Evie and The Villain, who introduces himself as "Mr. Arthur," arrive at Otto Warsen's smithy to question the blacksmith about the dragon collar. Evie is deeply uncomfortable, as Warsen once attacked her with a blade when she rejected his romantic advances, leaving her with a magical scar on her shoulder. Despite her fear and revulsion, she resolves to go through with the visit for Trystan's sake.

Upon entering, Warsen pulls Evie aside and dismisses the attack as a "misunderstanding," but Evie pointedly reminds him that she told him to get away before he slashed her. She notices that a white-bladed dagger Warsen keeps causes her scar to throb with pain, confirming the magical nature of the wound. Evie channels her anger into professionalism, steering the conversation toward the dragon collar while The Villain plays the role of a wealthy nobleman seeking to commission a restraint for a guvre he's acquired.

Warsen, eager for gold and recognition, boasts that he once made a collar for a real dragon—the very collar they're investigating. The Villain pays him five gold pieces for the full story. Warsen explains that approximately six months ago, a masked man wearing the king's symbol came to him and commissioned the collar. The man claimed to work for King Benedict and said the collar was being sent directly to Massacre Manor as a warning to The Villain that his days were numbered. Warsen also reveals widespread rumors that Benedict and The Villain have a history—that The Villain was once an apprentice to the king, and Benedict has been passive in dealing with him due to sentiment.

Though they now have confirmation that the collar was a deliberate message from someone connected to the king, Evie and Trystan are no closer to identifying the traitor's actual identity since the man wore a mask. As they prepare to leave, Evie defiantly tells Warsen his services won't be needed, provoking his fury. The Villain calmly backs her up and they turn to go, but Evie sees Warsen moving toward Trystan with the enchanted dagger and screams in warning.