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~ Translation by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at rainofsnow.com ~
“Carlot.”
The Duke of Perdia called out again. Carlot’s mind flashed back to his conversation with Elodie only a few hours ago.
“Will you keep this a secret?”
“Of course! Trust me!”
How long had it been since he’d made such a promise, and now he was being asked this question as if the duke already knew where they had gone.
He wondered if his father already knew where they were headed and asked.
“Uh, um……. I don’t know anything.”
Carlot fidgeted and looked off into the distance.
He didn’t know the exact reason, but he knew that his father absolutely hated the Duke of Severes.
Even before the Duke of Severes disappeared, the two of them were constantly at each other’s throats whenever they met.  It had been almost 20 years since then, but the story was still talked about today.
Their relationship wasn’t good, just like with the Duke of Angellus, but it was different.
If Duke Angellus was nothing but air, it could be said that he hated the very existence of Duke Severes.
There was no way he could tell his father that he had traveled with his sister to the capital mansion of Severes.
“I don’t know. We just went out to get some fresh air.”
With that answer, Carlot closed his mouth tightly. He wasn’t going to say anything more.
The duke looked at his son, who stared back at him.
“It seems that you follow Elodie quite well.”
It wasn’t meant as a rebuke, but Carlot’s face turned red at the thought of what he had done to Elodie.
“This is to make up for the time when I was naive.”
“You speak as if you have become more mature now.”
“Well, I am not a clueless child anymore.”
Although Carlot confidently replied that he was not a child, in the eyes of the Duke of Perdia, he was still an immature child.
Seeing him like that, the duke chuckled and asked the question again.
“I ask you again, Carlot. Where have you been and what have you done today?”
“I can’t tell you, even if my father wanted me to report, because confidentiality is fundamental to escorting.”
“So, you said you have become more mature, but all you do is spout nonsense.”
It was the Duke of Perdia who had given the order to escort Elodie in case of emergency, so there was no such thing as secrecy.
Carlot knew his logic was flawed, so he couldn’t meet his father’s gaze.
‘But I can’t tell him.’
Carlot clenched his fists. He wanted to honor Elodie’s request for secrecy, because it was all he could do for his sister.
The Duke of Perdia sighed and opened his mouth slowly.
“Does that mean you won’t tell me anything until the end?”
“Yes.”
“You are a reliable escort with strong beliefs.”
Carlot turned his head slightly at the unexpected praise. The duke continued to speak, making eye contact with him in a stern manner.
“I admire your faith, so I’m sending you on a mission.”
“A mission?”
“I heard that there have been frequent sightings of strange beasts in the southwest. I will assign some knights to assist you. Investigate and report back.”
With the sudden assignment, Carlot could quickly understand the meaning of the task.
It was a punishment as well as a threat. To punish those who dare to defy the lord’s orders.
The normal Carlot would never have committed the atrocity of closing his mouth to his father’s questions. He always wanted to receive his father’s recognition.
But this time, there was a reason he could not back down.
‘My promise to my sister comes first.’
Carlot responded firmly, nodding his head.
“I will complete the mission and come back.”
This was his first rebellion against his father.
***
I hadn’t seen Carlot since our return from the Severes capital mansion.
“Has he finally lost interest in me?”
It had lasted longer than I expected. I thought it would last a week or so, since he was being nice to me out of guilt.
‘He’s finally over it, I guess.’
What was important to me now was not the well-being of Carlot, the second son of the powerful Perdia family and a talented swordsman.
It was my real father, the one I stumbled upon at the Severes mansion.
It was my job to wake him from the deep sleep he’d fallen into while fighting a sin.
But there was a problem.
Where could I possibly find the seal stone of Pride, guarded by the long-defunct House of Apellite?
“I picked Greed up at some auction house……….”
I only muttered it in a low voice, but as if it was heard, Greed perked up its ears and looked back at me.
[Huh? Did you call me?]
“Oh, no. Go play.”
[Okay!]
I closed the book I had been reading, watching Greed innocently break some objects.
“This book isn’t it either.”
I had already examined all the books I found in the family’s library.
Unfortunately, even the last book did not provide enough information about the Apellite family.
Apparently, the heroic family that sealed one of the Seven Deadly Sins had been treated so poorly that they weren’t detailed in any of the books.
Moreover, not even a detailed account of their extinction was found in any book.
“Their history must have been intentionally erased.”
Books are the fastest way for me to get information, so I dug into them, but to no avail.
The next option that came to mind was to have the Earth Hawk Mercenaries investigate again.
But I couldn’t do this right away. Because I didn’t have the money.
“It’s okay. The first sale of the magical tool will bring in profits soon.”
I postponed my investigation into pride and waited for that moment.
***
The carriage stopped in front of the Angellus mansion.
The aide was there to greet Duke Angellus as he got off the carriage after finishing his outing.
“What is all the commotion about?”
“Your Excellency, there is something you must see.”
“What is it?”
“A letter has arrived from the top of the tower!”
What in the world could be the purpose of such a disturbance? Hiding his discomfort, Duke Angellus accepted the letter from his aide.
The duke’s expression hardened as he read the letter.
Krinkle.
The letter was crumpled in the duke’s hands.
It informed him that all mages in the West Tower would be cut off from doing business with Duke Angellus. In addition, all contracts for the supply of magic stones to the tower would be terminated.
The duke concealed his discomfort and looked up at his aide. He could not afford to appear disheveled to anyone below him.
“It will be a blow, but we’ll be fine. After all, there are three other towers besides the west tower.”
Even if they were to exclude the tower of the west, there were still three other towers, so the damage could be managed.
However, the aide still had a stern expression on his face. He seemed to have something to say.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
At those words, the aide hesitated, then opened his mouth with difficulty.
“The other two towers have also notified us of the termination of their contracts.”
“……what?”
The other two towers were beyond Duke Angellus’s calculations.
For a moment, Duke Angellus felt his vision go white.
‘Shit.’
This can’t be happening.
After all, the owner of the South Tower, Gabe Zenaid, was already taking a huge amount of money for his research, and now there would be less revenue coming in from the towers?
How the hell is the dukedom going to pay for that research? The entire Angellus family may be on shaky ground.
For once, even the duke couldn’t hide his devastated expression. It was such a tremendous blow.
The end of the contract with the mages was expected, but the termination of the contract for the supply of magic stones was unthinkable.
Why on earth had this happened?
Returning to his office, the duke summoned the leaders of the High Council of Angellus.
The most troubled of them all was none other than the deputy director of the Angellus merchants.
“You must know something.”
At the Duke’s words, the deputy bowed his head deeply and replied in a shaky voice.
“Even I don’t know why this happened so suddenly–”
“You’d better tell the truth.”
At the stern voice, the deputy began to stammer out an excuse.
“We recently attempted to sign a contract for the distribution of magic tools with a wizard named Elby of the West Tower, but we failed. It seems that the terms of the contract at the tower leaked out because of that…….”
“Failed to sign a contract?”
Failure was unusual for Angellus, as most new mages secured the first contract with them.
“But isn’t this strange? Just because they messed with a rookie wizard, three towers are banding together to break off the deal?”
“Well, I don’t know either.”
“What kind of person is Wizard Elby?”
“We don’t know anything about him, and when we signed the contract, he kept his robes tucked in so tightly it was hard to make out his features.”
“He doesn’t reveal his identity? That’s suspicious.”
“Yes. I asked the towers for information, but they immediately refused. I also discreetly asked other wizards, but the only answer I received was that they couldn’t say anything…”
At this point, the aide who had been listening to the conversation interjected.
“Well, since Wizard Elby’s tool has been so successful this time around, I’ve personally looked into investing in it. But…….”
“But?” Duke Angellus asked impatiently.
“There was only one investor.”
“Only one?”
“Yes. Moreover, it’s the same for the magical instrument that is scheduled to be released soon.”
“That’s strange.”
Investing in a rookie wizard’s magical instrument, which might or might not be successful, one after another?
Even if someone has excellent judgment, there aren’t many people with enough wealth to take on such a large risk.
“If we can find out who that person is, we might be able to find out who the wizard Elby is.”
Duke Angellus nodded in agreement.
It would be much less burdensome to follow a private investor than to pursue the identity of a rookie wizard under the protection of the towers.
“So, what is the name of that investor?”
In response to the duke’s question, the advisor immediately answered.
“Their name is Lili Arcel.”
***
A few days later, the first distributions of investment income finally came in.
As it had gained huge popularity among the merchant class and the people, they were able to receive a considerable amount of money in dividends.
[Wow, rich?]
“Hoo-hoo. Isn’t that great?”
[Your greed is enormous, not being satisfied with so much money and ensuring that I don’t go hungry.]
“…….”
Greed, this thing must exist just to sneer at me.
“Kraaaang! Don’t touch me!”
I pondered as I continued to touch Greed, who mocked me with his cute face.
I thought that once I had money, I would be able to be independent, but the reality is not as easy as I thought. I still hadn’t figured out who was trying to assassinate me.
‘And I suddenly have plans to wake up my real father.‘
Until then, I was safest under Perdia’s protection.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Miss, it’s me.”
“Come in, Martha.”
Martha stepped inside and held out a silver tray. On it was another day’s worth of correspondence.
“Ugh.”
Another day, another copy-and-paste reply war.
I looked through the pile with a bored expression and noticed an unexpected sender.
“Eh? Raeyan?”
Fortunately, the seal was still intact, so the butler had not opened it first.
I quickly opened the letter and couldn’t hide my surprise.
[We have spotted a person who is a strong candidate for A.]
“……!”
It was a letter about my sister-to-be, Estelle, who would be adopted in the future.
***