Chapter 77

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 77

Chapter Title: Nursing the Young Lord

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"You need to see a doctor. Wait here. I'll send for one."

"I told you it's fine!"

Yohan yanked my wrist, so I smacked the back of his shoulder with my other hand. Even through the pain, I could feel him flinch.

He stared at me with a somewhat dazed look.

"Your wound's all festered up. Even purification won't heal it! If you try to stop me again, I'll pinch your cheeks too."

As I glared at him threateningly, the strength slowly drained from Yohan's grip.

I finally dragged the doctor in for a proper check-up and even called Dad.

Dad's face darkened at the sight of Yohan lying in bed. He looked angry, exasperated.

"It hurt."

"……."

"You endured a wound from a mercenary all on your own this whole time. Without a word to me."

"I received treatment at Viscount Dubos's residence."

So that's why he went to Dubos's place.

I swallowed a sigh.

'Duvered stubbornness.'

This family's pigheadedness must run in the blood. Not just Yohan—Dad, Henri, Ishak—they were all the same.

"Those two conspired to deceive me. Without a shred of fear."

"Yes."

See? Never admits a mistake. Dad's eyes grew icier by the second.

"Dad, Dad."

"……."

"The doctor said Young Master Yohan needs to take his medicine. And eat something too."

As I let my eyebrows droop pleadingly, Dad—who'd been glaring at Yohan—finally relented.

Dad listened to the doctor detail Yohan's condition a bit longer before finally leaving the room.

Once the doctors and servants helping with care had gone, the room fell quiet again.

"Did you get what you wanted?"

Yohan's voice came out chilly, and I furrowed my brow.

"Should've let Dad chew you out more."

I plopped down on the chair by the bed. Scooped up some slightly cooled chicken soup from the nightstand and held it out to him.

"……I'm good."

"The doctor said if you take that medicine on an empty stomach, it'll burn like hell."

"……."

"Hurry up. Or I'll go outside right now and yell to everyone that 'Young Master Yohan is sick!'"

That oughta make him drop it.

I held out the spoon again. He stared at it for a long moment before parting his lips just a bit.

The second he swallowed the soup, I shoved another spoonful his way.

"There we go. One more."

"……."

"Just one more."

"……."

"Last one."

"……."

"Huh, still some left—might as well finish it."

"……."

"Wow, okay, this is really the last."

He polished off the little bowl of soup and I offered the medicine.

"This too, and we're done with today's nagging!"

Coaxing him gently, Yohan let out a sigh and swallowed the pill. He rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at me. His gaze was deep and dark, impossible to read—but by now, nothing about Yohan scared me anymore.

A few days passed like that.

Yohan stared fixedly at Leblain, who now trotted into his room without a care.

Today, she'd picked a huge bunch of flowers from somewhere and stuck them in a vase. Then she gazed at them in rapture and murmured, "Pretty."

Lately, the kid had been in and out of his room constantly.

She'd chatter on and on about this and that before finally leaving.

[Did you eat?]

[Medicine?]

[Shrimp soup for lunch today—super tasty. Tomorrow's chicken soup, they said.]

Even if he snapped at her to get lost already, she'd show up again in the afternoon asking if he'd eaten, taken his medicine, how he was feeling.

Leblain set the flowers in the vase and took her usual seat in the chair by his bed.

She propped her elbow on the bed and launched into her babble.

"So, Viscount Dubos got reamed out big time. Dad didn't say much, but he looked terrified all on his own."

"……."

"And today, Uni screwed up the servants' laundry, so everyone had to walk around in blue-dyed clothes. The butler chewed her out. New outfits coming tomorrow."

"……."

This kid was a blue whirlwind.

A whirlwind filling the ever-silent ducal residence with noise.

He tried ignoring her to read his book, but the pages wouldn't turn.

"So anyway, breakfast was French toast with condensed milk—delicious. Oh, right. The tea today was amazing. Doctor said you could have some too, Young Master Yohan. Lea, brew some tea please."

The kid was downright bizarre.

At first, she'd been scared of him like everyone else. Then suddenly, she became the most annoying thing on earth.

And it wasn't just her. Everything she dragged in her wake grated on him too.

Yesterday evening, Ishak had shown up. Staring at him sullenly for ages—Yohan figured he was there to start something. Instead, the guy hauled a wild boar right into his bedroom.

[Saw it on the way, grabbed it. Wasn't like I hunted it special for you.]

That morning, Henri had visited. He'd swept up an armful of documents from Yohan's desk, glanced at them, and said,

[No need for you to handle this stuff. It's a hassle for both of us.]

Then left.

Next came Father. He often dropped by with Leblain in tow, staring silently for about thirty minutes before leaving.

As Yohan kept his eyes glued to his book, Leblain—who'd been chattering away—went quiet.

A glance showed her slumped in the chair, half her face buried in the bedcovers, fast asleep.

Yohan gazed steadily at the child.

Her face was pale and powdered-soft, cheeks puffy like dough, nose small and round, lips pursed like a baby bird's beak.

Nothing special. Just a regular kid.

And yet, because of her, the castle in the territory was changing.

Sunlight poured into halls that had always been shrouded in gloom. Thick, plush carpets covered the hard, ostentatious marble floors—so the kid wouldn't get hurt if she tripped while running.

'Which she does. A lot.'

She'd sprint through the gardens, the greenhouse, the corridors.

Then sprawl flat on her back—without so much as a whimper, spring right up, and dash off again.

Not the picture of a noble young lady. Just a normal child.

Without thinking, he reached out toward her fluffy hair. She let out a soft "Mm," grumbled in her sleep, and clutched his hand with both of hers.

Knock knock. A maid entered with a tray. On it sat the black tea Leblain had requested for Yohan.

"Oh my."

The maid set the tea on the nightstand and said,

"Shall I carry her out?"

"Let her stay."

"Pardon...?"

Yohan sat up and gently laid the child on the bed in his place.

The maid's eyes flickered with surprise for a moment, but she soon broke into a soft smile.

Even Yohan's perpetually dim room was starting to let in gentle sunlight.

When I woke, the sun was already dipping low. I blinked my bleary eyes in a daze.

As my fuzzy vision cleared, an unfamiliar ceiling came into focus.

'This is... Oh no!'

I'd come to nurse Yohan and ended up passing out. I scrambled upright in a panic.

'On the patient's bed, no less.'

That's when I felt eyes on me from the sofa. It was Yohan.

I fidgeted with my hands and mumbled,

"Sorry..."

I'd chased out the actual patient and hogged his bed.

I figured he'd be floored, but his words caught me off guard.

"What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"Payment for nursing me."

"I didn't do it for that."

What does she think sincerity is, anyway?

As I scowled, Yohan muttered,

"...I know."

"Huh?"

"Has nothing to do with your motives. I just want to give you something."

I blinked, piecing it together in my head.

'So... that's his way of saying thanks?'

I smiled inwardly with a helpless shrug.

Hmm, nothing I really want, though... Then it hit me like a lightbulb.

"Magic power!"

"Magic power?"

His hair would've worked fine, but if I'm getting something, better to take magic power directly—quick and easy.

Yohan frowned.

"Useless to you, with your holy power."

"Still! Still...!"

He stared at me intently for a beat, then said,

"Fine, whatever."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

"Yay!"

I bounced around in delight, and a soft chuckle slipped into my ear.

Startled, I whipped around with wide eyes. Yohan's lips curved in a gentle smile.

"You really are just like a chick."

'Whoa...'

I'd thought he was Dad's spitting image, but that smile was totally different.

'Must take after Risette.'

Lost in the thought, I grinned back at him, hee hee.

After dinner, back in my room—there on the bed sat a white, lustrous stone. Yohan's magic stone.

That evening.

In a deserted corner of the garden, I gazed fondly at Yohan's magic stone.

'Incredibly pure magic power.'

[Hand it over now.]

'Too bad to just give it away. Maybe split it into a few and hand over one.'

[What!?]

Paimon barked in outrage, flaring red before scowling.

"Where do you get off?!"

"You asked for deep-purity magic power—not this specific stone."

"That's...! But still."

"Yeah."

"You don't even need it anyway."

"A magic stone this rare? Endless uses. Magic tower would pay top dollar on the spot."

"Your dad's the empire's richest—what's money to you!"

"Money's always better the more you have."

Paimon looked flustered, desperate.

"Fine, I'll make you money."

"Bills these days all have security codes. Forge 'em and you're a counterfeiter."

"Jewels then!"

"Bune said anything a summoned demon makes crumbles to dust once the magic fades. Why should I trust jewels from you?"

"I'll teach you knowledge you don't have."

"[Repository of Information] is your ability, right? I can only get knowledge transferred once."

I'm saving it for long-distance teleportation circle info.

I narrowed my eyes in a 'don't even think about scamming me' look, and Paimon went dead silent.

But he clearly wanted that stone bad—couldn't hide his frustration, eyes glued to it.

Magic this pure is impossible to find. A black stone gleaming white like a pearl.

'Instruments made from this would probably sound incredible.'

Paimon's desperation seemed to confirm it.

"Alright, fine. Not an ability—just give me something that won't vanish even after you go back."

"Well, if that's the case."

I shrugged it off casually and started toward the gazebo.

That's when faint lights like fireflies flickered before me, linking together like a seam.

And what appeared was...

A long-haired young man in odd clothes, waving an ornate fan.

A stocky, bearded middle-aged man.

And a woman in a nurse's uniform reaching her calves.

The middle-aged man spoke.

"Who is it that summoned us?"

I glanced at Paimon.

"These people are...?"

He turned his back to the trio, spreading his arms wide.

"The century's greatest strategists. A man with no such thing as 'impossible' in his dictionary. Angels bearing lanterns. My proud vassals."

"……."

"Choose. Who do you want to seal in your Etwal?"