Chapter 36
After a long time, the two hearts matched so well and the story became longer. Over time, Louivid left Gillard’s study and shook his head. Then, he bumped into Luciel, who was entering the hallway.
“Oh…Father-in-law. Did you meet Grandpa?”
“Yes. I see that you’re serious about magic training.”
“Yes…”
When Luciel answered with a blushing, the Duke knelt down to make eye contact with the child. Luciel’s appearance was a mess, perhaps because she trained until she was covered with sweat.
“Why don’t you get changed first?”
“Oh, I’m here to ask you about the assignment. I have a question about water magic.”
Louivid pointed at himself and said.
“That’s my attribute”.
“Oh… That’s right. I think water properties are the most difficult. It also suits father-in-law.”
“How does it suit me?”
As if he was having fun, he held his chin and asked.
“Uh… Well, that…”
“Because my appearance is cold? Or my personality?”
“…. No. When you are as soft as water or cool as ice, everything is wonderful.”
When Luciel smiled, the Duke’s eyes went round, and soon a smile spread around his mouth.
“My daughter-in-law knows things well. What are you curious about?
“Oh, I found the answer to grandfather’s assignment, and it was Fog. I thought it was a simple water or ice magic. Is there any other water-based magic that makes it snow or rain?”
“Of course.”
The Duke smiled and beckoned Luciel to come to his side. He went out to the courtyard, and as he looked up at the sky, he activated a blue magic circle. Seconds later, small rain clouds formed in the air and gradually turned black.
“Wow.”
Luciel approached the small cloud. Soon, rain shot from the clouds and poured. Luciel reached out her palm and touched the moist rain.
“It’s really raining.”
“Luciel. I want to ask you something.” “Yes?”
Luciel slightly raised her head and looked up at him. He opened his mouth with an awkward face, troubled as if he could not easily ask the child.
“What would you do if you met your father?”
“…..Oh, my father?”
Dark clouds hung over her crimson eyes that were usually clear. Luciel recalled the past of being trapped in a glass vault while waiting for death. All of that happened because of the Count’s greed.
“…I want to get revenge someday. With my own hands. I don’t consider him my father. Could this be the answer?”
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m always grateful to my father-in-law.”
“You’d better go wash up, because you look like a puppy who rolled around the dirt floor.” The Duke, who said so, held Luciel up. Luciel, who was held in his broad chest, was followed by a small cloud of rain that stopped raining.
“Why is that following me?”
“I don’t know.”
The Duke made an expression that he didn’t know. Soon, the sun shone in the white and fluffy clouds, creating a semicircular rainbow.
Luciel, who saw it, had a brighter smile than ever.
“Rainbow! It’s my first time seeing it!”
“Rainbows rise after rain.”
Luciel nodded her head at the Duke’s words and looked at the clouds and rainbows following after her for a long time.
Count Orbia stayed up all night and greeted the morning with a pale face.
Today was the day the demonic Duke of Bellstein had foretold in his last letter. He snorted, saying that it was ridiculous, but it wasn’t that he was empty of all fear, because it was from none other than the Bellstein family.
Bellstein would definitely not come barehanded. However, there was quite a distance to fill, so he will not be able to bring his troops. A minor elite group of knights might come.
‘It’s better to make countermeasures.’
The Count, rolling his anxious eyes, rubbed his chest as he glanced at the ceiling where the mercenaries were hiding.
It was exactly around noon.
The black carriage of the Duke of Bellstein arrived. It was a lustrous pitch-black carriage as if it had just come out of a brochure.
The person getting out of the carriage was…..
It was a young man who appeared to be the deputy of the Duke and a small silver-haired girl wearing a hat.
“That’s… Luciel?!”
The count doubted his eyes, but thought he could never miss this opportunity. Luciel returned home on her own two feet, and this time she will never escape from him.
The child slightly raised her head and the Count couldn’t hide his evil smile filled with wicked joy.
She was wearing a luxurious dress, but with small height, silver hair, and crimson eyes. It was definitely Luciel.
Surprisingly, it was such a naïve greeting for the Duke.
What did he see myself as? To send only one personnel with the child?
‘That’s quite foolish. Now, Luciel will be mine again. With a delighted face, the Count approached with the butler to greet them. A young man, who appears to be the deputy, greeted him first by taking off his hat.
“I’m Ellington Stewart, deputy to the Duke of Bellstein. I’m here to get approval for a marriage contract in place of the Duke.”
Listening to Ellington, Count Orbia laughed at
him.
“Ha ha, I have no intention of letting Luciel go. Marrying the child on your own…… It’s ridiculous and rude even for a Duke! Luciel, come here. Next to your Dad! Huh?”
When she did not come with a hand gesture, the Count grabbed the child’s arm tightly and forcibly pulled her.
“I finally found her. You’re so kind. Saving me the trouble of going to find Luciel.”
“….What are you doing? I showed you the face of Lady Luciel for the sake of your past ties. Let go of that hand!”
“You only pick silly things to say. This is mine!! was going to let you go nicely, but I can’t.”,
The Count, with a terribly mean face, caught the struggling child and gave it to the butler.
“Take her inside!”
Then he ordered the hidden mercenaries.
“Move!”
Then mercenaries came out from all sides one by one.
“…. Well, as expected, you were trash that was beyond words.”
As if Ellington knew this would happen, he whistled once while shaking his head at the shameful display.
Then the man sitting as a coachman in the carriage took off his ragged cape and threw it away. It was Jarga, the commander of the Black Wing Knights of the Duke. Black from head to toe, he was also nicknamed The Raven. He had previously dealt with mercenaries sent by the Count.
Ellington said, pulling a sword from his waist.
“Commander, should we deal with it together?”
“It is enough on my own, so please communicate with his Excellency. It is absurd to dare to fight against Bellstein using cheap mercenaries.”
Somehow, Count Orbia seemed to have touched Commander Jarga’s pride. One of the things that led to the undisputed sovereign of the Duke of Bellstein was the Black Wing Knights.
The mercenaries were taken aback by Commander Jarga’s momentum and killing intent, but Count Orbia said.
“The opponent is one guy. Kill him!”
Jarga, a former slave gladiator, was recognized for his skills by the Duke and became the Commander of his Order of knights. As far as swordsmanship is concerned, he was probably one of the most famous masters in the empire.
Tuck, Swoosh!
When Jarga wielded the sword, a blue slash splashed out.
“Argh!”
The mercenaries collapsed one by one at his lightning-like movements. As the mercenaries began to collapse, Count Orbia sprinted to flee into the mansion.
“Yeah, yes. I have Luciel…..! Even if I lose everything, I only need Luciel.” The Count rushed into the mansion and hurriedly told the butler. There were no remaining servants in the mansion except for the butler. All of them had to run away from Count Orbia’s beating and hysteria.
“Lock the door! Hurry up!”
The old butler moved as the Count told him, but he had a subtle expression on his face.
“Where’s Luciel?”
“Well, it’s…”
When the butler could not speak easily, Count Orbia was deranged and pressed him by the collar.
“Where is Luciel!! The duck that lays my golden eggs!
“O-0-over there…ugh.”
The Count urgently looked at the direction hastily pointed by the butler. He saw a girl lying on the sofa. The Count let him go and smiled as he approached Luciel, or what he believed to be her.
“Luciel. Did you think you could get away from me? You ungrateful thing!”
However, it was when he approached to shake the child’s body. The straw doll in a hat and dress collapsed. The hat rolled around.
“…Lu, Lu, Luciel?
Count Orbia’s eyes, which almost fell out of surprise, widened. He stared at the butler, quivering with a straw doll in his hands. He seemed to be half out of his mind.
“Lu, what’s wrong with Luciel? Huh?”
“As soon as I brought her into the house, she became a doll like that. I think we’ve been tricked by magic.”
“No…Nonsense!!”
The Count grabbed the back of his neck and fell to the ground. After a while, the door of the mansion, which had been locked, opened in a violent movement. The butler fled, and shortly thereafter the Count disappeared from the capital without making a squeak.
knock, knock
With the sound of knocking on the door, Count Orbia came to his senses.
He collapsed on the cold floor and lost consciousness for hours, his body was heavy as lead. It as black everywhere without a single ray of light. Above all else, his body trembled from the cold coming from the floor.
He tried to say something out of his mouth, but he couldn’t even open his mouth. He had been gagged. He couldn’t move his arms or legs. His limbs were bound.
The shoes that approached him while stomping had a fragrant scent. There was a slight breeze as his opponent was about to approach him.
“Whump!”(Count)
He could feel his opponent laughing. His breathing seemed to be suffocating as if his body was being crushed.
“Should I just kill you? Should I turn you into a crazy man? I thought about it.”
Soon, a terrifyingly cold voice struck his ear. The Count scrambled on the floor, but to no avail.