Chapter 273: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (66)
Chapter 273: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (66)
Elsie was afraid of Reynold.
It had been that way since she was a child.
As was the case with most noble houses, the power of the head of the family in the Lainella family was absolute. Count Lainella, occupying a position of omnipotence, always reigned as an object of both awe and terror.
It was no different for Elsie.
Even as she sharpened the blade of revenge against the siblings who tormented her, Elsie never dared to harbor thoughts of rebelling against Count Lainella.
That was also why the household servants stood by and watched as Elsie was ostracized.
Because that was the will of Count Lainella.
Thus, Elsie received no help whatsoever, even as she suffered through one-sided violence.
When even Elsie, the primary victim, did not dare to defy Count Lainella, who could possibly interfere with the Count’s philosophy?
It was an expectation that could never be fulfilled.
Except for one person.
"……What do you think you are doing?"
That sole exception was her uncle, Reynold.
One of only two Archmages in the family, and the younger brother who enjoyed the absolute trust of Count Lainella. He was the only one in the family who could go against the Count's will.
Whenever Reynold saw the siblings bullying Elsie and Lupin, he would scold them severely.
"Do you have any idea how childish and petty your actions are? If it is acceptable to torment others simply because they are weak, then I suppose I am free to torment you as much as I wish."
"N-no, that’s not it, Uncle……."
No matter how many excuses they made, he never went easy on the perpetrators. The siblings, who had been so high and mighty while bullying Elsie and Lupin, would soon lose their spirit and have to slink away.
Watching Reynold, Elsie nurtured her dream of becoming a mage.
At the time, she was nothing more than a tiny, weak child. But one day, she vowed, she would surely become a great mage like her uncle. Then, the people who ridiculed and tormented her would have to change their tune completely.
Fortunately, Elsie possessed extraordinary talent and a certain venomous determination. Thanks to that, she achieved her dream before long.
In a manner that was far more cruel and violent.
She had become a devil who crushed her opponents so they could never resist again, but Elsie thought that was only natural.
At least, until she found herself being scolded by Reynold again.
"Elsie, stop this."
It was a reprimand she heard when she was in the heat of her revenge against her siblings.
Of course, she couldn't understand Reynold. She was merely returning what she had received. There was nothing wrong with her motivation.
Nevertheless, every time she did, there was only one answer.
"You are a Lainella, and those children are Lainellas as well."
Then had they ever spared her because she was a Lainella?
A sudden surge of anger rose within her, but Elsie could not bring herself to talk back to Reynold.
Elsie was still weak and needed a nest. Reynold, who was always strong and dependable, was one of the few people who gave her a sense of security. She once thought that if she could have him backing her, she would gladly shoulder the name of Lainella.
She never imagined that her resolve from back then would return to haunt her in this way.
Now, Reynold stood before Elsie as a wall higher and thicker than anything else. The moment Elsie met those cold eyes, she froze.
It was a fear engraved in her since childhood.
"Elsie, I will say it again: the will of the family is firm."
That damn family again.
Elsie had initially frozen up, but she was already beyond the point of desperation. She had to go save her master as quickly as possible. She didn't have time to be arguing with Reynold like this.
In the end, Elsie could no longer hold back and bared her teeth.
"……So what?"
Her tone was sarcastic. It was not the kind of language one should use toward a family elder.
Yet, Reynold’s voice in response remained calm.
"I told you to stop."
No emotion could be felt in those short, plain words. He was like an automaton operating solely on logic.
"As you can see, it is a hopeless battle… Going there will only result in a dog's death. I would hope my niece isn't so foolish."
"Then you want me to just let him die?!"
It was a retort filled with desperate emotion. Elsie raised her voice, pointing a finger toward the center of the battlefield.
There was Ian, still fighting a desperate struggle. He looked so battered that it wouldn't be strange if he collapsed and died right this second.
Taking in that blood-red landscape, Elsie’s voice grew even louder.
"You don't know, Uncle! You don't know how precious Master is to me……!"
"……How could I not know?"
It was just one sentence. A common expression of empathy that cut Elsie off.
However, Elsie found herself speechless at those words alone. It was because Reynold’s face as he spoke looked incredibly lonely.
It was an expression Elsie had never seen before, even after spending so much time with him.
"I, too, once loved someone. She was my first and last love… But our love met with the opposition of the family, and unable to bear the self-loathing, she took her own life."
Elsie tried to say something in protest, but she ended up pressing her lips tight.
It was her uncle's unhappy past, revealed out of nowhere. Reynold had always seemed so dependable and strong. She never realized he still carried the wounds of that day.
Because he had never spoken of it once.
As he confessed his past, his eyes were filled with immense sadness and pain.
"That is why I left the family, in search of freedom… But in the end, I returned to the family's embrace. Emotions are volatile, but blood is eternal."
"Even so, even so……."
"That is why it is fate."
To Elsie, who was muttering as if she couldn't possibly accept it, Reynold asserted once more. His finger pointed somewhere.
"……Now, look. At that monster."
It was a massive creature, standing tens of meters tall. Every time it stomped its feet or swung its fists, a low humming noise erupted. The ground shook, and the world suffered from the aftershocks.
Fear was revived in Elsie's eyes.
"Would the situation change just because you went there?"
She had no words to refute him. Elsie was an excellent mage who had reached the 5th Circle, but she was not yet at a level where she could turn the tide of a battlefield alone. To do that, she would need to be an Archmage of at least the 6th Circle.
And at a glance, that monster seemed beyond the capacity of even 6th Circle magic.
But Elsie couldn't give up until the end. As if she couldn't bear to lose Ian like this, Elsie pleaded with desperation.
"Th-then, if I lead the Magic Corps……."
"You see?"
Of course, Reynold was not an easy opponent. Even at his niece's plea, he only gave a cold reply.
"When pushed into a corner, you try to lean on the family's power again, Elsie… That is who you are."
It was a truth so plain it was cruel. Elsie could only look down blankly.
She thought she had changed. She had been prideful, thinking she had grown by being with Ian and falling in love, rather than being just a tomboy who relied on her family.
But it was merely an illusion.
Even now, Elsie could do nothing on her own. She couldn't rescue Ian or turn the tide of battle by herself.
'A dog's death.'
Just as Reynold said, it would be nothing more than a dog's death.
Elsie clenched her fists, her body trembling.
She had so many precious memories built with Ian.
The memory of winning the Hunting Festival after defeating that rude brat, Delphine.
The memory of being saved by Ian at the orphanage and running through the battlefield in his arms.
The memory of asking Ian on a date, getting rejected, and taking her anger out on Lupin.
And the memory of Ian saving her again the next day, and the memory of hearing him say he would love her in the back garden.
And after that, memory after memory after memory…….
The memories of her time with Ian continued endlessly.
When had they piled up so high?
All those countless memories were stacked like a stone tower over Elsie's heart, swaying precariously. With a voice so fragile it seemed she might burst into tears at any moment, Elsie voiced a question that suddenly came to mind.
"……Master."
There was still no ripple of emotion in Reynold's blue eyes. He was merely staring at Elsie in silence.
"What did Master… say……?"
No answer came. It meant Reynold didn't understand the intent of the question.
Finally, Elsie shouted in frustration.
"You said Master said something! When you proposed the engagement, what did he say?!"
Only then did Reynold slightly avert his gaze. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Whether he should relay this or not.
Reynold's deliberation didn't last long. He opened his mouth as if he had no choice.
"……He kept asking what your thoughts were. So I told him that the opinion of the parties involved isn't particularly important for an engagement."
He told him that, so what? Elsie's tearful eyes shot a look of annoyance at him.
In the end, Reynold had no choice but to give an answer mixed with a sigh.
"Young Master Ian said this: that since you are so willful, he had to hear your opinion……."
Ha, Elsie let out a laugh as if it were absurd.
So willful?
It couldn't be helped. Ever since she had the name of Lainella at her back, Elsie had always committed outrages by borrowing the family's power. It was inevitable that those traces remained in Ian's mind.
Yes, because Elsie was a 'Lainella.'
She was nothing more than the finest fighting dog raised by the family.
Just as Elsie was about to turn away weakly, thinking Ian must have thought so too—
‘Senior Elsie.’
The man's voice pierced through her eardrums.