Chapter 13

Erhardt frowned, then bent his knees when he realized his interlocutor was a child.

"I'm sorry."

When he extended his hand, the child opened their eyes.

The child had strikingly clear green eyes, and Erhardt's eyes widened for a moment.

"Thank you."

The child got up with Erhardt's support.

"By the way, who are you, sir?"

"Oh, I'm just a... sir."

Ante muttered, dazed.

'Looks like the Duke doesn't know who he is.'

Even if the Duke, who was a personality disorder, wouldn't harm a child, anything could happen. Just as Ante was about to step in and stop the child,

"Are you here to adopt a child?"

The child's words made both of them hesitate.

"......Yes, that's right."

"Of course! The children are in the director's office now!"

"Director?"

"Yes! You want the children with black hair and red eyes, right? All five of them are there."

The child smiled brightly, their innocent face clear.

"......It seems the director is here."

Erhardt muttered.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. But I can tell it's making me feel really bad."

Erhardt muttered and lowered his gaze again.

"Thank you for telling me."

"No problem!"

The girl, who had smiled brightly, bowed and stepped away.

'What a strange child.'

Ante watched the girl's retreating back for a moment.

It was the first time he had seen a child who didn't burst into tears upon seeing the Duke.

No, there was one other person.

Someone who didn't even blink when they saw the Duke.

'But that was all in the past.'

Ante cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts and turned his head again.

* * *

It was noisy outside. Damian slowly opened his eyes.

His body felt heavy. He had never felt like this before...

As he panted, he saw a sun-like golden hair.

It was Ely.

She must have stayed by his side. A faint smile appeared on Damian's lips.

"Ely..."

He called her name with a strained voice, and Ely stroked his cheek with a worried look.

Her touch felt so good that Damian closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against her hand.

"Ely's hand feels cool."

"Does my hand feel cool?"

"Mm-hmm..."

Damian nodded like a spoiled child.

Ely smiled faintly. It was a very painful and bitter smile, but Damian, who was feverish, didn't notice.

"Damian, you don't have to be in pain anymore."

Ely muttered softly to herself.

"Your family has come."

Damian slowly blinked, not understanding what she meant.

At that moment, the noisy door opened, and someone rushed in.

It was a large man, like a monster.

The man had deep-set eyes, black hair with a reddish tinge, and an overwhelming presence.

Behind him, the caregivers stood with flustered expressions.

It was a familiar sight to Damian.

When he killed all the monsters, the audience in the arena often showed such expressions.

'...Is this a dream?'

Damian blinked dazedly. Between his disheveled black hair, his piercing blue eyes were visible.

'I heard it was a boy, but why is there a girl...?'

When Ante saw those eyes, he glanced at the Duke and swallowed hard.

He tried to maintain his composure, but the Duke's expression was something he had never seen on the battlefield.

No, he had seen it once.

When the Lady passed away.

'I didn't think he would ever show that expression again.'

Ante looked at the Duke with a tense face and then lowered his gaze.

Moreover, there was a small girl next to the boy.

It was the blonde girl who had bumped into the Duke.

The innocence that had called him 'sir' was gone from her face.

She had a calm expression, as if she had accepted a long wait.

As if she knew the boy they were looking for was this one.

Erhardt's eyes narrowed sharply.

If it were any other child, they would have burst into tears or fainted.

But the girl didn't even blink and stood up calmly, indicating she would move aside.

At that moment,

Damian, who had wobbled as he stood up, blocked Ely's front.

The child, who hadn't flinched when people's gazes fell on him, stepped in front of the girl the moment their eyes met.

Wobbling, but not retreating.

Like a fierce beast protecting its master.

Ely's eyes widened in surprise.

'Oh no.'

The first button was wrongly fastened. Just as Ante was about to step in and mediate,

"The situation is serious."

The Duke's indifferent words fell like a thin layer of ice over the tense atmosphere.

"What do you think you're protecting in that state?"

At the Duke's words, Damian bit his lip. He wanted to argue, but only a strained breath came out.

At that moment,

A faint blue light began to seep from the Duke's embrace.

For the first time, a crack appeared in the Duke's indifferent expression as he took out something and threw it at Damian.

It was a small stone. The moment Damian caught it, the stone began to glow brighter.

The room filled with a vivid blue light, which gradually faded. Ante struggled to suppress his exclamation.

'He found him.'

The long-sought son of Duke Claidor was right in front of him.

Damian slowly blinked, not understanding the situation.

At that moment, Damian's body wobbled.

"Damian!"

Ely quickly embraced Damian. His body, which had gone limp, didn't respond even when she called his name several times.

"There's no need to worry."

Erhardt said in a calm, emotionless voice.

"The stolen mana is just being reabsorbed. It will actually help build his strength."

Ely blinked and raised her hand to touch Damian's forehead.

Indeed, the burning heat was gradually subsiding.

'So, that child really is Duke Claidor's son?'

The teachers, who had watched the entire situation, began to tremble.

"It seems we've found the child."

Erhardt muttered, his gaze fixed on Damian.

"Then, why is the child in such a state? Let's hear an explanation."

"......!"

"If the answer isn't satisfactory, it would be better to bite your tongue and die."

The teachers clamped their mouths shut at the Duke's declaration.

The oppressive presence that could silence a person with a single word. They had said that no one could speak in front of it.

'Just as described in the books.'

Ely stared blankly at the Duke.

At that moment, the Duke's gaze fell on Ely. She involuntarily shuddered.

The Duke, who had been looking at Ely with unwavering eyes, finally spoke.