Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Duke's Heir and the Succession
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Of course, it looked like the process had consumed a massive amount of energy.
Thanks to that, he ended up in a state close to astral projection, but I revived him just in time by reseating his soul and resonating it with his body.
"It actually worked."
Of course, without any supporting elements to assist, the success rate had been extremely low. It seemed this third son of the Berli Ducal House, Farrell Berli, was pretty lucky after all.
"No way. How is this even possible? Is it based on Berg's Law? Or the Paramillus Equation? No, how does this work? It should be impossible by all common sense..."
Watching him sink into his own thoughts made my stomach turn uncomfortably.
"Hey."
"It seems like necromancy... but I've never heard of necromancy working this way!"
I silently watched him mutter to himself before storing Mu-Young in my shadow and turning to leave.
I could feel it.
The kind of mage who's notoriously annoying.
While he was lost in his thoughts, I tried to slip away.
Thud!!!
"Brother!!"
Of course, this lunatic had no intention of letting me go easily.
"When did you start calling me brother? Let go."
"Brother! You saved my life, so you're my brother now! How can I ever repay this favor?!"
Repaying a favor versus shaking off the hassle. The scales tipped heavily toward the latter.
"I don't need any of that. Let's just go our separate ways."
"Th-then at least tell me what method you used to save me!"
What kind of guy is this?
A wave of deep irritation hit me, and I dropped a tactical nuke right on his head.
Crack!
"Gahhh!!!"
He clutched his head and rolled on the ground after taking the tactical knuckle strike. Mu-Young watched, then slowly approached and started rolling beside him.
It must have thought it was playtime.
For an undead, its movements were strangely full of vigor. Had something weird gotten mixed in during the process of turning it into a named one?
After rolling around for a while, Mu-Young glanced at me cautiously, crouched low, then sprang back up.
Then it sheepishly slipped back into my shadow.
"Ugh... this isn't right. You saved me, so I should thank you first."
He struggled to his feet.
"Brother, if it's possible, would you come to my mansion?"
"Your mansion?"
"Yes! I have to repay this favor before we can build a deep friendship!"
I stared straight at this pinnacle of shamelessness and said coolly,
"I don't need any of that. Let's go our separate ways."
"Ah... I'm sorry. I was too rude. Even so, if you ever need help, please come to the Berli Ducal House!! I will never forget the grace you showed in saving my life!"
At least he wasn't completely unreasonable. He pulled his family crest from his pocket, handed it to me, and backed away.
Come to think of it, the Berli Ducal House was the family of Duke Berli, one of the two Sword Masters in the Bata Kingdom.
With my father gone, he was essentially the last Sword Master in Bata.
The Berli Ducal House was indeed famous as a longstanding sword family.
But for a Sword Master's son to be a mage? That was a bit unexpected.
"Well, there's no law saying a mage can't come from a knight's family."
My father was a Sword Master too. Meanwhile, I'm a necromancer to boot.
Since making and strengthening Mu-Young had taken so much time in the dungeon, dusk had already fallen by the time I emerged.
Of course, there was no need to let Mu-Young's existence be known, so no reason to parade it around openly.
"Leon! I became a certified Expert!"
My little sister beamed proudly, looking in high spirits.
"His Highness will stop by briefly at the start of tonight's banquet. That's when the countship succession ceremony will happen."
After that, she would truly become the Cascadia Border Count in name and fact.
"Meaning, unless someone with ducal authority imposes restrictions, the succession itself should be problem-free."
Whenever she said it like that, problems always cropped up.
The royal banquet saw more nobles in attendance than I'd expected.
Both dukes of the kingdom, five marquises, and countless other nobles with their families and children.
Of course, that was just the guest list—many couldn't attend due to personal circumstances.
Wearing an uncomfortably tight tailcoat, I eyed my unusually prettied-up little sister Melissa with narrowed eyes.
"Can't you open your eyes nicely?"
Her long gray hair was half-up, and her pumpkin-colored eyes, which took after our mother and looked so innocent, showed no signs of fatigue anymore.
But despite her elegant and refined appearance, the way she spoke was as crass as ever.
"Your mouth is as rude as ever..."
"How do I look? Pretty good, right?"
"Put wings on a tadpole, does it become a swan? It's still just a winged frog no matter how it flies or crawls."
Thwack!!
She answered with a roundhouse kick instead of words.
"Hey, winged frog, come here."
I called back my sulking sister as she turned away and straightened the messy parts of her hair.
"You're about to become a count, and you can't even manage this?"
"What? If you noticed, fix it quicker."
"What good does telling you do?"
Even as she grumbled, she looked subtly pleased.
"Why are you grinning like that?"
"It's the position Father left behind. I've finally reclaimed it. Until the three of them return, I have to protect it. Just trust in me."
Losing our parents and youngest sister had left deep scars on both her and me.
But now, six months later, she'd been suffering under the pressure of fulfilling her duties as count regent.
That pressure was finally easing.
Of course, she still firmly believed our father, mother, and little sister Arsha were alive.
I, on the other hand, had my doubts.
A father at Sword Master level wouldn't die in some ordinary accident.
Melissa had tracked down traces of the incident.
The problem was finding signs of the Sea King species Kraken there.
To put it bluntly, a Kraken wasn't something a Sword Master could handle.
Just a big octopus?
No way. It only looked like one; it was a disaster incarnate.
I'd encountered Krakens in the Sword Hall, Fist Hall, and Necromancy Hall, but even at the entry level of Sword Master by my standards, surviving an encounter with one in the sea had near-zero odds.
At the very least, I'd need to find a way to lure it out onto land.
If even that failed, I'd have no choice but to dive into the sea with my life on the line.
And Krakens weren't common even among Sea Kings.
[What do you plan to do if you find it?]
'Obvious question. Tear it to shreds, of course.'
[Confirmed.]
Before boarding the carriage to the palace in silence, I offered her my hand to escort her and asked,
"Do you still believe Mom, Dad, and Arsha are alive?"
"I have to. I'm not forcing you, but I'll believe it to the end."
This wasn't mere whining.
The possibility that our parents and little sister might still be alive was probably the hope she clung to.
"Yeah. Let's believe that."
"Leon."
She stared at me silently after I affirmed her belief in a tired voice.
Her eyes widened slightly as her gaze reached the area around mine.
"You... are sleeping, right?"
"Yeah. A little at a time."
I still couldn't sleep properly since I wasn't fully recovered, but being able to get some rest thanks to the first attempt was a big gain.
She clenched her small fist tight and turned to look out the window.
The banquet hall was already bustling with nobles.
Unlike me, who rarely went out, Melissa had occasionally attended banquets following Father, so she probably knew quite a few people.
Of course, with everyone aware of her succession ceremony, as soon as I escorted her in, countless gazes stabbed down.
"That young lady is the Cascadia Count Regent?"
"Hmm... A count at such a young age, and exceptionally talented too..."
Apparently, Melissa drew a lot of attention among the nobles.
"Relax, will ya?"
She let out a cautious sigh after I quietly scolded her so others couldn't hear, her body slightly tense.
"Right. I'm a count now."
Many nobles had already gathered for the succession ceremony. But the king, who would officiate it, hadn't appeared yet.
"Pleased to meet you, Count Regent. I'm Viscount oltis..."
"This is our first meeting in person."
The nobles, who had been chatting among themselves, swarmed around her the moment she entered, striking up conversations.
Melissa responded with a plastered smile and iron-clad composure, engaging them.
"Ugh. I could never pull off that nonsense with my temper."
I shook my head and kept a suitable distance from her.
Of course.
Not everyone ignored me, who wasn't even the count regent.
"No way! Brother! You're from the Cascadia Count family?"
Someone approached me from a bit away from the crowd and spoke.
"Ah..."
Only then did I realize this guy was a noble.
"I can't believe how happy I am! Father! This is him! He saved my life!"
At his words, a man with a dignified presence beside him took me in with his gaze.
I quietly bowed under that sharp, appraising stare.
"It's an honor to meet the kingdom's sword, Duke Berli. I'm Leon Cascadia."
"Pleased to meet you. I never imagined Galeon Cascadia's son would be Farrell's benefactor."
Galeon.
Galeon Cascadia was my father's name.
And only two people in the kingdom could address him that way.
"I've heard much about you from Father."
"Is that so? Your father's passing was most regrettable. A Kraken, was it?"
"Yes."
It was common knowledge that the ship carrying Father, Mother, and little sister Arsha had met with an accident.
But how a Sword Master-level figure died in that accident?
Not many knew the details.
"I'm sorry. To not even wield my sword for a friend's death."
"No, sir. A Kraken is a being close to a calamity."
He gave a wry smile at my response.
"I heard from my son. You saved him?"
"Just luck. Without the artifact, what I'd have brought back wouldn't have been my lordship's son, but his remains."