“Someone like our uncle, who is sad, shouldn’t come out more.”
Hakson’s nostrils flared. To exaggerate a bit, it felt like white smoke was coming out.
“Did you hear me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said ‘our uncle.'”
“Is that a serious problem?”
“Yes.”
Hickson burst out laughing with a chuckle.
He looked ecstatically pleased.
In truth, Jackal didn’t understand Hickson’s emotions.
“What’s so serious about calling him ‘our uncle’?”
“Anyway, let me explain.”
Hickson stepped forward to explain.
He too had lost his daughter.
“The situation was very, very similar between you and me.”
Both were fathers who loved their children.
Both were powerful and skilled martial artists.
“The kidnapping was carried out very cunningly, at precisely calculated timings. I couldn’t find any clues and was used here and there until I became a pauper.”
“…I’ve heard the rumors.”
“What kind of things did I do back then? Do you know?”
“I heard you caused all sorts of trouble, stirring up feuds between families.”
“And?”
“You broke into Winterfell and caused a commotion, then you were subdued by Lord Heron and banished to the annex.”
“Banished? I lost on purpose.”
Hickson glanced at Viola, not wanting to reveal the fact that ‘our uncle’ had lost so badly.
He quickly changed the subject.
“What about you? Did you attack Winterfell?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, let’s assume you were coerced.”
Hickson had also acted without reason.
Viola’s words were correct.
‘And why didn’t someone like me, a child, figure it out but you didn’t? Was it all just a coincidence?’
Hickson spoke up.
“Looking back, I was possessed by something.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But it was definitely a kind of magic.”
Viola stepped forward.
“I’ve been tracking him for three years. I’m trying to help Mr. Hickson get revenge on his enemy and prove my ability as a White Bellatu. That’s why I want to help Sir Jackal.”
Her words instilled confidence in Jackal.
It’s even more suspicious when someone offers help for no reason.
“Moving to prove your ability as a White Bellatu. That’s a very Bellatu-like idea.”
“I am a Bellatu.”
“What do you mean by a kind of magic?”
“It’s a cowardly and despicable magic that digs into the hearts of parents who love their children. It’s a hypnotic or suggestive magic that even the strongest warrior can’t defend against.”
Hickson and Jackal were both the same.
They behaved like something was broken in them.
Hickson wouldn’t have become a drunken beggar if he had been in a normal state, and if Jekyll had been in a normal state, he wouldn’t have published a sniper column towards Winterfell.
Both were unwise ways.
“I think they turned the heart of love into fear and paralyzed reason. They were afraid of losing their son forever. So Jackal decided to turn Winterfell into an enemy under threat. Because their son is important.”
“I didn’t say I was threatened or that I lost my son. Only.”
Jekyll wasn’t easy-going either.
Viola smiled lightly.
“When I turn twelve, I can step into society. I’ll be the sharpest sword in society.”
It was also a very Bellatu thing to say.
To become the sharpest sword, not the most beautiful flower.
“So I’ve already obtained information about my competitors and studied them. That applies to Jeremy, the successor of Storm Sword.”
“…”
“So I used all the means available to me to investigate Jeremy’s movements.”
“This is a highly secure fortress. Was that possible within the Storm Fortress?”
“Is it impossible to observe even in a place where kidnapping is possible?”
Jackal was momentarily speechless at Viola’s words.
Her words felt flawless, without a single gap.
It felt like talking to an experienced veteran, not a ten-year-old kid.
In fact, Jackal respected Jeremy’s freedom as much as possible.
Therefore, he didn’t protect him much.
Jackal’s belief was that one must protect one’s own body.
“Besides, I have a very special relationship with Terra Summit. Do Terra Summit representatives visit here often?”
“Yes.”
Jackal had no choice but to listen to Viola’s words.
All the circumstances were clear.
“After hearing what Viola said, I feel like my head is getting clearer.”
“Did you feel the same way?”
Hickson chuckled.
“It’s like the fog is clearing in my head. That’s how I felt. What about you?”
“I feel the same way, Hickson.”
Viola breathed a sigh of relief secretly.
All they had to do was break through one shell.
They were already experienced experts and would do well once the shell was broken.
“Now we know what to do. Something must have been broken somewhere.”
“And think about it carefully. Is the Jermy someone who can be kidnapped so easily? Think about your son’s character.”
“Thank you.”
“Then Stormsword should wield Stormsword, shouldn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
Jaekal called for his steward to bring Lady Medea.
Medea arrived and tilted her head in confusion.
“Viola? Lord Huxley?”
She didn’t know what was going on, but the outcome surprised her.
“…So I am planning to write a personal apology letter to Lord Heron, the ruler of Winterhold. However, I would appreciate it if the official apology could be postponed for a while. Please allow me some time.”
Medea was inwardly taken aback but did not show it outwardly.
“What you’re talking about, I’m not sure, but if you give me the letter, I’ll deliver it to my father.”
“Thank you.”
Medea accepted the letter.
“I need to report this to my father.”
“An official notice, huh? Looks like things just got complicated. I feel like I have to take on a mission again.”
“I’m sorry. I think I was lost in thought. It’s embarrassing.”
Viola replied to her words, “That’s evidence that Duke Reikal loves his son. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s admirable.”
At that moment, Han Arin was sincere.
She had been rejected by her parents.
She resented her parents, but on the other hand, she longed for them.
“I’m a little envious. The dark magic that enchanted Reikal was a magic that only works on parents who truly love their children. Storm Sword Reikal meant that he truly loves his son, Jeremi.”
Higgins tapped Viola’s shoulder.
“Ahem, let’s go.”
Viola suddenly became angry. Hickson could vaguely sense the emotion in her eyes.
‘She’s such a warm-hearted girl! How could Heron make her compete in the brutal successor competition of Bellato?’
Anyway, Heron was not qualified to be a father.
He once again vowed to become a much better adult than that man.
Jaekal knelt down and met Viola’s eyes.
“Thank you for saying that, Viola.”
“Why? It’s nothing.”
“I look forward to your twelve-year-old self. May you become the sharpest sword.”
***
Lord Heron accepted Jaekal’s proposal.
In fact, it was much better than killing Jaekal.
“We don’t have to kill Jaekal.”
“Okay.”
Medea let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
Heron noticed it.
“Why?”
“I thought he was an excellent opponent. Losing a good opponent is a sad thing.”
Heron nodded his head.
It was indeed a Bellatus-like way of thinking.
“And… he seems to be a good father.”
“Is that so?”
Heron didn’t react much.
After sending Medea away, he read Jaekal’s letter again.
[I will definitely rescue my son. Please allow me time until then. It won’t take long.]
In this section, Heron sneered at Jekal, who had attacked the Winter Castle only for the sake of his son. Was Jekal such an irrational and foolish person?
“And… He seems to be a good father.
[Violet seems to be showing a great interest in Jeremy. In two years, before officially entering high society, would you like me to introduce Jeremy to her? They could develop a good relationship.]
In that moment,
Heron unconsciously crumpled the letter.
The door to the study opened.
It was Carlton, the only person who could freely enter and leave Heron’s study without his permission.
“My lord…?”
A crumpled piece of paper was in Carlton’s eyes.
“What’s this?”
I heard that you accomplished the mission splendidly.
That would have been a letter of apology and a letter sent by Jaekal.
Why did you crumple it up?
“Did something… go wrong?”
However, it didn’t seem like anything had gone terribly wrong.
The Duke did not order Jaekal’s death, and a month later, Jaekal made a formal apology statement.
“Everything I’ve raised was purely my delusion and a mistake. I acted out of envy for Winter Castle’s foresight. I’m sorry. To Duke Heron and the Bellatu family, I deeply apologize and bow my head to all the people of Winter Castle.”
It was a humble and sincere apology.
Thanks to it, Jaekal suffered great ridicule for a while, but it was short-lived.
Powerful demons were created in the “Barbarian Canyon,” but the Storm Sword Jaekal and Jeremi, who returned safely to the Storm Fortress, succeeded in subduing the demons.
The fame of the Storm Sword Jaekal and his son Migungja Jeremi became higher than ever.
And two years passed.
***
Viola has turned twelve without realizing it.
One spring day when she was twelve, a bird tied a note to her leg and tapped on the window.
Viola went closer to the window and saw a smooth, yellow-feathered bird.
“A bird?”
She noticed a note tied to its leg and opened it.
[Will visit you soon.]
“Who could it be?”
Maybe someone is attempting to assassinate her.
However, there would be no one in Winterhold who would do such a crazy thing.
She showed the note to Xenon.
“There is a seal from Storm Fort.”
“Storm Fort?”
Come to think of it, there was a stamp in the shape of a whirlwind.
“So someone from the Storm Fortress sent me a message?”
“Seems like it.”
“Why?”
“Well,”
Zenon grinned.
It felt like a chilly wind was blowing.
“Now that the lady is twelve years old.”
Twelve years old is the age when one can enter the social circle.
It is the age when one is officially recognized as a noble lady.
It was also the age when matchmaking could take place.
“And now that the young lady is twelve, she has become much more beautiful than before.”
“Is that so?”
She had definitely grown a lot, but in Hanarin’s eyes, she was still a child. Once again, she realized that the standards of Earth and this place were different.
“So, I dare to worry that the master of the Storm Fortress is plotting something.”
Did she hear someone say something like, “Is there such a ridiculous thing?”
“It must be my imagination…”
Looking at Zenon’s bright smile, she felt like she was hearing things.
A few days later, rumors spread that the official delegation of the Storm Fortress had arrived. It became a big issue among the people.
“Did you hear the rumor?”
“Even Lord Jeremy has come!”
“Really?”
Jeremy. That name made the hearts of all the girls flutter.
“Lord Jeremy of the Little Storm, is that who they’re talking about?”
“Who calls him that? Only barbarians who like to boast would call him that.”
There was another name for him, the Storm Prince Jeremy.
“The Duke has arrived at the Winter Castle!”
A small storm raged inside the Winter Castle.
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
Next chapter will be released tomorrow. To read chapters in advance support us on Patreon!!
