episode_0027

Episode 27

The tournaments are over and the harvest festival is over.

“Hoohoohoo… The tournament and harvest festival are finally over. Congratulations again on winning, Leon.”

“…Yeah.”

The day I won, Rose wanted to stick to me all day, but as the daughter of the Duke of Baston, she only came back the next day after finishing all her duties.

“Haa… Leon, that was really cool. Who would have thought he would beat Auguste, who was a strong contender for the title, and win?”

Rose was recalling the memory with an ecstatic expression.

“Leon, now tell me what you want. What do you want? My heart? Or… hehe… my body?”

-Sigh…

She slowly approached me, leaned close to me, stroked my cheek with her slender fingers, and whispered in my ear.

“…Make me free.”

-Shock!

Rose, who flinched for a moment and then stiffened, refused with a relaxed expression.

“Hehe… Didn’t I say that wish was not allowed? No, you are mine, Leon. Make another wish.”

“…Then let me meet your father, the Duke of Clement de Baston.”

“…Why?”

“It’s a wish, don’t ask why and just keep your promise.”

“What are you up to? No, no!”

Rose must have sensed that something bad would happen if she took me to the Duke of Baston, because she started throwing a tantrum and hugging me.

“You didn’t like that I treated you like a puppy? I won’t do it anymore! Or you can treat me like a dog, so don’t do anything weird and make another wish! Okay?”

“You promised to take me to the Duke of Baston and grant me one wish.”

“I’ll grant you any wish you want, except that one. So don’t do that. Okay?”

Rose continued to hold me close and began to plead with me in a pleading voice.

“If the Duke of Baston doesn’t accept my offer anyway, nothing will happen. So take me to him. Keep your promise, Rose de Baston.”

“…”

“If the Duke of Baston rejects my offer, I will put everything down, become yours, and stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

When I declared that I would be completely hers, Rose asked me with sparkling blue eyes.

“… Really? If Father rejects your offer, you will really be completely mine?”

“I can swear.”

“…Okay, you really have to keep that promise.”

“Yeah.”

.

.

.

-Knock knock knock…

“…Father, I have something important to tell you.”

Rose, who had brought me to Clément de Baston’s office, knocked on the door hesitantly.

I don’t know if it was because she was anxious about me leaving or for some other reason, but Rose seemed reluctant to enter the office.

“Come in, Rose.”

-Squeak…

“…”

-Whew…

When I locked eyes with the hateful Clement de Baston, a hot fire burned inside my chest and my fists began to tighten.

“It’s been a while, Leon! Isn’t it? Anyway, it’s nice to see you again!”

Clément de Baston, whose eyes met mine, greeted me with a truly delighted expression.

“Father?”

“Oh, Rose, I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Leon’s face this close. You said you had something important to tell me?”

She was shaking a little.

“…Leon brought me here because he said he had a suggestion for his father.”

“Wow! I’m already looking forward to it!”

Clement de Baston, whose blue eyes sparkle and his anticipation cannot be hidden.

Rose took a step back and moved behind me so that I could speak comfortably with the Duke of Baston.

“…I have a suggestion for you, Clément de Baston.”

“Come on! Come on, tell me, Leon!”

The Duke of Baston began to urge me on, shivering as if he was eagerly awaiting what I would say.

“Let me go.”

“Leon, even if you are released from here, you know that you will not be able to escape the status of a slave for at least 30 years because you are a criminal slave, right?”

“I know that when I leave here, I’m still a slave, so I’ll take care of the rest.”

Since I have become a slave by committing a crime of immorality, it will take a great deal of time and money to free myself from my slavery unless the Duke of Normandy or the royal family pardons me.

That is why, even if I leave the Duke of Baston, I will still have to remain a slave.

“Hmm, if you know, then it doesn’t matter, but what’s the price to get out of here?”

“Completion of the story of Clement de Baston and Leon.”

“Details! Tell me more!”

‘It’s a good start.’

“The story of you and my father, Lyon de Normand, has come to an end, but the story of you and me is not over yet, right?”

“That’s right…!”

“I will become stronger no matter what the cost is to avenge my father, and either I will return stronger and kill you, Clement, and have a satisfying revenge drama ending, or…”

“Or…?”

“A tragic story is also possible, where Leon, who desperately tries to get revenge, is eventually defeated by Clement de Baston and falls into an endless abyss.”

-Clap clap clap clap!

“You’re the best! Ah, Leon… You’re really… If there is a god, you’re his gift to me! ”

Clément de Baston was amazed and applauded like crazy.

“How about a bet with me, Clement, that this story will end in tragedy with Leon’s defeat, or in comedy with the death of Clement de Baston?”

-Gulp…

Tears of joy flowed from Clement’s eyes.

“Take it, Leon!!”

“Oh, Father!”

As things were going as if I was going to be released from the Duke of Baston, Rose, who was getting anxious, joined the conversation.

“Oh, Rose, did you just hear that? Leon, that kid is really the best playwright!”

“Leon, Leon is my slave! I can’t let you go like this!”

“Rose… Yes, Leon is your slave, so I’ll give you a chance too.”

The Duke of Baston nodded to Rose’s words and continued speaking.

“Three months! I’ll give you three months to change Leon’s mind. I can’t wait any longer.”

“Three months…”

“If Leon’s mind doesn’t change after three months, I will release Leon.”

Rose will try to change my mind for the next three months, but I will get out of here.

I’m afraid that if I continue to stay here… my only goal in life, to avenge my father, will disappear.

“If Leon wants to stay here after three months, Rose, it’s your victory. Of course, even if you stay here, you can continue to receive support from the Duke of Baston and grow for revenge.”

“…That won’t happen.”

“Hoohoohoo… What do you think, does everyone agree?”

“Yes, Father.”

-Nod…

“…”

“Oh my… I can’t wait! Then, let’s meet in three months, Leon.”

Clement, who was shedding tears of joy, trembled, unable to control his emotions.

##

One hot summer day, Alice, who was withering away day by day, came out of her room and went to find Claire.

“Sister Claire, I’ve decided.”

“What have you decided, Alice?”

“I can’t just wait for my master like this indefinitely. I won’t stay still until I get my master back.”

“…What are you going to do?”

“Top… I will create a huge top, acquire wealth that even nobles cannot ignore, and with that wealth, I will get my master back.”

“…”

“Help me, sis.”

Alice, who had been withering away day after day waiting helplessly for Leon, began to regain her vitality, and her eyes, which had lost their light and were dark, soon regained their light and began to sparkle like amethyst.

“Please wait, Master… I will definitely save you.”

###

With the death of Lyon de Normand and the disappearance of his son Leon, the atmosphere of the harvest festival of the Duke of Normandy was not the same as before.

The duchy’s subjects returned to their craft to make a living after the death of Lyon de Normand, but the gloomy atmosphere felt by the Norman dukedom was inadvertently influencing them as well.

In the midst of these misfortunes, the vacancy of the Lyon de Normand and the absence of a proper successor, Maria de Normand still manages her lands with determination.

“Sigh…”

As the original mistress of the Duke of Normandy, she had been in charge of the management of the estate while Lyon de Normand was away on the battlefield, but today his absence was felt particularly keenly.

At dusk, Maria opens a drawer and fiddles with the second will left by Lyon.

‘Lyon…’

She became even more distraught after discovering that Lyon had personally made changes to the second will before he died.

Why did Lyon change his will before he died?

Could it be that Leon realized he was trying to kill him and changed his will to reveal the truth?

But I still can’t believe that the strong Lyon died because of Leon, whom I loved so much.

What a mean number you used…

But, what if… what if…

‘No, that can’t be…’

All circumstances and evidence point to Leon being the culprit.

Even Leon himself admitted with his own mouth that he was the culprit.

But the discomfort she felt in a corner of her heart kept causing doubts to bloom in her mind.

-Drunk…

Maria opened the drawer again and took out Leon’s blood, magically sealed in a small vial.

-Slap…

The dirty blood of a traitor that is too much to bear even if torn to pieces.

‘8 years…’

The key to the second will, perhaps the only way to know the truth of that day.

On the day the will is opened eight years later, the whole truth will be revealed.

Until the day when Riemann becomes an adult and officially inherits the Duchy of Normandy, and the truth about Lyon’s death as written in his second will is revealed.

For Tania, Serena, and Liman, Maria de Normand will protect the Duchy of Normandy.

####

The deal with Clément de Baston was concluded successfully.

I couldn’t escape from the Duke of Baston right away, but if I held out for three months… just three months, I could escape from here.

I’m a little worried about what Rose will do in three months to change my mind…

Rather than the situation where there was no end in sight, I was overjoyed just by the fact that there was a definite deadline of three months.

‘Training to become stronger…’

At my current level, I think I’ve passed the stage where I can grow through training.

To be exact, it is not very efficient.

My father said that what I needed now, since I had reached the 3rd rank but had not awakened my Sword Aura and was stagnant, was a lot of practical experience that crossed the line of death.

I decided that if I got out of here I would live the life of a combat slave.

‘I heard that in the Holy Ram Empire, there is something called gladiator slaves…’

The Frankish kingdom also had slaves used in battle, but I have heard that in the Holy Empire, professional gladiator slaves fought every day, risking their lives to gain their freedom.

If given the chance, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Clement sell me to the Holy Ram Empire as a gladiator slave.

‘The first thing to do is to get out of here.’

“Hoo…”

-Knock knock knock…

I steeled myself and knocked on Rose’s door.