Chapter 274: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (67)
Chapter 274: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (67)
The girl’s body came to a dead halt.
Thinking back on it, had Ian ever called her "Lainella" even once?
Delphine and countless other nobles called her "Lainella." To a noble, their house was their identity. Therefore, there was no issue with being addressed by one's surname alone.
But Ian had never once called Elsie "Lainella."
At most, he would only attach the surname to her name when he was scolding her.
From the beginning to the very end.
Not even once.
Elsie’s feverish mind cooled instantly.
"…Uncle Reynold."
It had been a long time since Elsie had addressed Reynold by name.
Reynold, who had been about to turn away thinking the persuasion was over, found himself forced to look back at her once more.
Elsie thought to herself.
Ian was a unique existence to her.
Her only master, her only love, and the only person who saw her simply as "Elsie."
Reynold must have had someone like that once, too.
"…Have you forgotten her yet? That person you said you loved?"
Reynold seemed quite taken aback by the question.
He couldn't open his mouth for a long time.
His lips parted, then closed.
He did this several times.
Unable to find the words, Reynold lowered his gaze. The answer he finally managed to squeeze out was a single word.
"…Yes."
But contrary to the content of his answer, his voice was thick with lingering regret.
"Pfft, ahahaha…!"
Elsie couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Reynold was speechless at her sudden change in attitude. He simply stared at Elsie with eyes wide with surprise.
In fact, it wasn't just Reynold; everyone eavesdropping on the conversation felt the same way.
Regardless, Elsie was now clutching her stomach, doubled over with laughter.
And as the laughter finally began to subside, Elsie spat out her specialty.
"Aha, haha… You fucking old geezer, I’ve been trying to be patient, but seriously!"
It was a straight-up curse.
The surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
It was an act of disrespect that crossed the line by a mile. No matter the circumstances, the man was still an elder of her family.
The remark was so out of bounds that even Reynold narrowed his eyes and asked back.
"…What?"
"Didn't you hear me? I called you a 'fucking old geezer,' Uncle."
But Elsie showed no sign of shrinking back now. On the contrary, her voice was overflowing with a growling hostility.
It was an expression of boiling rage.
Unable to take it any longer, Reynold raised his voice for the first time.
"Elsie, such insolence—!"
"If not that, then what are you?"
Elsie said as she took a step forward.
Reynold instinctively shut his mouth at her fierce, intimidating aura. His eyes were filled with bewilderment.
Even so, Elsie’s voice did not drop.
"You're regretting it! You haven't even forgotten her yet…! And yet you're telling your niece to go and do the very thing you regret?!"
"…Elsie."
As if those words were too much to bear, Reynold replied, his breath hitching.
"It was nothing more than the folly of youth. In the end, one cannot escape the restraints of the family. You know this as well as I do. Lainella's fate is decided by—"
"Stop the bullshit!"
Reynold’s persuasion didn't stand a chance.
Elsie reached into her clothes and pulled out a plaque, throwing it to the ground.
It was a gold plaque engraved with two crossing laurel branches.
It was the token symbolizing the direct lineage of the Lainella family.
Reynold stared down at the gold plaque, dazed.
Any noble was expected to cherish their family’s token. Elsie couldn't possibly be unaware of what it meant to hurl it onto the dirt.
"I am Elsie! Not 'Lainella,' but 'Elsie Lainella'! I grew up getting beaten like a dog as a child, and I’ve been obedient like a dog ever since…!"
Pain that had been concentrated over a long time was vomited out as boiling anger. Reynold could only gape at the wave of raw emotion.
"And now… now you want me to abandon the person I love, too?!"
"…Elsie."
It was a cry squeezed out with great effort.
Reynold’s expression, as he tried to maintain a solemn voice, looked complicated. He looked sad, he looked worried, and in a way, he looked pained.
It was a wealth of emotional expression that seemed uncharacteristic of him.
He quietly delivered his final ultimatum.
"It will be a dog's death."
"Pffft, hehehe," Elsie let out a hollow laugh and took a step back.
A "dog's death"?
How hilarious.
If one lived and died as a dog anyway, every death was a dog's death.
Whether she died as the Lainella family's fighting dog or died while trying to save Ian.
If it was going to be a "dog's death" either way…
Elsie’s answer was already decided.
"Woof!"
She barked, curling her hands like a puppy's paws.
Reynold wasn't stupid enough to miss the mockery in that gesture.
His eyes became vacant as he watched Elsie.
Regardless, Elsie simply declared her intent with a charming, playful smile.
"Elsie is Master Ian's loyal pet dog! So…"
Then, she added in a voice that was colder than anything else.
"…Whether I die or not, stay out of it. This is the fate I’ve decided for myself."
That was the end of it.
Elsie immediately sprinted off after Celine.
She was a mage, after all. Even if she provided fire support from a distance, there would be no loss in combat power. Being a little late wouldn't be a major issue.
What remained after that storm of an argument was Reynold standing still and the Lainella family's gold plaque lying on the ground.
Everyone watched Reynold’s reaction in silence.
Excluding the Saintess, he was the highest-ranking person present. Furthermore, he was the strongest individual among the vast forces gathered in the Percus Territory.
They had no choice but to be mindful of his mood.
After standing motionless for a long time, Reynold finally took a step forward after several minutes had passed.
With heavy footsteps, he bent his waist.
His hand reached for the ground.
To the spot where the Lainella gold plaque had fallen.
As he carefully grasped the plaque in his hand, a hollow laugh escaped him.
"…Good grief, that temper of hers."
Muttering that she was the spitting image of his older brother when they were young, Reynold wore a bitter smile.
He was right, after all.
One could not hide the family blood.
The temper of Count Lainella combined with Reynold’s own wanderlust.
By any measure, Elsie was a true scion of Lainella.
Reynold stared blankly at Elsie’s receding back as she ran off.
Until Arthur, the Administrator of the Empire, approached him.
"Everyone has gone mad…"
Arthur was trembling as if he were disgusted. His face showed that he couldn't understand any of this.
By now, even the Saintess had shaken off Yuren and headed toward the battlefield.
"H-How can they even think of charging at a monster like that?! This is mass hysteria! Everyone needs a psychiatric evaluation!"
He looked like he was on the verge of going insane from fear and anxiety.
One could never have enough protection, yet many of their primary combatants had already deserted their posts.
It was by no means a positive sign.
Arthur, an ordinary citizen who valued his own life above all else, spoke to Reynold in a trembling voice.
"L-Let's at least save ourselves! Let's evacuate now… there are still refugees left, and who knows if the corpses will start rising again…!"
"I cannot do that."
His tone was firm, as if he wouldn't allow even a single word of rebuttal.
Arthur was stunned by the sudden declaration.
He had to ask again, filled with disbelief.
"Y-You can't?"
"No, I cannot."
No matter how many times he was asked, Reynold’s answer was not going to change.
For Arthur, it was as if he had suddenly lost a reliable ally.
Eventually, Arthur couldn't contain himself and raised his voice.
"B-But… but you just said a moment ago that it would be a dog's death…!"
"Administrator."
His voice was unwavering.
It was the polar opposite of Arthur’s trembling tone.
When Reynold’s blue eyes flicked toward him, Arthur instinctively flinched.
Those were the eyes of a man who had survived countless battles. They were not eyes a faint-hearted scholar could meet head-on.
"Lainella's fate is decided by Lainella. And just now, our little Lainella has decided her own fate."
His speech had become informal, but Arthur didn't dare complain about it.
In fact, it was more natural for Reynold to speak down to him. Even if he was an Imperial Administrator, Arthur was a commoner, while Reynold was a high-ranking noble.
He should be grateful for any level of politeness at all.
Instead, Arthur simply shook his head a couple of times as if pleading.
"Please, Lord Reynold… regain your senses. How can we defeat that monster! Even Count Lainella told us to preserve our strength…!"
"Are you telling me to just let my niece die like this, then?"
His voice was chillingly cold.
At that counter-question, which was tinged with a faint killing intent, Arthur felt as if his heart had stopped.
He immediately backed away, breaking out in a cold sweat.
No matter how desperate he was, he had no choice but to realize it now.
Reynold was not someone Arthur could handle in the first place.
As if he had lost interest, Reynold turned his gaze away from Arthur.
Then, he summoned the Magic Corps standing nearby.
"Everyone, listen up. From this moment, we begin preparations for a large-scale magic circle… Our priority is to bind that monster, and in the meantime, we will rescue Young Master Ian, Elsie, and the others."
The voices of the Magic Corps responding to Reynold’s command were thunderous.
Reynold didn't think they could defeat that monster either.
However, if the Magic Corps gave it their all, they should be able to pin it down for a while.
His plan was for himself and a few other experts to step in and rescue Ian and Elsie during that window.
As he was about to begin the operation in earnest, Reynold suddenly looked down at the Lainella gold plaque in his hand.
"…Fate, huh."
Could Ian, and could Elsie, truly change the fate of the Percus Territory?
Even as he thought it was an absurd notion, Reynold found himself wearing a faint smile.
The participation of the Lainella Magic Corps was decided.