Chapter 35………………………………………….
I barely managed to pull the puppy off Krimu, who it was clinging to.
“Loro, don’t do that.”
Loro was the name I had given the puppy.
Since I met the puppy the same day I first met Ron, I wanted it to have a name similar to Ron’s.
“Can’t you two just get along? Why are you always so sharp with each other?”
Not that it mattered—Loro and Krimu both only ever threw soft, harmless punches anyway.
Still, it was best to separate them.
“Then I’ll leave him to you, Britta.”
“Just trust me, my lady!”
Britta adored the puppy Loro, so she lifted him into her arms and left the room.
Now all that remained was putting Krimu to sleep.
I watched as Krimu’s eyelids slowly drooped, then quietly called for a servant.
Once the sleeping Krimu was carried back to his room, I walked along the second–floor hallway.
The sky outside the window was slowly darkening.
I stared blankly for a moment, then moved to walk away—when suddenly, someone hurriedly came out of the room across the hall.
‘…What?’
If it were a servant, I would’ve recognized them instantly—they all wore the same neat, uniform colors.
But the person leaving the room wasn’t dressed like that.
‘That’s the duke’s room…’
Without knowing why, I found myself walking toward it.
The knights guarding the door asked what business I had.
Thinking quickly, I asked whether I could have tea with the duke.
But the door soon opened, and it was the butler who appeared.
“My lady, may I ask why you are here?”
“Dubuis, I came to see the duke.”
“The duke is currently attending to very important matters, so he cannot receive visitors. However, he instructed me to tell you that he would take tea with you tomorrow…”
As the butler gave his lengthy explanation, I saw the door silently closing behind him.
Taking advantage of that brief crack, I leaned slightly and caught sight of the duke standing by the window.
‘He looks troubled… Did something happen?’
His expression was deeply grim.
In his hand, he held what appeared to be a letter.
Clack—the butler closed the door, having noticed where my eyes were.
I quickly shifted my gaze and responded.
“Alright. Then I’ll expect tea tomorrow.”
“Yes. Shall I escort you back to your room?”
“No, that’s alright.”
I quickly turned away and headed to my room.
The whole walk back, curiosity gnawed at me—what on earth had happened?
***
Western Hezar Region.
A dark night so terrifying that both the dead and the living trembled.
Every space large enough for a human reeked thickly of blood.
“…Hmph. Who else dares fight me?”
Chenler, splattered in blood and radiating the ferocity of a wild beast, roared with savage momentum.
But the many people kneeling before him only kept silent, subdued like mice.
Mocking the bowed heads, Chenler raised Debl’s symbol—the black flag.
It was the moment a new leader was born in Debl, a world where only the strong survived.
He sat on a massive chair made from the bones of beasts.
As the chill of the night met the lingering heat of his body, a cloud of white steam rose.
After a low breath, Chenler looked at the subordinate polishing his sword.
“Leave for a moment.”
In the dim room, Chenler’s bloodshot eyes lifted slowly.
He saw Miohta’s belongings still left there.
“Ownerless things now.”
Miohta—the former boss who once ruled Debl.
But he had long since turned to ashes and vanished from the world.
Chenler smiled faintly at the thought of him.
He had lived under Miohta as his hands and feet, driven by a single desire for revenge.
He waited patiently for his moment—until, as if heaven helped him, an unexpected figure extended a hand.
‘Duke Getre Kereis…’
Through an informant, the one who secretly contacted him had been none other than the duke of the Kereis family—an unexpected figure indeed.
Only after Miohta died did Chenler learn that Miohta and the duke had been exchanging secret letters.
Miohta’s dying words had been a faint moan: “Ah… Duke Kereis…!”
‘Only in death did he realize how foolish he’d been.’
Miohta was too busy pocketing the duke’s money to give him what he wanted.
So in the end, he brought his own death upon himself.
And the furious Duke Kereis turned next to the second–ranking man in Debl—Chenler.
‘I won’t be stupid like that.’
With the duke backing him, now that he had become Debl’s boss, Chenler had no intention of turning against him.
Having a powerful man on his side would only benefit him.
He would give the duke what he wanted, and take what he himself desired in return.
But he could never let his guard down.
The duke was a ruthless man—he had even replaced Debl’s leader for the sake of his own son.
“Fridzen.”
At the single word, the door opened and a man dressed in black appeared.
“Your orders?”
“Move the child in the prison to the upper room at once.”
Fridzen bowed.
He immediately descended to the underground prison at the bottom of the building and woke the child.
Even as he removed the shackles and led him out, the child didn’t whine or cry.
Fridzen found that strange—yet perhaps that very trait was why the boy had survived so long within Debl.
He gave it no further thought.
***
After emerging from the underground level, he stood before a certain room.
When he opened the door and lit a lamp, a small space came into view.
Placing the lamp on the shelf, Fridzen spoke to the child.
“They called you Lion Cub, didn’t they?”
“…”
Fridzen’s brow knit in irritation.
But this was the first command given by the new boss—not something he could get angry about.
“I don’t like repeating myself. I’ll ask again. Lion Cub, is that your name?”
The silent boy slowly nodded.
Fridzen lifted the boy’s chin.
In the faint light, he saw those bright red eyes staring back.
‘So this is the kid who didn’t cry even in the lion’s cage.’
Even grown adults trembled from that punishment.
Fridzen, unnerved as he continued looking into the boy’s eyes, let go of his chin.
“This will be your room from now on.”
With those words, he left the child and exited the room.
***
The small, unmoving hands twitched faintly.
Ron’s red eyes followed the glow of the lamp.
A bed, a wardrobe, a small shelf.
Clothes to change into, and food, too.
Ron’s chapped lips opened and closed.
He was hungry.
But he didn’t approach easily—old habits were hard to break.
‘You little brat! How dare you eat my food!’
The man known as the slave trader would punish children who secretly stole soup by forcing them to stand outside in the dead of winter.
Ron had suffered that punishment once too, back when he hadn’t known any better.
“…Hungry.”
The more he stared at the food, the hungrier he felt.
Ron cautiously picked up the bread from the shelf.
The soft texture in his small palm felt unfamiliar.
‘This will be your room from now on.’
That was what the man who brought him from the prison had said.
So the bread must be his share as well.
Even if he were beaten later for eating it—even if he were sold as a slave—there was no curing the hunger clawing at him now.
Ron opened his mouth and chewed the bread, little by little.
In moments, he had eaten every crumb.
“…It’s good.”
But then he didn’t know what to do next.
After standing for a while, Ron looked around the room and eventually found a shadowed corner past the bed.
Curling up there, he felt the cold seep into him—but it was still warmer than the underground.
The clean floor was nothing like the filthy prison floor.
The smell of the old wooden wardrobe was nothing like the awful stench of the cells.
Hugging his knees, Ron rested his head against them.
His small, injured fingers twitched.
“Len…”
The name of the boy he had met in the cave surfaced in his mind.
A dark room.
A dim lantern glow.
It felt just like that cave.
If he closed his eyes and opened them again, it felt like Len and the little puppy would be right beside him, happily playing.
After blinking several times, Ron slowly drifted into sleep.
***
I couldn’t sleep, even deep into the night.
Something had clearly happened to the duke.
Wasn’t there anything I could do?
And suddenly, I remembered something I hadn’t thought of in a while—the magic stone.
“Where did I put it? Right—Kauts!”
The magic stone Kauts gave me still glowed pink.
“This is amazing.”
It amazed me too.
The long magic stone didn’t glow like this when Kauts held it.
“This has to be a magic stone meant specifically for you, Lady Marianne. Meaning, even if others hold it, it won’t do anything.”
“Then shall I try it?”
Excited, I gathered all my energy into one place.
Kauts guided my breathing.
“Focus on the center of your heart. Pour everything—from head to toe—into your heart. But be careful. You’re still young, so your body may not withstand everything.”
“Hoo… haa… hoo…”
“Now say it.”
“Jelaus.”
“A bit stronger.”
“Jelaus!”
Whooosh—
A massive whirlwind instantly formed between my hands.
It was incomparable to the tiny jelly-like droplets from before.
It was as big as my whole body.
Clatter—thud—crash.
Objects in my bedroom shook and toppled from the force.
Not only that—sticky strands suddenly shot from my hands and slapped against the wall.
“Kauts! Look at this!”
I had never felt anything like it.
Seeing Kauts just as shocked as I was, I tried to increase the vortex.
But suddenly, a twisting, wrenching pain ripped through my entire body.
Clang—the magic stone fell to the floor.
The whirlwind vanished like it had never existed.
“Haa… haa…”
My breathing was uncontrollably rapid.
My hands and legs trembled, and Kauts rushed to support me onto the sofa.
“My lady! Are you alright?”
“…Water!”
“Yes, yes—here!”
Warm water slid down my dry throat.
“Should I call a doctor?”
“No. I just need to rest.”
Still worried, Kauts wrapped the magic stone carefully in a clean cloth.
“It’s still faint, but from what I can guess… your ability seems to excel in destruction and breaking things.”
“Oh? Is that good?”
Kauts widened his eyes and nodded.
“Of course. Among magic-users, some specialize in subtle magic, while others—like you—have immense power. Those are usually dark-attribute magicians. But you’re still young, so you need a slightly smaller magic stone.”
After discussing it, Kauts and I decided to break off part of the stone and turn it into a small necklace.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Since it was late at night, I almost refused—but the person firmly insisted on meeting me.
So I hurriedly hid the magic stone.
And when the visitor stepped inside, my expression twisted.
‘Shevert… I wondered why he’d been so quiet lately.’
