Episode 99. The Wolf Clan’s Child Should Not Be Born
The Duke of Rodwell’s funeral was held very quietly.
Only about ten nobles, including Isabelle, were standing around the Duke’s family graveyard.
Even his grandson, the Grand Duke of Rustis, said that he would arrive a few days later due to a sudden fever.
Isabelle said that she was so shocked by the Duke’s sudden death that she couldn’t tell anyone.
However, everyone noticed.
They didn’t attend the funeral for fear of getting on the Emperor’s bad side.
“Still, I’m surprised that not a single person from the House of Nobles came.”
“They must have all gone to His Majesty’s banquet. It’s a place to welcome the Papal Inspectorate, of all people.”
“His Majesty must have chosen today on purpose. To ask them to choose one of the two.”
“That’s too much. He was the head of the House of Nobles, but he’s being given such a shabby funeral.”
“This is not the time to worry about others. We should hurry back.”
It’s strange. The quieter the words, the easier it was to hear.
Their murmurings reached Isabelle’s ears.
Even though she didn’t want to hear them, she could hear them as if they were whispering in her ear.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Even on the day they buried her husband, the former Emperor, people had been paying attention to the new Emperor.
Still, back then, she had the solid support of her father and the nobles.
With their help, she believed that she would one day be able to regain her former glory.
If she could just uncover the truth about the former Emperor’s murder, she would be able to put her son, who had been banished to the outskirts, back on the throne.
But Jan was more cunning and vicious than she had thought.
In the end, even her father...
Jan Valencia!
I’ll tear you to pieces at any cost!
“If you’re that determined to live, I wouldn’t mind going to the battlefield right now.”
Isabelle quickly turned around.
Before she knew it, it was getting dark, and there were no people in the cemetery.
There was only a tall man standing alone behind a tree.
He bowed briefly to Isabelle, his hood pulled down deep on his head.
“I need to meet Leana.”
“Have you decided to be on my side?”
“I don’t really like taking sides. But I think it would be good to sort things out before going to Russwolf.”
Isabelle’s expression brightened.
“That’s enough.”
Christine, who had insisted on going to Russwolf, eventually returned to Greenhill.
Adele had persuaded him to take Leana with him, but he was also a little curious.
The child’s origin.
The story of the child’s father, who had the same face as him.
And he felt he couldn’t keep Jan alive any longer.
The nobles had turned their backs on Isabelle too easily, and an investigator had been dispatched from the Vatican, so it was dangerous to leave him like that.
Yes, this was by no means about helping the Duke of Rodwell or Leana.
However, the two who returned to the dukedom heard something unexpected.
“What, you came from the imperial family?”
As Isabelle’s voice grew louder, the chamberlain and servants were taken aback and didn’t know what to do.
“No matter how hard we tried to stop them, they barged in without warning, so there was nothing we could do.”
Isabelle couldn’t hold back her boiling anger.
Not only did they hold a banquet for her father’s funeral, but they barged into her house while she was out.
Without any prior notice!
Even if he was the Emperor, if her father were alive, this was something she wouldn’t have dared to imagine.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“That’s... It seems like we all suddenly fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, they were gone, and that child...”
Before the chamberlain could finish speaking, Isabelle ran up to the second floor in one breath.
The room where Leana had been staying was empty.
“Nonsense... This can’t be happening!”
As she screamed, the chamberlain who had followed her spoke with a face that looked like he was about to cry.
“We don’t know what happened either. It’s not like we were possessed by a ghost. We all just fell asleep together. He had burns on half his face. His eyes didn’t look human either...”
“He was hit by magic.”
Isabelle turned around at Christine's voice.
"Magic?"
"Kenny. The Emperor's magician. The Emperor needs a top-class magician right now, so I think he took Leana."
Leaning against the doorway, Christine looked around the room.
Judging by the way everything was in order, Leana seemed to have followed along obediently.
“Why does the Emperor need a top-level wizard?”
“Let’s talk about that after I bring the child.”
Instead of answering, he pulled his hood down again and left the room.
Imperial banquet hall.
The Emperor’s banquet was over before it was even early evening.
This was because the top-level priest who had been dispatched as an investigator from the Vatican openly disliked the banquet.
He did not touch the food at all, and often embarrassed the nobles who approached him and spoke to him.
As a result, the atmosphere quickly became frozen, and the nobles returned home one by one.
“I heard that the war in Kalime ended not long ago, but everyone seems to be very relaxed.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Although it was clear that he was being sarcastic, Jan responded with the most gentle expression and kindness possible.
The investigator, named Maurice, was a young priest who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had white skin and a pretty face, almost like a young boy.
However, next to him was the Pope’s scepter. As the Pope’s representative, it meant that he had the full trust of the Vatican.
“Then, can I tell you my business? I don’t have time.”
This was the banquet hall. The atmosphere in the banquet hall had cooled down, but people were still chatting.
“Everyone, leave.”
Jan ordered his servants to send the people out.
Now, the two of them were alone in the bustling banquet hall.
“I heard that Your Majesty’s soldiers swept through the Bluegale Forest a few days ago.”
“They were there to catch traitors.”
“But they found a wolf clan there. They were brown wolves who were dying.”
Did Stone end up being caught by them?
“Actually, the traitor was a wolf clan. That’s why we were planning to arrest them and hand them over to the Vatican.”
Maurice lifted the glass from the table and quietly brought it to his lips.
He smiled strangely.
Jan became nervous without realizing it during that short moment.
How much did the Vatican know?
“A tattoo was found on the brown wolf’s body. ST Stone Oswald has a habit of carving those initials.”
Damn!
“And I know he is the one who is supposed to be the groom.”
Maurice’s eyes seemed to see through all of Jan’s thoughts. That’s why he broke out in a cold sweat.
“That was before we knew he was a wolf clan. That’s why we tried to arrest him.”
“Thank goodness. He was before the Princess’s marriage.”
“That’s right.”
He shook the glass lightly. The clear liquid sloshed and bubbled. He looked at it as if it was interesting, then stopped his glass and asked,
“I heard a rumor that the Princess is pregnant.”
Jan jumped up.
“Absolutely not! What kind of a bastard would come up with such a rumor!”
Maurice’s expression turned cold.
“We will take the Princess for the time being.”
“Why the child?”
Maurice said, firmly putting down his glass.
“If she is pregnant with a wolf clan child... we shouldn’t let her be born.”
“I said no! We just talked about marriage! There was absolutely no unpleasantness...”
Then Jan stopped talking. The more he talked, the colder Maurice’s expression became.
Such a creepy coolness on such a young face.
“Please hand her over to the Vatican to put an end to the unpleasant rumors. If there are no problems, I will send her back soon. It is the Pope’s decision, so please follow it.”
This meant that it was an order from the Vatican.
If he did not follow it, he had to be prepared to confront the Vatican.
Even though he was the Emperor of a country, Jan could not easily disobey.
“And find another member of the wolf clan.”
Jan flinched and raised his head.
“Another member of the wolf clan?”
“The brown wolf had a wound from being attacked by the clan. That must mean there was definitely another wolf clan in that forest. I think Your Majesty might know.”
You raccoon!
Jan cursed inwardly, but on the other hand, he was delighted.
What he was most worried about right now was Christine joining hands with Isabelle.
But if the Vatican were to eliminate him...
“I will search as much as I can.”
But he did not reveal his true feelings rashly.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The carriage carrying Leana entered the palace.
“Is this the palace?”
She asked, looking at the endlessly splendid gardens and the massive marble buildings.
As the day grew dark, lights came on throughout the gardens, and hundreds of ornate windows shone like jewels.
If the Vatican was a grand and solemn man, the Imperial Palace was like a beautifully adorned woman.
“Yes, His Majesty wants to see you very much.”
“Why?”
Leana stared at him intently, and Kenny, who was across from her, unconsciously lowered his hood.
No one had ever looked at his ugly appearance so openly before.
Especially girls of her age, they would often scream and run away.
“I need your abilities. If you help His Majesty, I will protect you safely from the Vatican.”
A thin sneer passed over Leana’s pretty face.
“Hia Majesty can’t defeat the Vatican.”
“How rude!”
Kenny shouted, his face already fierce, but Leana didn’t look scared at all.
Instead, she glared at him and said.
“You were the one who committed the insolence by coming into the house where there was no owner and kidnapping me.”
Kenny was speechless for a moment.
“Have you forgotten that you followed me obediently?”
“If I hadn’t, the people there might have been hurt. Well, that’s what happened.”
Leana shrugged and looked out the carriage window again.
His Majesty is looking for you.
At those words, Leana had obediently followed Kenny.
She knew that he was a high-level magician who could put all the servants of the Duke’s house to sleep.
In fact, Leana couldn’t control her power properly right now.
If she had resisted and argued, she might have hurt the servants of the Duke’s house.
It was terrible to see people being sacrificed again because of her.
“Huh?”
Leana, who was looking out the window, looked back at Kenny in wonder.
The carriage carrying her had passed the splendid and beautiful main palace and was heading towards a dark place.
There were hardly any lights illuminating the road, and no one could be seen passing by.
“We’re going to the Black Castle in the north.”
Where Kenny’s gaze was directed, there was only a tall, dark castle standing.
It looked like a giant monster in the darkness.
“Aren’t we going to meet His Majesty?”
“We’re coming that way. The priests of the Vatican are here right now.”
“...!”
“It’ll be difficult to meet them, right?”
“Is that the child?”
Leana, who was getting out of the carriage, turned around at the heavy voice.
The middle-aged man with a sharp expression was dressed very extravagantly, as if he had just come from a banquet.
“Greetings. Your Majesty.”
Kenny bowed his head as he spoke, but Leana just stared at Jan.
Jan furrowed his brow at her bold gaze.
Those arrogant blue-gray eyes reminded him of someone.
“What are you doing? Bow your head!”
Jan waved his hand at Kenny’s shout.
“Enough. Is it true that you ruined the Vatican?”
“It’s just a rumor.”
“It doesn’t matter. I wish you could use your abilities to help me.”
“Does the palace need odd jobs?”
“What?”
“I was an odd job at the Vatican. Then I got sick of it and ran away. When Your Majesty said he needed my help.”
Jan looked at Kenny with a face that asked what was going on.
“She’s a top-tier wizard, Your Majesty. This kid was where the mana was moving abnormally.”
Leana made a dumbfounded expression.
“A top-tier wizard? Where did I look?”
When she suddenly changed her attitude, Kenny shouted.
“This kid is lying!”
But Leana’s face turned adorably pale.
“I thought I was getting a job at the palace again, so I was happy for no reason. Then, if you don’t need odd jobs, I guess I should go.”
Leana turned around, leaving the two behind.
Swish!
Something flew from behind her.
At that moment, Leana unconsciously raised her strength.
WHACK!
The flame that Kenny had thrown landed in front of Leana, and she was no longer there.
Sssss...
Leana reappeared about 100 meters away, at the entrance to the Black Castle.
“...!”
And then she encountered a man approaching from the opposite direction.
A familiar face, but one she never wanted to meet.
“Is this what an unexpected encounter is like?”
“Maurice...”
The Duke of Rodwell’s funeral was held very quietly.
Only about ten nobles, including Isabelle, were standing around the Duke’s family graveyard.
Even his grandson, the Grand Duke of Rustis, said that he would arrive a few days later due to a sudden fever.
Isabelle said that she was so shocked by the Duke’s sudden death that she couldn’t tell anyone.
However, everyone noticed.
They didn’t attend the funeral for fear of getting on the Emperor’s bad side.
“Still, I’m surprised that not a single person from the House of Nobles came.”
“They must have all gone to His Majesty’s banquet. It’s a place to welcome the Papal Inspectorate, of all people.”
“His Majesty must have chosen today on purpose. To ask them to choose one of the two.”
“That’s too much. He was the head of the House of Nobles, but he’s being given such a shabby funeral.”
“This is not the time to worry about others. We should hurry back.”
It’s strange. The quieter the words, the easier it was to hear.
Their murmurings reached Isabelle’s ears.
Even though she didn’t want to hear them, she could hear them as if they were whispering in her ear.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Even on the day they buried her husband, the former Emperor, people had been paying attention to the new Emperor.
Still, back then, she had the solid support of her father and the nobles.
With their help, she believed that she would one day be able to regain her former glory.
If she could just uncover the truth about the former Emperor’s murder, she would be able to put her son, who had been banished to the outskirts, back on the throne.
But Jan was more cunning and vicious than she had thought.
In the end, even her father...
Jan Valencia!
I’ll tear you to pieces at any cost!
“If you’re that determined to live, I wouldn’t mind going to the battlefield right now.”
Isabelle quickly turned around.
Before she knew it, it was getting dark, and there were no people in the cemetery.
There was only a tall man standing alone behind a tree.
He bowed briefly to Isabelle, his hood pulled down deep on his head.
“I need to meet Leana.”
“Have you decided to be on my side?”
“I don’t really like taking sides. But I think it would be good to sort things out before going to Russwolf.”
Isabelle’s expression brightened.
“That’s enough.”
Christine, who had insisted on going to Russwolf, eventually returned to Greenhill.
Adele had persuaded him to take Leana with him, but he was also a little curious.
The child’s origin.
The story of the child’s father, who had the same face as him.
And he felt he couldn’t keep Jan alive any longer.
The nobles had turned their backs on Isabelle too easily, and an investigator had been dispatched from the Vatican, so it was dangerous to leave him like that.
Yes, this was by no means about helping the Duke of Rodwell or Leana.
***
However, the two who returned to the dukedom heard something unexpected.
“What, you came from the imperial family?”
As Isabelle’s voice grew louder, the chamberlain and servants were taken aback and didn’t know what to do.
“No matter how hard we tried to stop them, they barged in without warning, so there was nothing we could do.”
Isabelle couldn’t hold back her boiling anger.
Not only did they hold a banquet for her father’s funeral, but they barged into her house while she was out.
Without any prior notice!
Even if he was the Emperor, if her father were alive, this was something she wouldn’t have dared to imagine.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“That’s... It seems like we all suddenly fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, they were gone, and that child...”
Before the chamberlain could finish speaking, Isabelle ran up to the second floor in one breath.
The room where Leana had been staying was empty.
“Nonsense... This can’t be happening!”
As she screamed, the chamberlain who had followed her spoke with a face that looked like he was about to cry.
“We don’t know what happened either. It’s not like we were possessed by a ghost. We all just fell asleep together. He had burns on half his face. His eyes didn’t look human either...”
“He was hit by magic.”
Isabelle turned around at Christine's voice.
"Magic?"
"Kenny. The Emperor's magician. The Emperor needs a top-class magician right now, so I think he took Leana."
Leaning against the doorway, Christine looked around the room.
Judging by the way everything was in order, Leana seemed to have followed along obediently.
“Why does the Emperor need a top-level wizard?”
“Let’s talk about that after I bring the child.”
Instead of answering, he pulled his hood down again and left the room.
***
Imperial banquet hall.
The Emperor’s banquet was over before it was even early evening.
This was because the top-level priest who had been dispatched as an investigator from the Vatican openly disliked the banquet.
He did not touch the food at all, and often embarrassed the nobles who approached him and spoke to him.
As a result, the atmosphere quickly became frozen, and the nobles returned home one by one.
“I heard that the war in Kalime ended not long ago, but everyone seems to be very relaxed.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Although it was clear that he was being sarcastic, Jan responded with the most gentle expression and kindness possible.
The investigator, named Maurice, was a young priest who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had white skin and a pretty face, almost like a young boy.
However, next to him was the Pope’s scepter. As the Pope’s representative, it meant that he had the full trust of the Vatican.
“Then, can I tell you my business? I don’t have time.”
This was the banquet hall. The atmosphere in the banquet hall had cooled down, but people were still chatting.
“Everyone, leave.”
Jan ordered his servants to send the people out.
Now, the two of them were alone in the bustling banquet hall.
“I heard that Your Majesty’s soldiers swept through the Bluegale Forest a few days ago.”
“They were there to catch traitors.”
“But they found a wolf clan there. They were brown wolves who were dying.”
Did Stone end up being caught by them?
“Actually, the traitor was a wolf clan. That’s why we were planning to arrest them and hand them over to the Vatican.”
Maurice lifted the glass from the table and quietly brought it to his lips.
He smiled strangely.
Jan became nervous without realizing it during that short moment.
How much did the Vatican know?
“A tattoo was found on the brown wolf’s body. ST Stone Oswald has a habit of carving those initials.”
Damn!
“And I know he is the one who is supposed to be the groom.”
Maurice’s eyes seemed to see through all of Jan’s thoughts. That’s why he broke out in a cold sweat.
“That was before we knew he was a wolf clan. That’s why we tried to arrest him.”
“Thank goodness. He was before the Princess’s marriage.”
“That’s right.”
He shook the glass lightly. The clear liquid sloshed and bubbled. He looked at it as if it was interesting, then stopped his glass and asked,
“I heard a rumor that the Princess is pregnant.”
Jan jumped up.
“Absolutely not! What kind of a bastard would come up with such a rumor!”
Maurice’s expression turned cold.
“We will take the Princess for the time being.”
“Why the child?”
Maurice said, firmly putting down his glass.
“If she is pregnant with a wolf clan child... we shouldn’t let her be born.”
“I said no! We just talked about marriage! There was absolutely no unpleasantness...”
Then Jan stopped talking. The more he talked, the colder Maurice’s expression became.
Such a creepy coolness on such a young face.
“Please hand her over to the Vatican to put an end to the unpleasant rumors. If there are no problems, I will send her back soon. It is the Pope’s decision, so please follow it.”
This meant that it was an order from the Vatican.
If he did not follow it, he had to be prepared to confront the Vatican.
Even though he was the Emperor of a country, Jan could not easily disobey.
“And find another member of the wolf clan.”
Jan flinched and raised his head.
“Another member of the wolf clan?”
“The brown wolf had a wound from being attacked by the clan. That must mean there was definitely another wolf clan in that forest. I think Your Majesty might know.”
You raccoon!
Jan cursed inwardly, but on the other hand, he was delighted.
What he was most worried about right now was Christine joining hands with Isabelle.
But if the Vatican were to eliminate him...
“I will search as much as I can.”
But he did not reveal his true feelings rashly.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
***
The carriage carrying Leana entered the palace.
“Is this the palace?”
She asked, looking at the endlessly splendid gardens and the massive marble buildings.
As the day grew dark, lights came on throughout the gardens, and hundreds of ornate windows shone like jewels.
If the Vatican was a grand and solemn man, the Imperial Palace was like a beautifully adorned woman.
“Yes, His Majesty wants to see you very much.”
“Why?”
Leana stared at him intently, and Kenny, who was across from her, unconsciously lowered his hood.
No one had ever looked at his ugly appearance so openly before.
Especially girls of her age, they would often scream and run away.
“I need your abilities. If you help His Majesty, I will protect you safely from the Vatican.”
A thin sneer passed over Leana’s pretty face.
“Hia Majesty can’t defeat the Vatican.”
“How rude!”
Kenny shouted, his face already fierce, but Leana didn’t look scared at all.
Instead, she glared at him and said.
“You were the one who committed the insolence by coming into the house where there was no owner and kidnapping me.”
Kenny was speechless for a moment.
“Have you forgotten that you followed me obediently?”
“If I hadn’t, the people there might have been hurt. Well, that’s what happened.”
Leana shrugged and looked out the carriage window again.
His Majesty is looking for you.
At those words, Leana had obediently followed Kenny.
She knew that he was a high-level magician who could put all the servants of the Duke’s house to sleep.
In fact, Leana couldn’t control her power properly right now.
If she had resisted and argued, she might have hurt the servants of the Duke’s house.
It was terrible to see people being sacrificed again because of her.
“Huh?”
Leana, who was looking out the window, looked back at Kenny in wonder.
The carriage carrying her had passed the splendid and beautiful main palace and was heading towards a dark place.
There were hardly any lights illuminating the road, and no one could be seen passing by.
“We’re going to the Black Castle in the north.”
Where Kenny’s gaze was directed, there was only a tall, dark castle standing.
It looked like a giant monster in the darkness.
“Aren’t we going to meet His Majesty?”
“We’re coming that way. The priests of the Vatican are here right now.”
“...!”
“It’ll be difficult to meet them, right?”
***
“Is that the child?”
Leana, who was getting out of the carriage, turned around at the heavy voice.
The middle-aged man with a sharp expression was dressed very extravagantly, as if he had just come from a banquet.
“Greetings. Your Majesty.”
Kenny bowed his head as he spoke, but Leana just stared at Jan.
Jan furrowed his brow at her bold gaze.
Those arrogant blue-gray eyes reminded him of someone.
“What are you doing? Bow your head!”
Jan waved his hand at Kenny’s shout.
“Enough. Is it true that you ruined the Vatican?”
“It’s just a rumor.”
“It doesn’t matter. I wish you could use your abilities to help me.”
“Does the palace need odd jobs?”
“What?”
“I was an odd job at the Vatican. Then I got sick of it and ran away. When Your Majesty said he needed my help.”
Jan looked at Kenny with a face that asked what was going on.
“She’s a top-tier wizard, Your Majesty. This kid was where the mana was moving abnormally.”
Leana made a dumbfounded expression.
“A top-tier wizard? Where did I look?”
When she suddenly changed her attitude, Kenny shouted.
“This kid is lying!”
But Leana’s face turned adorably pale.
“I thought I was getting a job at the palace again, so I was happy for no reason. Then, if you don’t need odd jobs, I guess I should go.”
Leana turned around, leaving the two behind.
Swish!
Something flew from behind her.
At that moment, Leana unconsciously raised her strength.
WHACK!
The flame that Kenny had thrown landed in front of Leana, and she was no longer there.
Sssss...
Leana reappeared about 100 meters away, at the entrance to the Black Castle.
“...!”
And then she encountered a man approaching from the opposite direction.
A familiar face, but one she never wanted to meet.
“Is this what an unexpected encounter is like?”
“Maurice...”
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