Chapter 52
When dealing with the wraith, Sean had used his powers of purification and healing over a wide area. Geoffrey and his group were quite close within that range.
‘But why…?’
If they had died while I was looking for Sean and the Crown Prince, I would not have been able to save them, but they were within that range. After I left, there hadn’t been any ambush or battle where Geoffrey and his group were. If the wraith had led others to a different location and harmed Geoffrey, then it would clearly point to the wraith as the culprit instead.
I didn’t find any signs of this in the Grand Duchess’s words either.
I went to find Sean. After the meeting, Sean had set off for Riverheim with Dahliana. But with the child’s pace, they hadn’t even left the palace yet.
Sean greeted me casually.
“Darling, did you have a good meeting with the Archduchess?”
“Yes, it went well. But I have something to ask. You used your healing power on everyone who was affected by the wraith, right?”
“Of course, I used it on everyone who ‘harmed’.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes.”
Sean’s answer was unwavering. Dahliana, looking tired, yawned and rubbed her eyes beside him. Sean placed his hand on the girl’s head and infused her with healing power.
“Sorry for keeping you, but I’ve arranged the carriage for the Staedt family to wait for you. Be sure to take it.”
“Yes, darling. You’ve worked hard today.”
Sean bowed to me and led Dahliana as they started walking. I waved at them, thinking for a moment.
‘Something feels off…’
As they moved further away, Dahliana asked Sean:
“Teacher, how do you know who was harmed?”
“Onra shows me everything. So I can tell who was affected.”
I stared at Sean’s back, feeling something strange about what he had said. It felt odd somehow, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off.
‘I don’t know. Let’s just finish this work for now.’
***
The losses that Staedt faced from the flag-hunting competition were considerable.
Every year, there were families that came to find Staedt’s flag, and in return, they all demanded a significant amount of mana stones or expensive magical items.
The capable Staedt retainers would carefully collect receipts from the financial officers of the other families each time, organizing the items we provided. I just had to gather them up and pass them on to the person responsible for handling the competition.
Duchess Felix announced that she would cut off trade with the Empire over mana stones as she returned to the Duke’s territory. She said the reason was because the Emperor had refused the audience, so I was cleared of any responsibility in this matter.
‘Well, someone should’ve done their job.’
In the end, it seemed like the responsibility for this situation would fall on the Crown Prince, who had punished Geoffrey Buser.
‘That’s a bit… unfortunate, though.’
I felt a little sorry, seeing as he had tried to look out for me. I also thought that I should have a serious talk with my father about bringing a sister or brother into the family.
When I finished my duties at the palace and arrived home, it was already past midnight. My father was waiting outside for me, as usual.
“Dad? Why are you out here waiting for me?”
“Lately, it seems like pests have been swarming the mansion, so I’ve reinforced the security magic.”
“Pests? I suppose it is that time of year, huh?”
Spring was almost over this year too.
“There was a big issue at the competition, wasn’t there? You’ve had a rough day, Yen.”
My father patted my shoulder. The weight that had been on my shoulders all day, due to matters with Bittern and Felix, seemed to lighten.
Suddenly, the words of the Duchess flashed through my mind.
“Do you not resent the father who made you this way?”
I looked down at my father. He gazed at me with eyes full of concern, encouragement, and love. I nodded in response.
I don’t resent him. The reason my father made me this way was for my safety.
I grew up having experienced that terrible war firsthand, watching as those I lived with were buried in the ground.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for always being by my side.”
My father smiled gently.
“I will always be by your side.”
“I know. But I feel guilty that you’re staying in the capital because of me. If it’s difficult for you to stay in the mansion, you can always move to a quiet place whenever you like.”
“You were upset at me during your coming-of-age ceremony, weren’t you?”
Oh, he knew. I gave a sheepish smile.
“I don’t know why I felt that way.”
“Because it was a once-in-a-lifetime event for you…”
“Huh?”
“It was a celebration to mark that you were ready to take responsibility for yourself. But Darling and I didn’t realize the importance of it because you’ve already been responsible not just for yourself but for us for so long. You’ve done so well up until now, and now we don’t know what more we can do for you.”
“Dad…”
“If you need help, don’t carry it all on your own. Always tell me. You’re not alone, Yen.”
“Ah… yes!”
“That blasted, cockroach…! If that bastard can go, there’s no reason I can’t go.”
My father muttered through gritted teeth.
‘Cockroach?’
He quickly cleared his throat, trying to hide his anger, but there was still a wrinkle between his brows. For some reason, hearing “cockroach” made me think of Ken. If I had to compare Ken to an insect, he’d be more like a butterfly with brilliant patterned wings. So why did the mention of a cockroach make me think of Ken?
‘Come to think of it…’
I took out the broken mana stone I had found at the Bittern estate.
“Dad, can you tell who broke this?”
My father glanced at the object in my hand, then snapped his fingers. Thinking he wanted it, I offered it to him, but it turned to dust and vanished.
“Ah? Wait, what…?”
My father gave me a satisfied look, as if he had just solved a mystery, then casually looked at my empty hands.
“Don’t carry around such filthy things.”
I had picked it up from the ground, so I couldn’t exactly say it was clean, but…
“It’s Ken’s mana stone, though.”
My father made a face, as if he had stepped on a bug.
“Right. It’s filthy.”
“……”
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