WDPF Chapter 003

The Duke Encountered in the Forest (2)

 

The Guardian Ducal House is a family renowned for its top-tier intelligence network.

As the head of the house, Duke Ballen inevitably receives confidential reports from across the empire, regardless of whether he wants them.

One such piece of information concerned Elysia Creed.

The bloodline of the Creed family does not even treat children without a ‘mark’ as human.

It is unclear whether this curse, carried in their bloodline, is a divine blessing or the product of their harsh and relentless discipline.

And from such a lineage was born the first eldest daughter of a noble household, Elysia Creed.

Even if a child is born without the ‘mark’, the first daughter of the Creed family is said to manifest one of the abilities of the divine blessing.

That ability was said to make the growing life in the empire healthy and abundant.

Thus, the Creed family’s firstborn was the centre of attention among the people of the empire.

However, after Princess Grace, who became the new Countess, gave birth to the second daughter of the Creed family, the bullying intensified to its peak.

The exact details are shrouded in secrecy, as the Count’s household keeps its internal matters well hidden, but at least it was clear that they were committing acts that threatened lives without hesitation.

Ballen recalled the words of his butler, Rand, who had reported to him.

“The ‘mark’, it only manifests in girls.”

“Hmm. Any reason why?”

“The reason is still unknown.”

“…Go on.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rand glanced back at the documents.

“Regardless of gender, the firstborn inherits the title. But if the firstborn girl bears the ‘mark’, the inheritance passes to the second child.”

“I see. So, if the girl bears the ‘mark’, she must enter the temple.”

“That is correct. Training for the heir starts as early as five years old.”

“Then the first daughter must have already begun her training since she does not have the ‘mark’.”

At Ballen’s question, Rand turned the page and continued.

“That is what I find strange, my lord.”

“Strange?”

“It seems the Count of Dailroc is not providing any training at all.”

“…Why?”

“I’m not sure.”

“…not sure? You say.”

Ballen narrowed his eyes at his butler, Rand, who casually shrugged his shoulders.

“Just gathering this much information was enough to make the hairs on my neck stand up. The people of that household are extremely wary.”

Seeing Rand grumbling, Ballen continued.

“…In any case, the second daughter will only get her chance if the firstborn dies.”

“Yes, most likely…  The firstborn is an obstacle to the second child’s future, especially considering the second child’s mother is an ambitious imperial princess…”

Though she bore no ‘mark’, Elysia Creed was still the firstborn and thus the heir to the title.

One didn’t need to dig deep to see what was going on.

Given the circumstances, it was clear who was behind this scheme, yet she wanted to return there.

“If it is not too much trouble, please let me go. I must return.”

Elysia said with a faint smile as if she had read his thoughts.

“Hmm.”

“Avoiding and running away does not mean things get resolved.”

“…”

“I am not going to run away anymore.”

Elysia lowered her eyebrows and smiled.

Of course, Ballen could not understand what the child’s words meant. But the blue eyes of the little ten-year-old girl seemed etched in his heart.

“Very well. I will send you back.”

She squealed with delight as her eyes widened at his words.

“Really?!”

“…Really.”

The child beamed with an innocent smile.

After hearing Ballen’s answer, Elysia suddenly asked, as if something had just occurred to her.

“By the way, do you have a horse?”

She wasn’t exactly sure where this place was, but walking back to the Count’s manor was impossible. Yet Ballen didn’t seem to have a horse anywhere.

At her question, Ballen let out a shallow sigh.

“You must not know much about the House of Guardian.”

“What?”

Ballen extended his arm into the air and opened his palm. A blue light flashed in the dark forest, and a small door appeared.

Huh.

It was magic.

Is this teleportation magic?

A swordmaster skilled in swordsmanship and possessing immeasurable magical power.

Ballen’s offensive magic was not just for inflicting wounds. It could even take lives.

He was equally adept with his sword and magic spells.

Despite the lack of evidence, rumours that he used dark magic persisted because most of his spells were highly destructive.

To the extent that it inspires awe as a human.

The people of the empire idolised him, yet they also feared him, referring to him in whispers as the Successor of Dark Magic.

“Go through that door. I have set it to take you directly to the front gate of Count Creed’s estate.”

As he opened the gate and turned away, the little girl watched him wide-eyed.

To Elysia, Ballen was someone she had always admired through her countless regressions.

At some point in her twenty-ninth life, she had briefly encountered Ballen.

How strange. Back then, the twenty-one-year-old me could not even speak to Ballen…

Before her regression, when her eyes briefly met his, her heart, which she thought had withered and died, began to beat violently.

But she could not say a word and only watched him from afar.

For some reason, Elysia’s eyes filled with tears as she watched him walk away.

Every time she recalled that day, she could not help but feel ashamed of how timid and cowardly she had been.

Yet now, having returned as a mere ten-year-old, she was able to have such a long conversation with him.

Maybe it was because of the memories from before the regression. Or maybe because the vows engraved in Elysia’s heart were unlike any she had ever made.

The blue eyes of the ten-year-old child shimmered with quiet yearning. Her child’s heartbeat was foolishly fast again, frustrating her.

She wanted to show proper respect.

Not knowing if she would ever see him again or when she might die, but at the very least, she wanted to say a proper farewell.

“I do not know how long it will take, but I will repay this kindness someday.”

She bowed deeply and looked at his face one last time as if it might indeed be the last.

There was no way to know what emotion lay behind those blue eyes staring back at him. Ballen let out a long sigh and finally spoke.

“That is surely… a door leading to a perilous path.”

His voice carried a gentle concern that made her heart tremble slightly.

But beyond that door were the people who had died because of Elysia.

She had no choice but to go.

Elysia’s gaze, firm and unwavering, met his.

She did not want to burden him with unnecessary worry.

She did not want to cry out to plead or scream that she wanted to live. She wished to hide her weakness and face the end with dignity.

“In that case, I will live through all that hardship, even if I have to buy it.”

“….”

Ballen looked at the smiling girl briefly, then cautiously opened his mouth.

“…I hope Barzé’s blessing will be with you.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled brightly at him.

Elysia turned and walked through the door Ballen held open for her, stepping into the light beyond.

After Elysia passed through the door, shards of light scattered into the air and disappeared.

As the gate disappeared, Ballen put out the fire with his foot, lost in thought about the eyes of the child who had made such an impression on him.

 

***

 

As she passed through the light, she found herself, to her amazement, standing right in front of the Creed manor.

She let out a quiet “Wow,” once again struck by how convenient magic was.

Even so, teleportation magic? Just how high is his class?

It was incredibly hard to pretend indifference and composure in front of someone she had admired for so long.

‘I will live through all that hardship, even if I have to buy it,” she had shouted boldly earlier, but in truth, faced with a reality too hard to handle, her palms were already damp with sweat.

If I had not regained my memories, I would have frozen up completely this time again.

She felt like pointing a finger at Ralke, who only now returned her memories.

Regardless, she had returned to the Creed Count’s mansion, where she had spent the entirety of the twenty-ninth regression. Even in the thirtieth regression, she ultimately could not escape this place.

On the surface, she was pretending to be calm, but her arms and legs were slightly trembling.

Ugh, I am still feeling the aftereffects of the sleeping potion they gave me when I was kidnapped.

She gently steadied her trembling legs and started looking for the crawl space leading into the annexe.

For Elysia, who had lived nearly confined to the annexe, making a crawl space like this was no trouble.

It should be around here…

She moved her head back and forth between the vine-covered walls.

Found it!

In the darkness, a pair of blue eyes sparkled.

This small hole, which Ellicia had made when she was five, had long since become overgrown with vines and weeds, as no one had maintained it.

She reached out, thinking she could clear it out and crawl in.

Crunch.

Ah!

At the tail end of summer, when the roses had long since withered, the bushes still possessed countless sharp thorns.

Wearing only summer nightclothes, her arms were completely bare.

Ouch, that hurts…

Reaching roughly through the vines with those arms, it was inevitable that she would get hurt.

Blood slowly oozed out of her hands and arms due to the sharp and biting thorns.

It is going to be more difficult than I thought…

The vines, which she had thought would be soft, were strong and sharp.

Since she had regressed on the day of her kidnapping, she never had the opportunity to clear the crawlspace beforehand.

But I cannot just wait here until morning…

She looked around but could not find anything useful to cut the vines. She looked down at her bleeding hand, throbbing with pain.

It is nothing compared to the torture I endured or the moment the executioner’s blade touched the back of my neck…

Before standing at the guillotine, the memory of the torture, which was horrifying even to recall, flashed through her mind.

She rubbed her forearm to shake off the goosebumps. Now that she remembered everything, this injury was nothing to Elysia.

No, it’s not like it’s nothing.

No matter how many times you experience pain, you never really get used to it.

Let’s try it again, gently, carefully.

She bit her lip, steeling herself, and reached in with her uninjured hand.

And then—

Tap.

“Huh?”

“What do you think you are doing?”

It was Ballen who stopped her hand, which was lunging through the vines.

“…D-Duke?”