episode_0043

The residence of Grand Duke Lenokhonen in the Zodiac.

Cassis, summoned by Grand Duke Lenokhonen early in the morning, entered the office.

As he opened the door and entered, there sat Crown Prince Fedelian Rosino.

In the forefront stood Grand Duke Lenokhonen, suppressing his anger as if he was about to explode at any moment.

“… … .”

Cassis’s eyes sank deeply as she realized that the atmosphere was not good.

“Sit down.”

The Archduke’s voice was dry. He was clearly angry, but he was trying hard to suppress his anger in front of the Crown Prince.

Cassis sat down on the sofa without saying anything. He came face to face with Fedelian Rosino, who smiled haughtily and raised his head stiffly.

Cassis thought that look was arrogant, but there was nothing he could say.

It is common sense for the Crown Prince and the Young Duke of the Grand Duke to respect each other as they have different positions.

But now the situation was different. They had clearly come to question Cassis for his sins.

“Little Duke Lenokhonen. You have done something truly amazing. It is hard to bear to look at it, haha. My heart is heavy, really.”

Fedelian opened his mouth with a sly smile. His golden eyes were cold. The meaning behind his words was clear.

You had a really big accident.

So much so that I couldn’t look at it with my eyes open.

“… Your Highness the Crown Prince. This is truly regrettable.”

Grand Duke Lenokhonen opened his mouth quietly. His voice was low and heavy.

“Regretful?”

Fedelian tilted his head and laughed.

“Since when has Your Highness expressed regret so often?”

The air in the room froze. Cassis’ breathing sounded heavy, but he still did not open his mouth.

“It really is an interesting sight, isn’t it?”

Pedelian’s sharp eyes stared at Grand Duke Lenokhonen. It was a gaze that would never have been seen under normal circumstances, but in a situation where Cassis was clearly at fault, he was in a superior position.

Even more so if the Crown Prince himself is in charge of investigating this case.

“I will do my best to punish Grand Duke Lenokhonen for this incident, but I cannot give you a definite answer. Attempting to attack the den reconnaissance is tantamount to treason.”

If a flood of demons occurs, the damage will be uncontrollable. But you interfered with the mission to check the den? That is clear treason.

“Don’t worry, my lord. You won’t be put to death. You will only be stripped of all your authority and rights in consideration of your merits as a nobleman.”

Being stripped of all power and rights meant death for a nobleman.

“… … .”

Cassis lowered his head and clenched his fists so hard that the veins on the back of his hands bulged, but he did not break his silence.

“If you are too greedy, this is the kind of result you will eventually face. Keep that in mind in the future. Oh, I don’t know if you can be greedy when all your authority is taken away.”

Fedelian looked at Cassis with a grin. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were sharp.

“I’m done talking, so I’ll be going now. The summons will come down from the imperial court in a few days, so please attend the trial.”

So he left the office.

Click.

As the door closed, Grand Duke Lenokhonen, who had been waiting, slowly opened his mouth.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful?”

“… … .”

“Idiot.”

Tsk tsk. Grand Duke Lenokhonen shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“You sold your family’s honor just for the sake of a woman? Did you think the noble society was easy? Did you think everything would go well if you were the little duke of Lenokhonen?”

Cassis bowed deeply at the Archduke’s words. Bitterness and anger were still entangled in his heart, but he could not bring any of it up now.

“I have no face.”

That was all he could say.

“Tsk.”

Grand Duke Lenokhonen frowned and clicked his tongue repeatedly. It was a shame that the eldest son of the Grand Duke’s family was like this.

“As His Highness the Crown Prince said, you will not be executed. I will not let it get to that point. You should remain in self-restraint and cool your head until the summons for trial arrives.”

Grand Duke Lenokhonen waved his hand as he spoke. It meant for him to get out.

“I’m going to go now. Sorry.”

Cassis stood up, bowed politely, and left the office.

He thought as he walked down the hallway of the mansion.

‘… I was too hasty.’

He spent his entire life on the battlefield, and his plans were always laid down by his father, Grand Duke Lenokhonen.

Cassis, who only knew how to mercilessly slice up enemies with her Mana Blade, was not good at this.

He should have approached her more carefully, but as time went on, the thought of her being defiled by Johan Harsen began to cloud his reason.

But he had no intention of giving up here.

‘Even if I fall into the abyss, I will never give up on Francia.’

Now that we’ve lost everything, it’s time to take action.

* * *

John, who was working as usual, heard some news.

It was reported that the Deputy Commander of the First Civil Service, who was held by Duke Lenokhonen and Cassis Lenokhonen, had been dismissed.

That position was naturally filled by Cassis Lenokhonen’s adjutant.

‘Things are going well.’

They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That damn crown prince is a help in times like this.

Although I dislike the idea of his impure intentions, the position of Crown Prince was the best tool available to deal with Cassis Lenokhonen.

‘Is the trial coming later?’

It took quite some time because the imperial family also had to figure out the circumstances.

But you won’t be able to get out of it. The crown prince will cling to you.

“What are you thinking about?”

As John was pounding on the desk with a hardened expression and deep in thought, Francia, who was next to him, tilted her head.

“Things seem to be going quite well. Isn’t it about to completely collapse that Duke Lenokhonen, who was after Francia, was identified as the culprit of this attack?”

Johan smiled and stroked Francia’s hair that was hanging to the side.

She felt warmth as she held John’s hand, as if the touch felt good.

“Thank goodness, that guy got the brunt of all the work he’d done.”

John touched Francia’s cheek with the hand that was stroking her hair. Francia accepted his touch obediently.

“Everything will be fine from now on.”

The skin is nice. It’s smooth and soft, and it feels warm. It’s quite addictive, so Yohan keeps touching it without realizing it.

“… How long are you going to touch it?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It feels too good. ”

“I’m not angry.”

As John hastily pulled his hand away, Francia grabbed his hand again and placed it against her cheek.

“You can touch me whenever you want, wherever you want. Because I belong to John alone.”

Francia smiled bashfully, caressing the back of his hand. Her ruby-like eyes stared at Johan. Red like a heart.

“There is no man happier than me.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a man with Francia.”

“Huh, that’s right. I belong to John.”

Francia looked around, realized there was no one there, and ran into John’s arms.

“Ugh… … .”

He took a deep breath and smelled John’s scent. His shoulders shook slightly, showing that he was quite satisfied.

“Shall we take a tour of the Imperial City together today? Since we couldn’t go together last time… … .”

Francia asked, lifting her head slightly while being held in his arms. Perhaps she was upset that they couldn’t go to the harvest festival together last time, but her eyes were determined to get a definite answer.

Johan, who thought that she was cute, nodded while stroking Francia’s head.

“Okay. The den scouting is over, and things with Sanburg are stable, so I guess I can leave work early. Let’s take a look around before heading back to the mansion.”

Francia’s face brightened when John readily accepted. It was amazing how he could read her feelings just by looking at her face.

“Okay! Then I’ll finish all the work quickly. Can you change your mind?”

“Yes.”

Francia clenched her fists and focused on processing the papers on her desk. It was nice to see her enthusiasm burning.

‘But I don’t really have any paperwork to deal with.’

I’ve been assigned a series of designated missions and special missions recently, and I haven’t received any documents.

‘Well, if we make them work more here, it’s exploitation.’

When Rudella’s mission came down, there was a major accident, and during this mission to check the den, a flood of demons occurred at the same time as the attack.

It was natural that things would not come down to me.

Because the civil servants who are engaged in this business and are directly under the imperial family are different from the so-called black companies.

“Harsen Special Wizard.”

As John was spinning his pen, resting his chin on his hand, to relieve his boredom, someone called out to him.

“Ah, Merdin 1st Class Knight. What’s going on?”

It was Merdin who had been close to Johan for a long time.

“The captain is calling.”

“… The captain?”

Francia, who had been quietly processing paperwork and eavesdropping on the conversation, turned her head. Her eyes were trembling.

“You’re not going to be given another mission, are you…?”

Her question is filled with concern. She had a date planned to tour the streets of the Zodiac, but it would naturally be canceled if she was given a mission.

John brushed Francia’s hair back and smiled.

“It won’t be a mission. I’ve been doing missions in a row recently.”

“Well, that’s fortunate… … .”

Johan smiled at Francia, who was worried and exhausted, and said to Merdin.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes.”

I got up from my seat and headed to the director’s office. After knocking three times, I opened the door and went in, and Fedelian was waiting in the office.

“You’re here.”

Fedelian nodded and pointed to the sofa. It’s funny how he doesn’t even think about being polite anymore.

He probably thought that since he knew everything, he didn’t need to wear a mask anymore.

John sat on the sofa.

“Did you hear that Duke Lenokhonen was dismissed?”

“Of course.”

“Things are being handled well. The trial will be held.”

“What do you think of the trial results?”

“Hmm.”

Fedelian stroked his chin, narrowed his eyebrows, and then opened his mouth.

“Since the location is the location, the death penalty is impossible. He will probably be stripped of all authority and rights. He will no longer be the Duke of Lenokhonen. Either he rises from the bottom or he sinks. One of the two.”

The punishment he received was as expected. It was unfortunate, but it was inevitable. Because the Lenokhonen family was involved.

“Anyway. That’s all I’ve called you for. I’ve been on a lot of missions lately, so it would be unconscionable to give you more missions here. You can leave now.”

If Cassis had been the captain, he would have given him a huge mission to somehow get things going. Unlike Cassis, Fedelian was a man who knew how to distinguish between public and private matters.

“Okay.”

Just as John was turning his back and leaving the office.

“Ah, Harsen Special Wizard.”

Fedelian called him back again.

“What is it?”

When John tilted his head in wonder, Fedelian spoke with a sunken look in his eyes.

“I’ll ask again, did something happen with my fiancee?”

Although Fedelian’s tone was indifferent, his eyes were sharply watching Johan’s reaction.

“She’s been acting strange lately. She’s absent-minded. She can’t do her work properly, and she’s absent-minded even during conversations.”

Currently, Rudella is unable to handle most of her work. To be precise, her processing speed has slowed down noticeably.

“It’s been like that since the moment I went on a mission with you. I’m asking you because I wonder if something else happened when we were attacked.”

I wasn’t particularly worried about your fiancée. I just heard from the Empress that your fiancée has been acting strange lately.

He’s just trying to find out out of courtesy. He’s not interested in Rudel. She’s just a thorn in his side that could block his future.

“… I don’t know. I can’t really pinpoint anything. I think it was just a big shock. It’ll get better with time.”

In fact, there were some suspicious points, and he had a feeling that Rudella had feelings for him that were more than friendly, but Johan wasn’t stupid enough to tell her that.

If you let her know that you are not making eye contact, that you are stuttering, or that you are acting in a way that does not suit her, she will notice right away.

“… I see. Okay, I see.”

Fedelian waved his hand with a blank expression. By his actions, it was clear that Rudela was nothing more than a tool to him.

“I’m going to go now.”

Thinking about Rudel, he felt uneasy again, but Johan didn’t show it and greeted her politely before leaving the office.

He smiled faintly as he walked down the hallway of the civil service office.

‘Now that I’ve taken care of business, let’s just think about my date with Francia.’

His steps were light.

The fall of Cassis was only the beginning. The road would not be smooth forever, but the focus had to be on the present.

Because Francia is waiting.