Gerard was perched on the lab workbench, completely absorbed in making something. Spread over the top of the bench like a tablecloth was a magic circle he had drawn, and scattered over that like wilted cabbage leaves were little scraps from a notebook where he had copied Luka’s old blueprints. With Gerard’s worm-like terrible handwriting added on, the diagrams had become so complicated their original form was unrecognizable.

"Honestly. I don’t know why I’m doing something no one even asked me to do. What a ridiculous household."

Gerard kept grumbling nonstop, but his hands never paused, and his eyes sparkled with life as he looked at the object edging toward completion.

"What else can I do. Dolan needs more time to finish the real thing, and we need something we can use today. That’s what you get for poking at someone who was minding his own business."

Even with no one there to ask, Gerard muttered the questions and supplied the answers himself as he pulled out various magic tools, carved magic stones, and fitted things together, working diligently.

"Wintfall ought to count its blessings, having a genius like me. Let’s seeee, let’s seeee. Now where did I put that."

Gerard, who had started humming a melody along with his muttering, suddenly froze mid-motion at some point. On the workbench sat seven identical caskets, about a handspan long, lined up in a row like the seven dwarfs waiting for Snow White.

Gerard then inscribed a magic circle full of intricate formulas on top of each small casket, one by one. The care he poured into the engraving was worthy of a world-class sculptor.

"Done! Estella’s going to jump out of her skin again. Heh heh heh."

Chuckling to himself as he admired his work, Gerard began stuffing the finished items into his vest pockets. The vest pockets were already packed with something, but strangely, whatever he put in slid right in with no trouble.

Like a squirrel that had finished storing winter provisions, pockets bulging, Gerard stepped out of the lab with a satisfied expression. Outside was still pitch-black, but with the Noctarum Night Goggles worn like sunglasses, Gerard’s steps were as sure as if he were an owl.

Going to Luka’s room, Estella took off her necklace for the grieving child and held him tightly for a long time.

"Ugh, hngh. Hhhnnnngh."

Even when he tried not to cry, tears kept coming to Luka. The thought that he would never again be able to see his maternal grandfather and grandmother brought on a grief he could not withstand. That unbearable grief easily crushed the firm resolve he had made and shook him like a giant storm, breaking him down without end.

Even when he tried not to cry, tears kept coming to Luka. The thought that he would never again be able to see his maternal grandfather and grandmother brought on a grief he could not withstand. That unbearable grief easily crushed the firm resolve he had made and shook him like a giant storm, breaking him down without end.

‘Who does our Luka take after to be so clever. How about we throw away that good-for-nothing uncle and make Luka the heir of our family instead? Hm?’

‘What, you already finished reading this difficult book? Hahahaha! I’ll have a merchant summoned right away and tell him to procure every book my puppy wants to read!’

‘Luka, can’t you stay with Grandpa just a little longer before you go? Once you return to Wintfall, it’ll be months before I can see you again. What if Grandpa comes down with an eye disease from missing his puppy so much?’

The image of his grandfather, who threw nobles’ dignity to the wind whenever he saw Luka and showered him with affection, flickered before his eyes.

He should have thrown himself into his grandfather’s arms like a child then, and fussed and played around for him.

Instead, he had kept playing the grown-up, trying to act composed as if he were already grown, and never did any of that. In front of his grandfather and grandmother, he behaved like an adult the whole time, as if it would be some terrible disaster if he acted spoiled.

They were the very people who had told him, even if he did not smile cutely, even if he did not fawn over them saying Grandpa and Grandma were the best, that his mere existence was precious and lovely.

The regrets were endless, and the grief was so heavy he kept feeling out of breath.

Pat, pat.

Lying on the bed side by side with Luka, whose fever was burning hot, Estella slowly patted the child’s back.

She had wanted to keep a single tear from falling from Luka’s eyes, and yet she kept finding herself watching him sob in misery. Because it was something she could not fix, Estella’s heart hurt even more.

"U, Uncle… will he… be all right? Hhhnngh."

After he had sobbed for a long while, Luka managed to choke out a question, and Estella deliberately answered in a bright voice.

"Of course. Commander Lucius, the strongest knight in the Empire, went personally to save him, so he’ll bring him back without a single hair harmed. So don’t worry about your uncle."

No sooner had Estella finished speaking than Luka clung to her even tighter.

"You… you won’t ever get hurt, right? You won’t… die, right?"

Just imagining it seemed to make him sadder; Luka’s voice grew more choked. Estella nodded as she stroked his head, Luka clutching her clothes like a wounded fledgling in her arms.

"I will never get hurt or die. I’ll stay right by our Luka’s side until I grow old and die."

"Don’t grow old and die, either."

Luka shook his head and cried even more miserably.

"I’m sorry. I won’t grow old and die either, I’ll always stay right next to you."

Even then, Luka did not seem reassured, and hugged Estella even tighter.

Pat, pat.

Estella’s hand, patting Luka’s back, was gentle and careful. How much time passed like that?

The sound of Luka’s breathing, mixed with his sobs, gradually turned into soft, even breaths. Estella quietly watched his face as he fell asleep from crying, then carefully wiped the child’s cheeks, damp and sticky with tears.

To Estella, Luka was now more precious than her own life. If he were ever in danger, Estella was certain she would jump into the flames without a moment’s hesitation.

So please, let her stay healthy for a long, long time so she could protect this child to the very end……

Estella prayed and prayed with all her heart that she would never again have to watch this child grow cold.

"Miss, Lady Estella."

Estella, who had dozed off without realizing it, snapped her eyes open at Ria’s whispered call and checked on Luka first. Luka was fast asleep as if he had fainted.

Estella pulled the blanket up over him, touched his forehead, then slowly climbed down from the bed.

Afraid of waking the barely sleeping Luka, Estella and Ria both walked on tiptoe out into the sitting room attached to the bedroom, and Estella gulped down the glass of water sitting on the table. Perhaps because it was a space Luka used, aside from the presence of a sofa, it was closer to a study than a sitting room. The shelves were tightly packed with books Estella did not even want to open. She was sure that even if she did open them, she would not understand what they meant.

"A carriage from Barend arrived a little while ago."

"And Sir Irein?"

"He is unharmed."

At Ria’s answer, Estella nodded in relief and asked the next question.

"Anyone hurt?"

"They say there was no one."

She had thought everyone would be safe, since she had threatened Hubi into going, but hearing it directly set her mind much more at ease. Estella put the necklace she had kept in her pocket back around her neck, and she soon transformed into a middle-aged man with a bulging belly. She had quite liked Kay’s appearance, so it was a real shame that the transformation forms were random.

Estella stroked her belly, swollen so tight it looked like it might burst the belt, with the palm of her hand and looked at Ria.

"I feel like I could give birth any minute."

"Pft!"

Ria burst out laughing thanks to Estella, then squeezed her eyes shut and covered her mouth. She felt this was not the time for lighthearted laughter.

"Let’s go."

"Yes, my lady."

Even in a heavy-set body, Ria hurried after Estella, whose steps remained light and airy.

Count Darca, who had been lifting a toast of victory, threw his wineglass to the floor the moment he heard the report that Irein had vanished without a trace.

The atmosphere, merry and convivial just moments earlier, froze over in an instant. Having already finished an entire bottle of wine by himself, Darca’s face had been pleasantly flushed with drink, but after hearing his subordinate’s report, it turned as red as a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Where in blazes were your minds! With all those guards, you couldn’t even keep that brat locked up!"

There was no sign anywhere that intruders had broken in. The castle gates were guarded like iron walls, and there were dozens of guards near the underground dungeon as well.

"I’m sorry. But he really disappeared in the blink of an eye……."

"How is that supposed to make sense! You’re telling me that puny little brat escaped the underground dungeon alone? The idiot who would bawl and wail snot and tears just from taking one hit?"

Darca raged, recalling the sight of Irein, trembling with terror, snot and tears running down his face as he begged for his life.

Irein had been a hostage kept alive to trade for Wintfall’s "Ghost." Originally, he had meant to keep the baron couple alive as well, but they had resisted so fiercely he had ended up killing them by accident.

Later he had realized they had tried some cheap little trick to help their son escape.

Barend Castle was all appearance and no substance; they had poured money into it, but its structure was extremely vulnerable in terms of defense. When he first received Emperor Aslan’s order to attack Barend, he had felt as if he’d been struck by lightning passing by. But once he thought it over, it was nothing but a deal with no downside.

The baron family that had bought their title with money had wealth to rot on, and if he struck by surprise, all that wealth would end up in his hands. On top of that, since it was a war waged by imperial order, there was more than enough justification. The only thing that bothered him somewhat was the Cardeine marquisate, but with their beloved elder daughter having died such a sudden death, he figured they would hardly have the leeway to interfere in the affairs of their third wife’s family.

And even if the marquisate did strike back, he had the Emperor at his back, so there was nothing to fear. In his mind, attacking someone who moved under the Emperor’s command would amount to rebellion against the imperial family itself.

Count Darca, who interpreted everything from start to finish in whatever way suited him best, declared war on the Barend territory, gave them no time to prepare, and immediately invaded and took the place.

Everything had been going like clockwork, and then Irein disappeared. Irritation shot up to the top of his head.

He should have just killed him.

He had thought he was being clever, trying to curry favor with the Emperor, but now he regretted it.

"He can’t have gotten far. Burn every village in the area to the ground if you have to, just find Irein and bring him to me!"

"Yes, understood!"

The knight who had come to report answered promptly and rose to his feet at Darca’s roar.

"Uaaagh!"

"Fire!"

"It’s an attack. You must flee at once!"

The eyes of Count Darca went wide at the frantic shout from a knight who burst the banquet hall doors open and came stumbling in. Blood was running down the man’s head and arm; the wounds looked rather serious. But Darca did not care in the slightest about his subordinate’s injuries.

"What are you babbling about!"

Barend Castle had no fewer than five hundred soldiers defending it, and yet no one had noticed until the enemy was practically at their noses? And in the middle of such a pitch-black night? Even with torches lit around the castle, it should not have been easy to attack on a moonless night. His own men could not possibly be that dull.

"There’s no time to waste. You must flee through the back door, quickly!"

Thud!

But before the knight could finish his sentence, there was a tremendous crash, and the massive door fell flat, slamming onto the hall floor with a deafening noise.

Swish! Swwisssh!

At the same time, arrows flew in from outside the door and shot in succession toward the chandeliers and lights hanging from the ceiling. The arrows made of Nevrion steel cut through the chains holding the chandeliers as easily as a farmer plucking apple stems. The other lights were the same.

Crash!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In an instant, the hall was swallowed in darkness, and he could not see even right in front of his nose. Darca turned on his heel to run toward the back door, only to trip over something and go down with a loud crash. Behind him, in the pitch black where nothing could be seen, the horrifying sounds of his own knights going down like autumn leaves in the wind filled his ears as they fell without having managed even a single counterattack.

"Aaagh!"

Slish!

Clang! Clang!

"Uaaagh!"

The knights of Count Darca, thrown into confusion as they tried to fight an enemy they could not see, stumbled and lost their balance as they stepped on the bodies of their comrades fallen on the floor. They struggled and tried to counterattack, but fighting in a darkness so complete they could see nothing was no different from being driven into battle with their hands and feet bound.

Facing an enemy that moved like a shadow in the darkness was as terrifying as fighting ghosts.

Wearing Noctarum Night Goggles, the Black Lily Knights easily cut down enemies who flailed helplessly like drowning men, unable to see them properly.

"Aaagh! Spare me!"

"Uaaagh!"

Slish!

Whatever Wintfall’s knights had done, they moved unhesitatingly even in the dark, and in the pitch-black hall, the groans of the dying and the stench of blood filled the air in an instant.

Damn it!

Gripped by fear, Darca fled without delay through the door at the back of the hall. It seemed the attackers had not yet penetrated deep inside, as there were only servants running around screaming and fleeing; no enemies were in sight.

"Mages! Call the mages! Quickly! Do you know how much money I poured into those mage bastards, and they didn’t even realize we were being attacked! Does this make any sense!"

Darca all but ran as he shouted irritably at the knights following behind him. They were mages he had brought after hearing that Wintfall had two mages.

Soon, the mages emerged from their rooms under the knights’ protection and joined up with Count Darca.

"Protect me, no matter what it takes!"

Barking the order almost like a threat at the mages walking before and behind him, Count Darca began to run like a madman.

Vroooom!

The mages immediately deployed protective magic around them and, dodging attacks from Wintfall’s knights here and there, hurried Count Darca out of Barend Castle. Because of the magic circles the mages flung about, the Black Lily Knights could not even get near Darca and were knocked away.

Only when the mages more than earned their keep did a look of relief spread over Darca’s face. But it was still too early to relax. Darca ran at full speed, scanning his surroundings intently. The mages had to withdraw their magic circles for the moment so they could run quickly, but it did not matter much; as soon as they saw the enemy in the distance, they could throw up a barrier again.

"We’re almost to the western outer wall. There should be horses waiting there."

It was at that moment, as the knight escorting Darca and the two mages looked around and spoke urgently.

Fwish!

With the sound of air being cut, the mage walking in front suddenly collapsed, blood gushing from his head. He had not even had time to cast a magic circle. Darca and the knight ducked down quickly, and the remaining mage hastily raised a barrier and looked around.

However—

Fwish!

Thud!

The same unseen projectile that had just felled the mage struck the barrier hard. It moved so fast they could not even see it coming. Darca was so terrified he felt like he might lose his mind. This was all because they had been lax with Irein. If his men had just kept a proper watch on the boy, the Wintfall bastards would not have dared launch such a rash attack.

"Ugh!"

The mage, who was holding the barrier with all his strength, clutched his chest and bent over, unable to bear the impact delivered to the barrier.

"What are you doing! Hold it together!"

It was then, as Darca, his reason lost to fear, grabbed the cowering mage by the scruff of the neck and yanked him upright with a shout.

Fwish!

Jolted once more by an unseen strike, the barrier flickered unstably.

Fwish!

"Ghk!"

Taking that opening, something flew in and cut off the mage’s breath in an instant.

"U, uhh! Uaaagh!"

Fwish!

The knight, who had fled in terror and abandoned Darca, likewise was struck by something and dropped to the ground. Neither knight nor mage let out so much as a groan before their lives were snuffed out. Darca’s whole body shook as he watched a scene the likes of which he had never seen in his life.

"What is this…… Where are you…… D-do you know who I am! Touching me is no different from t-treason!"

Quaking with fear, Darca drew the sword he carried for show, looked wildly about in all directions, and shouted.

"Wow, Captain. This is insane, huh?"

Chapter 256

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