122. Interlude

Zeke walked with the moonlight as the background until the family of the Duke of Joheiden returned.

Yuri was also with him.

It seemed that Yuri was determined to pour out all the gratitude she hadn’t been able to do when she was with people.

“thanks.”

“You can stop now. Yuri Gilbert.”

“You called me by name. Thank you. Instructor.”

“stop. Doesn’t your mouth hurt?”

“Ah, did you take care of my mouth? thanks.”

“It’s already an hour.”

“thanks. brother… … .”

Suddenly, a strange word entered my ear. Zeke frowned.

‘… … ?’

Turning her head to see Yuri, she tilted her head and spoke again.

“Dad?”

“The instructor is neither your brother nor your father.”

“I don’t have a family anymore?”

“… … .”

Zeke was in trouble.

‘I don’t know how a woman’s thought circuit works at this age.’

Yuri raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth.

“Um… … . As expected, older brother would be nice.”

‘Are you experiencing confusion due to the loss of your family?’

Suddenly, such a thought crossed Zeke’s head.

Read at noblemtl.com

My conscience was stabbed.

In a way, it was Zeke who abandoned Yuri’s family. because you were yourself

The Duke of Joheiden, who is in charge of investigating the Gilbert family at Zeke’s request.

He said the protection of glass should be the top priority.

At the end of the investigation, all the evidence of the assault had been submitted to the imperial family.

Although they are currently in the process of investigating the truth, it is only a matter of time before they are legally separated as the evidence and testimonies are clear.

So now it was safe to say that Yuri had virtually cut ties with her father, Count Gilbert.

Of course, because the Duke of Joheiden claimed to be her patron.

I will be able to continue to live the same standard of living as before, using Gilbert’s last name, but… … .

‘Yes, just because you want to cut off the blood doesn’t mean it will cut off.’

No matter how trashy people are, family is family.

No matter how terrible the place where she was born and raised, getting rid of the accumulated time at once was surely a task that would be too much for an ordinary girl to handle.

“glass.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Do you resent me?”

“… … I said thank you earlier… … .”

Zeke stared into Yuri’s eyes.

It made me think that the obsessive expression of gratitude and her attitude of being a father or an older brother might be due to a sense of loss she didn’t even know she knew.

“After all, I am the one who took your family away. Because of me you are alone If you feel resentful, you can speak honestly. I will take responsibility for that.”

Yuri slightly turned his head to Zeke’s gaze and avoided his eyes.

It’s okay for him to stare at him, but he doesn’t seem to be used to the other person staring at him again.

“To be honest… … . I just want to say take responsibility… … .”

Yuri said quietly, scratching the floor with her feet.

“But that is a lie. I don’t want to. I’m not really resentful. Even if you resent it, you should do it to your father, not to the instructor… … .”

Yuri had no expression as usual, but her voice was wet.

“father… … . Um, so there’s Earl Gilbert… … .”

“Well.”

“He never called me by name.”

“… … .”

“Of course, when I introduce myself in front of other people, I am Yuri Gilbert. This is my daughter. You said it, but you didn’t actually say it to me… … . therefore… … . I see what you mean… … ?”

Yuri let out a deep sigh.

As expected, I wasn’t used to telling the story inside at length.

But now, Yuri felt like telling everything.

To this man who took his side for the first time in his life, no matter how much I express my gratitude.

“Um… … . Instructor. I… … . I grew up in the family of Count Gilbert, not knowing what family was, what affection was, and what warmth was. And I still don’t know… … . Instructor. Am I pitiful for this?”

“… … .”

Zeke just kept his mouth shut and looked at her, but Yuri took it as an affirmation and nodded.

“Actually, would you believe me if I said I wasn’t unhappy until I came to Ramiel Academy… … ?”

“I thought all the other kids grew up like me. It’s not that I’m unusual, it’s just that everyone lives like this. But when I came to the academy, I realized that it wasn’t like that, and I became unhappy. It was fine at first though. Now that I’m out of that house, I can live normally, just as everyone else does. I’m going to live a proper life now. I even got my heart pounding a little while doing it. Um, I thought so… … . At some point, I saw that the first prince was in the place of my father.”

“Can you tell how great the despair I felt at that time, Instructor?”

Yuri quickly and awkwardly poured out his words.

Have you ever had so many stories come out of your mouth in your life?

Yuri was somewhat resentful of his poor speaking skills.

Still, I had to say this.

“therefore. Instructor. No, Brother Zeke. I am not resentful. rather… … . That, Ma, thank you very much. really… … . No matter how many times I repeat it, it’s not enough… … .”

Yuri finished speaking in a small, thin voice.

‘What if… … . Did I just say What if you think I’m actually a troublesome kid, a weird kid… … .’

She looked at her eyes and glanced at Zeke with a sidelong glance.

I said it once, but I was afraid of how he would react.

trembling fingertips.

Yuri held my hand and looked at the ground.

chin.

It was placed on Yuri’s head in a rough hand.

‘ah… … .’

Comfort that warmly caresses the chest.

“I must have been lonely.”

“… … .”

back. Yuri bit her lip.

“Was it hard?”

“… … .”

I didn’t want to show this in front of this person.

I just wanted to talk calmly and express my gratitude.

“Are you sick?”

“… … yes.”

Tears flowed from Yuri’s eyes.

Once the tears started flowing, they wouldn’t stop, running down my cheeks and down to the tip of my chin.

The trembling body did not become the subject.

I definitely wouldn’t have been like this.

like emotions.

That kind of thing would have just become dull by now.

“Yeah… … . Yeah… … . Yeah… … . I’m really lonely, it’s hard… … . I was sick again… … . Yeah… … . hig. Whoops!”

Suddenly, Yuri wanted to cry heartily in Zeke’s arms.

But, she didn’t want to be hated by Zeke.

He suppressed his impulses with the desperate patience he had cultivated.

“is it… … . Hmm… … . I’m sorry that I seem to be increasing the number of guests, but… … . The Duke of Joheiden has agreed to be my sponsor… … . While doing it, it would be better to ask them to take responsibility for sure… … ”

“… … What did you just say… … ? I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you.”

Yuri wiped away the tears with her fingertips.

“Nothing to be sorry about. glass. Well. Would you like to come with me?”

Zeke held out his hand to Yuri.

her eyes trembled

Read at noblemtl.com

Maybe he likes this moment like that.

Read at noblemtl.com

Maybe I’ve been waiting so eagerly.

All those painful moments might have been for this time.

I thought so.

In the moonlight, the dark-haired girl carefully held the man’s little finger.

* * *

Zeke took the lead, and Yuri walked while holding one of Zeke’s little fingers.

There were traces of tears on her face that could not be erased.

‘Oh, where are you going… … ? Suspicious place… … . Oh no. There’s no way the instructor would do that.’

However, after being trapped in the swamp of distrust for a long time, Yuri, who finally got out of it, couldn’t help the rising anxiety.

He is chasing after Zeke, but he does not know where he is going or what he is going to do.

I forced my steps onto the dark road.

The place we arrived at was a huge gate.

Beyond that, voices came out that calmed Yuri’s anxiety.

“So cliff, why are you here!”

“I will wait for Zeke. that flower garden. Wouldn’t you rather lie down a little longer?”

“huh! What would you do if I left you and the instructor!?”

“The Duke of Joheiden will follow Dad.”

“We said hello before we left anyway!? And I think I keep getting it wrong! this is our home I’m not sick anymore, so why are you killing me? If you feel refreshed, go back to the Duke of Justia right now!”

“It’s fine if you let Zeke go with you.”

“huh!!!”

The lively voices of the two girls were welcoming Zeke.

“Hey, this is… … .”

“Well, it’s a little noisy. I’ll just have to live with it.”

sigh

The gate opened, and Iriel and Serena’s eyes gathered at the entrance.

“Instructor! Yes… … ?”

“Zeke! uh… … ?”

The princesses, not waiting for Sieg to return, look at the girl next to him and open their eyes.

“”glass… … ?””

Let’s make eye contact with them both.

Only then did Yuri finish grasping the situation.

Her brain was spinning fast.

He grabbed Zeke’s hand, which was originally only holding his little finger, and grabbed it.

With the other hand, Yuri slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and lowered her head.

“Nice to meet you. princesses. I am Yuri Gilbert, who will be living and lodging with my brother Zeke.”

“… … Instructor”

“… … Brother… … ?”

Iriel and Serena faced each other.

Black hair and dark eyes just like Zeke.

As siblings, it wasn’t that they didn’t look alike, but… … .

‘They have completely different last names!’

Serena and Iriel narrowed their eyes and glared at Zeke as if demanding an explanation, but Zeke had nothing to say.

“Well, let’s be friends from now on.”

I just have to spit it out like that.

“Brother, shall we share the same room?”

* * *

“Keuhehehe. Warlock-sama. Warlock-sama. Warlock-nieeeim!!”

A man whose hands were red with blood was running through the forest.

sporadic hair. The saliva dripping down the corners of her mouth and her eyes out of focus.

At one time, the head of Rust, a group of loan sharks. was also called

It has long since abandoned that name.

The one that Zeke sent outside to procure magic stones after the engagement with the Justia Assassins.

The black magician’s servant. It was a tee from Lost Hope.

Only brutal violence was the driving force that moved him.

He rides through the mountains and kills the beasts he encounters.

kill the bandits

Even killed the monster.

Chop, cut.

Numerous magic stones were rolling around in a large pocket tied around his waist.

“Heh heh… … . Kill a little more lives and you will find me.”

Even now, the scene full of madness I saw that day came to my mind.

Teeth roamed around in search of a place where many monsters, humans, and beasts gathered in secret, avoiding the eyes of the Empire.

Just like those who avoid the eyes of the empire.

Eventually, they’ll end up in the same place.

Tiss had a mountain range ahead.

It is the meeting place of the ‘real’ Lost Hope bastards that Zeke handed over to Justia and Joheiden.

It was the Laios Mountains.