Evil-like Duke Household

In the noble district in the imperial capital of the Azolias Kingdom, one man was walking.

His age was around 20 years old. And, as if emphasizing the fact that he was someone who was walking on the path of a sorcerer and that he was a noble, he wore a robe with a thread made of gold as it's ornament.

Indeed, from the attire that he wore, one could guess that he was both a noble and a sorcerer.

Still, while he was someone that was learning magic, he was still young. Therefore, he never really participated too deeply in magic.

That's right. He was one of the Azolias Magic Academy's students.

Right now, that student from the magic academy was in the middle of his summer vacation.

Generally, students were divided into two types. The type that stayed in the dorm, and the one that came back to their house.

He was the last.

He was the son of the Viscount that lived in the imperial capital.

Azolias Magic Academy, on top of having the qualifications to teach magic, it also needed to be in some frontier where there were some unexplored magic regions lying nearby.

Because of that, for the students that lived in the imperial capital, half of them were thinking of wanting to go back home.

He was also one of them. As if to take back the portion of agony by the fact that there was no good store in the academy except the stall, the first thing he did on his summer vacation was go to the imperial capital.

The reason for his outing today was also to fill his portion of the imperial capital before he went back to the magic academy.

He planned to visit the magic item store that recently had been built. After that he would go to some high class restaurant after a long time, then go back home.

He was in very good mood.

... Until he saw that person.

It was when he passed the noble district's plaza...A place that was frequently used as a meeting place between people.

Suddenly, inside a space that people seemed to naturally evade, a tall and lean man was standing in waiting.

[ Th, ...[Incarnation of devil snake] ... !?]

Unconsciously, he called that person's second name. It was a shock that made him very surprised.

He... he, who was the student of the magic academy, just like what had been stated before, was staying in the Magic Academy unless he had a long vacation.

The fact that he knew about Jake, was because how famous Jake is.

That's right. It was because of the dark rumor of the Ractos household that he heard, every time he visited the imperial capital.

In that rumor, Jake Ractos was frequently seen in the civilian district... or the so called, castle town area. Furthermore, he was always doing some activities in the place where the sun couldn't reach, and it was said that Jake Ractos was planning something bad in secret.

Actually, even after all the times he visited the noble district, never once had he ever seen Jake's appearance.

He only heard someone saw him around the vicinity of the magic guild, that's all.

But, right now, that Jake Ractos was in the noble district.

Furthermore, the time was just right at the day when he wanted to enjoy the imperial capital.

He, who came from the magic academy, felt some unspoken worry that he wasn’t zable to put into words... an obscure bad premonition, and so he planned to quickly leave the place.

---But, by the time he was about to do that, he realized that there was an appearance of a woman who was approaching Jake Ractos.

[So, sorry for waiting ... Jake-sama]

A faint, inhuman-like...that's right, an eerie voice.

Though it was not to the extent that he was familiar with that voice, but it was a voice that he had heard somewhere.

[Wha... she is, [Deep Sea]!?]

The [Deep Sea] name unconsciously came out from his mouth.

That was the second name of the woman that even now was still walking toward Jake Ractos... No, probably it was closer to call it the avoidance name.

Sluggish eyes that looked like a dark deep sea, also her hair... the one who had that name, Anessa Nizzet.

Just like he, who was the Viscount son, that girl was also a student from thee magic academy.

She was the daughter of Count Nizzet household, a house that has a history in magic.

At this moment, he, who was a student from magic academy, remembered the recent rumor--- no, information.

It was about Jake Ractos and Anessa Nizzet's engagement.

The engagement between the Duke and Count households, while it was something that was indeed rare, it was not that weird.

But, the head of the Ractos household, Grid Ractos, was also the kingdom's Governor.

Compared to that, the Nizzet household was a family with magic lineage... furthermore, Anessa Nizzet was their only daughter. The marriage between a house of politics and a house of magic.

It was better if it was a knight household, but in this Azolias, politics and magic was too far apart.

Furthermore, the magic house was giving their only daughter when they didn't have any other child.

On the top that, it would be too weird if this was a political marriage, though this was impossible. If this was marriage based from love, it could be said that this engagement was based on one house exhorting the other.

And so, the one who knew about this engagement, saw this engagement as the Ractos household plotting something.

Actually, this academy's student also thought the same.

He, the time he saw the fact that Jake Ractos and Anessa Nizzet were meeting in the noble district, his thought started to revolve.

It's that Jake Ractos. Surely it's not that they are just trying to get closer as a fiancée.

... In the first place, why did he choose the Nizzet house?

The magic house that have stronger power than Nizzet household, while it was not many, it was still not little, too.

The power of magic house--- if they wanted their influence, choosing Nizzet household would feel like it was unnatural.

Then, as expected what Ractos household needed was Anessa Nizzet herself.

And so, he hid himself so that he couldn't be seen by those two people, as he was thinking.

However, as if realizing something at that place, he started to shake his head removing

all of the thought that was inside his head a moment ago.

[Stop, stop. What the heck was I thinking. This is my precious summer holidays... the imperial capital, after a long time. If I keep thinking about those dark rumor, there's this saying right, all pain no gain.]

The dark rumor of the Duke household.

How people would respond to those rumor were roughly divided into four kinds.

First, the people who spread the rumor, in fun, worry, fear, a lot of reasons.

Another one, is the one who went to search the truth about the rumor, and also tried to stop the plan in the rumor, the people with strong sense of justice.

Third one, those who didn't really care about the validity of the rumor, currying the Ractos household, those who tried to get the honey of the circumstance.

The last one, is the one who pretend to not know about the rumor, those who don’t want to be a bit related with these things.

Particularly, the noble who were lower than Count usually prefered the last one.

He, who was the son of Viscount, also the student of the magic academy, also chose to do so.

He would not try to get closer to something dangerous.

No god will punish those who are not evil, or so the saying said.

[Aargh, this thing is somehow killing the mood... but the day is still long. Right, I will go to magic item store. Let's not think about them, don't get concerned with them.]

As if reminding himself, he muttered so, then he started to walk toward the place that was his first destination, the magic item store.

--- If only the thing ended with just that, but it seemed that today, he... the magic academy's student and the Viscount’s son, was not really blessed by the star.

He, who arrived at the magic item store, as if forgetting the thing that happened before, was engrossed with the item at the store.

He was someone who was learning magic, but the thing that he was learning was something closer to medical treatment.

And so, he never thought that the shop would have a collection of medical items and books as full as this. Thus, now he was in a good mood.

...Until several minutes ago.

[Heeh ... using a small magic stone and ejecting in high speed using magic ... the bubble ... amazing, huh, it even said that there will be no pain. With this no one will realized even if I shot them with, right? There seem leave no trace, too, kishishi]

Before he realized it, the [Incarnation of devil snake] Jake Ractos had come nearby.

Adding to that, sticking close to him, his fiancée Anessa Nizzet was also there.

That's right. Out of all things, his destination was the same as Jake and his fiancée.

And then, becoming too engrossed in the many medical items, he didn't realized them coming closer to him, and now, reaching the present situation.

The present situation, where Jake Ractos was saying something that brought unrest to people, near him...

Jake's word, sounded like something that made your back froze, making fear run through your body.

The subject of their conversation as he took the needleless syringe on his hand, confirming its function with Anessa.

The first impression that Jake had of that thing that wouldn't hurt, no sound, and wouldn't leave any mark, a groundbreaking item for those who hate injections is that [no one would realized when they're being shot with it.] (TL: pretty psychopathic indeed)

The boy of the magic academy thought, please stop.

He thought, I don't want to get involved, Don't make me hear it, don't make me hear it, please stop this.

He added, please stop making me able to hear it as if you're giving me hint about your evil plan, please stop.

After all, he knows, that it was already dangerous by knowing those thing.

[ Jake-sama, did you, umm, also know matter about medical care?]

[ Hm? Not at all, I'm entirely on magic development after all, I don't know anything

about medical things.]

His wish was not granted.

On the contrary, they started saying things about how the syringe would be used. The fact that they would use a third party to do things for them.

Why, why did the information keep coming.

Please, please stop it.

This is the noble district, probably, other than him the people in the surrounding also thought about the same things.

Please don't add anymore, those information that's already bad if you know about it.

However, the pair didn't seem like they were about to grant their wish, that was similar to begging, at all.

After that, at the writing implement booth, he heard the conversation about how they will insert the latest cartridge pen without ink but other thing, and will use it for another thing, they even planned to order made on that particular structure so it could become more useful for them... around that conversation, including him the people inside the store couldn't be able to bear it, almost all of them are leaving the store.

Those who left the store, in the end couldn't enjoy their shopping.

The magic academy boy is also included.

Each of them, with discouragement, fear, and worried expressions, went to their next destination.

He too, to change the mood, started to walk toward his next destination.

... At that time, he still hadn't realized.

The fact that this day, of all days, was an unlucky day for him.