"The magical storm has disappeared."
The magical storm that had threatened to shake the building to its foundations had subsided as if it were just a dream.
"Then what are these? You and I are the only ones here."
"......"
I couldn't respond to his words.
I couldn't exactly say, "That's right. It's my power. But I don't know what's going on either."
The truth was, I wanted to say anything.
Staying silent would only fuel his suspicion, so I wanted to say it wasn't my power, or that I didn't know what was happening either, or that it might be a hidden power in the library.
I had to say something, anything.
But I couldn't say anything at all.
To be exact, it was difficult to even open my mouth.
'I'm dizzy...'
Wait, were there always two dukes?
But why is he staggering like that?
Or is it...
'Am I the one staggering?'
"Answer... Lucia?"
Only then did the duke notice my condition and approach me with a surprised look.
Wow... the duke can make that expression too.
It's funny for some reason, so I grinned.
"Lord! Where are you!"
"What the hell are these!"
"The Lord is over there...!"
From afar, the sound of numerous footsteps and urgent shouts could be heard.
Ah... that's a relief.
'I'm saved.'
Was it because of the relief?
The duke hurriedly pulled me into his arms, and that was the last thing I saw.
Thud.
My body collapsed just like that.
The duke blankly stared at Lucia, who had gone limp in his arms.
Then slowly, he brought his ear close to her face.
Soft snores...
A faint breath could be heard.
She wasn't dead. She was alive.
The duke felt a strange sense of relief just from that fact.
The duke didn't know where that relief came from.
Was it the relief of not losing the sacrifice, or was it something else...?
It was then.
"Lady-!"
Someone dashed out, pushing through the approaching crowd.
The duke's gaze turned cold as he spotted him.
Everyone flinched at the strangely flowing energy, but only he ran, looking for Lucia.
However, the moment Aen saw Lucia, limp in the duke's arms, he couldn't move any further.
His face turned pale.
"Lady...?"
The voice calling Lucia trembled slightly.
It wasn't just his voice.
His shoulders, hands, and even his eyes shook 불안하게.
Aen Rixus's sunset-colored eyes held only the image of Lucia, who lay limp as if dead.
"Lady."
The moment Aen took another step towards Lucia.
"Stop."
"......"
A toneless voice blocked the way.
However, that one word didn't stop Aen's feet.
Aen, who had already gotten closer, reached out towards Lucia.
Just as his hand was about to touch Lucia.
"I told you to stop, Aen Rixus."
A murderous aura flowed out, blocking Aen's path.
Only then did Aen stop moving and raise his gaze.
His sunset-colored eyes were clouded over.
"...Daughter, you say?"
A harsh voice, scraped from his throat, spat out the words as if chewing them.
The duke quietly stared at Aen Rixus.
That only provoked Aen further.
Something hot welled up from within.
Instead of suppressing it, Aen unleashed it without restraint.
"When you were turning a blind eye!"
"......"
"You turned a blind eye when she needed you the most, but now what right do you have...!"
Aen, who was about to burst with frustration, bit his ruined lips.
Because he knew it was a meaningless shout.
A voice that would never reach.
It would be better to shout at a wall.
"Haa..."
Aen took a long breath to regain his composure and held out his hand towards the duke.
"There's no time for this kind of bickering. You need to take Lady to a healer right away, so hand her over."
Even in his stiff voice, his concern for Lucia was clear.
The duke quietly stared at his hand.
Very quietly, he kept staring, and then said.
"I won't hand her over."
"...Are you still going to!"
"The Commander is right. I turned a blind eye to this child."
"......!"
Aen's eyes widened at the unexpected words.
"But, even so."
The purple eyes staring at Aen were calm.
"Even so, she is my daughter."
"......"
"I'm telling you that no matter how I treat this child, the Commander has no right to interfere."
Faced with the cruel truth, Aen could no longer do anything.
The duke was right.
Aen and Lucia were just teacher and student. They couldn't deeply intervene in a father-daughter relationship.
The duke passed by Aen, who was frozen like ice.
The knights and magicians, who had been frozen by the unexpected situation, hurriedly moved aside.
The duke leisurely walked through the space, holding Lucia in his arms.
After the duke left, Ligrin had Elbert dismiss the knights and magicians.
The magicians obediently followed Elbert, and the knights glanced at Aen before quietly disappearing.
With everyone gone, only Ligrin looked at Aen with a pitiful gaze.
He couldn't see Aen's face because he was facing away, but he could still somewhat guess at Aen's misery.
"Haa..."
In the end, Ligrin couldn't hold back a sigh and let it out.
At the same time, he sensed it.
A crack had formed in Rodbel, which had been as solid as a fortress wall.
That crack might one day shake Rodbel to its foundations.
And...
'Lady Lucia...'
All of this stemmed from Lucia.
Where did things go wrong?
What should we do from now on?
After agonizing over it, Ligrin closed his eyes.
That was the best he could do for now.
"Whoa."
The summit of the mountain where the library was faintly visible.
"He's carrying her out?"
The man in the black mask, who had been watching everything through binoculars, exclaimed in admiration.
Beyond the binoculars, the duke was seen carrying a girl with black hair, limp like a puppet with its strings cut.
The magical storm that had seemed to engulf the library had disappeared like a dream at some point.
Everyone thought they would die when the duke walked into that place, but seeing him confidently walking out, he was speechless.
What else would you expect from the Duke of Rodbel? It seems that he wouldn't budge with just that much.
What on earth happened inside?
He wanted to check it out right away, but...
"My mission ends here."
The man put the binoculars, which he had been watching everything with as if watching a performance, into his arms and quickly left the place.
If he stayed any longer, he might get caught.
The man slipped into an underground area in an alley in the capital.
As soon as he entered, he took off his mask as if he had been suffocating.
Fiery red hair, as if it were on fire, was revealed.
The red eyes, the same color as his hair, were full of mischievousness like a troublemaker.
"Rain, were you guarding the house well? Did anything happen while I was gone?"
He playfully asked the blonde woman who was guarding the desk right in front of the door.
The woman glanced at him with indifferent eyes and then pointed to the end of the hallway, saying in a stiff voice.
"The Master is in the room inside."
"Tch, you're no fun. Fine, fine, I'm going to report~!"
With his hands clasped behind his head, the man swaggered down the hallway.
However, in front of the door at the very end, the man unclenched his hands and unnecessarily dusted the wrinkles on his clothes.
"Ahem."
After clearing his throat, he raised his hand.
Knock knock.
"Master, it's Cain. I've just returned after completing my mission."
"Come in."
A neat, beautiful voice returned from beyond the door.
Cain took a deep breath and then opened the door.
The door opened smoothly without even the slightest friction.
He stepped into the room, quietly closed the door behind him, and then turned around and stood up straight.
He looked like a knight with his disciplined posture.
At the end of his gaze, a young boy with light gray hair was sitting at a desk in a neat posture.
When he slowly raised his long eyelashes, which cast a shadow, a gray eyes with a mysterious color were revealed.
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