Chapter 20
Edited by Schwarzel
“Come in.”
At Lucion’s words, Anthony entered the room in a polite manner.
“Excuse me, young master.”
“What’s going on?”
“The Lord is looking for you.”
“…….”
Lucion shut his mouth for a moment.
It seems that he heard the report from the knights that there were signs of a fight near the mansion.
‘Now you’ll tell me you’ll put an escort on me when I go out.’
Lucion pressed down on his forehead.
Even so, he needed a person for his double life.
“Young master, you don’t have to be too nervous. The Lord wants to have a casual conversation.”
When Lucion was silent, Anthony smiled softly and soothed him.
“Anthony, do you happen to know a maid named Vera?”
“Yes, of course, I know. She’s the maid who takes care of the servants here. But did she make a mistake?”
“No. I just wondered who was so fearless making too much noise near in the grounds.”
“I’ll tell them.”
“Okay. You don’t need to worry about this anymore, so go back.”
“Yes, young master. Of course.”
Anthony bowed his head and stepped back quietly.
[What are you going to do?]
After Anthony left, Russell talked to him.
“It’s not something a maid would do without knowing anything. Killing her would only help the enemy.”
Lucion put a suspicious smile on his mouth.
[Anyway, I think Novio will tell you about having an escort.]
“I had a similar idea.”
[I have no choice but to save my servant.]
“Yes, My father has been upset with me so far, so I’ll have to relieve his worries a little bit.”
Suddenly, when Russell was silent, Lucion turned his head and looked at him.
Lucion flinched for a moment at Russell’s eyes filled with surprise and worry.
“Is what I just said so surprising?”
[It’s weird not to be surprised.]
Lucion sighed deeply at Russell’s reply.
It’s true that he’s been acting like a dog.
[‘It’s not like this happened once or twice.’]
Lucion felt his servants’ faces brightened up these days.
—Lucion is always nice, right?
Ratta tilted her head in wonder.
* * *
“Brother.”
As Carson stood still in front of Novio’s room, Lucion bowed his head.
‘Did he wait for me?’
Lucion’s eyebrows wriggled.
Carson opened his mouth as he peeked at Ratta, who had followed Lucion.
“I heard a report from your escort knight today.”
“It’s my fault.”
Lucion admitted his mistake neatly.
It was wrong to leave the escort behind first.
Carson’s eyes shook greatly.
“You don’t know what kind of hell I have to endure day by day. No, you wouldn’t know. So please, please! Shut that mouth!”
Suddenly, Carson remembered what Lucion said.
“I’m sure my father wanted to see me about this.”
Recently, Lucion has never been as wild or shouted as before.
In addition, he did not look at Carson with resentment.
Carson thought Lucion had changed a lot.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Carson said with a belated look on his face.
“As father said, something unsavory has happened near the mansion. This is probably what happened last time.”
“What happened last time?”
“The day I felt some power in your room last time.”
‘Somehow, I thought I didn’t see you for a while. Have you been investigating the surroundings since the day darkness became Ratta?’
Lucion swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
‘I can’t say the cause is Ratta.’
“The investigation showed signs that the enemy’s attack, which had stopped, had begun again. Be careful.”
Carson finished his sentence and left.
[The enemy must have attacked your territory just in time. You got lucky.]
Russell said, arms crossed.
“It happens all the time. This is a change, and enemy attacks are frequent.”
Lucion didn’t enter the room until he breathed heavily.
“Sit down.”
Novio pointed to the sofa and opened his mouth solemnly.
“I’m sorry, Father.”
Lucion, as he did to Carson, readily admitted his fault.
“Yes, I’m glad you know your fault.”
Novio’s eyes bent for a moment.
“But you don’t have to apologize to me. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this apology, so you know.”
“…Yes?”
“You are the son of this family, and the knight who should have protected you did not do his job, so it is the knight who should apologize.”
“Father, I don’t want you to punish the knight.”
At Lucion’s earnest words, Novio twitched the corners of his mouth.
He can’t believe Lucion is saying this.
“Punishment is inevitable. But I’ll consider the intensity of his punishment.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Lucion.”
“Yes.”
“As you know, this country, the Tesla Empire, has a sea of death behind it, and there are many kingdoms in front of it that laugh and try to put their swords in us.”
The sea of death was literally a sea without life.
Anything that came into contact with the place was caused by a strange phenomenon, such as rotting or dying in an instant, so no one gets close.
It is in contact with the regular sea and does not mix with the regular sea as if someone had set up a boundary.
It took Lucion a little time to think of it because it was only mentioned for a short time in the novel.
“Contrary to the name of the Empire, we are located in a very unfavorable terrain, so our role as the spear and shield of the Empire is huge.”
What the hell he was trying to say, Novio brought up a story he knew all over again.
“The enemy country, which has been quiet for almost six years, is moving, and especially this time, they have captured the soldiers of the Neubra Kingdom.”
Novio’s eyes became slightly fierce.
The Kingdom of Neubra was a kingdom seeking the seat of the Hoshitam Empire, so it did not get along very well with the Tesla Empire.
[I don’t think it’s a simple attack.]
Russell, who was still listening, frowned.
‘Is this the beginning of the enemy’s movement?’, Lucion thought for a moment.
The start of the novel is two years from now.
It was when the enemy’s movement was already intensifying to take the position of the empire.
Novio spoke again in a heavy voice.
“The enemy was after you.”
‘Right. Not anymore, but anyway, I’m the only ordinary person in this mansion….’
Lucion stopped thinking.
‘The enemy was after me?’
This mansion is the strongest place in the Cronia family.
Apart from the fact that he was the only ordinary person in the mansion, it was not easy to aim for himself, who was always in the mansion.
‘Isn’t it the enemy country who bought my leaked information, not the Viscount of Horaon?’
I wondered if the Horaon Viscounty sent someone to get even with their eldest son for his deafness because of him, but that was not the case.
It was also the right choice not to kill Vera right away.
She said that she would serve as a servant of the knights. So we were able to meet naturally at a dance hall in the future.
How would it feel if he approached the person himself while setting up the house to catch the criminal?
‘If you look at me, your blood will dry.’
Lucion deliberately raised his voice, hiding his laughter.
“Did my information leak out again?”
“Yes.”
At Novio’s nod, Lucion shut his mouth.
“I know you’re afraid of people.”
Novio carefully brought it up.
“But we need to make sure that this is just about selling your information or getting involved with the enemy. I think your safety comes first and foremost for this…”
“I’ll hire my servant by myself.”
“……?”
Novio took a big breath.
“They’re gonna be my servant, so wouldn’t it be right for me to choose them myself?”
Only then did Novio know he wasn’t misheard.
“I’ll do it even if I regret it. I’ll take responsibility for it. I’m past puberty already.”
Lucion said the same thing to his father, as he said to Russell.
Novio was speechless for a moment.
When did this child step on the steps of becoming an adult?
“But still… Let me still take responsibility for you.”
Novio was proud of Lucion, who grew up this well even with that kind of past, but he wanted him to grow up a little slowly.
“Yes, Father.”
Lucion smiled again.
“Thank you.”
Novio is also slightly awkward, but he drew a smile.
* * *
Lucion wanted to hear a report from Ghost One before he went to sleep.
“Ratta, tell number one to report.”
—Yeah, wait a minute. I’ll tell you quickly after Ratta does this.
Ratta replied, licking her front foot and mouth.
“You don’t have to be so sad because we can give you more meat later on.”
—Hoh! Really? Are you giving me more meat?
Ratta’s eyes glistened quickly.
But it didn’t stop the squealing.
[Are you saying that you’ve grown up? It feels really weird.]
“Teacher and I have been seeing each other for a little over a month.”
Lucion drew a line.
[But it’s still touching.]
“Where on earth do you feel touched?”
[Whoever it is, it’s the first time you’ve taken care of anything. I should have seen the face of the chef and the maid. Hmm hmm, that was it.]
At Russell’s words, Lucion reacted vigorously and urged Ratta.
“Ratta.”
—Yes!
Ratta lowered her front foot and then raised her tail as close as an antenna.
—Ah. One. One. Please report to Ratta.
Ratta opened her mouth as if she were doing a microphone test.
Soon, Ratta rolled her eyes.
―When they found out that Lucion was a warlock, there must have been an uproar. Stra also cursed, but when she saw the money, she calmed down.
“Any sign of betrayal?”
―I don’t see any signs of that because Kran holds them down.
“Then what about an attempt to reveal my identity?”
—Mm-hmm. Stra insisted strongly on knowing who you were, but Kran stopped her again. Kran went somewhere with the money a while ago, and Stra keeps swearing at Lucion. So, I mean, she-…
“Until there.”
Lucion abruptly cut off Ratta before she spoke out.
In short, it was a report without substance.
—All right, Ratta, no more communications!
Ratta smiled as she lowered her tail.
[It’s time for a newborn kid to go to bed.]
Russell giggled and turn off the lights.
It was the same thing that it was annoying to put out the lights in bed in the past life or now.
In that sense, Lucion felt lucky that Russell turned off the lights every time he slept.
“It’s great to have a teacher.”
Lucion confessed his honest heart and closed his eyes.
While he slept soundly, Russell stood still, not a step away, until morning like a block of unmoving ice.
* * *
“Vera, towel.”
Lucion reached out his hand.
“He-, here you are.”
Vera trembled as if she couldn’t breathe properly and held out a towel at Lucion.
Lucion smiled gently at her without getting a towel.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“Oh, oh, no!”
“Then why are you so nervous? I didn’t do anything, you’re so weird.”
Lucion then got the towel and wiped off his sweat.
“It’s my first time to serve you here, so I’m nervous. I’m sorry, young master.”
“Don’t be nervous. It’s all hard at first, isn’t it? Once, twice, if you keep doing it, it will become natural. Your fear will be gone.”
At Lucion’s strange words, Vera clenched her hands with anxious eyes.
“So don’t be nervous.”
His ghost was always watching Vera, so Lucion quietly turned around after handing out the towel again.
‘Did I get caught?’
Vera’s hand, which grabbed the towel, was strained.
‘…No way.’
If she had been caught, wouldn’t her neck have rolled the floor?
Vera had to soothe her pounding heart.
Lucion’s eyes, which looked at her, were chilling and felt like her blood was drying up.
She have to continue to look at Lucion like this in the future.
Vera closed her eyes tightly.
* * *
‘Today, on the 10th day of training, the attempt to acquire light tolerance has also entered the 10th…’
Lucion looked at his notebook full of X since morning.
There were about four days left until the banquet.
Lucion tapped his notebook.
I thought of someone to take with me as an escort and butler thanks to the strange ability that only the contents of the novel come to mind.
A being who is reticent enough to not let out a word yet obeys him.
‘It’s all good, but how do I know where those people were two years ago?’
Except for the big problem.
[If you have any worries, tell this teacher as much as you want.]
Russell’s tone has been soft since a few days ago, making it too burdensome.
Why are you doing this all of a sudden?
“Teacher.”
Lucion reluctantly opened his mouth.
[Yes, my disciple.]
Russell looked at him with anticipation.
‘I’m getting nervous because there’s been no effect from Ratcho for 10 days.’
Lucion rolled his eyes and thought.
I threw up blood every morning and ate Ratcho to develop my tolerance.
No matter what, there must be some change.
‘I guess I don’t eat enough.’
Lucion looked at Russell again.
At the sight of Russell, who had become a gentle sheep for the first time in his life, Lucion suppressed his laughter.
‘Isn’t this just my chance?’