Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 158

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 158

When Leo’s gaze wouldn’t leave the painting, Belinda, who was with him, also tilted her head to examine the picture.

After silently studying the painting for a moment, the two soon looked at each other.

Leo immediately nodded and carefully embraced the painting.

“I like this gift the most.”

It was the moment the winner of the gift reveal ceremony was decided.

* * *

Late evening after the party ended.

Having overeaten to the point where they couldn’t move from their spots, Belinda and Leo lay side by side in their secret hideout made of stacked pillows for the first time in a while.

‘I can’t even remember the last time I rested like this since becoming the head of the Blanche family.’

Her whole body felt drowsy, and languid sleepiness poured over her.

When Belinda stifled a yawn and glanced to the side, Leo was looking at the painting he’d received as a gift again without getting tired of it.

“Leo, do you like that painting that much?”

“Yes, it looks just like Lady Belinda’s smiling face. It must be someone who knows you and me well.”

Do I smile that gently?

“I thought it was drawn to look just like you, Leo.”

Belinda put her head together with Leo’s and gazed for a long time at their warmly smiling figures in the painting.

They searched for the person who gave the painting to deliver the prize to the winner, but the person in question didn’t appear until the party ended.

However, Belinda thought she knew who had given this painting.

The first painting depicted the scene when she escaped from the Siren Dungeon and met Leo, and the other drew what happened on her birthday.

As far as Belinda knew, there was only one person who had been present at both places and was thoughtful enough to give such a painting after understanding Leo’s nature.

‘It’s probably Ian. He seemed to have good hands like Marquess Rachel.’

Belinda didn’t hold back the yawn that escaped again and lay back down.

When she muttered “status window” in her mind, a window that only she could see appeared before her eyes.

[Name: Leo Blanche]

[Age: 11]

[Intelligence: 208/299]

[Stamina: 220/299]

[Divine Power: 171/199]

[Magic Power: 235/299]

[Stress: 0/100]

Leo’s age, which had been displayed as ten until yesterday, had changed to eleven.

As Belinda blinked while recalling the events of the past year, she heard Leo’s voice.

“Lady Belinda, when will the Knight come?”

Belinda answered with slight disappointment and worry even in her drowsiness.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

In the end, Cesar didn’t come even on Leo’s actual birthday.

An apologetic letter arrived saying he was sorry for not being able to attend Leo’s gift and birthday party, but there wasn’t a single word written about why he couldn’t come or when he would come to the Royal Capital.

“Is he very busy?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

How busy could he be that he couldn’t come even for Leo’s birthday?

‘Just how busy could he be that he wouldn’t even keep his promise with himself…’

It was when Belinda was absentmindedly fidgeting with the ring she’d been wearing on her finger.

“If the Knight can’t come because he’s too busy, couldn’t we go see him?”

“That’s…”

At Leo’s words, Belinda’s half-closed eyes snapped open.

‘That’s right. Why didn’t I think of that?’

Belinda rolled her body half a turn and faced Leo while lying on her stomach.

“Leo, do you want to go see the Knight?”

“Yes!”

At Leo’s energetic response, Belinda immediately recalled the map of the Kingdom in her mind.

Baluashten Castle was located at the very top of the North, near the Barrier Forest called the human boundary line.

A long journey that would take almost a month if they traveled leisurely by carriage.

After instantly calculating the schedule and travel funds needed to arrive, Belinda asked Leo as if confirming one last time.

“If we’re going to meet the Knight, you’d have to take winter semester classes at the Academy this year instead of summer semester. Is that okay?”

Leo fell into thought for a moment.

It was disappointing that he wouldn’t be able to take classes with Ian and Asillia, but right now his desire to see the Knight was stronger.

“I’m fine with taking winter semester classes.”

Then Leo continued with a worried tone.

“The Knight told me he would return in spring, that is, in time for my birthday. This isn’t like the Knight, so it’s strange.”

Actually, Belinda had been wondering about that too.

Given Cesar’s personality, if something suddenly urgent had come up, he would have at least said why he was busy and until when he’d be busy, promising to definitely come to the Royal Capital by a certain month.

‘Avoiding answers altogether isn’t like him.’

With an uneasy feeling, Belinda had casually asked about Cesar’s well-being from Ophelia, who had gone to repair the northern barrier last winter.

The answer that came back was quite unexpected.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet His Grace the Duke around the time I was leaving. The atmosphere in the castle was somehow strange.”

“How was it strange?”

“I don’t know the details, but… I’d say it was unsettling. The Northern Knights were on edge as if it were wartime.”

“Did it look like something big had happened?”

“That probably wasn’t it. Even if something big happened, it would be related to the Barrier Forest, but the forest’s barrier was solid.”

After that, Cesar didn’t even escort the saint sent by the Grand Temple, which was definitely strange.

Belinda’s mind worked very busily.

The only major event during spring and summer was the spring welcome ball. The family had now entered a somewhat stable zone.

‘I can leave the manor’s affairs to Terry. I was already thinking I needed some rest anyway, so if I think of it as going on a few months’ trip…’

“Alright, let’s write a visit notification letter and go meet the Knight.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Since we’re talking about it, shall we write the letter right now?”

As soon as Belinda finished speaking, Leo jumped up and brought pen and letter paper.

Belinda immediately wrote just one line to Cesar and sent it.

Stay right there and wait.

* * *

The journey to departure for the North wasn’t easy. Opposition came from all sorts of places.

Among them, Terry and Chaser opposed most stubbornly.

“Take me too.”

“Please take me too, Master!”

The two, who rarely joined forces, looked at each other for a moment then nodded as if forming a silent alliance.

They cried out in determined opposition, citing concerns for Belinda’s safety.

“How can you go all the way to that cold and distant North without proper escort? I’m against it! Please take me along instead!”

“Right, you should at least take a 9th Rank mage as escort to feel at ease. There happens to be a good-natured, handsome owner of the Gray Tower with plenty of time, how about it? Won’t you rent him?”

She could understand their reasons for opposing. Even so, she couldn’t take Chaser and Terry along.

“Chaser, where is the Magister going, leaving the tower empty? And Terry, you need to guard the manor in my place. Lastly, there’s no need to worry about my safety.”

This worked out perfectly. I should show the results of all that training.

I put the long whistle that Vivian made for me in my mouth and blew it forcefully.

Wheeek-!

After a moment, I could see Ker, Rube, and Bero running from far away.

I pointed to a tall tree standing guard in one corner of the garden and commanded.

“Cerberus, fetch.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, the Cerberus dogs running in triangle formation suddenly leaped into the air and collided with each other.

However, instead of rolling around on the ground in a mess, they began to swell while embracing flames, soon taking the form of a giant three-headed dog.

Thud.

Cerberus, who had instantly bitten through the tree I pointed at and brought it back in his mouth like a toy, wagged his tail vigorously as if begging for praise.

I asked again, looking at Terry and Chaser whose hair was being blown around messily by Cerberus’s tail wagging.

“So, who’s in danger?”

“…”

“That damn mutt, we should have buried him back then.”

Having passed this final test, I hired the mercenary who had traveled with me two winters ago and began heading north.

As the carriage headed north, the temperature naturally began to drop gradually.

Since I had prepared for this to some extent, I nodded while fumbling for the shawl I had brought.

‘I was prepared for this level of cold.’

The Royal Capital at midday is already getting hot. This kind of weather is actually nice and cool.

The carriage continued north for quite a while longer.

“Huh…? It gets even colder from here?”

I began taking out the thick fur clothes I had packed deep away and wrapping them around myself.

After that, the carriage passed through several vibrant large cities.

Then, when white frozen snowfields began stretching outside the window, I had an intuition that something was wrong.

“Wait, this is strange. It’s definitely spring, isn’t it?”

I looked at the northern spring landscape, which was colder than winter in the Royal Capital, while hugging the warm Ker.

“This is actually quite warm for this spring. I heard it snowed a lot early this spring, so thanks to that, spring is this warm.”

The mercenary, who said he was from the north, spoke while brushing off the white frost hanging from his beard.

I silently put gloves on Leo’s hands and wrapped a scarf around his neck.

Had we traveled for another week like that?

The long-awaited Baluashten Castle revealed its majesty in the distance.

* * *

Inside Baluashten Castle.

“Your Grace, how about we end today’s search here and return?”

At his aide Penandel’s words, Cesar finally looked up at the sky to check the time and nodded.

However, his heart was heavy as he returned to the castle.

It had already been several months since ‘that thing’s’ whereabouts became unclear.

To return to the Royal Capital as quickly as possible, he had been leaving the castle from dawn to investigate its whereabouts, but every evening he had to return empty-handed.

That day too, he tried to calm his anxious heart and returned to the castle after searching the surrounding villages until late evening.

The butler greeted him with a somewhat troubled expression.

“Your Grace, a guest has arrived.”

“It’s difficult to meet anyone right now, so explain the situation well and send them away.”

It was when Cesar was about to turn around without even asking about the guest’s identity.

The elderly butler risked being rude and blocked his master’s path, holding out something.

“I think Your Grace should see this. The guest showed this and earnestly requested to meet Your Grace.”

The moment he confirmed what was in the butler’s hand, Cesar froze stiffly.

At the first proper expression his master had ever shown, shock appeared on the butler’s face.

Cesar, who received the family heirloom from the butler’s hand, finally opened his mouth after a long while.

“Where is that person now… No, guide them to the best room so they can be comfortable. And…”

The butler looked up at his master who had opened his mouth wide and began ‘rambling.’

“Did they look healthy? They didn’t seem to be hurt anywhere?”

“Well… Your Grace. I think it would be better to ask the person directly.”

“No, I can’t meet that person looking like this…”

“You’re not planning to say you can’t, are you, Your Grace the Duke.”

At that moment, hearing the familiar voice from behind, Cesar froze completely.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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