Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 94

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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 94

I believed that Gloriana’s Banner would be more helpful to the Castrain Family than anything else.
Particularly, it would be invaluable in reinforcing and maintaining the Barrier.
The Northern Barrier had grown weaker with each passing day.
And there was no clear solution in sight.
The first emperor, Alkarianus, had installed the Barrier by borrowing power from himself and other heroes.
All manner of powers interlocked, complementing one another, sustaining the Barrier itself.
But as the years accumulated, that power could only fade.
The Dedication Ceremony, held every year since the beginning, existed for the purpose of maintaining the Barrier.
However, one of the fundamental conditions for maintaining the Barrier that the first emperor had established was, at its core, proof of all powers.
What good was it for the Castrain Family to protect and intermarry with the bloodlines of fallen heroes, striving desperately to keep the line unbroken, when even the imperial family itself could not wield the Power of Light?
Occasionally, like Lisianthus, there appeared bloodline members of the ducal house who were born with Divine Power. But there had never been a single generation where all powers manifested in one bloodline. Even if such a thing had occurred, it would have been incomplete without the Power of Light anyway.
So the reason for bestowing a weapon the ducal house couldn’t even wield was simple.
Whether it was to let it rust or absorb it—by whatever means—they were to use it as an item to strengthen the Barrier.
And now she was saying she’d lend it to me?
‘The Acting Head of Family, Raymond, also approved of it.’
I stared blankly at Bibi, at a loss for words. Bibi met my gaze directly.
‘It’ll help you, won’t it?’
“…But it was something exchanged as a condition of our arrangement with the Castrain Family.”
Then again, I had swung the Emoticon Sword about freely, thrashing Magic Beasts left and right, and had even requested to borrow Gloriana’s Banner temporarily. It wasn’t entirely wrong for the Castrain Family side to have assumed that the banner would be helpful to me. The Emoticon Sword suddenly spoke up.
-Gloriana’s Banner will certainly be of help to you, the contractor! ٩’へ’و If you don’t conduct the Master Ceremony properly, my abilities will be limited and it’ll be difficult to thrash those Magic Beasts so cheerfully(›´ω`‹ ) If you have no intention of conducting the Master Ceremony for the time being, I recommend at least wearing Gloriana’s Banner at all times!(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
I instinctively glanced at Lisianthus and Debi beside me. How long had it been since I’d received Cards, Badges, and such from Lisianthus as a condition of trade?
The Castrain Duke is no fool. He said he would ‘keep watch,’ and he truly was keeping watch. Yet he’d issued an export permit….
“I understand.”
A person can only maintain their dignity when they’re not starving.
Yesterday, I’d nearly died in a Magic Beast attack, and only survived because Raymond came himself. Rather than twist and cry out, “I can’t accept this!” it was better to accept it now and work to repay the debt another way. I made a quick decision and nodded.
“Thank you for thinking of me, Bibi. I’ll gratefully borrow it for now.”
Bibi looked at me with a slightly surprised expression, as if she’d expected me to refuse, then broke into a radiant smile the next moment.
‘Yes, sister! I’ll come see you soon!’
“Ugh….”
The thought of voluntarily coming to this dangerous place made me want to stop her even now, but what could I do? The daughter of the Castrain Family was even emphasizing her duty. Perhaps I should just pray she comes with her full guard escort….
After exchanging brief farewells, I severed the connection with Bibi.
I was about to sigh with tepid eyes and extend my hand when I suddenly realized I was still clutching Raymond’s forearm, and I froze in horror. My palm was even damp with sweat! I hurriedly released my grip.
“Oh?! You were still holding on?! Y-you could have just asked me to let go, or simply pulled your arm away…. That must have been awkward for you.”
Raymond gazed at his own forearm, which I’d been holding, then spoke with deliberate calm.
“It wasn’t awkward.”
“Ah, yes….”
“It wasn’t painful either.”
“…I wasn’t grabbing you because it was painful for you, was I? My grip isn’t that strong anyway.”
“You pinched me quite forcefully the other day. Seems you save your strength depending on the person.”
Lisianthus’s words came back with a rather twisted tone. I let out a dry laugh. Raymond’s eyebrows twitched at Lisianthus’s remark.
“…Has Lisianthus been up to something?”
“Why?”
“He mentioned being pinched….”
“Oh.”
Being the eldest, he always seemed concerned when his younger siblings caused trouble. I laughed carelessly as I spoke.
“It was nothing serious. But anyway! Now that Bibi’s coming, let’s really focus and prepare for the Dedication Ceremony!”
Everyone gather around and start planning, come on! As I clapped my hands together, Raymond’s gaze—inscrutable as always—followed me from behind.

* * *

A stench hung thick in the air from all directions.
It was a ruin.
Blood and pus, black stains and ash had congealed into a foul mass. Fragments of beast limbs scattered about like refuse. The scene was enough to suggest what atrocity had transpired—yet rather than shock, a calm, composed voice cut through to assess and report the situation.
“Here too, signs of mutated Magic Beasts. Not a single living specimen, and no cores remain.”
Duke Orto drew deeply on a cigar soaked in a special medicament, then exhaled. With each exhalation, the piercing pain that had been needle-pricking through his body dulled. Only after wiggling his fingertips—still numb, yet confirming his body could move without impediment—did the Duke shift his position and approach the grim tableau.
“What are the names of these Magic Beasts?”
“…We still haven’t identified a single one.”
The aide bowed his head as if in apology, and Duke Orto fell silent.
The aide was not incompetent.
There were countless varieties of Magic Beasts—hundreds, thousands, perhaps more. Over long years of killing them, those that proved particularly threatening or noteworthy had been named. The Castrain Family had even built its own database on Magic Beasts accordingly.
Yet many remained unnamed.
Since the Barrier began to weaken, increasingly powerful Magic Beasts had emerged. Formidable creatures unlike any that came before or after. About once a season, a Magic Beast would appear strong enough to demand the Knight Commander’s personal intervention. About once every five years, one would arise that required the entire Knight Order to defeat. About once every ten years, a creature so strong would manifest that none but the strongest direct bloodline of the Castrain Family could face it.
Some fifteen years ago, Duke Orto had faced a Magic Beast alone.
It was a wolf-like creature with three heads. Had he not slain it, it would easily have laid waste to several cities.
He had won, and survived—but that was all. The wounds he sustained were irreversible and deep; never fully healed, his body continued to deteriorate. Bibi had managed to find a Special Flower that could at least ease his pain, but it was only a temporary remedy. Even when the Duke distilled and concentrated the flower, burning it into specially prepared tobacco, the pain only abated briefly. The Duke spoke slowly.
“I’ve never heard of Magic Beasts devouring their own kind.”
“Yes, we searched through the records as instructed. There is no precedent for such a thing. Out of abundance of caution, we even requested Rasper to review it, and he too said that no such incident has ever been documented.”
“Young as he is, there’s no bookworm like that one. It seems easier to simply admit this is unprecedented.”
The Duke offered a dry smile.
After Raymond’s head had grown sufficiently seasoned, the Duke had entrusted him with the position of Acting Head of Family and personally ranged through the most dangerous territories. For now—yes, for now—even if a formidable Magic Beast appeared, he could still manage it. Even if he perished, Lisianthus and Raymond together would face no great danger.
In the first place, to ease the burden on the next generation of the Castrain Family, despite his strong objections, his wife had insisted on bearing three children.
‘If I push myself to bear three children—vessels capable of awakening the Divine Power…. That’s right. I’ll distribute all my power to those children, so I’ll die before long, leaving you behind.’
The Duke could still recall that fragile smile with vivid clarity. A woman with the bearing of a willow, who looked upon even the great Duke Orto as she might a child. A woman who gazed at the iron-blooded Duke, whom even emperors feared, with genuine compassion.
‘…Will you never pity me?’
Perhaps that was the first and only moment in his entire life when Duke Orto had uttered something so weak.
He had not held back his only sister when she defied the Castrain Family’s policies and left home.
When his father, locked in combat with Magic Beasts, succumbed to his wounds. When his mother, who had guided the family’s internal affairs, breathed her last from exhaustion. He had not lost himself. For it was neither unforeseen nor unwanted by the dead themselves.
Yet knowing all this, having married anyway, having resolved to have children despite understanding everything—there came a moment when he found it unbearable. That children were unnecessary, that this accursed empire, this ducal house, that damned Barrier—none of it was worth keeping. That if he could protect her alone until the world’s end, they could abandon it all….
‘I love you.’
Without this woman, he could not continue.

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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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