“Child, in this world there are many things one can compromise on, but when it comes to matters of principle, one must never yield. The Astralis court has ten thousand ways to capture enemies alive and make them confess. Now, for the future of Nomeka and the Valemont family, I… I must die here… Since you won’t help me have a quick death, then I’ll do it myself!”

  Upon hearing the gunfire cease, Théodric immediately realized that his defense squad had surely been defeated.

  No one knew better than he did the true worth of that so-called “elite squad.”

  Relying on them to defend the mansion against the advance of regular troops was nothing short of wishful thinking.

  Therefore…

  Trembling all over, Théodric could wait no longer.

  He could not be captured alive.

  It didn’t matter if the letter in his hand was discovered, but the secrets in his mind could never be revealed to the Astralis court.

  One can only say that humans are, at times, truly incredible creatures.

  Or perhaps the fact that Théodric had become governor of Flaren was due to the Nomeka family’s absolute faith in his loyalty?

  In any case, under Alice’s gaze, that fat and round-bellied man did not say a single word, he simply threw himself with all his strength against the mansion’s low wall. He fled in desperation, without weapons or knives, so now, this pitiful nobleman had no other choice but to seek self-destruction in this way.

  “Thud!”

  The first impact had little effect. The human skull is quite resistant, and Théodric had run slowly, and from too short a distance to the wall.

  He couldn’t kill himself easily.

  However, with flashlight beams already drawing near, this loyal governor did not give up. Staggering, he rose once more and hurled himself against the wall with firm determination.

  The special forces of the Astralis court, when capturing prisoners, use extremely powerful tranquilizer bullets.

  When hit, a normal individual will lose consciousness in a matter of seconds and be taken prisoner.

  Upon waking, torture methods, chemical drugs, and brainwave analysis devices specially developed to extract information can tear the most hidden secrets out of anyone.

  Therefore, knowing he couldn’t escape, Théodric desperately sought death, because he knew he must never be captured.

  With Théodric’s third charge against the wall, and his face now covered in blood and torn flesh, Alice could no longer bear to watch.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  On the one hand, the scene was simply disturbing; on the other, a man as loyal to the Nomeka family as Théodric would never tell her anything.

  And on the other hand, if he kept throwing himself like that, he probably still wouldn’t manage to die.

  If he were captured alive by the Astralis court…

  Wouldn’t that be the same as helping the Astralis Empire?

  Although Alice didn’t know why the Astralis court could so boldly mobilize troops to attack a governor’s mansion, nor what secrets Théodric was protecting so fiercely, that didn’t matter much. The best outcome was simply not to let Astralis win.

  It didn’t matter whether this concerned her or not. As an Entropist, Alice simply didn’t want to see Astralis, her mortal enemy, triumph.

  Without hesitation, after a moment of silence, Alice coldly ordered the small ghost by her side:

  “Kill that fat man. Shatter his brain. We can’t let Astralis obtain any of the secrets they’re after!”

  “Shhh!”

  With a gush of blood beneath the veil of night, it didn’t take long for that silent courtyard to be dyed red...

  ...........

  [“Honored Brother Théodric Valemont —

  It has been more than three years since I became a general and you became governor. I don’t know how you’ve been, how your health is, but in light of the current situation, those details are now meaningless.

  The purpose of this letter is to inform you of important news: the Astralis court has finally acted. They have already corrupted insiders within the Nomeka family and control five army generals. According to my analysis, the patriarch of the Klein family or Lord Kastiel has surely betrayed the honor of Nomeka, seduced by the deceitful words of Astralis.

  Soon, the grand army and the holdings of the Nomeka family will fall into Astralis’ hands. After all, since midday yesterday, my five colleagues have stopped responding to any of my messages.

  Our Valemont family has been loyal to the Nomeka family for generations. The splendor of Nomeka is already woven into our blood.

  Her Majesty, the Queen of Astralis, would never spare the loyal subjects of Nomeka, and the glory of Nomeka must never simply disappear! Therefore, to leave a final thread of hope for the oldest legitimate sovereign on this planet, I have hidden my three starships and a large quantity of resources on that small asteroid that only you and I know about.

  I poisoned all the soldiers who operated the ships to ensure no one could return to Nomeka and leak the information.

  As for me, naturally, I would have no way to pilot a ship back alone to our home planet... Listen carefully, my respected brother:

  Abandon your cowardice and fear of death. Find a direct descendant of Nomeka who hasn’t betrayed the cause, and tell them the location of the ships. Only then can they escape Astralis’ clutches and gather strength to restore the honor of Nomeka and of our Valemont family.

  Of course, if luck is not on our side… may those three ships vanish forever. That will be our final revenge against the Queen of Astralis and our last show of loyalty from the Valemont family.

  — Last words of Kevin Valemont.”]

  .........

  “So that’s why Théodric wanted to kill himself? He didn’t want the Empire to discover the whereabouts of the ships? I never imagined the Nomeka family still had such loyal subjects. Or perhaps the head of the Nomeka family truly had such sharp eyes to choose someone like that to serve him? I don’t know which of the two pureblood nobles mentioned in the letter betrayed the family, but it must have been Kastiel. After all, he was the one who captured the ‘Lantern’ and sold the information to the Astralis Empire… Will I still have the chance to meet that enemy?”

  Reading the crumpled letter found with Théodric’s body, Alice walked across the rooftops of tall buildings, completely oblivious to the armored patrol vehicles roaring through the streets below.

  She was like a bird calmly hovering in the air.

  To be honest, that night was marked by a major event. But what Alice gained from it was almost nothing.

  Perhaps the letter she held was tied to the fate of a powerful family, but to the girl, that made no difference at all.

  Whether the planet Nomeka was ruled by the Nomeka family or by the Astralis court, what Alice really wanted to know at that moment was: had Thalia’s pineapple pie finished baking yet?