Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The next morning.

Count Sharp was overjoyed to hear that the mine had only the remains of a warlock who had died long ago.

“I don’t think it would be enough to say thank you a hundred or a thousand times. I will never forget your grace for the rest of my life.”

“You don’t have to. We got what we wanted.”

Even though Count Sharp wondered what it was, he didn’t ask.

“I am ashamed that I am not yet ready to treat the Lord properly, though wouldn’t it be better to stay for a few days to relieve your fatigue?”

Leonhard shook his head. If he and Celine stayed, the Count would have to prepare every day like a festival. However, the former Count Sharp had lost his life not long ago. What about Sharp castle, which has become a wreck?

He had often seen cases where his victory meant the survivors had to bury their victims. In such a case, it was reasonable to leave as soon as possible.

“It’s okay. We hope that the damage will be repaired as soon as possible.”

As expected, Count Sharp did not hold them back.

“If the Lord is like that… Will you allow me to see you off instead?”

It was an offer with no reason to refuse. The two of them and Count Sharp crossed the castle and reached the Baron’s residence’s banquet hall. Most of the refugees were still staying in the large banquet hall.

Then, the cry of a young man was heard.

“Tell me where you are going! Grandmother!”

Celine immediately turned around, and her blue-grey eyes widened.

A young man whom Count Sharp called ‘Calik’ was begging the old woman who had followed them all the way to the mine to disturb them, “Grandmother, there are no monsters. The Lord killed all the monsters!”

“Calik, listen to me. If you don’t want to die, you have to pack up and leave right now.”

Saying that, the old woman’s voice was clear and completely different from when she was yelling at Celine.

“Where are you going? If you leave Sharp, you have no home. We have no choice but to stay here!”

“It is better than being killed by the monsters.”

Just then, Leonhard slowly walked towards the old woman and Calik. As soon as he spotted him, the man stuttered a few words with a bluish face.

“Lord, Lord… My, my grandmother…”

“Lute.”

Everyone who was near Leonhard enough to hear those words doubted their ears. Still, he stared at the old woman whom he called Lute. At the same time, the old woman’s face was immediately distorted, but not a single curse came out of her tightly closed mouth.

“The warlock died a long time ago, thanks to your hard work.”

The old woman’s reaction was intense.

Sparks flew from her black eyes, and her mouth moved as if she was about to spat on him at any moment. Calik hurriedly came over to restrain the old woman, though Leonhard held up his hand to stop him.

“…Do you think I will be deceived by such a reckless ploy?”

“Lute.”

Leonhard lowered his head.

“Go see for yourself. Now, there are no living monsters there… only the long-dead warlock remains.”

His voice was as sharp and polite as when reporting to the Royal Family.

“….”

The old woman kept her wrinkled mouth shut and stared at him before running out of the hall.

“Gra, Grandma!”

Calik pondered between pursuing the old woman or bowing to the Lord and the Count, before choosing the latter.

“I, I have no excuse. She’s out of her mind, so please be generous…”

“That’s not necessary.”

Leonhard’s tone toward Calik was businesslike but not cold. He opened his mouth to ask again, “However, can you answer a few questions?”

At that, Calik immediately responded with an openly relieved expression.

“Just ask me anything!”

“What is the person’s name?”

Suddenly, Calik bowed his head with a pensive look.

“Calik?”

Count Sharp rushed him to answer with a puzzled face.

“Why?”

“…I do not know.”

“Didn’t you say that she was the one who raised you?”

“Yes. But, by that time, she had already lost her mind…”

Celine couldn’t hide her surprise. Given the mental state of the now elderly woman, it seemed near impossible for her to raise a child. However, Leonhard nodded his head with an expression like he knew that would be the case.

“Have you ever heard of that person’s past? It doesn’t matter if she said it with an imperfect mind.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Where do you live? There must be a house that raised you.”

Calik hesitated for a moment. An answer, which was never easy, flowed out of the small open mouth.

“…It was destroyed by the monster.”

“Guide me.”

Among those who heard him, Celine was the only one who was not surprised. Meanwhile, Calik’s mouth opened wide at Leonhard’s words.

“Are you going to my house?”

“Yes.”

“For what reason… Do, don’t!”

Calik ran straight to the door leading out of the banquet hall.

On the other hand, even though Count Sharp looked like he had no idea what was going on with all this, he chose to cooperate rather than waste Leonhardt’s time.

“Can I prepare a carriage for you?”

“Horse is enough. If that young man couldn’t ride a horse, it would be different…….”

“Calik is the best rider in Sharp.”

A small smile formed on Leonhard’s lips.

* * *

Count Sharp’s words were no exaggeration.

Because Calik’s house was located in the area that suffered the most from monsters, there were obstacles all along the way. But, he drove the horse lightly as if the obstacles didn’t even exist in the first place.

Celine asked Leonhard, being careful not to let Calik hear the conversation, who was a step away.

“How did you know that the grandmother was a wizard who sealed the warlock?”

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“Because I felt something similar.”

“…What do you mean?”

When she asked him that, Leonhard realized that he had never told Celine how he had broken all kinds of magic.

“Whether it’s magic or black magic, each person has their own characteristics.”

“Then, why did the old woman…!”

He sighed.

“It is almost impossible to read the temperament of a wizard who has lost their mind. The wizard was briefly in the banquet hall, albeit very.”

Celine was silent for a while, and then she asked cautiously.

“…Mine?”

Leonhard laughed lightly.

He thought that the magic in Celine was like a fire, just like her. The first impression looks feeble, but suddenly a fire rose up and covered the whole world.

“How do you feel?”

He hesitated for a moment. Celine was surprised by the first killing she had done after she was unable to use magic. If he described it as powerful, he was worried that it would only result in the contrary.

“…Just normal.”

He did not reply much as Celine looked a little disappointed.

Eventually, they arrived at Calik’s house. As Calik said, the house was swept away by monsters and became a wasteland. Leonhard scanned the house quickly. Exactly half of it was destroyed, but it didn’t seem like there was too much trouble going in and looking for clues.

“Lord, do you want to come in?”

Calik asked in a frightened voice.

“What’s your last name?”

“No, none. Just call me Calik.”

“Then, Calik, wait here. you don’t have to come in… No, don’t come in.”

Eventually, Leonhard and Celine left Calik, who was much more relieved after hearing his words, before going into the half-settled house. The house was even worse. As if a group of monsters had attacked, there were no objects, and the floor was all pitted with monster claw marks.

“Now, tell me. Why are we here?”

Celine wondered inside.

After all, the warlock died a long time ago. She didn’t understand what he was looking for in the mad wizard’s house.

“Evidence.”

“What…?”

“Proof that the person sealed the warlock.”

“Don’t you already know? Leonhard… Ah!”

It was only then that she realized that her own thoughts were too narrow. Leonhard wanted to find solid evidence… To let Count Sharp, perhaps Calik, know that the old woman wasn’t mad in vain.

“It seems you have already noticed.”

“I will work hard to find it.”

“No way. I already found it.”

“…What?”

Leonhard pointed to a corner of the room after saying that. It was the only storage closet that looked intact amidst being beaten in all directions.

“That’s the only thing intact.”

“Because there is magic. Magic of such a high degree that the monsters couldn’t even approach it.”

Celine wondered what level she had to reach in order to use that level of magic, though she could not find an answer.

Leonhard opened the closet slowly.

“Is it empty?”

“It just looks that way.”

Rashir, who had turned into a dagger, cut something in a place that appeared only to be an empty space.

Celine took in her breath at the sight. It was because a thick book appeared in a space where nothing could be seen. Leonhard took out the book and opened it with a gesture that looked even reverent.

“Is it a magic book?”

Leonhard’s big, long fingers gently flipped the pages.

“Diary.”

At that, she blinked her eyes.

“Why did she keep the diary so thoroughly?”

“It must have been a record she wanted to keep for the rest of her life… Or, it was a record that she wanted someone else to discover after she died.”

Celine pressed herself close to him and peered through the front pages of the diary.

Neat letters filled the blank paper.

The first sentence was strong.

[ I will not go crazy. Never. ]

The diary recorded the struggle of the wizard against madness and black magic.

[ They whisper to me. The only way I can hold on to all that I have, knowledge and reason, is to yield to them. ]

Leonhard’s finger, which was flipping through the pages, stopped halfway through. It was because he could no longer interpret the increasingly disorganized handwriting and the missing letters. His calm voice echoed through the ruined house.

“This should be enough. We better leave.”

When he headed towards the ragged door, Celine couldn’t move. It seemed as if the vivid diary she had just seen was revived before her eyes.

…This wizard went crazy while resisting black magic.

‘No…’

Such simple words could not contain the truth. This wizard, in a situation eroded by madness, sealed the warlock in the mine and took all the stigma.

“Celine.”

Leonhard suddenly came closer to her.

“Before I picked up Rashir, many wizards died or went mad against the warlock.”

Ah.

It was then that Celine truly realized why he had worked so hard to restore the wizard’s honor, who could have been overlooked. She must have sealed the warlock long before he was born.

Guilt, responsibility, respect, compassion… A mass of strange emotions mixed with all of this led Leonhard to this place. Even though he was about to say something, his throat stopped for a moment as though choking him.

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Celine did not miss that moment.

“Let’s go. Calik will be waiting for us. A while ago, I was just a little dizzy… I’m fine now.”

As they went outside, Calik ran towards them with an anxious face and asked, “Lord, did you find what you were looking for?”

Instead of answering, Leonhard held out the diary to him.

“Read it.”