Chapter 61……………..
“Arghhh!”
Owen screamed as he was flung away helplessly.
“W-what the…… Owen!!!”
“Owen!!!”
Leonhart and Ruspell rushed to the man sprawled on the floor. But Owen was already unconscious.
The hand he had shaken mine with was stained bright red.
I froze in shock at the completely unexpected turn of events.
[Lian! Lulu says to tell Owen she’s sorry. She had no choice.]
‘……Lulu attacked him?’
[It seems Lulu perceived Owen’s actions as a threat.]
‘Ah…….’
Only then did I recall that an Ego Sword instinctively protects its master from all attacks.
So even though the opponent was Owen, it had defended me.
[Sorry, my ass. Lulu! Well done! It would’ve been even better if you’d lopped his arm clean off. Don’t you agree, Gnome?]
[…….]
Did the author not know?
I wondered if he had given those instructions without realizing Lulu might attack.
‘……Of course he knew. It was his own setting after all.’
Leonhart shouted for a physician, then glared at me.
“You told me you had no magic, did you not?”
“You’re misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? Then what was that light just now! Do you take me for a fool, Duke?”
“It wasn’t magic. It was this one that attacked.”
I tapped the scabbard at my hip.
“It’s a family heirloom, passed down for generations. It contains a power that protects its master.”
Leonhart’s eyes narrowed, his dark gaze glinting with suspicion.
“You mean to say the Ivrante family possesses a guardian sword? I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“Because we kept it secret—since it’s a spirit sword.”
“……A spirit sword? You mean a spirit dwells within the blade, like an Ego Sword?”
Spirit swords were as rare as Ego Swords.
“That’s right. The spirit tried to protect its master.”
“And yet, after hiding this heirloom all this time for fear someone would covet it, you suddenly decide to carry it around……”
Leonhart twisted his lips.
“Which means Owen attacked you first. Explain how and when he did so.”
“Th-that’s……”
There hadn’t been any blade visible in Owen’s hand.
With the evidence gone, no one would believe me even if I told the truth.
“I don’t know. Maybe it mistook his blessing for an attack.”
“What kind of irresponsible answer is that!”
“What do you want me to say! I didn’t know either!”
“You mean to tell me you’ve been carrying around a weapon with lethal power without even checking its effects?”
Now I was really getting pissed.
“Excuse me for not knowing how badly it could hurt someone. I should’ve checked with His Highness first!!! Clearly, I’ve committed a capital crime!”
“Are you mocking me now? Is it so hard to admit you were wrong?”
“I’m not denying it—I’m explaining the situation—!”
Before I could finish, Ruspell shouted loudly.
“Ugh, both of you shut up already! You’re driving me crazy!”
“……”
“……”
Leonhart and I glared at each other, fuming.
Caught between us, Ruspell let out a long sigh.
“Duke, since when have you been carrying that sword?”
“……Since the day I attended the meeting about the statue.”
“Something happened that day?”
“I was attacked by an assassin—almost died.”
“……In the middle of the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes. Ever since then, I carry it with me. No matter how ominous a cursed sword may be, I need it to protect my life.”
“Wow, that’s insane. How does something like that even happen? Did they catch the bastard?”
“Ask His Highness.”
“His Highness? Why him?”
Because he was the bastard.
The more I talked with Ruspell, the quicker Leonhart’s momentum faltered.
It was true he had strangled me. And it was true I nearly died because of it.
If my words were right, then it wouldn’t be wrong to say Owen got hurt because of him—leaving him nothing to argue back with.
“Your Highness, the physician has arrived. Shall I bring him in?”
“Bring him.”
Just then the doctor arrived.
I watched him rush toward Owen, then quietly left the audience chamber.
Leonhart looked at me for a moment but didn’t stop me.
‘Sorry, Owen. I’ll make it up to you later.’
Back at the mansion, my heart still felt heavy.
After a bath, I sat down on the sofa, and the spirits gathered around me.
— Owen was really strange earlier. Why would he act like that?
— Yes. That wasn’t like him. He would never hurt someone for his own goals… how did he change like that?
— Must’ve been possessed by a demon. Honestly, maybe this is his true nature, and before he was just pretending. Humans aren’t trustworthy anyway. Oh, except for our contractor……. Ow, stop hitting me, Gnome!
I rubbed my face.
“I think I know.”
The spirits stopped their chatter and looked at me.
— Hm? About Owen? What do you mean?
“I think Owen realized that Adrian is a dark sorcerer.”
— Whaaat?! Really?!
— Oh my! So that’s why he acted so persistently!
— What nonsense. Hey, you water-brain! Weren’t you the one who said the king told us everything would be fine if we just carried Lulu around?
— Yes! I definitely heard it like that……. Or wait, maybe not? Now that I think again, maybe it wasn’t……?
The Spirit King was a being of balance.
There’s no way he would give advice favoring one side.
“Undine, did the Spirit King exactly say carrying Lulu would hide the dark sorcerer’s aura?”
— N-no. To be precise, he said Lulu should be sent to her master.
— But since we were worried about the aura problem, we interpreted it that way ourselves.
— What! So it might not even be true! Damn that useless loafer of a king! He’s never once spoken plainly! Am I right, Gnome?
— (nods)
The problem was, today’s incident probably didn’t dispel Owen’s suspicions.
‘He’ll keep probing until his doubts are completely gone.’
I looked at my palm.
There was no obvious mark, but up close I could see faint red scratches.
‘Did blood get on the ring?’
Even if it had, it would’ve been only a tiny amount. Would that alone be enough to identify a dark sorcerer?
I couldn’t be sure—there’d never been such a case before.
“For now……”
Before I could finish speaking, the spirits vanished all at once.
The mana link wasn’t cut, so they had just hidden their forms.
A knock followed.
“Who is it.”
The door creaked open, and a small face peeked inside.
A face the size of a fist.
“……Piace?”
“M-may I come in?”
“Come in.”
Piace stepped inside, dressed in an outing dress.
A pale yellow dress with a fresh green ribbon.
Shiny Dorothy shoes and neatly folded lace socks at her ankles drew an involuntary gasp.
“Where are you going this late at night?”
“Ah, n-no, it’s a dress for the a-academy. I w-wanted to show it to y-you first, Duke.”
“……”
“D-do you like it?”
“It’s not bad.”
Even though I answered more coldly than usual from my foul mood, Piace wasn’t discouraged.
She even tilted her head and carefully asked,
“D-duke, are you… sad?”
“What?”
“Y-your eyes… l-look like they w-want to cry.”
Do I really look like I want to cry right now?
Piace slowly came closer and gently grabbed my pinky finger.
Her childlike warmth seeped into my fingertips.
“What are you doing. Who told you to grab my hand?”
Even at my cold tone, Piace didn’t back down.
Instead, she gripped my finger tighter as if refusing to let go.
“D-did you f-fight with a friend?”
“……”
Even though she was only guessing at a child’s level, she had hit the mark so precisely.
Pierced to the core, I let out a faint sigh.
“……Yes. He said he hated me.”
“He said h-he hates you? Huh? Why? That’s strange.”
“Because…… he thinks I’m a bad person.”
“It’s o-okay. He just doesn’t really know you y-yet.”
“Yeah, maybe so……”
“W-want me to tell you how to be f-friends again?”
“A way? What way…….”
Climbing onto the sofa, Piace put her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.
The smell of a child. The warmth of her body. And her gentle voice.
“L-like this, while hugging, s-say it.”
“……”
“F-friend, let’s get along. I-I like you.”
As if that would make Owen and I close again.
Yet, the anxiety churning inside me settled down.
I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.
That night, Piace quietly comforted me until late.
It was the first time I had ever spent so much time with her
