“I need to speak with sir Carlton, right now.”
As soon as the Duke of Gelon returned from the Great Council, he ordered the butler.
The employees who read the anger in his voices bowed their heads deeply and moved hurriedly.
It was not long before Carlton entered the Duke of Gelon’s office.
“I hear you’re here, Your Highness the Duke.”
“Yes, Sir Carlton.”
“….”
Carlton was an excellent knight.
He knew a lot when he entered the Duke of Gelon’s office and heard a single answer.
‘It’s not a good sign to have such a calm voice even after drinking strong alcohol.’
Duke Gelon’s anger was at its limit because of what had happened at the Great Council.
Moreover, where his bloodshot eyes were directed—
“Ugh….”
An elderly man who seemed to be about the same age as the Duke of Gelon, had been caught.
It has been a long-standing hobby of Duke Gelon to imprison those who are no longer needed or useful to him in his office.
[“Sir Carlton. Doesn’t it look good? Bringing traitors into the office to makes the employees more loyal.”]
Carlton remembered what the drunken Duke of Gelon once said.
‘Then, did you call me to show your power and gain loyalty through fear?’
Realizing the owner’s intentions, Carlton’s face hardened even more.
Duke Gelon opened his mouth as he poured a strong drink into a glass filled with ice.
“Sir Carlton. Do you know what happened at the Great Council today?”
“….”
“It seems that Archduke Prause is anxious to make a lowly person emperor.”
“What is that….”
“They talked about Tahar’s legitimacy.”
Carlton looked down at the floor.
These days, Gelon and Tahar are not as popular as they used to be because of the achievements of Grand Duchess Prause.
“Sir Carlton. In this situation, if Daniel Prause wins the flag battle, wouldn’t he become even more arrogant?”
Carlton recalled the package he had received from an unknown sender a while ago.
What was inside was the Fog of Fall processed into pill form.
From the circumstances, it was clear that it was sent by someone who had been ordered by Prince Tahar.
‘How many days did I think about what to do with the pills and whether to really use them?’
But in the end, he made a decision for Gelon.
“I’ve taken action, so I’m sure I’ll win.”
The Duke of Zelon, who captured the subtle guilt in Carlton’s voice, smirked.
“Yes. You always work hard for the glory of Gelon. But it wouldn’t be bad to be prepared just in case.”
Duke Gelon stretched out his hand and aroused magic.
Then, the man who was scattered around his office lost his mind and was dragged like a magnet.
“This man’s name is Hound. I had a hard time finding him because he was a commoner. He hides very well.”
“Your Highness, why is this man here?”
To Carlton’s question, Duke Gelon seemed to think for a moment before answering.
“Well. It could be said that it is a sin of misbehaving in educating children.”
“….”
“In the northern mountains, there are monks who live in the rugged terrain and worship the gods. Hound is also from there.”
Duke Gelon got up from his seat and squeezed the stunned man’s chin violently.
“This man’s son married a woman from the same village and gave birth to twins, and he heard during the birth, she abandoned them at the Prause Mansion.”
“Then, as expected, the grand duke’s children….”
“Yes. I’m sure they are transcendent like Lydia. Lydia also said the other day that the two children had visited her for a while.”
Duke Gelon didn’t bother to explain what he had done to get a definite answer from Lydia.
“The child’s parents seem to have died shortly thereafter, but luckily this man is alive.”
Carlton took another look at Hound’s face.
‘It looks like the two children the Grand Duke was carrying look half and half like their grandfather.’
Carlton did not ask Duke Gelon any questions.
Now Gelon is in trouble because of those who question Tahar’s legitimacy.
He knew better than anyone what he had to do.
“I will use this man to bring the transcendent children to me.”
“Okay. You are a magic swordsman, so bringing this will be helpful.”
Carlton was handed a magic scroll and a brooch with heavy magic.
“It’s a scroll that Lydia worked hard for and should be able to control a human of the Hound’s size. Though it’s still unstudied, so it won’t be perfect.”
“The transcendental ability… Did you succeed in putting it on the scroll?”
“Still in development. The gemstones in the brooch are the finest ores secured by the previous Duke of Gelon, so it will be useful for magic.”
Carlton stared at the brooch, which reminded him of dark greenery.
He wondered if he could use an old man to do this.
But he knew he had to make it work, no matter what.
With his mind torn in half, he suddenly remember Lydia’s back as she dragged her exhausted body toward the bedroom.
* * *
After making Prause’s debut with a big conference and tea party in the capital, the Prause mansion has become busier than before.
“Your Highness, Grand Duchess. Another invitation has arrived. Everyone must have been impressed by the tea party.”
“Thanks for everyone’s help. Which family is it?”
“From the hostess of Count Baines sent it. After the founding festival, she says she wants to serve tea in the garden of the count’s residence.”
“I couldn’t refuse an invitation from a noble lady who was interested in the Sacred Tower. Please reply to make an appointment.”
I wanted to read the invitation myself and send a leisurely reply, but I couldn’t.
“I hope the kids are okay today.”
Walking while chatting with Lina, I soon arrived at the children’s room.
The children, who normally should have fallen into a deep sleep and not even know if someone had entered the room, were looking at me with their eyes wide open.
“Frey…”
“My body aches…”
I patted Arsene and Damon, who were whining with their lips pouted.
“Does it hurt more than yesterday?”
“I don’t know.”
“I need to take a nap, but I can’t sleep.”
I kissed their foreheads.
“Daniel and the doctors who worked for Prause for a long time say that it is common for Transcendentalists to have growing pains before the age of ten.”
“What are growing pains?”
Damon whined and asked.
“Well, it’s not a cookie jar or something. It is called growing pains when the body strains to acquire the power of a stronger transcendent.”
“Then will we grow taller?”
Arsene seemed to be most curious about whether or not he was getting bigger.
“According to Wiz’s record, some Transcendentalists grew two inches taller after growing pains.”
“woahh!”
“So you need to eat a lot and sleep well so that your body has strength. Shall we go eat chicken soup after nap time?”
“Yes!”
On the outside, I was smiling and soothing the children, but on the inside, I was worried.
‘Looking at the records, it seems that the growing pains of a transcendental person usually last about a month.’
These days, Gelon is targeting children.
However, the condition of the children even withered like lettuce that had been pulled out, so I kept having bad thoughts.
Wouldn’t now be the perfect time for someone who wants to harm children?
‘They say that when the growing pains are over, the children will become stronger… ‘
There is no direct relationship between the third awakening and growing pains.
They’ll be stronger, but they won’t be able to defeat their enemies at once like the main characters in <Abandoned World>.
As I realized the situation, I felt impatient.
‘I’ll have to increase my divine power training as well since the blessings of the spirits are heavily influenced by the contractor…’
All I could do now was get SSS-level minerals from the Crystal Mine and lend them to my children.
Even if I couldn’t combine the three highest-grade minerals, an SSS mineral will be more helpful than nothing.
Thinking that, I was about to get up, but Arsene grabbed the hem of my clothes and smiled.
“Frey.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for taking care of me when I was sick. Everyone was busy last time…”
“And they couldn’t come because I couldn’t control my powers…”
My heart skipped a beat when I heard Damon add in a sullen voice.
When I wasn’t there and Daniel was away.
Back then, even though they were young and often sick, no one would have looked after the children so closely.
‘Because before I entered the Prause mansion, everyone treated children like bombs that would explode if touched.’
At least Luke would have been able to accompany them, but as the Master, he was always busy.
So the children seemed awkward and happy to receive this kind of care.
‘Well, when I was a child in my previous life, I was most upset about no one taking care of me when I was sick.’
I put aside my thoughts of work for a moment and smiled.
“Of course, I should take care of you. Didn’t I promise you?”
“…!”
[“Even though I’m not your mother, I care about you, so I’ll be with you every day.”]
As I was about to leave the room, I sat on one side of the bed and lay down.
‘What could be more important than being here with sick children?’
The children also burrowed into my arms as if they remembered the promise I made a long time ago.
A small laugh burst out as I pressed my cheek against their soft cheek.
“Let’s take a nap. Otherwise, I will tickle you.”
“Oh.”
“yes.”
They snuggled up against me and closed their eyes tightly.
Soon, I could hear their soothing breathing.
As I watched the peacefulness of their naps, I suddenly felt something heavy in my heart.
and.
— Master, can you feel it?
I could faintly hear the voice of Wiz, who had been practicing for days to give me his blessing.
* * *
