Chapter 239: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (32)
Chapter 239: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (32)
The scene, drenched in blood, was the very definition of "carnage."
The Saintess hurried about, checking on the wounded. For the most part, they were on the brink of death from severed limbs, shattered cartilage, or excessive bleeding, but it seemed no one had actually died yet.
Except, of course, for those whose heads had exploded back in the reception room.
There was nothing that could be done for them.
I had wanted to save them if possible, but the Dark Cult’s contract magic was apparently more effective than I had imagined.
It was chilling to think what might have happened if that contract had been forged back at the Guildford Orphanage.
Elsie Senior wiped my face and body with a wet towel, her expression twisted as if she were about to cry.
My body was soaked in blood—none of it my own.
"Master, you went through so much trouble for nothing… If, if you had just called for me, I would have fried these pieces of trash with lightning!"
Elsie Senior ground her teeth. Her blue eyes glared at the wounded men sprawled across the floor, her gaze filled with hatred and resentment.
Even though I wasn't even injured, she seemed furious simply because their blood had stained my skin.
It was always my job to stop Elsie Senior when she started muttering incantations under her breath like this.
"That’s enough, Elsie Senior… What’s the point of electrocuting people who are already half-dead?"
"B-but still!"
A ferocious beast by nature, Elsie Senior attempted to rebel, blue sparks flickering in her eyes as if she were still unsatisfied.
There was only one way to tame this violent animal.
I reached out and plopped my hand right on top of Elsie Senior’s head. Through the fabric of her pointed hat, I could feel the soft texture of her hair.
I began to stroke her head gently.
"Still, thank you for worrying about me, Elsie Senior."
"Ehehe, h-hehet… M-Master……."
Elsie Senior immediately melted, leaning her head into my chest as I continued to pet her. She started nuzzling against me, and since I was used to it by now, I decided to just let her be.
Objectively speaking, the sensation of a lovely girl burying her face in one's chest wasn't bad.
However, there was someone else who was decidedly not pleased.
The Saintess, returning from her rounds of the injured, immediately scowled.
She wore her trademark prickly expression, twirling a lock of her side hair around her index finger.
"Ha. Some of us are working, while others are busy playing pet dog……."
Of course, Elsie Senior wasn't the type to let such a provocation slide.
Her face crumpled into a glare, and she slowly pulled away from my chest to loom over the Saintess.
"……What did you just say, you bitch?"
But the Saintess was one step ahead of her.
She wore a serene, benevolent smile and bowed her head, clasping her hands together.
"I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, Sister Elsie? If I have done anything to cause a misunderstanding, I offer my sincerest apologies… However, if you are having trouble with your hearing, please feel free to come for a consultation at any time. Immanuel."
The rest of the group looked toward Elsie Senior, their expressions saying 'Here we go again.'
The Saintess had been the one to provoke her, but she had whispered it so softly that almost no one else had heard. Only Elsie Senior and I had caught it.
Naturally, the looks of reproach fell upon Elsie Senior, who was famous for her foul temper.
Of course, Elsie Senior didn't give a damn about those looks.
She let out a scoffing laugh, as if the situation were absurd. Then, she put her signature crude vocabulary on full display.
"Seriously, I knew you were all tits, but did all your manners go to your tits too? Is that why you're such a brat……?"
"……And it seems Sister Elsie doesn't even have enough manners to spare, does she?"
"Well, isn't that still better than being a parentless brat?"
The Saintess whispered with her benevolent smile, while Elsie Senior spat out curses with a cold smirk.
Even Elsie Senior couldn't openly swear at the Saintess in public.
And the Saintess, mindful of the social reputation she had built, couldn't bring herself to bicker openly either.
As a result, they ended up in this ridiculous situation—whispering sharp barbs at each other while appearing to be having a friendly chat.
I gave Elsie Senior a light bonk on the head as she let her true personality slip for the first time in a while.
"A-ow! M-Master!"
"Let's not bring family matters into this, no matter what."
"B-but……!"
Elsie Senior looked incredibly wronged.
To her, the comment about her chest seemed to be a more sensitive topic than her family history.
It was a battle I couldn't quite wrap my head around.
It was just that the Saintess was an anomaly; Elsie Senior’s chest was plenty large enough to be attractive. There was no reason for her to feel inferior.
However, we didn't have time for a long-winded explanation, so I simply shook my head with a firm expression.
I was signaling that the matter was not up for debate.
Elsie Senior’s shoulders slumped immediately.
The Saintess, on the other hand, wore the smile of a victor.
Feeling triumphant, the Saintess snatched the wet towel out of Elsie Senior’s hand. She then began to wipe my face with exaggerated care.
"You've worked so hard, Brother Ian… Unlike certain people, you have such a kind heart that you didn't even take their lives."
"……There was no need to kill them."
When I let out a sigh and said that, the Saintess gave me a playful, knowing look, as if she found me incorrigible.
Unlike before, this smile was genuine.
Seeing the strange atmosphere between the two of us, Elsie Senior looked like she was about to flare up again.
But I wasn't the only one who could control Elsie Senior anymore.
"Elsie!"
At that chilling call, Elsie Senior’s body froze stiff.
Her eyes darted around before landing on the figure behind her.
There stood Sir Reynold, who had just walked out of the reception room with Reto.
"Is this a time for you to be fooling around in front of others? Besides, I don't believe I've ever accepted Young Master Ian as your partner yet."
"U-Uncle……."
To my surprise, Elsie Senior immediately lost her spirit and began to stammer.
It was the first time I had ever seen her like that, so both the Saintess and I stared at her with wide eyes. The rest of the group was the same.
Sir Reynold continued in a stern voice.
"Instead of wasting time, you should be here at the scene developing your Eye of Appraisal. I told you that to become a High Mage, you must acquire knowledge in many fields……."
"I-I'll take care of it myself……!"
At Elsie Senior’s timid rebellion, Sir Reynold’s gaze deepened.
He was a man who remained expressionless, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
He eventually let out a sigh and shook his head as if giving up.
"……Do as you wish. In any case, unless you become a High Mage, there is no way for you to escape the shackles of the family."
At those words, Elsie Senior’s spirit broke more than ever before.
The girl’s head drooped low.
She looked so pitiful that I almost felt the urge to go over and comfort her.
However, Sir Reynold reached me first.
He scanned the bloody landscape I had created for a moment before reporting the results of his investigation.
"It’s just as you said. Traces of magic that do not belong to the existing magic systems have been discovered."
"……And the connection to the Dark Cult?"
"We don't have concrete physical evidence yet."
At some point, Sir Reynold had started addressing me as "Young Master," using a somewhat polite but still informal tone. It was still informal, of course.
Nevertheless, it was clear that his evaluation of me had risen.
I let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, I fell into deep thought.
In the end, it meant we didn't have enough to prove a connection to the Dark Cult.
"Don't be too disappointed. This has narrowed down the scope of the investigation significantly… Now, we just need to track the movements of those who went missing."
With that, Sir Reynold handed me a stack of documents.
They were the personal records of the missing debtors that had been on the table.
I accepted them with a bitter smile.
For now, I had to be satisfied with this.
With the Lainella family’s Magic Corps and the Empire’s Administrative Official involved, the investigation would only gain momentum. It would be even better once Senior Neris arrived.
Just as things were wrapping up on a positive note, someone threw a bucket of cold water on the mood.
It was my younger sister, Lia.
She had been looking around at the carnage I had caused, trembling like a newborn fawn. Then, she suddenly raised her voice.
"A-A-Are you crazy… Brother?!"
The group’s questioning gazes all turned toward Lia.
However, Lia seemed unable to believe that everyone except her was acting this way.
She pointed at the men who were collapsed and groaning on the floor.
When I tilted my head in confusion, Lia shouted in frustration.
"I-It’s dangerous! Do you know how notorious these guys were in this area?! And look! There are dozens of them… Dozens! And they're armed soldiers!"
I looked at the Saintess with a bewildered expression.
The Saintess also looked stunned.
It wasn't just her; everyone who had been with me had the same expression. Lia’s golden pupils shook violently with disbelief.
Lia pleaded with Sir Reynold.
Her usual dignified demeanor had long since vanished.
That was how great the shock had been.
"S-Sir Reynold… Please say something to my brother! If he fights alone in such a dangerous situation……."
"As a prospective son-in-law of the Lainella family, that is exactly what he should do."
His voice was as emotionless as ever, but his words revealed his satisfaction.
Lia, even more despairing now, turned to the Saintess.
"S-Saintess… Is it really okay for him to throw himself into danger like this? It’s dangerous! What if my brother dies… I-I can't live without my brother……."
"……But Ian wasn't hurt, was he?"
Of course, the Saintess didn't give the answer Lia wanted either.
Seeing the Saintess ask back with genuine confusion, Lia clutched her forehead and stumbled backward.
Now on the verge of tears, Lia clung to Celine.
Since they were children, Lia and Celine had never particularly gotten along. Yet, it seemed Celine was the only one left she could trust.
"C-Celine… You say something. These people are crazy! How can it not be dangerous to fight dozens of armed men alone?!"
"Ahaha……."
Celine scratched her cheek awkwardly.
She exchanged a glance with Reto, who was standing next to Sir Reynold, and then let out a deep sigh.
"……Lia."
Celine placed a hand on the shoulder of the girl clinging to her and gave her a kind smile.
"You're worrying too much… There's no way Brother Ian would get hurt by something like this."
"……Something like this?"
Lia asked back, turning her gaze toward Reto and Seria as if seeking their opinions.
"There were dozens of them? And they were all armed former mercenaries?"
But the answers from those two were the same.
Reto and Seria simply nodded in silence.
In the end, Lia slumped to the floor with a tearful face.
The black-haired beauty sitting amidst the blood that had bloomed like flowers was a sight to behold in itself.
Though the person in question was merely repeating gloomy murmurs.
"T-This is strange. My brother shouldn't be this strong… We promised to live together, just the two of us……."
How long ago was she talking about?
That was a promise from years ago.
I walked over and patted Lia’s shoulder a few times to comfort her.
It was time to head back.
It was time to hunt the Dark Cult in earnest.
And then, one night.
"……Lord Ian, I have a report to make."
As shadows fell, a pair of deep green eyes appeared in the air.
Senior Neris had arrived.