Chapter 40 - Chapter 17.3

"Wait a minute." Oswald was not at all interested in how he cleaned up. "You said you saw a lion when you opened your eyes? Where were you lying?"

"On the ground," Kevin said.

"Just lying like this, with no cover?" Oswald said, "There are not many large beasts in Andorha, but there are a lot of bugs, which are eaten by the living and the dead, and affected by the mist, all of them are poisonous. If you apply medicine, it will fester and fester, what about your wound?"

Kevin is tight-lipped "..."

"Now, I raise a question as to your whereabouts?" Oswald inquired once more, raising his chin slightly.

Kevin responded helplessly, "Underground."

Oswald frowned, questioning, "Underground? What kind of lies is it?"

"Just dig a hole and bury it in the ground," Kevin explained.

Oswald pondered, "..." This portrayal is quite unnatural. Can a living person be buried underground?

"No matter how convincingly one pretends to die, they should not survive being buried for an extended period," Oswald remarked with a somber expression.

He suddenly recollected another detail, "When you died in battle, I was still at Parsons Manor. Although I did not witness it firsthand, Mi Ao mentioned it afterward. He claimed to have attended your funeral. After the coffin was laid to rest, he, along with several Bronze Army officers, remained in front of the tombstone for an entire day. They did not depart until dusk. With such limited space, could one endure a full day of boredom?"

Kevin remained silent.

Oswald's pale eyes, lighter in color since his youth, appeared nearly transparent, resembling the shrewd snow wolf of the Mogao Icefield. When he directed his gaze toward Kevin, an air of superiority and lucidity emanated from him.

"Very well...you may wait," Kevin rose from the opposite side of the bed, securely closing the window before approaching Oswald.

He asked, "Do you possess any kind of weapon? Such as a dagger or a short knife? Even a fruit knife would suffice."

Oswald remained silent. It appeared as though Kevin's request aimed to attain power and usurp the throne.

"Oh, I do not intend to imply anything untoward. Merely a borrowing," Kevin clarified.

"Take one more step with your bare feet," Oswald instructed, motioning for Kevin to retreat to the bed. He then stepped aside, retrieving a black gold dagger concealed behind a full-length mirror, and tossing it to Kevin.

Kevin caught the dagger, swiftly removing its sheath, and without hesitation, drew a line across his wrist.

"What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?!" Oswald seized the dagger in alarm.

"Relax," Kevin nonchalantly waved his hand and presented his wrist extended towards his eyes. "Examine it closely."

Reluctantly, Oswald fell silent, though his face remained perturbed. He likely regarded Kevin as somewhat deranged. With a solemn expression, Oswald observed the bleeding wound and prepared to summon assistance for Kevin to prevent the bleeding.

However, after a brief moment, Oswald's expression turned off.

This was because the wound had autonomously ceased to bleed, healing itself to a significant extent within a matter of seconds. It was a truly miraculous process, with the skin's fissures visibly reknitting together, even without the formation of scabs. It appeared as though the scratch had never occurred.

If not for the two droplets of blood staining the floor, Oswald would have suspected himself of sleepwalking.

Kevin waved his intact wrist before Oswald, stating, "Now, do you understand why I deceive others with falsehoods?"