A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

34 – Children of the Canyon (4)

No matter how big of a eater you are, you cannot chew all the food in one basket.

Even if it’s a flower, it’s the same.

Chewing on about 100 withered flowers?

This is just torture.

Whether there is mana inside or not, even if you knew, it would be difficult to even try.

“Why are you afraid?”

“…….”

Ethan picked up a somnus flower with trembling hands.

Agujak.

Then, staring at the basket, he chewed the first bunch.

Jeokjeok, Jeokjeok, Jeokjeok.

The face is distorted as if chewing beef.

The somnus flower itself has no taste, so it is no different from chewing a real weed.

Enemy, enemy!

This time, I pick up two flowers.

After he glanced up at me, he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth and started chewing it.

“Hmm.”

Concentrate magical power on the eyes.

The mana that sparkles very faintly in the somnus flower flows into Ethan’s body.

There is no response yet.

If mana began to flow in earnest just by eating flower petals, Ethan would have come here with mana already awakened.

‘I probably wouldn’t have come here in the first place.’

Do you have the talent to respond to mana?

He is so valuable that his father allows as many as 12 of the orphans to run by Noir’s side.

If Mana had been open, wouldn’t Lady Myrdin have registered under her?

“Heh.”

It feels like opening an unopened treasure chest.

I picked up a somnus flower close to me and swallowed it in one bite, starting with the petals.

“!!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

Ethan, who was about to protest to me by swallowing about five flowers, blinks at her.

“Do you really think I told you to eat this to torment you?”

“……Gulp.”

“I like this.”

Gibraltar’s eldest son also chews and eats somnus flowers.

“Eat whatever is good for your body.”

This is information known not only to those within the family, but also to those with even a passing interest in the affairs of the Gibraltar family.

‘There are some people who don’t even know it’s real and ignore it.’

Jeokjeok, Jeokjeok.

There is no taste.

But you don’t eat it for the taste.

‘Focus on the tip of your tongue.’

You can eat it with the feeling that you are finding and eating the weak mana that flows between the petals and stems.

“Listen while you eat. Ethan. What do you want?”

“…Yes?”

“Ah. Just listen. I will ask and I will answer.”

Ethan opened her mouth in a daze, looking at her dumbfounded face.

“Your opinion is not important. What I decide is the answer, and you choose what you want.”

I continued as I shoved a somnus flower into his open mouth.

“You have three options. One is to quietly disappear from the orphanage.”

Ethan chews the flower as is.

It seems like it is in lieu of an answer.

“Good. It looks like you have no intention of leaving. The second thing is to report the person who sent you to the orphanage, Mrs. Myrdin.”

“……??”

“Whether it’s because of kindness or on purpose, we’re going to investigate Lady Myrdin.”

It would have been better if we had just sent the orphans.

“After Madame Mir Din leaves the orphanage, accusing her of being a traitor, he returns to her house with a large amount of compensation for her accusation.”

“…….”

“As for Lady Myrddin… It won’t be any of your business. She’s a guardian and Nabal, and she’ll say she sent you to Gibraltar to get information. What’s the point?”

“That’s…!”

“Do you know? Lady Myrddin is a pro-imperialist, and she is planning to use you to steal information from Gibraltar and then pass that information on to the Empire.”

“…….”

“If you accuse her like that, then the future will be like that. There are quite a few people who dislike Madame Myrddin, who says the right things and is nice, but she has a lot of money.”

It would have been better if a child had been sent from a family ruined by gambling rather than from a military power.

“I guess that’s a rough guess. Your parents must have begged Lady Myr Din. Please send her son to Gibraltar. Please write Lady Myr Din’s letter of recommendation for your son.”

An orphanage does not only collect orphans.

“The ratio is higher for orphans, but some children are sent intentionally.”

For example, if it is difficult to raise a child until he or she becomes an adult.

“Either they have talent, but they are poor and it is difficult to raise them, or they try to attract attention somehow and make them adopted or servants.”

In Gibraltar, it is possible to become a guardian and raise a child on your behalf.

“Which side are you on? Do your parents want you to revive the family under Gibraltar’s tutelage, or do they want you to be happy even if you abandon the César surname?”

Coincidentally, Ethan is 9 years old, one year younger than Noir.

“It’s still difficult to judge, right? The time to decide is short.”

It may be said to be quite cruel, but the world is not an easy place.

“Once again, the choice is yours. From now on, if you stay at this orphanage, this is your third option.”

I pointed outside and wrapped the stem of the somnus flower around my finger.

“The children at the orphanage will hate you. Unlike them, who were born into very poor families or abandoned by their parents, you come from a noble family that could still eat warm bread and soup.”

“…….”

“The children in the orphanage have already started competing. They are doing their best to look better in Gibraltar’s eyes than anyone else. Even if it is just the children outside right now….”

Finally, a good example appears outside the window.

“See those kids trudging over there? Outside the window. They showed the qualities of knights, so they were chosen by their father. They’ve been training in swordsmanship until now.”

“!!”

“If you grow up well like this, you will be able to become a low-level knight. If you receive our letter of recommendation, you will be able to sign a contract with another noble family as a vassal knight and aim for a true noble title.”

Not everyone who becomes a knight becomes a noble, but there is a path through marriage and capital.

You can marry the heir of the family, become an adopted son, or buy a title even if it costs a lot of money.

“If you have martial arts skills, you can take the knight course with them. If you are dexterous like the other children, you can grow somnus flowers underground. If you are smart, you can help me with my research. “You will be mobilized for experiments.”

These are three paths that can be considered ‘success’ for orphanage children.

“Among the remaining children with ordinary talents, there are those who are already preparing to become butlers, maids… Servants. Do you understand? The children here have already realized this. This is a temporary refuge where they are protected until they become adults. “It’s not a house you can just live in for the rest of your life.”

“…….”

Ethan is still chewing the flowers.

“Remember this carefully. You may have to explain this later when the next candidate comes in.”

“I have a question.”

Ethan swallowed loudly the flower he was chewing and lifted her head.

“Time is not deducted?”

“Lettar…What do I have to do to become the young lady’s escort?”

“Newbie.”

Oops.

“…Keuhum.”

Stop without even realizing it.

But it has come to this, there is nothing we can do about it.

“Lettar is pretty. In fact, there are 12 knight candidates who just arrived there, and among them there are some who are aiming to be Letard’s bodyguard.”

Anyone can dream.

“Some guys are targeting Noir. Girls.”

“…What about you, Master?”

“Are you flattering me? Well, there may be someone targeting me, but if you think about the future, Noir would be better. He’s learning how to use a sword from his father.”

A servant catches the attention of a nobleman and takes over the family.

I’m not the type of person who dislikes such stories.

“The easiest way to integrate into other noble families is to target human emotions, especially love. In that sense, if you steal Lethar’s heart, the possibility will certainly be open.”

Actually, it was a tactic I often used.

-Gray. The nobles who surrendered must be identified. Those who are truly loyal to the empire and those who are not.

-Let’s send a maid from the empire. She was a pretty young girl.

-… Let’s take a look and see if there is such a suitable talent at the academy.

Thanks to you, I caught a lot.

In the front, they were shouting “Long live the Emperor,” And in the back were the loyalists of the fallen nation who were secretly funding the revolutionary army.

‘Everyone becomes weak in front of a pillow.’

Humans are a species that longs for love, and in the end, they are destroyed because of love.

“Let me ask you honestly. Are you in love with Letard?”

“…She was prettier than any person I’ve ever seen.”

“Yes, yes. It’s not strange. I have Gibraltar blood plus my mother’s beauty.”

The day Letard died.

Everyone shouted that the evil woman died well, but there were also some who were disappointed.

If I was going to die like that, I would rather have done it just once-

“…Write.”

“…….”

“Ah, there’s nothing to be nervous about. The stem of this thing is rotten.”

I spat out the flower I had just chewed.

“But do you have the skills to rise to that position?”

“I learned how to use a sword from a young age.”

“Your competitors have been receiving training in Gibraltar for at least a few months.”

“…You can win.”

“Is that so?”

Although there are differences between children and adults, now and before regression.

“One thing is certain: grit.”

In the future, the person who persevered despite the sadistic acts of the torturer Lettar was none other than Ethan Cesar.

It is only a guess as to what emotions arose during the torture, but when I think about that time-

“This just flows in. I personally have one thing to thank you for.”

“Yes…?”

“Just listen to it. Thank you so much for falling in love with Letard.”

“……??”

Probably because I fell in love with it.

If not for that reason, there would have been no reason for him to act like that even after being tortured with his testicles exploding.

I recovered Lethar’s body.

As a result of the investigation by the Imperial Coroner and the Magic Engineering Investigation Unit, the culprit who killed Lettar was Ethan Cesar.

And the autopsy results.

-The young lady was murdered while intoxicated with silver.

-That means….

-He went without pain. I guess you could interpret it that way.

Lethar died while intoxicated with refined silver, and she would not have felt any pain during the stabbing process.

Even.

-It’s hard to say this, but my chastity was not molested.

Even though this crazy dog was treated like that, she only killed him in revenge and did not disgrace his body.

-After checking with magic, she was still maintaining her chastity….

“Well, that’s it for the small talk.”

Just as Ethan put three flowers in his mouth, I pulled the basket.

“30 Minutes have passed. I have to go to sleep.”

“Ah…?!”

“I was so focused on what I was saying that I didn’t even notice how much time had passed.”

We didn’t continue talking, but we also gave ourselves time to chew and swallow.

“Let’s see. I ate it too, but it looks like there are a lot more than 50 bunches left.”

“Give it to me! Just one more chance!”

“I said I have to go to sleep.”

“If you give it to me, I will eat it all, even if it means staying up all night! So please, let me stay here…!”

“No. I can’t…Look at this.”

The moment Ethan ran towards me.

“Don’t kill me.”

“Whoa?!”

The giant came out like light and immediately stepped on Ethan’s back.

“Sir Robert. Then I’ll catch him.”

“You could cause harm to Master Mourning.”

My exclusive escort, Robert.

He was as still as air, and as soon as he thought there was a threat towards me, he immediately moved his body.

“Please, please…!”

“Doesn’t it look like you have strong guts? You keep struggling even though you’re being stepped on by Sir.”

“It’s because the master got excited and didn’t tell us the conclusion.”

“I was excited?”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t be the type of person to talk to a guy like this at such length, would you?”

“Hmm….”

Well.

“That’s right.”

I thought I would beat it down if I had to, but I guess I got excited at the thought of being able to tame a future sword master.

“Let me go first. If you come at me again, I’ll just punch you in the face.”

“Yes.”

As Robert put his feet away, Ethan slowly got up.

“Luckily, they don’t rush at you. I will eat this, and you have passed ‘my test’. I will not kick you out. Passed. Do you understand?”

“Yes…?”

“It’s enough to prove that you’re a crazy person who says you’ll become Letard’s bodyguard in front of Letard’s older brother and that you ‘fell in love’ for that reason. Hmm.”

I lightly pounded my chest with my fist.

“That fearless attitude and courage. I really like it. Tomorrow will be even more serious than mine, so do your best.”

“Uh….”

“Today is pre-study. hahahaha, life at the orphanage is going to be a bit difficult from now on? You are receiving special treatment from me.”

I’m not sure if Gray Gibraltar’s special lecture will be helpful.

“Tomorrow morning will be harder than today.”

I took the flower basket and went outside.

“As expected, Marylee.”

There was no one outside the door, and only Marylee was waiting for me in the distance.

“Seeing the tenacity with which they attack me, I decided not to kick them out and will follow the procedures.”

“Yes.”

Mary Lee glanced at the end of her hallway and down her stairs.

Probably some children who came down out of curiosity are hiding.

How to do it?

Should I help out or let them do their own thing?

Hmm.

“Marylee.”

“Yes.”

“If you ever need that guy, Ethan Cesar’s ‘corporal punishment’.”

I deliberately raised my voice and spoke cheerfully.

“Send it to me. I will handle it myself.”

* * *

The next day, morning.

“So, you want to be my daughter’s escort.”

A cold wave hit the Countess’s reception room.

“I asked what your dream was. The other children said they wanted to become our family’s knights, or people who worked for Gibraltar. They said they would return the favor if you raised them. And you are my daughter, Lettar. “I said I wanted to protect you by my side. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

In the future, the hero who was tortured by Letard’s dog.

“Why?”

“It was love at first sight.”

Really, it was a crazy dog.