âI need to speak with sir Carlton, right now.â
As soon as the Duke of Gelon returned from the Great Council, he ordered the butler.
The employees who read the anger in his voices bowed their heads deeply and moved hurriedly.
It was not long before Carlton entered the Duke of Gelonâs office.
âI hear youâre here, Your Highness the Duke.â
âYes, Sir Carlton.â
ââ¦.â
Carlton was an excellent knight.
He knew a lot when he entered the Duke of Gelonâs office and heard a single answer.
âItâs not a good sign to have such a calm voice even after drinking strong alcohol.â
Duke Gelonâs anger was at its limit because of what had happened at the Great Council.
Moreover, where his bloodshot eyes were directedâ
âUghâ¦.â
An elderly man who seemed to be about the same age as the Duke of Gelon, had been caught.
It has been a long-standing hobby of Duke Gelon to imprison those who are no longer needed or useful to him in his office.
[âSir Carlton. Doesnât it look good? Bringing traitors into the office to makes the employees more loyal.â]
Carlton remembered what the drunken Duke of Gelon once said.
âThen, did you call me to show your power and gain loyalty through fear?â
Realizing the ownerâs intentions, Carltonâs face hardened even more.
Duke Gelon opened his mouth as he poured a strong drink into a glass filled with ice.
âSir Carlton. Do you know what happened at the Great Council today?â
ââ¦.â
âIt seems that Archduke Prause is anxious to make a lowly person emperor.â
âWhat is thatâ¦.â
âThey talked about Taharâs legitimacy.â
Carlton looked down at the floor.
These days, Gelon and Tahar are not as popular as they used to be because of the achievements of Grand Duchess Prause.
âSir Carlton. In this situation, if Daniel Prause wins the flag battle, wouldnât he become even more arrogant?â
Carlton recalled the package he had received from an unknown sender a while ago.
What was inside was the Fog of Fall processed into pill form.
From the circumstances, it was clear that it was sent by someone who had been ordered by Prince Tahar.
âHow many days did I think about what to do with the pills and whether to really use them?â
But in the end, he made a decision for Gelon.
âIâve taken action, so Iâm sure Iâll win.â
The Duke of Zelon, who captured the subtle guilt in Carltonâs voice, smirked.
âYes. You always work hard for the glory of Gelon. But it wouldnât be bad to be prepared just in case.â
Duke Gelon stretched out his hand and aroused magic.
Then, the man who was scattered around his office lost his mind and was dragged like a magnet.
âThis manâs name is Hound. I had a hard time finding him because he was a commoner. He hides very well.â
âYour Highness, why is this man here?â
To Carltonâs question, Duke Gelon seemed to think for a moment before answering.
âWell. It could be said that it is a sin of misbehaving in educating children.â
ââ¦.â
âIn the northern mountains, there are monks who live in the rugged terrain and worship the gods. Hound is also from there.â
Duke Gelon got up from his seat and squeezed the stunned manâs chin violently.
âThis manâs son married a woman from the same village and gave birth to twins, and he heard during the birth, she abandoned them at the Prause Mansion.â
âThen, as expected, the grand dukeâs childrenâ¦.â
âYes. Iâm sure they are transcendent like Lydia. Lydia also said the other day that the two children had visited her for a while.â
Duke Gelon didnât bother to explain what he had done to get a definite answer from Lydia.
âThe childâs parents seem to have died shortly thereafter, but luckily this man is alive.â
Carlton took another look at Houndâs face.
âIt looks like the two children the Grand Duke was carrying look half and half like their grandfather.â
Carlton did not ask Duke Gelon any questions.
Now Gelon is in trouble because of those who question Taharâs legitimacy.
He knew better than anyone what he had to do.
âI will use this man to bring the transcendent children to me.â
âOkay. You are a magic swordsman, so bringing this will be helpful.â
Carlton was handed a magic scroll and a brooch with heavy magic.
âItâs a scroll that Lydia worked hard for and should be able to control a human of the Houndâs size. Though itâs still unstudied, so it wonât be perfect.â
âThe transcendental ability⦠Did you succeed in putting it on the scroll?â
âStill in development. The gemstones in the brooch are the finest ores secured by the previous Duke of Gelon, so it will be useful for magic.â
Carlton stared at the brooch, which reminded him of dark greenery.
He wondered if he could use an old man to do this.
But he knew he had to make it work, no matter what.
With his mind torn in half, he suddenly remember Lydiaâs back as she dragged her exhausted body toward the bedroom.
* * *
After making Prauseâs debut with a big conference and tea party in the capital, the Prause mansion has become busier than before.
âYour Highness, Grand Duchess. Another invitation has arrived. Everyone must have been impressed by the tea party.â
âThanks for everyoneâs help. Which family is it?â
âFrom the hostess of Count Baines sent it. After the founding festival, she says she wants to serve tea in the garden of the countâs residence.â
âI couldnât refuse an invitation from a noble lady who was interested in the Sacred Tower. Please reply to make an appointment.â
I wanted to read the invitation myself and send a leisurely reply, but I couldnât.
âI hope the kids are okay today.â
Walking while chatting with Lina, I soon arrived at the childrenâs room.
The children, who normally should have fallen into a deep sleep and not even know if someone had entered the room, were looking at me with their eyes wide open.
âFreyâ¦â
âMy body achesâ¦â
I patted Arsene and Damon, who were whining with their lips pouted.
âDoes it hurt more than yesterday?â
âI donât know.â
âI need to take a nap, but I canât sleep.â
I kissed their foreheads.
âDaniel and the doctors who worked for Prause for a long time say that it is common for Transcendentalists to have growing pains before the age of ten.â
âWhat are growing pains?â
Damon whined and asked.
âWell, itâs not a cookie jar or something. It is called growing pains when the body strains to acquire the power of a stronger transcendent.â
âThen will we grow taller?â
Arsene seemed to be most curious about whether or not he was getting bigger.
âAccording to Wizâs record, some Transcendentalists grew two inches taller after growing pains.â
âwoahh!â
âSo you need to eat a lot and sleep well so that your body has strength. Shall we go eat chicken soup after nap time?â
âYes!â
On the outside, I was smiling and soothing the children, but on the inside, I was worried.
âLooking at the records, it seems that the growing pains of a transcendental person usually last about a month.â
These days, Gelon is targeting children.
However, the condition of the children even withered like lettuce that had been pulled out, so I kept having bad thoughts.
Wouldnât now be the perfect time for someone who wants to harm children?
âThey say that when the growing pains are over, the children will become stronger⦠â
There is no direct relationship between the third awakening and growing pains.
Theyâll be stronger, but they wonât be able to defeat their enemies at once like the main characters in .
As I realized the situation, I felt impatient.
âIâll have to increase my divine power training as well since the blessings of the spirits are heavily influenced by the contractorâ¦â
All I could do now was get SSS-level minerals from the Crystal Mine and lend them to my children.
Even if I couldnât combine the three highest-grade minerals, an SSS mineral will be more helpful than nothing.
Thinking that, I was about to get up, but Arsene grabbed the hem of my clothes and smiled.
âFrey.â
âYes.â
âThank you for taking care of me when I was sick. Everyone was busy last timeâ¦â
âAnd they couldnât come because I couldnât control my powersâ¦â
My heart skipped a beat when I heard Damon add in a sullen voice.
When I wasnât there and Daniel was away.
Back then, even though they were young and often sick, no one would have looked after the children so closely.
âBecause before I entered the Prause mansion, everyone treated children like bombs that would explode if touched.â
At least Luke would have been able to accompany them, but as the Master, he was always busy.
So the children seemed awkward and happy to receive this kind of care.
âWell, when I was a child in my previous life, I was most upset about no one taking care of me when I was sick.â
I put aside my thoughts of work for a moment and smiled.
âOf course, I should take care of you. Didnât I promise you?â
ââ¦!â
[âEven though Iâm not your mother, I care about you, so Iâll be with you every day.â]
As I was about to leave the room, I sat on one side of the bed and lay down.
âWhat could be more important than being here with sick children?â
The children also burrowed into my arms as if they remembered the promise I made a long time ago.
A small laugh burst out as I pressed my cheek against their soft cheek.
âLetâs take a nap. Otherwise, I will tickle you.â
âOh.â
âyes.â
They snuggled up against me and closed their eyes tightly.
Soon, I could hear their soothing breathing.
As I watched the peacefulness of their naps, I suddenly felt something heavy in my heart.
and.
â Master, can you feel it?
I could faintly hear the voice of Wiz, who had been practicing for days to give me his blessing.