Chapter 15 - Fate is so… (3)

Fate is so… (3)

Gerno leaned over until Lucion was out of sight.

‘It seems that the young master’s condition has not fully improved yet.’

Gerno looked at the road where Lucion had departed with a sad look on his face.

Sometimes Lucion’s behavior of looking into the air and as if he were talking to someone was not very unfamiliar because he was now used to it. However, it was still a strange act for those who didn’t know Lucion.

‘But he’s gotten a lot better. A lot.’

Gerno sighed and went back into the training hall.

“Weren’t you with the youngest young master?”

One of the knights opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for Gerno.

“That’s right. I’m with the young master.”

“What if… he’s surprised by us?”

“You’re right. Last time, when the young master went out alone for the first time, he was very tense because he did not know what kind of face to show or how close he was allowed to approach the young master.”

The long-haired knight licked his dry lips as he recalled the time.

“You are a bandit just by looking at your face.”

The knights giggled as the knight standing next to them responded.

“Shut up! If he smiles, he has an innocent face!”

“Don’t try to sneak a break, just run right now!”

Gerno immediately raised his voice in the show of his subordinates playing tricks.

“Give us a break, Sir.”

“That’s right. It’s the first time that the youngest young master has visited us like this. Don’t you think we’re all excited?”

The knights were all thrilled to see Lucion after a long time.

At least for those employed in this mansion, there was no one who did not take pride in the name of Cronia.

The Cronia was the shield and spear of the Tesla Empire. And Lucion was the youngest member of the Cronia family.

No one believed the absurd rumors that the young master, who could not go outside because of an illness, was a pitiful and cursed person. No one also believed that they would die if they met his eyes.

Besides, Lucion’s recent illness has recovered to a certain extent, and they had seen it from time to time in his mansion, so they were happy as knights of the Cronia Family.

Gerno grinned unconsciously at the sight of the ecstatic knights. But he quickly removed that look.

“Two days ago, you must have heard from the youngest master that he was in trouble.”

At Gerno’s words, there was a heavy silence in the training hall in an instant.

How can they not know that Novio summoned the entire Knights and quietly burst into anger?

“Today, near Lucion’s room, an unknown power was felt.”

It was neither a rebuke nor a warning.

Nevertheless, it was a remark that made the entire Knights burst into anger. That meant someone broke through them and sneaked into the mansion.

“We are the sword of Cronia.”

Gerno’s words were followed by the knights shouting.

“The sword should always be sharp!”

They promptly started running again, as if they had coordinated with each other.

* * *

[Where are you going?]

Russell asked, looking at Lucion, who was wearing a hoodie.

“I’m going to buy it before I run out of more Ratchos.”

As the morning training time was free, he thought it was a perfect time to replenish Ratcho.

Ratta, who was biting the blanket at the word Ratcho, perked up her ears.

[It would have been enough to make the servants do it!]

“No, I don’t want to be pried upon. And I don’t want this to touch my father’s ears.”

Lucion shook his head.

It was close to the city, and it would be just a quickride using Shandra.

—Lucion, Lucion.

Ratta hurried out of bed and bit into Lucion’s pants.

“Why?”

—Don’t go to die!

“Teacher, don’t teach Ratta anything strange.”

When Lucion saw Russell, he reacted in shock.

[Huh.]

But he didn’t say he didn’t.

“Ratta, come in.”

Lucion pointed to his shadow and called for Ratta.

Ratta did not like Ratcho.

Ratta wriggled her front paws and moved very slowly, melting into Lucion’s shadow.

[Oh, did you hear that?]

Russell opened his mouth.

“What do you mean?”

Lucion turned the doorknob and asked.

[The guy you bit in his ear.]

“Do you mean the Viscount Horaon?”

[Yes.]

“Obviously, I know that my father delayed their arrival. Did he ever come in here on his own?”

[No. There has been a lot of buzzes since yesterday that he has a hearing problem.]

“Is that so?”

Lucion smiled quietly and left the room in a hoodie.

* * *

As Lucion rode Shandra not far from his mansion, Russell said.

[Go left.]

“The road is closer to the right.”

[There is a bandit on the right path… No, there are many people anyway.]

Lucion snorted as soon as he heard it.

‘How dare a big bandit try to extort money near the Cronia family’s mansion!’

Lucion directed Shandra to turn away and said.

“Maybe the Viscount Horaon was pissed off.”

[It’s understandable. The eldest son has a problem.]

Hearing Russell’s words, Lucion looked at Ratta, who had already grasped Shandra’s mane.

―Ooh!

“And there are bugs that leak information into the mansion.”

Lucion’s eyes became sharp.

The only person who knew that he was going out of the mansion was an insider.

Lucion took the reins hard.

‘So, there’s another bastard selling my information, right?’

When the incident that became the decisive reason for not having an attendant by his side was about to unfold again, his stomach shook hotly.

—Hop!

Ratta, who was looking at the scenery, looked at Lucion in surprise.

Tak!

Russell erased the darkness that slowly flowed around Lucion.

[Lucion. Do not act rashly. You are a warlock.]

“…I know.”

Lucion’s voice was weak.

Lucion felt frustrated when he couldn’t even vent his anger.

‘I… I need something that will allow me to use black magic with peace of mind.’

* * *

When Lucion just bought a Ratcho and came out of the store, he saw two people passing by and stopped.

Lucion thought for a moment as those figures looked familiar.

‘Aren’t those guys who just passed by were the ones who were wearing masks at that incident?’

[They’re the ones.]

Russell also looked at the two.

—Who is he?

Ratta asked, but Lucion only raised the corners of his mouth.

The robbers in the Luteon Magic Bank case.

‘I didn’t think you’d not leave this land yet after you ran away.’

But for Lucion, that’s a good thing.

“Teacher.”

Lucion lowered his voice.

It was good to move before Gerno or the other knights became his escorts.

Russell reacted as if Lucion’s eyes dumbfounded him and gazed at the two.

[Are you going to follow them?]

“Aren’t you curious?”

Back then, he missed the chance to know where his earrings were originally from.

But he didn’t want to miss the opportunity that came back like this.

‘You can’t really predict what would change.’

[Of course, I’m curious. They didn’t just robbed a bank, but a magic bank.]

Russell touched his chin and rolled his eyes.

“Eavesdrop on them.”

Lucion covered his mouth with flowers.

What would be the biggest advantage of ghosts?

It was the fact that it was invisible to others.

[I knew it.]

Russell sighed immediately.

[Instead, move slowly from a distance. Don’t bother chasing.]

“Yes. do not worry. What I like about these days is being laid back.”

Lucion smiled.

Because of his contract with Russell, Russell could not leave more than a certain distance, so Lucion had to move, too.

—Ratta is good at eavesdropping, too.

Ratta’s upset voice came from Lucion’s shadow.

As something born from his own darkness, Ratta was basically feeling quite deeply attached to Lucion.

Lucion’s situation wasn’t so bad.

“If you want to eavesdrop like that, follow the teacher. If it was me, I would slowly look outside.”

—Hop! That’s right! This is the first time Ratta has been out!

Ratta was excited and shouted loudly.

—Whoa! It’s a person!

Lucion walked slowly, ignoring the sounds Ratta made.

‘I didn’t feel it a while ago, but the sound of people walking on the street was quite bustling.’

It was not as vague as it used to be, but it was still burdensome.

Lucion took a deep breath and rolled his eyes.

It was a pity to think that there were quite a handful of people whose names were in the novel, even if they have a minor role like Tella.

But then, he should use whatever was available to his own advantage.

[Are you okay?]

Although he did not know what he had overheard, Lucion calmly asked Russell’s voice.

“How was it?”

[They seemed to be mercenaries, not robbers. Because they are in debt due to the failure of the last mission, and they are talking bullshit about robbing the Luteon Magic Bank even by force again.]

‘They are in debt?’

Lucion sneaked a smile.

Russell half closed his eyes as if he was suspicious of that smile.

“Do you happen to hear their names?”

Lucion knew he had an abnormal memory as much as the novel.

Extra or whatever, just the name from the novel was enough.

[I think I heard them call each other Helon and Stra.]

Russell replied once, with a grumpy look on his face.

‘Helon, Stra…’

Lucion calmly thought of those names.

Soon he displayed another suspicious smile again.

‘Yes, Helon, Stra. I can’t believe they were Helon and Stra.’

[… Lucion.]

“Yes.”

[It’s not what I think it is, is it?]

“That’s right. Honestly, what else do I have besides money?”

Lucion responded as if it was funny.

His own father, Novio, was a count guarding the frontiers of the Tesla Empire.

As a family with the power equivalent to the Marquis, such a high allowance was put under his name every month.

He barely spent a single penny, so imagine just how much money did he save?

‘I would have charged interest. It must be quite a lot.’

Suddenly, the thought of money made Lucion feel at ease.

He wondered if this was the reason the term financial treatment was made.

“I’ll hire them.”

Lucion said firmly.

Helon and Stra were extras from the novel.

What he was interested in was their boss, Kran Zell.

Kran Zell was the head of a group called the Third Power that maintained independent power. It was a hidden force. And no one was aware of what it was doing specifically.

‘Is it okay if I do it here?’

The biggest reason he couldn’t be found out as a warlock was because of his surname Cronia and his social status.

If he can hide it and act freely, then what was there to be concerned about?

‘After all, neither in society nor in the family expect anything from me.’

For his own happiness, the name Lucion Cronia had to be preserve well.

‘I like the crazy way they’re trying to rob the magic bank again for money.’

Lucion has agonized over various directions since he found out that the world was the same as the novel ‘The Grasp of Darkness‘ he had read.

He could change the entire course of his destiny. However, if his identity as a warlock came to light, everything would come to an end and all his efforts to hide it until now would be wasted.

Even so, he had no intention of dying in the hands of the main character and the world.

It would not be a bad idea to create his own power, not his father’s or his family’s, for the final hold.

‘Even if it’s cheating on the world, but who cares.’

Lucion’s twinkled in this thought.

After a long time, he finally had something he wanted.