Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 70
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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 70
Soon, Vivian, who had finished her preparations, called Leo.
“S-shooting star. Here, hold both corners with your hands and infuse mana into the magic circle drawn on the cloth while riding the wind down.”
Only after drawing a weight reduction magic circle on Leo’s hand did Vivian’s hand stop.
What she had hastily created was a kind of parachute and paraglider.
“You’ll act as both the weight and the headwind.”
Though he didn’t understand the principle, he seemed to know what it would feel like.
‘It’s like jumping down holding a huge umbrella.’
Though he had reached an age where he realized that even the biggest umbrella couldn’t make you fly, this wasn’t just any umbrella—it was a magic umbrella that Vivian had carefully inscribed with magic circles.
Leo bravely stepped onto the window frame.
However, looking down at the dizzying drop below, the child’s legs couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Noticing this, Vivian rushed from behind and hugged Leo tightly.
“W-wait! This won’t work after all. T-testing something we haven’t even tried like this suddenly… No. Let’s just stay here together and hold out until Lady Belinda comes. M-maybe those people won’t even find this place…”
Bang!
“Kyaaah!”
Just then, the attic floor shook violently once, causing Vivian to scream in surprise.
The intruders had finally noticed the existence of the attic.
“What do we do? They m-must have heard us. Because of me… because of me…!”
Looking back at Vivian, who was finally showing tears, Leo shook his head vigorously.
“It’s not because of Sister Vivian. And Lady Belinda said so, didn’t she? That Sister Vivian’s alchemy is the world’s best. So I believe in Sister Vivian too.”
“Lady Belinda said…”
“I’ll fly away and come back quickly like a shooting star.”
Leaving those words behind, Leo leaped out the window without hesitation.
“…!”
For a moment, he felt his body sink downward, but it was only briefly.
The cloth that instantly inflated firmly supported Leo, whose weight had been lightened by the weight reduction magic.
“I’ll definitely, ugh, definitely bring people!”
Relying on the tautly inflated cloth, Leo shouted at the top of his lungs while floating here and there through the air following the wind.
The sky filled with dark clouds was dark, but not enough to hide the white, enormous cloth.
Moreover, because Leo had raised his voice, the child’s escape was quickly discovered by the intruders.
“That… isn’t he running away?”
“What are you standing there stupidly for! Catch him!”
Leo instantly crossed the wide manor’s garden and reached the shade of trees by the wall.
‘Just a little… just a little more…!’
It was the moment Leo’s feet barely cleared the wall.
Rip.
The white cloth caught on a sharp branch and tore, throwing Leo into the air.
“Ugh!”
Though it was a sudden landing, thanks to the falling techniques Cesar had taught him and the thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground, he wasn’t seriously hurt.
Leo, who had rolled on the ground like an acorn falling from a tree, jumped up and looked around.
The lights of the annex beyond the wall could be seen very far away. Thanks to riding the wind well, he had been able to cover a long distance in an instant.
Indeed, Vivian’s design was perfect, but there wasn’t even time to savor that joy.
‘I need to get to the butler.’
Since he had succeeded in luring the intruders away, Vivian would probably be safe.
No, she had to be safe. He had deliberately caused a commotion for that purpose.
Leo immediately started running.
Though he had said he would bring people, the people in the main building were not allies.
The child had noticed the hostile atmosphere in the main building.
Leo moved quickly while recalling the location of the tailor shop. He had been there several times before the ball.
He had to go there and bring Terry.
Leo rolled down the tall hill and ran for a long time.
It wasn’t a far distance by carriage.
The dark night made unfamiliar roads even more unfamiliar and stirred up fear.
Nevertheless, Leo didn’t stop running. Only after running until his legs lost all sensation could he finally reach the town.
Leo panted as he surveyed the chaotically branching alleys.
The street after the festival was desolate, and none of the roads looked like the right path leading to the Bluebird Clothing Store.
It was when he had finally found a familiar alley after looking around for a long time.
“It looks like you’re lost.”
Someone spoke kindly to Leo.
It was a rough-looking man with a scar on his cheek, but his manner of speaking was quite gentle, so Leo hesitated and ended up being caught by the man.
“Are you on your way home?”
“W-well, not home… Do you know the Bluebird Clothing Store?”
“Of course I do. I happen to have business near there, so shall I give you a ride on the way?”
Do good clothes invite people’s kindness?
Faced with unfamiliar kindness he had never received while living at the orphanage, Leo reflexively shook his head.
“It’s okay. If you could just tell me the way…”
“I don’t feel good about a young child wandering around alone this late at night. Don’t refuse.”
The man subtly pressured Leo.
Leo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
It wasn’t so much that he was drawn to the man’s goodwill, but rather he thought that if he took a carriage to Bluebird, he could return to Vivian more quickly.
The man walked ahead first and asked gently.
“By the way, what’s our young master’s name?”
Young master. At the unfamiliar title, Leo’s face reddened as he answered.
“Jui-bam-tol.”
“What a wonderful name.”
Leo’s steps, which had been following the man, gradually slowed.
Though it was an infinitely precious and proud name to him, he knew that objectively it seemed like a poor joke of a name.
But this adult had praised his name as if he had been waiting for it, without showing any signs of ridicule, embarrassment, or taking it as a joke.
Leo thought that was very strange.
Wasn’t it a reaction as if he had already known his name?
Eventually, Leo’s steps stopped completely.
Once he started to suspect, that voice also seemed to sound like one of the voices of the people who had invaded the manor.
‘Maybe… maybe I’m mistaken. Still…’
Once his mind was made up, Leo ran without looking back.
“Just for a moment on the way… Hey!”
The surprised man called out to Leo from behind.
What if he was really an adult trying to help him out of goodwill, and he had suspected him for no reason?
At that thought, his steps slowed for a moment, but the man’s subsequent shout mercilessly crushed Leo’s guilt.
“Catch him! Someone catch that kid! He’s a thief!”
Leo gritted his teeth and ran. There was no time to look around or ask for help.
“Huff, huff.”
Though his breath was caught up to his chin, he couldn’t stop his legs.
The misty drizzle that had begun to fall made his vision a mess.
Leo’s steps stopped only when his breathing became so labored that he couldn’t move another step.
Fortunately, there was no sign of the man chasing him.
When he had barely caught his breath, Leo realized he was in the middle of a completely unfamiliar alley.
“…”
Perhaps due to the overwhelming feeling, his legs gave out. Leo sat down weakly under the awning of a closed shop.
His whole body was trembling. He couldn’t tell if it was from cold, fear, or guilt.
If he couldn’t go to Bluebird, he had to return to Blanche Manor.
‘But would it be okay to return there?’
The intruders had called him someone’s weakness.
Even though he didn’t want to think about who they meant, it came to mind immediately.
‘I’m Lady Belinda’s weakness.’
Leo held back the tears that threatened to fall and carefully wrapped his only friend Tori with both hands.
Then he sat with his knees together and gently placed Tori on top of his feet.
“I can’t return to Blanche Manor like this.”
As he spoke to Tori while crouched down with nowhere to go, a shadow fell over Leo.
“Who…”
The moment he forced his frozen body to move and lifted his head.
“This little vermin…”
At the chillingly vicious voice, Leo fell backward.
The man who had offered to give him a ride was looking down at him with a murderous gaze. The breath coming through his teeth was ominous.
“You’re being a nuisance!”
“…!”
Leo instinctively covered his face with both hands. And then.
“Aaaahhh!”
The man’s ear-splitting scream echoed through the alley.
“…?”
Leo slowly lowered his arms and looked around.
The man had been thrown back and was swinging his dagger at the air.
At first, he could only see the blade flashing in the darkness and couldn’t tell what the man was protecting himself from.
“Get away! Has this beast gone mad!”
Only after hearing the chilling cry of a bird did he realize that what was attacking the man was a raven with jet-black feathers. It was so black it was almost indistinguishable from the darkness.
Blood splattered each time the bird opened and closed its beak. But it wasn’t the raven’s blood being randomly torn by the blade.
“Ugh, aaaahhh! S-save me!”
No matter how much he slashed, the raven wouldn’t fall. It only multiplied in number.
Then, over the man’s agonized screams, the sound of dry footsteps echoed.
Click.
Leo’s head turned toward the entrance of the alley as if entranced.
“Jui-bam-tol.”
The person calling his name.
In the distance, he could see Belinda’s figure.
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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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