Chapter 70
“That’s rough.”
They must have died long ago.
The crown prince thought so.
Twins abandoned in the slums—such a combination could never survive.
However, hiding his true feelings, he donned a mask of pity and offered false comfort.
“Let’s send out knights to search. Besides being twins, is there anything else that could identify them?”
“The boy is the older brother, and the girl is the younger sister, I heard. And……”
He put his hand into his bosom and took out a half pendant.
“They probably have this half. It’s the keepsake left by my friend’s daughter.”
Even as he said that, his expression was uncertain because it wasn’t clear if the keepsake had indeed been passed to the children.
The crown prince, who closely examined the pendant, smiled benevolently.
“I understand. If we pool everyone’s efforts, we’ll surely find them.”
However, his mind was filled with schemes.
He had obtained very good information.
He would find twins who roughly fit the description, give them a fake pendant, and claim they were the ones he’d been looking for.
In return, he planned to demand all of the count’s children under his command.
Unaware of the crown prince’s intentions, Count Payrunt laughed hollowly.
“Haha, I’m grateful just for your words. Before dying, I want to see those children at least once—my wife begged me like that……”
Thinking of his wife lying on her sickbed brought tears automatically. The count wiped them lightly.
“I hope we can definitely find them.”
* * *
A while after the hunting festival ended.
Asil entered a vassal meeting with Edenber.
Since becoming Monlepe’s divine beast, Edenber often took her along.
“Yaaawn……”
Asil, who had been sitting with a serious expression following the surrounding vassals, yawned without realizing it.
It was because she had practiced fierce dragon expressions in front of the mirror until late last night.
She hadn’t told anyone, but Asil had been thoroughly stimulated since the hunting festival to become a fierce dragon.
It was because she overheard Monlepe’s knights talking as they passed by.
“Didn’t they catch the leader Arc this time?”
“Yeah, even just seeing it in pictures, it looked super gross. I shouldn’t have looked. I need to go heal with our cute divine beast.”
The speaker meant it kindly, but Asil was greatly shocked.
Cute divine beast!?
To think Asil wasn’t scarier than the leader Arc—it was unbelievable. For Asil, who aimed to be a fierce dragon shifter, it was a huge problem!
So she was diligently practicing facial expressions to become even more of a fierce dragon.
But because she overdid it, she lacked sleep.
‘I want to go in and sleep.’
Asil rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Right at that moment.
“It’s a big problem without a good tactician.”
One vassal in charge of the family’s military affairs started gravely.
“The battle on Etna Island was a victory with only wounds. The defensive line should have been placed inland, not on the coast……”
Etna Island was the northernmost territory owned by the Monlepe ducal family and a place where sea monsters appeared in spring.
At that, another vassal took over.
“It was just following the manual, so who can we blame.”
“That’s the problem. Monsters evolve day by day, but the manual isn’t updated.”
“Viscount Philote left too early……”
Viscount Philote, who had handled the Monlepe ducal family’s tactics, had passed away a few years ago from an incurable disease at a promising young age, without any chance to do anything.
Around that time, the previous duke’s divine beast scandal also erupted, so Monlepe still hadn’t found a successor.
Now, time had passed like that.
The absence of a tactician was painfully felt.
‘If only a good successor appeared right now.’
For example, someone like Basion Feyrunt, who was currently gaining fame……
But soon realizing it was a futile thought, he opened his mouth.
“No matter what the manual said, they should have responded flexibly on the scene.”
“That’s true. If there was a seasoned knight like that, they would have. But……”
The vassal trailed off and glanced at Edenber.
Currently, Monlepe had many skilled knights, but lacked those with extensive combat experience.
It was because many had lost their lives in the desert cave incident.
‘If only an experienced and seasoned knight came here right now.’
For example, someone like Rain Feyrunt, who was currently gaining fame……
They say dream big, but this was dreaming too big.
To expect a man who had risen to vice-captain of the imperial knight order to come to the ducal family.
The vassal who had empty dreams gave a wry smile.
Several more discussions followed like that, but the conclusion was that without talent appearing, there was no sharp way to overcome this difficulty right now.
Edenber, with a dark face, summarized.
“We can’t expect coincidence, so we must act optimally in the current situation. At least to prevent further talent drain, I hope everyone does their best in their positions.”
“Understood.”
The vassals, with similarly dark expressions, answered in unison.
* * *
After the vassal meeting ended, Asil headed to the training ground to meet the knight humans.
Murmur murmur.
For some reason, the training ground was in disarray.
Asil saw that all the knights’ expressions were bad and asked the knight behind her.
“Pi-ya-pi?” (What’s wrong?)
“Asil-nim……. Dylan is leaving.”
“Pi-ya?!” (What?!)
Who’s leaving?!
“Pi-ya-pi! Pi-ya-pi!” (Knight human! Knight human!)
Asil jumped up and down calling Dylan, who was at the center of the group.
However, because her stature was so small, she didn’t stand out.
In the end, she flapped her wings to fly up and shouted toward Dylan, who was talking seriously with someone.
“Pi-i-ya!” (Where are you going!)
“Yes?”
“Is this the divine beast you serve?”
The one talking with Dylan asked.
He resembled Dylan but seemed quite a bit older.
His shoulders were broad, and his skin was tanned.
Next to him was a man who resembled them but looked neater.
His skin was pale, as if he didn’t do much outdoor activity, and his build was slender.
Asil sniffed.
‘They smell similar. Family, I guess.’
The slender man among the two opened his mouth.
“Pleased to meet you, divine beast. I’m Basion Feyrunt.”
At that, the knights buzzed.
“Basion the young viscount, who led the southern lily war to victory?”
“Even though everyone said they’d lose, he won without a single casualty.”
As the brief buzzing subsided, this time the tanned man said.
“I’m Rain Feyrunt.”
“The one who became vice-captain of the imperial knight order this time?”
“I heard he’ll soon be a swordmaster—is it true?”
……Hm, I don’t know what it is, but I get that they’re amazing humans.
As Asil nodded, Dylan, with an embarrassed face, explained.
“My older brothers.”
And then, with a resolute expression, he said to the two.
“No matter what father’s will is, I’ve decided to follow only lady Asil for life.”
“I see…… But you have to think of mother too.”
Rain scratched his head as if it was a headache.
“You need to show the kind of appearance mother would like as much as possible.”
“How desperate do we have to be to come all this way and say this.”
Basian, who spoke calmly, glanced at Asil.
Asil, not knowing the situation, just stood there with her mouth agape.
Basian bowed his head politely.
“We didn’t mean to cause this much commotion—my apologies. Let’s go, Rain.”
“I’m sorry.”
Rain, who bowed his head, followed Basian and left the training ground.
The knights watched their backs with faces like they’d seen celebrity stars.
But that was only for a moment; soon they rushed at Dylan.
“What on earth happened? His Highness the crown prince.”
“……The results of the hunting festival were impressive, so His Highness offered me the position of escort knight.”
“What?!”
The position of escort knight to the crown prince!
At the shocking words, the knights buzzed.
“Piik!”
Asil, equally surprised, widened her eyes.
Does that mean the knight human and Asil will separate now?
Even though Asil gave gold coins and fixed trees, he’s leaving Asil and saying bye-bye?
Without realizing it, Asil tightly grabbed his collar and looked up with round eyes.
At that, Dylan chuckled softly.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere and will follow only lady Asil.”
She had sworn through various events. That the one she would serve was only lady Asil alone.
“But I think I’ll have to be away for a while. Because there’s someone I need to find.”
“Pi-ya-pi? Pi-ya?” (Someone to find? Who?)
“Twin children.”
She heard his mother was waiting desperately for those children.
‘I need to find them quickly so she can stop worrying.’
At the thought of having to find children whose faces and names he didn’t know, Dylan let out a small sigh.
* * *
‘Asil knows one set of twins too.’
They were the young lord and lady of the Skaya ducal family.
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By Anna 💓
Greetings, I hope you’re doing okay. I’d like to propose some novels that I’ve translated that may interest you:
The Ruffian and the Mad Warrior Get Married. ( I’ll be unlocking the novel chapters for only 6 Novaras as a little gift from me)
