Chapter 30
“Is this really all I can do with my authority?”
Aria nodded.
He had expected at least some hint of regret, but her expression showed absolutely no lingering attachment.
Sigh…
Instead of using the power he had granted to claim her own share, she wasn’t interested in that at all. She was using it to help someone entirely unrelated to herself.
The more he watched, the more it reinforced the impression that she had nothing in common with Valentine.
She doesn’t seem to care about money, fame, or power.
The hardest people to deal with in this world were those who couldn’t be moved by wealth, honor, or authority. Because you could never tell what they truly desired.
Should I press and ask what her real purpose is?
But he had already tried that.
Aria had just said nonsense like, “It actually felt nice when you patted me.”
And yet, she didn’t give the impression of being some naive child who simply wanted love. Something about her felt strangely off.
He couldn’t pinpoint why, but the feeling was bad.
He had the sense she shouldn’t be left alone.
Yeah, I need to send her out.
Roid made up his mind more firmly.
The Duke of Valentine might be senile and wandering too far, but he couldn’t stop someone determined to leave on their own.
He glanced at Vincent for a moment and said,
“You… we’ll talk later.”
“Yes, brother.”
Vincent’s body was still weak, but he forced a calm smile.
Roid sighed briefly at the sight of him and then walked past indifferently.
Now, only Aria and Vincent remained.
Aria followed Roid but suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
She rummaged through an old bag.
[I understand now why you had to speak and act the way you did.]
Of course, he had overstepped at times, but Vincent had been desperate.
Desperate not to be ignored.
Desperate to shake off the shadow of his origin that seemed impossible to escape.
He had been trying desperately to show the world that he was a genius.
It was probably a kind of defense mechanism.
[I also understood that when you suggested that I perform and seek Valentine’s patronage, you meant it with good intentions.]
Because that was his way of surviving.
She swallowed the rest of her words.
[You showing off as a genius… honestly, it’s kind of cute. But don’t go too far. If you want to avoid the saying that geniuses die young, don’t test it.]
“….”
Is that comfort or a threat?
Vincent was confused.
Aria lightly tapped his head, as if patting him.
It was a perfunctory gesture—there was not even a shred of affection in it.
Still, Vincent stiffened and fiddled with his hair until she turned and left.
Vincent stayed hidden for some time.
Was he shocked by all that happened?
As time passed, Aria began thinking differently.
If his mother had been prey in the sewers and he had continued going there, the Duke would have eventually found out sooner or later, no matter how much time had passed.
Then… what would have happened?
She wondered briefly.
In her previous life, after Vincent was cast out and later discovered the truth, would the Duke have come looking for him again?
Right now, there’s no way to know.
She had heard that Vincent, after being expelled, wandered the sewers and died miserably. There was no one left to find.
At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the desk.
Aria slowly lifted her head.
“Long time no see, sister-in-law.”
It was Vincent.
He had come, perhaps to study in the library, and set down some documents in front of her.
This time, it wasn’t the law code.
“The Emperor and my brother… you moved my mother from the sewers to a safe place.”
And he said it bluntly.
“I thought you might want to know.”
Aria felt a strange sense of realization.
After a few years, Tristan and Roid, having learned the truth too late, might have gone looking for Vincent.
Although what they would have found was probably a cold corpse.
Could this, even just a little, have been a step toward preventing the Valentine incident?
She didn’t know.
But until that time came, she would keep running, trying everything with potential.
“Why did you help me?”
Vincent asked, as if trying to wake her from her reverie.
Aria tilted her head.
And she replied, as if to say, “I’ve already told you, why ask again?”
[I said I would protect my people.]
“Am I one of your people, too?”
[No. You’re Roid’s brother.]
“….”
Her answer was firm.
Vincent paused, stunned for a moment, then gave a sheepish smile.
“So you helped me because I’m Roid’s brother?”
Aria nodded. Without hesitation.
Her “circle of concern” was clearly Roid alone.
“Hmm, is there no chance I could become one of your people?”
[No.]
“Not even 1%?”
[No.]
“…0.1%?”
He was persistent.
The boy, who had been teasing and playful, now looked determined.
Even though you helped because I’m Roid’s brother, why are you getting so serious about this?
Aria sighed and wrote a new card.
[Try.]
To make 0.1% possible.
Vincent grumbled about unfair treatment but eventually chuckled.
“I’m confident I can try.”
“So.”
Tristan looked down at Aria, who stared up at him with wide eyes.
Then he turned his gaze.
Next to him, Carlin stood, pretending to look elsewhere and avoiding eye contact.
“You gave the relic that she brought?”
The sorcerer answered with a hollow voice, half-heartedly.
“Yes… the lady kept insisting…”
Everyone knew there were no relics in the Valentine territory.
It wasn’t called the Land of Demons for nothing.
So the only conclusion is that it was obtained outside the territory.
Aria naturally shifted responsibility onto Carlin, claiming the relic was his.
She had heard that Carlin liked disappearing and traveling the world whenever he had the chance.
If it’s Carlin, it wouldn’t be strange for him to secretly have discovered a relic or two.
Thanks to this, Carlin’s position became very awkward.
“Hmph, insisting?”
His employer looked displeased.
“I never asked for even a small thing—this one is making me bring things without prompting.”
“R-Really?”
“But insisting… to you?”
That sounded like “to someone like you?”
Carlin was momentarily speechless.
Wasn’t it fair for him to insist on a relic?
Why be jealous over something like this?
The sorcerer involuntarily looked toward Dwayne, the Duke’s aide.
Already severe, huh.
He shook his head, as if to say he fully understood.
Carlin quickly tried to shift the blame.
“Well, now that I think about it, she politely requested it rather than insisting.”
“Requested it from you?”
“…What am I supposed to do with that!”
Tristan didn’t seem to intend to listen, no matter what Carlin said.
Only Aria smiled brightly, relieved that the matter could be handled smoothly thanks to his sacrifice.
“This necklace isn’t a relic, though?”
Carlin examined the necklace Aria handed him carefully.
It was a transparent, teardrop-shaped gem, which at first glance looked like an ordinary piece of jewelry.
She had obtained it in the Holy Empire along with a relic as a bonus.
“Relics usually brim with divine energy, but this has none. I’m sure you noticed that.”
Aria nodded.
“It seems like something that drains life force.”
“Drains life force?”
“Yes. That’s common for magical weapons.”
Aria had heard of such notorious weapons before.
Merely wielding them would drain the user’s energy to the limit, killing an ordinary person. They could also absorb energy through blood.
But the power they gained in return was enormous.
“There are also gem-type versions like this necklace. Usually called cursed gems, they kill their owner completely.”
“….”
It was brutal.
Aria stared at the necklace in Carlin’s hand.
So Veronica actually wore a cursed necklace that would even kill its owner?
