THVS 22

Chapter 22

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to ride a horse at this hour? Huh?”
“Well… I just wanted to get some fresh air…”
Whoooosh—!
The timing couldn’t have been worse. I tried to tidy my hair, which had been whipped around by the storm-like wind rushing into the stable, and glanced away from Luente’s eyes.

“Even standing still, the wind is this strong?”
My older brother’s voice, gradually quieting, made my eyelids twitch.
‘That’s kind of dangerous…’

In our house, the strongest and most stoic, never-sheds-a-tear fortress was my mother, Sylvia Ellopez.
On the opposite end, the one with the weakest, most tearful disposition was my father.
As for the second son, Calian, he was undeniably the spitting image of our mother. And the eldest, Luente…

“What if you get hurt…!”
Ah, I triggered it again.
If nine-tenths of my father’s tears belonged to my mother, then since Luente wasn’t married yet, nine-tenths of his “tear share” fell to me.
The ultimate sibling-comedy scenario of the empire.
Luente had it all—looks, abilities, everything—but the biggest reason he was still unmarried would probably be this.

“I won’t get hurt, older brother.”
“Right, you idiot. If you’re worried, worry about the other side, not yourself.”
Shut up—before I have to call Leila to get a divine blessing.

“I just wanted to ride a little because I felt restless.”
“Carrying a sword at your waist…?”
Even with your eyes glistening with tears, you’re sharp. It’s hidden under your robe, so how did you even notice?
I gave an awkward laugh and tapped the sword.

“I’m just preparing for emergencies. You know I don’t have magic anymore.”
At that, Luente flinched violently.
It was laced with guilt, but it was an excuse that worked perfectly.
That was all. Luente didn’t entirely believe me.
‘This family sure is perceptive.’

While I was searching for a half-hearted excuse, Luente picked up a neatly arranged saddle.

“Then let’s go together, older brother.”
“…I can go alone just fine.”
“If not, I won’t allow it.”

Refusing any further would look suspicious. I reluctantly nodded.

“What are you thinking, Contractor? Planning to go to the Magic Tower with that human?”
Absolutely not.
The reason I was moving at this hour was to find the real reason Leila went to the Magic Tower.
‘There has to be something in the Magic Tower.’
Whether she was hiding it or searching for it, it had to be one or the other.
It wasn’t clear what exactly Leila knew yet, but one thing was certain.
It was inevitably related to the original story.

I quickly approached Luente from behind as he was about to place the saddle on the horse and struck the back of his neck.
I caught my older brother as he collapsed instantly and slowly laid him on the ground.

“Sorry, older brother.”
I had no intention of letting my family get involved in that damned original story.

“Bel, come here.”
When I called softly, the white cat approached with its tail held high.

“Can you lay my older brother on the bed? And erase his memory a bit.”
The small cat, barely reaching my ankle, gradually began to grow in size.
Bel, now as large as a wild beast, rubbed his face against me like he was being affectionate.

“Please.”
I placed Luente on Bel’s back, and the cat let out a small cry before disappearing.

“You’re probably the only human in the world who could use a demonic summon like that, Contractor.”
“So… what am I supposed to do?”
“You’ve contracted with me and even know how to use a demonic summon. World domination should be—”
“Don’t blame me for asking.”

Once the voice circling around me disappeared, it finally got quiet.
I wasn’t unaware of why Bael would talk about world domination.
Despite his cute appearance, Bel was literally a demonic summon, not an easy creature to control. Even Lionel in the original story managed to summon one but couldn’t handle it, ultimately sending it back.

Moreover, Bel’s abilities were also based on demonic magic, so even a Sword Master wouldn’t notice it easily.
‘He really is a secret weapon.’

But there was risk.
Unlike Bael, whose true body remained in the Demon Realm, Bel was fully summoned.
The more you used black magic, the more it awakened his inherent destructive instincts. If he lost control, even I wasn’t sure I could restrain him.
If our connection broke, it would be a disaster.
That was also why Bael wasn’t constantly manifested near me. He even placed a seal to prevent himself from appearing arbitrarily.
‘Making it so Bel can only manifest through him was definitely the right choice.’

That was the main reason. Separately, black magic was strictly forbidden in the empire, so getting caught would be disastrous.

“I feel like I’ve told you a million times neither the summon nor I would do that.”
I ignored Bael’s words and mounted the horse.
Even if it was just a few days, after my mother nagged me about aristocratic dignity and such, riding a horse instead of a carriage felt refreshingly liberating.

After leaving the Ellopez mansion, I tied the horse in a secluded area and used teleportation magic.
Naturally, no one in the Magic Tower noticed my arrival.
I didn’t need to be stealthy, but I detested unnecessary noise.
I concealed my magic with Bael’s power and used invisibility magic.

“By the way, Contractor, how do you plan to trace that divine-human’s trail?”
A magic user could easily track someone with magic, but unfortunately, Leila had no magic.
It would be impossible to track her elsewhere.
Paradoxically, it was fortunate it was the Magic Tower.

I headed to my room at the top of the Magic Tower. The restoration seemed complete—nothing was broken, including the magic circles and inscriptions.

“You skillfully avoided my magic circles while attacking, Contractor.”
One wall was covered in magic circles I had inscribed randomly.
I scanned them with my eyes, then sent magic into one.
The circle began to glow with a strange violet hue, and colored screens appeared on the wall.

Seeing this, Bael spoke with curiosity.
“Hoho, these are viewing orbs.”
“Something like that… slightly different, though.”

Through small viewing orbs placed everywhere, I could monitor the inside of the Magic Tower in real time.

“Can you only see the current situation?”
“Of course not. I’m not stuck in the Magic Tower every day.”

I swiped with my index finger, and previously recorded footage played.
They were set up to monitor inhumane events happening inside the tower.
I also hoped to find evidence of corruption with the first prince’s maternal family, the Namaretti.
‘Never thought I’d use them like this.’

Flipping through, I saw a small woman with pink hair.

“This is it. She literally walked in herself, asking those magic humans to experiment on her, even using a teleportation artifact.”
I watched the recorded footage carefully.
The reason I felt the second prince’s magic in the Arvid mansion was that Leila used the artifact he made.

Rewinding slightly, Leila staggered down to the first floor.
The magic users, blinded by her divine magic, paid her no attention.
Leila, barely able to move without holding the walls, seemed determined to reach a destination.

“Using divine magic while avoiding the mages’ eyes. That’s rather clever for a divine-human.”
Bael was right. She must have been confident that without magic, the mages wouldn’t notice her movements.
Plus, with a teleportation artifact, she could escape before being discovered.
…She came thoroughly prepared.

On the screen, Leila glanced back briefly, then moved forward.

“Heading underground.”

Minutes after Leila went underground, the mages followed.
Only the mages came out; Leila did not appear.
She must have used the artifact to return to the Arvid mansion before being discovered. And that was when she met me.
Judging by her expression, she definitely didn’t gain anything.

“First, I need to check the underground.”