Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Sisters
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“Huh, you’re here?”
“⋯⋯.”
Yeah, yeah.
Hurry up and come in, eye of the storm.
Last time she adopted a catastrophe-level beast as her daughter, and now what?
Carlyle entered the dean’s office with a gloomy expression at Shea’s gesturing hand, which seemed to say exactly that.
This guy wasn’t exactly his superior, but in any case, he was something like a mentor.
If he needed advice on the current situation, there was no better alternative.
“Let me guess. Something happened with the Red Magic Tower Lord again?”
“⋯⋯Yes.”
“What did she promise to give you?”
“Anything I ask, just once.”
“Well, well. Your junior’s running wild, huh?”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle silently nodded at Shea’s words, which pinpointed the situation exactly.
She’d promised “anything,” and just watching her suggest all sorts of outlandish, harsh acts was enough to make him tremble.
“As pitiful as she is, I think I should step in and save her somehow.”
⋯⋯A full-grown adult—and a dragon, no less, feared by the world at large—put in that state.
At the very least, he had to preserve some dignity so Gray wouldn’t lynch her.
“Don’t you have some urgent job to drag her along on? Something so pressing no one else could interfere would be ideal.”
“What’s gotten into you? You usually find your own work.”
“You said I need to grow stronger. I’ll be dragged to the imperial palace soon anyway.”
And sure enough, his recent one-on-one lessons with Shea had him training to the point of breaking.
In truly dire situations, he’d have to use the Holy Sword, but relying on it came with massive risks. The recoil each time was enormous.
So, even without it, he needed to handle mid-level threats with his basic skills alone.
Under that pretext, he’d been put through absolute hell.
Whoever was behind it, just wait until he caught them—he’d unleash every bit of his built-up training on them.
“⋯⋯.”
Hmm.
Maybe he’d caught something from hanging around Gray so much.
He might need to extract some of that hero essence from his body.
[⋯⋯Treating someone like deadly poison⋯⋯]
Ignoring the Holy Sword’s mutter, the dean nodded and spoke up.
“Perfect timing, then. Take four people with you. Let her feel how much stronger she’s gotten training with me.”
The dean grinned, saying Carlyle should now function as a combatant without the Holy Sword’s help.
That aside, one word stuck out.
“⋯⋯Four?”
Why four?
What required such a large group?
“That⋯⋯ Blackie, and Professor Siona too.”
“How did that combination even come about?”
“You know about dungeons, right?”
“Yeah?”
Lairs of beasts scattered across the continent.
“Every year around this time, the northern margrave territories see those damn dungeons erupt in the ‘Death March’ disaster. The empire’s major institutions are obligated to support it.”
The beasts rise up in numbers that blot out the horizon.
It was so bad that rumors swirled the margrave armies— the empire’s top forces outside the regular army—existed solely to contain the Death March with minimal casualties.
“⋯⋯Why send a student like me to such a terrifying place?”
“That’s why you’re getting two dragons and a catastrophe-level beast as escorts. Honestly, you could probably just sit back and twiddle your thumbs.”
“No, that’s beside the point—I’m still a student.”
This felt like a scale meant for Gray, not him.
“The Hero can’t go. The second she does, half the imperial palace will freak out about why the Hero’s there.”
“⋯⋯.”
“Since she’s an imperial Hero, she has to stay on standby for immediate deployment if something happens in the palace⋯⋯ That kind of thing. Even when I was active, the old fogeys pulled that crap.”
⋯⋯No wonder.
It made sense why Gray occasionally sneered icily at the Hero’s duties.
Nominally the guardian of all humanity, yet there were separate humans who needed “closer” protection from that guardian.
“So you’re going instead. You’re mostly free of those burdens.”
“Yes?”
“You can perform like a budget Hero. You can even merge with the Holy Sword.”
Ah.
Sending the real Hero would cause issues, but a budget Hero like Carlyle Bellfast? No problem.
Meaning they could shove him into dangerous spots without the same worries.
“⋯⋯.”
Was that right?
“Suffer for just one day. Oh, and meet the Black Lion Margrave while you’re at it.”
“⋯⋯Meet him?”
From what he’d heard, that guy was insanely dangerous. The emperor’s executioner, they said.
He was also on bad terms with Cardinal Felix.
Why meet someone like that on purpose?
“No issue. He’s a bit of a prankster, but he’ll probably take a liking to you. The Gray Cardinal won’t like it, though.”
Shea winked as he said it.
He seemed to know the man well. There was a meaningful undertone too.
⋯⋯Well, nothing he’d said so far had been wrong, so Carlyle could trust it.
Still.
“Isn’t this a bit irresponsible, sending me into danger like this?”
“Student Carlyle. Know what I’ve felt watching you all this time?”
“What?”
“That no matter what mess I throw you into, you somehow sort it out.”
“⋯⋯.”
“Makes my job easy. Stuff that should need a Hero? Drop you in, and it gets done.”
This damn old man?
Carlyle glared at Shea with that intent, but the dean just grinned, unfazed.
“Grow strong, Carlyle Bellfast.”
The dean waved him off like their business was done.
“You won’t survive otherwise.”
“⋯⋯.”
It was starting to sadden him that he could no longer argue against the man’s words.
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One curious fact.
Blackie made a purring sound like a cat when asleep.
Carlyle quietly draped a blanket over the slumbering Black Whale.
He’d tried putting her in another room, but she’d thrown a fit, insisting on sleeping with him.
At this rate, he really looked like a dad raising his daughter.
‘Isn’t this dangerous if someone sees?’
Anyone spotting it might think it was a daughter from a drunken accident.
Carlyle gave a wry smile at the thought when the Holy Sword snapped back curtly.
[I don’t know any man as safe as you, though.]
“⋯⋯.”
[Idiot bastard⋯⋯]
Whatever the incomprehensible scolding, it was time to wrap up the day and sleep.
Carlyle turned off the light and lay on the bed.
Just as sleep began to claim him.
A flash burst before his eyes.
Then a heavy weight settled on his stomach.
“?”
What was that.
Had Blackie woken up and turned the light back on to prank him?
Maybe she’d climbed on and was squirming around—he pried his eyes open.
A full-grown adult woman sat straddling his stomach, giving an awkward smile.
“Hmm— the coordinates got tricky. Didn’t expect such an indecent position.”
“⋯⋯.”
Then, both her hands clamped over his mouth.
“Ah, no screaming, okay? You’ll wake the kid.”
“⋯⋯.”
Timely help. He might’ve actually screamed otherwise.
“Professor Siona?”
Carlyle called out to her, voice muffled.
“Wow— Student Carlyle. First time alone like this, right?”
Alone my ass—the professor straddling a student like this was a massive red flag already.
Regardless, Siona on his stomach took it further.
“Something like this has a thrill of the forbidden, doesn’t it? Why not enjoy it a bit, Student Carlyle?”
“⋯⋯.”
What the hell was this crazy woman saying.
“Why come so⋯⋯ aggressively like this?”
“Sorry for startling you. But I didn’t want anyone knowing. Literally anyone.”
“⋯⋯.”
Even if she moved secretly, some people could pinpoint her location instantly.
Dean Shea. Or Gray.
So she’d teleported straight into his room.
“But I had to tell you this. It’s something no one can know.”
“⋯⋯.”
“I have a favor to ask, Student Carlyle.”
Was she always like this?
She didn’t seem the type to bulldoze like this.
What favor warranted this?
“In this dispatch, please make sure no issues arise between Leona and me.”
“⋯⋯Issues? What kind?”
“Hmm, nothing that serious. You can just lie there comfortably and listen.”
As she droned on about how nice it was to be pinned by a beauty like her, Carlyle sighed and rubbed his face.
“I’ll admit you’re a beauty, but please hurry up anyway.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Siona beamed at his words.
“To explain why, I have to start from when I was young and my father was killed.”
“⋯⋯Hold on. I’ll sit up for this.”
If it was that kind of story, build up to it properly.
Not like Gray or something.
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-System Message
▶ Quest 'Family Issues' has begun!
▶ Upon completion, 'Siona Libel' will be added to 'Taming Targets'!
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