Book 5, Chapter 1, Part 10 (I Am A Child Of This House)

I came back after I passed out, Carl who figure it out what had happened, beat Roy and Ellen quite a bit.

Instead the two, Jean was my escort for the time being.

Jean with tired face “Young Master is looking for you.” He saying that.

Carl came to the door with the face of wanting to roll me the same way. However, he crossed his arms and looked down at me without saying a word.

Dad came and let me tell him everything.

I can’t tell Carl but I can tell it to father, so I confess everything, Dad crossed his legs with a pensive face.

I also asked question.

“Why did the Queen leave the banquet hall? What’s wrong with the crown prince?”

Dad patted his thigh with his finger and said.

“The Prince seemed to be missing.”

“I beg your pardon? Missing?”

“Right.”

“Then he wakes up?”

“I don’t know.”

“What the hell……? There was also some kind of alarm magic.”

“Alarm magic?”

“I was trying to access the Prince bed and it rang. The last time I sneaked up into Imperial Palace. So I ran away.”

“Right.”

“Yes. And about Iris.”

Dad looked at me as if he wait me to speak, I shrugged and said as casual as possible.

“It’s not Emel.”

“Okay.”

Dad replied as if it wasn’t a very important issue, and I quickly became awkward and added.

“Uh, well, and the spirit say there is something bad in Iris stomach? Even Emel said it was suddenly swollen like that. Is that one of the sacrifices rituals?”

“I don’t think that is.”

Dad said so and raised his body from the chair.

“And something funny happened.”

“What is it?”

“The royal hall is gone.”

“—!!”
I was startled an jumped at my seat.

“Royal hall? Disappear? How? Did the prince take it?”

“There is a possibility.”

“So, then, what will happens?”

Dad said it wasn’t that interesting, as if he were taking about the third party.

“The one who orders us first with the pledge will win.”

“Yes?”

“They will fight to sweep the other party.”

“Ah.”

I opened my mouth and looked up at Dad.

But, everyone is a Royal Family. Of course, I don’t know if the Queen have an ability to command us.

She joined the Imperial Family through marriage.

That’s why she asked us to make a new pledge.

Then there are three people who are sure to be able to command us.

Crown Prince, Riddle, and Iris.

Since it was the Prince who had the key to the hall, it is very likely that he woke up and too the hall.

‘Then the things that the Queen has done so far will be useless.’

The prince is a legitimate successor, and if he picks up the hall and orders my father, the Duke of Castiello will crush it without leaving a fragment of the Queen and its force.

Or what if the Queen stole the hall as soon as she realized it?

‘But as I remember the conversation with the wizard, there was no way. She can’t rob the pledge stone.’

It’s not even Riddle or Iris.

“If I am the Queen.”

I looked up at Dad.

“I will complete the curse right now. Before the prince gave an order. I will kill him.”

“That’s a reasonable idea.”

Dad nodded and lightly tap my shoulder and said.

“But there is no story now.”

“It’s before the storm.”

My father raised his eyebrows lightly and said “It’s funny.” and added.

“You need to rest a little more.”

“Yes. I’m resting enough.”

“But you see the report from Hardel over there?”

I laughed awkwardly as my Dad pointed to the papers on the bedside table.

“My body is resting. I’m bored to just lie down. There was a case behind Count Solard. I have to finish it.”

Dad didn’t say anything, took all the papers and left the room.

Unbelievable—!

I “No.” said that as I reached out with a week rebellion, but it was useless. I had no choice but to lied down on my bed, whilst gazing at the ceiling patterns and falling asleep again.

---

Time passed quickly.

It seemed as if nothing had happened, it seemed calm, but there was a tight tension underneath.

“Roy, you don’t have to follow me.”

“Can’t my Lord be going around slowly considering my legs?”

“Why don’t you just rest until you don’t have crutches?”

“I can’t.”

In Roy words, I asked “Why not?” and he said.

“Ellen is resting.”

“Ellen condition is worse than me. Because both her arms are broken.”

“I know.”

I sighed for a long time.

It’s not Carl, if you see her as a woman.

Strangely enough, Ellen seemed to be happy with it. I ordered Roy to sit in a bench nearby.

Roy sat down without hesitation.

“I’m glad I just injured one leg. I was really dying.”

“The tight bone is broken too.”

“Yes, but I have adjusted it so it doesn’t kill you.”

“I didn’t have a hard fight with my brother because of that.”

“The battle between spirit user and Young Master Carl was worth to watch.”

Roy said as he waved his finger, I sighed again and said.

“Everybody is watching what we’re trying to do.”

“Winning or losing is depends on who side Duke Castiello attached to. Even those high-nosed Marquis know it.”

“Right.”

The lion of the Queen from Imperial family was in and out of the porch. However, there was still no news from the Crown Prince, and my suspicious increasingly.

Did the Prince really wake up?

Then I saw Anne running fast over there.

“Estelle!”

“Anne? What’s up?”

Please come to the reception room soon.

Anne said as she gasped, I walked around and asked.

“What? What’s going on? Anne! Follow me slowly.”

“Iris sent a reaper.”

“Reaper?”

“Yes, her wizard.”

Anne face was dark.

“Wizard? Who?”

“Do you remember Lefton?”

“Of course.”

How could I forget who was trying to cut my body.

“I didn’t know he had a colleague.”

“It did.”

Her words also gave me a strong expression.

“I couldn’t tell Estelle because I told not to tell you. Sorry.”

I felt I was back, but I understood for a moment.

Okay. If I knew at that time that he still had a gang left, my recovery would have taken longer.

‘If you think about it, I recommended a contract with the spirit……..’

I understood.

Wait, if he has a colleague.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, he is a colleague.”

“Nonsense.”

“I think so. Actually, I know the Duke had taken care of if since then. By the way, he now showing up. It’s like he is dead and coming alive.”

I took a deep breath.

It wasn’t scary because of that memory.

However, anxiety and anger were mixed up, and it was gradually increasing.

Upon entering the reception room, I was able to recognize the person at a glance. He was standing in a pretty gorgeous wizard robe.

Was he about fifties? On a stiff and wrinkled face, I could see that he was a person who never laughed because he had vertical wrinkles. Dad and Carl are already in the parlor, so i greeted them quickly and go between them.

“It is an honor to meet you. Princess.”

The wizard said hello with a minimal courtesy.

“The reason I came here is because Princess Iris invited everyone.

“Invite?”

Then dad asked, the wizard nodded and said.

“It’s not just you. The Queen also invited. With all the Margot.”

The wizard glanced at me and then looked back at Dad and said.

“The Crown Prince too.”

“What the reason?”

“Aside from the etiquette reasons, it’s because Princess Iris has a royal hall.”

The reception room became calm.

In a silence where the sound of falling pins could be heard, the wizard casually touched his belt decoration.

“This is where you decide who side you want to choose.”

“Right.”

“Yes. So, please come.”

“When and where?”

“Tomorrow, it is nine a clock at night.”

“It’s a good time to enjoy a dinner.”

In Dad words, the wizard said without a blink.

“It’s too late for dinner. The place is at Imperial Palace.”

“Branch.”

“Please come, all the three of you.”

The wizard said that and looked around at us then fixed her gaze on Anne.

“Did you learn the dragon magic.”

“Slightly.”

Anne raised her chin and replied arrogantly. The wizard still stroking the long belt decoration.

“Is dragon magic is unique?”

Anne didn’t answer and just looked straight at him.

The wizard faces strangely distorted, and I belatedly knew that it was a smile.

“Well, then.”

As soon as the wizard stepped through the parlor with as step that neither fast nor slow, then Alpha popped out of my shadow.

He lowered his body and growled.

“It smell like you.”

“Alpha? Me? Smell like me?”

I was embarrassed and I smelled my arm, then End sitting on my shoulder and said.

“Asmodian smell.”

I swallowed my breath. Alpha said as if he was nervous, sticking to my legs.

“It would have recognized us to.”

“We must have smelled like a spirit.”

“Are the demons involved here?”

“Would it have ended three hundred years ago?”

“Yeah, but he definitely smelled like a demon. Yes, the smell from her was had the same fragrant.”

“Rotting body and odor of decay.”

End whispered and said.

Anne said with a pale face.

“Asmodian? From that wizard now? Are you saying that the wizard is an asmodian?”

Alpha shook his head.

“No, not he’s not a demon. The demons need tremendous power to manifest themselves with their body.”

“We are also using the contractor power to make this manifest.”

End says that and rubs his cheek on my cheek. The little dragon had incredibly smooth scales, but it felt a cheek to warm pottery.

“So, my ancestors are amazing demons.”

As I muttered, Alpha “Right.” Answered lightly. Dad asked Alpha.

“So? What should we do if it’s related to the demons?”

“Well. I haven’t ever defeated demons.”

“The demons appeared in this world three hundred years ago. And they aren’t even being repelled.”

Anne said as she rubbing her forehead.

“Is dragon magic is unique? Of course not. The demons magic is very different from the dragon. Maybe they communicate directly with the demon, the demons will not be here. Or maybe it’s not a contract.”

With that said, Anne looked at End and Aloha alternately as if seeking confirmation. My spirit smirked their heads for a moment, exchange opinions among themselves, and nodded.

“Yes, not a manifestation.”

“It’s not a contract. If you sign a contract, It will have a completely different smell.”

“Then what about summoning?”

Anne asked that and turned her finger round and round.

“I, summons the demons and learn the magic. Then I can see why they were so obsessed with Castiello. Because the demons power flows on the Castiello blood.”

She concluded and moaned.

“Then what we dealing right now is a completely different kind of wizard.”

Dad looked up at the big clock in the drawing room and said.

“They said tomorrow at 9 o’clock.”

“Let’s put it together and rest.”

Carl said as he shrugged. I asked “Are we going?” and he nodded.

“Right.”

“What if we don’t go?”

“But—”

I was going to say something, but there was nothing we could do without not going.

“But, no preparation……….”

Carl pondered his sword.

“I need this.”

“What would you do if it didn’t work?”

“Then can you handle it?”

He asked, but I couldn’t answer.

What can you do with a battle that cannot be won by the master abilities?

It’s not a siege, nor is it an armor.

We will be there in the day after tomorrow, and of we fight, we will fight there. Then it useless to think about what cannot be solved by the master power.

“If it fails, it’s over.”

Carl said so and laughed.

“So, you don’t have to think about what happen after failing okay? It more important to think about success afterwards.”

Covering my face with both hands, I said.

“I understand why Dad and brother are so casual. I thought you didn’t know the problem but it wasn’t like that.”

Dad “We are not stupid.” and murmured.

I was always worried.

What I if fail?

What if they fail?

What to do when someone dies?

What if I get hurt?

But the two of them never thought about it.

They don’t think of failure.

It was an optimistic story about not thinking about failing.

“If it fails, it over.”

“Right. So, focus what you do and what you can do. Other problems make me enable focus on the present.”

“Active, progressive, it’s Castiello that never looked back.”

“If you chew well, will you get an answer? You can’t run while looking backwards, but the front right?”

Carl asked, I swallowed my breath.

Right, what do you have when you look back?

While running, focus on looking ahead.

I sighed for a long time and said.

“I’m going too.”

“Okay.”

Dad nodded and Carl frowned, but they said nothing.

+++

P.S : Hi, it’s been a while !! Do you miss me?? hehe. Btw the climax of this arc will come in next chapter. So enjoy ~