Count's Youngest Son is a Warlock-Chapter 181: The owl laughs (3)

Twilo Sprikado.

According to the information provided by Heroan, Twilo Sprikado was known as the “Noble of the East” due to his significant influence.

His family had served the imperial family for generations, and when the empire faced wars with other countries, they played a crucial role. Their contributions were so significant that they were awarded the title of ‘Marquis’ in recognition of their efforts during the war.

‘But he’s the owl?’

Lucion found it hard to believe.

It made sense if Twilo was driven by a thirst for power or in need of financial gain like other nobles. However, why would someone with such considerable influence join forces with the Neubra Kingdom?

‘Wouldn’t he have more to lose than to gain?’

Did he lack the discernment to weigh the pros and cons?

[Lord Lucion, I…]

[That’s enough, Bethel.]

Russell intervened, stopping Bethel from blaming herself.

Dwelling on self-blame would only lead to negative emotions, which could easily consume someone of darkness like her.

Whether she was a knight of death or a ghost, if she didn’t embrace death, it would only lead to corruption.

Bethel lowered her head.

[…I’m sorry.]

―D-don’t cry, Bethel! Lucion has never been angry about something like this! Even when Ratta accidentally broke a dish, he just sighed. He wasn’t scary at all!

Bethel smiled softly at Ratta’s frantic words.

[I’m not crying, Ratta. How could I cry?]

“Lord Lucion?” Heint called out to Lucion.

Heint followed his gaze, but there were only people who had come to watch the lottery.

‘What is he looking at?’

Heint wondered, but suddenly recalled something Carson had blurted out while drunk.

“Lucion, sometimes he stares into space, and there’s nothing there, and he’s so scared. I can’t understand why, no matter how much I think about it. He suddenly covers his ears and shouts not to come near him like a madman. I think it’s a sickness caused by those Neubra bastards, it’s driving me crazy. I should’ve, I should’ve never missed him. I’m a crazy bastard. I’m a damn son of a bitch…!”

Heint wondered if the illness Carson mentioned had affected Lucion, so he approached him closely and asked quietly.

“Are you okay? If there’s something wrong with your body, tell me. I can help.”

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s my choice, so you don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

Although Lucion was clearly speaking to Heint, his eyes were directed towards Bethel.

It’s alright. It’s something I chose, so don’t blame yourself.

Lucion conveyed that message to Bethel.

[…Okay. I understand.]

Bethel’s voice trembled slightly.

She felt deep remorse for not speaking up from the beginning, knowing that Lucion wouldn’t have had to face all this trouble.

A heavy sense of guilt weighed on her.

“Sir Heint, please let me know the results of the lottery.”

Lucion spoke, conscious of the gazes around him.

“It will take some time for the results due to identity verification after the lottery. We are currently inspecting the ship while waiting for the results.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Lucion handed the cup he was holding to Hume.

Even with the knights acting as a wall, the voices of the people did not cease.

Now, it was his turn to sit quietly and become a statue, breathing and waiting for the lottery results to be announced.

―Ratta wants to go sightseeing.

Ratta’s gaze shifted towards the festival.

The enticing aromas wafting through the air seemed to tickle her nose.

A moment later, an imperial knight approached and handed Heint a piece of paper.

“The lottery results are in.”

After checking the selected names, Heint passed the paper to Lucion.

As soon as Lucion read the words written on the paper, his eyebrows twitched.

[How did he become a lottery winner?]

Bethel’s anger simmered silently.

‘It’s because of the red thread.’

Lucion muttered, unable to bring out the words he wanted, biting his lip slightly.

Even though he had anticipated Twilo being chosen in the lottery, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘How will he attempt to kill me?’

Lucion pondered while waiting, but he couldn’t come up with a solution.

Apart from the authorized knights, he couldn’t carry any weapons, of course.

Traitors within the Imperial Knights would be dealt with by Heint.

‘No warlocks.’

Lucion’s gaze shifted to the priests.

‘That leaves the priests, but they will be on a different ship than me, and even if they were to attack with light, it would be futile in the presence of Brother Heint.’

“Is anyone acting suspiciously?”

“Please keep an eye on this person. It relates to what Brother Carson mentioned earlier.”

In response to Heint’s question, Lucion pointed his finger at Twilo’s name.

“I understand. I will keep an eye on him.”

“And please ensure that no one approaches me while I am on the ship.”

Lucion didn’t know what Twilo might do, but if no one could approach him, it meant that half of the potential methods to kill him would be ineffective.

“I understand your concerns. I will make sure such a thing does not happen.”

Heint knew that Lucion didn’t know how to swim.

* * *

Lucion stepped aboard the ship.

Feeling the gentle rocking motion, Lucion flinched.

―Whoa! The water looks beautiful, but it smells strange! Ugh, it reeks of fish!

Ratta, hanging at the end of the shadow, wagged her tail, as if eager to go out at any moment.

[Lucion, just out of curiosity, do you know how to swim?]

Lucion shook his head in response to Russell’s question.

[It’s troublesome. It’s obvious what Twilo would do on the ship.]

[Yeah… But with the knights guarding, how can Lord Lucion possibly fall into the water?]

[You don’t necessarily need to use a direct approach. I noticed there were also wizards among the people.]

[There were wizards?]

Bethel’s eyes darted around.

As a ghost, the lack of senses was the most uncomfortable thing for her.

Although she could feel a tingling sensation and some sense of being alive, other things were almost imperceptible.

Relying on memories that hadn’t faded to recall those sensations was probably all she could do.

[Russell, how can you sense light and mana so well?]

[It’s not like I feel them vividly, but I can sense them to some extent.]

[No.]

Bethel denied his statement.

[I can’t sense them.]

Bethel herself was a Death Knight, an existence even higher than a ghost.

Logically, she should have been able to sense more.

The more she got to know Russell, the stranger he seemed.

‘What?’

Lucion also felt doubtful.

Beside him, Heint was muttering something, but none of it reached his ears.

What Bethel and Russell were discussing now seemed more interesting.

[Bethel, don’t think too strangely.]

Russell smirked, raising the corners of his mouth triumphantly.

[I’m a genius.]

Bethel widened her eyes and clenched her fist.

For the first time, Russell looked like an asshole.

[Anyway, Lucion, there’s no harm in being cautious. Regardless of how far the ship is from land, if there’s a wizard, they can’t reach us.]

Russell’s smile turned into a smirk.

“Lord Lucion? Are you listening?”

“Ah… I’m sorry, Sir Heint.”

With Heint’s voice slightly louder, Lucion finally looked at Heint.

“They say the waves aren’t calm today. The ship might sway a bit, but please don’t worry.”

At the same time, Heint handed something to Lucion.

“It’s a vest imbued with wind magic. It might be a good idea to put it on just in case.”

‘It’s a life jacket.’

Lucion quickly took the vest.

“I know it might feel stuffy, but please bear with it for a bit.”

Heint purposely stood in front of Lucion to prevent him from being aware of his surroundings.

Lucion also tried not to be conscious of the knights who stood close together as if surrounding him.

‘Because this situation is better than falling into the water.’

Perhaps because of the knights’ presence, even some of those chosen in the lottery were unable to approach Lucion when boarding the ship.

“Please step back.”

One of the knights spoke up.

“It will only take a moment. Isn’t it allowed to greet someone you have a personal connection with?”

When Twilo’s voice reached Bethel, she instinctively tried to cover her ears.

A surge of murderous intent coursed through her.

[Bethel, it won’t work. Just step back for a moment.] Russell proposed to Bethel.

How many people could tolerate being in such close proximity to their sworn enemy?

Bethel lowered her helmet visor and tightly gripped the handle of her sword.

[It may be shameless to say this, but I will ask you to take care of Lord Lucion.]

Instead of causing inconvenience to Lucion as before, it would be better for her to leave this place herself.

Bethel bowed her head to Lucion and flew away without even looking at Twilo.

As Lucion’s expression hardened, Heint lightly tapped his shoulder and spoke softly.

“I’ll handle it.”

Lucion briefly moved aside as Heint made his way through the knights towards Twilo.

Holding onto the ship’s railing tightly, Lucion watched the currents of the water flowing past.

Ratta hung quietly at the end of the shadow, completely absorbed in observing the sea without making a sound.

Hume stayed close to Lucion, tensed up in case Lucion might fall.

“Hume.”

Lucion smiled and pointed at the sea with his finger.

He had seen the sea before, but Hume had not.

“Look. It’s incredibly beautiful.”

Guided by Lucion’s voice, Hume turned his head.

The sparkling sea spray and the sunlight reflecting off the moving ship made it seem like they were gazing into a treasury filled with precious jewels in Cronia.

It was vast.

It was distant.

Hume’s mouth fell open involuntarily.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“…Yes. I didn’t know the sea could be such a place.”

Hume nodded repeatedly in response to Lucion’s question.

He had always thought that the most beautiful thing in the world was the stars in the night sky, but it seemed he had been mistaken.

Hume’s eyes softened.

* * *

The ship came to a halt in front of the Sea of Death.

Ratta and Hume, who had been captivated by the beauty of the sea, frowned as soon as they saw the Sea of Death.

‘It’s not the sea, it’s like a thick swamp.’

Lucion felt just as uncomfortable.

―Lucion, Ratta really hates that place! It’s so strange! Ratta can’t even see the darkness!

Ratta stood alert, her fur bristling.

‘She can’t even see the darkness… ?’

Lucion sensed something odd in Ratta’s words.

“I strongly feel like we shouldn’t get too close,” Hume expressed his concern while looking at Lucion.

It felt as though all the filth and ugliness of the world had been mixed together and dumped into that place.

[It’s really, truly dreadful. It feels like we’d be corrupted just by touching it.]

Uncharacteristically, Russell stepped back behind Lucion.

“…It’s no joke,” Heint’s voice came from behind.

“Yes, now I understand why everyone is concerned about the Sea of Death. It’s a strange place.”

“If we were to fall into the sea from this distance, we wouldn’t necessarily end up in the Sea of Death. The distance is immense.”

However, Lucion, with a strange sensation, looked back without paying attention to Heint’s words.

Smirk.

Through the gaps between the knights, Twilo’s smiling face became visible.

Ssaahh.

At that moment, Lucion was overcome by an unknown anxiety.

He didn’t say anything, but it seemed like he had done something.

Considering the presence of priests, knights guarding the ship, the inspection process, and the confirmation of the selected individuals, there shouldn’t be any cause for anxiety.

Yet, his heart pounded.

[What’s that guy up to…?] Russell frowned.

He, too, caught sight of Twilo’s smile.

It resembled the self-assured smile he would display before causing trouble.

Wooo.

A horn sounded.

It signaled the beginning of the ceremony.

“Now the ceremony begins. Please take your seats.”

Heint motioned for Lucion to move to the center of the ship.

There was a hint of unease in Lucion’s eyes.

“It may hurt, but I’ll try to block out the light as much as possible.”

Heint distanced himself from Lucion.

The ship carrying the priests and some of the lottery-selected individuals moved farther away from the ship Lucion was boarding.

A singing voice was heard.

Ratta pricked up her ears to the sounds the priests were making in unison.

-Lucion. Be careful of the light.

Troy said, worried about Lucion.

But those words did not reach Lucion’s ears.

He was consumed by anxiety.

Twilo’s smile lingered in his mind.

The priests’ singing grew louder, and a beam of light shot up into the sky from the left.

Heint used his own light to block it, but due to the waves, the ship shook, causing Lucion’s body to sway.

Hume hastily grabbed hold of Lucion.

―Whoa! It’s sparkling!

Ratta stared at the sky.

The light dispersed gently over the sea where the sun had set, resembling a gathering of numerous fireflies.

Paaaah.

As the light soared from the right side, it gave the impression that the darkness was dissipating.

―Oooh… oh?

The two lights ascending toward the sky from both sides vanished into thin air before reaching the Sea of Death.

Crash!

All of the ships suddenly shook violently.

[We’re sinking!]

Russell shouted.

In the midst of the confusion, a sudden surge of water tore through the ship at the center where Lucion stood.

[These damn bastards…!]

Russell gritted his teeth.

The enemies had been lying in wait underwater, holding their breath for this moment.

However, in the current situation, Russell was unable to use black magic, leaving him with clenched fists as his only recourse.

“Lucion!”

Heint rushed towards Lucion, slashing through the water with his sword.

“Young master!”

Hume caught Lucion.

Splosh!

But once again, a rushing torrent of water pierced through the ship.

Before his eyes, Hume disappeared.

Lucion’s eyes widened, and a wave of cold water lapped against his stomach.

Author's Thoughts

Okay, a bonus for you guys to celebrate my birthday!