CH 25

Rosenta was trying to keep himself busy to clear his thoughts after the previous day’s events.

Today, he was especially, fully immersed in developing his abilities.

Usually, the place where he practiced was his father's study.

After his father’s death, there was no one who could teach him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have any family. However, those relatives were weaker than him and unable to use their abilities.

“Is there anything else besides verbal commands?”

Most of the books on linguistic magic in the library had the same contents.

It was just a longer explanation of things he already knew.

“There must be something else.”

His father always said that if one could master linguistics and commands, they could become a great necromancer.

But was this all?

To the best of his knowledge, a necromancer could control corpses and handle poisons.

In some books and games, they had nicknames such as the Warlocks and Demon Summoners.

Of course, that didn’t mean that the definition of a necromancer he knew in his previous life also applied in this world.

But… … .

‘Is this really the extent of my ability? I'll have to get rid of these magic tools first.’

After his father passed away, no, even while he was alive, the magic tools he used to control his abilities were never removed.

But his father was no more.

He let out a long breath. Then, he recited an incantation to remove the tool that controlled his magic.

"Off."

A light emanated from the jewels of several rings that squeezed his knuckles.

Their light gradually increased in brightness.

Little by little the pressure on his fingers was relieved.

He took off the ring without hesitation.

As soon as he removed the ring, he felt a vast force move around inside him without direction.

"Ha."

As he exhaled, something bubbled like magma within him.

Black smoke billowed out of his mouth. It was his source, the power itself, that he had sealed with magic control.

The more one uses power, the more it grows in size.

But this was a power he had never seen before. As he grew up, the size of his power must have grown as well.

It was too overwhelming for him now.

“I can’t.”

For now, He had no choice but to block it again and increase the time he unblocked it little by little.

He put the ring back on. Even so, somehow, his fingertips were numb.

He squeezed his hand hard.

“Come to think of it….”

His father also used to release his powers often here.

Every time that happened, his father's fingertips were stained black, as if immersed in darkness.

‘What did my father say then?’

‘One day you too will be stained with complete darkness and become just like me. When the time comes, I will show you a new place.>

New place.

‘Ah! You forgot about that!’

“…I hadn’t thought of going outside."

He closed his eyes.

He re-examined his past memories one by one.

‘Is there a place that could correspond to the 'new place' that my father mentioned?’

Now that he mentioned it, his father would go out for long periods of time and, when he came back, he would lock himself away somewhere.

The place where his father often stayed was his bedroom, or the top floor.

In particular, the top floor was a space that was blocked off so that no one could enter.

Even he, the only child, was not allowed to enter....

“It was there.”

As soon as the answer came out, his eyes lit up.

It gave him hope that he could further develop his abilities.

The people who would appear in the future would be those with greater power than him, so he had no intention of stopping here.

Making up his mind once again, he immediately opened the door to the study.

He saw Anna waiting for him outside. And next to Anna was the manager of the house.

“Edmund?”

Hearing Rosenta’s call, he put one hand on his chest and bowed respectfully.

"Duke, I've been waiting for you."

Edmund looked at him with twinkling eyes. He seemed to have something to say to him.

“I finally found a butler I like.”

He liked them so much that he came running to Rosenta right away.

Rosenta patted him on the shoulder lightly, as if to slow Edmund's roll.

"Looks like they've captured Edmund's heart."

“Yes, after taking everything into account, I chose the most capable and satisfactory person according to the Duke’s standards. They will serve the duke very well.”

It was Edmund who praised the 'new dedicated butler' until his mouth was dry.

It would seem that the arduous interview process was not in vain.

"Okay. You already have my trust. I already like this candidate.”

“Yes, you will not be disappointed.”

“Then, when does the newcomer start work?”

“He is so full of enthusiasm, he himself said he would start work immediately.”

It was the passion of a rookie.

"But he'll have to be trained first, so allow me to create a detailed schedule."

"Alright."

Edmund had looked the happiest the past few days.

He did not take this lightly though. Edmund maintained his duty as a butler to the end.

"Then I'll go back to take care of the rest."

*

After sending Edmund away, he had Anna ran errands. Unnecessary, useless errands.

The reason he tried to clear everything up was simple.

It was because he wanted to go to the top floor.

"What's this?"

‘Did I set my expectations too high?’ There was nothing to the point of being described as nothingness.

When he first came up, there was an iron door locked with a key at the entrance to the stairs.

He broke it and came in but….

There was nothing there. Only the large open window greeted him.

“A place like this....”

Why was everyone banned from entering?

Nonsense.

He started knocking on the walls at random to see if there was a secret entrance.

Bang, bang.

After only a knock on the stone wall, his hand hurt.

"Shit."

He tousled his hair nervously.

‘Is this really all? Is this the limit of the ability given to me?’

His heart felt tight.

However, getting frustrated wouldn’t solve anything.

Rather, he walked to the window with the intention of looking at the scenery from the top floor.

“…The scenery is pretty.”

The Duke's gardens, small castles and villages appeared.

It was so small that it could be considered a miniature, but it was different from what he saw in his room.

As he was standing on that high floor a strong and cold wind suddenly blew.

Caw.

And the sound of crows came from the upper part of the castle, near the top roof.

It was the sound of a crow he hadn't heard in a long time. That's why his brow wrinkled more.

There was no way that there were crows living here.

There was only one answer.

With a sigh mixed with annoyance, he brushed his tousled azure hair back.

"Hah."

Caw.

A crow landed on the window sill, made of cold stone.

It stared at him horrendously and tilted its head.

It didn't look cute at all.

Rosenta frowned and opened his mouth to speak to the crow.

"Enoch."

As if in response, the crow crowed.

Caw.

That one cry was the answer.

Because the appearance of the crow began to change, just like the scene of transformation he’d seen before.

As expected, it was Enoch.

Enoch looked at him with his back to the blue sky and his crow wings intact.

In a way, it looked fascinating, like a demon.

“You noticed me so quickly .”

But he did not hear Enoch's words. Only Enoch's clothes caught his attention.

“What is that outfit?”

"Outfit?"

Enoch removed his wings.

Completely erasing this appearance as a crow, he hopped down from the widow frame.

Perhaps he was trying to show off his clothes, he even spun around in front of Rosenta.

The black coat of the butler's uniform waved in the wind, and the ends fluttered.

"How do you like it? Doesn't it suit me?”

"Do you think I'll say that it suits you?"

"Of course."

Rosenta was so overcome by his audacity that he forgot how to respond.

Enoch, wondering what he thought of him, shrugged once.

Then he took white gloves from the pockets of his overcoat and put them on both hands. Finally, he put on a monocle on one of his eyes.

He had the appearance of ‘Wolf’, the butler he had last seen when he left for Terrian.

Then he greeted Rosenta.

“I have become the Duke’s newly appointed personal butler. My name is Enoch Wolf, I am from a distant country.”