Chapter 66

66

Theodore Valentine was demonstrating in a very orthodox manner what happens when a usually composed person goes mad.

Jen could only struggle to block his flames. Ventus was not a weak spirit, but Serafin’s blue flames were among the higher ranks of elemental powers.

Moreover, fire and wind are opposites. When one side is stronger, the weaker side is bound to be pushed back. And in this case, the weaker side was undoubtedly Jen’s Ventus.

‘I’m going to go crazy…!’

She never thought Theodore Valentine would go this far. She thought he was a man of reason. Now, he was so mad that he couldn’t see anything. He was genuinely trying to overpower her and find out where Lily was.

‘Damn, what should I do? At this rate, I’m going to lose.’

Ventus was howling, unable to withstand Serafin’s fierce flames. He could probably hold on for about five minutes at most. Since she couldn’t defeat Theodore by force, she had to try to persuade him. ……The question was whether he would listen.

‘……I don’t know. I’ll try anyway.’

With that resolve, Jen hurriedly spoke.

“Your Grace Valentine! If you continue like this, I will report this to my father! I won’t forget this either! Do you want to turn the Delacroix into your enemies?! At a time when we need more allies to stand against Everett?!”

Theodore flinched slightly. Finally, he showed a reaction.

That’s it, that’s it! Jen, inwardly moved, continued.

“Didn’t you value your family and territory?! Are your feelings for the Valentine and Veronice so weak that they can be broken by a moment’s impulse?!”

“……”

The flames that seemed to burn forever suddenly faltered. Confusion was visible in Theodore’s eyes. Jen instinctively knew she had won and clenched her fist. She pressed on.

“Isn’t this the Valentine that your brother entrusted to you? If you think of your brother…… please stop. Then I will forget this. I won’t report it to my father either. I’ll make sure to keep people’s mouths shut, so don’t worry. ……Let’s really stop this, Your Grace Valentine. I swear, the duchess is not here.”

Jen’s strategy worked. The blue flames gradually subsided, and Theodore finally calmed his spirit. The flames dissipated, and his face, now fully revealed, was filled with self-loathing.

‘Phew… Thank goodness it worked. It seems he’s finally come to his senses.’

What Theodore Valentine valued more than his own life was his family and territory. Jen knew this very well and used it to her advantage. ……Though it did prick her conscience a bit.

‘After all, I am hiding Lily.’

But what could she do? She had already promised to help her. Even if she didn’t know all the details, Jen believed that Lily had a good reason to flee. Otherwise, a frail person wouldn’t have embarked on such a difficult journey.

Jen comforted the exhausted Ventus and put him to rest. Then she cleared her throat and cautiously approached Theodore. Theodore, with his mouth tightly shut, was staring into space, his face filled with regret. ……But it wasn’t just because he had attacked Jen.

He looked as if he had committed a grave mistake, and he was in great pain.

……Perhaps it was regret for Lily. Jen, inwardly speculating, gently spoke.

“……The reception room is a mess, thanks to you.”

“……”

Serafin’s flames hadn’t burned anything, but the wind Ventus had created to counter them had knocked over furniture and decorations.

As a result, the elegant reception room had turned into a complete mess. One might even call it a garbage dump. And very expensive garbage at that.

“……I’m sorry. The Valentine family will compensate.”

Theodore said this with genuine sincerity. His eyes, now clear, indicated that he had come to his senses. ……How long he would remain sane, however, was uncertain. Jen shuddered, recalling Theodore’s wild and fierce gaze.

“Ah, it’s fine. Compensation is not necessary… This is nothing. The Delacroix are wealthy, as Your Grace knows.”

“……”

There was a subtle hint of sarcasm, as if to say, “And you almost made an enemy of such a wealthy family just now.”

“More importantly, I couldn’t even have breakfast properly because of this. I really want to rest now. I hope Your Grace understands.”

In other words, “The matter is over, so please leave.” Theodore, who had done wrong, couldn’t even point out Jen’s annoying tone and could only nod silently.

Thus, the situation was temporarily resolved.

It wasn’t completely over, and Theodore’s suspicions about Jen hadn’t entirely disappeared.

* * *

“Sure enough, they’re here.”

Jen, who had slightly pulled back the curtain of the carriage to peek outside, said. Thanks to Ventus’ power, which increased the speed of the horses and the carriage, they arrived at the Herman Canal faster than expected, but the group was once again in a crisis.

Theodore and his knights were conducting searches of people boarding the ships.

“I don’t want to say this, but Your Grace Valentine is really persistent. It’s terrifying.”

Jen seemed to have developed a slight phobia of Theodore after his outburst. I nodded in silent agreement, as I too had found Theodore intimidating. Of course, my reasons for fearing him were different from Jen’s.

A few hours earlier. Jen, who had come to pick up Charlotte and me from the basement, looked utterly exhausted.

I felt sorry for her, thinking she must have been so troubled by Theodore. However, the story Jen told me was beyond my imagination.

‘Theodore… attacked you? Even using the power of a spirit?’

……I couldn’t believe it. The Theodore Valentine I knew valued principles. He wasn’t the kind of person to recklessly awaken a spirit to attack someone. Perhaps it would be different if he were facing a villain like Lennon Chester….

‘I never thought the Duke of Valentine would go that far. I was shocked too. But it’s okay! I managed to persuade him to back off!’

……I had a rough idea of how Jen had persuaded Theodore. If I were in her shoes, I would have used the same method. The most important thing to Theodore was his family and territory.

……And I had tarnished the honor of that precious family. Theodore seemed determined not to forgive me. I never thought he would be so angry as to attack Jen with spirit power….

‘Anyway, we should start preparing to leave! I’ll help you get to the Herman Canal. My spirit, Ventus, can increase the speed of the carriage and horses. It’s like a ship catching a favorable wind… Anyway, here, take this first.’

Jen handed Charlotte and me a new transformation magic tool. However, it was a one-time use item. It would last about a week, which was quite long, but compared to the magic tool Owen gave me, it was a bit disappointing. Owen had given me a very precious magic tool.

Owen, who had handed me such a valuable item as if it were nothing… …Did he really think I would be a competent spy, or… …Was he looking forward to the interesting events that would result from the magic tool? Thinking about it now, that seems likely.

‘……You’re lending us a carriage and even giving us a magic tool… And you’re using your spirit’s power to help us. I’m really grateful, Young Duke Delacroix.’

‘Ah, no! I’m doing this because I want to help! In fact… um, ahem, I feel very honored to be able to help Lily…’

Jen, blushing, said this, and Charlotte kept staring at him, which was a bit strange. However, the preparations went smoothly.

First, Charlotte and I transformed into Jen’s maids. The two maids we impersonated were working at the lodge, so it was easy to grasp their specific features.

After completing all the preparations, we left the lodge and arrived at the Herman Canal without any major incidents.

However, a problem arose now that we had to board a ship.

‘If it were a normal search, we wouldn’t be caught…’

After some thought, I turned to Jen and asked casually.

“Young Duke, would the magic power of the magic tool you gave Charlotte and me be easily detected by a magic detector?”