Chapter 29

Gazing at the door through which Albert and Laura had just left, Carlisle sighed.

“I don’t want to do anything that will make me hate myself…”

Sending a young girl, who is not yet of age, to the battlefield, driven by a sense of responsibility to her hometown, is truly the worst thing to do.

“—Why does Master Carlisle, even to the point of self-loathing, send Laura to the battlefield?”

Fylbus, who was still in the room, asked.

“It’s for Albert.”

“Albert?”

“I think Albert is like a kite with its string cut.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has no clear will or feelings of his own. He drifts with the wind—arriving here as he is. That’s why he’s here. It’s uncertain how long he will stay.”

“Yeah… I can see that about him.”

“Laura is the one who anchors and guides him. If Albert is the kite, Laura is the string. It’s better to have her to guide Albert in the right direction.”

“I see…”

Fylbus chuckled.

“To do that, just for that, you’re sending a fifteen-year-old girl—still an inexperienced magician—to the battlefield. You’re a bad guy!”

“That’s why I said I’m in self-loathing.”

Carlisle sighed again.

He doesn’t want to send a girl to such a large-scale battle—one that they might lose.

But our hero is still not awake.

Therefore, Laura’s presence is necessary.

“But still… it’s not all bad for Laura.”

Fylbus continued the conversation.

“There’s the matter of the village, but Laura has talent. She also has a strong desire to improve. The battlefield is where she can hone her skills. If she returns safely, it will be a valuable asset.”

“There are some concerns about that, though…”

Carlisle placed his hand on his forehead.

“Concerns?”

“Laura has talent. Quite a lot of it. Want to hear an interesting story, Fylbus?”

“What is it? Spit it out.”

“The kingdom values the white-haired talent from Laura’s village. Therefore, there are records of magicians from the village dating back to ancient times.”

“Hmm?”

“Looking through those records—Laura’s white hair is overwhelmingly white, even compared to the past.”

“You mean that snow-white hair?”

“Yes. It’s like the return of the Witch of Calamity.”

The records state that the white-haired talent from the village has stronger magic the whiter their hair is.

Laura, with her snow-white hair, has the potential of the Witch of Calamity—

Fylbus laughed heartily.

“You’re overthinking it, Carlisle! Laura has a good personality and excels in her studies! She won’t become like the Witch of Calamity!”

“I hope so too.”

The existence meant to guide the hero turning into a calamity is a dark joke that Carlisle doesn’t want.

But Carlisle knows that a person’s character, life, and destiny can change with just a small event.

He sincerely hopes that Fylbus’s denial will become reality.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

“Come in.”

Following his father’s words, Arrancia entered the study.

On the other side of the large desk sat her father, the head of the Luminous family. Arrancia stood before him.

“I have come to bid farewell, Father. Arrancia Luminous will depart tomorrow to follow the king’s orders.”

Her father nodded vigorously.

“Bring us victory, Arrancia. The king has high expectations of you, which is why he appointed you as the commander-in-chief. Make sure to eliminate the lizards completely.”

“I will not fail you.”

Arrancia smiled without a trace of solemnity. It was a face that only someone who sees nothing but light in their future and cannot even fathom failure could make.

As her father said, Arrancia was appointed to command the lizard hunt.

The kingdom has assembled a large army to crush the settlement.

Even for a family of marquises, it’s unusual for someone as young as twenty-five to lead such a force.

Yet, the king entrusted this to Arrancia, expecting the prodigious talent of the top graduate from a prestigious school to continue to shine.

The message from the king was clear.

—Succeed. With this success, no one can criticize you. In the future, I will entrust you with important positions in the country.

Upon completing this mission, Arrancia will soar even higher.

Of course, her father, the head of the family, is well aware of this.

“—At the same time as your triumphant return, I will formally announce the heir. Of course, it will be you, Arrancia. Bring victory and glory to the Luminous family.”

The grand party held a short while ago was to inform everyone of the king’s decision to appoint Arrancia and to subtly announce that she was the designated head of the Luminous family.

And—

Next, it will be announced grandly with a resounding success that everyone will envy.

This will undoubtedly elevate the reputation of the Luminous family—of Arrancia.

It will inform the nobles of which family will be at the center of the next era.

Arrancia smiled.

“Thank you. I will fulfill my duties to meet your expectations, Father.”

Then, she turned and was about to leave the room.

Arrancia never thought she would fail.

Because she had never failed in her life.

It was as if her clumsy brother had taken on all of Arrancia’s failures for her.

(Oh… thinking about it, he did have a purpose in being born…)

Arrancia thought of her dull-witted brother, whom she would never see again, and a dark laugh rolled in her throat.