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Chapter 14
Spes Duke searched across the entire continent for the vanished Stella.
Only after fifteen years did he finally find a trace of her.
To be precise, he found her daughter, Eluana.
Even before the shock of learning that a child had been born and was growing up had faded, he also learned of Stella’s death and marriage. And of Louis, the child born between her and Ron Vita.
The Duke of Spes poured alcohol into his mouth one glass after another. The liquor tasted bitter. But now was not the time to indulge in sentiment.
There was too much to do.
“Select those who will be responsible for the children’s escort.”
“Yes, sir.”
Noah responded briskly.
“And the clock tower of the ducal residence. It rings at twelve, does it not?”
“Yes. The bell rings faithfully at twelve and six o’clock. Last year, we had mages from the Eastern Magic Tower rebuild it. The budget slightly exceeded expectations, but it’s now the pride of the ducal residence.”
“From tomorrow, make sure the bells no longer ring.”
“…Pardon?”
“If it’s too difficult to adjust it so it doesn’t ring, then tear it down.”
“T-That costs quite a fortune…”
Noah was visibly horrified, but the Duke’s orders did not stop.
“Take care of the clock tower in the ducal residence by tomorrow, and remove the bells from all clock towers installed within Spes territory.”
Quick-witted Noah realized this strange order was meant for the children.
“We’ll handle it. We’ll make sure the bells don’t ring.”
After finishing his notes, Noah asked cautiously,
“How far should I inform you regarding Lady Stella?”
“Everything.”
Noah, unable to hide his shock, closed the documents. Reviewing the quarterly budget was no longer more important than the problem at hand.
“Everything? You’re going to shock a lot of people.”
“It’s safer that way. Especially since Louis is involved.”
Noah swallowed what he was about to say. Instead, he downed a glass of cold water to ease his frustration.
“It was already surprising enough that His Grace suddenly appeared as the biological father.”
“I knew Ron Vita wasn’t the biological father.”
“Hmm. Still, you explained it properly, right? You didn’t just walk in and say, ‘I am your father,’ did you?”
The hand holding the Duke’s wine glass trembled slightly.
“…Hmph. That child seems to think I abandoned Stella.”
No wonder their relationship felt so awkward.
“That’s understandable. From a logical standpoint, it’s hard to believe the head of Spes was the one who was abandoned. You should’ve explained it better. Something like: ‘I was the one abandoned! I never remarried and waited all this time!’”
The Duke glared at Noah. Of course, Noah was right. He had been abandoned by Stella a month before their wedding.
“Why… did Stella not trust me?”
“She was probably afraid.”
“Did I seem so incompetent that I couldn’t even overthrow the Emperor?”
“That exact thing is what frightened her.”
Noah’s words struck without hesitation.
There are many madmen in the world. The most dangerous among them are those who possess both the power and conviction to achieve what they desire. The Duke of Spes was exactly that type. He would have waged war for Stella without hesitation.
“Stella left so the child wouldn’t be confined, but in the end, she raised her in that small territory anyway.”
“At least Lady Stella lived with Lady Eluana. There was no war. I heard from people in Aden territory that Ron Vita raised them quite carefully after she passed away.”
The Duke already knew as much. Without Ron Vita, Stella and Eluana’s lives would have been far harsher. It left a bitter feeling, but he could not deny that he owed Ron Vita.
“I am grateful.”
At first, it must have been nothing more than an obligation of repayment.
If it had been Stella, she would have likely shown up unannounced and demanded repayment outright. But in the end, Ron Vita had earned Stella’s heart. Louis was proof of that.
Just then, as the Duke tilted the bottle to refill his glass, a faint presence was felt outside the room.
“Come in.”
Through a slightly opened door came Louis, cheeks faintly flushed red. His hair was still damp, as if he had just finished bathing. At the adorable sight, Noah’s expression softened into mush.
“Young master. Do you need anything?”
The Duke met Louis’s eyes, silently telling him to speak.
Louis hesitated, then finally spoke.
“Th-thank you for bringing me here. I’ll eat just a little and won’t cause trouble. Please just let me stay with my sister.”
He spoke as if he had rehearsed it. The Duke and Noah both stiffened, which made Louis even more anxious.
Wondering if he had made a mistake, he added solemnly,
“I can eat just one meal.”
A brief silence fell.
The Duke finally managed to speak.
“You eating only a little would be difficult. What I want is for you to eat a lot and grow healthy.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Those round pink eyes rolled around.
“I’m good at eating a lot. I’ll try to grow up healthy too.”
“That’s good. That’s enough.”
“Thank you.”
Louis bowed deeply and quickly ran out of the room.
And in the hearts of the two men left behind, a storm began to rage.
Amid a mountain of documents, a green head stuck out like a stubborn weed.
The man sitting at the vast desk reviewing paperwork was Line, the head of the intelligence organization “Edelweiss.”
“Why isn’t he here yet?”
Muttering to himself, Line pulled out the necessary pages from the stack and laid them out. His silver-gray eyes moved sharply.
“He should have arrived yesterday.”
It had been three days since he received word that Kazhar had departed from Valua, but there was still no sign of him.
“Did he die on the way or something?”
As Line clicked his tongue, the office door opened and a weary Kazhar walked in.
“I’m not dead.”
“Your Highness?”
Line jumped up from his seat.
“Why are you only coming now?”
Kazhar collapsed onto the sofa.
“Bring the antidote.”
“Tell me your symptoms first. The Valua branch couldn’t identify the poison.”
“Redfire.”
Line cursed under his breath and began rummaging through a drawer filled with compartments.
He came back alive after consuming something so lethal.
“Can you still see?”
“Barely. After taking the antidote, I could see somewhat.”
Line mixed several herbs with a recovery tonic. To anyone else, it would have looked careless, but it was actually a precise operation. In his hands, the green liquid turned black.
“Drink it.”
The medicine Line handed over looked more like poison than an antidote.
Even with its ominous appearance, Kazhar drank it without hesitation.
Line, grimacing, opened a tin case.
“Want a candy? That must taste like death.”
“It’s tolerable.”
He had long become accustomed to death on the way here. That was how Kazhar had always lived—one step beside death.
Kazhar set the vial down and closed his eyes. His rough breathing gradually steadied as the medicine took effect quickly.
Line pulled a chair over and sat in front of the sofa.
“Tell me. What happened? Even after throwing all our people at it, we couldn’t find a trace of Your Highness. From Tana territory onward, nothing. We thought you were buried somewhere. Then suddenly you show up in Valua.”
“I’m incompetent.”
“Wow. You know you’re the only person in the empire who can call me incompetent, right?”
Kazhar slowly opened his eyes. Line’s weed-like hair came into focus. Realizing his vision had fully returned, he sat up.
A quick stretch confirmed his condition wasn’t bad. His body, once heavy as lead, felt lighter. It would still take a few days for full recovery, but—
“Fast effect.”
“I made it myself, obviously.”
Line smirked. The true talent of the intelligence chief was potion-making. Without his ability, Kazhar would have died long ago.
“If Line betrays me too, I really might have no choice but to die.”
Kazhar swallowed his bitterness and sat on the sofa.
“Bring me information on Ron Vita. Everything.”
“Ron Vita?”
Despite the sudden order, Line immediately stood up.
“A few days ago, the auction house relisted ‘Radiant Mortal Night and Silent Black Sun,’ right? The price skyrocketed. Two other swords were purchased by the Spes family. Now people are flooding requests asking when the next piece will come out.”
Line retrieved the file labeled “Ron Vita” from the section marked Grade 5 intelligence.
Grade 5 information was frequently requested but did not affect continental politics—profitable work sold for small fees.
“Hmm. This was updated six months ago. Ron Vita was the sole survivor when the Vita family went bankrupt thirty years ago. After ten years of unknown whereabouts, he appeared in Aden upon reaching adulthood. A tiny territory at the western edge. He opened a blacksmith shop there. The Vita family used to supply weapons to the imperial court before their collapse, so he must have had some skill, because he produced fairly decent swords.”
“Fairly decent?”
Line continued reading.
“Nothing remarkable—just cost-effective. His wife died shortly after giving birth to their second child. As of now, he has a fifteen-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son.”
“The Radiant Mortal Night and Silent Black Sun aren’t ‘cost-effective’ level weapons.”
“Hmm. It seems his talent suddenly exploded after his wife’s death. Since then, every sword he’s produced has been auctioned for around a thousand gold.”
Kazhar leaned back after hearing everything and picked up the unfinished sword he had brought from Aden. The blade Eluana had given him was far from “just decent.”
“The Radiant Mortal Night and Silent Black Sun… its price will go up.”
“What?”
“At least five times.”
“You haven’t heard the news, have you? It sold for 1,780 gold a few days ago.”
“Yes. Five times.”
“Don’t tell me…”
Five times would be 8,900 gold. Unless it was a dragon relic, no sword should fetch that price. Seeing Line’s disbelief, Kazhar added,
“It’s been alchemized.”
Line’s eyes sharpened instantly.
An alchemized sword—he had never even heard of such a thing. Rarely, alchemized crafts or accessories from the Spes ducal house appeared on the market, and every time they broke auction records.
Even decorative items with no function did that—so a sword…
If Kazhar was right, its value was immeasurable. Line’s voice turned urgent.
“What makes you think it’s alchemy?”
“Because the Crown Prince’s sword snapped after clashing with Ron Vita’s blade. That’s why his children were imprisoned.”
“Why did the Crown Prince’s sword break like that? Isn’t that a national treasure?”
“Prince Regis must have taken it out secretly.”
“Of course he did. Anyway, then?”
“Ron Vita’s daughter used alchemy abilities. She bent prison bars and hung people with them. Without even realizing what she had done.”
“A prodigy with a fiery temperament. If she fully awakens, she’d be unstoppable if her material affinity is iron.”
Of course. Kazhar picked up the unfinished sword again.
“All swords are made of iron.”
