Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 170

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 170

Her expression betrayed concern for her disciple, even as she pretended otherwise—reluctant to burden him with unreasonable demands.
“Look, if a genius mage who can wield the Waves of Oceanus can create objects imbued with both divine and magical properties, then fine. But that boy’s still young. Even if he only leaves traces behind, to craft something that contains every single type of Light Power? What materials would bind those gems? What technique? Permanent artifacts are a pipe dream—at best he’ll manage a one-use trinket, barely more than a mockup…….”
She complained bitterly about her troublesome disciple, then rattled off concerns about whether Rasper would be all right, and I answered brazenly.
“You’ll help him, won’t you?”
“What?!”
“I have such luck—a capable assistant who knows exactly what I need.”
“You mad princess, surely you didn’t mean to——!”
“Didn’t mean to what? Why do you think I had Flux gather those materials in the first place?”
“No, that’s not the issue. If you’ve asked for a favor, you should repay it. Even if he’s young, Rasper is practically an Arch Mage at this point.”
At her muttering, Rasper’s eyes widened considerably.
“An, an Arch Mage? Master, you said last time that I’m nothing but a frog in a well, never having studied properly at the Magic Tower, so I shouldn’t even dream of such an empty title…….”
“Your body isn’t fully developed yet, so you can’t handle large-scale incantations—that’s why I said it! To become an ‘Arch Mage,’ you usually prepare at least a Double or Triple Incantation and do something insane like shaving mountains or filling rivers! Even if you supplement your mana from Mana Stones, your mana circuits themselves aren’t mature! If you tried something that crazy, you’d be badly hurt! This is internal pressure your body can’t withstand—it collapses from the inside, so even if you bring ten Priests, they can’t heal it!”
“Yes, ma’am…….”
“Anyway, that cocky fool knows nothing of danger! He’s always causing accidents, always!”
“Financially speaking, you’ve caused a few more accidents than your disciple, so maybe you shouldn’t be the one saying that…….”
I laughed quietly as she glared at me. That was when it happened.
Knock, knock. Someone rapped at the door. When Rasper tapped his fingertips, the gems scattered across the table slipped neatly into his pocket of their own accord. He collected the pouch. Then he smiled at me.
“I’ll take this with me. Honestly, I’d love to finish it quickly, but since this is something I’ve never tried before, it’ll take some time. Would it be all right to have it ready by the Dedication Ceremony?”
“Fine. And work this person hard.”
“Hehe. My disciple putting my master to work? That doesn’t make sense.”
“You say that, but then you come running—’Master, this part is odd. Master, this part won’t work,’ whining the whole way!”
Well, the combination of her and Rasper would certainly leave me with no magic-related worries.
After exchanging a knowing look, Rasper stood and opened the door himself. She quickly pulled the hood of her cloak forward over her head.
Lisianthus stood at the threshold, his expression bewildered as he took us in.
“Rasper, I was coming to call you for a meal. Titania? What are you doing here?”
“I was looking for a particular book. It turned out Rasper knows nearly everything in this library, so he helped me.”
“Good timing. If you’re not tired, let’s eat and then go out for a bit. I already have permission from the eldest.”
Go out? Where?
No matter how wealthy the Castrain Domain, you can’t conjure what doesn’t exist. In stark contrast to the Southern Region’s reputation as a resort, the Northern Region of Castrain is famous for nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye can see, and venture too far beyond the estate and the Magic Beasts attack.
As if answering my unspoken question, Lisianthus grinned wickedly.
“You’ll see when we get there!”
“Um, brother. I too…….”
“Of course you’re coming. You’ve been cooped up in the castle this whole time in our stead—you need some fresh air.”
“It, it wasn’t really that much trouble…….”
I followed Lisianthus as he cheerfully clapped Rasper on the shoulder and left the room. The door closed soundlessly behind us. A Magical Lock.
-That little mage’s skill really is remarkable( ﾟДﾟ) If anyone besides pre-authorized personnel tries to enter or leave the library,
‘They what?’
-they get buried outside the castle……about……300 meters away……in the shape of a snowman(◔,◔o)
‘……How many snowmen?’
-Let me see, one, two, three…….
‘No, never mind. I don’t want to know.’
No matter how angelic and kindhearted a boy might seem, he’s still a member of the Castrain Family. I tried to forget what I’d glimpsed from the carriage window on the way in—a similar snowman-shaped formation.

* * *

‘Brian’ was somewhat bored.
Magic Beasts were, to be precise, Chernobog’s offspring. The stronger a Magic Beast, the harder it was to manifest on the material plane, but few indeed wished to be reborn into the fragile human body, no matter how much it served Chernobog’s purposes. Loyalty was another matter entirely.
What constituted existence was flesh and soul. The Magic Beasts’ formidable power maximized when flesh and soul were unified. Thus, when one departed from the original flesh, power diminished.
Weaker-ranking Magic Beasts sometimes fused entirely with the host body, forgetting their own nature in the process. If the host’s will was strong, control of the body became a struggle. Tedious work.
Yet ‘Brian’ had willingly accepted the role of Chernobog’s servant, donning human guise. The host body retained all the memories of its original inhabitant, and by mimicking them convincingly, deception came easily. To assert his true power before such pitifully weak creatures was repugnant, yet necessary.
‘As for His Highness Adrian, well……. I don’t think he’ll take root properly. He’ll resist stubbornly, over and over. Though the rumors that the Emperor and Empress’s illegitimate son has gone mad, developed a split personality—those aren’t bad for us. But if I should seize control of such a feeble host…….’
‘Brian’ had raged at the words of Chernobog’s great Contractor.
Naturally, if one were to plant a seed in a member of the royal bloodline bearing Light Power, it must be the soul of a truly vast and mighty Magic Beast. How could such a soul ever be defeated by something so trivial?
‘Please, calm yourself. The matter is merely one of incompatible attributes……. Even the mightiest shark dies of thirst if released in the middle of a desert. Should Chernobog’s own essence infuse the host, no resistance would be possible. But a body capable of enduring that…….’
The girl laughed lightly.
‘It would need to be rarer still than a Light Power contractor, and most crucially—someone who wields Darkness Power, whose very existence humans doubt. A body as durable and sturdy as any Magic Beast’s. The heads of the Castrain Family throughout history would certainly attract even his great interest. But alas. All the Magic Beasts we’ve sent thus far failed either to hunt the Castrain bloodline or to plant their seed.’
Time was humanity’s greatest enemy.
Humans took Magic Beasts lightly and forgot their own history, their own past. They forgot the existence of the power Beloborg had granted. And so they would not regard seriously the carefully cultivated schemes against the Castrain Family, the succession of Magic Beasts sent to test them. So what if they had paid terrible prices? The Magic Beast died nonetheless, and the world remained at peace.
‘Yes. So kill him if you can, but if you cannot, cripple him. These fools obsessed with legitimacy won’t tolerate an imperfect bastard either. It must be beyond any Priest’s healing……. Time will tell, won’t it? It would be best to have His Highness Adrian become lost in the forest after a hunting accident, having made some small mistake driving the prey. Perhaps a fall from his horse.’
‘Brian’ hated Adrian.
Perhaps because he could not help but partially share the host’s emotions. Those green eyes regarded him—far stronger, far greater than any being this body had known—without a shred of fear. It was unbearable. He wanted to claw them out. The deliberately filthy, crude method was chosen for precisely that reason.
At his signal, the pack of beasts scattered.
He had already fed bait to the man assigned to protect Adrian’s side. Even if he vomited it up now, the absorbed poison inside would cause the Magic Beasts to hunt him down by instinct.
Other prey who sensed the Magic Beast would instinctively avoid Adrian and the bait.
So the outsiders chasing game would have no chance to help Adrian, no opportunity to witness anything. Hadn’t he already released several of his underlings to serve as his eyes?
He need only wait patiently, then confirm whether the breathing had stopped, and if it seemed slow, to approach and——.
“……Your Highness?”
‘Brian’ froze. The movements of the Magic Beasts, which had been converging toward their target in a single mass, suddenly went wrong.
One of Cleo’s attendants, sensing something amiss in ‘Brian,’ spoke up.
“Are you all right, Your Highness? Is something wrong……?”
“What is that?”
“That, sir? Oh, just a campfire. When the Hunting Competition runs long, everyone gets hungry, so they light a quick fire to roast some game……. Your Highness?”
“Tell them all to put that fire out.”
“Pardon?”
“The fire. Put it out! Now!”
Brian spat out the words like a curse. His instincts screamed that something had gone terribly wrong.

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