DSB 48

“Did you know everything?”

Lebel was slightly startled by Damian’s words. Yutis had only been confessed to him a few days ago, but someone else already knew his feelings.

Lebel also observed Iol and Mahan’s reactions. They both had calm expressions. It seemed everyone already knew.

“…It is stranger that you did not know.”

“So it was that obvious.”

He must be the type who cannot read a room. Well, it did not matter now that he finally knew. He had heard what he wanted to hear in the end.

“You want to know what it means to be a wife? It is good that you have enthusiasm.”

“Edmund…?”

They heard the sound of a door opening, and a man stepped inside. It was Edmund, whom Lebel had not seen again since their first encounter.

“You look healthy, daughter-in-law.”

Daughter-in-law?

Lebel blinked slowly.

He had expected only gods to address him so, never mortals.¹

Edmund sat beside Damian and spoke.

“You resolved Yutis’s problem, so you already fulfilled your role as a wife. You should take care of your health first.”

“For some reason, everyone keeps speaking about my health.”

“You are small-built.”

“……”

Lebel remained silent.

He had insisted that he was strong, yet his body was smaller than any other human here, so it was hard to argue. But his health had nothing to do with the North’s affairs or the family’s advantage.

“Is that all?”

Yutis and everyone else had so little ambition.

“I heard that the North is not in good condition. That man said the advice I gave before was very helpful.”

“That man…?”

“I mean the manager who handles demonic beast materials.”

Mahan, remembering Jess who had rushed toward Lebel the moment he appeared, spoke softly.

“It may not be possible right now, but I will make it possible someday.”

His body did not seem any stronger yet, but his ability had returned to some degree.

“Where does that confidence come from…”

“Haha, our daughter-in-law has great ambition.”

“That is the first time I have heard such words.”

He had been told to dream, but never praised for ambition.

“If I have any request at all, it is that you take good care of Yutis.”

“I am already careful with him.”

He had barely coaxed and persuaded him to reduce how often he took his suppressants. In return, the number of tonics Lebel drank had increased.

He began to doubt if that physician was a quack. He clearly was fine, yet the man insisted his energy was low and served endless bitter tonics.

Yutis was the same. Lebel had helped him avoid taking pills, but Yutis did not return the favor. Perhaps he did not understand because his own medicine came in pill form, not liquid.

“Good, that is enough. Build more stamina. No matter how I look at it, you are weak.”

“…I am not weak.”

Lebel already heard that twice so he curtly replied.

He almost wanted to demonstrate his strength on the spot. His vessel could now hold far more demonic energy than before.

While he practiced controlling his pheromones, his demonic energy often moved with it, and by learning to restrain it, his body had adapted further.

Since then, he had even managed to cast small spells. The range was narrow enough to be frustrating, but it still counted as progress.

“When it comes to the measure of strength, I know you are not weak.”

Lebel’s eyes widened a little at Edmund’s words, and Damian beside him looked surprised.

“Not weak? You can look at that thin body that seems like one punch would knock it down and still say that?”

“It is fine.”

“Fine? How is that fine?!”

Lebel had refuted him, but he had not expected anyone to agree with him.

Edmund had just said moments ago that he was frail, that he should take care of his health and build his stamina. Yet now he claimed he was strong. Did he know something?

Lebel furrowed his brows.

“I heard you made fire.”

“Ah…”

Lebel let out a brief sound.

“Fire?”

Damian tried to recall what that meant, then shouted loudly.

“Wait, were you a mage?”

Iol’s eyes widened too.

“How did you know, Father-in-law?”

“I heard.”

Fire. Someone who had been there that day must have told him.

Lebel naturally looked at Mahan, but he shook his head in panic.

“I only overheard Theo and Bron talking. Do not blame them. I have good hearing, that is all.”

“I had no intention of blaming anyone.”

So that was why he mentioned the measure of strength. Humans usually saw mages as powerful.

A mage defied natural law and performed what ordinary humans could not. There were only a few who could wield magic, so the meaning was clear.

Among demons, there were few who could not use it.

“Let’s say it is something similar to a mage.”

Mages used mana. Lebel, however, used demonic energy when performing spells, so he was not one.

“Something similar? When did you learn magic then? Who taught you?”

Lebel remained silent.

Damian placed his hand on his forehead, he felt his head aching.

“Was it a friend from the past who taught you?”

Lebel lifted his head and met Edmund’s gaze.

“I am sorry. I was the one who spoke.”

Mahan immediately apologized. Come to think of it, when he had been asked how he knew about demonic beasts, that had been the same excuse he had used.

It was natural for others to find it strange that the one called the Foolish Prince has knowledge about demonic beasts that even northerners did not.

So that was why he had received so many strange looks then. Only now did he understand the reason.

And to think it would connect like this. There was no proper way to explain it.

“Well, it is similar.”

Karon had often told him about interesting magic he had learned.

In war, Lebel had used magic, though he specialized in offensive and defensive spells and knew little about ordinary ones.

“Where did you meet that friend?”

“…I met him before I came to the Imperial Palace.”

That was not a lie.

“I see.”

“That is all?”

No matter how he thought about it, that answer made little sense.

“You are part of our family now. Why would we blame you for something you did for us? It is a fact that because of you, Yutis now lives peaceful days.”

Family. Peaceful days.

Was Yutis thinking the same? Was that why he did not ask further when Lebel avoided answering?

“But I hope you will tell Yutis your story someday.”

Yutis? Why was Yutis’s name coming up here?

But if he were to reveal his inner truth and identity to anyone as Edmund said, Yutis would be the first.

“…I will consider it.”

Of course, he had no intention of revealing that he was a demon. A human like Yutis would neither understand nor accept it.

While Lebel was lost in thought for a moment, Edmund looked at him with a serious gaze and said.

“I understand that you can use magic, but it is still true that your body is frail. You must have seen Yutis’s transformed form during his rut.”

“Do you mean those wings?”

“You saw only the wings?”

Lebel nodded. Edmund smiled bitterly.

“Yutis sometimes transforms not only his wings but his entire body. It is because he inherited a particularly strong bloodline.”

The one who passed down that bloodline was none other than Edmund himself. So he felt that it was his fault. Edmund stroked his arm.

“Normally, only part of the body transforms. For me, it is my arm.”

Lebel recalled Yutis’s changed form. If his entire body could change, then what he had seen last time had not been the complete form.

Now that he thought about it, the appearance had seemed to change more over time. But since his vision had been blurred by tears, he had not seen clearly.

“As you can see, Damian is sturdy enough to whistand me, but you, I worry that you might die if you tried. Your condition that day had been severe.”

Lebel looked into the worried eyes of the two men and spoke calmly.

“I was fine that day, so I will be fine again. My body will become stronger.”

…Probably.

“Is there nothing in this world that you are not fine with? What makes you so sure?”

“Damian…he inspires confidence.”

“In what way?”

“Our daughter-in-law will do well.”

Damian looked from Edmund to Lebel and exhaled.

“Enough of that. You came all the way here because you want to learn your duties, correct?”

Lebel nodded.

“Just tell me what to do.”

Lebel was confident. He rarely failed once he set his mind to something.

“If you want it that much, I will teach you. But there are many mountains to cross first. Let’s begin with a courage test.”

A courage test?

“Follow me.”

Damian stood up.

“It will not be hard for our daughter-in-law. It might even be easy. If I go, the children might get scared, so I will stay here.”

“Suit yourself.”

Lebel, seeing Edmund sitting quietly on the sofa, babbling nonsense, bowed his head slightly and rose from his seat. Lebel followed Damian.

“Iol, bring the Silka keeper, and bring the child I asked for last time.”

Silka keeper?

It was a word Lebel had never heard before. Mahan leaned in and whispered softly.

“You know the demonic beasts that Master Yutis and the knights ride? Silka is the name of their species.”

Lebel nodded in understanding. A moment later, Lebel found himself standing face to face with Shati.

1. He had thought only divine beings (the ones who had once spoken to him as equals or familiars) would ever speak to him in such personal tones. ↩︎