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IBP 57
Chloe wrapped the area in darkness and completely extinguished the fire.
Immediately after, she lifted me up.
I waved my hands with an aggrieved expression.
“I didn’t cause any trouble...”
“...This is exactly what causing trouble looks like.”
Chloe said as she meticulously checked my hands.
“No burns. Maybe because you were close to the fire?”
“...?”
Why is she suddenly talking about burns?
“Let’s go home quickly.”
I tilted my head and pointed toward the cabin.
“But Master Belief is over there!”
“...Master Belief?”
It was right then.
As if hearing the thunderous roar of teleportation magic being cast, Belief opened the door of the cabin and stepped out.
“...Coco? What is happening?”
He had a hollow expression and disheveled hair, but Belief was still Belief.
Chloe muttered with a somewhat bewildered look.
“I... greet you, Lord Belief? But...”
“Hmm?”
“You... can speak?”
“Ah, it turned out that way.”
I beamed brightly as I watched Belief rub the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I helped him!”
After hearing the detailed circumstances from me, Chloe looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“So you’ve been active again, Coco.”
“...Is that how it works?”
“Yes. I feel like this is a matter that shouldn't be kept only between us.”
Then, Belief spoke in a low voice.
“...I had been thinking that I should see my brother for a moment anyway.”
I blinked, not knowing what my sister was planning.
A few dozen minutes later.
Belief, now dressed in clean clothes, along with me and Chloe, teleported away all at once.
* * *
Inside the grand conference hall.
Lucrezia Ardos was engaged in a pleasant conversation with the priests she had personally brought.
“Therefore, I mean that the people of the family have benefited greatly thanks to all of you.”
“We are happy to be able to serve in this way.”
Glancing at the priest's innocent expression, she soon straightened her neck stiffly.
“What do you think, Your Grace the Duke?”
Duke Ardos, who had been observing the conversation with a disinterested expression, replied.
“What about it? Buff-type ability users are valuable assets to the family. That is how I view it.”
Lucrezia's gaze toward Duke Ardos became subtle.
“...It seems a few of the priests have leaned toward Duke Ardos.”
“What?”
“They said that regardless of whether Lady Lucrezia is present, they wish to serve this family often. I wonder what exactly the Duke said to persuade them. About four of them, in fact.”
There were those who had fallen for Duke Ardos's silver tongue.
Lucrezia's complexion twisted uncomfortably.
However, it didn't matter if four of them switched sides.
She had brought ten priests here.
Do you know how much money she had spent to line their pockets?
'It's almost to the point where it'll be difficult to properly embezzle slush funds in the future.'
But she could bear it if she thought of it as the price for getting her daughter away from Duke Ardos.
After a moment, Lucrezia dismissed the priests and got to the point with Duke Ardos.
“Unfortunately, it seems that for now, there is a severe lack of buff-type ability users who can contribute to the family.”
“....”
“As you know, buff-type ability users are in a precious state even outside the family, are they not?”
“Are you speaking of the monster war?”
“Yes. I hear that magical beasts appear frequently even in the capital these days. Is your eldest son not also drafted to the Imperial Palace?”
“Do not bring that child's name up.”
At that piercing gaze, even the confidently speaking Lucrezia instinctively tucked her tail.
“Regardless, the priests I brought are quite necessary, are they not?”
Duke Ardos's brow furrowed further.
“What I want is simple, Your Grace. Please let me take my daughter back to the mansion.”
“If she did something wrong, she must be punished, and if there is a problem, should it not be requested of Grand Duke Rivera?”
“Then I suppose the priests will have to leave.”
“Are you daring to threaten me, Madame?”
“Threaten? I am making a reasonable proposal to Your Grace. As you know, we are in an era where those with supernatural abilities become the strength of a family. Being granted a strong ability will be important in the long run, so if you wish to keep the priests for a long time, you must listen to my opinion.”
Lucrezia declared arrogantly.
“There is no other alternative, Your Grace.”
* * *
In front of Duke Ardos's office.
Holding onto my master's hand tightly, I knocked on the door.
'It would have been better if I came with sister.'
...Sister stepped back, saying that this was a matter for just me and Belief to report directly.
I heard Duke Ardos's voice, sounding even older than he did a few days ago.
“Come in.”
Belief hesitated as he was about to open the door.
His expression was a mixture of complex emotions.
“Now that I'm actually about to see my brother, it doesn't feel real. I'm embarrassed, too. I haven't visited for years, haven't held a title in the family, and barely functioned as a human being...”
“Umm, you know, Master!”
“...?”
“Duke Ardos likes anyone who is capable! He'll probably say, 'Kahaha! A truly useful talent has rolled in on his own! Now I'll make him work 24 hours a day!'”
Belief chuckled softly at my impression.
“Ah, yes, that is far more comforting than saying my brother has some delusional affection for me. My brother is a meritocrat. He won't cast me out.”
Belief rubbed his palms together several times with a nervous expression and finally opened the door.
I hopped inside first.
“It's me! I'm back!”
“Oh, right. Did that rascal Belief kick you out? Anyway, I'll get you another tutor...”
“Brother, it is I, Belief. I have come along as well.”
Duke Ardos and Belief.
The two brothers locked eyes.
In that moment, Duke Ardos bolted upright like a spring.
“Belief? What brings you here. No, more importantly.”
“I am sorry for making you worry all this time, Brother.”
“You, you, you, why have you returned as a human being after being a total wreck...”
Belief scratched the back of his neck and muttered.
“Yes, I... I can speak properly now. And, well, I intend to venture out from the vicinity of the cabin now.”
Duke Ardos's mouth fell open.
“The degenerate has been reformed and returned? In three days?”
“Yes, that's how it happened.”
He stared at his younger brother as if seeing a ghost, then let out a sigh.
“You brat, have you finally come to your senses? How on earth?”
“Yes. My disciple helped me come to my senses.”
“Disciple? Who is it? Bring them here quickly. I shall give them a proper reward...!”
At that moment, I proudly tilted my chin up and answered.
“It's me!”
“...Eh? Coco?”
“Yes, Brother. Coco helped me. Therefore, I intend to take her as my disciple and raise her well.”
Duke Ardos looked back and forth between me and Belief with an incredulous expression.
Then, as if unable to believe it, he flopped back down into his office chair.
“Right. What on earth happened? Tell me everything.”
Only then did Belief explain everything that had happened until now.
From the moment I went to his cabin, all the way to the training.
Duke Ardos listened to the whole story, sometimes bursting into laughter and sometimes tearing up.
He even flew into a rage at the part where Belief said he didn't visit the ducal residence because he 'thought he was under a curse that made him unable to speak.'
“What kind of pathetic curse is that? Curse or not, why does that even matter!”
“Everyone had grown afraid of me due to past events, so I thought it was better for me to be absent from the family.”
“Tsk, those spineless cowards...”
Duke Ardos muttered softly.
“Anyway, welcome back, you brat.”
Then, Duke Ardos looked at me.
“You commendable child.”
His eyes now held a look of genuine emotion.
'This is overwhelming.'
I only did this to save my sister...
'...I guess the scale of this has grown quite a bit, hasn't it?'
But since the scale has already grown!
I asked with sparkling eyes.
“Um, about the priests Lady Lucrezia brought.”
“Hmm?”
“Aren't they unnecessary now?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The servants said so! They said Master is the strongest of the buff-type! So they said everyone would become incredibly strong if they went through Master's hands...”
In that instant, the corners of Duke Ardos's mouth twisted.
“Right, that's true. Belief, you've returned at the perfect time.”
Where did the touching reunion between brothers go?
Only a wicked head of the family remained, eyes gleaming with the sole intention of squeezing every bit of labor out of his subordinate.
“Brother, your eyes have gone crazy...”
“Belief, you brat. Since you've returned, you're naturally prepared to serve the family, right?”
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