Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Children though they were, he judged them without mercy.
The problem was, he meant every word.
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of affection in the way he looked at his daughters.
Not Katrinne, and not even Joanna.
“……”
“……”
Their reactions were different.
Katrinne didn’t so much as flinch, as though she were used to it. Joanna tried hard not to let it show, but it was plain that she was hurt.
…Katrinne gets hurt too, really. She’s just forcing herself to believe she’s fine.
Truthfully, it wasn’t my place to get involved.
After all, wounds like these would become stepping-stones to growth for both of them.
But was it because I’d been tainted by the Black Flame Dragon’s meddlesome nature?
I said something I didn’t need to say.
“That’s not true.”
“Hmm?”
“I believe both of your daughters are brilliant talents who will one day become stars.”
Joanna and Katrinne turned surprised looks on me.
But I was telling the truth.
Both of them have the potential to grow into Ascendants. In Joanna’s case, that is, if she doesn’t fall behind.
Not all sixteen protagonists could become Ascendants. Some protagonists had a growth limit of Level Eight, or even Level Seven.
In that respect, Katrinne, one of the two main protagonists, was a matter of course, but Joanna was an outstanding talent in her own right as well.
“Heh heh. We meet again after all this time, and you’ve gotten good at flattery. I think the boy beside you is far more promising, though. There is something irritating coiled up inside him, to be sure.”
He was talking about Libel.
Greed crept into Duke Alfonso’s eyes.
“Boy, would you like to become my adopted son? If you wish, I’ll make you my ‘real son.’”
The hall stirred with whispers.
It was customary for Prestigious Magic Families to take gifted talents as “adopted children.”
But it was usually only a symbolic gesture, meaning that they had become members of the family—not that they had become the true heir’s child. The duke was offering him special treatment.
It might not be a bad thing for Libel.
I felt bad for thinking this, but the two of them had a lot in common. They were the same sort, so, unexpectedly, they might get along quite well.
But Libel’s response was unexpected.
“I-I refuse.”
“Hmm? If you became my son, you could receive my instruction directly.”
“I don’t need that crap.”
Libel answered without hesitation.
And without stammering, as he usually did.
“Professor Ban is the one who will teach me.”
A faint madness flickered deep in Libel’s eyes as he said it.
…No, I’m just in charge of a temporary class for two months. We’ll be saying goodbye to each other after that, won’t we?
Ignoring my alarm, Duke Alfonso nodded as if he understood.
“If you’ve seen Ban first, I suppose it’s only natural you’d think that.”
“You flatter me.”
“It’s no flattery. Even now, I can barely hold back the jealousy welling up inside me. I want to tear you apart and kill you right here.”
The mood, which had softened somewhat, suddenly turned razor-sharp.
Duke Alfonso smiled serenely, his eyes alight with madness.
“One of these days, I might suddenly come to my senses and try to kill you. Ah, I’m serious. Or should I call that a joke? Hahaha.”
“……”
“So, how about this? In order to keep myself from killing you, we become family. You’re Huam’s son, my friend, so I can’t adopt you…”
Then Duke Alfonso uttered something insane.
“You become my son-in-law. Marry Joanna.”
“!!”
The shock that swept through the room was incomparable to the one before.
But he wasn’t joking.
The insincere smile that had been fixed to Duke Alfonso’s lips vanished as well.
“If you marry Joanna, I’ll give you the position of next head of the main family. It would be impossible for you, as the third son, to inherit the Ecclesia family anyway, so it’s not a bad offer for you.”
Joanna, who had been listening beside us, went pale.
What Duke Alfonso was saying now denied, in an instant, her entire life of struggling to become the head of the Prestigious Magic Family.
“Or perhaps you’re fond of Katrinne. You may choose her instead. Isn’t your age gap just right?”
For the record, the two First-Year Students were seventeen.
Ban, who had graduated from the Academy not long ago, was twenty-three, so the age difference was indeed suitable for marriage.
“If you refuse, I don’t know what I might do. I might do something foolish and cut your head off right now. Hahahaha!”
As his voice dripped with madness, I wondered what I should do.
I have to refuse as nicely as possible, without offending Duke Alfonso.
If he hadn’t said what he said next, that was probably what I would have done.
“If you marry him, even one of those two worthless children will be of great benefit to the family.”
“!!”
Their expressions changed.
Not just Joanna’s—this time, even Katrinne couldn’t pretend she was unaffected.
In the end, I said something I would regret.
“Enough.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m telling you not to take out your inferiority complex on your children, Your Grace.”
“!!”
Everyone drew in a breath at my explosive remark.
The most shocked of all was me, the one who’d said the insane thing.
What am I thinking?! Have I really been infected by the Black Flame Dragon?
For the record, the Black Flame Dragon hadn’t stepped in.
This was my own doing.
And my madness didn’t stop there.
It isn’t those children’s fault that Your Grace failed to become an Ascendant. Don’t take your frustrations out on them.
The King of Mages.
That was what people called Duke Alfonso.
But the title always came with a qualifier.
“Of the earth,” “of the mortal world,” “beneath the heavens,” and so on.
Because he was not an Ascendant who had risen to the heavens.
He could play king only among mages who kept their feet on the ground.
His inferiority complex toward the truly great mages who had ascended to the heavens had twisted him into this.
Damn it. Why did I have to go and cause trouble? Of course, in the long run, stepping in like this might have a positive effect on Joanna and Katrinne, so it could help save the world...
No. However I looked at it, this was a losing move.
Even if the sight of those two looking so dejected and wretched had reminded me of what I used to be like, this was still a crazy thing to do—something I absolutely should not have done.
Now that it had come to this, there was no helping it. I had to deal with the mess.
The one thing going for me was that I’d prepared an insurance policy in case things went as badly as they possibly could.
It should be about time.
“You really do surprise me. To dare say something so fearless to me—it’s admirable. I find myself wanting more and more. I don’t know what to do with this jealousy, this desire to kill you, or this desire to make you mine.”
It was just as Duke Alfonso murmured those words ominously, without smiling in the slightest, that the “insurance policy” I had been waiting for arrived!
“Haha! Alfonso! You’ve only just come down to the ground after all this time, and already your jokes have improved. Did you spend your time on Sky Island honing your humor instead of your magic?”
Laughter rang out, breaking the momentum of Duke Alfonso’s presence.
When I turned toward the sound, I saw a man with a blade-sharp appearance, dressed in an official’s uniform.
It was this body’s father, Duke Huam!
Despite his hearty laughter, Duke Huam’s face wasn’t smiling at all.
“And on top of that, you’re talking about a marriage alliance. My friend, this is the sort of joyous occasion you should be discussing through me. Don’t tell me you’re slighting me—or, worse, the Ecclesia Ducal House?”
“!!”
Fwoosh!
A wave of force spread out from Duke Huam.
His attainment was inferior to Duke Alfonso’s, at Level Seven.
But the force pressing down on everyone present was in no way inferior to Duke Alfonso’s.
As expected of the head of the Empire’s foremost prestigious family.
The thousand-year-old tree.
That was the Ecclesia family’s nickname.
Among the four Ducal Houses, the Ecclesia family was not the strongest.
In prestige, it fell behind the Prestigious Swordsmanship Family; in military might, the Prestigious Magic Family; and in wealth, the Rapalt Ducal House.
That had always been true throughout history.
There had always been a family that surpassed the Ecclesia family, but the one that always survived was Ecclesia.
While the other Ducal Houses were replaced time and again, Ecclesia alone remained, preserving its dignity in lofty solitude.
If you asked which Ducal House was the strongest in the Empire, the answer would always differ. But if you asked which was the greatest house of nobility, the answer was always Ecclesia.
“Please let what you said today have been a joke you learned on Sky Island. I have no desire to exchange angry words with you, my longtime friend.”
“…If I was rude, I apologize. I was taken with your son. He’s grown into such a fine young man. I envy you.”
Astonishingly, Duke Alfonso took a step back!
Duke Huam smiled.
The icy air softened.
“Envious? He still has a long way to go. But thank you for thinking so highly of him.”
Duke Huam gave me a look.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to thank him for his hospitality?”
“…Thank you for your hospitality.”
Even now, Duke Huam did not offer an “apology.”
He was drawing a clear line: the blame for the disturbance I had caused lay with the Prestigious Magic Family.
“Duchess Beth, it’s been a long time. I’m sorry to hear about your younger sister.”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Thank you for understanding so generously. As expected of a lady of such fine reputation. I’m sure your younger sister will gladly accept the punishment she deserves.”
It was a warning: He would punish her sister, so she had better not think of interfering.
Duchess Beth clenched her fist, trembling, but unlike when she had confronted me, she couldn’t raise her voice in the slightest.
“Not at all.”
“Haha, I seem to have caused you all too much trouble. In that case, we’ll be on our way.”
“Please wait a moment, Father. I still haven’t received a proper apology from the head of the Prestigious Magic Family.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward me.
My heart pounded, but I held myself back.
I have something I’m after. Something I could only ask for in a situation like this.
Sure enough, thanks to my father being there, Duke Alfonso did not get angry.
“All right. How would you like me to apologize?”
“Please let me visit the Magic House’s Vortex Island sometime.”
“Hmm? Very well. Will that be enough?”
“That will be more than enough.”
I did it!
I rejoiced inwardly.
There was a hidden opportunity on Vortex Island.
One that would be a tremendous help to me, with my Mana Insensitivity.
It’s dangerous, but I absolutely have to clear it. There’s a clue there that could help me reach Second Star Rank.
Second Star Rank!
A level anyone and everyone—even students—could reach easily, but an impossibly distant achievement for someone with Mana Insensitivity like me.
Even reaching Second Star Rank would make me far stronger than I am now.
Duke Huam took care of the rest.
“Then we really will be going. Alfonso, I’ll see you again. Don’t stay on Sky Island all the time—come down to the ground once in a while.”
“Very well.”
Our group left the Klein Ducal residence.
Everyone kept an eye on Duke Huam, waiting to see how he would react.
“Ban, can you spare some time? Let’s talk for a little while.”
“…All right. You all return to the Free City through the Portal.”
I’m going to get scolded. I did cause trouble, after all.
I’d been prepared for that ever since I started this whole affair.
But then Duke Huam said something I hadn’t expected.
“Have you been drinking lately?”
“…Sometimes. Why?”
“Good. Then come along. Get in the carriage.”
“??”
Duke Huam took me to a tavern in the capital.
An ordinary one.
Not noisy, but not luxurious, either.
“I come here from time to time. Ron and Mariam have both been here with me several times. This is the first time with you.”
Still feeling bewildered, I sat down, and Duke Huam poured whisky into my glass.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You did well.”
“…What?”
“I brought you here to give you a drink as praise. It’s been a tradition since your grandfather’s time.”
I wondered if I’d misheard, but I hadn’t.
Duke Huam—or rather, “Father”—was looking at me with an expression that seemed somehow pleased.
“I’ve heard every bit of news about you, without missing a thing. You’re doing well. I’m proud of you.”
A lump rose in my throat.
The moment I heard those words, my heart stirred despite myself.
Praise from my “father.”
It was something I had never once heard in the past.