Chapter 6
The Duke looked down at his son with cold blue eyes.
“Stand up.”
But Elver remained frozen, slumped before the dead Count’s body.
Hey, can’t you see your son’s legs shaking? At times like this, you’re supposed to at least give him a hug!
…But.
As my rational mind slowly returned, I came to a conclusion: If it’s the Duke of Schlayger, this is exactly what he would do.
<To Save You> is, just as the title suggests, a story about the female lead saving the male lead—and as a bonus, saving the world too.
The villain who pushes the world to the brink of destruction is none other than the male lead’s father, Duke Rattiger Orth Schlayger.
After seeing that ice blade he just conjured from thin air, there’s no room for doubt. That bastard is the one.
The Duke of Schlayger, heir to the power of the Silver Dragon and ruler of the North, raised his three sons with ruthless discipline. The eldest rebelled and ran away. The second became his father’s loyal aide.
And the third—our male lead—was born with the strongest affinity for dragon magic among the brothers. But this only made life worse for him. The Duke raised him with unrelenting cruelty.
After enduring such a merciless upbringing, the male lead became a man who had lost his heart.
The female lead is the first to show him love. He eventually destroys his father and marries her.
But judging from the fact that the male lead is still a child right now, the Duke’s downfall is years away.
For now, I absolutely must not get involved!
While I was on high alert, the Duke conjured another ice blade and hurled it at the orphanage director. The director screamed in terror.
“Hiiieeek!”
“My son was starving here? Why else would he be unable to stand?”
“I—I—didn’t know he was your son, Duke! I swear I never starved him!”
“If Elver still can’t stand up, you will be his crutch.”
“…Pardon?”
Don’t ask. That’s just the kind of man the Duke is.
Thankfully, before the Duke’s temper exploded, Elver managed to stand. His still-unshaken blue eyes turned to his father.
“Father.”
“You did well.”
“You abandoned me, didn’t you? Last month, you suddenly left me—”
“No fool throws away gold. Don’t make me out to be a fool.”
“Father…!”
Elver clenched his fists in front of his father. Was he about to grab him by the collar?
But the Duke’s fingers moved first. A magic circle appeared mid-air, and the ground beneath Elver instantly froze.
“…!”
“Cool your head. Now—hey, Director.”
“Y-yes, sir! I-I truly fed the young master diligently! I even gave him a bath today!”
I’m the one who bathed him!
The director practically flung himself to the floor, trying to escape the situation. Damn. No matter what anyone does, the Duke will do as he pleases.
Whether Elver says “I don’t want to go with you,” or “Life at the orphanage was too hard,” the moment he opens his mouth, the orphanage and everyone in it will be doomed.
It’s not part of the original plot, but considering the Duke’s temperament, it wouldn’t be surprising if hundreds died by his hand.
I mentally drafted my will.
My last life sucked, and this one does too. If I’d known I’d die like this, I should’ve lived it up and raised hell while I had the chance.
I reincarnated into a romance fantasy, and all I’ve done is suffer in a run-down orphanage…
…Should I at least try kicking the Duke’s shin before I die?
I didn’t particularly like the male or female lead of <Ranked 99>, but that bastard? He was truly garbage. No—calling him garbage is an insult to garbage.
…Come to think of it, isn’t this a golden opportunity?
Die like a nobody, or die after kicking the biggest villain in the story.
Obviously the latter!
I slowly stood up.
The Duke’s eyes were still fixed on the director. Soon he’d probably say something like, “This place offends me,” and wipe out the orphanage. Knowing him, he absolutely would!
As I cautiously approached, the Duke spoke.
“The Count claimed he came to adopt a child from the orphanage?”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“These filthy brats?”
“H-he said looking pitiful helped get children adopted…”
“Adopted? More like sold.”
“T-that’s…”
“No excuses. Since I’ve now lost a customer, I’ll adopt one child myself as an apology. Prepare them within 30 minutes.”
The Duke snapped his head toward the hallway.
No room for argument. His commands must be obeyed instantly.
A teaching assistant rushed to guide him.
“R-right this way, Your Grace! T-to the parlor!”
The assistant moved like a stiff robot, the Duke and his silent entourage trailing behind. Once they left, the director snapped back to reality.
“You kids—get ready. I’ll bring wet towels. Wash up fast. And change into your cleanest clothes!”
He then bolted toward the bathroom. The children left behind were stunned by this flood of new information.
“What… is going on?”
“So… not adoption, but sale?”
“Anyway, the Duke’s going to adopt one of us, right…?”
Like a dream.
Even without knowing that the Duke is the king’s cousin, the children could sense he was someone important.
But children have instincts, too.
That murderous aura in the Duke’s eyes. And the Count’s corpse lying in the room.
I covered the body with a blanket, then turned to Elver.
“Are you okay?”
“…For now.”
The icy trap had finally melted. Elver rubbed his red, bare feet. I covered them with another blanket and said,
“You’ll be leaving now.”
“…Where to?”
“The Duke’s estate. Your father came to get you, right?”
“…”
Elver bit his lower lip.
“He definitely abandoned me… Wrapped me in a coat and just tossed me on the street…”
“Oh no. That must’ve been terrifying, Elver.”
“And now he just says, ‘You did well’… What does he even see me as…?”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just rubbed his cold feet.
The Duke probably used his son for some goal. Maybe he wanted something investigated at this orphanage. Maybe he needed bait to lure out a political enemy…
Whatever it was, now that he got what he wanted, he wouldn’t bother explaining anything. Just like no one explains their plans to a mousetrap.
That’s the kind of man the Duke is.
Elver buried his face in his knees.
“Am I going to die someday like this…?”
“…”
No. You’ll grow into a fine young man. You’ll meet a woman who saves you. And you’ll get revenge on your father, too.
…But I didn’t say those hopeful words aloud. Hope that’s too far away only deepens despair.
Besides, Elver’s emotional numbness is part of what leads him to clash and connect with the saintly female lead.
If I give him hope now, I might twist that future.
There’s only one thing I can say:
“You’ll be fine. You even tricked me with a fake name, remember?”
“…Sorry. I thought it’d be dangerous if they knew I was a noble.”
“Haha. The director probably had a heart attack.”
The director flinched while wiping the kids’ faces nearby. He muttered under his breath,
“I’m not wiping your face.”
Whatever. I’m not going to be adopted anyway. If it meant going with that bastard of a Duke, I’d rather have gone with the goat-beard Count!
While massaging Elver’s feet, I remembered what the Duke did in <Ranked 99>.
The Duke’s wife came from a poor noble family and even lost her mother before marrying him.
Their marriage, looked down on by many, was surprisingly harmonious—or so it was said.
But shortly after giving birth to their third son, she died of illness. Her last words were supposedly: “Take care of children like me.”
To honor that wish, the Duke supported various orphanages and adopted a particularly pitiful girl.
On the surface, it was a heartwarming tale.
But the story ends with a scandal: the adopted 10-year-old girl dies at 16.
The cause of death? Downright artistic.
During a magical spear-fighting event packed with nobles, a terrorist attack occurs—and she dies shielding her adoptive father.
Who would believe that? A 16-year-old throwing herself in front of her adoptive dad? Please. The Duke used her as a human shield.
Readers cursed him out as a monster. But in the story, no one dared say it aloud.
The Duke pretended to be enraged and framed his political enemies as the terrorists, wiping them all out. His brutal retaliation was painted as the righteous fury of a grieving father.
“Who could doubt the sincerity of a father so dearly loved by his daughter, who died protecting him?”—a textbook PR move.
No one believed it, of course.
That chapter’s comment section was filled with: “Hang the Duke in Gwanghwamun and let us throw rocks at him.”
The child he adopts today will surely meet a tragic end six years later.
Can that future be changed?
Worried about the soon-to-be sacrifice, I looked around.
In <Ranked 99>, there was barely any description of the adopted daughter. She was a minor character—I don’t even remember her name.
The only clue: she was ten years old at the time of adoption. So where’s a ten-year-old girl…?
…No way.
I frantically scanned the room, but my dread only grew.
There were barely any girls around my age in this orphanage.
No, don’t tell me, please don’t…
I searched for an escape route, but the only thing beyond the broken door was a death wind cold enough to freeze me solid in ten minutes.
The director placed his hands firmly on our shoulders—including mine—and said:
“Alright, kids. Time for your big break. Do your best, okay?”
Please leave me out of this!
