[TIDK] 109 – The Truth From Hylum Pitt

"On the contrary,” Viktor replied. "To tell the truth, I'll spare your life. I'll even protect you from the Royal Police.”

"No. If you hear the truth, you'll kill me right away. Even then, it's legal.”

"If someone has ever targeted my life, that will be forgotten as well.”

"...Really?” Andrei made a surprised expression, considering even the possibility of his family being wiped out. Then he spoke. "Do you want to know to that extent?”

"Yes.”

"...Will you also leave my family alone?”

"Isn't that included in the promise to spare your life?”

There was a hint of chivalry in this aspect. Andrei didn't hesitate for long. With only two worser options, there was no reason not to choose the shining answer that suddenly appeared. He spoke up.

"The reason why you don't remember the banquet is that the Royal Police drugged you.”

“…”

"It was a drug that vividly brought up past memories with a side effect of erasing some parts of the memory. The boss also took it," Andrei explained to Viktor, who listened with a nonchalant and indifferent expression.

Although Andrei didn't expect Viktor to be shocked and fall down crying and screaming due to his own mistake, he was surprised to receive no reaction at all.

Andrei continued, "Of course, torture was also involved. The drugs were all brought from a pirate island, and I arranged a dealer for actual eye drops to make it look like the boss was trading for Earl Crimson’s eyes. She was stubborn and kept her mouth shut, but she changed her mind when I appeared. I told her I could kill the captain at any time, and she believed me. Is that possible?"

Viktor still remained silent.

Andrei spoke again, "That's all. To sum it up, it's nothing special." Afterward, there was silence for a while.

After a while, Viktor finally opened his mouth. “Keep it a secret.”

“...What?”

“Keep it a secret. All of it.”

“Didn't you just hear me? I said our boss spilled the beans because I told her I was going to kill you.”

“I heard you.”

“Wait... Who are we keeping it a secret from? The boss?”

Despite Andrei's shock, Viktor sat up straight with a nonchalant expression and adjusted the watch he had placed on the table before speaking again.

“I'll handle it with the Royal Police. You resign and continue to help at Scarlet's shop.”

Andrei asked, clearly confused. “Why on earth?”

“First, you knew that Scarlett repaired trams but didn't report it to the Royal Police. If you had, they would have taken Scarlett away long before, and they would have tried to implicate me in it somehow.”

“...”

“'That means you're truly loyal to Scarlett.”

Andrei sighed and grumbled, “You should have seen the faces of those kids in that house. It wasn't a situation where their father's lifeline should have been cut.”

“If it wasn't loyalty, there would be no reason to spare your life, right?”

“It's loyalty. Strong loyalty.”

Andrei quickly changed the subject. Viktor spoke again. “Second, you were more helpful for Scarlet's safety than the bodyguards I hired.”

“Why did you even hire so many bodyguards?”

“Who do you think I hate the most? More than the royals.”

“... Pirates, I assume.”

"If Scarlett doesn't have security attached, she'll be in pieces within a few hours.”

Andrei felt his heart sink as much as when he was caught by Viktor Dumfelt revealing his true identity.

"Besides, you are the necessary personnel for protecting my family.”

"So, are you telling me to go undercover for the boss?"

"Scarlett shouldn't know that I've attached security, and it's hard to find capable security personnel like you.”

"And the boss should continue to...not know about this?"

Andrei suspected why Viktor was saying such nonsense. He was afraid that Scarlett would hate him if she found out the truth.

No matter what.

Andrei thought that Viktor Dumfelt was a more despicable human being and had a stronger obsession with Scarlett than he had originally thought.

Andrei finally asked.

"When you take revenge on the royal police, you'll use me, right?"

"Of course.”

"Then I'll do it.”

At first, this wasn't really what he wanted.

Andrei knew that his plan to become successful in the royal police had all gone wrong, but he didn't feel bad about it.

A little while later, Viktor left and the door to Andrei's solitary cell opened. Then Evan Wright called him out.

"To see the young lady.”

"Right now?"

"She wants to see you right away. If you're not there, the clock store won't operate.”

Evan spoke with annoyance and pointed the gun at Andrei's neck.

"I'll keep checking on what you're doing.”

"Understood.”

Andrei raised both hands as a sign of surrender and replied, and Evan pushed him forward.

♔♔♔

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