Ian was astounded.
He dared to act so openly.
Although he was preparing for independence, everything that had happened so far had been focused on ‘amassing wealth.’
Since Edelmar appeared at the ducal residence, all plans had come to a halt, with only meetings with Fred taking place.
“I don’t intend to stop whatever you’re planning to do. Nor do I plan to report it to my brother.”
“Do you think I’ll believe that?”
“What if you don’t? Will you kill me?”
Ian glared at Edelmar.
It wouldn’t be difficult to kill him by pretending it was an accident during a duel.
Even though he was a Swordmaster, it wasn’t impossible if Ian used his special skills.
But he was a grand duke.
Moreover, he was a grand duke beloved by the emperor.
Killing him would be like burning down your house to catch a flea.
“There’s something you don’t know. I have no attachment to the empire. Whether you plan independence or rebellion, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“…Then why do you stay here?”
“Because there’s a lot of fun things to do.”
Ian stared at Edelmar, more precisely, at his soul.
The core of his brilliant silver soul was empty.
The constellations once said,
A soul with a void will struggle in emptiness for eternity.
A person with a void will find no interest in anything and will attach to no one.
Edelmar’s constant search for entertainment was likely an attempt to fill that void.
“If you don’t trust me, I swear on my aura.”
An aura oath.
Just as mages could swear on their mana, Swordmasters could swear on their aura.
But this was not a simple oath; it was an oath that put everything on the line. If broken, the person would lose their aura.
As Ian looked at him skeptically, Edelmar drew his sword.
A silver aura enveloped the blade.
“I, Edelmar Spenbaum, swear to keep secret anything that happens in the duchy and to aid Ian Loenbaum in his endeavors.”
The tightly bound aura dispersed like powder.
The aura oath was completed.
“Ha.”
Ian let out a hollow laugh.
‘Is this guy crazy?’
“How about now? Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
Ian looked at Edelmar in disbelief as he sheathed his sword.
He had not only sworn to keep silent but also to assist him.
The aura oath was burdensome, but nothing was more trustworthy.
Since things had come this far, Ian decided to fully draw Edelmar into his plans.
“If you’re going to stay in the duchy, you’d better earn your keep.”
“Are you asking for money?”
“Do I look like I need money?”
“Of course not.”
Edelmar, aware from Yan’s report that the duchy was overflowing with money, asked back.
“What do you want?”
“Train the knights.”
Ian smirked.
What’s the point of mocking a Swordmaster? Might as well make full use of him.
***
“One! Two! One! Two!”
Ian stood by the window, watching the knights move in perfect unison.
True to his word, Edelmar, along with his trusted aides, was training the knights.
– Knock knock.
Hearing the knock, Ian turned his head to see Fred entering the study.
“Duke.”
“What’s the matter?”
Due to Edelmar, construction that had been delayed had finally resumed, leaving Fred incredibly busy with no time to spare.
He was so occupied that he could only send notes through Rose or Fenrex for his reports.
Now, seeing Fred here suddenly, Ian had a puzzled look on his face.
“The people I mentioned have arrived at the ducal residence.”
“Ah, the talents.”
Fred had thoroughly investigated these individuals through the information guild.
As he had said, they were indeed talented, but they were treated poorly because they were illegitimate children.
They were not only denied proper work, but they were also beaten depending on the mood of their legitimate relatives.
Initially suspicious that they might be spies, Ian had dug deeper into their background, only to find out that they lived a life of daily torment.
Having cleared his doubts, Ian accepted Fred’s suggestion and called them in.
“Since you recommended them, you will manage them.”
“Understood.”
As Fred turned to leave after finishing his report, the study door suddenly swung open.
“Duke!!”
It was Logan.
With a bright expression, Logan approached Ian.
“That’s has arrived!”
“That?”
“The mage! He’s waiting in the drawing room!”
“Fred.”
Fred looked at Ian with a troubled expression.
“Come with me.”
Fred sighed and followed Ian as they walked ahead.
“He’s arrived sooner than expected.”
“Since it was about the mana stone, it seems the Tower caused quite a stir.”
Ian chuckled lightly.
“What do you think of him?”
Logan, who had stopped in front of the drawing room, gave an awkward smile.
“I’m not sure.”
“Hmm. Sebastian, open the door.”
Sebastian, who was standing by as a guard, opened the door.
The mage, who had been sitting on the sofa, quickly stood up.
They robe was filthy and tattered, covered in dust, reminding Ian of Rose when he first met her.
The mage’s shoulders were hunched as if he had been threatened, his body trembling.
Ian asked with a dubious expression,
“Did you threaten him?”
“What do you take me for?”
Even with his dubious look, Ian approached the mage, who quickly bowed deeply.
“May… May the blessings of Lo… Loenbaum’s fruits… be upon you…”
‘Are you sure you didn’t threaten him?’
He was trembling so much that Ian wouldn’t be surprised if he had been beaten somewhere.
Ian glanced sideways at Logan, who vigorously shook his head.
“Stand up.”
The mage stood up, still trembling.
When the mage raised his head, Ian saw a face full of wounds.
‘A woman?’
In the original story, the character only appeared under the title ‘mage,’ so there was no indication of gender.
Naturally, Ian had assumed the mage was a man, but to his surprise, the mage was a woman.
The mage, trembling, spoke in a shaky voice, perhaps in response to Ian’s gaze.
“I-I’m L-Lachik. I heard that y-you were looking for me, Duke….”
Ian sighed and waved his hand dismissively.
“First, have a seat. Logan, ask Sebastian to bring some tea.”
“Yes.”
“Fred, you should sit down too.”
After organizing the situation, Ian took his seat.
– Click.
The sound of the teacups being placed down echoed in the quiet drawing room, causing Lachik’s already hunched shoulders to flinch even more.
Ian, who was intently watching her, spoke up.
“Bring Rose.”
***
Rose pressed her forehead with a quill.
“Mmm.”
“Rose, what’s wrong?”
Fenrex, who was lying next to her solving problems, raised his head.
“It’s hard.”
Rose pouted.
Learning letters was easy since it was just a matter of memorizing. But numbers were much more difficult.
Fenrex watched her pout for a moment before getting up and bringing over a plate of snacks from the table.
“Look at this.”
“Hmm?”
Fenrex pointed to the snacks.
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. There are ten, right?”
Rose nodded.
Fenrex grabbed three snacks in his hand and asked,
“If I take away three, how many are left?”
“Hmm.”
Rose bit her lip as she thought.
“You have to count.”
“Oh. One, two….”
Watching Rose count on her small fingers made Fenrex smile.
“Seven!”
“Correct. So, what’s the answer to this question?”
“Seven!”
Rose clapped her hands and quickly wrote down the answer with her quill.
“This way, it’s simple!”
“That’s right!”
“Thank you, Fenrex!”
Rose beamed brightly.
Fenrex’s face turned red in an instant. His heart pounded as if he had been running a race, all because of the smile from his imprinting subject.
“…If you’re thankful….”
“Hmm?”
Rose, who was thinking about the next problem, turned her head.
“If you’re thankful, give me… a kiss too.”
“A kiss?”
“Yes.”
“I give you kisses all the time.”
Rose tilted her head in confusion.
Boya and girls should not share the same bed.
As if it was not just a passing remark, Ian assigned a room to Fenrex that evening.
Unlike Rose, who obediently accepted her uncle’s words, Fenrex did not want to be separated from Rose, no matter what.
“When you’re over five, boys and girls shouldn’t sleep in the same room.”
“So, if I become a girl, can we share a room?”
“Maybe… probably? Fenrex, are you going to become a girl?”
Rose approached with a ribbon, and Fenrex’s fur bristled in response.
“I’ll think about it!”
Even though Fenrex said this, he had no desire to become a girl.
If he became a girl, he wouldn’t be able to marry Rose.
The first night he slept alone, Fenrex, after a night of deep thought, came up with a good idea.
If he couldn’t sleep with Rose because he was a boy, then wouldn’t it be fine if he was an animal?
And the plan worked.
While Rose had reluctantly agreed to sleep apart from her male friend Fenrex, she was heartbroken and nearly in tears at the thought of sleeping apart from Fenrex, the wolf.
“Sniff… I want to sleep with Puppy. Sniff… If Puppy sleeps alone, he’ll be cold.”
“He’s not a puppy; he’s Fenrex. And that wolf—no, Fenrex—isn’t cold. He has his own bed, and with all that fur, he’s actually quite warm, maybe even too warm!”
“Sniff… But I still want to sleep with him. It’s lonely to sleep alone.”
“….!!!”
Rose’s gestures of affection and her tears made it inevitable that Ian would surrender.
But there was a downside to this arrangement.
Unlike when they used to simply hold hands, Rose now cuddled the wolf Fenrex while sleeping, and in the mornings, she would stroke his soft fur and give him kisses.
She was treating him like a pet.
This complicated Fenrex’s feelings.
He loved being adored by Rose, but he didn’t want to be loved as a pet.
“That’s something you do to the wolf.”
“But the wolf is Fenrex.”
“Then do it to me now too.”
Fenrex smiled brightly and leaned his face towards Rose.
“Hmm? Rose.”
“Hmm.”
After a moment of hesitation, Rose nodded and moved her lips closer.
“It’s not allowed.”
A large hand suddenly blocked Rose’s face.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Fenrex growled, but Claude, undeterred by Fenrex’s sharp gaze, replied.
“I was instructed to prevent unnecessary contact.”
“By my uncle?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean, unnecessary contact?”
Fenrex was growling when a knock on the door was followed by its opening.
“Sebastian!”
Rose, who had jumped up, ran towards Sebastian.
“Lady Rose, the Duke is looking for you.”
