Chapter 71
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Chapter 71
I glanced around the dining room as I stepped inside.
The Duke regarded me with a puzzled expression.
"What are you searching for so intently?"
"Oh, um... where is Lahedis? Has he not come down yet?"
"He mentioned having the day off. Said he had personal matters to attend to and left early."
The moment I settled awkwardly into my seat, the waiting servants began bringing out the dishes.
Just as the Butler had promised, an abundance of nourishing and appetizing fare was laid before me.
Yet my mind was preoccupied with what the Duke had just told me.
'Personal matters... could he possibly have a lover?'
Though I'd grown close enough to Lahedis to exchange playful banter, I'd never inquired about his personal life.
It seemed improper to ask about something he hadn't volunteered first.
Naturally, I'd never asked about whether he had a romantic partner.
'...Well, he's a man with nothing lacking—neither in appearance, physique, nor temperament. It would be strange if he didn't have someone.'
In fact, it would be odd if he didn't.
Yes, that's only natural...
'So why does this feel so unpleasant?'
The buoyant sensation I'd been floating on suddenly deflated.
Simultaneously, a sharp, prickling sensation jabbed at one corner of my chest.
Noticing me staring blankly at the food, the Duke regarded me with concern.
"Has your appetite deserted you?"
I snapped back to attention and forced my lips upward, reaching for my cutlery.
"Not at all! How could it? There's simply so much that looks delicious, I was deliberating where to begin."
"Then taste each one in turn. There's no need for such pointless deliberation."
Hearing my absurd concern, the Duke cut a piece of steak and placed it before me.
"Eat. When one lacks vigor, meat is the finest remedy."
"You're truly the only one for me, Your Grace. ...Though I suppose you'll scold me again for flattery?"
Robbed of his words, the Duke let out a hollow laugh.
"Hah, honestly. I'm at a loss. You've completely wrapped me around your finger."
"But I truly mean it. Thank you for caring for me like this."
I began eating diligently to spare the Duke any further worry.
True to his word, the moment the meat touched my tongue, my earlier melancholy evaporated as if it had never been.
Yet the unanswered curiosity still peeked its head out.
I broached the subject carefully.
"Your Grace, about Lahedis... could he have gone to meet a lover?"
At my question, the Duke's hand, which held his cutlery, stilled.
"Why do you ask?"
There was a subtle curiosity in the Duke's gaze as he posed the question, but in my flustered state, I failed to notice it.
"Oh, I was simply curious! I wouldn't want to accidentally say something inappropriate."
"Do you think that man appears to have a lover?"
"Well, he's handsome for one thing... and his personality is decent, so I'd say he probably has a chance."
"I thought you two weren't getting along since you're always bickering, but it seems you actually think quite highly of him."
"He's always joking around with me and teasing me... but still, he's a good person."
It was merely an objective assessment, yet speaking it aloud made me feel as though my true feelings were laid bare, and I found myself embarrassed without reason.
The Duke listened to my words in silence...
"I see. I haven't heard anything about it myself, so I wouldn't know."
He offered a somewhat disappointing response.
"I'll ask him directly when he returns."
His face bore a smile of unclear meaning.
* * *
At that moment, Lahedis was in the forest near the Capital.
It was the forest near District 8 Village that he'd discovered during his first Guard Post mission, when Hildegard had dragged him along on a whim.
There existed a passage to the Demon Realm closest to the Capital.
"Ever since receiving the Master's orders, I've been monitoring it continuously, and the barrier grows weaker with each passing day. At this rate..."
The subordinate reporting the situation noticed Lahedis's expression and trailed off.
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, it was clear that his gaze had momentarily shifted elsewhere.
"Master?"
"...No, it's nothing."
It felt as though someone were speaking about me.
Lahedis, who had absently rubbed the back of his neck once, nodded to his subordinate.
"So, at the current rate, how much longer can the barrier hold?"
"At minimum, three months. At most, half a year."
Upon hearing the subordinate's report, Lahedis's eyes grew cold.
Ever since that day when he'd come to this forest with Hildegard.
He had deployed Guild members to monitor the boundary with the Demon Realm.
The first reason was to ensure that, as long as Vivian worked for the Guard Post, she would never again be exposed to such dangerous situations.
The second was that if demons continued to appear, the Guard Post kept responding, and even the Knight Order grew suspicious and filed reports...
The Emperor would notice that the Demon Realm's barrier had weakened.
'Then war would break out.'
Kaltz had always been wary that the Emperor's ambitions would spark war, and Lahedis, raised under him, knew the Emperor's aspirations well.
Therefore, this situation of the Demon Realm's weakening barrier was far from welcome to him.
And above all else.
'...Vivian.'
Should war break out between humans and demons, resentment toward the demon race would naturally grow among the people.
Vivian, a half-blood between demon and human, would inevitably become a scapegoat in that atmosphere.
But rather than hiding Vivian, he had resolved to change the world in which she lived.
And now was the time to uphold that resolve.
Lahedis examined the barrier and opened his mouth.
"The barrier must be restored."
At those words, the Guild members beside him looked at him with wavering eyes.
"But this barrier was created by the Demon King sacrificing his heart as an offering. To restore a barrier of this magnitude...."
A barrier completed by expending an entire lifespan.
Severing the passage between two worlds required that much power.
In other words, restoration would consume a corresponding amount of mana.
"Of course, I have no intention of sacrificing my life for this."
There was still so much I wanted to do, so much I wanted to give.
I had to return. To Vivian.
"Perfect restoration will be difficult, but I can buy time. Time to find another solution."
There was only one thing that troubled me.
Since the barrier was created at the passage connecting two worlds, restoration would take considerable time.
'Vivian will be fine..., won't she?'
The thought of being separated from Vivian during this time weighed on my mind.
But she had the Dark Spirit, and as long as I held the barrier here, no additional demonic beasts would emerge. There was no more urgent danger than this.
With his resolve hardened, Lahedis slowly reached his hand toward the barrier of the Demon Realm.
The moment his hand finally touched the barrier, Lahedis's eyes narrowed as he sensed the flow of mana.
'This mana..., it feels strangely familiar.'
The mana flowing through the barrier felt oddly intimate.
Even though the mana composing this barrier should surely be that of the previous Demon King.
* * *
"Yaaaawn...."
Late afternoon, as the sunlight began to deepen.
Hector, who was guarding the Antique Shop as always, stretched out in a wide yawn.
Customers seeking the Guild typically moved about as dusk began to fall.
Ordinary customers rarely ventured into the Antique Shop located in the dim alley, so this hour was always quiet—tediously so.
Just as Hector's eyes were about to close while staring blankly at the dust-laden interior of the shop.
Ding—
"Oh, welcome!"
Hector jolted up at the sound of the bell on the door, only to freeze at the unexpected face before him.
"Hello, Hector."
"L-Lady?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org