Chapter 98
I woke up comfortably, wrapped in the warmth of a soft blanket.
But something felt different from usual.
It was still comfortable enough, but it wasn’t the familiar, plush blanket I was used to.
The moment I realized that and sat bolt upright, Rien—who had been sitting at the desk reading—came over to my side.
“You’re awake.”
“Uh—how long was I asleep?”
“About an hour.”
“An hour?”
It felt like I’d slept for at least four or five hours.
Still dazed, I glanced out the window, and Rien let out a sigh as he placed a hand on my forehead.
“You shouldn’t accept food so carelessly from just anyone.”
“But Blanche isn’t just anyone.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy. How do you feel?”
“How do I feel?”
“Any nausea? Dizziness?”
“No.”
My body felt perfectly fine—if anything, lighter than usual.
Only after hearing my answer did Rien remove his hand from my forehead.
There was a faint note of reproach in the way he looked down at me.
“You still have a habit of throwing your body into uncertain situations first.”
“Hey, today I had something to rely on.”
“And what was that?”
“Who do you think? Our doctor, of course.”
I grinned and climbed out of bed. Rien rubbed the back of his neck and let out a quiet sigh.
“I don’t know when you learned to say such pleasant things.”
“Wow! You liked it? I should say them more often—to keep our elder in a good mood.”
I joked, but it wasn’t just empty flattery.
Even if something went wrong, I genuinely believed Rien would take care of everything.
“So what about Blanche? Did you talk to him?”
“Not yet. I thought it would be better if we listened together.”
“Then where is he?”
“Over there.”
In response to my question, Rien pointed to a birdcage on the desk.
Inside the small cage, Blanche—back in his bird form—was sitting stiffly in place.
So stiff that anyone might mistake him for a doll.
Why is he acting so unlike himself?
He was so quiet I hadn’t even noticed him there.
I let out a small laugh, opened the cage, and let Blanche out.
“All right, Blanche. Tell me. What exactly happened?”
<Someone summoned me. I broke free and escaped, but the backlash caused internal injuries.>
“Someone summoned you?”
“Are you saying you don’t know who did it?”
<That’s right. They were wearing a large hood that covered their body and face. I’m certain it was a human woman, but beyond that…>
“What? A human?”
Both Rien and I were startled by Blanche’s words.
“A human summoned you?”
Seeing Rien step in to ask directly, Blanche flinched and trembled.
<Yes. Since I forcibly broke the summoning, the other party likely suffered considerable damage as well.>
That answer raised an immediate question.
“But summoning demons is black magic. And I’ve heard that humans capable of using black magic disappeared long ago.”
<I thought so too. But the one who summoned me was definitely human. I was disoriented because of the sudden summoning, but I wouldn’t mistake a demon for a human.>
That was true.
No matter how scatterbrained Blanche could be, confusing a demon with a human was impossible.
As I nodded in agreement, Rien asked another question.
“What did the human who summoned you ask for?”
<They asked me to help them.>
“What kind of help?”
<I don’t know. I forcibly broke the summoning before hearing their request. However…>
Blanche trailed off, fluttering his wings in confusion.
<It didn’t feel like they were asking for something grand. Humans who summon us usually have similar goals. But this felt… a little different.>
“Tch. It’s frustrating when all we can do is speculate.”
“If you were summoned anyway, you could’ve at least heard what they wanted.”
<What did you say?!>
Blanche flared his wings indignantly.
<I didn’t flee because I’m a fool, my king! A summoning is essentially a contract. The moment I hear the request, I become bound to the summoner.>
“And that’s a problem?”
<Breaking it afterward causes much greater backlash. It would’ve taken at least ten years to recover.>
Blanche shuddered as if the thought alone terrified him.
Still, I couldn’t quite understand.
“Wouldn’t it have been fine to just accept the contract? Figure out their intentions and report back to me?”
<Huh?>
“If you contract with someone, do you have to stick by their side constantly? You can’t wander freely—or betray them from behind?”
Demons were known for deception and betrayal.
Even if they were bound by summoning, it didn’t seem like they’d offer the kind of ‘loyalty’ humans imagined.
After all, wasn’t black magic for summoning demons something demons themselves had created?
There was no way they’d invent magic that put them at a disadvantage—or so I thought.
Smile sweetly upfront like you’d give them your liver and gall, then stab them in the back.
<…I see. That… might have worked.>
Blanche fell silent, beak hanging open, clearly at a loss for words.
I narrowed my eyes and clicked my tongue.
So he never even considered that angle.
Well, Blanche had never been the scheming type—he preferred brute force and head-on fights.
“Still…”
“Isn’t something strange?”
<What is?>
“You use honorifics with Rien, but why do you speak casually to me?”
<…Huh?>
Caught completely off guard, Blanche made a foolish sound and glanced nervously at Rien.
Even now, he’s watching Rien’s reaction?
I was both dumbfounded and exasperated.
“You call me ‘my king’ this and ‘my king’ that, but you don’t actually treat me like one. You don’t even follow my orders properly.”
<What nonsense! I faithfully obey my king’s commands.>
Blanche spread his wings proudly and looked at me as if to say, Try me.
“Then speak casually to Rien.”
<……>
The wings he’d spread so confidently slowly folded back in.
Watching the bluebird shrink into a pitiful little ball, I couldn’t help but sigh.
That was all the information Blanche had to offer.
For something that took three full years of waiting, it wasn’t particularly enlightening—but there were still a few usable hints.
A human had used black magic.
Jedin had said black magic was a strictly forbidden power, accessible only to an extremely small number of humans.
So is this one of them?
The purpose behind using black magic was another issue.
If someone went so far as to use a forbidden power, they had to have a goal—but there was no way to know what it was.
In the end, we won’t know the truth until something actually happens.
After hearing Blanche’s story later, Scar took a more optimistic view, saying it was better that the summoner was human.
If demons were behind it, things would’ve been far more troublesome.
In any case, that was as far as my involvement went.
Right now, I was just an ordinary noble.
Digging into black magic could lead to strange suspicions—just like in my previous life.
Besides, Rien and Scar will handle anything beyond this.
That thought allowed me to relax and step back.
And besides, I had something far more important to focus on.
A very important guest will be arriving in Devon soon!
And not just any guest.
It was Roaz—the second son of the crown prince.
The reason I was so excited about Roaz’s visit was simple.
This is a perfectly legal opportunity to waste money!
Just imagining myself throwing money around under the pretense of entertaining an honored guest made me feel satisfied already.
Unfortunately, I never got the chance.
“We need to crush that brat flat—so he doesn’t get any unnecessary ideas.”
“Yeah. At his age, it’s about time he tasted the bitterness of reality.”
Baratheon and Sische began plotting something suspicious together, and for some reason, Lucas didn’t stop them.
The servants and officials were fired up in their own way as well.
“The imperial family inspecting Ashinoff—what kind of absurd situation is this?”
“It’s unheard of!”
“We must clearly demonstrate the difference in our standing!”
Thus, for various reasons, Coral Estate burned with fervor.
Well… it’s nice that everyone’s spending money on their own, but…
Standing calmly at the center of the storm, I could only feel bewildered.
