Chapter 57
At that moment, Baron Jaeger continued speaking.
“Because I was born into a family devoted to serving God, I have never married in my life. Prayer and service to the divine have always been the duty of my household.”
Baron Jaeger swirled the wine in his glass slightly, gazing absentmindedly into the darkness beyond the window.
“But… at some point, I began to wonder. Couldn’t someone other than myself inherit the faith I believe in, and the will of this house?”
He paused. The surroundings fell quiet, even the children holding their breaths.
“And then, by chance, I came across a child. A child abandoned by her parents, left all alone with a frail, sickly body. For some reason… from that day on, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.”
Lucilea’s hand froze above her plate.
“That child is now my daughter. These days, she is recovering in the warm southern lands, but… one day, when she regains her health, I hope she may have the opportunity to meet Your Grace, just like today.”
Elbadin studied the baron briefly before setting his wine glass down.
“I worry that the cold climate of the north may not be good for her health… but if the chance arises, it would not be a bad thing.”
The baron bowed his head deeply in gratitude.
‘Ah, I’m so full.’
After the meal, Lucilea took Cookie, who had been waiting in her room, and headed toward the garden right in front of the main building.
Since she was already visiting the baron’s estate, she wanted to take a look at the garden.
‘Did I eat too much?’
The dishes here were quite different from the food in the north.
Perhaps because the estate was close to the capital, it felt as though ingredients from all over the Empire had been brought together.
Lucilea rubbed her full stomach as she walked down the smooth stone path.
‘Nice atmosphere.’
As she walked along the path winding between gardens, her small footsteps echoed—tap, tap.
On both sides of the path stood statues carved in the likeness of saints.
Some statues had their eyes closed in prayer, hands clasped, while others spread their arms wide toward the heavens.
Each statue was accompanied by marble slabs inscribed with prayers, giving the entire place a solemn, reverent atmosphere.
Even someone unfamiliar with such things could tell the master of this estate was deeply devout.
[This place feels kinda creepy, though.]
‘You think so too? Me as well!’
Though reverence hung in the air, the sheer variety of postures carved into the statues made the scene feel strangely eerie after a while.
‘Feels like they’ll suddenly move!’
[Eek! Scary, Lucy!]
Cookie flapped about in alarm.
Lucilea continued walking into the garden.
At the center, she spotted a pebble-paved path, wooden benches, and small lanterns glittering between them.
“Wow, this place is beautiful.”
[Wooooow!]
Perhaps pleased as well, Cookie fluttered off her shoulder to a tree branch across the way.
He must have felt stifled, unable to fly freely for so long.
‘Go ahead, Cookie. Fly all you want.’
Fly all night if you’d like!
A faint voice drifted from afar.
[Uh, maybe not that much.]
Lucilea chuckled softly and sat down on a nearby bench.
Breathing in deeply, then exhaling, she savored the moment of peace.
Her eyes drifted upward, to the starry navy-blue sky.
As she sat there, her thoughts wandered back to the days since she had left the Grand Duke’s mansion and arrived here.
Her first real combat training, Irnel and Kaelyn, griffins and monsters.
And then…
‘Serdian and Raiden.’
When she thought about it, the children’s rate of growth was terrifying. She could now see why real combat training was necessary.
Irnel’s wind magic had grown sharper by the day, while Raiden’s fire magic had only become more powerful.
‘Well, Kaelyn still uses his “injury” as an excuse to avoid battle.’
And Serdian…
‘What’s there to say?’
Perhaps because he was the male protagonist, Serdian was already stronger than most grown knights.
Lucilea smirked.
‘Heh. If I keep teaming up with Serdian and Irnel, I’ll never have to worry about alchemy materials again!’
For a brief moment, she imagined herself buried under a mountain of ingredient boxes—a happy fantasy.
Her own skills had improved a great deal thanks to this latest training.
She would continue learning magic, and her mana reserves would keep growing.
‘At this rate, I don’t think I’ll be kicked out of the Grand Duke’s house.’
Just then, Cookie, who had been flying overhead, called out.
[Of course! The other kids are growing like monsters! Lucilea, you’re perfectly normal!]
Whoosh—! He zipped past her head like a flash and perched on another branch.
The comically fast reassurance made Lucilea burst out laughing.
‘Yeah, you’re right. I don’t need to grow like a monster.’
She already had more than enough.
She had gotten Choco and twenty gold, sensed monsters before they attacked the carriage, stocked up on alchemy supplies, and—
Listing it all out, she realized her days had been busier than anyone else’s.
“Oh my, I’ve actually accomplished quite a lot, haven’t I?”
[You sure have! I saw it! I saw everything you did, Lucy! You were amazing!]
Smiling, Lucilea stroked Cookie’s round little head as he perched back on her shoulder.
‘Yeah, it’s always you—’
That’s when it happened.
Creeeeaaaak—
A grating sound pricked her ears.
Like an old, rusty door creaking open.
Both Lucilea and Cookie instinctively turned their gaze toward it.
Beyond the garden trees, hidden until now, was a small greenhouse.
The sound had come from its weathered door swinging open.
[Eek! L-Lucy, the door opened on its own…!]
Cookie ducked into her hair, trembling so much she could feel it in his tiny legs.
“……”
Lucilea glanced around.
The once-still leaves and branches rustled gently in the breeze.
“Must’ve been the wind.”
[Th-the wind?]
Cookie peeked out from her hair, scanning nervously.
Lucilea rose from the bench and walked toward the door.
Peeking inside, she tilted her head.
“A greenhouse, huh?”
[Y-you’re not going inside, are you?!]
“Just for a quick look.”
Cookie tugged her hair with his beak.
[I’ve got a bad feeling, Lucy! Let’s just go back to the bedroom!]
But Lucilea stepped inside.
“Just for a moment.”
Cookie’s legs trembled uncontrollably on her shoulder.
The greenhouse was filled with dampness and the smell of grass. Various herbs grew neatly, with scissors and glass jars scattered across an old workbench.
The floor was paved with damp stone tiles, making each step slightly slippery.
At first glance, it all seemed ordinary.
And yet—
‘Something feels off.’
[Me too…]
It was nothing like the Grand Duke’s glass garden.
Where the glass garden had been warm and full of vibrant energy that seemed to revitalize the body, this place was heavy, damp, and oppressive—like it was weighing her down.
‘I should just leave…’
She turned to go, but then she noticed something at the far end of the greenhouse:
A strange symbol etched into the floor.
‘What is that?’
Almost as if drawn in, Lucilea walked toward it.
At the very back, on a small stone platform, a curious circular pattern was carved.
A round outline painted in red dye, with lines branching in a precise order within.
‘A magic circle?’
Even without much knowledge of fantasy arts, she could tell that much.
But what it was for, or why it was drawn here, she couldn’t guess.
‘This doesn’t feel right…’
It clashed too harshly with the devout atmosphere of the baron’s household.
Then Cookie’s voice quavered, almost crying.
Already frightened by the gloomy air of the greenhouse, seeing this bizarre magic circle made him nearly panic.
He flapped up into the air, tugging at Lucilea’s sleeve with his beak.
[Let’s go! Please, let’s go! I hate it here!]
This time, Lucilea nodded reluctantly, letting herself be dragged along.
“Alright, I get it. Let’s go, Cookie.”
Even as they left the greenhouse, Lucilea kept her gaze fixed on the strange symbol, committing its design to memory.
