Translator: Wan ED/PR: Fan
“Come in.”
At Lucion’s words, Anthony politely entered the room.
“Excuse me, Young Master.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Lord is looking for Young Master.”
“…”
Lucion pressed his mouth shut for a moment.
By all odds, it seemed that he heard the knight’s report about the traces of the fight around the mansion.
‘He will tell me to make sure to take an escort when going outside now.’
Lucion pressed his forehead.
No matter what, at this point, he needed at least one person as his servant.
“Young Master. There is no need to worry too much. Lord only wants to have a light conversation with You.”
When Lucion didn’t say a word, Anthony smiled softly and soothed him.
“Anthony. Do you perhaps know a maid named Bella?”
“Yes, naturally. She is the maid serving knights. But do You mean to say that child made a mistake?”
“No. I was just curious who was so fearless to noise around the training ground.”
“I’ll give her a good talk.”
“No matter. There is no need to bother me with this matter any longer, so leave.”
“Yes, Young Master. I shall.”
Anthony bowed his head and then quietly walked backwards and left.
[What will you do?]
After Anthony left, Russell spoke up.
“A clueless maid isn’t a big deal. Killing her would only help the enemy.”
A suspicious smile appeared on Lucion’s lips.
[Anyways, Novio will probably talk with you about the escort.]
“I think so, too.”
[You probably won’t have a choice but to get a servant now.]
“Yes. I was making Father anxious until now, so I should lessen his worries a bit.”
When Russell suddenly went silent, Lucion turned his head and looked at Russell.
At Russell’s gaze, filled with surprise and worry, Lucion flinched sharply.
“Why are You so surprised by what I just said?”
[It would be stranger not to be surprised.]
At Russell’s reply, Lucion sighed deeply.
It was a fact that he acted like a scumbag until now, so what he could do?
‘And something like this didn’t happen once or twice.’
Lucion felt that the faces of the servants who looked at him were much brighter these days.
— Wasn’t Lucion originally kind?
Only Latta tilted her head, expressing her doubts.
***
“Hyung-nim.”
Lucion bowed his head to Carson, who quietly stood in front of Novio’s room.
‘Were You waiting for me?’
Lucion’s eyebrow twitched.
Carson glanced at Latta following after Lucion and opened his mouth.
“I heard the report from the knights assigned as your escort today.”
“I was wrong.”
Lucion cleanly admitted his wrongdoings.
It was wrong to leave the escort behind and go first.
Carson’s pupils shook violently.
— Hyung-nim, You have no idea what I’m enduring day after day. No, you could never know. So, please, please! Please shut up!
He recalled words Lucion suddenly spit out in the past.
“Father also asked me to see Him about this matter, correct?”
Lucion didn’t run wild or scream like he had in the past.
Nor did he look at Carson with resentment.
He realized anew that he had truly changed.
“Okay, alright.”
Carson belatedly hid his expression and spoke:
“Father will speak with you about it, but an unsavory incident took place close to the mansion. This incident was probably a continuation of the previous one.”
“The previous one?”
“I meant when I felt some kind of power in your room.”
‘I thought that I hadn’t seen Hyung-nim for a while for some reason. Did he go out to investigate around after the day my Darkness became Latta?’
Lucion unknowingly swallowed dry saliva.
He couldn’t say that the origin of it was Latta.
“According to the investigation results, the enemy country’s attack forces, which were still before, seem to have started moving again. Be careful.”
Carson finished his words and left.
[I guess the enemy forces infiltrated your territory just in time for you to attack them. What a luck.]
Russell crossed his arms as he spoke.
“Such things always happen. This is the border, and the enemy countries’ attacks are frequent.”
Lucion took a deep breath and stepped forward to enter the room.
“Sit down.”
Novio pointed at the sofa, speaking with a heavy mouth.
“I was wrong, Father.”
Just like with Carson, Lucion also quietly admitted his wrongdoings.
“Okay. I’m very glad that you know you were wrong.”
Novio’s eyes shook briefly.
“But there is no need for you to apologize to me. I won’t listen to this apology, and you should also know it.”
“… Yes?”
“You’re a child of this family, and the knight, who should be protecting you, didn’t fulfill his role, so it’s the knight who has to apologize.”
“Father. I hope You won’t punish the knight in any way.”
At Lucion’s earnest words, corners of Novio’s mouth twitched.
Lucion had such a side to him?
“Punishment can’t be avoided. But I’ll think about the severity of punishment.”
“Thank You, Father.”
“Lucion.”
“Yes.”
“As you would also know, this country, Teseal Empire, has its back to the Sea of Death and faces numerous kingdoms, which would stab us with a smile.”
The Sea of Death was the sea where no life lived.
Because of the strange phenomena like anything that touched it instantly rotting or dying, everyone kept away from it.
As if someone put up a barrier, it didn’t mix with ordinary seas, even though it was touching them.
As this territory was mentioned very little in the novel, Lucion managed to recall it, but it took a moment.
“Unlike the term ‘Empire’, it’s situated in a very precarious place, so our role as the Empire’s spear and shield is great.”
With ‘what the hell are you trying to say?’ doubt, he realized anew that Novio was bringing up everything he already knew.
“The enemy countries, which were quiet for the last six years, are moving. In particular, we caught Neuvera Kingdom’s soldiers.”
Novio’s eyes turned slightly fierce.
Neuvera was a kingdom aiming for the opportunity to take the Empire’s place, so its relationship with the Teseal Empire was very strained.
[It doesn’t seem like a simple attack, does it?]
Russell, who was quietly listening, frowned.
‘The enemy started moving at this point?’
Lucion thought for a second.
The novel started two years later from now.
The enemy country’s movements to steal the Empire’s place were already in full motion.
Novio spat out heavy words again.
“The enemy is aiming at you.”
‘That’s right. It’s not true now, but anyway, as the only ordinary person at this mansion…’
Lucion’s thoughts halted.
‘The enemy is aiming at me, You say?’
Wasn’t this so-called mansion the home of the strongest Cronia family?
Putting aside the fact that he was the only ordinary person in the mansion, it wouldn’t be easy to target him, who always stayed in the mansion.
‘My leaked information wasn’t bought by the bastards of Viscount Hellion, but the enemy country?’
He thought that the bastards of Viscount Hellion sent people in revenge for biting the ear of his eldest son, but it wasn’t it.
As expected, it was the right choice not to kill Bella straight away.
Since she was said to serve female knights, he could naturally run into her on the training ground in the future.
While hustling around saying he will catch the culprit in the mansion, how would shefeel if he approached her in person?
‘Her blood will freeze if she sees me.’
Lucion swallowed his laugh while deliberately raising his voice.
“My information was leaked again?”
“Yeah.”
Lucion closed his mouth at Novio’s nod.
“I know that you’re afraid of people.”
Novio spoke up carefully.
“But this time, we have to properly check if your information was just sold, or if our enemies were involved. More than anything, it’s for your safety, so…”
“I’ll personally employ my servant.”
“…?”
Novio gasped.
“They would be my person, so wouldn’t it be right for me to choose them?”
At the following words, Novio at last realized that he didn’t mishear.
“Even if I will regret it, I’ll do it. I’ll take responsibility and do it. Because I’m past my puberty now.”
Lucion spoke exactly the same way to his father as he did with Russell.
Novio was tongue-tied for a moment.
Did this child just now take a step on the road to becoming an adult?
“Even so, still… Still, let me take care of the things I can take care of for you.”
In his heart, Novio was proud of Lucion, who grew this much, as he knew his past, but he also wished for him to grow a bit slower.
“Yes, Father.”
Lucion smiled again.
“Thanks.”
Novio was also slightly embarrassed but smiled.
***
Before going to bed, Lucion decided to hear a report from Ghost No. 1.
“Latta. Tell no.1 to report.”
— Kay, wait a moment. Latta will just do this, and then will speak quickly.
Latta licked her front paws and mouth while replying.
“If you want meat, I can get you more later, so there is no need to be so sad.”
— Heup! Really! Give more meat?
Latta’s eyes twinkled immediately.
But she didn’t stop licking.
[… Is this what it means to grow up? I feel strange.]
“Master-nim and I knew each other for just a little over a month.”
Lucion drew a line.
[Still, it’s somehow touching.]
“Who the hell feels touched?”
[Everyone, it’s the first time you are taking care of something. You should have seen the expressions of the chief and the maid. Heartwarming by itself.]
At Russell’s words, Lucion reacted as if he was at a loss for words while urging Latta.
“Latta.”
— Kay!
Latta put down her front paws and straightened up her tail like an antenna.
— Ahem, ahem. No. 1. No. 1. Report to Latta.
Latta spoke as if testing a mic.
Soon, Latta’s eyes rolled.
— Latta guesses there was chaos after learning that Lucion is a warlock. Shutra was cursing, but after seeing the money, she turned quiet.
“Any signs of betrayal?”
— They showed no such things, thanks to Krone coaxing them well.
“Then, were there any attempts at learning my identity?”
— Uum. Shutra strongly pushed for learning Lucion’s identity, but Krone talked with her again. After Krone took a bit of money and went somewhere, Shutra kept cussing at Lucion. Like cun….
“Stop there.”
Lucion hastily cut her off, before Latta could spit out a curse.
In short, it was a report without any findings.
— Got it. Latta cuts off the communication!
Latta dropped her tail and beamed.
[Are you done now? It’s time for the newly grown children to sleep.]
Russell giggled and turned off the lights.
Whether in the past life or now, turning off the lights when he was already lying in bed was annoying.
In that sense, Lucion thought it was truly fortunate that Russell turned off the lights every time he was going to sleep.
“I have a truly good master-nim.”
Lucion honestly spoke his mind and closed his eyes.
While he fell into a deep sleep, Russell didn’t move a step until the morning, standing there quietly, dazed.
***
“Bella, towel.”
Lucion stretched out his hand.
“He-here.”
Bella offered Lucion a towel while trembling, looking as if she couldn’t even breathe properly.
Lucion didn’t accept the towel and instead looked at her with a smile.
“Are you scared?”
“Ah, n-no!”
“Then why are you so nervous? I didn’t do anything, so isn’t it strange for you to be like this?”
Lucion at last accepted the towel and wiped his sweat.
“I’m just nervous because it’s the fi-first time serving Young Master. I apologize, Young Master.”
“Don’t be nervous. Aren’t all first times difficult? If you do it once, twice, and so on, it will become nothing. That means to lose fear.”
At Lucion’s strange words, Bella clenched her hands with an anxious gaze.
“So, stop trembling.”
As his ghost was always watching Bella, Lucion gave her back the towel and quietly turned around.
‘Was I caught?’
Bella’s grip on the towel tightened.
‘… There is no way, right?’
If she was caught, wouldn’t her head be rolling on the ground?
Bella worked hard to calm down her pounding heart.
The gaze of Lucion, when he was looking at her, made her shiver and her blood freeze.
If she kept meeting Lucion like this in the future.
Bella tightly closed her eyes.
***
‘Today we enter the 10th day of training, and the 10th attempt to acquire Light resistance…’
Lucion looked at the X-filled notebook from the morning.
There were four days left until the banquet.
Lucion tapped the notebook.
Thanks to the strange ability to recall the novel content with abnormal precision, he thought of the people he could take as an escort and a valet.
Someone who will obey him while also being so quiet that they wouldn’t leak a word.
‘All of them are good, but how will I know where to find them two years earlier?’
If he could just remove that big problem.
[If you have any worries, speak your heart to this master.]
These days, because Russell’s tone became softer compared to before, he became much more burdensome.
Why was he suddenly like this?
“Master-nim.”
Lucion unwillingly opened his mouth.
[Yeah, disciple.]
Russell looked at him, filled with anticipation.
‘I’m slowly getting anxious, as there has been no reaction for over ten days.’
Lucion’s eyes rolled as he thought.
Each morning, he would eat latchou to raise his resistance while vomiting blood.
Was there really not a change no matter what?
‘As expected, I should increase the consumed dose.’
Lucion looked at Russell again.
Looking at Russell, who became a meek sheep for the first time in his life, Lucion swallowed a laugh.
‘Wasn’t it a golden opportunity right now?’
*~*~*
Translator’s note: Russell, Russell, you affection-starved idiot, your disciple is flower addicted.
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