Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock

Chapter 208: I came to collect the debt (3)

Ratta, who had been immersed in her rice bowl, lifted her head to gaze at Lucion with wide eyes.

[Are you truly feeling unwell?]

Bethel promptly touched Lucion’s forehead, sensing a slight warmth.

[What’s happening to you? Did absorbing the black orb have adverse effects? If you really felt unwell, you should have said something instead of coming to the dinner table!]

Russell shouted with concern.

—Is Lucion going to die…? Hume said that if a person suddenly changes, they end up dying.

Ratta suddenly started to cry.

‘…?’

Lucion couldn’t help but be taken aback by the flood of reactions.

“Lucion.”

Novio looked seriously at him.

“If you’re not feeling well… you don’t have to force yourself to join the meal.”

“No, I’m fine to move around…”

“No, Lucion. I’ll help you, so you should go back to your room right away.”

Carson immediately got up and approached Lucion.

‘Ha.’

Lucion blinked with wide eyes.

‘I’m going crazy. Anyone looking at me would think I don’t know how to rest.’

Yet, strangely enough, he didn’t mind it at all.

“I’m still hungry.”

Lucion smiled as he stuffed his mouth full of juicy beef, mumbling as he spoke.

“Come on, everyone, let’s eat. It’s delicious!”

* * *

As a cool breeze blew in, Lucion slowly opened his eyes.

He had no idea how long he had been taking a nap.

He felt refreshed but also didn’t want to leave the warmth of the blanket.

Was it really okay to just lay around like this?

As that thought crossed his mind, he heard Hume’s voice.

“Have you woken up? I was blowing some extra wind because you were sweating. Are you feeling cold?”

“No, it’s just right.”

Lucion was actually sweating from the warmth of Ratta, who nestled against him like a hand warmer.

Huff.

Ratta’s breathing remained steady and deep.

“She was running around, and just fell asleep a little while ago.”

“What about Bethel and Teacher?”

“Bethel went back to Keortia to check the surroundings, and Russell went up.”

‘Bethel must have moved in case I went to Keortia again, and Teacher… I’m not sure.’

Honestly, he had wanted to visit Keortia one more time.

It was brief, but it felt like the world had split apart, didn’t it?

Would it seem that way again?

Regardless, Lucion was intensely curious about how events would unfold in Nevast.

“Are you hungry?” 

Hume asked excitedly.

“Why the excitement?”

“I couldn’t be happier that you’re taking a break, Young Master.”

Just then, a communication device buzzed, and Hume’s smile faded.

“Whoever it is, they have terrible timing.”

Lucion chuckled and remarked, “Well, let’s see if they’re oblivious now.”

With a wave of his hand, Hume handed over the communication device.

“It’s Kran.”

‘Could it be that Heint contacted him about something?’

There wasn’t a specific reason for Kran to reach out at the moment.

Lucion promptly answered the call.

“Yeah, Kran.”

<How are you feeling?>

“I’m fine.”

<You’re not planning to move around again, are you?>

“No, I’m resting.”

There was a brief pause after Kran’s query.

<Could I speak with Mr. Hume, please?>

“Wow. That’s too much, Kran.”

Lucion sincerely felt disappointed in Kran.

<Um, were you really resting?>

“Yes.”

<Then I’ll hang up. I didn’t know you were sick and bothered you. Remember to eat, even if you’re sick, and cover up if you’re feeling cold…>

“Just tell me what you need.”

Lucion’s tone was slightly irritated.

He wondered why everyone was reacting this way when he said he was resting.

He felt somewhat wronged.

Would this reaction disappear if he kept moving around before resting?

<Hamel-nim, please rest, and if Mr. Hume is nearby, could you pass the device to him? I’ll make sure to deliver the message properly.>

“Kran, I’m not joking.”

<I’m serious as well.>

“Get to the point.”

He could hear Kran’s sigh through the device.

<Sir Heint Tria asked me about the execution date for Twilo.>

“Are they leaving the execution date decision to me?”

<Yes, that’s correct.>

“I heard it’s set for two weeks from now?”

<That’s just a rough date; the actual execution date will be decided according to Hamel-nim’s wishes.>

They sought his input.

Lucion presumed that Heint had informed Ketlan about the knight’s death at the hands of Twilo without mentioning Bethel by name.

Ketlan, in turn, saw this as a favor and a sign of trust.

In that case, there was no reason to refuse.

“Inform them it will be ten days from now, in the morning.”

He intended to visit the magic tower Shaela had invited him to by that time.

<Got it. I’ll relay that. Now, Hamel-nim, you really should rest. Embrace your bed like a long-lost friend.>

“I’ll contact you soon. I’m off to catch the slave trader who enslaved you.”

<Yes…?>

“I rescued the King of Myronist. There’s a debt I need to settle.”

<What do you mean by that? You saved the king?>

“I’ll explain later. Bye for now.”

Lucion casually ended the call.

[You really are resting, right, Lucion?]

“Oh, Teacher, you’re here?”

Lucion welcomed Russell.

[I can hear you so clearly.]

“As you can tell, I’m resting. I even took a short nap.”

Lucion’s casual boasting about his rest made Russell’s expression crumple in disbelief.

[And yet you’re planning to go to the Myronist Kingdom this evening?]

With the black orb Lucion had acquired, his darkness had grown even more than when he absorbed the previous one.

It had at least doubled.

For such an increase in darkness, it typically required six months or more.

Russell was more worried about potential side effects than impressed by the rapid growth.

Furthermore, the color of Lucion’s darkness was changing.

Rather than feeling foreign, it felt as though it was something he had known before, which made Russell quite uneasy.

“No, I’m not going.”

[Then tomorrow?]

“No, I intend to rest tomorrow as well.”

Hume gasped, and Russell’s eyes widened.

[W-What? So you’re suggesting you’ll be active tomorrow evening?]

“I anticipate resting for approximately four days, counting today.”

[Hume, check if Lucion has a fever. He wouldn’t make such statements otherwise.]

Russell’s face twisted with concern.

“He does have a fever. I checked just before he woke up,” Hume confirmed.

[As expected. Just go back to sleep.]

“I just woke up. And you know this fever is due to the black orb.”

[Should we go back to the north and make a pilgrimage again?]

“It’s not as serious as before. I believe I could handle another one.”

Lucion smiled at Russell, trying to reassure him.

[Quit babbling and get some rest.]

Though it didn’t have much effect.

“Teacher.”

[Yes?]

“There’s someone I always meet after getting a black orb…”

But, was it truly a person?

Lucion hesitated momentarily.

[Who is it?]

“I don’t know either. It’s just a dark, shapeless entity.”

[A dark… shapeless entity, you say?]

Russell pondered this, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

He had never heard of such a being before.

“In the Kingdom of Keortia, they told me that appearance was ‘a part of a twisted world’.”

[A part of the twisted world?]

Russell’s expression hardened slightly.

He moved closer to Lucion so that he could see him clearly.

[I think…]

Russell began to speak.

[I think I may have looked into this matter before.]

“Teacher investigated… “

As Lucion tried to sit up, Russell pressed his forehead back down.

[Lie back.]

“Do you… remember now?”

[Yeah. But not everything came back at once.]

It wasn’t until Lucion acquired the orb that his lost memories began to resurface.

Like a slow tide, these memories returned gradually, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle over time.

“Are you okay?”

Lucion asked with concern.

[Yes, I’m fine. Please take care of yourself first, Lucion.]

He had remembered about three things.

One of them was the story he just told Lucion.

“Teacher, you don’t have to force yourself to tell me if it’s difficult.”

Such a good kid.

There was no way Lucion wasn’t curious about what memories he had gained.

Still, he held back for his sake.

[It’s nothing to worry about. You already know I lost my memories. I told Bethel yesterday, and I was going to tell you today.]

Bethel had listened quietly and pondered, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

[These memories aren’t connected. So even I don’t know what they mean.]

“Please tell me at your own pace.” Lucion simply waited.

“Should I excuse myself?”

Hume asked.

[No, you should hear this as well.]

Russell shook his head.

[As I said earlier, I was investigating that phenomenon. I don’t know why I was investigating. I was just desperate, frantic. It was like I had a memory that I absolutely had to do this.]

Russell crossed his arms.

[And the next memory is… well, it was during a heavy downpour, with someone bleeding profusely from their head.]

“…!”

Lucion flinched.

It can’t be.

No way.

[I don’t know who they were, but I spoke to them. No, that place wasn’t this one; it was like a new world, should I say? It felt unfamiliar.]

Lucion couldn’t suppress the pounding of his heart.

[I thought it might have been a dream, but I vividly recall offering them an umbrella out of pity. The person had short, black hair, a man, and… um.]

“Do you remember what you… said to him, perhaps?”

Lucion’s throat suddenly felt dry.

[I don’t remember exactly what I said at the time, but I probably said something like this: Nice to meet you. I’ll see you later. I’ll come find you?]

“Nice to meet you. See you later. I’ll come find you.”

‘Oh my god.’

Lucion’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Was it not a dream… after all?’

He swallowed the words that seemed ready to burst out.

It was him.

When he was Lee Haram, he met Teacher.

[It’s really useless for me to tell you this. Anyway, it’s clear that the phenomenon in the Kingdom of Keortia is connected to my past.] 

Russell subtly avoided Lucion’s gaze.

His throat felt tight.

[I’ll step aside now, so get some rest.]

Russell forcibly closed Lucion’s eyes and climbed back up to the ceiling as if running away.

[…Hah.]

Despite being a ghost, he felt like he couldn’t breathe and was about to suffocate.

He thought he would be okay.

He was wrong.

Seeing Lucion, he felt like he was going crazy with frustration.

Russell climbed onto the roof of the mansion and stared up at the vast sky with trembling eyes.

He was sorry, but he had hidden one thing from everyone.

No, he had to keep it hidden.

Lucion had died.

He had witnessed Lucion’s death.

Not once.

But countless times, dozens of times.

In different forms, Lucion had died before his eyes.

He, himself, had died in Lucion’s place only once.

‘Crazy…’

{The darkness in this world has died. As the darkness dies, the light is also fading. What I’m trying to convey doesn’t signify balance, nor is it the darkness you know.}

The words inscribed in the notebook he had seen at his hideout.

[‘That darkness. The darkness I called ‘Blackie’.’]

His hands trembled uncontrollably.

‘It was Lucion.’

Fear washed over him completely.

{It’s not just corruption. I don’t even know how to express this. Anyway, that being will hunt you down. It targets both you and that darkness. Please, don’t let either of you die.}

[‘That guy. The one the darkness and Troy spoke of. The one Lucion was said to have met. He has killed Lucion before.’]

Russell covered his face with his trembling hands.

[‘What on earth…’]

A tear fell from one of Russell’s eyes.

[‘What on earth happened?’]

“You’ve achieved your first success. That’s something to be proud of.”

Words he had heard from Broson, the Death Knight. 

Something was successful.

[‘I… how many times have I tried to save Lucion?’]

It was said to be a success, but he didn’t know what that success meant.

Could Lucion live this time?

“Would you believe me if I said… a sword was at my throat?”

What Lucion had said after waking up, healed by the sunbeam Miella created. 

He thought Lucion was afraid of ‘that guy,’ but he wasn’t.

[‘Lucion understands now. …That his end is near.’]

But how could he possibly tell Lucion that he had died dozens of times?

How could he?

* * *

“…Hah.”

Brachion, the eldest prince of Myronist, exhaled a sigh of relief as he witnessed his father’s improving condition.

He had been uncertain, but the words of that warlock had proven to be true.

Hamel.

How could he possibly forget that name?

“See? Wasn’t I correct, Your Highness?”

A familiar voice sounded from behind him, startling Brachion, who quickly turned around.

The man in the mask was none other than the warlock who had previously informed him about his father’s condition.

“Hamel.”

“Yes. I’ve come to collect my debt, Your Highness.”

Lucion smiled.