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Chapter 52: Three Men
“
”
Luke was resolute.
He held firm to his belief that Eleonora, as a character, was not originally twisted in her inclinations. At first, there had been just a subtle distortion, brought about by Luke’s own efforts.
But like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings setting off a chain of events that leads to a tornado, the story had spiraled into madness. (E/N: If you know the term “The Butterfly Effect”)
“Luke-Luke
 I did my best, you know. After seeing your ‘Dark Wings,’ I wanted to learn how to fly faster too
 So I practiced and created new magic, and then—”
“Listen to me.”
“But still
 even though I worked hard! Am I not needed anymore? Is that woman your new favorite
?”
“What are you, human female? That attitude toward my Master
”
“Shut up, Dia. And Mia, for God’s sake, listen to me.”
“────.”
Mia’s eyes held an abyss that seemed to drag anyone who looked into them deeper and deeper. No matter how many words were spoken, it didn’t seem to have reached her.I It was almost as if she had lost her sanity.
First, Luke’s highly stimulated and activated intellect came to the conclusion that he had to bring Mia back to her senses through physical contact. He lightly patted her shoulder.
“Look closely. This woman is Eleanora of the Godwin family. You’re also from the Earl’s family. You must have seen her at parties a few times, right?”
“
Uh, yeah, um, yes.”
“And there’s a carriage, right?”
“
Yes.”
“She just arrived now to attend the party for my celebration. That’s all there is to it.”
“I see. You must be Mia Klein Lennox, Luke’s other fiancĂ©e. This is the first time we’ve spoken directly. I’m Eleonora Greed Godwin. You can call me Eleonora. Nice to meet you.”
“Um, yes
 Nice to meet you too. And I’m sorry, I
”
“Don’t worry about it. I can somehow understand your feelings.”
“
I’m sorry.”
The embarrassment of realizing that she had gone on a rampage on her own and misunderstood things. The remorse for causing great rudeness and trouble to Luke and Eleanora. Various emotions tangled together in Mia’s heart and overflowed as tears down her cheeks.
“
”
Luke had a vague idea of the reason behind Mia’s tears. Eleonora also gave him a signal, urging him to comfort her. However, he was preoccupied with various doubts and a spine-chilling feeling, and couldn’t be bothered to think about doing that.
(
Really, if I make one wrong move, I might get stabbed in the back.)
Luke couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration as he recognized Mia’s vulnerability once again. He lamented why he had ended up engaged to someone who seemed like a ticking bomb.
However, he couldn’t shift all the blame onto Mia. He realized that he had treated her as a pawn with a lighthearted attitude, and that had contributed to her difficult behavior. If he hadn’t gotten involved with her in the first place, things might not have turned out this way.
(But why did Mia come alone? This is a formal party. She should have brought at least her family and attendants
 For her to fly alone through the sky. I can’t understand what’s happening anymore
)
Eleonora’s revelation of her twisted fetish had already taken a toll on Luke’s mental state, and Mia’s sudden attack only added insult to injury.
His mental fatigue had already exceeded its limit. After all, Luke, as a character, tended to shut himself in at his family’s home after just one defeat.
It couldn’t be denied that there was mental fragility beneath his arrogance that kept everyone at bay. —And that’s why?
“Don’t cry, Mia.”
“
”
Luke was thinking vaguely. For some reason, many of the women who gathered around him had the attribute of being an “M”, but Mia was the exception.
He had been thinking about something that was almost like escapism and didn’t really matter in this situation. And without deep contemplation—
“You’re special.” He blurted out.
Luke meant that Mia was “special” because she didn’t have the attribute of being “M”. Of course, Mia had no way of knowing that and interpreted it completely differently.
“Special
 s-s-special
”
The word “special” that Luke had said echoed repeatedly in Mia’s head. And then—
“Ababababa-“
Mia’s brain short-circuited, and she collapsed.
“Geez, are you even skilled at handling women?” Eleonora mocked promptly.
“
Huh?”
Luke was taken aback by Eleonora’s teasing.
However, due to his mental fatigue, Luke, who hadn’t been thinking deeply, didn’t know the reason why Mia suddenly collapsed, or why Eleonora was mocking.
“Um, Master. How did this human female suddenly collapse?”
“
 I don’t know.”
Dia didn’t understand either.
At that moment, a carriage approached from a distance, bearing the crest of the Lonsdale family.
Naturally, the carriage stopped in front of Luke. The door opened, and Alice appeared.
“Luke, long time no see
 huh, what’s going on?”
“
I don’t know.”
This was the first conversation between Luke and Alice after their long-awaited reunion.
“I’m just going for a walk. You didn’t have to come along, Alfred.”
“Please allow me to accompany you.”
“Hmm, well, whatever.”
Luke and Alfred were walking through the streets of Gilbadia.
For Luke, it was simply a change of pace.
When he had a big event that caused him significant mental strain, he usually swung his sword absentmindedly. But he also had some business to see the sword he had asked Dalkin for, so he thought a stroll would be a nice change of pace.
By the way, Dia was staying behind to guard the treasure piled up in the backyard, because of the sheer amount of it, they couldn’t do anything about it immediately, and as such she was left to guard it.
(
It’s relaxing.)
Alfred was not only Luke’s swordmaster, but also a close and trusted presence who had been with him since he was born. Even the soft breeze felt pleasant. The two of them had a different air about them than commoners. Just by walking, they naturally gathered attention from those around them. But for Luke, it was just part of his everyday life, so it didn’t bother him.
“With all due disrespect, I would like to ask you, Master Luke, for another match.”
“Kuku, how unusual, Alfred. I didn’t expect you to bring that up.”
Luke turned his head slightly to glance back at Alfred, who was walking a little behind him, with a smile on his lips.
“I can tell by your eyes. You’ve grasped something, haven’t you? The eyes of someone who wants to test their own skills.”
“Yes, that’s part of it.”
“Oh, what are the other reasons?”
“I want to experience it firsthand. Your technique, Luke-sama.”
Luke looked into Alfred’s eyes.
There were two lights residing there. One was the light of a martial artist, and the other was

(I know that occasionally, Alfred also goes berserk.)
There was also that precarious light.
Due to various experiences, Luke had become sensitive to troublesome matters, and that’s why he noticed. However

“Kuku, very well.”
There was no option to refuse.
Furthermore, it is also true that he is looking forward to it. After all, there are not many who can have a proper sword fight with Luke.
“Thank you, Master Luke.”
“Well, anytime would be fine
 is what I want to say. But I won’t be able to until the party is over. 
Really, troublesome.”
“
 Haha, that can’t be helped.”
Including Eleanora, the other nobles have already arrived. From now on, Luke will be busy with greetings and other matters, and time will be taken away from him.
Even so, there was a definite joy in Luke’s heart.
“I will polish my skills so that you can enjoy it even a little.”
“Kuku
 I look forward to it. But be careful, alright? The current situation where nobles look down on swordsmanship hasn’t changed.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Good then.”
The conversation ended there.
The two of them were never very talkative. But there was nothing uncomfortable about it.
Just feeling the wind and enjoying the familiar scenery of the city while time flowed leisurely. It healed Luke’s heart more than any high-level healing magic could.
“
Hmm?”
As they approached the area where Dalkin’s blacksmith shop could be seen, there was a familiar figure.
“Zach?”
“Eh? Gyaahh!!”
“Huh, why are you so surprised?”
“Well
 um, I apologize. I haven’t seen you around lately, so my resistance
 I mean, I was just a little surprised, ahaha
”
“Kuku.”
Luke smiled naturally.
Despite Zach probably wanting to apologize, he was definitely one of Luke’s favorites.
Unlike Alfred, Luke had only recently started to interact with Zach, but he strangely felt at ease with him. Unconsciously, to the extent of wanting to keep him close by─.
“Luke-sama, and Al-san. What are you doing here?”
At that moment, an ugly carriage stopped. Luke immediately understood that it did not belong to the nobles.
“You’re Luke Wizaria Gilbert, aren’t you?”
Three men appeared, looking rough and violent. Zach had a strong sense of foreboding as Luke’s mood quickly soured.
Amidst this, Alfred stepped forward.
“Be careful with your words. Do you know who this person is?”
“How should I know? But first, let me tell you this, we’ve held captive to your mother, Julia Rodel Gilbert”
“
 what?”
“Hmm.”
Luke pondered for a moment.
(
What a contrived story. Committing a crime in such a public place takes a lot of nerve. Are these guys not concerned about being seen, or is it just a poorly planned scheme? Well, kidnapping my mother is most likely a bluff, but I can’t completely deny the remaining 10% as a fact.)
Perhaps angered by Luke’s unchanging expression, one of the men raised his voice slightly.
“T-that’s not a lie! If you value your mother’s life, get on the carriage now!”
“Well, all right. Is it just me?”
“No, all three of you!”
“I see.” Luke turned around. “So be it. Alfred, Zach, you’ll come along.”
“Of course, I’ll come too. I can’t overlook this, after all.”
Luke smirked faintly at Zach’s first-ever expression.
“It’s the ‘Magic Sealing Shackles.’ Put them on everyone. And also, hand over the swords at your waist. Don’t resist, got it?”
“Yeah. I won’t
resist.”
True to his word, Luke boarded the carriage without resistance, with Alfred and Zach, wearing the shackles, having a twisted grin on his face.