# 119
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Once I realized who the owner of the necklace was, I realized that my appearance was also the work of that evil monster.
“What should I do now?”
My hands were shaking from unbearable fear.
Even though I understood everything, I was unable to remove the pendant from my body, and I had no idea how to solve it.
“Do I really need to go to temple?”
I couldn't find any traces of mana in my body that day, so I wondered if it was a curse or a spell.
To be honest, I don't know anything about that area, so I vaguely thought that I could go to the temple and get purification or blessings.
Once reality hit, I lost confidence.
I don't even know if this is really a curse or some high level magic that I know nothing about.
Anyway, the important thing is.
“Money, I need money.”
Even if you go to a temple, you need money to meet a priest with divine powers instead of an ordinary priest.
That's a lot of money too.
But now it is too late, and it is difficult to go to the bank vault and retrieve the money without the permission of the Duke, who is my guardian.
'Then again...'
I quickly got out of bed and opened the closet door.
Deragon Daryl was the only place he could find money now.
There is still a deadline until the promised date, but for now, I will ask you to bring my own money because I don't mind if it's not enough.
"quickly . … !"
I definitely put the communicator in the locker to return it when I received final payment.
Maybe because I was in a hurry, my hands were shaking and it was difficult for me to find it.
Since no more magic stones had been made since then, I quickly moved my hand with the intention of pumping out magic power once I found the connection port.
* * *
At that time, there was a huge and elaborate magic circle floating in the air in the Marquis' Villa.
The Archduke, who was making a final inspection while watching Jin move slowly, suddenly opened his mouth.
“Ascart.”
". … Yes?"
Askart, who had stood with a blank expression for a moment, belatedly raised his head.
“Why are you doing this? Even if there is something wrong...”
“No, it's not that, there's nothing wrong with Jane.”
“Then why...”
“That's because I feel like you can't really focus.”
"Yes . … ".
Askart's face turned red at his father's words.
Although he tried not to show it, his true feelings seemed to have been revealed.
“If you're that worried about this child, don't keep her waiting and go see her, I can do it on my own from now on.”
“No, now is the final stage and we have to finish it.”
Askart responded immediately.
Of course, it was true that after the butler came and went, I was so curious about the important things Leah was trying to say that I lost my mind.
I was worried that something bad might happen, and I was also excited that this might be the answer to his previous invitation to the emirate.
But now I was taking the first step towards something I had been planning for a long time.
The massive magical artifact installed here would collect the signals sent by the magical artifacts that would spread throughout the empire in the future, identify Adriana's mana, and immediately transmit the location to the Principality of Pylos.
“Are you okay, because I'm doing more important things now.”
The Archduke looked at Askart's resolute expression and nodded, offering no further advice.
And after a while.
After completing all the inspections, the Archduke inserted the high-quality magic stone into the duchy, and the Jin-engraved magic instrument began to move with a buzzing sound.
“Let's check if it's working properly.”
The Archduke said, picking up the communication port connected to the Principality.
If you, Adriana's blood relative, use mana, the magical artifact that marks all mana detected in the vicinity will glow and notify the principality of your location.
That was when the Archduke raised his hand and was about to unleash his magic.
The light flashed from the magical tool that had been rotating quietly and began to spin furiously.
The embarrassed Askart and the Archduke made eye contact.
“Askart, are you...”
"no."
At the same time that Ascart denied this, light flashed twice from the communication port that the Archduke was holding.
This meant that the mana identified as Adriana's or one of her blood relatives was properly delivered to the principality.
At that moment I felt goosebumps starting from my toes.
That was when the room became quiet and the Archduke and Askart froze.
Repeat!
The door opened and the Archduchess entered.
The Archduke swallowed dry saliva and quickly examined his wife's hands.
He did not raise the sword.
‘Unless you use Twilight, really….’
The Archduke barely suppressed his troubled heart and opened his mouth.
“Madam, now...”
“Askart, don’t hang out with that maid, she’s a very naughty girl.”
The Archduke's words were scattered in the air by the Archduchess.
Askart was surprised by the sudden sound.
“Mom, what are you saying suddenly?”
“I called the servant a while ago and he said something silly to me. You asked the servant to wait a moment, right? There is no need to meet.”
“What in heaven’s name is this...? Are you sure you mean Leah?”
Ascart's eyes became sharp when he mentioned Leia's name.
When the Archduchess noticed this, her spirit also became fierce.
“Yes, the little girl who tricked you and my father.”
“I don’t know what mistake Leah did, but she’s still a child, can’t you consider it a simple mistake and overlook it leniently?”
The Archduchess's eyebrows rose sharply when she saw Ascarte taking sides without listening.
“A little mistake? How dare I go easy on her when she lies to me, tells me she's my daughter, and plays bad pranks on me?”
At that moment, Askart's eyes hesitated.
After a while, he slowly opened his mouth.
"Didn't you just have a nightmare? Why would he say something like that to my mother?"
"No way! Are you saying you'll protect this child and treat me like I'm crazy?"
“It's not like that...”
“Now, wait a minute, ma'am.”
At that time, the Archduke, who had been frozen without even being able to blink, asked with a pale expression on his face.
"Did she really say that? She...it's Adriana."
“Your Highness, what’s wrong with your skin...”
“Please tell me, did she really say that?”
The Archduchess, thinking that the Archduke was as angry as she was at the unusually loud voice, nodded.
“Yes, she told me that, she said it was Adriana, I was really shocked...”
“What about her?”
"Yes?"
“The little girl wouldn't say something like that, right? There must be a reason to think that way, why did she say that?”
“H—this...”
The Grand Duchess, who was calm, slowly recalled her memories.
“...a necklace, that's right, I think she said that while she was pointing at her neck, asking me if I didn't know what kind of necklace it was... There was nothing around her neck.”
“And so.”
“And... I didn’t listen to her, I was angry and thought she was making a mean joke...”
“Ha...”
The Archduke's eyelids fluttered.
“Is the girl still here? I need to see her immediately.”
"my dad !"
It was Ascarte who caught the Archduke who was trying to leave in a hurry.
“Isn’t now the right time for that? Leia, I will meet her later and talk about it. First, check the magic tools...”
Askart looked back and was speechless.
The magic tool that was shining inteny had already come out.
“Contact the emirate immediately, the location is clear...”
While Askart was confused, the Archduke grabbed the doorknob without listening.
At that time, the Archduchess grabbed the Archduke and said:
“Your Highness, the child is not outside, I have already sent her away.”
The Archduke, who was about to rush out, stopped.
He looked at his wife with wide eyes.
“Ma’am, please say no.”
“...Your Highness?”
“You said that you were not that cruel to this child. ...Please tell me that you did not say anything hurtful even though you were angry, please...”
“Why in the name of the Creator of Heaven are you doing this, Your Highness? What in the name of the Creator of Heaven are you talking about?”
The Archduke pursed his trembling lips as he looked into his wife's worried eyes.
I didn't get an answer, but I felt like I completely understood what that meant.
* * *
The sun has already set.
Snowfall, which had stopped briefly during the day, also began again.
The snowball grew at an alarming rate, but Jack did not leave the training ground.
I felt astonished and somewhat astonished.
During the day, a woman who was said to be the leading magic swordsman of the Principality of Belos visited the training hall of Elad Palace.
Neither a knight nor a wizard, she introduced herf as a magical swordsman.
After listening to the story, it seemed like he knew Lia well because he was one of the ones who came to the orphanage to rescue the princess.
〈Leah is sick? Where is she going? Isn't it cool?〉
Allen jumped when the princess who had come to see the ballroom came late with a maid other than Leia.
It was Bianca who responded to the words that she was resting because she was sick.
The woman with a worried face muttered that she should first look at the sword and then go to see Leia.
Jack also thought to himf that he should follow him.
Until the training begins.
Jack closed his eyes tightly again.
The shocking scene was still vivid.
How long has it been since you started training?
Sif Allen's body began to tremble as he listened to Bianca's explanation.
And then the blue sword energy clearly appeared and disappeared.
It was twilight.
Although he quickly disappeared, Jack never forgot the moment the ground around him shook.
“Jack!”
At that time, the person who had caused Jack's confusion appeared in the training hall with a loud voice.
asked Allen, who hurriedly ran towards Jack, panting.
“Jack, have you seen Leah by any chance?”
Jack, suddenly coming to his senses, narrowed his eyes.
“I didn't see her, is she not in her room?”
“She's not there! I went to see the room, but she wasn't in the room or anywhere!”