"Why would you think that?" The voice was quite even-toned, showing no surprise at all; he simply found Igor's behavior a little regrettable.
"I..." Igor stopped suddenly, forgetting what he'd intended to say. He grunted, trying again to figure out how to untangle the knot in his hand.
The scene had now completely shifted to Igor alone; the sound of Kuren coughing had vanished. It was just him and a tangle of knotted ropes left.
The knots were messy, seemingly tangled beyond recovery on all sides, offering no clue how to begin. These knots were also unfamiliar to Igor. He had studied various types before and could distinguish between dead knots and slipknots. However, the knot before him now showed no discernible pattern, appearing to be a dead knot formed by repeated, chaotic twisting and mingling. This restrictive uncertainty, where loosening one part might tighten another, was something Igor also needed to consider.
