Chapter 80
As magic advanced, the number of spirit users decreased.
While the exact reason was unclear, there was a widely accepted hypothesis in society: since both magicians and spirit users wielded innate powers, as magic developed, those who might have originally been spirit users became magicians.
The advancement of magic had been truly remarkable over the past few centuries, while the number of spirit users had declined just as rapidly.
Moreover, because people could not fully accept the power of spirits, there were no spirit users who completely revealed their identities and operated openly.
In the midst of this, Harnen must have been overjoyed to meet Theodore and Natasha, who were well-versed in spirits.
“Apparently, Liazell’s mother was a fire spirit user.”
“Really? That must have been a great help in the North.”
Even though there were heat stones, fire was just as crucial as drinking water in this cold and barren North.
“Yes. That’s why I think they’re really friendly towards me.”
After finishing his sentence, Harnen chuckled playfully.
“Looks like you scored some points with your boss’s in-laws?”
At Harnen’s words, Philome’s eyes widened.
“What? We’re not even married yet…”
“You’re going to get married anyway.”
Harnen continued with a nonchalant expression.
“In my opinion, it’s already too late for you. You need to settle down in the Wintbell Duke’s family.”
Philome felt a surge of resistance at his confident tone, as if he were a prophet.
“Why are you so sure? Because I met the Duke’s parents?”
“No. It’s a conviction I’ve had since before that.”
Harnen rubbed his smooth chin and gazed at Philome.
“Boss, don’t you know how the Duke looks at you?”
“Right…?”
“If you were to run away, I feel like he would do anything to find you.”
“…That doesn’t sound very good?”
Harnen narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t you have a vague feeling about it? About the look in the Duke’s eyes?”
At those words, Philome recalled Kaien.
There was no need to think back to distant past events; just a few hours ago, she could clearly remember Kaien.
Philome imagined Kaien in her mind.
His eyebrows were straight and neatly groomed. Beneath them were deep-set eyes, with slightly sharp upward corners that perfectly matched his mysterious and enchanting violet irises.
Although his eyes could appear chilling, the warmth in his gaze was soft enough to negate that impression. Even when he wasn’t smiling, his eyes, filled only with Philome, resembled violets basking in the sunlight of a spring day rather than cold gemstones.
As soon as she thought of Kaien looking at her, her mouth went dry.
She even felt as if Kaien was watching her from somewhere.
The intensity of that gaze was so strong that just recalling it captivated all her senses.
“From your expression, it seems you have some idea.”
Harnen muttered as he watched Philome nervously chewing her lips.
“I… hope you don’t run away from the Duke for the sake of this country, or rather, for the world.”
“I gave up on any plans of divorce or running away a long time ago. Just as you said, even if I tried to escape, I feel like the Duke would chase me to hell. More than anything, I don’t want to do that.”
Whether she accepted Kaien or not, it had been quite a while since she had thought of such plans. It was right after she discovered herself imagining and looking forward to a future with Kaien.
“Boss.”
Harnen called Philome in a serious tone.
“I just want you to be happy now.”
Philome, lost in thought, turned her head to look at him.
“You’ve suffered a lot because of your trashy family and your beggar-like ex-fiancé. You don’t need to earn the right to be happy, but you are more than deserving of happiness. And more than anything, among the people who love you, there’s no one richer, better-looking, or kinder than the Duke, right? You know this is a rare opportunity, don’t you?”
Harnen added playfully, deliberately smiling.
“Of course, you should like and love the Duke too, but come on. Just be a bit more honest. You think too much, you know? You worry more than I do.”
Philome let out a hollow laugh at Harnen’s teasing.
“Aren’t you a bit thoughtless yourself?”
“…I want to argue, but I have no counterpoints.”
With that, the two burst into cheerful laughter at each other.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Kaien looked down at what was before him.
“Be careful, young master.”
Dale firmly warned as he opened the door of the cage.
Inside lay the corpse of a gigantic creature. It was a carcass covered in coarse, gray fur that looked tough at first glance.
As Dale used his sword to flip the monster’s body, only the torso turned over. When he twisted the neck, lifeless red eyes glinted back at him.
The corpse was so intact that it could easily be mistaken for still alive.
Strangely, the monster’s corpse did not decay. Kaien wondered if it was due to the cold weather, but that wasn’t the case. Because the cause was unknown, the ancestors had always burned the corpses of captured monsters to leave no trace behind.
Looking at the neatly severed neck, Kaien asked Dale, “How long has the corpse been here?”
“It’s been two days.”
As Kaien pondered the time, he shifted his gaze away from the corpse and surveyed the basement.
The basement, devoid of any light, felt cooler than the outside, even though the temperature was not significantly different.
“Sorcery.”
Kaien murmured it to himself and closed his eyes.
As his senses became sharper, the ominous energy that had been unsettling his heart since entering the basement grew stronger.
At that moment, as his heartbeat quickened—
Tap—!
Kaien relaxed his furrowed brow and opened his eyes. In his hand was a dagger he had caught out of thin air.
“What are you doing, Mother?”
Natasha, who had thrown the dagger at Kaien, approached with a smile alongside Theodore.
“I just wanted to see my son’s skills after a long time.”
“Did your conversation with Harnen go well?”
“Yes. It seems he will be a great help in the North.”
Theodore nodded in agreement.
“By the way, have you examined the monster’s corpse?”
“Yes.”
After Kaien answered Natasha’s question, silence enveloped them.
The three stood side by side, quietly gazing at the monster with its neck and torso severed.
Although it had been dead for a long time, it looked as if it had just taken its last breath. The fact that the corpse did not decay was truly chilling.
“It looks exactly like the picture.”
Kaien was able to remain calm despite seeing the monster for the first time, thanks to the book titled “Records of Monsters” passed down in the Wintbell Duke family.
This book contained detailed records left by the Wintbell Dukes during the times they suffered from monsters, filled with a variety of useful information.
The book even included illustrations that described the monster’s appearance in detail, which Kaien had grown up looking at. The actual encounter with the monster was disgusting, but it did not instill fear in him.
“Father, is this unpleasant energy a sorcery?”
Kaien asked directly without beating around the bush.
It was a question filled with certainty.
Theodore nodded.
“Yes. You caught on right away.”
“It was Philome who noticed.”
“Lady Philome?”
Natasha asked in surprise.
“You didn’t show the monster’s corpse to Lady Philome, did you?”
“Of course not. I didn’t even explain what I felt on the snowy field, yet she figured it out by intuition.”
A smile lingered on Kaien’s lips as he spoke.
“Isn’t that truly impressive?”
Theodore and Natasha exchanged glances at the sight of Kaien smiling while looking at the monster.
They both found Philome quite likable, but this side of their son was so unfamiliar.
Kaien, feeling proud while praising someone.
It was an immense discord that left them bewildered.
In the meantime, Kaien continued speaking, his eyes slightly narrowed as if recalling Philome.
“From the first moment I saw her, she was fascinating and unique. I was certain from our first meeting that I would never meet anyone more interesting than Philome in my life. Her beautiful golden-brown hair and sparkling eyes—she was someone who captured attention from the very beginning.”
NEET_Caos
obrigada pelo capítulo. O Duque está muito apaixonado rsrsrsrs