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Chapter 22 * * * After the white Marten disappeared, her adorable tail swishing back and forth, Raphiren clenched Pompom so hard it seemed ready to shatter, his teeth grinding audibly. "When did I ever permit you to observe ‌‌my lessons?" -Ah, my apologies. Remarkably, light erupted from Pompom, spreading outward in a brilliant wave. ‌‌‌Within moments, the luminescence illuminated ‌‌‌a distant mountain range blanketed in eternal snow. Kirakserus brushed the snow from his hair and offered Raphiren a cheerful greeting. -I was curious to see how my daughter-in-law was progressing with her studies. Thought I'd keep watch to ensure you weren't tormenting her. "I am not tormenting her. If you do this even once more, I shall go to the Patriarch and refuse to continue her instruction." -My apologies, my apologies. I won't do it again. "Did you inform the young lady that you could observe from your end?" -No, I didn't. "Then I shall tell her myself." Raphiren's expression darkened ominously. Though Kirakserus seemed aware of his transgression, he merely shrugged without ‌‌‌further comment. While Raphiren remained displeased, sincere apologies from Kirakserus were rare enough that he ‌decided to let the matter rest. "So... you're at Yanterosa ‌‌‌‌now?" -Yes. Lord Idaho has proven impossible to locate. "That's likely because ‌‌he's the Knight Commander. He's withdrawn from his post in remorse for failing to protect Ariadne, so finding him will be difficult." -True enough. But I'm eager to return and ‌‌‌‌‌see my daughter-in-law. Kirakserus's eyes gleamed with unsettling intensity. Watching this display, Raphiren felt ‌his ‌‌skin prickle with dread, and he gripped Pompom even tighter. "Do not do anything reckless!" -What recklessness? "Such as obliterating the mountain range! Or evaporating all the accumulated snow to strip away Lord Idaho's camouflage! Or burning down the forest!" All of these were precisely ‌‌‌the sort of things Kirakserus would do. And right now, his eyes held that unmistakable glint—the cold, lifeless gaze of someone utterly devoid of amusement. -I'd need to do at least that much to provoke Lord Idaho into kicking my rear end out of hiding... "If you attempt any such thing, I shall report every detail to the young lady." -That would be troublesome. You're too competent, and you're Father's trusted aide—I can't simply ‌‌‌‌‌eliminate you. Though Kirakserus's tone remained measured as he swept his hair back, Raphiren detected the ‌‌‌fraying edges of his patience. -Perhaps I should draw a grand summoning circle to call forth ‌‌‌every snow leopard dwelling in this range... "That's certainly the most restrained ‌‌approach, at least." While it would be unfortunate for the snow leopards living peacefully in their habitat, surely they would prefer that to having the snow evaporate or the entire Yanterosa Mountain ‌‌‌Range consumed by flames. The beastman Kirakserus was searching for ‌‌was named Salones Rue Idaho. He was the Knight Commander of the Driblyane Knight Order's 【Black Wheel】 division—and once Ariadne's most trusted companion. * * * "You must ‌‌have heard our conversation. Come out now, Commander." Moments later, after severing the magical connection to Pompom, Kirakserus spoke in a deceptively pleasant tone. A low growl rumbled through the air. A low, menacing growl echoed ‌from somewhere distant—the sound of something extinguishing itself. Kirakserus recognized it without difficulty as the cry of someone familiar. 'Florin absolutely needs the backing of the Idaho family.' If Salones Rue Idaho, a distinguished family of the Demon Empire and loyal ‌‌‌‌retainers, stepped forward... then in this lifetime, no one would dare to gossip about that child's ‌‌‌origins. Florin possessed pure silver hair, ‌‌while Salones bore silver hair with a ‌‌‌bluish ‌tint, but they shared the common thread of silver nonetheless. He could protect Florin in high society. 'She was infinitely precious to me, yet the world scorned that child.' Kirakserus was no fool. He had no intention ‌‌‌‌of allowing the same tragedy to unfold twice. If the Count of Idaho stubbornly ‌‌‌refused to the bitter end, ‌‌Kirakserus could seize him by force like dragging a beast along and erase all hesitation. Magic that transforms ‌‌a target into a puppet is convenient. Even now, if his desires held sway, he would do exactly ‌‌that... but. 'No. Florin needs someone who can truly be a mother to her.' Even with such stubbornness, once the Count of Idaho met that child even once, his thoughts would change. "Salones." Kirakserus suppressed the irritation that suddenly welled up within him and softened his tone. From the rustling of dry brush at ‌‌‌‌the edge of the snow-covered ground, Idaho was nearby. "The Count has a child he must ‌‌‌‌protect once more. A child that Ariadne arranged for." ‌‌This was an outright lie. But did he truly need to reveal everything? To lay bare all the details, he would have to confess how far into time he had lived and what he had ‌‌endured, and Kirakserus had ‌absolutely no intention ‌‌of doing so. The lost future is lost. There is no reason to excavate it again. Since he was changing the present piece by piece... the same future would not come to pass. After Florin died from dice addiction, hundreds and thousands of gates suddenly tore open. It took merely one week for the monsters pouring in from other dimensions to destroy the ‌‌‌‌world. Every weapon developed at the Magic Tower was deployed against the unfamiliar monsters, but... it was insufficient. No matter how many were destroyed, new gates opened faster than the old ones could be closed. Had ‌‌‌the entire population learned to wield guns and swords through the prolonged war with ‌‌the Holy Empire, ‌‌‌perhaps there might have been some way ‌‌to manage. But the gate catastrophe occurred at a ‌‌time when the long war between the Holy Empire and the Demon Empire had ended, and everyone yearned for peace. A time when people held rakes instead of guns to till the earth, and carried sacks of fertilizer instead of swords. The very moment when all the world's people tried to ‌‌‌overcome the scars of war and find happiness together... Kirakserus shook his head sharply, erasing the scenes that only he in this world remembered. It was fine to forget. There was no reason for such things to happen again. "He shall come to you from the lowest ‌‌place." As Kirakserus recited a passage from scripture, a massive snow leopard finally revealed itself before him. The fierce masculine pheromone emanating from ‌‌the snow ‌‌leopard, so enormous it could blot out the sun, was like that of the very master of this mountain range. "Let us return. Go and see what Ariadne left behind." Salones Rue Idaho, who had devoted his ‌‌‌‌loyalty to Ariadne alone, cried out mournfully. Now came the time for persuasion. * * * The atmosphere at the Driblyane Manor had become far better than before. After Ariadne's death, the servants had to breathe with caution, but since the tiny Florin arrived as a daughter-in-law, the air within the household had grown lighter. Moreover, rumors had already circled the manor five times over that Florin possessed some inexplicable special ability, having even discovered the gifts Ariadne had hidden away. To be honest, many had initially thought 'still, Albino is a bit much,' but such opinions gradually faded as time passed. Florin had foreseen surprise attacks and warned them at least five times. Since it was the universal way of thinking among Demon Empire citizens that ability took precedence over origin, there were now hardly anyone who spoke ill ‌‌‌‌of Florin. In fact, a 'Florin Praise Committee' had even been formed to champion her. Its core members were none other than those who wanted to be seen favorably by all the household staff so they might obtain a snack or two... the true power brokers of this age of great hunger. The head chef and the cooks. "Florin is truly exceptional! She always finishes her meals with such relish." "That's right! It makes work feel worthwhile, doesn't it? And she sent us a card yesterday and the day before, saying the food was delicious!" ‌"How many noble-born would truly understand our circumstances? You have no ‌‌‌idea how much strength a single word of acknowledgment like that gives us." "I fell for her the moment I saw Florin scold Gerd! I ‌‌‌‌‌still remember ‌‌‌it!" Gerd, along with the other heirs who had carelessly discarded food, were identified by the Duchess and punished accordingly. While extravagance was a fitting quality for a Driblyane heir, she had deemed it shameful to throw food into the trash before the very person who had prepared it. Moreover, it served as a form of solace for the employees who had been wounded by such treatment. The ‌‌Duchess taking the employees' side and punishing the heirs meant that my actions had been justified. Despite my inability to humanize myself, the fact that I had scolded Gerd without the slightest deference in front of the Duchess became exaggerated and embellished through retelling. "Tonight! The banquet at last!" The announcement of the 'Welcome Banquet for the Young Mistress' became a major topic of excitement throughout the entire ‌‌‌Driblyane household staff. "Finally, we'll eat our fill. The Duchess is so generous—she always tells us to finish all the leftover food after the banquet." ‌‌‌‌‌"I can hardly wait!" "Speaking of the Young Mistress, she's truly a gracious person. Kirakserus brought her here, didn't he?" "Yeah. Her origins are supposed to be secret, but there must be some noble matter that only the aristocracy knows about." "Maybe she's actually a daughter of a very prestigious house, and that's why it's kept secret? A fresh perspective!" "Could be. Kirakserus doesn't tell us everything, but the higher-ups probably all know. There's no reason for him to inform us ‌‌‌‌servants." "Right. With such refined character, she must surely be from a distinguished family." Though some misunderstandings had accumulated, they leaned in a favorable direction, so there was no reason to correct them. The mansion, bustling with activity after so long, bloomed with laughter everywhere—save for one place.

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org

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