CHAPTER 51…………
[“Rian, in this building—no, in all the buildings—there’s a layered magical aura.”]
[“It’s not meant for defending against intruders. It seems more like it’s to prevent corrosion or decay, and to keep fires from breaking out.”]
[“They really went overboard with this building. Do they have that much magic to spare? Don’t you think so, Gnome?”]
[(Nods)]
It was also likely meant as an advertisement that if you commissioned Fabius for construction, they could enchant buildings to this degree.
The elementals chattered for a long time about the enchantments applied to Marquis Molton’s estate.
[“Isn’t that a flower that only blooms in winter? And that tree—doesn’t it normally wither in hot weather? …Oh my, they must have cast preservation magic over the whole garden!”]
[“What foolish humans. Nature is most beautiful when it is natural.”]
[“That’s not a flower—it’s a flower’s corpse. They planted corpses in their front yard like this? Crazy bastard. Right, Gnome?”]
[(Nods)]
I lightly flew and landed on the third-floor terrace.
Out of all these rooms, which one would be the marquis couple’s bedroom?
If I could find their bedroom, Bianca’s room should be nearby.
‘Most noble bedrooms tend to be on the third floor.’
I didn’t need to fly long.
From the room beside the terrace where I had landed, I suddenly heard the hysterical voice of the Marquis’s wife.
“Do you know the humiliation I suffered at the dress shop today?”
Since it was past midnight, her voice carried very clearly.
A moment later, a mumbling, sleepy voice followed.
“…Please, can we talk tomorrow? I’m trying to sleep…”
That must be the Marquis.
“This is not the time to be sleeping! Are you sure you handled it properly?”
“Haah, what on earth are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the deal with Ivrante being cut off!”
“And so what? You woke me up just to nag me about that?”
“You told me that the deal ended naturally when Ivrante’s estate steward was replaced!”
“And I’ve told you that several times!”
“It’s because the Duke must have noticed the embezzlement!!!”
‘Oh? Now that’s interesting.’
The Marquis’s wife knew exactly what her husband’s guild had been doing.
Yet she was slandering me as if I had cut ties under Piace’s scheme.
‘She’s no ordinary woman.’
The Marquis, suddenly fully awake, asked in a sharp voice:
“What… what did you say? The Duke knows?”
“Today, when I stopped by the dress shop to buy Bianca a gown, I ran into Duke Ivrante himself!”
“At a children’s boutique? Why would His Grace be there?”
“Does that matter right now?! Do you know what that woman did to me?!”
“What! What did she say to you?”
“I was utterly humiliated! I can never go back to that shop again!”
“Forget the dress shop! What did the Duke say? How much does he know?”
“You’re the one who did wrong, so why are you yelling at me?”
“So you didn’t confirm anything?”
“Do you think I could ask him that after the disgrace I suffered because of you?! I was already furious!”
“And you have the nerve to raise your voice?!”
Crash! Thud!
The sound of something breaking came from the bedroom.
“Don’t you yell at me!!!”
Smash! Shatter!
More violent noises followed, then the wife screamed even louder.
“Is there a single thing you’re good at? What’s the point of being a Marquis! You can’t even manage your pathetic domain!”
“You think words don’t have consequences?”
“You live this well only because of me!”
“How is it because of you?!”
“I used my dowry to establish Fabius and raised it to what it is today!”
Contrary to popular belief, it was not the Marquis, but his wife, who had built up the Molton family.
“And now you want me to bow down because of one woman?”
“What haven’t I done? You know how much I’ve sacrificed for this family!”
“Ha! I asked you to manage the guild while I raised Bianca, and you couldn’t even handle that! You dare call that sacrifice?”
“How is that my fault? That’s why I said we should skim off less!”
“Did I do it just for my own benefit? Do you have any idea how much it costs to maintain this mansion?”
“You’re the one who chose this mansion! Because of your ridiculous vanity!”
“So now it’s my fault? I never should have married you! You, the child—everything is unbearable! Aaaagh!!!”
The Marchioness’s scream pierced the night sky.
It seemed she had lived with pride, believing she had raised her husband’s house with her own hands.
Having that arrogance trampled by me must have been intolerable.
At that moment, I heard soft shuffling—slippers dragging against the floor.
Then Bianca stepped onto the terrace, holding an oil lamp.
‘…!’
So the terrace I was eavesdropping from connected to Bianca’s room?
The child stood still, listening to her parents shriek and fight.
‘She has no expression at all—I can’t tell what she’s thinking.’
No matter how nasty Bianca’s temperament might be, I felt uneasy.
Of course she turned out twisted, growing up with that every day.
‘Tch… this feels unpleasant.’
While I hesitated, Bianca suddenly smiled brightly.
“Hehe, so pretty.”
‘Well… I am rather pretty for a bird.’
“I like it—so many feathers.”
A moment ago, she was like a demon. But smiling, she looked innocent and childlike.
I thought maybe I’d play with her briefly while Sylph planted the winds.
Then Bianca tilted her head.
“How long will you shine, I wonder?”
‘Huh? Shine? What’s shining?’
“Yes, the ones with lots of feathers always shined longer. You will too, I think.”
‘What did she just say?’
“Mhm, I’m curious. Sit still, okay?”
‘Sit still? What are you—’
Bianca hurled the oil lamp.
‘Wha—this crazy brat?! By “shine,” she meant burn?!’
I shot up into the air, but too late.
Oil from the thrown lamp splashed my left foot.
The slick, heavy liquid seeped between my toes.
Then—scorching pain as the fire caught.
Uncontrollably, I opened my beak and screamed.
“Caw! Caaawk!!”
“Cawk? Cawk cawk? Your cry is hilarious! Pfft! Hahaha! Oh, this is fun!”
Bianca mimicked my cries, clutching her stomach in laughter.
There wasn’t a trace of pity in her face.
[“R-Rian! Are you okay? That vile human child!!!”]
[“Rian! I’ll keep the fire from spreading—get to the ground, quickly!”]
[“Is she insane?! Gnome! When the contractor lands, cover his foot with earth!”]
[(Nods!)]
While I was too shocked to think, the elementals took charge.
Staggering mid-air, I crashed down—luckily into a flowerbed, so I wasn’t hurt from the fall.
As soon as I hit the ground, Gnome covered my foot with soil.
‘Haa… haa…!’
[“Rian! Are you alright?”]
[“Rian, are you okay?!”]
[“Contractor! Your foot—oh crap, it’s bad.”]
I struggled in the dirt and lifted my head.
The flames were quickly extinguished, but my left foot was already blackened.
‘Ah… it hurts…’
“Caaawk…”
The pain was unbearable—so bad that tears streamed down my face.
[“Gasp! That crazy brat is coming this way!”]
[“I’ll check!”]
As Undine said, a light approached from the main building.
Even in the dark, I could see clearly—it was Bianca, holding another lamp, running toward me.
Her grotesque grin made her look like a clown.
“…!”
A chill ran down my spine.
Absurdly, I was terrified.
She wasn’t a seven-year-old girl—she was like a serial killer coming for me.
[“Rian, the wind is ready! We need to escape now!”]
That meant I had to launch myself into the air.
But every step was agony, as if my flesh was peeling away. I couldn’t move.
I flapped my wings and limped, then collapsed.
[“Damn it! Sylph! Can you lift the contractor with wind?”]
[“The air is too still—I can’t manage it alone! If someone helps lift him, I can keep him afloat for a bit!”]
[“Hey, water-brain! Can you sense any nearby water energy?”]
[“I can, but I’ll need time to gather it!”]
[“Then Gnome and I will buy time! Gnome, I’ll trip that psycho—hold her down when she falls!”]
[(Nods!)]
If my magic were functioning properly, this would be simple.
But now, all of us had to struggle just to save one crow.
‘I messed up.’
I should never have underestimated her just because she was a child.
No matter how pitiful, I should never have felt sympathy.
‘If she’s like this already… what will she become when she grows up?’
Undine and Sylph began gathering natural energy. Salamander and Gnome vanished to hinder Bianca.
Meanwhile, Bianca steadily closed the distance.
Her lamp’s glow was almost upon me.
I had crashed too close to the estate—too shocked to get far.
‘At this rate, I’ll be caught. I need to hide in the bushes.’
I crawled toward the undergrowth, but Bianca appeared.
“What are you doing here?
