Salvation Through Delusion C50

Chapter 50

Knock, knock.

“Lord Rue, there’s a request to move your carriage. Shall we head somewhere else?”

The coachman’s servant, sounding hesitant but exasperated, tapped on the door. Instead of answering, I gazed up again at the darkening sky.

It was already late. If I just went in, showed my face, and slipped out quickly, that would be enough, right?

Perverts were one thing, but what truly bothered me tonight was the godawful outfit I was wearing. I didn’t want to expose myself in public for even a minute longer.

The fluttering shirt alone wasn’t the main issue—the problem had been clear from the start. It was missing several buttons.

“Solongo, why are you suddenly so obsessed with my outfit? And what the hell is this thing?”

“It’s the current fashion, my lord.”

“…Buttons starting below the navel are fashionable now?”

“Indeed. You’ve seen Ma Hoiga’s attire, haven’t you? You can’t be an Adeye and lag behind in trends.”

A truly cursed fashion. I had no intention of following it, but Solongo pressed me relentlessly, bordering on suspicious. For a moment, I wondered if he just wanted an excuse to undress me.

After a long battle, I finally managed to secure a shirt with proper buttons. Yet somehow, by the time I arrived, every single one had fallen off.

This was sabotage—Solongo’s deliberate sabotage.

So I sat in the carriage, sewing buttons back on for an eternity. It was a perfect excuse to stall, but I couldn’t wait any longer.

Time to get it over with.

Bracing myself like a soldier heading to war, I finally stepped out of the carriage. But before I could even make it to the front doors, I was stopped by a guard.

“Are you Lord Adeye Rue?”

“That’s right.”

“This way, please.”

“Why? The main entrance is this way.”

“The manager said certain pre-entry agreements must be completed first.”

“What kind of agreements?”

“You’ll need to sign a waiver—promising not to physically assault club members.”

…For god’s sake. Because Rue squeezed a few crotches?!

Annoyance surged, but I didn’t want to cause a scene. I followed the guard. Still, as we walked, I noticed something strange—he kept leading me away from the main building.

At first, I brushed it off, but then Mo’s voice echoed in my head.

[We’ve passed the final path leading to the club’s main hall.]

I slowed my pace.

‘Mo, do you see anyone hidden nearby?’

As I subtly turned my head, Mo began scanning my surroundings through my field of vision. The best part about Mo was that if it entered my sight, nothing escaped his detection.

“Is something wrong, my lord?”

The guard had noticed my slowing steps.

[Three o’clock direction—shadow movement detected. Possible ambush.]

A trap. Definitely. But why? And who?

I stopped walking altogether. “Must be nerves. My stomach’s acting up.”

“We’re almost there. Please, just a few steps more.”

“I said my stomach hurts! Do you want me to shit right here?”

I snapped irritably, playing the fool as I turned away. But I hadn’t gone more than two steps when I heard movement—and a mocking voice behind me.

“How amusing.”

A new voice. I didn’t look back—I ran.

Footsteps pounded after me immediately.

Honestly, I was confident. I hadn’t been doing much in Tuvine besides forcing this frail body into something vaguely human. At the very least, I could run. I wasn’t losing to anyone in that.

Or so I thought—until someone flew over my head and landed with a thud in front of me.

What the hell?!

A tall woman drew her sword, blocking my path.

“I heard you were just a fool who knows nothing but rolling around with men.”

I didn’t judge people by appearance. But her eyes—those empty, soulless eyes—sent alarms blaring through every instinct I had.

People with eyes like that always caused problems. Bad ones.

I changed direction instantly. I could tell she was skilled, but I wasn’t about to find out how skilled by getting caught.

Unfortunately, she didn’t bother chasing me. Instead, she swung her sword.

Shit—there’s no dodging that—

BOOM!

A deafening blast shook the air as an invisible barrier flared up around me, blocking the strike. The force was so immense that not only the woman but the ones tailing me were all thrown backward.

What the—? Wait. My brooch?!

I glanced down and saw it split clean in half. The gem that had filled its center shattered and scattered across the ground.

Ah. So that’s what it was—an artifact of protection.

Worth as much as three mansions, easily. But this wasn’t the time to mourn my wallet.

I bolted. The tall swordswoman was still recovering, so I ran in the opposite direction. But I didn’t get far.

[Enemy ahead!]

Mo’s warning came just as a hand shot out from behind a nearby tree.

Shit—!

I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding the grab, but my shirt hem got caught. I stumbled forward and fell—only for someone to plant a boot on my chest, pinning me down.

A young man with short violet hair looked down at me.

“Adeye Rue. Took me long enough to find you.”

“Who the hell are you?”

He ignored the question and asked one of his own.

“You encountered a monster at the Ornod resort, didn’t you?”

I froze, staring up at him. He smiled, taking my silence as confirmation. Tyroc’s smirk was infuriating, but this man’s smile—this one made my skin crawl.

“I asked who you are,” I repeated, pushing against his foot. But before I could free myself, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

A small vial.

What—

Before I could process, he uncorked it and splashed its contents at me.

I raised an arm instinctively, shielding my face, but the stench hit instantly—sharp, chemical, nauseating. My head spun, vision blackening.

Then, nothing.

“What?! Tyroc actually went to the 13th Month Club?!”

Dr. Kim, as always, was working tirelessly—tossing back nutrient tonics like water. She often collapsed from exhaustion, so she had to make the most of every waking second.

Especially now that a companion who’d survived the Eye of Hell had crossed into this world with her. Having someone who understood, who could fight beside her—it reignited her old fervor.

Such a precious ally!

If she could, she’d keep him safely tucked away forever. But Rue’s determination to find the traitor couldn’t be restrained.

Still, she worried endlessly, like a mother watching her child play too close to a cliff.

That’s why she demanded hourly reports—and now, finally, news had arrived.

“Yes, our informant at the club just confirmed it,” Solongo reported. “He said the Grand Duke claimed he came to see an old friend—but really, who visits a friend like that? It must’ve been your letter that got to him.”

“So Tyroc is interested in Rue, then…”

Dr. Kim’s fingertips touched together, her lips curving into a sly, almost villainous smile.

“If this goes well, Plan X might succeed. Tyroc’s pride won’t let him abandon Rue once he impregnates him. And that means he won’t be able to marry the traitor.”

In Dr. Kim’s mind, Rue had already seduced Tyroc, birthed three children, and secured their future.

“Indeed,” Solongo nodded seriously. “No matter how proud Tyroc is, once he defiles a noble omega, he’ll never make it to the throne. The scandal would ruin him.”

They were both utterly lost in their delusions.

“Oh, Rue is perfect for this,” Dr. Kim murmured dreamily. “Sure, his reputation’s not the best, but he’s never actually married. That makes him… pure.”

As she continued building castles in the air, she suddenly frowned.

“Wait. Did the two of them meet yet?”

“Not yet, unfortunately,” Solongo replied. “Our informant hasn’t spotted Lord Rue inside.”

“It’s been ages since he arrived. Don’t tell me he’s hiding somewhere—”

Her words were cut off by a sharp, crystalline sound.

Clink.

Both she and Solongo snapped their eyes to the desk.

The small heart-shaped crystal sitting there had split cleanly in two.

Their faces froze.

That crystal was magically linked to the brooch on Rue’s chest—a security charm that shattered when its wearer was in mortal danger.

And it had just broken.