Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 277

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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 277

“This is quite troublesome.”
Marquis Habilios exhaled a long sigh.
“I’m afraid the situation has become rather difficult…….”
The paper displaying the current state of the ritual bore stains in several places—a signal of abnormalities. The Mana Stone installed as backup trembled without cease, as if it might shatter under overload at any moment.
He didn’t need to look to understand. The power that had poured across the entire Empire like seawater until moments ago now fell thin as drizzle. Strigoi, Rokita, Smoke—these three high-ranking Magic Beasts had been stationed to guard critical positions, yet they had been utterly annihilated. That was what he found most difficult to believe.
Raymond had sacrificed himself, so there shouldn’t be a soul capable of facing Magic Beasts of that caliber anymore, should there?
Yet not only those three but all the Magic Beasts he’d deliberately scattered had vanished without a trace.
Through the formation, he should have absorbed them for profit—but if he couldn’t even absorb them, it was merely his loss.
Even Chort’s presence had grown strange.
Chort had served as a sort of commanding officer. He was also meant to be the gatekeeper, protecting Chernobog in the final moment.
Yet now, a problem had arisen on that front as well.
That humans could interfere with the ritual to this extent was almost impressive.
“…I’ve even lost contact with Kosheay.”
If Kosheay were here, he could have ignored this interference and re-established the magical formation from scratch.
If Lilium’s lovely subordinates had remained intact, they could have mended the gaps in the damaged formation and sourced power independently from this side.
Lilium herself and Primrose could still move to some degree, it seemed—though he’d prevented them from venturing far once the high-ranking Magic Beasts began to vanish, sensing the ominous turn.
Lilium had seemed reluctant, as though she’d made some mistake, but the Marquis had foregone scolding his dear daughter and instead urged her to rest in a safe place.
Even if he lost every Magic Beast, even if Marquis Habilios himself perished—if Chernobog completely consumed Raymond’s body, victory would be his.
So until the final moment, until Chernobog had absorbed the entire ritual, he’d intended to leave “Raymond” unmoved, if at all possible.
But look at this situation. Tenacious as ants, these humans had destroyed his beautiful castle of white sugar before its completion.
The eyes of the man lying beside the troubled Marquis suddenly gleamed.
A voice sharp as rusted metal scraping against metal rang out—utterly different from Raymond’s, wholly alien.
—I will go.
“…According to the Contract, Your Greatness would not be able to attack the Contractor of Beloborg.”
—Think that trivial thing could kill me? If this continues, there will be no end in sight.
The voice dripped with displeasure.
“Hmm……. Does Lord Raymond still… exist?”
—He exists, though it’s only a matter of time.
Kekeke, kekeke. The God of Darkness, now clothed in flesh, laughed while flicking his fingers.
The body was saturated with darkness. The soul—just a little more and he could consume it entirely. Raymond himself was no longer making any sound whatsoever.
And yet, during all this, the power supply had been cut off tantalizingly. It was infuriating that even after being left to do as he pleased, high-ranking Magic Beasts had been killed and the Mana Stones stolen.
Chernobog was in a foul mood. So he planned to melt the entire Imperial Palace, slaughter all these humans, stand directly over the formation, and drain the power of the entire Empire to complete himself.
—That foolish, utterly foolish Contractor of Beloborg—no matter how he swings his sword at me, it will feel like straw. I shall savor watching him live long, watching him despair.
“Then this humble servant shall simply follow your resolve.”
So the servant of Chernobog bowed his head, seeing his god off directly.
No matter what means the enemy employed, the future would not change.

* * *

The Imperial Palace had been demolished.
The outer walls and several structures, along with certain areas unrelated to the magical formation, remained intact—but they amounted to nothing. The throne stood undamaged.
Golden Threads filled the floor, woven together in grand embroidery that shone with majestic light. And bound within them, a man screamed.
“What have you done to me, what have you done!”
Pan, witnessing it, spoke as though she hadn’t expected this either.
“Wow. It actually worked.”
“The hypothesis is proven!”
“This actually works…….”
Rasper, whose voice carried a somewhat buoyant tone, and Adrian following after him—both behaved with such composure that the situation until moments ago felt surreal.
The man who had been glowing—Chort, or perhaps Brian now, it was impossible to tell anymore—screamed.
“What is this, what is all of this! What is this wound in my chest! Ahhh! My entire body is burning!”
“Well, I had something important to do, so I ran an experiment. It’s been a while, my wayward brother.”
I waved my hand dismissively, a gesture as careless as shooing away a fly.
But Brian, with no leisure to mind what I did, thrashed like a fish cast into a burning desert.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts……. It hurts, I tell you! Dammit, release this!”
Adrian, equally indifferent to Brian’s writhing, spoke with gravity.
“That said, that might still count as… Imperial Family, perhaps. Your Contract backlash was minimal earlier, after all. To call it purely Chort’s consciousness, well… it’s too…….”
“Too?”
“Stupid. If he’d acted efficiently, things wouldn’t have unfolded so much according to our wishes.”
“The hypothesis that his inferior vessel led him to assimilate completely with the Magic Beast seed and all—well noted. Haha.”
“My point is, it’s still a gamble.”
“A gamble, sure.”
“Things haven’t gone according to plan, so… everything could still become worst-case.”
I looked at Adrian and laughed lightly. An enormous force was moving in this direction—I’d just heard it.
Which meant the bait we’d all been anticipating was arriving, the final moment was near.
Now there was no running.
“Are you saying this now, of all times?”
“Even if the worst comes, it’s not your fault.”
Adrian smiled faintly.
“Your plan is the best option. Even if we preserved our forces here and fled to the North or South to rebuild something new, in the end, everyone would die anyway.”
“…….”
“When I first heard about Lord Raymond’s state, I didn’t understand. But now, hearing your explanation too—yes. If we just keep making lukewarm compromises like that, savoring temporary peace, and then problems erupt again in the future, what exactly will we do then? That’s what I started thinking.”
Adrian ruffled my hair firmly.
“…I’m your older brother who ignored you in childhood, arrogant and unpleasant though I was. But now I’m your family.”
“Yeah.”
“Whatever choice you make, I believe in you and support you.”
The hand stroking my head with steady pressure felt familiar. The gaze of the Empress, who had come to regard me with maternal warmth—it flickered in my mind.
The Imperial Family members all had their deficiencies somewhere.
The Emperor was worthless trash. The Imperial Consort was a terrible woman driven mad by her inferiority complex and jealousy. Brian had been greedy from childhood, received a haphazard education, and evolved into the final form of trash.
The Empress had grown sick of it all and decided to focus only on her son, neglecting young Titania. Adrian made do with whatever came his way because his mother came first. The Consort Elaine turned away from her young daughter.
Titania herself had, well, grown up that way and become trash for a time.
‘My daughter. You must always live like a human being, wherever you are, whenever it is.’
Mother.
‘And my daughter is the best, always and everywhere, of course.’
Father.
Names and faces had faded, leaving only memories. Yet those memories of being loved and loving in return—like the roots of a tree, they now sustained me standing here. Sustained “Titania” in this moment.
I looked up and surveyed my surroundings.
The God of Darkness, our enemy, would arrive soon. Yet not a single person was afraid or trying to flee.
Elaine and the Empress, whose bodies were not whole, had withdrawn to safer ground. Pan and Rasper, who had shouldered all the preparations, were still busy anchoring the magical inscriptions. Lisianthus stood with his sword planted in a prepared position, eyes closed and conserving his strength. Debbie looked at me and grinned, waving her hand. Bibi’s voice came through occasionally, reporting on the situation.
“…….”
A memory surfaced—from before, long ago, when I’d opened my eyes in an unfamiliar body and found all of this overwhelming.
I’ll dissolve the engagement and run away.
“Titania” is an unfortunate child who, no matter how hard she struggles, cannot win even a single love.
So…….
So no matter how these people treat me, I don’t need to be hurt.
That’s what I’d thought.
Suddenly, I laughed.
No one can know the future.
No one can be certain whether the outcome will be good or bad.
—He comes.
With a short, heavy word from the blade, darkness approached from afar.

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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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