CH 91

“You go out a lot these days.”

Just as he was about to open the door, he heard Carson’s voice.

Lucion was startled, and Hume laughed lightly before closing his mouth at Lucion’s gaze.

“Oh, I didn’t bring it up to scold you, so don’t get me wrong.”

Carson quickly showed an apologetic expression and handed out a letter he had in his hand to Lucion.

“It’s a letter from Shaela. This time, you’re the only one who gets a letter, so Father will be very disappointed if he finds out. Keep it a secret.”

Shaela left the house as if she were running away from home and stayed for several years in the Mage Tower, a safe area and home for wizards in the eastern part of the Empire.

Sometimes, she only reported her survival by sending a one-line letter saying, ‘I’m alive, so don’t worry.’

“Is it already time for Sister to send her survival report?”

“No. It’s a little earlier than usual.”

Carson shook his head and pointed to the room.

“I have something to say for a moment, so can I come in?”

“Yes, please come in.”

“Then, I will bring tea.”

Hume bowed his head and walked down the hallway.

“Lucion.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“Did you have any problems outside, whether small or big?”

“Are you worried that I might get attacked outside?”

“It doesn’t seem you had any problem.”

At Lucion’s joke, Carson smiled and sat down.

“Lucion, I have several things to tell you.”

Lucion sat down, and Ratta came up to his leg.

Lucion patted Ratta and seemed to be thinking hard about something before opening his mouth.

“I haven’t had an accident recently. Didn’t I stay quiet?”

“I know.”

“Do you want to know where I go?”

“I think Father would be more curious about that than me.”

“I just walked around Cronia. All I’ve been to is the city near the mansion and the walls built on the border.”

“Good.”

Carson’s smile, unlike his words, looked bitter.

[Carson’s expression is different from usual. He looks like he’s about to say something important.]

Russell tilted his head.

“…Lucion.”

Like Russell said, Carson hesitated over and over again if he was going to say something important.

“Say it.”

“I came here because I thought it might be difficult for Father to say it.”

‘It must have something to do with my outing, right?’

Lucion knew this day would come one day.

Heint had found something when he attacked Luminos.

He thought it was probably a document related to him.

“I was informed that the organization called Luminos, which attacked you, disappeared a while ago. Their hideout has completely collapsed, but some of them are out of the hideout, so I think it’s too early to say that they’ve completely disappeared.”

Carson brought up what he had heard from Heint.

But when Carson didn’t smile at the fact that Luminos had disappeared, Lucion didn’t say anything either.

“Nevertheless, the reason why I inform you like this is that, in the process of destroying the hideout, Heint has identified the existence of another organization targeting you.”

“…Another organization?”

Lucion wondered if it might the ‘Hand of the Void’.

“It has a crow pattern. I don’t know exactly what kind of organization this is yet, but now that another organization has come out, Lucion, you can’t leave like what you did today.”

Upon hearing the words, Russell frowned.

[Oh, my.]

Even Bethel sighed.

“Are you telling me to refrain from going out for the time being?”

Contrary to expectations, Lucion was calm.

“That’s right.”

Carson replied with a bitter smile.

There was a time when both he and Novio wanted Lucion to get out of the room.

It was heartbreaking to block Lucion’s courage in just a month and a half because of an unknown enemy.

“…I’m sorry.”

Carson finally apologized to Lucion.

It felt like his mouth was stung by a thorn.

“No, you don’t have to apologize.”

Lucion said, shaking his head.

Since he had openly communicated the direction of the organization to Kran, Kran would take care of it, and although he had to recruit someone, there was nothing urgent.

Lucion patted Ratta’s head as she squirmed on his leg.

“Let’s talk about your outing after we have a good understanding of what kind of organization it is and how dangerous it is. I don’t want you to go out of the mansion right now.”

Carson went on cautiously and carefully.

“There is another reason why I have no choice but to suggest your move like this.”

“Another… reason?”

What else is there besides the Hand of the Void?

Lucion was very nervous.

“In the Kingdom of Nevast, the act of wandering around the walls built on the border, at least only for a show, has been quiet for the past few days.”

Carson’s words couldn’t be ignored.

Nevast’s goal was Lucion himself.

“Whether they stop showing up, or there is some other ulterior motive, Father is still figuring it out, so I can’t say for sure right now.”

Carson repeatedly squeezed his thigh nervously.

More than a decade ago, something similar happened in the Kingdom of Nevast.

From an early age, anyone with the name Cronia had a tradition to go to the wall on the border to check what Cronia had to protect.

Novio was inevitably absent for a while at the Emperor’s call, and Carson took over.

At that time, there was no movement in the Kingdom of Nevast, so Carson thought he was safe.

So instead of Novio, Carson took Lucion and tried to show what Cronia had to protect.

It was foolish of him.

What was the price of being drunk in a situation where others praised him as the youngest knight?

“Brother.”

Lucion called Carson.

Carson reacted belatedly and exhaled a long breath.

“Yes.”

“Nothing will happen this time.”

“It should be.”

‘It should be,’ Carson murmured the same thing again quietly.

“It seems Father and I will be away from the mansion until the problem of the Kingdom of Nevast is solved.”

“Yes, don’t worry, and have a safe trip. I’ll be safe at home.”

Lucion hurriedly hid his expression when he heard that Novio and Carson would be far away.

Things were going well enough that he could overturn the situation of being grounded at once.

Carson couldn’t hide his anxiety when Lucion readily replied.

“Lucion. Things are different this time, so don’t try to get out on Shandra and push out the knights, or try to sway Anthony.”

“I told you I would stay at home…?”

Lucion had a bewildered expression.

“If Father and I go out, the owner of this mansion will be you but don’t try to use the power recklessly. For example, ordering the knights to get out of the mansion…”

Russell laughed out loud as Carson’s nagging grew longer.

It was a daily routine for Lucion not to leave the room all day even though the ghosts were invisible thanks to him.

But Lucion couldn’t hide his yearning for the world.

When Lucion occasionally went outside, he shook off his escorts as if running away, and as his methods became more and more diverse, it was natural that Carson’s nagging was getting longer.

―Wow! Ratta has never seen Carson talk this much before! Ooooh!

Ratta hung on the table and stared at Carson curiously.

Lucion’s expression gradually distorted as the nagging grew longer, and Bethel hurriedly lowered her helmet cover to hide her smile.

Then he heard a knock on the door.

‘Good timing, Hume.’

Lucion finally took a breather.

“Brother, it won’t happen anymore, so please, rest assured.”

“Yes, I am very worried.”

He didn’t know if it was still awkward for Lucion, who listened to him so easily, but Carson said it with an expression that said he still had a few more things to say.

“Excuse me.”

Hume came into the room and put the tea down, then he looked at Carson, who looked apologetic, and Lucion, who was telling him to stop.

“Lucion.”

“Yes. Do you have anything else to say? I think you’ve said everything for today.”

Carson smirked at the slightly sarcastic tone.

“Why don’t you start running again now? You can relieve your frustration by running.”

“Even if you didn’t tell me, I already thought about it. I need to build up my physical strength.”

Lucion blew the hot tea.

“…Well, do you have any plans to take rehabilitation training with me when I come back?”

Lucion paused at Carson’s suggestion.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to teach me the sword?”

Carson, who couldn’t bear to say anything, evaded it slightly.

Lucion’s body was badly damaged.

There were no major problems in daily life, but beyond that, it was impossible.

All of the things that Lucion had mistaken for physical training so far were nothing more than a process to accurately determine his physical condition.

“…Lucion, it’s already a miracle that you can live a normal life, can I hope for more?”‘

Carson pondered over and over again as he brought it up.

Someone had said Lucion would stay in bed for the rest of his life.

Someone had said Lucion wouldn’t be able to walk around.

Another had said that walking around on crutches was also a miracle.

It was all wrong.

Lucion persevered, endured, and faced it himself naturally.

“Yes. I’ll do it. I can’t keep getting protected.”

Lucion’s eyes shone so dazzlingly that Carson let out a choked voice.

“…Thank you, Lucion.”

* * *

“Tell me if you have any questions, Hume.”

Lucion sent off Carson and opened his mouth as he walked to the desk.

“What did he mean with rehabilitation training? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

“I have to tell everything.”

Lucion sat down.

He always felt like he was wearing shackles all over his body.

Especially when it rained, it tasted like death.

[I’ll help Lucion carry the sword.]

Bethel pointed to herself.

Having already possessed him several times, she knew better than anyone else about Lucion’s problems.

“Yes, thank you, Bethel.”

Lucion would have been better off with Bethel’s help.

Bethel smiled broadly at his words.

Looking at Lucion, she felt like she was covered with happiness.

Although a little clumsy, Lucion cared for them in his own way.

Bethel wanted to help Lucion with anything.

―Ratta will help, too.

Ratta rubbed her face against Lucion’s leg.

“Yes.”

Lucion patted Ratta.

[Then, Lord Lucion.]

Lucion, who was about to take out the data related to the six branches Peter had just handed over, looked at Bethel.

[I’m going to look around to see if there are any useful assassins around the border.]

Lucion’s eyes widened.

[I was one of many knights before I died, but after I became a death knight, I gained unbelievable strength. My eyes got better. You can trust me for once.]

Bethel looked at Lucion with confidence.

As Bethel had observed, Russell couldn’t escape a certain distance within Lucion’s radius.

She had the most freedom among them.

So she should do what she could.

“Th… Thank you, Bethel.”

When Lucion answered hesitantly, Russell turned his head away and smiled.

He wondered if it was still unfamiliar to Lucion that someone other than his family would step up for him.

[Then I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.]

Bethel tapped her chest with her fist and stepped outside.

[Lucion. Why don’t you move your hands?]

Russell kept holding back his laughter.

“…Yes, I should.”

Lucion looked at Russell belatedly, not at the data.

“How about you just stand there and laugh?”

[No. I will try to endure it.]

With a big smile, Russell urged Lucion.

When Lucion’s expression turned wrinkled, Hume spoke up.

“Is there anything you would like to drink?”

“No. Bring me what you had a moment ago.”

At Lucion’s instruction, Hume picked some from the table and brought tea with snacks.

Lucion sipped the tea and put some jam-packed cookies into his mouth.

Ratta went up to the desk and ate the cookies as if she were inhaling them.

Crunch.

He didn’t know how many papers had been handed over.

After confirming that there was a question mark in the vacant position of Viscount Roberio, he turned to the next page.

Gartio Menn.

“Gartio, what?”

Lucion paused for a moment.

‘…I’ve seen this name somewhere.’

[This name was written in the letter.]

At Russell’s words, Lucion scoured the pile of letters in a hurry.

– Hello. I’m Gartio Menn, an Imperial Knight.

‘Yes, it was this letter.’