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Chapter 255: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (48)

The man’s voice as he asked the question was flat and monotonous.

As if he was that accustomed to riding horses.

Ian had considerable skill in riding, but the man's skill surpassed it.

The more one observed, the more mysterious his origins seemed.

Thus,it took a while for the man’s question to be met with an answer..

He was an enigmatic powerhouse, whose true intentions were difficult to even guess.

No one wanted to engage in conversation with him. Who knew what kind of unexpected situation would unfold?

Eventually, the one who ended up conversing with him was the Saintess.

It was because she happened to be in the closest position to him.

Sighing deeply, she raised her voice so as not to be drowned out by the noise and asked,

"Yes, how did you kill it?! When we tried, it kept regenerating!"

The man glanced at the Saintess.

For a while, he silently scrutinised her face.

Just as the Saintess was starting to be displeased thinking he would only continue his scrutinising.

The man finally opened his mouth.

"The power of the Evil God used by the Dark Order is similar to aura."

It was the first time they had heard of this.

Even the Saintess, who supposedly had the most extensive knowledge about the Dark Order never heard of this information before.

Well, for Yuren, who had to stay at the mansion for security reasons, it was uncertain; however, those were definitely news the rest of the group was hearing for the first time.

The attention of the group was now focused on the man.

As the Saintess's eyes also turned towards him, he began to explain in a soft voice.

"Both powers distort reality by materialising the user's state of mind. However, the difference is that the power of the Evil God can only be obtained through a contract...It was the same for Mitram."

Amidst the clattering of horse hooves, the man's voice deeply resonated.

As time passed, the mystery surrounding him only deepened.

It was puzzling how he even possessed such information.

"Until now, she's been stealing numerous bodies to enjoy youth. The body we destroyed was probably not even her ‘main body’ in the real sense either but, if the ability to regenerate and transfer bodies is the same kind as aura, the method to destroy it must also be similar.

As if realising something from his following words, the Saintess faintly exclaimed. .

"...An even stronger aura."

"Yes, a stronger state of mind."

Although it was a minor discrepancy, the man deliberately corrected the Saintess's answer.

It seemed that the man really wanted to convey that fact.

Perhaps due to him initiating the conversation,the tension among the group had somewhat eased.

Eventually, unable to hold back, Elsie was the first to pose a question.

"Hey, monster freak!"

The man ignored her call.

Regardless, Elsie, looking anxious, asked again.

"When are you going to return our Master?! You're going to return him right away once we get back to the Manor, right?"

Unable to ignore Elsie to the end, the man sighed as if he had no other choice.

With an annoyed tone, he told Elsie,

"...Don't call him 'Master.'"

"What? Why?"

As Elsie tilted her head in confusion, the man seemed about to burst out in response.

It was the first time the group saw him show such clear emotion, drawing their curious gazes. Eventually, he had to close his mouth.

His voice only returned after a considerable time.

"… It feels as if precious memories are being tainted, somehow."

His tone was agonising.

The sadness in his voice was palpable, evoking a fleeting look of sympathy even on the Saintess's face.

Unfortunately, the person the man was dealing with was Elsie.

With her eyes wide open, she tilted her head once again.

"…? So what, what am I supposed to do about that?"

It was a retort that questioned why she should bother considering his feelings.

In the end, the man could only silently turn his head with a sigh.

"Wait… Once we return to the mansion and I finish what I need to do, I'll return him to you."

The sorrowful look in the man’s eyes was evident as he concluded the conversation.

There were many more questions directed at the man.

Most were about whether he really was 'Ian Percus' or about the 'plan' Mitram mentioned at the end.

There was also much curiosity about why Mitram appeared in the form of Ria.

However, the man's responses were consistent.

"Ask Leto."

"We'll talk about that later."

"It's an internal matter of the Percus family."

Eventually, the group arrived at the Percus Manor without learning much.

There was little they could do, since the same answers returned to every question the entire afternoon.

Given his heavy silence, the only guess they could make was that the man must have his reasons.

After arriving at the Percus Manor, the group left their horses at the stables and headed straight to the main gate.

It was then that the Saintess noticed something odd about the man.

A faint trace of blood was seeping from his abdomen.

It was the wound he received from Mitram.

She thought the emergency treatment with a healing potion was sufficient, but it seemed that the wound reopened during the fight.

Startled, the Saintess rushed towards the man.

"Bl-Blood...!"

"Don't make a fuss."

However, before the Saintess could say anything more, the man cut her off sharply.

"I simply pushed myself a bit too hard... Since my body hasn't fully healed yet, it's natural for wounds to reopen. Still, it's a gain to have killed Mitram with only this much."

His words were remarkably composed.

Even with blood flowing out, his appearance of not letting out a single groan was truly exemplary of a Knight.

Nevertheless, the Saintess still had plenty of reasons to raise her voice in protest.

"...B-But that's not your body!"

The body the man was occupying belonged to the man the Saintess loved.

Naturally, even his tough act didn’t stir any emotions in her. Rather than that, it only prolonged the time she couldn’t settle down.

The man surely wasn't unaware of this. Yet, he responded with a nonchalant voice.

"If it weren't for me, you would have all died anyway."

The Saintess stared at him with a dumbfounded look.

However, the man seemed not to care in the slightest.

He simply moved to stand in front of the mansion's door.

A girl was already pacing back and forth there, an anxious expression on her face.

Ria Percus.

Ian's younger sister, a woman possessing both talent and beauty, making her a popular prospective bride amongst the surrounding nobles.

As famous for her beauty as she was, her appearance was striking.

The group involuntarily stiffened at the sight of her..

It was because they were reminded of Mitram.

The sight of the madwoman bursting into maniacal laughter while manipulating the test subjects to subdue them one by one.

Fortunately, Ria was far too preoccupied to care about the gaze of others.

She simply leaped and ran towards Ian as soon as she saw him.

Rushing up to the man, Ria couldn't help but make a tearful face.

In her golden eyes was reflected the sight of the man’s abdomen.

The blood oozing from the burst wound had already soaked his shirt.

"Wh-What is this... I can’t with you!"

Ria agitatedly stomped her feet, unable to bear the frustration.

And as if her heart still wasn't eased, the girl even started to sob.

To anyone watching, she was the epitome of a cute little sister who loved her older brother dearly.

"Th-That's why... I told you it was dangerous! Why, why did you have to go there, Oppa! This won't do, I must speak to Father so that something like this never happens again..."

It was a beautiful scene of a sibling reunion.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been the point where Ian would have quietly comforted and soothed Ria.

The only problem was, the man before her was not the warm and gentle brother sheknew.

"...Ria."

Ria's eyes widened in shock at the indifferent tone she heard for the first time.

Her golden eyes, filled with distrust, were directed at the man.

However, the expression that met hers was impossibly cold

"What kind of way is that to speak to your Older brother?"

Tears began to well up in the girl's eyes.

Regardless, the man continued with his stern rebuke.

"Aren't we in the presence of guests right now? Yet, seeing the way you treat your older brother, I'm worried about how the Percus family will be perceived."

"Ah, t-that's..."

Flustered, Ria could only shrink back and stutter.

She was scared.

Until now, even when Ian got angry, he never made such a stern expression. And even then, it wouldn't be long before he would soothe Ria with a warm voice.

However, the man who was angry now showed no signs of comforting Ria at all.

Moreover, each and every word he spoke was so reasonable that Ria had to lower her head and couldn’t even dare to offer excuses.

"You're soon to be an adult. You must distinguish between public and private matters. Is this how you plan to run the trading company in the future?"

"Th-Th-That's..."

As Ria fumbled and failed to give a proper answer, the man sighed deeply and asked again.

"……Answer."

"N-No…"

He still seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

The more he acted that way, the more Ria had to discreetly glance around, nervously clasping her sweaty palms together.

This was the first time that Ria realised how intimidating her brother could be, her face looking like she was about to cry..

No, she was already crying.

At each of the man’s reprimands, more tears rolled down from Ria’s tightly closed eyelids..

The man seemed to want to say more but eventually stopped.

"…Be more careful in the future. Always be aware of your surroundings, and make sure there are no vulnerabilities. Even if the other person is your brother."

"Y-Yes. Orabeoni..."

With that, the man passed by Ria with a cold demeanour until the very end.

Even though sobbing could be heard from behind,he did not falter in his stride..

As he passed through the main gate, Irene was standing there, having been guarding Ria from behind the door.

To Irene, who had a bewildered look, the man said,

"Dame Irene, keep your eyes on Ria at all times from now on. Make sure she doesn't go outside for a while."

"…Yes, yes?!"

"And the technique I taught you last time, have you mastered it well?"

"A-Ah! Yes! Th-Thanks to you, Master…"

The man nodded as if satisfied and patted Irene on the shoulder.

Irene's expression turned complex.

Judging by the slight upturn of her lips, as if she was a girl praised by her teacher, she seemed pleased.

As the man walked past the lobby, he continued to issue clear instructions as before.

"Everyone, wait in the reception room. I will greet the Family Head and my elder brother and return…"

"...Was there really a need to go that far?"

It was Celine's voice.

When the man's gaze turned towards her, Celine hesitated before continuing.

"I think you were a bit too harsh on Ria..."

"I should have done this long ago."

At those words, Celine wanted to add something but eventually closed her mouth.

Because the man's expression as he murmured those words looked so sad.

"...Long ago."

She could not bring herself to interrupt that voice tinged with regret.

Silently, he turned away.

Celine thought his departing figure seemed somehow lonely.