How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

85 – Rat Hole (3)

“It’s fortunate that most of those caught were from other regions. If there were more people like that among the territory’s residents, the bond could have been further disrupted. Approximately. “I think they captured a little over twenty people.”

“Twenty people? It’s definitely not that many. Doesn’t the population of our hometown easily exceed a thousand?”

“Well, since the Count gave the selection, it stopped at this point. The more difficult it is to make a living there, the easier it is to be deceived by witchcraft, but in the south, the land is good, so there are few people who have problems making a living.”

“So everything is resolved now?”

Russ, who had maintained her composure the whole time, looked a little troubled for the first time upon hearing my question.

“That’s not true. It would be difficult to control all the territories like the main castle, and we cannot guarantee that there will not be such people still within the castle.”

“Hmm…”

“Still, there is no need to worry too much. The Count and the Lady are safe, and none of Reed’s employees have been harmed. Isn’t this the last struggle of the remnants?”

My father didn’t say anything in the letter last time, and from what Russ said, it seems like our territory passed without any major damage.

It is a very fortunate and unexpected thing, but at the same time, I have doubts.

Is there any reason to leave the South alone to those who want chaos? In a situation where we often hear rumors that even great families stronger than us have been attacked.

When she asked that question, Russ took a moment to organize her words and answered.

“That’s not necessarily true. Although they are tied together in the larger picture, not all devil worshipers move in unison. Although the cult was a large force, they cannot be seen as representing all ungodly people. Looking at past history, “There have been times when internal strife broke out among themselves depending on the devil they served. Although there were many places that were attacked this time, there were even more areas that passed through without incident.”

There is certainly nothing logically wrong with what Russ said. And to some extent, it matches what I know.

Unless he knows the future, anyone would say his reasoning is reasonable.

However, contrary to what Russ thinks, they are much more difficult and annoying than just remnants.

“Of course, you need to be on guard, but there’s no need to worry more than necessary. Rather, shouldn’t you be thinking about dealing with the young lady? You’ve calmed down now, but you’re still waiting for the master to come.”

Russ said with his characteristic friendly smile.

***

As Russ said, it was definitely difficult to find the same vitality in the castle as before. People’s faces were gloomy, and the guards, who had multiplied, watched the people passing by with eagle eyes.

And the number of people wearing church clothes is also noticeable.

Perhaps his father made a separate request to Maid Hedden Parish to ensure peace of mind.

The presence of holy power is essential to suppress demonic energy and identify demon worshipers.

After passing through the castle and moving a little further by carriage, I finally saw a familiar mansion and people lined up in front of it.

And when I got off the carriage, an unusual and unexpected picture unfolded in front of me.

“Brother, you worked hard to come this long way. Please eat inside.”

Of course, children grow up quickly. This is especially true when you haven’t seen each other for a long time.

Adele bowed her body perfectly and gracefully, greeting me as she would treat a family heir.

The sight of him standing proudly in the center with his servants on either side is quite impressive.

The last time I saw her, she was Adele, who cried and cried and barely saw me off.

Still, he acts as if he is an adult with his small body, so it is difficult to easily accept the incongruity.

“After?”

But when I stretched out my arm and stroked her head, Adele’s efforts were instantly in vain.

Adele opened her eyes wide and let out a sound that left her mouth.

“Oh… Brother…”

“Adele. It’s been a while since you last met, but do you want to be that hard? Now, come here.”

When I squatted down and stretched out my arms, Adele looked slightly embarrassed.

It seemed like he was going to jump at me at any moment, but I consciously controlled myself.

After all that worry, Adele ended up crying.

“Ah… That’s not it… This isn’t it… hehehe…”

“Edwin. In times like that, you need to adjust the rhythm a bit.”

Her father walked behind Adele with a bright smile on his face.

“Welcome back. You had a hard time coming this long way.”

“Father…”

“You incompetent bastard. You should hide something from Abby. If you do it again next time, know that you will be really scolded.”

Sure enough, as soon as my father saw me, he criticized me for not having told him right away that I had been attacked by a demon.

But judging by his tone and expression, he seems to have calmed down to some degree now.

“…I’m sorry…”

“Oh, it’s done. I’m glad it’s okay.”

My father lightly tapped my shoulder, then looked down at Adele standing next to him and stroked her head.

“And do you know how hard Adele practiced? I’m going to show you that greeting. If you’re my brother, you should be able to appreciate that much.”

“…I didn’t know…”

Hearing my father’s words, I feel a little embarrassed. Adele is still crying. Come to think of it, she definitely had a lot of practice. That restrained gesture would not have been easy to get used to.

You may be able to lighten Adele’s mood by matching her rhythm at least once.

“Hmm.”

I cleared my throat and straightened my posture. Then, with a solemn expression on his face, he held out his hand to Adele.

“Yes. I am very happy that you welcome me so much. Shall we come in?”

And Adele’s response was quick. He immediately straightened his posture and put the back of his hand out and placed it on top of my hand. With his own wish granted, Adele’s etiquette ended there.

Immediately, Adele jumped into my arms with a big smile on her face.

“Brother!!”

As she picked Adele up, she clearly felt that she weighed a little more than before. Even Adele’s new yellow hair has a shine that is incomparable to before.

“hehehe…”

Just as I was happy to see Adele, Adele was also very happy to see me. I was worried about what might happen, but it didn’t feel awkward at all even though it had been a long time since we had seen each other.

And again, I remember Ellie lashing out at her brother.

Maybe it’s okay to grow a little slower…

“Brother…Are you in any way unwell…?”

“It’s okay. Rather, Adele. She said she cried so hard because she missed me. Is this true?”

“Don’t even talk to me. You were crying and insisting on going to see you. I had to soothe you…”

“I’m your father…I told you it was a secret…hehehe…”

Next to her father, who was shaking his head, Adele looked embarrassed and cried.

The whole time I was entering her mansion, Adele’s mouth was constantly moving towards me.

Adele poured out all her trivial stories to me, as if she was having a hard time not seeing her for months.

When she saw Adele’s cheerful appearance, she was able to forget, at least a little, the gloom that had enveloped her.

The banquet hall had already prepared a banquet, and we started eating right away.

“So, how did you happen to meet His Majesty Timothy? She was really surprised to hear from him.”

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During the meal, my father asked. My father’s eyes were unusually full of curiosity.

Actually, this is something I want to ask.

“I happened to stop by Westford before going to the academy, and that’s when I met her. She recognized me right away… She said I looked exactly like her father…”

“Huh, I was really lucky. It wouldn’t be easy to see that busy person like that.”

My father looked surprised when I told him I was pretending it was a coincidence.

“But how does he know my father? From what I’ve heard, it seems like he doesn’t just know me by name…”

“When I came to the South in the past, I came and saw him a few times. I helped him with some work. It was a long time ago.”

“In the South?”

“He comes from a prestigious family in the Holy Kingdom and has now risen to the rank of Archbishop, but he once worked as an Inquisitor. He clearly said that in order to hold a prominent position in the Holy Kingdom, one must have experience as an Inquisitor…”

My father suddenly looked in my direction, smiled broadly, and continued his speech.

“But seeing as you continue to send me several bottles of this precious holy water, it seems like he looks at you with a lot of respect. What an admirable guy. How did you roast and boil that strict person?”

I couldn’t tell the truth, so I just smiled. I offered two relics of the first saint, and the number of saints was so great…

After chatting about various things, the evening was over in an instant. Her father got up first to go to work, but Adele was still wrestling with the green peppers.

I noticed earlier that he seemed to be eating other vegetables well now. Adele is still treated poorly by Pmang.

“Adele. What is this? It’s a gift my brother prepared for you.”

When I took out the small box from my pocket, Adele, who had been staring at the green pepper, immediately turned her gaze to me.

And he couldn’t speak for a moment with a hesitation expression on his face.

Adele put down her fork, walked next to me, and carefully accepted the box.

And the moment she opened the lid, Adele’s eyes widened.

“…Ring…?”

As Adele said, the item I prepared was a ring.

A beautiful silver ring with red gems and delicate decorations.

This is an item I obtained in the Demon World last time, but I was only able to think of its purpose later.

Besides being very beautiful in itself, this ring also provides powerful protection to the wearer.

And as a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that it blocks the rapid flow of mana towards the wearer.

Not only was it limited to magic fired from a distance, it also deflected a surge of weapons coated with mana.

My father and I can protect ourselves to some extent, but this child is still very weak.

Although there is a limit of three times a day, you can still secure a great deal of safety just by wearing this ring.

Adele picked up her ring with trembling hands and tried to put it on her own finger.

She put the ring on her left ring finger, wondering if she had seen it anywhere else.

But there is no way a ring that can fit on my finger will fit Adele’s tiny finger right now.

“Adele. You should wear it around your neck, not on your finger. I even put a string on it for you to wear it. It’s going to take a few more years for that ring to fit on your finger, right?”

“Hey…”

After hearing what I said, Adele made a tearful expression that seemed to be filled with her sincerity.