I stared intently at the tea brought by the Manin family’s servant.
Tasting it, it was as good as the tea served in the Imperial Palace.
“So they had good tea all along but gave the guest discounted stuff...”
Ashilie Manin rested her chin on her interlaced hands and said,
“I want to hear more about that sudden windfall business... no, the lady’s business.”
“Of course, I’ll explain. Oh, and—”
“Keep it secret from Father and Clorog.”
“Secret within the Manin family.”
Ashilie and I said simultaneously.
For a moment, our eyes widened.
Then Ashilie chuckled softly.
“It’s nice to meet someone with the same thoughts.”
“Yes.”
“Can your companions be trusted?”
“Of course.”
“Well then, there’s only one person to keep quiet...”
Ashilie and I looked at someone at the same time.
Gorgo, who had been spacing out, flinched.
“Me?”
“You tend to be loose-lipped. If we give you money, you might talk even more.”
“That’s...”
“How should we keep your mouth shut?”
Ashilie narrowed her eyes.
At that moment, I said,
“Leave that mouth to me.”
Gorgo jumped up.
“W-Wonhwa!”
Then Ashilie laughed softly.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Gorgo afraid of someone more than me. I can trust you with this.”
She stretched out her clasped hands.
“Then prepare the documents to transfer that land.”
“S-Sister!”
Ashilie lightly stood.
I said to Gorgo,
“Remember, Gorgo?”
“Yes?”
“How merciless I am to enemies. And one of my fiancé’s blessings is long-range type.”
I glanced at Alexis.
Alexis said casually,
“Even outside the Manin mansion, he can precisely target that guy’s room.”
“That’s right.”
“S-Sister!”
Gorgo called anxiously to Ashilie again.
His expression begged for mercy.
Ashilie shrugged and left the room.
I gave the pale Gorgo a gentle smile.
“If the word ‘blessed’ appears even once about the blessed land, I’ll have my fiancé take a walk in front of your mansion.”
“T-That...”
“Maybe a dragon will come out for a stroll over your mansion.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Remember this. If the word ‘blessed’ appears in the capital even once.”
“Sister~!!”
Gorgo shouted at his sister.
Of course, Ashilie and I didn’t care one bit.
As dusk fell, I returned to the mansion.
Entering the central courtyard, Alexis asked,
“So what now?”
“The contract is done, so once the court permits it... hmm, how long will the approval take?”
Han Jihyeok flipped through his notebook.
“Ashilie Manin said she’d apply urgently, so about one or two months.”
“That’s long.”
Marchioness Madilo would die before summer.
The exact date was unknown.
She could die before the approval came through.
“But procedurally, it can’t be helped...”
“We’ve been bribing all this time to ignore that procedure.”
As I said that, Han Jihyeok nodded loudly.
“I heard the person who accepted the bribes has been transferred to the court.”
“Get it processed quickly.”
As I said this, I felt a strange gaze behind me.
I turned and saw my older brothers looking at me.
Balzac blinked.
“Baby, you... give bribes and all that?”
He was so shocked he even called me ‘baby,’ a name he rarely used lately.
“Balzac, there’s no baby giving bribes.”
“Right? Surely you didn’t actually give bribes...!”
“A kid who gives bribes!”
I put my hand on my waist and said confidently, and Han Jihyeok and Alexis fell silent.
Joshua smiled softly.
“There are teenagers who give bribes too, Erilot.”
“You gave too, Joshua? How much?”
“Not enough to ignore morals and justice.”
“Do you know anyone at the court?”
“Of course.”
“Wow! Joshua, you’re really a rotten kid!”
“Only compared to you.”
Joshua and I chatted warmly as we went up the stairs.
Behind us came voices filled with disbelief.
“Isn’t that an insult?”
“Maybe. It sounded like a compliment to me.”
Regardless, Joshua and I continued happily.
“Want me to help, just in case?”
“Sure.”
Balzac shouted.
“Count me in! I’ll live badly from now on!”
Han Jihyeok shook his head.
Thanks to Joshua and me living badly, things got processed faster.
[Yes, young master. You’ll receive the completed documents in three days.]
Hearing this from the court official, I nodded.
“Thanks, Joshua.”
“You’re welcome. But is that land really the true blessed land?”
“As soon as the documents are processed, I’ll open the roots, so you should come check too—”
Just then, Joshua’s communication stone, which had been off, started ringing rapidly.
“Wait.” Joshua picked up the communication stone.
“What is it?”
[Reporting.]
Joshua seemed to be part of an intelligence group on the move.
[There is a partial breach in the palace barrier.]
“The palace barrier?”
[There seems to be trouble at the Madilo family, one pillar maintaining the palace barrier.]
Madilo?
Joshua narrowed his brows and asked again.
“Has the nature of the trouble been confirmed?”
[Because Madilo family is tightly monitored, all we know is that a healer urgently entered the Madilo mansion.]
I flinched and looked at Alexis and Han Jihyeok.
“If a healer entered, could it be...!”
“The communication code of Madilo’s young lord!”
I said, and Han Jihyeok quickly flipped through his notebook.
He entered the communication code he had written into my communication stone.
Soon, a voice came through the communication stone.
[What is it? If it’s not urgent, please wait—!]
It was Ted Madilo’s voice.
Shouting was heard around Ted.
[It can’t be handled by civilian healers, Father! We must request healers from the palace urgently!]
[Ted! Tederian! What are you doing! We must quickly maintain the magical barrier—!]
I swallowed dryly and asked,
“Has the Marchioness Madilo’s magical illness worsened?”
[H-How did you—!]
My goodness.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.
“I’m coming to the mansion now.”
[What?! You can’t enter the mansion now!]
“I can’t just let the Marchioness die like this.”
[But the palace guards are at the main gate. They barely hold them back, and no matter how much the lady insists, they won’t let you in—!]
“Then open the back door or any secret passage the Marchioness’s servants use! Are you going to let her die?!”
[W-Well...]
“I’m coming. Prepare.”
I quickly ended the communication and got up.
“Richmond, can you bring Uncle Cainrod?”
“Yes.”
“Come to this place with Uncle Cainrod. Only Han knows where Uncle is.”
I nodded at Han Jihyeok, who hurried to Richmond.
“What about Joshua?”
“I’m going to meet the court official to speed up the land paperwork.”
“Okay. Alexis, bring Ashilie Manin.”
“Alright.”
Picking up my coat, I said,
“Balzac, you come with me.”
“Let’s go!”
We hurriedly moved.
The first place I headed to was Astra Duke’s Castle.
A barrier was set up inside, so we arrived at the castle gate.
A guard rushing up said breathlessly,
“Wh-what brings young master and young lady here at this hour...?”
“Lift the barrier!”
“Huh?”
“Quickly!”
The castle was so vast it took a long time to reach the destination.
“That barrier can’t be lifted easily, especially at night—!”
Balzac shouted angrily.
“I take responsibility. Lift it!”
The guard hurriedly connected communications.
“Castle gate here. Requesting barrier deactivation.”
[Authorization?]
“No, none.”
[What nonsense are you talking?!]
“That’s... Erilot Astra and Lord Balzac requesting the barrier lift.”
[What?]
I grabbed the guard’s communication stone and said,
“You, Fabio.”
He was my cousin with the barrier blessing.
[Erilot?]
“Hurry and lift the barrier.”
[You might be fake, so how can I lift it! If you want it lifted, get permission first—]
“You fed Joffrey a booger-filled chocolate when you were ten.”
[......!]
“You wet yourself after getting hit by Dionera during battle training.”
[Wh-what... how do you know that!?]
“You secretly wrote a love letter to my maid and got rejected...!”
[Sh-shut up!]
“If not me, then who would know!”
[If trouble arises, you’re responsible, got it?!]
“Got it.”
The barrier flickered, then with a creak, was lifted.
I handed the communication stone back to the guard and said,
“Reactivate the barrier in five minutes!”
“Yes!”
Then Balzac and I activated the movement blessing stones.
The place we arrived at was the residence for the three-year-olds.
“Eh? Erilot!”
The youngest, Armand, spotted me and shouted.
Other cousins started murmuring.
“What? Why are you here?”
“Erilot!”
Ignoring that, Balzac and I hurried.
Reaching the red door, Balzac banged loudly.
“Come out! Hey, come out!”
When Balzac shouted, the door swung open.
“Making a ruckus at night, what manners.”
Selene stared coldly at Balzac.
I grabbed her hand.
“Sis, please come with me!”
“Erilot...?”
“Please come.”
“......”
“Sis...!”
“In pajamas...”
She hesitated briefly.
I quickly took off my coat and draped it over /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Selene’s shoulders.
“Pretty.”
“Really...?”
Balzac looked astonished at Selene’s sudden kindness.
“Your attitude is so different.”
Selene ignored Balzac and said to me,
“Yes.”
“I have someone to bring, so go ahead to my movement blessing stone first. Here’s the location.”
I handed her the blessing stone and a scrap of paper I got from Joshua.
“Move immediately!”
“Okay.”
Selene nodded.
Satisfied, I looked at Balzac.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Balzac activated his movement blessing stone.
Before I completely disappeared, I told the cousins chasing me,
“When Selene gets here, reactivate the barrier!”
“Barrier? You lifted the barrier? Wait, Erilot!”
Liantin shouted, but I just waved my hand.
Then my vision turned a deep blue as I teleported.
The destination was the back gate of the Madilo mansion.
As I tried to communicate with Ted there—
“You’re here!”
Ted seemed to be waiting for me.
He looked around and ran up.
“What’s going on? Do you know how to save Grandmother?”
“I do.”
“......”
Ted bit his lip thoughtfully.
He frowned but nodded.
“Let’s go in. But you must remember, no one will welcome you.”
“Yes.”
“Grandfather may have ordered an attack to hide Grandmother’s magical illness.”
“I understand.”
Ted and I hurried inside through the servant’s passage at the back.
It connected to the kitchen, but there was not a single servant.
Balzac asked in a puzzled voice,
“Why is the mansion so empty?”
Ted cleared his throat loudly.
“We can’t afford to hire many servants...”
I glanced at Ted and said,
“We also can’t let the Marchioness’s magical illness get discovered.”
“......”
“Maybe they kept the staff minimal to prevent rumors from spreading.”
“......”
Ted said nothing, and Balzac shook his head.
Still, there were some servants and soldiers in the hall.
‘Mercenaries.’
Their style showed it.
They were soldiers without formal training.
While walking quickly down the hallway, we found a room glowing with light.
Several adults were leaving that room.
“Ted?”
“That’s...”
Two adults who looked like Ted’s parents...
“And what are you doing!”
An old man wearing a jacket embroidered with the Madilo family crest was there.
‘That must be Marchioness Madilo’s husband.’
“Who dares enter the mansion without the head’s permission?”
. The Marchioness’s husband glared fiercely at us.
“We must take the Marchioness.”
“I didn’t ask who you are!”
He shouted loudly.
Meanwhile, Ted’s mother was staring at me.
“Oh my, you must be...”
I looked steadily at Marchioness Madilo’s husband.
“I’m Erilot Astra of the Astra Duke family.”
The Marchioness’s husband flinched.
“W-Wonhwa? Did His Majesty send the Imperial Guards?”
“Erilot Astra has come.”
“What...?”
Then—
“Ahhhhhhh—!!”
A horrible scream came from inside.
Ted and his parents hurriedly looked into the room.
‘No time!’
I hurried toward the room.
Marchioness Madilo’s husband blocked my way.
“No one may enter this room!”
“Uncle Cainrod entrusted me with Mother’s treatment!”
“Cainrod...? Hmph!”
The Marchioness’s husband scowled darkly.
“He is not my child, so go away!”
“He may not be your child, but he is the Marchioness’s child. The child wishes to see his mother.”
“What are you doing! Get this woman out at once!”
“We will not leave!”
“Use any means necessary! Drive this woman out of my mansion!”
Clang!
The mercenaries drew their swords.
“Father!”
“Sir—!”
Despite Ted and his wife’s pleas, the Marchioness’s husband didn’t back down.
The mercenaries approached me.
“If you don’t leave, you’ll face trouble.”
A big man, who seemed the mercenary captain, showed his golden teeth and grinned.
At that moment—
A tremendous wave surged behind me.
Sshhh—!
A powerful wind rushed in through the open window used to air out the stench of rotting skin.
“Take one more step toward our child.”
Balzac strode forward behind me.
Clang!
Drawing his sword from its sheath, he declared in a low voice—
‘Ah, right.’
I had forgotten because he seemed like a weakling before me.
Balzac Astra.
In the future, he would be the strongest, most fearsome knight, who single-handedly crushes one flank of the enemy.