Chapter 6 - Thuna

Chapter 6 – Thuna

“I’m dangerous.”

Contrary to those words, Nabel passed his time there quietly. In the Rieda household, he only ever opened his mouth in front of Ronée. He never once spoke in front of others, in particular the Earl or his wife. He only gave hostile looks.

“That mannerless thing!” Lady Rieda did not like Nabel’s gaze at all. “Throw it out!” she ordered the guards. But Ronée did not abandon Nabel to be dragged out of the house.

“Mother, I’m afraid you have no right to throw this child out.” As she was the one who had bought Nabel as a slave, she was right. Nabel’s owner was Ronée, and if it was not Ronée’s desire, then he could not be thrown out.

The matter would have been resolved if they could just throw Ronée out too, but they could not. They were still waiting for an answer from the temple concerning this “cursed one”.

The temple, which had originally been very sensitive concerning the matters of heresy these days only told the people, “If you discover an evil thing, do not set it loose upon the world, but wait.” regardless of the type of matter.

Thus, whether it was a blessing or a curse, Ronée was able to remain in the Rieda household.

“Then poke those rude eyes out or something!”

On such days when her magic did not work, Lady Rieda would eventually fire her magic at Nabel. This time it was not a fireball, but lightning magic. Small black clouds appeared in the hallway and little bolts of lightning struck at Nabel.

Bang! As a mage of the third rank out of nine, Lady Rieda’s magic was not that powerful. But to injure a young child, it was enough.

As soon as Lady Rieda’s expression turned ugly, Ronée shielded Nabel. Thanks to that, the only damage the two of them suffered was the hem of Ronée’s clothes becoming singed.

“Ronée.” Nabel clenched his small fists so tightly that they turned white. Neither of them had been hurt, but his eyes were growing darker and darker. The Rieda household that he had observed was indeed, as Ronée had said, a dangerous place.

A place where only one person, Ryne, could be said to treat Ronée kindly. In this place where there were enemies on all sides, they could only lean on each other.

“This is a household where we worship the god, Thuna,” Captain Devant of the knights of the House of Rieda said, with his chin in the air. Thuna, the god whom these people worshipped so faithfully.

His gaze looking down at Ronée was full of scorn. He spoke politely to her only out of deference to her station — he held no respect for her. He, too, would not treat her in such a way were it not for the label of “impious one” applied to her by the temple.

“So please do not cause trouble. Do you understand, My Lady?”

Bang!

After the incident where Ronée, instead of Nabel, had been struck by Lady Rieda’s lightning bolts, Captain Devant had practically imprisoned the two of them in her room. They did not know whose order it was, but there was no one in the household who opposed it.

“Who did this?” Nabel looked at Ronée’s scorched-black hemline while Ronée’s gaze darted about here and there.

Thankfully, she was not hurt. Nabel was relieved but was also saddened by the way that she protected him so naturally. By the reason why she was not injured. But Nabel knew that having no injuries on your body did not mean that you were not hurt.

“He’s Captain Devant,” Ronée said, staring at the door. Ryne hurried off to bring her a change of clothes.

“Captain Devant…” Nabel repeated in a quiet and cold voice, as though committing the name to his memory.

“My stepmother brought him with her.”

He was a faithful follower of the god, Thuna, and he had no patience when it came to Ronée. Ronée remembered the first time they had met. Thuna said that people must be treasured. But Ronée was not considered a person in that place.

However proud and arrogant she might be, she was someone who was so insolent that she would even reject the hands of the gods.

“Such a person must be sent to the side of the gods and rehabilitated!”

Devant’s voice had been surprised and scornful, as though he had not known that there could actually be such a person. He doubted that anyone like that would dare to exist and asked if it was not just magic that she rejected.

“…I see. Nabel’s cold gaze bore a hole at the door.

“My Lady.” At that moment, Ryne approached. Although she had gone to fetch a change of clothes, she was empty-handed. She bowed her head, her expression apologetic.

“Your clothes to change into are not yet dry. Will you be able to wait for an hour, my Lady?”

Ryne did not know what to do, but Ronée nodded her head understandingly. The reason why she did not have clothes was not because Ryne had not done her work. It was the fault of other servants who only put old and dusty clothes in her room. Ryne was skilled. She washed and repaired those clothes so that they would look like new.

“It’s fine,” Ronée replied with a small nod, and Ryne bowed her head again.

Sensing the atmosphere growing heavy and wanting to lift it for the sake of her precious young mistress, she opened her mouth and said in a bright tone, “By the way, I heard something from the other maids.”

Ryne went a little away and started to prepare teacups and pour water. She was being attentive so that her mistress would not be bored for an hour.

Nabel looked at Ryne, and then back at Ronée.

“What’s that?”

“They say that the western continent’s House of Miltan has changed.”

Nabel froze.