Leonard did not stay very long.
The longer they remained face-to-face, the sharper the atmosphere between them became, leaving both of them increasingly uncomfortable.
After driving him out without offering anything resembling proper hospitality, Sungjin watched the departing carriage and narrowed his eyes.
‘Strange…….’
On Earth and in this world alike, there had been more than a few occasions when circumstances had forced Sungjin to take human lives.
But in Sungjin’s own estimation, he did not particularly enjoy killing compared to other people.
If someone did not threaten his safety, he had no particular desire to harm them.
Nor did he possess some extraordinary sense of justice compelling him to eradicate evil and set the world right, like a certain someone.
But.
“Leonard of Rohan.”
It truly was strange.
He had never even met the man before the birthday banquet, so why did such thick, clinging murderous intent keep welling up from deep inside his chest?
Why?
He was curious.
He wanted to know.
He really was curious……
Rustle.
At that instant, Sungjin’s consciousness, which had been sinking deeper, was rapidly pulled back to the surface.
He had sensed a faint presence from afar.
It came from the finest room in this villa, the place currently occupied by the Holy Emperor’s homunculus.
‘…Father? Isn’t this usually the time for the state affairs meeting?’
He listened carefully just in case, but the presence vanished again as if it had never existed.
The sound had been so faint that Sungjin was beginning to wonder whether it had existed at all.
‘Was I imagining it……?’
Sungjin’s thoughts drifted back toward Leonard.
But perhaps because his concentration had already been broken once, the strange sense of déjà vu from earlier had vanished entirely from his mind.