TYF 10

Chapter 10

This place where Rierusha took classes was where all the collateral-line children living in the main fortress were taught.

Unlike the Tower of Truth, where only heirs were taught separately, it was a facility like a comprehensive academy within House Arakrene.

“That’s her. They say she’s direct line, but she fell out of the duke’s favor.”

“Then why is Lord Kaden teaching her himself?”

“I don’t know. I heard from my mom that her ability is so awful she couldn’t even be granted a castle.”

When they noticed Rierusha approaching, the children began glaring at her sharply.

They were children who disliked the fact that Rierusha, not recognized as a formal heir, was receiving lessons from Kaden.

They couldn’t openly harm Rierusha, but they whispered without hesitation.

‘What should I do.’

Rierusha hesitated to pass through.

In order to return to the annex, she had to pass that way, but she remembered one of them ‘accidentally’ tripping her so she fell.

‘……If Grandfather finds out I can’t adapt here, he’ll definitely be disappointed.’

Because House Arakrene was short on hands, they actively recruited the collateral lines.

In other words, those children were also meant to be the main figures who would lead House Arakrene in the future.

She couldn’t make trouble and put Grandfather in an awkward position for no reason.

Rierusha took a deep breath and walked forward, one step at a time.

The ringleader child leaning against the wall spoke loudly, clearly so she could hear.

“No matter if it’s the duke, giving such blatant favoritism is too unfair.”

“Even though she didn’t properly inherit the bloodline. My hair color is closer to silver than hers, even.”

Loud snickering followed.

Then her foot was caught by a force that didn’t seem to belong to anyone.

She had been careful, but it seemed someone had used an ability.

“Ow!”

“What, you can’t even avoid something this simple.”

“Isn’t the gap too big compared to the direct line? And we have to serve someone like that later.”

“She’ll get kicked out, obviously.”

Rierusha bit her lip, stood up, and brushed off her dirty clothes.

“Seeing how she couldn’t even avoid something like this, she probably can’t even handle mana properly, right?”

“What? There can’t be anyone that stupid.”

When the ringleader started it, the others joined in, sneering.

When Rierusha ignored them to the end and tried to pass by, the ringleader, his pride hurt, suddenly yanked her hair.

“Ah, ow! Let go!”

“Surely it was a lie that you awakened too. Otherwise why would you be here?”

“Let go, I said!”

“Hmph, they say you can’t even say anything when this happens because you fell out of the duke’s favor?”

The child began shaking Rierusha’s hair roughly back and forth.

“What kind of heir is this supposed to be.”

That last dismissive remark made Rierusha’s chest surge with anger.

“I am an heir!”

Rierusha shoved the child, then, looking at her ruined hair on one side, teared up.

“Ttona made it pretty since morning……!”

The child who fell to the floor at Rierusha’s shove looked flustered.

“Y-you, you pushed me?! Do you even know who I am?!”

The child started yelling until the veins in his neck stood out.

“If there’s trouble with our family, the duke will be in an awkward spot too!”

“S-so what am I supposed to do about that! You started it first!”

“This……!”

The child sprang up and rushed at her with his hand outstretched.

But Rierusha dodged a step faster.

The child fell forward, and a wound opened on his palm, and blood began to flow.

“Uh, uhh? Blood! Blood! Evil, are you okay?!”

The child called Evil turned pale, then began shedding tears, drop by drop.

“H-huueeuuung! Daddyy!!”

Rierusha looked at Evil in surprise.

Because she hadn’t expected Evil would fall and get hurt just because she dodged.

“Y-you fell by yourself!”

“Just you wait, I’ll never let this go! I’m going to tell my father everything about today!!”

Rierusha flinched.

Unlike Evil, Rierusha had no one she could call a guardian.

Rather, if news reached the duke that Rierusha caused an incident…….

Rierusha tearfully pointed at her hair.

“My hair got like this too! And you tripped me first and I fell…….”

“So what! You’re the one who made me get hurt! You’re fine!”

In reality, blood had pooled in Evil’s palm, but Rierusha had not been injured.

“I’ll request that they open an academy disciplinary committee!”

The disciplinary committee was an institution opened when there was a problem between children at the academy.

And it was one of the things Rierusha feared most.

“Someone like you will be thrown out right away!”

At the word thrown out, Rierusha went white.

“You’re in big trouble now. Evil’s father is Marquis Crender. Marquis Crender, one of the family elders!”

“Forget it, do you think she can even understand that? Let’s go. Before it gets noisy.”

Before eyes gathered, the children snorted and vanished.

Rierusha was left alone, fiddling with her disheveled hair.

“……I hurt too.”

How many adults would believe her words, when not even a single wound remained on her?

“If I go like this, Ttona will worry.”

Rierusha let down the other side of her hair as well and lowered her head deeply.

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Her eyes stung, but she quickly wiped them away. Then she trudged toward the annex.

If she was too late, Sona might come looking for her.

And something that had been secretly watching all of this silently disappeared without a sound.

* * *

The western border of the Dekler Empire.

A silver-haired, red-eyed man swept aside a tent flap, came in, and roughly tore open a letter.

You must hurry your return, Lord Pernoer.
It seems the young lady may encounter difficulties.

Pernoer, who had come to the western border for four years and led the front lines to fulfill a promise with Ackmund, frowned.

Could it be that Ackmund had not properly fulfilled the promise?

No, it wouldn’t be that.

Ackmund was the type who, at the very least, surely kept what he said.

If it wasn’t about the duke’s affairs, then…….

“Did something else happen.”

If there was something else Pernoer worried about next, it was a problem related to Rierusha herself.

He had no way of knowing what the sly snakes of the collateral lines might be plotting around Rierusha.

Because the child was currently the one stirring up the main fortress.

Born an Arakrene, yet unable to fully inherit the traits of silver hair and red eyes, Rierusha, as feared, had awakened very late.

They had to wait a full four years.

In truth, even this awakening was close to a miracle.

Because at birth, no mana could be felt from her at all, and they had been half given up.

Born with a weak body, she endured awakening, and suffered the aftereffects for a full two days.

The stronger the ability, the longer Arakrene bloodlines suffered awakening aftereffects.

Because of that, House Arakrene’s main fortress had already been turned upside down by the news.

Because it implied that not only had the youngest, thought to be insignificant, miraculously awakened, but that she had manifested a powerful ability.

Pernoer, who heard the news, had been quite surprised as well.

And because of that, he had deliberately not hurried his return.

To prevent attention from focusing on Rierusha as much as possible.

However…….

Reading through the letter, Pernoer let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

A peculiar phrasing caught his eye.

“A disciplinary committee.”

It was a combination of words unfamiliar enough that he was seeing it for the first time in his life.

You may end up needing to attend as the young duke, as a parent.

Attend as a parent?

Him?

No matter what it looks like on the submitted documents, from what I have confirmed, the victim is Miss Rierusha.

Pernoer’s hand holding the letter tightened. With a loud sound, the crushed letter crumbled pathetically into dust and fell.

While he was away, they had clearly lost their fear.

Otherwise, how could they dare.

Please hurry and come. If you arrive too late, I may be beaten to death by Sona.

Reading the last desperate line, Pernoer let out a snort of laughter.

“I suppose it’s time to go back.”

He couldn’t lose a capable subordinate.

It seemed the time had come to return to his rightful place.