Chapter 297
Daniel had already gotten on Claude’s bad side. Why would he, of all times, come to push boundaries when Claude was most sensitive?
As expected, Claude’s gaze toward Daniel was as harsh as a winter’s frost.
“But when I mistakenly received guiding from her…”
Daniel couldn’t finish his sentence. The overwhelming force knocked him down before he could even try to resist.
Guhh, uggh—
He let out a guttural groan, gasping as if he was on the verge of suffocating. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his face stood out sharply.
Claude watched him with a merciless gaze.
Should I intervene? But can I even stop this?
Oscar was at a loss when he heard a desperate voice.
“Lord Claude…!”
The voice sounded as if it was squeezed out of a clogged throat.
“You must believe that I want Lady Rose to be alive as much as you do. Only then can I share this story, one I’m not even sure I should be telling.”
Daniel’s expression, which had seemed composed, crumbled like a dam breaking. With a twisted face, he pleaded with Claude.
“The faint hope that we might save Lady Rose is the only reason I’m standing here before you.”
“…What?”
Claude froze, as if doused with cold water.
Hope.
It was a word that didn’t fit the dire situation.
* * *
Oscar was torn. The last hope to save Rose? Just hearing the preamble made him wildly curious.
Though he found her obnoxious and annoying, he’d never wished for her death. When he heard she was missing, he had been genuinely worried.
So, despite everything, Oscar wanted her to be alive.
…Of course, his desire for her safety wasn’t as strong as Claude’s or Daniel’s.
After some deliberation, Oscar made a difficult decision.
“I… I’ll step outside for a bit. You two talk freely…”
In the end, his conscience won over his curiosity.
Now wasn’t the time for him to be involved. Oscar might lack tact, but he had a fair sense of self-awareness.
Only after he left the tent did Daniel feel the crushing force lift.
Coughing harshly, Daniel sat up, looking up at Claude with a cold, indifferent expression.
The tension was palpable, but Daniel knew he had been granted a moment of mercy.
Not wasting the opportunity, he stood straight before Claude. His eyes were still red from burst blood vessels, but his face remained composed.
“Lord Claude, what I’m about to tell you might diverge from reality. I might be blinded by the need to save Lady Rose and now grasping at straws. But before I share my hypothesis, I must present three reasons why I came to this conclusion.”
Claude didn’t respond, just scrutinized Daniel with a piercing gaze.
But Daniel knew Claude was listening.
He had no other choice. Ultimately, their goals were the same.
This realization made Daniel feel even more responsible.
“First, Lord Claude, you must have noticed as well. The movements of the mutants—they can’t simply be explained by newly acquired intelligence.”
“…”
“They didn’t act as if they had deciphered our strategy… It was more like they were inside our heads.”
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