CHAPTER 138………………………………….
Late in the evening, the temple revealed the prophecy.
『The forces of evil will engulf the world in darkness, but the noble sacrifice of the Saint will bring salvation.』
Within the prophecy, it was revealed that the “force of evil” was the Dark Sorcerer, Duke Adrian Ibrante, and the Saint was Piace, the child he had adopted.
The capital was thrown into chaos once again by the unbelievable news.
Denian, the Ibrante family steward, had never faced a crisis like this in his fifty-five years of life.
There had been a summoning circle for demons in the Duke’s laboratory?
“A master who’s a Dark Sorcerer? Since when?”
Many people had whispered, likening Adrian’s cold and merciless personality to that of a witch.
But no one had imagined she could actually be connected to real demons.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the Ibrante family had not been wiped out.
Amazingly, Piace, heir to the Ibrante name, had been revealed as the Saint.
If Piace could defeat the evil Duke Adrian, the family’s legacy would continue.
It was a relief that the family survived, but thinking of Adrian’s actions made Denian’s chest ache.
“How desperate must she have been to resort to that cursed sorcery… How desperate to live!”
Denian could not bring himself to blame Adrian.
He remembered her as a small child, watching other children play with envious eyes.
He understood the heart of a child who had lost both parents early and ultimately locked her heart away.
“I thought she had changed recently… was that an illusion?”
Had she only mentioned the summoning circle in the laboratory, she would have hidden it completely. She would never have let it be discovered so easily.
Yet, knowing it would be found, she had still concealed it thoroughly.
“No one could be trusted, could they?”
Denian hated himself for being a steward who could not fully understand his master’s heart.
At that moment, there was a knock at the terrace door of the sitting room.
Tap. Tap.
The mansion was completely sealed—no one could leave or enter until Adrian was found.
“Was someone trapped while cleaning?”
Denian hurried across the sitting room and drew back the curtains covering the terrace.
“Who… huh!”
Outside the terrace window, Leonhart stood motionless.
Startled, Denian rushed to open the window.
“Your Highness! H-how did you—”
“Is there a place south where the Duke might have gone?”
Instinctively, Denian shook his head.
He didn’t know where Adrian had gone, and even if he did, he couldn’t tell.
“I don’t know.”
“Do I need to explain if I’m friend or foe?”
“……”
“I need to meet the Duke before my eldest moves. If you have any guesses, tell me quickly.”
Leonhart’s low voice was filled with concern for Adrian.
Denian decided to trust him.
The purity in the way he once picked wildflowers without caring if his hands got wet—it could not have been false.
“There is one place that comes to mind, but I don’t know if she went there.”
“Where?”
“Arosia Island. I mentioned it before when asked about a suitable place to rest.”
Leonhart nodded and immediately turned to leave. Denian grabbed him.
“Your Highness!”
“Speak.”
“Promise me… that you will protect my master.”
Leonhart turned calmly and replied,
“I promise.”
Denian watched his retreating figure disappear into the darkness, praying silently.
Outside the capital, we rode until sunset.
Only in the late evening did we stop at an inn, paying with earrings for a room.
We finally had dinner, but Piace’s condition was terrible.
The child barely took a bite before vomiting it all back up.
My heart sank. I abandoned my meal and carried her up to the room.
“Piace, still feeling queasy? Think you’ll throw up again?”
“N-no, I’m okay now.”
“Tired? Lie down then.”
“Yes…”
Piace lay on the shabby bed. Moonlight filtered through the worn glass, casting a pale glow over her face.
“Mom…”
“Yes?”
“I… I can ride longer tomorrow.”
“Ride? You mean horseback?”
“Yes… so you can’t leave me behind.”
Her fragile voice trembled slightly.
I gently pinched her cheek, careful not to hurt her.
“Stop saying strange things. Why would I leave you?”
“But… if I weren’t here, you could go farther, right?”
“From tomorrow, we’ll ride in a carriage.”
“…Because of me?”
“I want to ride too. It’s been a while, and horseback riding is tiring.”
“W-what about the white horse? Are we abandoning it?”
I chuckled softly at how she had already named the horse.
“We’ll have it pull the carriage.”
“I… I just want to stay with you, Mom. Do whatever you want.”
Piace’s quiet reply tugged at my heart.
Even though I, as Adela, had driven myself hard on horseback before, riding again left me sore all over. How much more tiring must it be for her?
Yet Piace had never whimpered or complained about being tired or wanting a break.
She endured it all to avoid being a burden, to avoid being abandoned.
‘What did this child ever do to deserve this…’
I pressed my forehead gently against hers.
“Piace, do you know who I am?”
“Y-Your Grace, Duke Adrian Ibrante…”
“No. I am your mom.”
I hugged her tightly.
“Mom never abandons her child.”
She remained quiet, simply in my arms.
For her, the simple truth that a mother never abandons her child was unbelievable.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached for Piace.
Abandoned at birth, rejected by her first adoptive parents, and now faced with a second adoptive mother who was a Dark Sorcerer, a psychopath trying to take her body to survive.
‘What kind of miserable fate is this for a protagonist of a childcare story?’
The wretched writer had given Piace only misfortune; I would bring her joy.
‘What time is it now?’
I gauged the hour and whispered to her secretly.
“Piace, do you want to see something amazing?”
“S-something amazing?”
“Yes. Aren’t you curious?”
“…A little, I guess?”
She wasn’t really curious, just humoring me.
“Don’t be too surprised.”
“O-okay…”
I smiled mischievously and focused my magic.
“Come out, everyone.”
[…R-really?]
[…Rian, is this okay?]
[…Think carefully. Once they appear, it can’t be undone.]
“Come out quickly before I change my mind.”
Piace tilted her head, confused at my talking to myself.
Then, tiny spirits popped up from the empty air.
Her mouth fell open.
“…Fairies?”
- Oh, Piace! You have an eye for things. But I’m not a fairy; I’m a spirit. A beautiful and elegant water spirit. You can call me Undine.
- Piace, pleased to meet you. I’m Sylph, the fastest and coolest wind spirit in the world.
- I am the fire spirit with the hottest heart. If we become friends, I’ll let you touch my tail. This one is Gnome. She wants you to know she’s a cute earth spirit.
“Wow!”
The spirits flew playfully around her.
Undine clung to Piace’s hair, Sylph settled gently on her shoulder.
Salamander opened its mouth wide and burped flames, making the child laugh and fall back.
Gnome sprinkled tiny leaves around her like snow.
Aside from the Demon King, now watching from somewhere outside the inn in the form of a crow, I had revealed all my cards.
I had chosen to do this to bring joy to the child—but why did I feel relieved?
An unexpected sense of liberation made me smile.
“Piace, one more amazing thing left.”
“Again? O-okay!”
The child replied excitedly, still with Undine perched atop her head.
I rose from the bed and moved to the window.
I waited, feeling the moonlight spill across my back.
“Mom?”
After a while, the child called out in a puzzled voice.
Black feathers erupted all over my body.
Her eyes widened even more than when she first saw the spirits.
“Bl-Blacks!”
