Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance

Lucian said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

 “Hmm. I suppose it’s hard to keep a real wizard of the Tower locked up in a dungeon.” “Yeah. Whatever the reason, there’s a good chance that Matap will put in a strong protest.” “Then let’s give her a room in the annex for now and have her wait for his master, and of course ask her to wear a magic suppression device.” 

With Lucian’s instructions, Oslo left the greenhouse. Eileen watched Lucian with fascination as he skillfully gave instructions, then sobered as he rose to his feet.

 “Well, I’ll be up first today then. I think I need to see that wizard for myself.” “Then I’ll go too!” 

Eileen jumped to her feet in time with Lucian. When Eileen said she was going, Cordelia and Felix naturally wanted to accompany her.

 “But we don’t know what kind of mage she is, it could be dangerous.” “No! We’re here to protect you, Lucian, and together we can overcome all odds!” 

Eileen had said anything to see Rosalia, but Lucian, who didn’t know the whole story, was overcome with emotion. Cordelia, who watched his eyes well up with tears, genuinely felt sorry for him.

 

They made their way to the room where Rosalia had been taken by Oslo and the Templars, where she was sitting on a bed in a large room, still in her restraints, sobbing haphazardly.

 “I’m Lucian Gaudium…” “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” “Heir to the dukedom…”  * * *  

He’s speechless!

 

Lucian was speechless at the sound of the voice that seemed to hold all the sorrow in the world.

 “But why are you crying over Eileen?” 

A quick glance revealed that Rosalia’s eyes were fixed on Eileen. Sensing the resentment in her eyes, Lucian turned to Eileen.

 “Do you know…?” “No, we’ve never met.” 

It’s like they know each other.

 

He was about to say a few more words when his eyes turned cold.

 

Rosalia’s sobs stopped in an instant.

 “It’s you!” 

Despite her face being covered in red tile and tear stains, Rosalia smiled as if she hadn’t cried in days. Her eyes lit up as she looked directly at Felix.

 

She rushed to him, but was stopped by the knights. But the wary knights were nowhere to be seen, and Rosalia’s eyes reflected nothing but Felix.

 “You’re right, you’re sparkling, I’m going to be your teacher, because you’re a wizard!” 

She exclaimed, as if declaring a fact that had already been decided. Felix put a hand to his chest, confused.

 “I’m a wizard…?” “Yes!” 

Nice.

 

Eileen cheered inwardly to no one in particular. If the wizard of the tower could nail it like this, people wouldn’t think it strange if Felix learned magic.

 “You are a wizard, Felix, though your magic is sealed.” “Sealed…?” 

Rosalia continued as if to drive a wedge in the question in the children’s eyes.

 “The heart, yes. The heart. It’s filled with magic that’s not yours.” 

‘Isn’t that offensive?’

 

In the chilly atmosphere, only Rosalia was laughing hysterically.

  

* * *

  “It hasn’t been more than half a year since Karand’s Canyon was cleared.” 

The Duke, looking uncomfortable, narrowed his eyes and surveyed the cleared dungeon. Derek handed him a towel to wipe his sword with and nodded.

 “Aye. It’s unusual to see this many monsters in dungeons.” 

Overlapping places where fiends occurred in rare instances. And

“dungeons”

, the rarest form of demonic beast, were actually slain very infrequently. Since it was a rare occurrence, it was only once every dozen years or so that it was necessary to slay it.

 

‘But we’ve already seen four dungeons in 12 years.’

 

Minotaur, a large dungeon, 12 years ago.

 

Arachne, Medium-sized dungeon, seven years ago.

 

The medium dungeon

“Ghoul”

in Karand’s Canyon a few months ago, and the medium dungeon “

Werewolf”

that they just discovered.

 

And the two most recent dungeons were only half a year apart.

 “The Return of the Demon.” 

It was a horrible word that pained him to say, but the Duke had unwittingly assumed the worst. In fact, it was the thought of every other member of the raiding party.

 “Nothing ever seems to go right.” 

Not with Lobel or the necklace. The Duke, who still hadn’t found a clue, let out a weary sigh.

 “Duke of Gaudium. Thank you for your trouble.” 

An old voice greeted him, a voice that seemed out of place. The Duke spun around to face the voice’s owner.

 

The first thing he noticed was the silver hair, clean enough to be alien in the blood-stained dungeon.

 

Aire, a direct descendant of the hero Regia, smiled at him.

  

* * *

  

‘No matter how many times I look at him, he doesn’t look human.’

 

The Duke turned and looked at Aire, thinking to himself. His white robes and silver hair made the boy look like something transcendent, hard to believe that he had wielded a sword just moments ago.

 

His emotions were hard to read through the temple-emblazoned eye patch that covered his eyes completely.

 

“I present to you, the Seventh Shield of the Empire, Aire.”

 

The duke placed a hand across his chest and bowed. The boy returned the gesture politely before turning to the priest and paladin trailing behind him.

 “There’s no need to be so polite, I’ve done nothing but lend a hand to everyone’s efforts.” 

The voice sounded quite young, and the duke didn’t hide his admiration.

 “You’re only a year older than Lucian, and yet you’ve already reached such a level of mastery. You really have the blood of a hero in your veins.” 

Shield of the Empire. A clan of heroes.

 

It was a term used to describe the clan favored by the goddess Fyara in the Pylia Empire. Favored by the goddess and endowed with physical abilities or talents far beyond those of normal humans, they lived their entire lives in the temple, protecting the empire from the hands of demons as its shields. 

 

They had no surnames, as they spent their lives as the goddess’s most faithful servants, but they were easily recognized by the fact that only one child was born to each generation, and that all such children were born with glorious silver hair and golden eyes.

 

The duke recalled how Aire had looked in battle. He was only a little taller than Lucian, but with the frailty of a boy, and he wielded his greatsword with merciless ferocity.

 

The sight of him disemboweling a half-human werewolf and killing it with a confirmation kill was jaw-dropping, even for him.

 

‘No hesitation, no mercy. He feels more like a seasoned warrior than a fourteen-year-old.’

 

Honestly, the duke thought sincerely, he would have believed the man was a child again.

 “Now that the slaughter is over, will you be returning home?” “Yes. I intend to.” “I see…” 

The wistfulness in his voice made the duke wonder. As one of the few Transcendents in the Empire, they often met in battle, but they were not on friendly terms.

 “Do you have a favor to ask of me?” “No, I just came into possession of a fine sword, and it seems more fitting for a duke than for me. It is said to be capable of harboring the power of spirits.” “What?” “If you don’t mind, I was wondering if you could take it. I’m not being selfish, but with your reputation as a young elementalist, Duke, I’d like to see the sword go to someone who can use it more rightly.” 

The Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly; he wondered what the young hero’s intentions were for the sword.

 

The hero’s clan was bound by an oath not to attack the imperial family, a

nd he had never coveted riches, so it seemed unlikely that he was seeking wealth or honor.

 

Then for what?

 “Well, the other elementalists are older, and those who wield swords are few and far between! It’s not a strange sentiment, really, and the more skilled we have, the better we’ll be able to defend the world we love…” 

When the Duke didn’t answer right away, Aire added a rambling explanation in an impatient, raised voice. He looked so foolish and young that the Duke stopped studying him and opened his mouth.

 “Yes. In that case, I will accept it gratefully, and I am sure the child will be delighted.” 

Aire’s face brightened at the answer. His silver hair rose and fell as he nodded vigorously.

 

For a moment, the duke compared him to the children in the mansion, and he forced his right hand to restrain himself from reaching up to stroke his hair.

 

He felt like he’d caught a glimpse of a perfectly crafted hero.

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