Chapter 87

I ended up playing the role of the adopted daughter too well 087. One year ago.

Carlo found the 'Abandoned Mines of the Strugglers' located in the northern part of the continent.

It was because of the eyewitness accounts of a very special mineral called Linda being seen there.

They said it sparkled with a black light.

Linda, which sparkled with a black light, was a rare mineral that could only be found once in a thousand years.

Carlo wanted to obtain Linda at all costs.

In front of the mine entrance.

'Something feels ominous.'

A chilling aura could be felt from the cave-like entrance.

'I can't give up after coming this far.'

He overcame his fear and entered the mine.

And he didn't know how much time had passed.

He went deeper into the mine as if he were bewitched.

It was because of the song of a flower called Musinia.

Musinia was a carnivorous flower that lured people with its song and then devoured them.

By the time he regained his senses, it was already too late.

At that moment, Hera and her butler came to his aid.

Hera's butler split the Musinia in half.

“Guh, guh!”

Hera, who was in a wheelchair, looked at the fallen Carlo and said,

"There's an idiot here who came to this place without any bodyguards."

Carlo, who had just regained his senses, trembled.

"Wh-What is this place...?"

"The depths of the abandoned mine. Are you the chief designer of Louis Barten?"

Hera warned him.

"It's best if you leave. The fourth daughter of Bellato didn't come here just to get a single mineral."

"I can't. I must find Linda."

"Then do as you wish."

There would be a monster called Bahas where Musinia existed, but it was fine not to tell him that.

He swallowed those words.

And seven days later.

“Gah!”

Carlo encountered the monster Bahas.

Bahas was a high-level monster known as the faceless harbinger of death.

While fleeing in a panic, he met Hera again at a certain point.

"P-P-Please save me."

"My mission was to check for the existence of Bahas and return."

Then stronger warriors from the main house would join the extermination team.

"I have no reason to fight Bahas. It's an excessively dangerous monster. Now that I've confirmed Bahas, I can return."

"P-Please save me!"

"You made your choice."

Hera turned to leave.

Chief Designer Carlo would die here, but it didn't matter much to Hera.

He couldn't fight Bahas anyway.

The butler alone found it difficult to exterminate Bahas.

"Let's go."

However, Hera's butler did not heed her command.

"Designer Carlo, you will have to repay this favor with your life."

The butler knew his limits.

He knew he couldn't help Hera to the end with his abilities.

He had already found a suitable successor.

Choose the Sword Ghost as your butler. I will leave now.

He had to disappear for the Sword Ghost to take over.

He thought he was the only blemish in Hera's life.

'If she were the Fourth Daughter of Bellato, she would have dismissed me long ago.'

But Hera didn't do that.

The butler pledged his loyalty to Hera.

Moreover, the Chief Designer of Louis Barten could be of great help to the Fourth Daughter in the future.

In the end, he successfully exterminated Bahas and guided Hera and Carlo out of the mine.

"It was an honor to carry out the Fourth Daughter's orders to the end."

He staged it as if Hera had ordered him to save Carlo.

After completing all his tasks, the butler closed his eyes there.

Hera didn't cry.

She got out of her wheelchair and limped over, starting to dig the ground with her hands.

It started raining, and raindrops streamed down Hera's face.

"Help me, Carlo. I want to tear you apart right now."

Her fingernails were caked with blood from digging.

Hera took off her coat and covered the butler's grave.

'Idiot.'

Hera didn't want the butler to die.

Although the butler's abilities might have been slightly lacking compared to others, he was one of the only two friends Hera had in the world.

After a long silence, Carlo finally spoke.

"Fourth Daughter Hera, I apologize. I have committed a grave sin. Please forgive me."

A heavy silence followed.

Violet was also afraid of Hera.

She just stayed quiet, which only heightened the tense atmosphere.

"Although he is a reckless scoundrel, he is a direct descendant of Louis Barten. I will spend the rest of my life atoning for this sin. Can you forgive him?"

Then Hera smiled.

"My younger sister is making her debut in society."

"Please just tell me what you want. I will do my best to help. I will invite you to my atelier."

***

After passing through the magic circle, a very spacious area appeared.

The atmosphere was quite different from the lower floors of the Louis Barten headquarters.

'I thought it would be filled with luxuries.'

It was wide but felt like an old workshop.

A few old tables were visible, and various unknown tools were scattered around.

This seemed to be Chief Designer Carlo's workspace.

After passing through the workspace, a neat space appeared.

This place, decorated in white, wasn't as lavish as the lower floors, but it looked like a well-organized showroom.

"Would you like some tea?"

They had a simple tea time.

While drinking warm black tea, Hera spoke.

"However, Chief Designer Carlo, I have your invitation. Why did I have to be guided by Serphon?"

Violet, who was drinking strawberry ade, flinched.

In fact, Violet was also curious.

Why did she have to move with Serphon?

Although Serphon was the second son of the Louis Barten family, he couldn't compare to the reputation and honor of Chief Designer Carlo.

'Huh? Why is she looking at me?'

Violet, who met Hera's eyes, realized.

You tell me, little sister.

That was undoubtedly what she was demanding.

She had let her guard down for a moment.

Yes, this is inside 〈The Shadow of Bellato〉.

Even though Hera is on my side, I can't let my guard down.

Violet pretended to be calm and slowly drank her strawberry ade.

Cold sweat trickled down her back, but she didn't show it.

Hera smiled.

"I didn't mean to test you. I hope you didn't take it the wrong way."

Clack, clack.

Violet slowly drank her strawberry ade while continuing to think.

Her calm (or so it seemed) appearance looked like a killer to Carlo.

"I just wanted to introduce my younger sister to Chief Designer Carlo."

Clack.

Violet put down her empty glass, and both of their gazes focused on her.

"I thought it was strange from the beginning.

That my sister, the owner of Terra Trading Company and the Fourth Daughter of Bellato, would bring an unknown magician. She deliberately brought an incompetent magician and had Ersa take charge of him."

Violet looked at Ersa.

Ersa, who met Violet's eyes, smiled.

"I did my best."

"Even your best isn't enough.

The reason Ersa's harsh training worked was because Cromson had a weak will."

It wouldn't have worked on a magician with a strong will and real self-respect.

"That means, in the end, you found Cromson, a magician who would be susceptible to Ersa's methods. Someone who would seem to crumble and submit in the face of power."

"Of course, you knew."

No.

I just figured it out.

"After choosing such a person, you went to the 7th Shelter. You must have known that Serphon was there."

In the end, Serphon approached and made contact as Hera intended.

"Serphon must have thought, 'Ah, these Bellato people are easy to deal with.'"

Since he didn't know much about Bellato, he would have had to gather information through his attendants.

But the magician accompanying them was in such a state.

He had been overjoyed and rushed down the mountain as soon as he received the money.

A magician from the Magic Tower with no dignity.

"So he let his guard down and treated us more casually. He offered VIP treatment to us, who seemed easy to handle. During this process, Ersa also had some fun."

All of this was possible because he underestimated us, just as Hera intended.

"Everything up to this point was your plan, sister."

As a reader of the story, I could deduce this much.

If I had more time to think, I might have figured out even more.

But the time was too short.

'I don't know.'

I couldn't figure out any more.

'What should I say next?'

A moment felt like an eternity.

After what seemed like an eternity, Violet spoke.