Chapter 90. Suppressing the Second Prince's Rebellion, and Aftermath
The festive streets where everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves.
Even as torrential rains flooded the entire forest beyond the city walls, it couldn't extinguish the people's vitality and passion.
Expeer's Historic Festival carried the meaning of honoring the dead, feeling gratitude for what we currently enjoy based on their sacrifices, and reaffirming hope.
Among them walked someone who couldn't enjoy the festivities-not the only one, but for different reasons than others-grumbling in a voice too low for others to hear.
"Fools."
The man had skin as pale as if he hadn't seen sunlight for months, with an emaciated frame and a neck bent forward like a hunchback.
Though he wore a deep hood and stuck to dark alleys and deserted areas, he foolishly believed no one noticed his presence. A childish delusion unbefitting his age.
As he muttered complaints like a bratty child's tantrum through a dark back alley, new figures appeared to block his path. Lowlife thugs who operated year-round, even during festival days meant for joy.
A group of men who'd spotted the antisocial figure approached with grotesque, unfriendly smiles.
"Hey mister. All alone?"
"...What do you want?"
"Well, we wanna enjoy the festival too but our pockets are empty. You don't look like you're here to have fun either-how 'bout showing some pity and sharing with us?"
The fattest thug waddled over and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
True to scum who sought happiness through others' misery, the fat thug subtly flashed a small knife hidden under his shirt to intimidate him into handing over money.
But the man didn't even blink, sighing in annoyance as he brushed off the thug's hand like dust.
"Don't waste my noble time with your pathetic reasons, you pathetic vermin."
"The hell?"
-Thud.
Like ripe fruit falling, the fat thug's chubby fingers plopped onto the ground.
It happened too fast for pain to register. Even the victim didn't understand what occurred until he saw the fallen objects and screamed.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! MY, MY HAND!!!!!"
"You bastard! How dare you hurt our baby brother!"
"Wait, stop! That guy used magi-"
The quick-witted thug realized magic was involved when fingers suddenly dropped, but another thug-overflowing with brotherly love-ignored him and charged blindly upon seeing their youngest injured.
-Squelch.
The man lightly flicked his hand, popping the charging thug's head like a grape. To the magic-illiterate thugs, it undoubtedly appeared as magic-but it wasn't.
"H-HIIIIK!"
One thug fainted while clutching his severed hand. Another lay headless after blindly charging. Only one remained.
The last thug wanted to flee, but his legs gave out. The man hadn't ignored or threatened them-he'd intended to kill from the start.
"P-please..."
"You humans don't deserve this peace."
"Wha- Gurk."
-Schlllp.
The man plunged fingers into the questioning thug's neck, sucking blood like juice through a straw.
The thug's body instantly desiccated into a skeletal mummy, crumbling into a completely drained, oil-free corpse on the ground.
"Tch, useless trash. No nutritional value. That little girl admiring weapons at the smithy earlier would've been more worthwhile."
His eyes glowed as he recalled the sword-shopping girl. Her guardian-a half-blood dragon swordsman-a human nun, and another girl who appeared to be her sister all stood out, but the girl particularly caught his eye.
Young, beautiful, and seemingly possessing unnatural strength and high potential for her age. Perfect material to become his vassal. If opportunity arose, he'd grant her the glorious chance to devote her life to him.
The man withdrew his hand from the corpse's neck, shaking off blood as if disgusted, and continued onward. Like festival-goers eating unhealthy street food and littering without care, he walked on indifferently.
...
The guards decided to quietly handle this murder case. There was no need to spread fear during the festival.
They increased patrol frequency and personnel to cover wider areas, but failed to find the killer.
* * *
"That happened?"
"Yes. Everything resolved peacefully. She's exhausted and asleep now."
I explained Lycoris' Attempted Drug-Assisted Rape Incident (sounds vicious but the perpetrator actually got assaulted instead) to the returned party members, leaving them aghast.
Vassals can only harm their master under two circumstances: the master's direct order, or if a vassal powerful enough to weaken the master-servant bond rebels. Otherwise, they can't even harbor harmful intent.
In Lycoris' case, my permission to "be free" (though misinterpreted) fell under the first category. She knew her actions wouldn't harm me, hence using drugs without hesitation.
But other vassals who only heard fragments reacted violently. Cecilia, Lycoris' mother, looked especially guilty.
"I'm sorry, Triae. I should've stopped her..."
"It's fine. Not your fault or something you could've prevented."
"No... I knew Lyco might do something. I had Camellia watch her... I should've told you."
"Huh? You all knew except me?"
"Rita unni wouldn't have known. She'd have lectured Lyco before things escalated."
That made sense. I nodded.
Perhaps bonding during the festival, Cecilia now called Rita "unni" (older sister).
Since we'll be family forever, growing closer quickly is good. Considering Cecilia's bright personality, using informal speech came a bit late.
Rita crossed her arms, sighed after some thought, and spoke.
"Understood. Since you already punished her, I won't discipline Lycoris further. But to prevent recurrence, I'll gather all children for etiquette retraining. Constant travel lately hindered proper education."
"Good. I'll leave that to you."
I consider myself unfit as an educator. Cecilia has teaching qualities but isn't strict enough. Rita, raised with noble education, was appointed head teacher.
Rita left to plan lessons. Cecilia went to check on Lycoris. Camellia followed to tease her utterly failed younger sister.
Left beside me was Rose, clutching her new sword with sparkling eyes.
"My Lord, behold. Mother helped me choose the sturdiest one at the smithy."
"I thought you'd prefer something more elegant. Sure about this? I can buy another if unsatisfied."
"No. Beautiful swords look impressive outwardly, but durability suffers when prioritizing aesthetics. True strength requires armaments sturdy enough to withstand one's magic power and opponents' strikes."
Rose joyfully explained while holding a broad, heavy blade resembling an executioner's sword. Modified to fit a child's frame with shortened blade and hilt, it looked somewhat toy-like.
But Rose, overjoyed with her mother's gift, ignored appearances and boasted about the sword's merits.
Watching her genuinely happy face fondly, Rose noticed my gaze and embarrassingly calmed her excitement. Her flustered expression was adorable-shame it ended.
"Th-then I shall go train now. Must familiarize myself with this new blade."
"Oh, can Mom join your training? Got nothing else to do."
"Is... that acceptable?"
"Why not? Want to train beside my adorable daughter. Fine with you?"
"Th-thank you! But... My Lord, please refrain from calling me adorable-it's unfamiliar..."
Rose shyly rubbed her thighs under her shorts-an unbearably cute sight. Hmm, how should Rose experience her first time...
Borrowing the inn's backyard, I practiced thrusts with my rapier-repeating Rita's lesson about focusing power-and basic stamina training. Rose swung her new sword through textbook basic forms.
I occasionally praised Rose's cuteness, enjoying how she blushed verge-of-tears each time, feeling blood rush southward.
"Haaaah..."
After training drenched by rain, we bathed together to wash off fatigue.
Rose's small hands lathered soap over every inch of my body. I reciprocated using my own body to soap her up.
"My Lord, allow me to wash you."
"Mhm, thanks. Let me wash my Rose too-"
"N-no need for My Lord to...! Eep..."
Rose grew flustered whenever I tried doing things for her. She strictly defined our relationship as lord and vassal, making such affection burdensome.
So I praised her cuteness more and loved her harder.
After bathing, I bid others goodnight and took Rose to bed, hugging her as we slept.
Rose resisted fiercely, but like any child exhausted from the day, she fell asleep within a minute.
Fatigued from exercise and warmed by my daughter's body heat, I too fell into deep, uninterrupted sleep.
* * *
The next morning, the Lord's Castle sent word for me.