It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 173
But it seemed my interest in Ardin made him uneasy. The fact that Ardin now recognized me as someone useful to his research appeared to trouble him as well.
We paused our conversation while passing through the first and second floors, where the servants moved about.
Only after reaching the third floor and stepping into my room, which had all but become a shared bedroom, did he speak again.
“Marquis Felix Silias is a man without even the minimum degree of decency. Honestly, I wish you would never have to face him at all.”
I listened quietly as I watched Lionel peel off his sweat-drenched shirt. He undid his belt, stripped off his pants, and headed for the bath, so I trailed after him.
He paused briefly at the bathroom entrance and turned to look at me.
“It is acceptable to me if you join me once, as Ardin requested. But nothing beyond that.”
It was the first time he’d spoken to me so sternly, with such unwavering resolve. I couldn’t help but wonder.
Does Lionel know everything that’s happening in Silias?
I only knew thanks to A Night of Entwined Serpents, from Ardin’s own perspective, and so there was no danger in uncovering the truth. But how had Lionel gathered his information?
Being of a distinguished magical bloodline, it would have been near impossible to sneak in or plant informants.
And surprisingly, Lionel seemed to pick up on exactly what I was curious about.
“Serenia… I can’t tell you how I uncovered the secrets tied to Silias. Just know… think of it as a mad act by a man who grew tired of a life endlessly repeating.”
“…All right. I will.”
If it was something like that, I couldn’t bear to press.
“In return, I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Since both of us were soaked in sweat and needed to wash, we sat facing each other in a bath filled with warm water and began to talk.
If my knowledge of Silias’s secrets, learned through books, was merely a list of facts, what Lionel knew from his past lives was the brutal weight of how those secrets unfolded in the real world.
Through Lionel’s words, I came to understand.
The reason why we must bring Ardin Silias to our side.
And what would happen if we failed to bring him over.
* * *
“Oh dear, I had some things to discuss with Lord Luanax.”
Right after Lionel and Sasha left the underground training hall, Ardin muttered as if something had just occurred to him.
“Vivian, I need to go ahead. See you tomorrow.”
“Mm… Take care, Ardin.”
He pressed a light kiss to her cheek and swiftly left the training hall. As he climbed the stairs, he remembered to stop one of the servants and ask where Lionel had gone.
Once he reached the second floor, Ardin checked the empty corridor, then veered sharply in the opposite direction from where Vivian’s room was located.
His destination was the Duke of Luanax’s office.
Lately, even Halid had been coming in and out of the mansion, and it was starting to complicate Ardin’s plans.
Already facing the danger posed by Lionel alone, he now had to account for the movements of Dantère, Halid, and Sasha Diloette.
In the end, Ardin hadn’t been able to smuggle out any information for over a week.
‘My brother won’t tolerate this any longer.’
The warnings had piled up long enough.
Which was why he couldn’t miss this moment, when he knew exactly where the key players were.
‘The Duke of Luanax and Sasha Diloette went off to bathe, so they’ll be upstairs for at least thirty minutes. Duke Calitas will most likely finish his usual training session.’
