HDBMTD 100

HDBMTD | Chapter 100

Posted by Ruby, Released on September 12, 2025

~Chapter 100~

The night swallowed the world in darkness. A round full moon hung in the sky, casting a pale glow. The air was heavy with the stench of blood, smoke, and burning flesh. At the peak of a mountain of corpses, Nocturne gazed up at the moon.

Then, from the black ground, came a trembling voice.

“Are you… not afraid of consequences?”

Nocturne lowered his gaze from the moon, looking down slowly.

A man crawled weakly on the ground, bleeding. He wore the Imperial Army’s uniform, with the insignia of a Knight Commander pinned to his chest.

“A Duke of the Empire… attacking Imperial soldiers…”

“Can you still say that proudly after what you’ve done?”

At Nocturne’s icy words, the commander’s eyes shifted away.

This was the uninhabited land outside Graymoss’s borders.

Beneath Nocturne’s feet lay mountains of beast corpses. All around were bodies of Imperial soldiers, and among them were Cambiata Club members from that night’s meeting.

The scene was dreadful at a glance.

Truthfully, the Imperial Army discovering Aria’s location was nothing new.

She had caused such a stir in the North that it would’ve been strange if the Empire’s surveillance hadn’t noticed.

From the second day in Graymoss, the Imperial Army had used extreme measures to draw Nocturne out—disturbing a nearby beast nest to lure them into the city, triggering alarms so Nocturne would appear.

The army unit was elite: more than twenty A-class Eshafes. In theory, fifteen A-classes equaled one S-class. With added traps, the Empire had thrown in everything.

At first, Nocturne was baffled.

Sending so many A-classes—when they were already scarce—must have left the Empire itself weakened.

And he couldn’t simply slaughter them; as the commander said, a Duke of the Empire could not openly massacre Imperial soldiers.

At first, he struggled. But soon, he grew grateful.

Because their alarms gave him an excuse to leave the mansion.

Thanks to that, eliminating Cambiata members one by one became much easier.

The reason Cambiata members were suddenly “missing” was Nocturne himself.

Two days remained until the full operation to wipe out Cambiata. The more members he removed beforehand, the easier that day would be.

What worried him most was the chance that someone in the Club knew about Aria’s cloning process. If Aria faced such a person and a command was triggered inside her mind… her life could be at risk.

Nocturne wanted her to gain achievement from this mission—but without danger.

Because of this, he alone now fought beasts, Cambiata, and the Imperial Army all at once.

This was the true identity of the “rats” he hunted every night.

“We are loyal servants of the Emperor’s will…!”

The commander, unable to crawl any further, collapsed completely.

“Will you betray the Empire, Duke Vendrix…?”

At that, Nocturne gave a low laugh.

“Betray the Empire? That’s you.”

His voice grew sharp and cold.

“Ariadne is the Empire’s savior and the next Emperor. What you’re doing is treason.”

“The Princess is already dead! Therefore, the next Emperor is—”

“She didn’t die.”

Nocturne cut him off.

“Aria is alive.”

The commander lifted his head.

Nocturne sat upon a mountain of corpses, pale moonlight shining behind him. His figure resembled death itself—yet still carried a sorrowful air.

The commander spoke with pity.

“…Wake up, my lord.”

“Shut up, Mark. My head’s already a mess.”

Nocturne’s low voice carried threat.

“Say one more word, and I’ll knock you out.”

The commander flinched and closed his mouth.

Nocturne turned back to the moon, lost in thought.

‘It’s clear Aria still loves me. She even said I was the best… that she was satisfied. And yet she keeps trying to end our bond and leave. Talking about becoming a farmer of all things.’

He had done everything possible, but it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t hold her alone.

Aria’s only reason to stay was the Cambiata mission. Once it ended in two days, he needed a new reason to keep her by his side.

She never ignored people in need—Bill’s family, the villagers, even the Duchess of Ruin. She always stepped in.

‘Am I… no longer someone who needs her help?’

It felt like she no longer saw him as someone to save. No matter how he pleaded, her heart wouldn’t turn back.

To keep her, he needed a new incident—one she would feel compelled to take on, one that gave her the joy of saving others.

‘For now… she’s curious about the Duchess of Ruin.’

Nocturne slowly stood up on the mountain of corpses.

BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—

I woke to the sound of an alarm. Reaching for the side, instead of cold sheets, my hand touched warm skin.

“…Ah.”

“You’re awake?”

I opened my eyes and saw his perfectly handsome face again.

For days he had always been in his outdoor clothes, but today he wore something very casual—or rather, nothing formal at all. His bare upper body showed solid muscles, with faint scratches from my nails still left on his shoulders.

‘So… it’s been three nights in a row like this.’

Last night, the alarm rang as usual, and Nocturne returned late. What followed had become natural routine.

He kissed my forehead softly, then casually reached under the bedframe and pulled out my hidden alarm artifact.

“Where did you even get this thing?”

“…It’s mine, give it back.”

My sleepy words made him grin mischievously.

“Come and take it.”

He hid the artifact behind his back. I frowned and leaned forward to grab it. In that instant, he turned and pulled me into his arms.

“Ugh—Nocturne.”

My face was buried against his chest. He stroked my hair gently and kissed my neck. The ticklish touch made me laugh before I could stop myself.

“Stop it.”

Only when my face had completely relaxed did he finally place the artifact in my hand.