The prison interior was dark and silent.
Most of the cells were empty.
Anyone imprisoned here was the kind of criminal who should never be released into the world, and such criminals were usually executed on the spot.
Therefore, anyone locked up in this place was someone the kingdom could not kill for one reason or another.
“Twin Flames” Kenneth was alive solely because he was a 5-class mage.
Across the entire continent, mages were considered valuable resources, and someone at Kenneth’s level would be coaxed, manipulated, and used for dangerous missions or even rented out to other nations for money.
As I walked through the corridor, lost in these idle thoughts, I noticed something strange—no guards in sight, no matter how far I went.
Was this also Josefin’s doing?
Only when I was close to Kenneth’s cell did I finally hear footsteps.
A figure emerged from the darkness at the far end of the corridor.
The man carried no candlestick or lantern, and I only noticed something was wrong after he brushed past me.
He wasn’t a guard.
No prison staff would walk around with a hood over their head.
As he passed by me, the man said,
“You’re not supposed to handle things this way, Baron.”
“What?”
“Those are my master’s words, delivered to you.”
The hooded stranger walked down the corridor, and by the time I processed what he had said, he had already vanished into the shadows.
A sense of foreboding hit me, and I quickened my pace.
When I reached Kenneth’s cell, what I found was his corpse, bleeding from a deep gash across his throat.
***
“Baron Winslet is not the murderer.”
“I’ve heard that line a hundred times already.”
“When you discovered the scene, there was a steel bar 32 millimeters thick between the Baron and Kenneth’s body. How could he have slit Kenneth’s throat?”
“Magic, obviously…”
“Kenneth was locked in a special containment cell. Magic-suppressing devices were installed to prevent mage riots. You can’t use magic near those devices.”
“But I heard that for 6-class or higher mages, those devices don’t work properly! Baron Winslet is a 7-class mage, is he not?”
“If you knew that, you should have stopped him from entering the prison in the first place. Kenneth’s death is ultimately your fault, isn’t it?”
“What nonsense is this?!”
“If you keep arguing, I’ll have to report your negligence to the Royal Family.”
“Are you threatening me now? You think the Inspection Bureau is stupid? Once this goes up the chain, do you really think Baron Winslet will walk away unscathed?”
“He will.”
“What?”
“Who do you think the Royal Family will side with? A replaceable prison warden? Or one of only two 7-class mages in the entire kingdom? Sir Wendrick, the current Court Mage, is already old. Who do you think will take the position next?”
“You… you snake!”
“I trust you’ll handle yourself wisely.”
Bang!
The warden of Dintalbü prison, who had come to interrogate me to determine responsibility, stormed out of the room, his face red with rage.
The intelligence agent who had rushed in to defend me as soon as he heard of my arrest gave a victorious whistle and extended his hand to me.
“Donatel. We meet again, Baron.”
“Can I leave now?”
“Of course, of course. The warden won’t be able to hold you accountable. In fact, the higher-ups have already made their decision.”
“But the truth hasn’t been uncovered. I really didn’t kill Kenneth.”
“Haha. Even if you did, Baron, if no one can accuse you, isn’t that the same as being innocent? Don’t worry so much about one dead criminal.”
He didn’t even bother pretending to believe me.
I ignored his handshake—dangerous ideologies weren’t worth indulging—and left the interrogation room.
Outside, Josefin was waiting.
“Ah, Winter!”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“I was just released too.”
Right, she had been suspected as an accomplice since she had arranged my entry into the prison.
“I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t been so indecisive, you wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess…”
Even now, she apologized.
I found it somewhat amusing.
Because in Judgment of Candela, Josefin was the kind of woman who would rather hurt herself than apologize to Winter Winslet—the very mention of his name made her shudder.
Right now, our relationship was far warmer than in the original game.
Perhaps the animosity between them in the original timeline had started from a very small misunderstanding.
If I could mend this fractured trust now, maybe things wouldn’t spiral into disaster between us.
…But I couldn’t be sure.
Because there was still one mountain left between Josefin and me.
[Alert]
[This character’s Death Flag has been activated.]
“Josefin.”
“Yes?”
“Do you really believe I didn’t kill Kenneth? One could think I used you to get revenge for his attack last night.”
“Well… I believe you didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
Josefin hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
“I don’t know. Maybe I just want to believe you. But do you really need a reason to trust someone? I want to believe you, so I do.”
“Since you believe in me, I will believe in you.”
“That’s… nice to hear. But why say this all of a sudden?”
I handed her the paper I had brought from the interrogation room, making her blush slightly.
“What’s this?”
“A magazine I read to pass the time. There wasn’t much else to do, and your name came up, so I tore out the page.”
“My name?”
<Exclusive Gossip – Rose Blanc Issue #132: Love and War Special!>
At 2 a.m., a man appeared in front of the house of the fiancée of the famous Mr. W, shouting loudly.
Was he a stalker? Or a secret lover?
Flap.
Josefin dropped the paper.
Her face pale, I asked,
“Is what’s written there true?”
According to the gossip, at 2 a.m., a young man had knocked on Josefin’s door, calling her name so loudly it woke the neighbors.
Her father, Marcel, tried to drive the man away, but Josefin stopped him and soon left with the young man.
The gossip speculated that perhaps the woman who once slapped her fiancé for cheating was herself having an affair.
Josefin spoke with a trembling voice.
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“You mean the article is fabricated?”
“Not completely made up, but… I mean!”
She couldn’t continue, her lips moving soundlessly.
“Can you explain what happened?” I asked calmly.
“No.”
“Can you at least tell me who that man was?”
“…No.”
Josefin lowered her head.
Even she knew how shameful this looked.
But unlike others, I knew nothing improper had happened last night.
Because I already confirmed this morning that the current timeline was still in the very early stages of the original game.
Last night, after slapping me, Josefin must have met a starving boy on the verge of collapsing at her doorstep.
His name was Pierre Chauvin.
The protagonist of Judgment of Candela, a young hopeful who had come to the capital with nothing but a recommendation letter, determined to become a knight.
And I knew why he sought Josefin.
Because Josefin de Azeta, my fiancée, was none other than the captain of the Candela Knights mentioned in his recommendation.
***
Judgment of Candela revolved around the Candela Knights and its protagonist.
The Candela Knights were a secret royal unit.
Naturally, its members’ identities were classified.
Josefin’s service in the Royal Guard was merely a cover—her real identity was the captain of the Candela Knights.
But bound by her oath of secrecy, she could not tell her fiancé about last night’s events or the country boy who had shown up with a letter from the previous captain.
What Josefin didn’t know was that Winter Winslet already knew her secret, and that his engagement to her was motivated by the desire to exploit that secret identity.
For a villain dealing in all sorts of underground crimes, a royal-backed force with access to classified information was the sweetest prize imaginable.
But what I didn’t know was that one day, the very Candela Knights and Josefin, whom I thought I could manipulate, would stab me in the back.
Josefin’s Death Flag would only disappear once I ceased to be an enemy of the kingdom.
“Winter.”
“Speak.”
Seeing me maintain a calm expression, Josefin looked at me with a guilty yet slightly hopeful gaze.
“You’re not angry at me?”
“No.”
“But if I were you, hearing such rumors, I would have…”
“Hit you in the face?”
“Ugh. I still regret what I did last night.”
“It was a joke. Didn’t I just tell you? Since you believe in me, I believe in you.”
“But still…”
If this went on, she’d be depressed all day. So, I did the same thing I had done last night to make her believe me.
A soft kiss, and eye contact.
“Look into my eyes.”
“What?”
“Do these look like the eyes of a liar to you?”
Raising the heroine’s affection was a matter of survival—basic knowledge for any Judgment of Candela veteran.
This wasn’t for personal pleasure.
“…Um.”
A voice interrupted us. Turning my head, I saw the embarrassed prison guard watching us.
“If you could save the romance for outside, I’d appreciate it.”
“Ah.”
Josefin blushed bright red.
***
After a short date with Josefin, I returned home and organized my plans as Winter Winslet.
In the original, Winter Winslet became the Candela Knights’ target after committing multiple crimes and, crucially, getting involved with a rebel faction.
So the solution was simple: no crimes, no grudges, just live as peacefully and inconspicuously as possible.
How hard could that be?
When I arrived home, the door opened before I even touched it.
Dahlia greeted me.
“Welcome home!”
Does she stand by the door all day while I’m gone?
I handed her the pastry box I was holding.
“Oh, dessert! Are we having guests?”
“No. It’s for you.”
Given Winter Winslet’s trash personality, he probably never treated her kindly before, so I had picked up some cake while at the café with Josefin.
This was also part of raising affection points.
[Alert]
[This character’s Death Flag has been activated.]
Since Dahlia could also become one of the causes of my death someday, it was wise to prepare in advance.
Kids everywhere loved sweets, so Dahlia bounced with joy at the sight of the cake.
“Oh, right! A package came for you, sir!”
“A package?”
She nodded and quickly fetched a small box.
It was about the size of a ring case, black with gold trim—expensive-looking.
“They said to deliver it as soon as possible. Must be urgent.”
I nodded, took the box, and opened it.
Then I closed it immediately.
I needed a moment to breathe.
…Damn it.
What the hell did I just see?
Click.
I opened the box again.
It was still there. I hadn’t imagined it.
Inside the box lay… a severed pinky finger.
I had no idea whose it was.
So much for a peaceful, uneventful life.