Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Final Roll Call
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Reagan pressed his fingers firmly against the corners of his eyes.
It was an attempt to hide his agitation.
Goosebumps had already broken out across his forearms.
Though they were bound by blood, there were times when Hariba felt like a monster.
It was a feeling that he was somehow lacking the various qualities a human being ought to possess.
Hariba hadn't always been this way.
The first time his son had shown this strange side was at the second prince's birthday banquet two years ago.
After that, he’d abruptly left for [Ulkua], claiming he had something to study.
‘I shouldn't have sent him.’
Ulkua was renowned as a mecca of alchemy, but it was by no means a city with a good reputation.
It was only natural, given that it was a gathering place for alchemists who would stop at nothing for the sake of their research.
Some even called Ulkua the “Worst City in History.”
Considering the city's overall atmosphere and lack of security, they weren’t entirely wrong.
In any case, after returning from that land of alchemists, Hariba no longer bothered to hide his impulses.
Reagan had also heard rumors that he was associating with some dangerous people.
A moment later, Reagan spoke.
“What does killing her have to do with the Blessing Ceremony? Even if Lucia dies, he will likely still participate. The funeral can be held after the ceremony is over.”
“The Ruan Bednicker I’ve heard about is not so strong-willed.”
“Even so, it would be difficult. Above all, the probability of being discovered is too high. Have you forgotten where you are?”
Even with the Iron-Blooded Duke absent, this was still the Bednicker family’s main estate.
The family elders, the knight orders, and even the Grand Master Teachers were all on standby.
There were countless ways to assassinate a single woman, but he couldn't be confident they wouldn't be traced.
Reagan looked at his son and said.
“Hariba.”
“Yes.”
“Restrain yourself.”
“…”
It was a heartfelt piece of advice.
Reagan believed a certain degree of ruthlessness was necessary to become the best, but Hariba’s was excessive.
Hariba remained silent for a moment before bowing his head.
“I apologize.”
“There is no need to worry about Ruan. The last report I received said he was as good as a rat in a trap, and that killing him was only a matter of time.”
Reagan rose from his seat and finally drew back the curtains.
*Swoosh.*
Bright sunlight streamed in.
Reagan narrowed his eyes and said.
“There is no chance that a brat without a single Blessing will escape the Jewel Mountains. So, do not worry needlessly.”
“…I understand.”
“You may leave.”
Hariba bowed his head once more and quietly left the room.
Reagan turned his gaze out the window.
A beautifully manicured garden, and beyond it, a dense forest.
The main estate of the Bednicker family, a place only the chosen could enter.
For now, they were merely guests, staying here thanks to the Blessing Ceremony, but…
If Hariba became a member of the Bednicker family, this beautiful scenery would become a part of his daily life.
‘Four more days until the Blessing Ceremony.’
Reagan decided to wait with a leisurely heart.
* * *
Of course, it wasn't only those of Bednicker blood who participated in the Blessing Ceremony.
This year’s ceremony brought together all the noble families of the empire, names that even a country bumpkin would have heard of.
Naturally, very few of them could compare to the Bednickers.
…‘Very few.’
Goodspring.
In terms of the weight of its name alone, it was the only family in the empire that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Bednickers.
“…I’m bored to death.”
Seren Goodspring, the third daughter of the Goodspring family, didn't hide her scowl.
It had been almost two weeks since she’d arrived at this goddamn mansion.
It would be a lie to say she hadn’t been looking forward to seeing just how grand the much-rumored Bednicker estate was.
At first, she was amazed.
The beautiful mansion, nestled deep within a dreamlike forest, had stirred a fairy-tale-like sensibility in her for the first time in a long while.
On the second day, and the third, the scenery never grew old.
The limit was reached after a week had passed.
Once she grew accustomed to the beautiful landscape, only its flaws stood out.
‘The city is too damn far.’
Forget the city; she couldn't even venture into the forest freely.
Seren knew about the ‘Butterfly Forest.’ It was a place where no one without Bednicker blood could find the right path.
Not only that, but she had heard that dangerous magical beasts dwelled deep within the woods.
At that point, Seren couldn't see how this place was any different from a prison.
And what was with all the banquets? Just the sound of music was enough to make her nauseous now.
“…Why did I even come to a place like this?”
How wonderful would it have been if the Blessing Ceremony had been held at the Goodspring estate?
Her family was one of only three—along with the Bednickers and the imperial family—that could host the Blessing Ceremony.
If she had been lucky, Seren could have participated in a ceremony held by her own family.
…Of course, it had been her choice to come and participate in the Blessing Ceremony at the Bednicker estate at this particular time.
And it wasn't just about the Blessing Ceremony.
Her real purpose was to participate in the Bednicker training retreat that followed.
The infamous Bednicker training retreat, known as the ‘Six Weeks of Despair.’
It was said that anyone who successfully completed it, even the most useless fool, would be reborn as a capable individual.
Truthfully, those around her probably wouldn't understand why Seren would want to participate in the training retreat.
She was a Goodspring, after all.
The Goodspring family had countless heroes who had received Blessings, and the training there was surely no less rigorous than the Bednickers'.
So why did she want to participate in the Bednicker training retreat?
The reason was—.
‘…Hmph.’
Seren glanced around.
The large hall was bustling with boys and girls of various ages.
Today was the final inspection.
In other words, it was the final confirmation of the participants for tomorrow's Blessing Ceremony.
For this tedious task, all participants had been gathered since the crack of dawn.
‘Looks like even the bastards who’ve been cooped up in their rooms for two weeks showed up.’
Every Blessing Ceremony had a ‘main character.’
This main character was, of course, determined by how many Blessings one received.
Naturally, the more talented one was, the higher the probability of receiving many Blessings.
And Seren was confident that she would be the main character of this ceremony.
She had to admit, though, that there were a few others worth keeping an eye on.
‘The eldest son of the Dosreta family, the third son of the Helvin family, the youngest daughter of the Rubieta family…’
She’d also heard that the only son of Hyde Woodjack, the empire’s strongest ranger, was here.
In any case, while these kids had their own reputations, the ones she was most wary of right now were someone else.
Seren’s gaze flickered in their direction.
She saw two disgustingly handsome young men.
One with black hair, the other with red.
Rare colors, even in the empire.
As such, those colors also represented their families.
The drab, unpleasant black hair for the [Bednickers].
The brilliant, blazing red hair for the [Imperial Family].
That's right.
Those two were the second son of the Bednicker family and the fourth prince of the empire.
‘A couple of pretty-boy bastards…’
Seren chewed the two men out in her mind, but she couldn't deny that most of the eyes in the room were fixed on them.
It was only natural.
No one would have caught a glimpse of their precious faces during the Blessing Ceremony period.
Both of them had been holed up in their rooms the entire time.
‘Going for the mysterious type, are we?’
Just then, the black-haired man’s gaze turned toward her, and he smirked annoyingly.
“Well, if it isn’t the young lady of the Goodspring family.”
“…”
Seren forced back the urge to curse and opened her mouth.
“I am honored to be recognized by the renowned Young Master Hector.”
“Haha. Enough with the stiff formalities. Come over here. Have you greeted Lanters yet?”
His condescending tone, so naturally acting like a superior, was infuriating.
Honestly, she didn't want to go anywhere near him, but with him bringing up the prince, she had no good excuse.
Even if no one was watching, calling the prince by his first name like a close friend was a clear display of his influence…
Just then, the prince also turned toward her with a gentle smile.
As Seren was about to respond with a stiff smile of her own.
*Bang—.*
The hall door was thrown open rather violently, and a man appeared.
He had an average build, face, and attire, but the young heroes in the hall tensed up.
The man, who had since stepped onto the dais, spoke in a flat voice.
“Good morning. It is an honor to meet all you young heroes here today. My name is Luke.”
Even his name was ordinary, but the man’s station was anything but.
He was the commander of the [Iron-Blooded Knights], one of the two knight orders representing the Bednicker family.
Knight Commander Luke.
By blood, he was also the Iron-Blooded Duke’s younger brother…
“Thank you for gathering so early in the morning. Today’s agenda is a simple identity check, so it will not take long.”
In most respects, he was an ordinary man, but his voice was particularly distinctive.
It was the kind of voice that made you feel depressed just by listening to it.
On top of that, for some reason, hearing that voice made Seren nervous.
‘…They really are something else.’
Just a few decades ago, this was a family that couldn't even look the Goodsprings in the eye.
To be precise, before the Iron-Blooded Duke became the head, the Bednicker family's prestige wasn't nearly this great.
They were certainly a renowned noble family representing the empire, but they were lacking in many ways compared to the Goodsprings.
But now?
If you were to stop a passerby on the street and ask them to compare the Bednickers and the Goodsprings, how many would choose the latter?
“The schedule was announced three days ago, so anyone absent today will be considered absent from the Blessing Ceremony.”
Luke’s emotionless voice continued.
“The procedure is simple. When I call your name, please answer. If there is no answer after three calls, you will be considered absent, so please be mindful. I also ask for your understanding in advance for omitting honorifics. Then, let us begin immediately. Coman of the Tenfield family.”
“Here.”
Of course, no fool would be absent today.
What kind of opportunity was the Blessing Ceremony?
Most of the world's problems could be solved with money or power, but there were exceptions.
“Leonis of the Tmaron family.”
“Here.”
The Blessing Ceremony was one of them.
Only those who had inherited the blood of heroes, those with the aptitude to vanquish evil, could participate.
And the Blessing was the only way to fully awaken that heroic blood.
“Seren of the Goodspring family.”
“Here.”
Her name was called just then, so she answered.
She could feel gazes from all around landing on her.
The children of some families even whispered without any sense of decorum.
‘Is that the third daughter of the Goodspring family?’ or.
‘Her hair color is unusual.’ and even.
‘She looks fine on the outside, but I heard she’s crazy on the inside…’
Seren was used to such reactions and remained unfazed.
But when she heard the whisper, ‘Her temper got even worse after the marriage proposal with the Bednickers fell through,’ she almost lost her composure.
‘Marriage proposal, my ass.’
The whole thing had been forced from the start, and she had never even seen her supposed fiancé's face.
In fact, she couldn't even remember his name clearly.
‘Wasn't he the crazy bastard who sold off his family's treasured sword?’
In truth, it was quite rare for marriage proposals to be exchanged between prominent noble families.
What's more, the Bednickers and the Goodsprings were the two leading families of the empire, yet their engagement had been on the verge of being finalized.
In cases like this, the reason was surprisingly simple: there was something wrong with the individuals involved in the proposal.
It was a traditional way of dealing with the family’s troublemakers.
However, the reason the proposal was eventually dropped was that the notoriety of the Bednicker’s young master had reached a serious level.
In any case, thanks to that moron's moronic actions, Seren could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Her desire to be of use to her family hadn't changed, but not like this.
‘But what was that guy’s name again?’
She'd heard it but couldn't quite recall.
It was definitely Lu…
“Ruan of the Bednicker family.”
That's right. Ruan Bednicker.
‘Huh?’
Seren finally looked up.
Was that guy participating in this Blessing Ceremony too?
She wasn't sure.
From the moment ‘Seren Goodspring’ had decided to participate in this ceremony, many things had changed.
But…
‘I heard he participated in the first Blessing Ceremony at the beginning of this year.’
And he hadn't received a single Blessing.
It was an unprecedented event for a member of a Great Family to fail to receive even one.
Of course, Seren knew about it.
It was the decisive reason the marriage proposal had been called off.
“Ruan of the Bednicker family.”
Luke’s dry voice echoed through the hall once more.
Hadn't he said that if someone didn't answer after three calls, they'd be considered absent?
It seemed that cowardly bastard had been selected by his family but hadn't bothered to attend…
‘Well, of course.’
Once was enough for that kind of humiliation.
If anything, Seren couldn't understand the Bednickers' decision to give Ruan a second chance.
“Ruan of the Bednicker fa—.”
*Bang!*
Just then, the hall door burst open.
Every eye in the hall, including Seren’s and Luke’s on the dais, snapped in that direction…
Immediately after, most of their expressions soured.
“…”
It was some beggar.
Even from a distance, his clothes were filthy, and he reeked of a stench that made you want to plug your nose.
“What in the…”
Seren let out a bewildered voice.
She had called the Bednicker estate a backwater hole, but of course, she didn't truly think that.
This main estate, in particular, was built on land as secure as the imperial palace itself.
The knights guarding the entrance spoke up.
“Halt.”
“This is not a place you can enter as you please.”
The knights who maintained their polite speech even in this situation were impressive, but their demeanor was threatening despite their formal words.
What was more surprising, however, was the beggar’s attitude.
“Really? The butler told me to come here.”
Only then did the knights seem to realize something was off.
“Excuse me, but may I ask your identity…?”
The filthy fellow then looked around and said.
“I’m the youngest son of this house.”