Chapter 71
Before long, the duke returned.
“Did you see His Highness the Crown Prince off properly?”
“…Yes. I barely managed to persuade him to give up on talking with you one last time and sent him back.”
“Ahaha…”
Even without being there, I could picture the scene and gave an awkward smile.
Just then, his gaze fell on the document envelope resting on my lap.
“…That proposal. What are you planning to do about it?”
“Ah…”
His sudden question made my expression turn complicated.
“Well, I was going to look through it carefully once I got back and think it over. It’s not something to decide on lightly.”
“…True. It’s an important matter—you must weigh it again and again with the utmost caution.”
“I’ll do that. And today, the reason I came…”
As I trailed off, he looked at me.
“I hadn’t been paying much attention, but today I went to the bank to check the account book, and the deposited amount was far too large. I wanted to check the ledgers myself, but…”
Judging from the Crown Prince of Western’s reaction, I didn’t even need to check—the business had clearly gone well.
“Seems the response was good?”
At my words, the duke nodded.
“Very successful. The demand will only keep growing.”
“Which means… the settlements will only keep increasing too.”
It was good news, but for some reason my feelings grew complicated.
Having so much cash on hand gave me the odd sense of letting it rot.
As if he had read my thoughts, the duke cautiously suggested:
“…In that case, why not consider investing?”
“Investing?”
“Yes. Whatever it may be, investing for the future wouldn’t be a bad choice. You could even buy land to build a house.”
“Land to build a house…”
“That was just an example.”
“I’ll think about it. Thank you.”
I rose from my seat. He looked at me.
“Anyway, I’ve resolved what I was curious about, so I’ll head back now.”
The duke naturally stood to follow me.
“I’ll see you to the main gate.”
“But you’re busy…”
“I have more than enough time to escort you.”
“Well… all right then.”
When I agreed, he smiled in satisfaction.
As we stepped out of the parlor, Rick—who had been waiting in advance—approached.
The duke spoke:
“Rick, prepare the horses. I’ll see Ciela off.”
“Understood.”
At his command, Rick headed off to fetch the horses.
By the time I returned to the orphanage, evening had already set in. Hoyun had looked after the children’s dinner, so there was nothing more for me to worry about.
Back in the director’s office, I shed my outer coat and collapsed into the chair, staring at the document envelope on my desk.
‘A business, huh.’
The Crown Prince’s proposal wasn’t a bad one. In fact, since it was a venture he was personally launching, he must have laid a solid foundation for success.
And since it wasn’t a state affair but his own private enterprise, there would be no issue with me, a noble of the empire, getting involved.
‘But the duke didn’t seem too pleased with it.’
He had tried to keep a neutral expression, but the truth slipped through in little glimpses he couldn’t hide.
“Investing…”
I mulled over what he’d said. Indeed, letting money sit idle in a vault seemed wasteful. Perhaps doing something constructive would be better.
‘Maybe building houses for the children, one each, wouldn’t be such a bad idea.’
I was deep in thought when—
“Investing isn’t bad. How about Khan?”
Startled by the sudden voice, I whipped my head around.
Somehow, Vincente was leaning against the window frame, watching me.
“Vincente.”
“You’re not as surprised as I thought.”
“I expected you’d show up about now.”
“You know, you’re pretty fearless.”
Vincente chuckled as if amused and stepped closer, bringing his face near mine.
“But are you sure it’s okay? Letting me know where you live. Doesn’t seem like you’re the only one here.”
There was mischief in his tone. But I knew him too well to relax around such a look.
If things went awry, he would kill me with that very same playful expression.
Showing fear or weakness would only entertain him. So I didn’t back down.
“We have a contract, remember? Doing something reckless like that would be a violation.”
“Doesn’t stop me from killing people unrelated to this contract.”
“Then you’d get nothing out of me.”
I acted indifferent, though inside I was tense.
But since I needed to learn magic from him, I couldn’t keep changing locations every time.
So, taking the risk, I removed the ring.
Hoyun was here, and if push came to shove, I planned to use the Null Aeternum to negate his magic. I could even use the contract to force his own downfall.
Vincente’s violet eyes pierced into me, and I met them without flinching.
Soon he gave a soft laugh and stepped back.
“Relax, it’s a joke. I won’t kill you. You’re far too entertaining.”
Which meant, once I ceased to amuse him, he would kill me.
Anyway, I cut to the point.
“You showing up here must mean you have results.”
“Yeah. I actually found an Aeternum in the Chloris merchant guild’s vault. Cost me a lot, but…”
“How is it? The one you wanted?”
“No. This is trash.”
He tossed it onto the desk in front of me. I looked at it—it was an Aeternum.
‘It’s definitely Aeternum. Why call it trash?’
Unlike the Null Aeternum, which glowed red, this one shone green.
“That’s a Healing Aeternum.”
“Healing Aeternum?”
“Yeah. With that, even if your limbs are severed or you’re on the verge of death, it’ll mend you perfectly.”
At his explanation, I looked at the Aeternum in awe, then turned back to him with a puzzled expression.
“Then why give it to me?”
“Healing’s useless for me. But you’re about to become my disciple, right? Think of it as a gift for my one and only student.”
I blinked at him. He tilted his head at my stare.
“What are you looking at?”
“It’s just… you don’t seem to dislike this contract as much as I thought.”
“…Now that I know your words were true, you’re actually my hope. At last, I might be able to break this damn curse.”
“Hm.”
Truth be told, I’d been on edge ever since he went to the Chloris guild, expecting his return. But he wasn’t as brutal as I’d feared.
A relief, perhaps. Still, it was unsettling to let Vincente into the orphanage.
“…This Healing Aeternum. Can it cure illness too?”
“You mean Count Simor.”
“…”
He read my intent instantly. I pressed my lips shut instead of answering.
Even without my words, he understood, and chuckled.
Soon his laughter stopped, and he said,
“Disease it cannot cure. Only physical injuries.”
“I see…”
I hadn’t held out much hope, but hearing it confirmed left me disappointed.
I tucked the Healing Aeternum into the drawer. Vincente still lounged there, watching my every move.
“Why are you staring like that?”
His gaze was too heavy to ignore, so I asked. After studying me a while longer, he finally spoke.
“You know who I really am.”
“You’re Vincente.”
“Not just my name. My nature.”
I stayed silent. His lips curled as though waiting for my reply.
Calmly, I said:
“You said you wouldn’t kill me. I’m choosing to believe that. We also have a contract.”
“…You trust my word?”
“I know you’re not someone who lies.”
He had once declared that he hated lies and always kept his word.
‘Granted, most of the time he said that was when warning people he’d kill them…’
Still, if the story said so, I would believe it.
“What a strange one you are.”
I heard him mutter. I rose to my feet and addressed him.
“Since you know I spoke the truth, now it’s time you fulfill the second condition.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just remember this: magic lies in talent. If you lack it, there’s nothing I can do.”
With a snap of his fingers, in the blink of an eye, we were no longer in the director’s office, but standing before a sheer rock wall.
