episode_0054

Silence fell.

Of course, it’s not that I have nothing to say.

“… … ”

That’s because the duke hasn’t opened his mouth yet.

A thick silence.

When everyone is just watching.

“Do you think Elin has the ability to take charge of the household?”

The deep voice of the duke flowed out.

“Of course.”

“Does that mean Elin is a good fit for Bertain, beating out Clavel and Gerald?”

Luke thought about it for a moment.

No matter how I looked at it, such a dirty family and pure Elin didn’t go together.

“No.”

So I answered honestly.

Natia and other Bertain members made faces as if to say, ‘What is this crazy guy talking about?’

“Then why did you say that?”

“Princess Elin is not suitable for the current Bertain.”

Can I say this?

I paused for a moment.

With just one word, it was obvious that not only Elin but also Luke would have a hard time.

But we’ve already come this far.

It is impossible to take back what has been said.

“I think you are the right person to reform Bertain.”

I just poured out my honest feelings.

“How dare you…!”

“Senior, that’s a little… .”

As expected, there was a backlash.

Natia blushed and jumped up.

Clavel also frowned.

But when the Duke raised his hand, everyone fell silent again.

“Reform. That sounds like a statement that there are problems in Bertain that need to be fixed.”

“Yes.”

I nodded my head as if I was tightrope walking.

“Isn’t it strange? That such harsh education is being carried out in the best family in the empire.”

“Don’t you think that you became the best thanks to the harsh training?”

“In the best families, the eldest son never runs away.”

Oops.

I covered my mouth belatedly because it felt like the rope I was riding on had snapped.

“… … ”

A cool silence fell.

This time, the other Bertain members did not even dare to turn their heads to the Duke.

The restaurant itself looks frozen.

Gulp.

When cold sweat runs down the back of your neck.

“Sure. That’s true.”

The peacock, with his eyes narrowed, surprisingly admitted it obediently.

“Hoo… .”

At the same time, the cold atmosphere that seemed to freeze my lungs melted away.

“I’m surprised. It’s amazing that you can say something like that while you’re only in a contractual relationship.”

It meant that he could (physically) blow off the ball at any time.

Luke didn’t lower his stiffly held head.

“That’s not all. I am truly ready to make you the best wizard on the continent.”

“Absurd confidence is arrogance.”

“Can be proven by results.”

“Huh.”

A peacock laughing in vain.

But there was a glint of interest in his eyes.

“As I said before, come to my office after you finish eating.”

The conversation seemed to end there.

The peacock moved his fork again.

“…Father?”

Clavel’s voice, which had been blank, trembled slightly.

Even if we assume that the tutor who said that crazy thing didn’t immediately lose his head.

He did not give a definite answer to Clavel about entrusting him with the role of the next head of the household.

That means there was a chance that Elin would participate in the competition.

“I’m just saying this just in case… Isn’t Ellin too young to be the next head of the household?”

“What does age have to do with family?”

“Still, Gerald is having a hard time taking classes… .”

“Leo has been enduring it since he was much younger.”

But in the end it couldn’t hold out and broke.

As he added, Clavel was left speechless.

“I think Clavel is right.”

This time, Natia intervened.

“Age aside, suddenly putting the youngest in the family is… … .”

“Why is everyone reacting like that?”

Luke cut Natia off and spoke again.

I fell off the line and survived.

There’s no reason I can’t go back up again.

That was why I thought so.

“If Princess Elin is not qualified, then she will not become the head of the household, right?”

Natia and Clavel’s eyes turned to Luke at the same time.

The same fox-like eyes.

For a moment, the fluff rose.

Of course, I didn’t show it and just raised the corners of my lips.

“Or are you afraid that you might lose?”

“… ha.”

“You’d better watch what you say.”

Clavel burst into laughter.

Natia quietly revealed her teeth.

“… … ”

Gerald fidgeted with an expression that suggested he wanted to get out of this place.

“Or else.”

Luke, with no intention of stopping, charged forward like a truck with broken brakes.

“If the princess becomes the master of Bertain.”

As if telling me to listen carefully.

He declared as he looked at everyone in Bertain.

“Are you afraid of the karma that will come back?”

Ding-ding-

Elin, her eyes wide as if they were going to burst, dropped her fork.

* * * * *

“Teacher. Are you back?”

After the meal.

Those were the first words of Elin, who had turned pale.

“Your mouth has gotten foul. Is it because Anne is around?”

“What on earth are you doing… .”

Ellen tugged at Luke’s collar as if to say, “Does that really matter now?”

“I’ll have to think about that now.”

“… … You said that without thinking?”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of giving you any tough training, Princess.”

“That’s not the point… … .”

The foolish hair trembles with anxiety.

“Don’t you know what happens if you displease your father?”

“Yes, I don’t know.”

Elin’s trembling gradually increased at Luke’s confident answer.

“You might disappear or die overnight… .”

I still can’t forget it.

The only nanny who treated me warmly before Luke came.

The night she went missing.

“Then, Your Majesty, please protect me.”

“… … Huh?”

Elin blinked blankly.

“Didn’t you clearly say you would protect me last time?”

After the kidnapping incident.

That’s what Elin was aiming for.

But isn’t it different now?

“No matter what, I have the strength to protect myself from my father… .”

“So you’re giving up on me?”

“… … ”

Ellen’s eyes grew wide.

Let’s look at it with eyes that ask, “Why on earth are you doing that?”

Luke chuckled and stroked her head with a warm hand.

“If you become the next head of the household, you can protect me.”

There is only one reason why Elin lost people.

Because I don’t have the strength.

It was not a matter of physical strength, but of lack of power.

But if you become the next head of Bertain.

If you overturn everything and bring about reform, who would dare to touch those around you?

“Can I do it?”

“You can definitely do it. I’m here with you.”

“… How can you always be so sure, teacher?”

“I know my place and I trust you, Princess.”

“… … ”

“So, let’s go in for now.”

Luke and Elin are standing in front of the Duke’s office.

But time was delayed because Elin was afraid.

Now is really the time to get in.

Knock knock.

-Come in.

The duke answered without even asking who it was.

Squeak.

“Excuse me.”

I grabbed Elin’s hand, whose legs were stiff, and dragged her inside.

“He was quite rude at the dinner table.”

Is there no such thing as time to prepare one’s mind?

The peacock came rushing in.

“This was something that absolutely had to be said.”

Luke puffed out his chest proudly.

Since you’ve already acted crazy and talked nonsense in front of the Duke.

You couldn’t survive in Bertha without going completely crazy.

“I received a report on everything that happened while I was away. You changed Elin’s diet on your own, conducted your own education, and even brought in a dedicated maid on your own?”

“Through that process, the princess became a space wizard.”

“Yeah. I heard you made a big deal at the prospect exchange meeting. I’m not really trying to say anything. But… … .”

The peacock swept back his dark purple hair.

A light sigh escaped his lips.

“It would have been nice if it weren’t for Elin’s tutor.”

“What does that mean?”

“Elin cannot participate in the next competition for the head of the household.”

Luke frowned.

“But didn’t you say we should talk about it at dinner earlier?”

“That’s what we’re talking about now. Elin doesn’t deserve it.”

“Furthermore,” the duke added, continuing his speech.

“Elin must no longer be exposed to the outside world.”

“Why?”

I couldn’t understand it at all.

I thought you were questioning my skills like Natia.

But that wasn’t it.

Pure disgust.

The Duke’s gaze towards Elin contained only negative emotions.

Whether you use magic or swordsmanship in the first place.

Nothing mattered to the duke.

“Why are you being so cold to the princess?”

“I can’t tell that to outsiders.”

“Is this also a Bertha tradition?”

“Yes.”

“… … ”

I meant it as sarcasm.

I was speechless because you answered so confidently.

“Elin’s usefulness is only one thing.”

I realized why he had called me to his office instead of telling me at the restaurant.

“To live without being noticed. To stay alive until the next head of the household changes.”

It was not possible to say such things in front of servants.

Luke bit his lip tightly and retorted.

“The princess is not a person with a set purpose.”

“No. Elin is nothing more or less than a tool that Bertain needs.”

“Does that make sense?”

People aren’t totems or anything.

You’re saying that just staying alive is enough… … Wait a minute.

totem?

When a moment of doubt occurred to me.

The peacock spoke first.

“I have a question.”

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

A majestic energy flowing out gently.

My breathing is suffocating and I feel like my skin is being pricked by sharp objects.

Gulp.

I swallowed without realizing it.

“… … What is it?”

“Originally, Elin should not be able to use magic at all.”

A voice filled with confidence, as if it were normal.

“But you learned spatial magic.”

At that moment, an alarm bell rang in my head.

“How did you put a curse on me?”

A warning to never let the Duke see Elin.

This is the reason why Leo came looking for me, even revealing his identity.

“… … ”

I kept my mouth shut.

Every nerve in my body was screaming that I shouldn’t answer now.

“You’re quick-witted. To an excessive degree, I mean.”

The Duke’s reaction was tantamount to saying that Luke’s actions were correct.

“It must be a curse that can’t be done normally. I wonder how they found a way to do it… … .”

Knock knock.

Every time the peacock taps his fingers on the desk, a chill runs up my spine.

I slowly moved my lips away, thinking, “No way.”

“… … Are you the Duke who put a curse on the princess?”

“Answer my question first.”

A simple, evasive answer.

But it was the same as giving an answer.

“… Why?”

“You are not in a position to question. Answer the question. How did you break Elin’s curse?”

It clings on so tenaciously that it’s suspicious.

Somehow, I became even more convinced that I absolutely must not say this.

“Your Majesty, please speak first. Why did you put a curse on the princess?”

I looked straight at the peacock, enduring the stinging energy on my skin.

Okay then.

“You don’t look stupid. You just don’t seem to understand the topic.”

Boom-!

It was a gap I wasn’t even aware of.

I definitely didn’t notice any signs of him getting up from his seat.

“Ke… Ugh… … .”

“Shouldn’t you answer well when given the chance?”

The peacock, who had come up close to Luke’s nose, grabbed him by the neck.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Raise your hand if you want to answer.”

“Keuheugh… … .”

I desperately lowered my hand that was reaching up to my neck.

“Your mental strength is amazing.”

Index finger and thumb.

A peacock that strangles a person’s neck with just two fingers.

The evil power of the Sword Master was not something that a wizard could resist.

“Ugh… … .”

I feel like I’m out of breath.

My nerves are being crushed.

Vision is blurred.

The body warns strongly.

This won’t end in fainting.

If your finger digs in even a little bit, your neck will get crushed.

It’s definitely different from Leo, who used a sword to threaten.

As if it doesn’t matter if I die like this.

The peacock sincerely put more and more strength into his fingers.

When consciousness gradually fades away like that.

Kkuddeuk-

I started to feel better again.

It was because the peacock had lost strength in his fingers.

No, to be exact, I was losing strength.

I just rolled my eyes and looked to the side.

Woof-

The blue energy that filled the office.

Elin, who had already exhausted her mana to its limit.

“… Sir, take your hands off me.”

While trembling like a newborn fawn.

Kuk.

He was manipulating space to remove his fingers.