IWMHWD 22

<Chapter 22> Rophael Mage Association
2023.11.22.

“Go on, Lily.”

“…I-I really tried to stop it. But Mother kept pushing forward, telling me to stay quiet, so I had no choice but to come all the way here. I swear, I never had any intention of harming Craig. Please believe me.”

“Oh dear, so you’re saying this was all the doing of the Dowager Countess?”

“No! It wasn’t me—it was him! Jared Abrams orchestrated everything! I just… I only… Craig, Craig!”

Helena screamed and rambled incoherently. Leonard raised a single finger, and that alone was enough to silence her.

“Then, are there no longer any objections to me becoming the Count? Baron Lancaster, what’s your opinion?”

“…Of course, I believe the rightful heir to the countship is Lord Craig.”

“Is that so?”

As soon as Leonard heard the Baron’s reply, he sprang to his feet and strode to the dining room doors, flinging them open.

Several attendants waiting outside flinched and backed away.

“Then it’s time for punishment. Belluche. Bring them all in.”

“Yes, Master.”

At the word punishment, Belluche beamed brightly, then seized Arnold and Jared by the napes of their necks and dragged them inside. Though both men were slim, it was shocking how easily Belluche lifted adult men with one hand.

“Tsk, I’m short a hand. You.”

Belluche pointed at one of the attendants.

“Y-yes?”

“Drag over that old woman lying there.”

“You mean the Dowager Countess?”

“Yes, that one.”

Belluche jerked his chin toward Helena, who sat slumped on the floor. The attendant hesitated briefly, then grabbed Helena’s arm and followed behind Belluche.

“Tell everyone in the castle to gather at the front gate.”

“Yes, sir.”

Another attendant rushed off at Leonard’s command—but the announcement was hardly necessary.

Everyone in the estate had already witnessed Arnold and Jared being dragged off by Belluche, murmuring among themselves.

Once Leonard arrived at the main gate, he climbed onto a platform. The crowd had already swarmed there, like bees to honey. Seeing the disheveled Helena and Arnold with a sword lodged in his thigh, they quickly guessed the situation.

“An unfortunate incident occurred at today’s meal. My mother and uncle, in collusion with Jared Abrams, tried to kill me.”

When Leonard gestured with his chin, Belluche quickly dragged the two men and Helena before him.

“Betrayed by one’s own blood… it’s a tragic thing.”

He muttered solemnly, though it was unclear whether he was addressing Craig or himself.

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted, “Execute the traitors!”
Silence followed briefly, then the crowd roared in unison, “Execute them!”

Jared, Arnold, and even Helena turned pale.

Although executing nobles without trial was illegal in Ersche, Craig Abrams had valid justification.

Arnold was the first to crawl forward on his knees and prostrate himself before Leonard.

“My Lord Count, please forgive me. I was blinded by greed. I must’ve lost my senses.”

“Is that so?”

“You know how much I adored you since you were a child.”

Arnold tried to appeal to Leonard by mentioning his childhood. But of course, none of it stirred even a flicker of emotion in Leonard.

“Anyone else have anything to say before they die?”

“Craig! Please, at least spare my mother. Please, I’m begging you.”

Lily’s face was already drenched in tears. She, too, had thrown herself beside Arnold, weeping bitterly. Jared, on the other hand, simply stared blankly at the ground, seemingly resigned to his fate.

Only Helena kept her head high, glaring daggers at Leonard with venomous eyes.

“Lily.”

At that moment, Cordelia gently touched Lily’s shoulder, wearing a compassionate smile.

“Could it be that the Dowager Countess’s mind isn’t quite sound? That might explain all of this.”

Helena snapped her head up so fast it made a sharp sound, glaring at Cordelia.

“Poor woman. Ever since the former Count’s death, she’s been lost in delusions. So it’s not strange that she was manipulated by Jared.”

“Is that right?”

Leonard responded with mild amusement. He found the situation entertaining and played along with Cordelia’s remarks.

“Yes, of course. Right, Lily?”

“……”

“Lily. When someone asks you a question, you should answer.”

“…Yes. Mother isn’t in her right mind. That’s why she was swayed by Jared.”

Lily murmured while lowering her gaze. Cordelia clapped her hands with a bright smile.

“Well, that explains it. Come to think of it, even though she knew I had a peanut allergy, the Dowager put peanuts in my meal.”

“W-why are you bringing that up?”

“I told her several times, and she still did it. That either makes her malicious or mentally unstable. What do you think, Lily?”

“…W-well, I suppose…”

Lily’s face turned ghostly white. It was clear she was frantically calculating what to say to survive.

Cordelia suddenly laughed.

“Don’t be so scared. Just say it—she’s not in her right mind.”

“…Y-yes. Mother’s not in her right mind…”

“Lily! You wretched girl! How dare you make your mother out to be insane?!”

Helena shrieked, but Lily only cowered, keeping her eyes on Cordelia.

“So, we have perpetrators, but no one admits to anything. What shall we do? Countess, your thoughts?”

“As the instigator of all this, Jared Abrams should be hanged. As for the others, how about relocating them to the North Tower?”

“The North Tower?”

“Yes. As terrible as they are, executing one’s own mother and uncle doesn’t look good. It’s better to imprison them in the tower and give them time to repent.”

“Hm.”

Leonard stroked his chin as if pondering, though his thoughts didn’t last long. He quickly accepted Cordelia’s suggestion and decided the fate of the Abrams family.

“Jared Abrams, who attempted to kill me, the rightful heir to the countship, shall be executed. Arnold Dillon and Helena Abrams, who aided this wicked act, shall be imprisoned in the North Tower. Lily Dahlia is hereby permanently exiled from the Abrams estate.”

Everything went according to his will.

The soldiers below immediately dragged Helena and Arnold away.

Helena screamed and cursed at Leonard and Cordelia until the end, but no one paid her words any mind.

Instead, the people talked about how Craig Abrams had heroically reclaimed his rightful place despite the threats from his stepmother.

Once the situation had calmed, Leonard, Belluche, and Cordelia returned to their rooms.

On the way, Belluche grumbled openly.

“Why’d you let them live? It’d be easier to just kill them and be done with it.”

“I never planned to kill them in the first place.”

“Why do you decide that on your own?”

“If I really meant to kill them, I wouldn’t have asked for her opinion—I would’ve just done what my master wanted. Right?”

Leonard looked at Cordelia quietly.

She was right. Even if it was a backwater noble house, if most of the family members suddenly died, the central government would grow suspicious. It wasn’t yet time to draw attention.

What surprised Leonard was how Cordelia had read his intentions and acted accordingly without needing to be told.

He’d felt it before—Cordelia had an exceptional ability to read situations. Just like how she’d figured out he was the head of Atilae with only a small clue.

“You’re sharp. But even if you’d said to kill them, I would’ve.”

“In that case, all the more reason to let them live.”

“Why?”

“Because death is too kind. They should experience the hell I went through.”

“Now that’s my apprentice.”

Leonard looked at her proudly, prompting Belluche to speak up in a panic.

“I wasn’t going to just kill them either! I was planning to torture them slowly and painfully until they begged for death.”

“Geez. Belluche, they didn’t even do anything to you.”

“You need a reason to kill someone? If I want to kill them, I kill them.”

“….”

Cordelia blinked, slightly thrown off by how matter-of-factly he said it. She hadn’t known Belluche long, but one thing was clear:

He was crazy. Completely and utterly insane.

“Anyway, thanks to Master’s clean handling of things, I can rest easy even after I leave. I was worried they might retaliate after I divorce.”

Leonard asked,

“Why worry about that?”

“Well, you’re leaving, but I’ll still be here.”

“Why would you stay?”

“Where else would I go?”

“You’re coming with me. To the Wilas Archipelago. Specifically, to the Rophael Mage Association.”

“Why would I go there?”

The more they talked, the more confused they became. Leonard looked at her like she’d said something absurd.

“Aren’t you my apprentice?”

“I am.”

“Then you’re going. Wherever I go. We need to make it official, too.”

“Wait, what? I thought you’d just teach me magic and then we’d go our separate ways.”

“What the heck are you talking about? Don’t you know what it means to be a mage’s apprentice?”

Belluche, frustrated, cut in. Cordelia blinked, flustered, and stammered,

“Uh, I mean… someone who learns magic from a mage? Once you learn everything, you say thank you and part ways?”

“What nonsense.”

“It’s not?”

Belluche looked at her with utter disbelief. Leonard let out a long sigh.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask—do you really know nothing about mages? This is basic knowledge for any noble.”

“You’re the first mage I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Okay, fine, I can accept that. But even if you lived in the countryside, didn’t you get any kind of basic education?”

“What do you mean by basic education…?”

“Like, what a mage is. What a mage association is.”

“Not at all. My father didn’t even want to teach me how to read.”