Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 57

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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 57

* * *

I was lounging around, enjoying the pleasant feeling of fullness after finishing our meal out.

“Master, here’s today’s mail.”

Terry handed me the letters he had sorted quite professionally like a proper butler.

And it was tucked among the dozens of marriage proposals that arrived daily.

Even among the extravagantly decorated letter envelopes, the golden envelope looked exceptionally luxurious.

I casually picked it up and checked the seal’s crest, my eyes widening in shock.

“…!”

A magnificent crest combining a mage’s staff, a holy sword, and even a pastoral staff representing religious authority.

The moment I recognized what that crest meant, I felt like I could hear the sound of blood draining from my face.

I tore off the seal with trembling hands.

Inside was an invitation. One from the royal court, no less.

The festival was nearing its end, but the royal ball that nobles eagerly awaited was just beginning.

Since invitations go to most central nobles, I had already received one before the festival started.

Why would I receive another invitation when I already had one?

I barely managed to steady my breathing as I examined the invitation’s contents.

The elegant handwriting earnestly requested my attendance at the ball.

‘If I refuse saying I have no intention of attending the ball… Huh? Wait a minute.’

What shattered my mental state was the sender’s name at the end of the invitation.

Mikhail Jenos Fondrich.

Someone who dared to use the country’s name as their middle name.

‘Insane.’

It was a ball invitation sent by the crown prince himself to Belinda.

Moreover, asking her to attend as his partner for the final ball.

* * *

Winter in the North is harsh.

Therefore, Baluashten Territory preparing for winter was busiest from late autumn to early winter.

There was much to prepare to survive the winter months.

Naturally, Baluashten Castle, which had to oversee every corner of the vast estate, should have been bustling. Or rather, it should have been right to be bustling.

However, Winter Castle was as quiet as if death itself had arrived.

The castle’s employees controlled even their breathing, acting as cautiously as if walking on thin ice.

They feared provoking their master’s displeasure.

In truth, their master hadn’t properly shown himself before people since the day he committed his bloody rebellion, yet the fear toward him didn’t easily subside, like the night mist that wandered around the castle every evening.

Perhaps it was because the remains of the Twin Castles, burned black on the day of rebellion, still remained in the castle like hideous scars.

Every time the castle employees saw traces of the remaining ruins, they avoided even making eye contact, recalling their master’s cruelty as he fell silent after obtaining the blood-soaked throne.

Therefore, the fact that the master of Winter Castle was absent was a secret known only to a very few people.

“How are things beyond the forest?”

The forest referred to the barrier the founding king had erected across the continent to drive away the demonic beasts.

Protecting this barrier, called humanity’s last line of defense and humanity’s boundary line, was House of Baluashten’s duty and reason for existence.

“Still peaceful. Considering how thoroughly Your Excellency cleaned it, I wonder if the demonic beasts might have been completely wiped out.”

Though his subordinate spoke with respect, Penandel’s sigh grew heavier.

Having beheaded so many demonic beasts, the curse must have grown even thicker.

“If those creatures were so easily wiped out, things wouldn’t have reached this point.”

Penandel looked at the golden letter envelope with a troubled expression.

He stared endlessly at the seal bearing the crests of staff, holy sword, and pastoral staff, then roughly rubbed his face with dry hands.

It was a summons from the royal court.

For the past four years, he had consistently sent representatives under the pretext of strengthening internal affairs, but he could no longer ignore the royal command.

Worried that Penandel might burn the summons with his gaze, his subordinate carefully added:

“If… if we disobey again this time, we’ll really be marked.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Some people chattered that since the Duke’s military exceeded the King’s, he could even defy royal commands.

But that was talk only ignorant fools would make.

Due to demonic beast hunting, the Duchy was always like wartime, with several people dying daily.

The rumor that the Duke ruled like a king within Baluashten Domain was the same, since the Duchy was so closed off.

Being so closed off conversely meant the Duchy was isolated from the outside.

Moreover, since northern knights carried the risk of potentially falling and becoming demonic beasts, every entry and exit when leaving the Duchy was recorded in detail and reported to the royal palace.

‘Of all times for the King’s summons to arrive.’

He had endured as long as possible.

With the owner of the silver crown changed, yet the lord who had sworn loyalty to the King not showing himself, who knew what suspicious thoughts the distrustful King might harbor.

The King’s extreme displeasure was evident from the postscript demanding a visit to the Royal Capital before the festival’s joy faded.

Only by assembling personnel immediately and riding without rest could they reach the Royal Capital within the festival period.

Penandel, who had been expressing his troubled heart with continuous sighs, finally made his decision.

“I’ll go.”

First, it was urgent to hide that Cesar was absent.

Since Cesar had left the North under Penandel’s name to avoid conflict, he himself had no choice but to dare borrow His Excellency’s name and head to the Royal Capital.

It was fortunate that Cesar’s appearance wasn’t known to the outside.

“To His Excellency…”

“I’ll go and explain.”

He had vaguely expected such problems to arise.

Nevertheless, at that time, he thought it best to make Cesar leave the North, even with cowardly and cruel excuses. That thought remained unchanged even now.

Penandel looked at the Verdant Forest visible through the mist-covered window.

As if it had fed on the blood and resentment of the dead there, the forest was chillingly dense.

In that forest where even sturdy knights went mad within a week, Cesar had spent a full four years.

It was time enough for the boundary of recognition between human and demonic beast to become ambiguous.

To him, who stubbornly refused to ever leave the forest, Penandel cried out with a heart-bleeding feeling:

“Your Excellency, driving yourself has no meaning! No one has ever killed all the demonic beasts beyond the forest!”

However, Cesar’s will was firm.

“Just because no one has ever accomplished it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

At this rate, he felt he would truly lose his lord.

It had already been several years since his eyes turned red and hadn’t returned to their original color.

No matter how much the Baluashten bloodline possessed the ability to purify curses, this exceeded all limits.

Finally, Penandel brought himself to speak of that news.

“There’s… there’s sighting information about Young Master Endymion.”

“….”

“On that day four years ago, there was a couple of estate residents who protected a boy presumed to be Young Master Endymion. They later died from demonic beast attacks while heading to the Royal Capital, but the royal army belatedly discovered and protected several survivors. Among them was a young survivor, so perhaps…”

That night of rebellion when one of the Twin Castles was completely burned down and black ash fell like snow all day long.

Among the bloodline of House of Baluashten, only Cesar had survived.

Among them, two bodies were never found.

They were Cesar’s brother Theodor and his young son Endymion.

Theodor’s death was confirmed, but Endymion’s body was never discovered.

Everyone in the castle believed the young master had been consumed by the flames, leaving not even bone fragments behind.

Only Cesar believed in Endymion’s survival and had people searching for his young nephew’s whereabouts.

Knowing this, Penandel bowed his head with the feeling of placing his neck on the guillotine as he concluded his words.

“Perhaps the young master might be in the Royal Capital.”

Penandel knew better than anyone how terrible those words were.

Even so, if these words could distance Cesar from his duties, even for a moment.

“Penandel, I’ll overlook your insolence just this once.”

Penandel would gladly tarnish the honor of the dead young master again and again.

Thus Cesar left The Forest, and the North, heading for the Royal Capital. To secretly search for Endymion himself.

Penandel, steeped in regret, finally turned his gaze away from The Forest with a face that looked older than moments before.

“I should take this opportunity to pay my respects to Her Grace the Duchess.”

It seemed he would unintentionally be delivering a surprise gift to his lord.

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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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