in the North Gate Bridge sewers? The mud and the dung?"

Thales quietly waited for him to pour out that inexplicable anger.

"But long ago, you were one of those poor bumpkins here," the prince said calmly, and the killer trembled all over. "They say that in those days, Jade City was still developing. Outside North Gate Bridge there were vast stretches of barren fields, countless tents and wooden huts, ditches and earth pits everywhere. When it rained, the ground became sludge and filth ran like a river."

Hilley sensed something. Her gaze toward Lausanne the Second became complicated.

Lausanne the Second breathed in a daze, but after only a few seconds he reacted. He yanked his chains until they clanged.

"So I got damn tired of it! I wanted to rise above others and live in silk and fine food. Is that enough?"

Thales silently observed him, smiled faintly, and did not argue. He continued changing the subject.

"When you hunted for blood food, you raided Sangaree of the Blood Bottle Gang's dog kennel in the suburbs and slaughtered all his subordinates," the boy added. "The men who used to specialize in human trafficking and abduction, and now dealt in cats and dogs."

Lausanne the Second's breathing steadied.

"More than that." For the first time, Lausanne the Second's expression became both pleased and cruel, showing a trace of the killer and criminal he truly was. "I hung them upside down and drained their blood. All of them. I listened to them wail until just before dawn."

Thales frowned slightly and nodded.

"Yet his dogs. The cats and dogs Sangaree locked in cages to be traded and slaughtered, the young wild animals, even the fierce dogs raised for guarding..."

Thales's eyes moved.

"Their cages were all opened, their ropes cut, and they were released."

The prince said in a low voice, "Why?"

The captive killer was silent for a while.

"Dogs have sharp noses. They might smell me," he turned his head and snorted. "Besides, dog blood is not as good as human blood."

Thales frowned.

"Look, Lausanne the Second, I am trying to understand you." The boy looked at the captive before him with a headache, wondering whether he should simply let Morgan and the others come in and be 'civilized and polite.' "But you seem rather resistant to goodwill from others."

Lausanne the Second sneered.

"Goodwill is poison," he said without accepting any of it. "A hypocritical excuse that sends people tumbling into the abyss."

Hilley looked at how impervious he was and sighed helplessly.

"Told you."

She gave Thales a look that said, See?

"Absolutely despairing."

"Yes."

Thales folded his arms tightly and nodded with great seriousness.

"Precisely because he is in despair, he is deliberately trying to anger me."

Only seeking a swift death.

Lausanne the Second said nothing.

"Please."

Hilley rolled her eyes.

"I was not talking about him."

Thales's expression stiffened, but he soon coughed and smoothed over the awkwardness.

"All right. Since you refuse to accept goodwill and help, that is fine." Thales drew a crumpled roll of documents from his bulging pocket. "But would you mind giving a little of it outward?"

Hilley asked in confusion, "What?"

Thales flattened the wrinkled documents, drew out a few sheets, and displayed them one by one before the killer.

They were a set of sketches, apparently of the interior of a residence. The seal of the Security Hall beneath the documents could vaguely be seen.

Lausanne the Second kept frowning until he saw the last one.

"What is this?"

"This is the scene where the wool merchant Diop and his mistress both died," Thales said, taking back the sketch that showed two corpses tied to a bed. "In fact, this was the private residence he rented for his mistress so their affair would be convenient."

Lausanne the Second understood and could not help scoffing.

"Like the wine merchant Morse, the defense attorney Srimanny, and many others on your list, Diop was once of humble background. After the old duke's assassination, however, he grew rich and became the secret-account steward of Emerald Palace."

Thales stacked the documents and changed the direction of his words.

"But from then on, he indulged himself in pleasure and lust. For example, he kept a stage actress as his mistress."

Lausanne the Second remained unmoved.

"Diop's lawful wife knew all of this. But like many wives of successful men, for the sake of the children and appearances, Madam Diop had to pretend not to know. When her wealthy husband went on 'business trips,' she swallowed her anger, maintained the dignity of the lady of the house before others, smiled at everyone, pretended to be happy, and suffered torment all these years," Thales said with a sigh. "After Diop's accident, she was actually much more relieved."

Hilley raised her brows.

"One of my subordinates noticed this keenly during the investigation. Through patient conversation and guidance, he succeeded in getting Madam Diop to lower her guard and tell the truth, giving us the address of the mistress's residence. Yes, she had always known where her husband went on 'business trips,' but ever since he 'educated' her with a stick, she never again opened her mouth to question him, much less went to catch him in the act."

Lausanne the Second was still silent.

"In that residence, two of my subordinates found Diop and his mistress tied to the bed, already dead," Thales said, his face turning stern as he reached the point. "And there, for the first time, they encountered you."

At this, the killer finally sneered.

"I did it. Got a problem with that?"

"Yes. You did it," Thales nodded slowly. "That was what my subordinates thought. The Security Hall officers investigating the case thought the same. A ruthless killer, leaving no survivors or witnesses."

Lausanne the Second snorted with disdain.

Thales observed his expression, paused slightly, and spoke softly.

"Until Judge Brennan reviewed the case report. He refused to sign it and ordered it rejected."

Lausanne the Second froze slightly.

"Brennan?"

"Yes. The same old judge who 'had a drink' with you."

Thales sighed and took out another page. Brennan's signature was clearly visible on it.

"In fact, this was the last case he handled in his life. Jade City law states that all unnatural deaths within the jurisdiction must pass final review by the Court of Judgment. Only after it confirms there are no problems can the case be closed and the bodies buried."

Hilley, who had been listening, seemed to sense something. Her eyes moved.

"And it was the meticulous Chief Judge Brennan who noticed, at the very last step of the case, that the closing report on Diop's case was too simple, too hasty, and incomplete."

The killer stiffened.

Thales sighed softly and drew another report from the documents.

"Until this morning, Brennan's student and successor, Acting Chief Judge Eborning, finally obtained the newest and most complete autopsy report after much urgent chasing."

Thales cleared his throat.

"According to the oral statements and recollections of the on-site coroners and security officers, and after repeated cross-checking by three coroners, the Security Hall confirmed: the male and female victims did not die at the same time. The woman died earlier, the man later. The rough gap may have reached twelve hours."

What?

Hilley looked somewhat surprised and turned toward Lausanne the Second.

But the latter did not move at all. He only stared fixedly at the darkness above his head.

"Even the causes of death were not the same. The male victim's wrist artery was cut with precision and cleanness. He ultimately died of excessive blood loss."

"But the female victim died from repeated blunt-force trauma to the head," Thales read the report, his tone darkening. "The rope marks on her hands show that she struggled fiercely while alive."

At that moment, the killer's gaze was unbearably complicated.

"Even the knots used to tie the two victims to the bed were entirely different. The knots binding the male victim were simple and tight, clearly made by someone steady-handed and experienced. The knots on the female victim were messy and complicated, with many ineffective repeated dead knots. The person who tied her may have been panicked and nervous."

Thales put down the report and sighed softly.

"As for my two subordinates, first, the incident was sudden and time was short. Second, they were not professionals and lacked relevant experience. Third, they were only focused on the target and did not observe the other corpse at the scene carefully enough..."

Thinking of Glover and the rest, Thales's tone grew heavy and his feelings complicated.

"As for the Security Hall, which later took over the scene... first, the important people in Emerald Palace had spoken: reduce the impact, close the case quickly, and if necessary, do not hesitate to preselect the 'murderer.' Second, the security officers assigned to this case were all worldly-wise, especially since the case implicated so much. One can imagine no one wanted trouble. They only wanted to close it carelessly and wrap it up early. The fewer complications, the better."

Or rather, everyone cared more about the power struggle behind the case, and no one paid attention to the details of the case itself.

That was why the complete autopsy report had been suppressed and left unpublished.

For the stability of the greater situation, and for the interests of all sides.

Thus they ignored living human lives.

The voice in his heart was calm and cold.

This was a conspiracy, from top to bottom, intentional and unintentional alike.

Its reasons were sufficient. Its motives were reasonable.

The price was the disappearance of truth.

Until the aged Judge Brennan, with the last breath of persistence in his life, pierced through the shroud that covered everything.

Lausanne the Second still stared blankly at the black ceiling.

Hilley understood something. She looked at the killer in disbelief.

"So you... you..."

Thales's cold and serious voice sounded at the right time.

"Lausanne the Second, you killed Diop and drained his blood. There is no doubt about that. You may even have used inhuman abilities and tortured him to the extreme."

Then his tone paused and changed.

"But not his mistress. At least, she was not killed by you. Not by a professional killer who even avoids women and children when hunting."

Lausanne the Second came back to himself and spat viciously.

"Pah."

Hilley frowned deeply, but Thales did not care. He slowly opened his mouth and asked seriously.

"Tell me, killer. What happened?"

"I got tired of killing and changed methods," Lausanne the Second answered readily this time, but his hostility was as full as ever and his mockery did not stop. "What, surprised?"

Thales shook his head.

"When you killed before, you were always clean, quick, and left no trace. Only at Diop's mistress's house did you stay at the scene, and it seems you were still searching for something. That was why you ran into my subordinates. Why?"

Lausanne the Second turned his head away and sneered disdainfully.

"Killers all have quirks," he said through clenched teeth. "After killing two people, one has to keep a souvenir."

Thales frowned slightly.

"He is helping you, bastard!"

Hilley was enraged by his attitude. She finally could not restrain herself and pointed at Thales, who stood solemnly with folded arms.

"Can you not see that this stupid, pedantic, despair-inducing little idiot is your only hope right now?"

Hearing words that were not quite support and not quite insult, Thales's expression turned odd.

Actually... "little idiot" was already going too far.

"I do not need help."

Lausanne the Second's face was icy, his gaze dead.

Even less do I need hope.

That thing had disappeared many years ago.

Hilley laughed in anger.

Her brows rose sharply, and she rolled up her sleeves to pull off her gloves.

"Is that so? Then you must need another kind of help. I guarantee you will not regret it..."

Lausanne the Second's eyes turned cold.

Thales sighed. While standing to soothe the young lady, he spoke softly.

"It was not poison."

Hilley, still angry, blurted without thinking, "What?"

Thales signaled for her to calm down, then turned to Lausanne the Second.

"Judge Brennan. The night you went to kill him according to the list, he took out the expensive old wine he had treasured for many years and invited you to drink with him."

Lausanne the Second's expression did not change.

"But what he put in the bottle was not poison."

Thales's tone was calm, yet the other two froze at the same time.

"It was a powerful painkiller, the kind his wife used often before she died. Brennan did not want to kill you. He did not plan to poison you. He only wanted to drug you unconscious."

Thales looked at Lausanne the Second and sighed.

"Obviously, he did not know your background and misjudged the medicine's effect."

At that moment, Lausanne the Second froze.

Not... poison?

"But, but Brennan himself..." Hilley understood, yet remained puzzled.

"Brennan's true cause of death was heart abnormalities and organ failure caused by an overdose of painkiller," Thales said heavily, pulling out another sheet. "Or perhaps, he was old and had reached the end of his natural life, if that can comfort you."

No matter what state I am in when I leave this world... there is no need to investigate or pursue it, much less seek revenge. Heaven's decree has arrived, and fate calls me home.

Thales remembered the words in Brennan's will, and his expression dimmed.

Lausanne the Second understood something.

Comfort my ass.

He stared blankly at the endless darkness over his head.

Ass.

"Then why..." Hilley frowned.

Thales knew what she was wondering and handed her the supplementary drug identification report.

"Under the pressure of surging public anger and the urgent need to solve the case, the Security Hall intentionally or unintentionally mistook the painkiller for poison. After all, many lethal poisons also work by causing nerve paralysis and cardiopulmonary failure."

Of course, if one were to ask whether Brennan's long-standing poor relationship with the Security Hall and the major offices, as an aloof and stubborn old judge who often questioned and even rejected closing reports without regard for face, had played a small role in that...

That was hard to say.

And...

Thales sighed inwardly. When Brennan died, the nominal person in charge of Emerald Palace, the person to whom Jade City's major offices were responsible, had already changed from Zayen Covendier to the Duke of Star Lake from the capital.

The chains on Lausanne the Second's body rang softly, drawing both their attention.

"I... I do not understand."

The killer finally spoke.

He clenched his teeth, breathing quick, his gaze frozen.

Why...

Why did that old man have to, have to be so...

Thales was silent for a while. He flipped through the wrinkled papers in his hand and took out several yellowed old sheets.

"I also have an old file here. It records an Emerald Festival from long ago. The late King Aydi led his family to Jade City in person, soothing his allies and celebrating with the people."

Thales watched the captive's expression.

"Until attendants in the royal party used their power to bully commoners in the market and smash vendors' stalls."

Sure enough, the killer's expression changed slightly.

"After the incident, public feeling was dissatisfied and the crowd was roused. Fortunately, the Jadestar royal family handled the matter impartially and refused to shield anyone. They voluntarily handed the chief culprit to Jade City's authorities: a young attendant from South Coast Territory, dirt poor, with neither background nor friends, who had only temporarily joined the royal party."

In that instant, Lausanne the Second's gaze trembled.

Hilley looked between Thales and the captive, her eyes complicated and subtle.

"Ordinarily, it would have been a very common case of privilege abuse. The chief culprit confessed and was punished openly. The crowd vented its anger and applauded. Jade City acted efficiently and dealt with it in time. The kingdom looked politically clear, equal, and just. The royal family remained impartial, its reputation unharmed and even improved. The guards washed away suspicion and proved that 'the party overall was still quite decent.' Everyone would be satisfied. All would rejoice. And so the matter would have passed..."

Where no one could see, Lausanne the Second clenched his teeth.

"But Assistant Judge Brennan, who was not yet chief judge then, refused to accept such a result. He also refused to punish that pitiful young attendant in confusion."

Thales sighed and put away the letter young Brennan had written to Duke Lenster, severe in wording and refusing to compromise.

"Ignoring Duke Lenster's advice, risking offending the royal family, and withstanding pressure from many sides and obstruction from above and below... since he could not find the actual offenders, he insisted that King Aydi the Second personally appear at the trial as the person with primary responsibility, answer for his subordinates' vile bullying of the people, apologize personally, and finally, according to this city's laws, he listed seven offenses and fined my grandfather a full three thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight gold coins in front of all Jade City before closing the case."

Hilley frowned as she listened. Lausanne the Second did not move at all.

"Does that sound familiar?"

Thales looked at the captive, his gaze sharp.

"Especially the young attendant, the little figure, the temporary worker who was pushed out to take responsibility?"

The chains on Lausanne the Second's body shook.

Then have a drink with me, child.

Before his eyes flashed the scene from that recent night, when he had gone alone with his sword to find that rotten old judge. He saw the relief and understanding on the other man's face, even...

Sympathy.

Let me tell you everything, and you will understand.

Only now did Lausanne the Second finally understand something.

But he did not speak. His expression froze like a stone statue.

Thales felt a little deflated. He waved the documents in his hand.

"Please, if only for Brennan's sake..."

"Not only that."

Lausanne the Second spoke.

"They were not only bullying commoners."

His tone was hollow, nearly an admission, which surprised Thales.

The killer stared blankly above him, at that deep darkness which, whether back then or now, whether in dreams or reality, had no end in sight.

Back then, what kind of royal guards would be stupid enough, or rather low enough, to bully people at the very bottom? Local commoners of Jade City, no less?

And precisely when the king was touring the South Coast?

"They just... they wanted to frame that innocent attendant." Lausanne the Second spoke blankly.

Not because of the commoner attendant himself.

But because the knight teacher behind that young attendant was a great swordsmanship master with disciples everywhere and a lofty reputation. He was also a former attendant officer whose acquaintance with the late king was thin on the surface yet deep in truth.

Yet he happened to maintain neutrality, refusing to favor either side, refusing important posts. For that very reason, the king valued him. His every word carried weight, and he could even influence the royal succession.

That person had given the attendants a chance to change their fates, given them skills, and shown them deep kindness...

And had also given them the political shackles that bound them for life, made their suffering endless, and forced them to kill one another...

Great Knight Joaquin.

Lausanne the Second's eyes were empty, his mind dazed.

Thales and Hilley exchanged a glance.

Perhaps there was even more to it.

Perhaps that case of bullying commoners had also involved the political contest between the royal center and South Coast Territory during the king's tour, whether in reputation or in practical interest.

Thales thought silently.

A knight attendant from the South Coast, in the royal party, bullying the people of Jade City, provoking local resentment, damaging the king's reputation, making every side suffer headaches and be trapped between advance and retreat...

From identity and affiliation to the incident's effects, every part of it, seen today, was full of tangled, complicated calculation and struggle.

Just like what he himself, as the royal envoy, had experienced in Jade City now.

"As for that foolish attendant, he was passing by. Or rather, someone tricked him into passing by. He intervened out of a sense of justice," Lausanne the Second said blankly. "Otherwise, they would have beaten that vendor to death."

Of course, back then, what he received for intervening...

Was the bullied vendor sitting terrified and trembling in the Court of Judgment, pointing at him in front of everyone, saying the same thing as the perpetrators:

That young attendant was the one who had bullied him.

Hilley turned her head and sighed long.

Now that the past had been mentioned, the captive before them had finally opened his mouth. Yet for some reason, Thales felt not the slightest sense of victory.

Instead, an inexplicable sorrow surged in his heart.

Whenever I put down the gavel and take off the judge's robe, I still cannot help thinking over and over:

In every case I reviewed, did I pursue the facts thoroughly and leave no omissions?

In every trial, was I detached and neutral, without bias or partiality?

In every statement, was my thought clear and my expression proper?

In every fall of the gavel, was I worthy of my oath and original heart, both defending the interests of the weak and restraining the excesses of the strong, both upholding justice and not betraying the law?

Over all these years, have I ever misjudged a case? Wronged a good person? Encouraged oppression and exploitation?

Have friendship and loyalty, hatred and anger, interests and losses, ever clouded my judgment while I did not know, or pretended not to know?

Thales could not help remembering the self-doubt in Brennan's will, and his feelings deepened.

"So Brennan's persistence was right."

Thales breathed out, forced himself to recover, and spoke to the dazed captive.

"No matter for what reason. Justice, truth, duty, conscience, or perhaps because, in the end, he recognized an old acquaintance..."

Or guilt over the old duke's assassination case.

"Whether years ago or now, at the moment when all Jade City wanted your life..."

The boy closed his eyes, unable to suppress the sadness in his heart.

"He was the one who truly wanted to help."

Jingle...

At that moment, the chains on the captive began to ring without stopping.

I understand, child. I have seen people like you...

The old judge's words before death sounded by his ear, gentle and melancholy.

Lausanne the Second suddenly opened his mouth.

He breathed in great gasps, as if missing even one breath would drown him in air.

The wounds on his body burst with terrible pain, yet they could not affect him in the slightest. The bloodthirsty monster inside him vanished without a trace.

You want to put something down, yet your pain will not settle. You want to grasp something, yet you are lost and hollow...

Lausanne the Second suddenly realized that he had been trembling all along.

But he knew this trembling was completely different from how he trembled before flames and sunlight.

Those were instinctive tremors, bestial fear.

And now...

The fear now was...

You understand too little, and there is too much you do not understand. You do not know what you should be loyal to, so you can only grit your teeth, lower your head, numb yourself to what is before you, and slightly ease your pain and gloom...

Lausanne the Second bit hard on his lower lip, so hard he drew blood.

That foolish old man.

He clenched his fists and forced himself to repeat this.

Everything he did was meaningless...

Help?

Foolish.

Foolish...

Unbelievably foolish.

It is all right, child. I had times like that too. It is all right. In the end, you will understand. It will pass. All of it will pass...

The old man's voice fell away, and he clutched his heart and slowly collapsed.

Yet he was still smiling at him.

"Aaaaahhh!"

In the next moment, Lausanne the Second could no longer bear it. He roared into the darkness.

Hoarse and despairing.

"I do not need it!" the killer shouted in agitation. "I do not need his help at all!"

Do! Not! Need! It!

Why?

Why!

Foolish!

Foolish!

Thales and Hilley were startled at first by the killer's sudden outburst. But after he recovered himself, the prince understood something.

"You? Do not need it?"

Thales snorted coldly.

"Who do you think you are, killer? Prophet Julanz, who suffered all the world's torments?"

Lausanne the Second's roar weakened.

"Do you think your little misfortunes and past setbacks are truly so important, so key, so unique, so incomparable?"

Thales's gaze was icy, his voice and expression severe, greatly surprising Hilley beside him.

"Must everyone in the whole world, tall or short, fat or thin, noble or low, poor or rich, be deeply moved and impatient to sympathize with you, pity you, and save you? So that you can still pretend to be lofty and self-important, picking and choosing, 'Oh, I need this help, I do not need that help'? Who they help or do not help, what the hell does that have to do with you?"

Whether he did not understand or was truly moved, the killer turned his head blankly and stared at Thales.

"And on what grounds do you think that, as the chief judge of all Jade City, the person Brennan could help, should help, wanted to help, and had to help, was only you?"

Thales took a deep breath and quickly flipped through the documents in his hand.

"Especially when there are people without your skill and strength, without your stubbornness and obstinacy, but who still want to obtain a measure of fairness, a measure of truth in this world..."

Thales threw the documents for Diop's case in front of Lausanne the Second.

"Ordinary people."

Lausanne the Second's eyes shifted.

The papers stopped exactly on the autopsy report of Diop's mistress.

The killer's breath caught.

The prince's voice was cold.

"For example, the young attendant in Jade City back then, who was innocently framed and pushed out to take responsibility."

The killer trembled slightly.

Lausanne the Second's breathing quickened. His expression turned vicious, and he turned his head with clenched teeth.

"What the hell do you know?"

Thales refused to back down. He snorted and spat.

"Yes, what the hell do I know? But you?"

Thales looked at a letter among the documents. He thought of the late chief judge who had been solemn and majestic in court, who had reflected on himself again and again in his letters, who was filled with longing for his deceased wife and exhausted himself for his work. Then he looked at the unmoving, impervious vampire killer before him, who claimed to be cold-blooded and self-righteous. He could not help feeling angry and wronged on Brennan's behalf.

In the next second, Thales slapped the documents in his hand hard onto the ground before Lausanne the Second.

"Even if you knew, you would still be worth nothing!"

Still unsatisfied, he jabbed a middle finger viciously at the captive.

"Perhaps you do not care, Lausanne the Second. But the fact is this: even after the cowardly you had given up, surrendered to reality, shut yourself away, destroyed your conscience, claimed to have seen through the world and understood the truth, and left your thin life with nothing but pretended profundity and hollow sarcasm..."

Thales spoke furiously.

"In this world, every moment, there are still people, countless people, who spare no effort in the darkness and struggle forward!"

All for that ray of light at the end of the darkness, which may never descend.

When his words fell, the dungeon was quiet.

Lausanne the Second stared blankly at the papers before him and remained silent.

Thales clenched his fists, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to adjust his emotions.

On the other side, Hilley Covendier, who had witnessed the whole process, let out a long, quiet breath.

She slowly stepped forward and bent down to pick up the scattered papers.

"All right. It is fine. Calm down."

The young lady's voice was unusually gentle, as if soothing a child.

Yet it seemed unusually effective. Thales drew a deep breath and steadied himself.

She tidied the documents and looked up.

"What next?"

Thales closed his eyes, then opened them again and said through clenched teeth, "Nothing. We can go."

Hilley froze. She looked at the documents in her hands, then at Lausanne the Second, who seemed to have lost his soul and did not move.

"What? Just like that?"

Thales turned his head away from the captive and nodded with all his strength.

"Just like that."

Hilley frowned. She glanced at her gloves, then at Thales. She seemed to want to say something, but in the end she sighed.

"Fine. I will listen to you this once."

She stood and walked first toward the small dungeon door.

Chains rang.

"She was dead."

A hoarse voice sounded, faint as a thread.

Both of them stopped at the same time.

Hilley turned back in confusion.

"What?"

Lausanne the Second still stared at the darkness above his head and spoke dully.

"When I arrived, that wool merchant's mistress was already dead."

Thales and Hilley exchanged a glance, then turned back around.

"How did she die?"

Thales pressed.

Lausanne the Second slowly turned his head. His gaze, leaving the darkness, was calm.

"I tied the wool merchant beside her corpse and interrogated him. I even used my ability."

According to Federico's plan, he should have simply killed the target neatly. But...

"After the wine merchant was killed by me, that wool merchant began to worry. He worried that someone would reopen the old duke's assassination case, and even more that someone, anyone, would kill him to silence him or force him to testify. So he planned to flee the city and avoid disaster."

Lausanne the Second spoke slowly.

"But he did not have enough cash on hand, and he did not dare go home to get money. Only then did he suddenly remember that he had spent quite a lot at his mistress's place before, and wanted to recover some of it as travel money..."

Thales's eyelid twitched.

Hilley frowned.

"So his mistress refused to give him the money, and Diop killed her?"

Lausanne the Second shook his head lifelessly, making his chains rustle.

"Exactly the opposite. She was very willing. And she was willing to give more, not less. All the savings she had accumulated since becoming an actress."

At this point, Lausanne the Second snorted coldly and sarcastically.

"For this man. This 'true love' she had found after so much hardship."

Hilley could not help being puzzled.

"What? Then why did Diop..."

"Because she had no cash on hand, only bank notes. She needed to go out and sign for the money," Lausanne the Second said coldly. "Obviously, Diop did not believe her. He thought this was an excuse to get away from him."

True love.

"He was also suspicious, thinking that since he was involved in such a major case, she might turn around and betray him..."

True love.

"He even thought that if he left like this, someone would sooner or later ask her about his whereabouts..."

True love.

"He also questioned whether, with her talent and looks, if not for his money, how could she have taken a fancy to an old and ugly man like him? Now that he was no longer glorious, she would surely abandon him..."

True love.

Lausanne the Second's sarcastic expression grew more obvious.

"The more he thought, the more afraid he became. The more he thought, the more hateful he became. Then he cursed her, saying she used to be an actress onstage, used to sell herself, and was used to acting according to the occasion, that she must have hidden a great deal of cash in secret..."

As he listened to Lausanne the Second restore the scene, Thales felt increasingly heavy. His brows locked tight.

"She felt wronged, angry, and argued back. Her emotions were stirred up. The wool merchant struck her, tied her up, tortured her, threatened her, interrogated her..."

Hilley spat fiercely.

"Coward."

Lausanne the Second snorted and continued.

"By then, the woman seemed to have finally awakened and seen through 'true love.' So unexpectedly, she became tough..."

At least tougher than her lover.

"She also said a few things about his health in bed, which made the wool merchant unhappy. He picked up a statue by the bedside..."

Thales could not bear to hear more and concluded for him.

"So she died."

Lausanne the Second sneered.

"Or, in the words that fellow used while begging for mercy," the killer's eyes revealed disdain and hatred, "'I only wanted to teach her a lesson and frighten her. I did not expect her to die.'"

"Coward," Hilley repeated, her tone icy.

When her voice fell, the dungeon returned to silence.

Only the atmosphere remained oppressive.

After a long time, Thales finally breathed out.

"Now," he said sadly, looking at the report in Hilley's hands, "this case can finally be considered complete."

At least for that stage actress who had left the stage for true love.

And for the conscientious Judge Brennan.

May they be able to rest in peace.

"Although it is strange to say this," Thales gathered his thoughts and tried to return to the main point, "whether it was Diop's case or... you seem to be a killer with principles."

Lausanne the Second suddenly opened his eyes.

"Principles, my ass."

He seemed to have become that cold-blooded killer again.

"I hate cowards. When I see one, I want to torture him to death. That is all."

Besides, over all these years, there had been no few innocents who died at his hands.

He had long ago...

Abandoned principles.

But Thales only looked at him calmly.

"Teresa."

"Hm?" Hilley turned her head.

"That woman, Diop's mistress. Her name was Teresa," Thales said quietly. "After the Bloody Year, she was abducted by human traffickers and sold to Harvest Town. Before she was fourteen, she had already given birth to two children. After several years, she finally found a chance to escape and was taken in by an Jade City theater troupe. She began doing odd jobs backstage, until she eventually stepped onto the stage."

Lausanne the Second's breath paused.

"Unfortunately..."

Lausanne the Second closed his eyes.

"If..."

Thales paused and ultimately could not continue. He only sighed.

"She deserved a better life."

Whether as a human being.

Or as a woman.

"I could have saved her," Lausanne the Second said hoarsely.

Thales looked up in confusion.

"What?"

The vampire killer gazed at the darkness before him, as if gazing into the past, and spoke quietly.

"She was gravely wounded and dying then, but I... I still had the ability to save her."

Thales and Hilley exchanged a look.

Lausanne the Second's expression was dazed.

"But she said..."

In the phantom dream of evil whispers, that woman, the dying Teresa, had said to him in despair...

"Her life had been too bitter."

Lausanne the Second spoke blankly.

Whether ignored, abducted, enslaved, kept, betrayed, or killed...

Whether in her hometown, in Sangaree's human market, in Harvest Town, or in Jade City...

Whether she clenched her teeth and endured, forced a smile, cried every night, or leaned at a doorway selling smiles...

It was all too bitter. Far too bitter.

And whether love or family, future or hope...

None of them were medicine.

Yet she had sunk too deep and could not struggle free. She had tried to kill herself several times, but always lacked the final courage.

So now, at last...

She had enough.

At that time, he suddenly understood.

"I could not save her." Lausanne the Second's eyes were dead.

From the very beginning, he had been destined not to save her.

Neither Thales nor Hilley spoke. The atmosphere in the dungeon was unbearably heavy.

"But she did hide a sum of money."

Lausanne the Second suddenly spoke, as if waking from a nightmare, slightly anxious.

"It is in the hidden compartment of the guest room. Your people came too quickly, and I did not have time to find it."

Thales was surprised.

"Money? Guest room?"

Lausanne the Second took a deep breath and clenched his teeth.

"After she had money, she hired mercenaries to go to Harvest Town and snatch her two children out. But she did not dare let anyone know, so she could only hide them in the theater troupe doing odd jobs..."

Thales and Hilley exchanged a glance.

"I understand," the prince said, reacting. His tone was heavy. "I will send people to handle it. That money of hers will be properly given to them."

Lausanne the Second exhaled, and the back of his head rested once more against the cold ground.

"Thank you."

He spoke numbly.

Another long silence followed.

Until Thales sighed.

"What exactly changed you?"

He looked at the wounded, maimed, and heartsick killer before him with reluctance, and called out an unfamiliar name.

"Joe Boyer?"

Lausanne the Second trembled slightly.

Hilley looked at Thales with no small number of questions in her eyes.

"If you do not plan to kill me," Lausanne the Second still stared at the darkness overhead and swallowed, numb and mechanical, "you may leave, Your Highness."

Thales said nothing. His gaze was complicated as he stared at the cold-blooded killer before him, the former knight attendant.

In the end, he closed his eyes.

"Let us go, Hilley."

On the other side, Hilley sighed and put away the documents in her hand.

"I told you. Useless."

Her eyes sharpened.

"The only thing that works is Jacques."

But Thales shook his head.

"What worked was not Jacques."

The prince turned and walked toward the dungeon door, leaving the captive behind.

"It was the things Jacques made him see," Thales said in a low voice. "Or rather, the things he did not want to see."

"Hmph. Pretentious."

Hilley curled her lip. She glanced at the numb captive on the ground and quickly caught up to walk beside Thales.

"I say, how much more time are you going to waste before you agree to use my method?"

Thales's tone was steady, just like his steps.

"Please, Hilley. Give me one more chance."

The young lady snorted and was about to refuse and mock him out of habit, but she glanced at Thales's pale profile. The words reached her mouth and finally changed helplessly.

"Ah, fine. One last time."

"Thank you."

Thales breathed out and stopped when his hand closed around the door handle.

"I am sorry, Lausanne the Second, but I am afraid you will not like what I am about to do to you."

He lowered his head as he spoke.

Behind him came the killer's indifferent, quiet sneer.

"Could what you have done possibly be insufficient?"

Thales was silent for a while.

"But I truly believe you still need it."

Lausanne the Second sneered again, along with rude sarcasm.

"What, are you going to take off your trousers in front of me next?"

The sound of the door opening rang out. Thales and Hilley vanished outside together.

Outside the door came salutes and greetings.

And the noise of many footsteps, large and small, coming and going.

But to Lausanne the Second, none of it mattered.

The seemingly terrifying but actually cowardly bloodthirsty monster inside him, which always fled before the battle at critical moments, secretly emerged again, craving blood. He ignored it all.

Lausanne the Second only stared blankly at the darkness above him.

When...

Would the sun rise?

Outside the dungeon door came a great commotion. There were scoldings, uproar, the prince's unmistakable reprimand, and the young lady's unique and irritating sarcasm.

But none of that had anything to do with him.

He was only trapped in the darkness, wholeheartedly...

Waiting for sunrise.

Waiting for that scorching light which, at some unknown point, had ceased to shine on him.

Snap.

The wooden door opened again.

This time, unfamiliar footsteps entered his ears.

The steps were not heavy, but they were steady and powerful. Clearly, the newcomer had trained her lower body.

And...

Lausanne the Second's nose twitched.

There was the faint scent of perfume.

Measured perfectly, neither strong nor gaudy. There was even an indescribable freshness to it.

It made people relax.

Who was it?

A new guard?

The newcomer slowly approached and finally appeared in his field of vision under the dim candlelight.

It was a woman.

But the instant he saw who had come, Lausanne the Second's numb eyes trembled.

"Heh. You even lost your hand?"

The newly arrived woman covered her nose and mouth and turned aside. Whether mocking or relieved, she scoffed.

"I truly did not expect that someone with your ability would end up this miserable."

Lausanne the Second's breathing stopped.

The boy was right.

He would not like this.

The killer stared blankly at the person before him and endured countless complicated and subtle emotions.

But perhaps what the boy did not know was that, in a certain sense...

He was even more cruel than that Covendier girl with strange arts who could call back the dead and create illusions.

Far more cruel.

"Hey."

In the next second, Lausanne the Second opened his mouth with difficulty and called out a name he had not spoken in many years.

"Belicia."