Chapter 018
Chapter 18: The Master and the Apprentice (12)
At that moment, Lily bit her lips before suddenly speaking.
“Lord Engrion came to see that girl? Why?”
“I don’t understand your question, Lady Dahlia. Is it strange that I came to see her?”
“But that girl… do you know her?”
“The Vasquez family is one of the eight sacred families, Lady Dahlia.”
Unlike you.
He said it in a politely mocking tone. When Lily understood the implication, her face turned red with anger.
Engrion extended his left arm to Cordelia.
“May I ask you to guide me through the castle, Lady Cordelia?”
“…Yes, of course.”
Though she had many questions she wanted to ask, like when he had seen her before and why he came to see her, she hid her true feelings and pretended to be calm as she walked.
She felt a burning sensation on her back from the sharp gazes of those she left behind.
She entered the castle through the inner courtyard. When no servants were passing by, Cordelia stopped walking first.
“Let’s clear things up here. Who did you come to see?”
“I already told you. You. The note said to look for Cordelia Vasquez. Weren’t you the one who sent it?”
“Me?”
“If you’re pretending not to know, you’re acting well.”
If he was the guest Leonard had told her about, Cordelia began to understand the situation a little.
Leonard likely couldn’t reveal his presence here directly, so he used her name instead.
“The person you’re looking for isn’t me, but my master.”
“Your master? You mean your husband?”
“No. Leonard Atily, my master, ahh!”
It happened too quickly. One moment, his gaze was friendly, but it suddenly turned cold and harsh, and he grabbed her neck tightly without hesitation.
“That’s not a name you can say so easily.”
“Ahh, let go…!”
“If this is some foolish trap and you used his name, you’d better be prepared. I’ll cut off your limbs and throw them to the dogs.”
Cordelia felt herself choking. She struck his fist with all her strength, but it was futile.
Just before she lost consciousness, he suddenly let go, and she fell to the ground like a stuffed doll.
“Ahh, cough, cough.”
“Why are you sitting there? Guide me.”
He forced her to stand, though she could barely do so properly, and Cordelia wiped her tears with her sleeve.
Her neck hurt terribly. She felt intense injustice and anger, but she suppressed her emotions. She knew patience would never betray her.
There would soon be a chance to repay this insult.
She pretended to be calm and led the way. Leonard’s office wasn’t far. When she reached the door, she knocked lightly.
“There’s a visitor.”
“Let him in.”
When Cordelia tried to open the door, Engrion stopped her. He grabbed the handle himself, his face full of expectation and hope.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. But he was disappointed.
“Are you joking with me?”
Seeing “Craig Abrams” instead of the person he expected, Engrion began glaring angrily at Cordelia.
Cordelia instinctively stepped back, afraid of his anger.
“What’s this trick you two are playing, setting me up in this dirty trap…?”
“Bellucci.”
“Shut up. I’ll kill you after this woman.”
“Your fiery temper hasn’t changed. Nor has your stupidity in believing only what you see.”
With his all-too-familiar tone, Bellucci instinctively turned toward Leonard. Leonard gestured for him to come closer.
“You still don’t know who I am?”
Bellucci approached Leonard cautiously, his eyes full of suspicion.
“Are you really him? But how?”
“I transferred my soul when I was about to die. Unfortunately, I ended up in this filthy body.”
“You transferred your soul? Is that possible?”
“What do you take me for?”
Leonard let out a short grunt of displeasure and lightly moved his arm. In the blink of an eye, the room turned into a forest. Cordelia, standing by the wall, was astonished by Leonard’s miracle and looked around in awe.
She could smell the earth in her nose. She opened her eyes wide and touched the ground. Her hands were wet with dew.
Bellucci wasn’t surprised by the sudden change in surroundings. He just stared at Leonard intently, trying to process the truth, but it didn’t seem easy.
“Anyone with a certain level of magic could perform a spell like this. Of course, my master could do it with one hand.”
“Hmm. You pretend to know a lot about magic, but you haven’t learned anything, still following me foolishly.”
Leonard smirked mockingly, but he didn’t deny it. On the contrary, there was a slight upturn at the corner of his lips.
“I never imagined the day would come when I’d need to prove my identity to you.”
“Answer me. Where did I first meet my master?”
“I don’t know. How would I remember something trivial like that?”
“Where did I pledge my loyalty to my master?”
“You expect me to remember that?”
His answers were completely unserious. He showed no desire to prove his identity. Cordelia, listening from the back, felt suffocated and hit her chest in frustration.
‘How can he answer like that? Even pretending to remember would be better than this.’
Despite his flippant responses, Bellucci said nothing. At that moment, Leonard seemed to recall something and slightly raised his head.
“Oh, I remember something.”
“What?”
“You cried and begged me to accept you as my servant, clinging to my leg, didn’t you?”
“…”
“And you said you’d die if I didn’t accept you.”
“…I don’t remember anything like that.”
“You don’t? Your memory seems poor. Should I say more? When you were fifteen and got beaten up and fell into the river.”
Leonard laughed lightly as he recounted detailed memories. Even Cordelia, who knew nothing, found it somewhat convincing.
She raised her head to see Bellucci’s face, which looked relieved. It seemed he finally realized Leonard was the one speaking.
The black-haired knight took a step toward Leonard.
“You…”
“Yes, I’m Leonard Atily.”
Cordelia thought that even saying his name would sound annoying.
Bellucci smirked and drew his sword from his belt.
“If you’re really my master, you’ll be able to dodge this.”
“What?”
It happened so quickly. Without hesitation, Bellucci drew his sword and swung it directly. Cordelia opened her mouth wide, forgetting to scream.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Oh, you dodged it?”
“Bellucci, did you hear what I said?”
“Will you dodge this too?”
There was no need for further explanation; the place turned into a battlefield. The forest-like setting reverted to the castle, and the room filled with the sound of clashing swords and shouting.
“Ahh!”
A dagger flew and lodged in the wall near Cordelia. She screamed in terror. Leonard’s gaze turned to her for a moment.
“Right, it’s been a while since you took a hit. Let’s refresh our memories.”
Leonard smiled strangely and raised his fist forcefully. At that moment, thick plant vines sprouted from the ground and began wrapping around Bellucci’s legs.
There was no time to be amazed by his magic.
Bellucci cut the vines with his dagger and moved away from Leonard. Then, with a sad look in his eyes, he said:
“If you were my master, you’d have defeated me in ten seconds. It’s been over twenty seconds, so it’s clear you’re not him.”
She had seen many people in her life, but never a madman like this. Cordelia forgot the situation for a moment and stared at Bellucci.
Leonard was also surprised. He smirked and created a sharp ice sword.
“I forgot how crazy you are.”
The conversation ended there. A fierce fight broke out again.
Fireballs flew, furniture shattered and turned to ash.
Cordelia trembled violently, wanting to escape this chaos. But every time she tried to approach the door, something flew in her way, forcing her to stop.
“Are they going to fight all day?”
Fortunately, the fight didn’t last as long as she feared. The baron appeared suddenly and stood between them.
“Bellucci! How can you not recognize your master and point your sword at him!”
“Get out of the way.”
“I assure you, this is Leonard Atily. Though his body isn’t his, his soul…”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said get out of the way.”
It happened so quickly. Without hesitation, Bellucci swung his sword directly and sliced the baron in half.
Though his body was made of water, Cordelia had heard that damage to it also affected the real body.
“Bellucci!”
Leonard shouted for the first time. He opened his palm and shot a large ball of light toward Bellucci. Bellucci staggered and fell to his knees.
The baron’s split body was very weak, but it retained its form. Cordelia rushed to him.
“Are you alright, Baron?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
His body was usually as solid as a tree, but now it was so fragile that her hand could pass through it.
Leonard glared sharply at Bellucci, who was kneeling on the ground.
“How many times have I told you not to point your sword at me?”
“Why is he here?”
Bellucci was trembling, clutching his stomach in pain. Blood was dripping from his ears and nose, but he didn’t stop staring at the baron.
“What?”
“Why is this sick old dog the first to know my master is still alive?”
“…”
“I searched for my master for so long; why didn’t you give me any sign? What did I do to be less than this pathetic dog?”
Jealousy dripped unmistakably from Bellucci’s eyes.
