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Chapter 265: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (58)

Dame Irene tearfully recounted her tale in great detail.

“Yes, yes… If my memory serves me right, that’s correct.”

Dame Irene’s voice lacked confidence and sounded timid.

She seemed to doubt even her own eyes.

I scratched my head at the sudden emergence of a new mystery.

My tone naturally carried a hint of annoyance.

“No, Is that all? Why did such a suspicious person appear only now?”

“Th-That I’m also not sure… Ah! Now that I think about it, there was a flash of light before I collapsed!”

A flash of light, she said.

It wasn\'t helpful information at all.

Seeing my unimpressed expression, Dame Irene quickly pressed her head back to the floor again.

A thud echoed, cutting through my sigh.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I\'m sorry.... Young Lady Ria stood up as if she were possessed, and in my moment of carelessness…”

“.....still, no matter how careless you were.”

My patience was wearing thin, and I couldn\'t help but utter reproachful words

At this, Dame Irene, with tears in her eyes, placed her sword at my feet.

“P-Please, kill me… If this worthless life can neither aid my Teacher nor return to the Princess, then I\'d rather..."

"No, why are you being so extreme?"

Despite the situation, the sword was a high-quality item, befitting the daughter of the Lupermion family.

I spoke in earnest frustration, but Dame Irene seemed equally sincere.

She slowly lifted her upper body, still kneeling.

The female knight sniffled and wiped her tear-streaked eyes with her hand.

"So you mean someone as incompetent as me doesn\'t even deserve to die as a knight. I understand. Bearing this shame is also my responsibility. I\'ll quit being a knight and quietly start taking my bridal lessons..."

“That’s enough.”

I firmly cut her off.

I was worried about what else she might say if I let her continue.

Dame Irene, looking even more dejected, bowed her head further.

She muttered timidly.

"S-Still I\'ve often been complimented on my looks. Maybe I won\'t be entirely useless, just like when I was an escort knight..."

“If you mention that one more time, you’ll regret it.”

At my cold tone, Dame Irene quickly shut her mouth.

She simply lowered her gaze helplessly.

Regardless, I crossed my arms and pondered.

Dame Irene was a knight who had reached the level of an Expert.

She had been living as a knight for several years. She was trusted to guard a member of the Imperial Family, even though she was far down the line of succession.

Even if she let her guard down, she wasn\'t someone who could be knocked out with a single blow.

At least for me, it was impossible.

That left only one possibility.

The masked assailant was far stronger.

Which made things even more confusing.

If they could overpower an escort knight, there were countless things they could have done with Ria.

They could have kidnapped her and taken her as a hostage, or killed her on the spot without anyone able to stop them. Someone that skilled wouldn\'t have been overpowered by Ria.

But the masked assailant chose the least effective option.

Leaving her alone.

It was a decision whose intent was hard to fathom.

My head throbbed with the flood of concerns. I was never one for sharp thinking to begin with.

With the lingering effects of hangover and my injuries, it was getting harder to think clearly.

This was a matter better suited for Leto or the Saintess.

In the end, my destination was clear.

As I staggered forward, Dame Irene, alarmed, raised her voice.

“T-Teacher! The Saintess said you needed to rest for a while…”

“It\'s fine, Dame Irene. you too, please get up… we need all the help we can get right now.”

Dame Irene hesitated but eventually stood up.

Her face showed subtle relief. She seemed glad to be forgiven.

Though, rather than forgiving her, it was more like letting her off the hook.

At first, I didn\'t realise it, but she had a subtle tendency to be a bit of a burden.

Or perhaps she became one due to some reason.

Either way, I couldn’t abandon Dame Irene.

She had not only learned a powerful secret technique from my future self, but as I said, we needed all the help we could get right now.

Letting an Expert-level knight sit idle was not an option.

So I led the way, with Dame Irene hesitantly following behind.

A foreboding silence hung in the manor’s lobby.

The somber atmosphere was emanating from the reception room.

As expected, everyone was gathered in the reception room.

The Percus family, my party , Sir Reynold, and even Arthur, the Imperial Administrator.

To be precise, everyone except Ria and Seria was there.

As I staggered through the door of the reception room, everyone present looked at me with startled eyes.

The Saintess even stood up in shock.

"Ian! Your wounds are still..."

“I’m fine.”

I immediately raised a hand to stop the Saintess.

I already anticipated that she would react that way.

Instead, I asked what I had been wondering all along.

“More importantly, where is Ria?”

The Saintess still looked worried, but she soon sighed deeply and stepped back.

She seemed to realise that she couldn\'t change my mind.

Spending more time together indeed had its advantages.

We wasted less time on pointless arguments.

The answer came from Celine shortly after.

"...She\'s unconscious."

My eyes turned to Celine.

The two of them had quarrelled like cats and dogs since childhood, but they had known each other for years.

It had to be quite the shock for her.

Celine\'s conflicted feelings were evident as she bit her lip.

"Ria seemed just as shocked. She was just muttering absent-mindedly... But why on earth?"

Celine finally voiced her doubt.

The childhood friend she had known since childhood was suddenly stabbed with a knife, and moreover, the perpetrator was his younger sister who was now mentally damaged and unconscious.

Not knowing the reason only served to further fuel confusion and suspicion.

Everyone\'s gaze turned toward where my father, Viscount Percus, was.

It was inevitable since my eyes were directed towards them.

My parents and Aaron Hyung, maintained a somber silence.

"Mother, Father. Why did Ria do such a thing? It\'s almost like..."

“Mitram\'s test subject.”

The words that Celine couldn\'t bring herself to say were completed by Mr. Reynold.

He spoke with an unreadable expression.

“Viscount Percus, I believe an explanation is necessary… As you know, the Dark Order is a public enemy of the continent. Any facts related to it must be disclosed.”

Mr. Reynold spoke in an even tone without any inflection.

He was merely conveying plain facts to express his point.

It felt like he was applying pressure, which made me uneasy, but I too was curious about the secrets of the Percus family.

I deliberately kept silent, signalling my tacit agreement.

Arthur, who had been fidgeting anxiously, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

For him, the Dark Order or anything else was secondary to my will as the holder of the Dragonblood Script.

In the end, in an atmosphere where no one was on his side, my father slowly began to speak.

"...This story goes back to more than ten years ago."

His voice was hoarse with pain and anguish.

The recent string of events had worn his body and mind down. On top of that, he had just learned that his daughter stabbed his son.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had a breakdown.

Yet he held on, knowing the fate of our territory rested in his hands.

"A disease was spreading at that time. It was an illness that could not be cured by Holy Power or Mana."

“…The ‘Depletion Syndrome.’”

The words came from the Saintess, who knew the most about the subject.

My father nodded in agreement.

\'Depletion Syndrome.\' I had heard of it too.

All living beings are inherently born with mana.

Whether the amount is large or small, no living being can exist without mana, as it is directly connected to the functions of life.

The reason demonic beasts are born is also closely related to this.

Mana attracts mana.

Therefore, naturally occurring mana is also drawn to beings with mana. When the density becomes too high, a demonic beast is born.

However, there were some exceptions to this rule.

People born with the rare disease known as ‘Depletion Syndrome.’

Depletion Syndrome causes the mana within the body to dry up naturally. Most who are afflicted with it die before they reach the age of ten.

Because without mana, a life cannot survive.

Though there were stories of miraculous cures, Depletion Syndrome was essentially incurable.

Neither Mana nor Holy Power could cure it.

Apparently, the original Riasuffered from this disease as well.

“Yes, I knew it in my head. I knew that I could never save my daughter with my own power alone... Isn\'t it the same disease that almost took the life of Imperial Princess Iris? Yet, my heart simply refused to accept it.”

I couldn’t imagine the feelings of parents facing the imminent death of their child.

Though I couldn’t fully understand, it was clear that my father had fallen into deep despair afterward.

That must have been why he reacted so sensitively to the word “Fate.”

As my mother reminisced about those times, tears welled up in her eyes. Aaron Hyung also sighed deeply.

My father spoke in a strained voice.

“…It was then that I heard it.”

“Heard what?”

“The rumour of someone with a Secret Technique to revive even the dead.”

Arthur, who had been quietly listening, violently shook his head.

He shouted in frustration.

“How could you believe such a suspicious rumour…!”

“It was a time when I would have done anything to save my daughter.”

Like a cornered rat biting a cat.

It was merely a desperate attempt to challenge the overwhelming enemy called fate.

With a sorrowful look in his eyes, my father testified.

"There wasn\'t even any need to inquire around. They heard the rumours and contacted me first."

“What did they ask for?”

The Saintess’s question was sharp.

My father let out a sorrowful laugh.

“They said they wanted to study my daughter. Claiming that those born with Depletion Syndrome had peculiar traits… At that time, my daughter was on the verge of death.”

The rest of the story was predictable.

I silently lowered my gaze.

"Foolishly, I accepted the proposal. In return, I handed over my daughter and received a \'daughter\' in exchange."

His words were strange.

Unlike me, who had some inkling of the situation, the others continued to gaze at my father with questioning eyes.

My father had to confirm it once again.

“The child we call ‘Ria’ now is not my daughter. She is a clone, created using my daughter’s genetic information… Yes, the Percus family made a deal with the Dark Order.”

This was the secret the Percus family had been hiding all along.