Chapter 88………………………….
He recalled the conversation he had with the Empress Dowager a few days ago.
“Rohan, His Majesty has begun speaking about the existence of divine beasts. If he discovers that one of them is missing, his wrath will be unavoidable.”
What that being desired as tribute was a complete offering. If the time ever came to present it, they would be in dire straits.
And if the magic circle had been activated not for intrusion but for escape, it could only mean that the one escaping already knew of the internal array.
“It must be the White Tiger divine beast.”
The duke’s eyes flickered with violent light.
When he entered the tower, stale dust floated thick in the air.
Behind the iron bars were caged creatures—each one a divine beast spoken of only in legends.
The newborn ones had not yet learned to take human form and remained as small animals.
But as proof of their sacred nature, faint lights pulsed softly from their bodies.
Duke Penelope swept his cold gaze across the dungeon.
“From which direction did the barrier waver?”
“Here.”
Dominic pointed to a section of wall near the imprisoned divine beasts.
Seeing the obvious target of the escape attempt, the duke’s lips curled into a cruel smile.
“But the fact they failed means they must have been grievously wounded.”
“They likely broke a limb,” Dominic added, frowning with disappointment.
For he had been the one to weave this protection spell.
Once hailed as a prodigy of the Mage Tower, Dominic had specialized in curses and destructive magic. But since his training conflicted with Elihu’s emphasis on protection and blessings, he had left the tower behind.
Now, he was almost regretful. He had missed the perfect chance to test his spell’s true power.
The duke’s footsteps quickened as they left the underground.
“A wounded cub won’t be hard to find.”
There were four divine beasts in total.
And to present a perfect tribute to that being, everything had to be in order.
Dominic smirked leisurely.
“They say it fled toward the Jacqueline estate.”
“What?”
The duke froze. His face hardened with icy realization.
“So that’s how it all connects!”
There was no way that beast could have hidden itself in the capital without assistance.
And the moment he realized that the White Tiger divine beast was tied to her, every piece of today’s puzzle fell into place.
“So she figured it out, then.”
If the White Tiger had read Jacques Lorenzo’s memories, then of course it would know what they had done.
The duke ground his teeth.
“So in the end, the one who truly needs to die isn’t the old man—it’s that wretched girl.”
Everything was connected to that Jacqueline brat.
Until now, Duke Penelope had assumed the mastermind was Duke Dinero.
But no—it was her.
Looking down on her because she was just a young girl had been his fatal mistake.
And if she inherited the dukedom and gained even greater power…
“She must not be allowed to live.”
Cold murderous intent glinted in his eyes.
“Send Jaeger.”
Meanwhile…
Having finished handing out all my pamphlets, I stepped out of the banquet hall empty-handed but light-footed.
Since the war ended, nobles had already indulged themselves in luxuries. Eventually, they would turn to other pursuits—like leisure.
And the best leisure? Travel.
“Anyone who’s traveled once never forgets the taste of it.”
I even planned to establish department stores near harbors and airfields, filled with local specialties and offering special discounts just for travelers.
The merchandise list was already complete.
Shhh—
Outside, a cool autumn rain was falling.
I hurried into the Dinero carriage, where the duke was already resting with his eyes closed, looking exhausted.
He glanced at me and snorted.
“Such talk of simple living, yet I saw how fiercely you rowed your little boat.”
“Because I’ve come to understand the value of money, thanks to you. But still—you should have warned me if you planned to drop a bomb like that today.”
“Would it be a surprise gift if I told you beforehand?”
The duke’s face lit up with satisfaction.
“But your timing was flawless. I’ve never once seen my retainers smiling so warmly in all my life.”
“…”
I had nothing to say. Because he was right—the timing had been perfect.
“Tell me, are you going to stop your revenge there?”
“As if I would.”
He gave a chilling smile, clearly with more schemes in mind.
“It’s only fair to make them so miserable they’ll beg for death. That would settle the score.”
“In that case… may I suggest one idea? There’s something I can’t manage alone, and it scares me a little.”
“You should have said so sooner!”
The duke scoffed, frowning.
I had expected him to say, ‘What does a child know of revenge?’—but his reaction was quite the opposite.
“If there’s something even you fear, then it must be a truly spectacular act of vengeance. I’m intrigued.”
Scratching my cheek, I murmured,
“But I’ll tell you later. I need someone’s agreement first.”
Not a person, exactly—but a divine beast.
When I arrived home, Julia was already waiting with an umbrella.
But her face was unusually tense.
Tap, tap, tap—
Then Melin came running out barefoot, without even changing out of her dress.
“Melin, what is it?”
“Sister…! Something’s wrong. Really wrong!”
Her face was filled with anxiety, her feet stomping nervously. I felt dread creeping in.
“Mion hasn’t come back…!”
“What?”
“A-Agatha and Lisa went out to look for him, but… they still haven’t found him!”
“When was he last seen?”
“The servants said they saw him until noon,” Julia answered.
“So since noon, he hasn’t returned.”
Now I understood Melin’s panic. Mion had never stayed out this long before.
“He has been slipping out often lately…”
I had even warned him once: if Penelope caught sight of him, we’d be in danger.
Normally, he would have scoffed at me. But that day, he’d stayed silent.
“Don’t tell me…”
A dry lump caught in my throat.
“Where was he last seen?”
“The second-floor study.”
“The study…”
That room was filled with miscellaneous books. But I remembered Mion had recently been studying magic texts there.
“I can’t be sure.”
It was impossible to directly connect his disappearance to magic—at least not yet.
“I’ll search too.”
Recalling the saying, ‘The darkest place is beneath the lamp,’ I began searching the mansion inside and out.
Though exhaustion weighed on me after the banquet, there was no time to rest.
After nearly an hour of searching—
“Melin, ask the spirits for help.”
She only used spirit magic with my permission. At my urging, she nodded.
“They say… he’s in the back garden!”
At once, we ran toward the garden.
“Mion…!”
There he was, collapsed in his beast form.
“Mion!”
Tears welled in Melin’s eyes as she rushed to him.
“W-what do we do?!”
I pushed her gently aside and carefully carried him into the house.
His injuries weren’t fatal, but his leg was badly damaged—he wouldn’t be able to move on his own.
As we hurried toward my room, Lisa spotted us. Her face paled.
“Oh my, oh my! I’ll fetch the physician right away!”
At that, Mion’s eyes fluttered weakly open.
Catching the look in them, I quickly stopped her.
“Wait! Don’t call the physician.”
“Pardon?”
“Everyone, please leave until I call you back.”
Click.
Ignoring their puzzled stares, I shut the bedroom door.
Alone with Mion, I placed my hand on his body.
Immediately, I felt my energy begin to drain.
