The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 269

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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 269

The gazes that met in mid-air trembled faintly.

“Why are you….”

‘She recognizes me?’

It seemed she had seen my younger appearance before fainting when the passages overlapped.

I only came up to the Imperial Capital when I was nine years old, so the only people who know my childhood appearance are a very few priests and the Empress Dowager. But there’s no way Mina, who has never seen me as a child, could recognize me.

‘Henri did say she was suspicious….’

As the passages overlapped, Mina and I were swept up in the waves. She must have seen my younger self before collapsing.

When Mina stared at me intently, Duke Amitie asked.

“Do you know this child?”

“That’s─”

I flinched.

‘I need to stop her from saying something unnecessary, but what should I do?’

While I was pondering, a familiar man came running from afar. It was Duke Amitie’s knight whom I had seen at the bakery an hour ago.

“My lord, we’ve caught the alchemist’s trail.”

Both Mina and I widened our eyes at the same time.

‘The alchemist who attacked Johan in the mock battle?’

Duke Amitie’s expression changed instantly.

“Where?”

“A blacksmith at the Shopping District Back Gate has been connecting alchemy requests. Someone commissioned a curse to coincide with the mock battle.”

The Duke set me down and spoke to Mina.

“I’ll hear about why you came looking for me when I return. Take care of the child.”

The Duke disappeared with his knight, and Mina bit her lips tightly.

“What if you get hurt…. You stay here.”

“What?”

“Don’t go anywhere. Understand?”

After saying that, Mina chased after the Duke. Standing there dumbfounded, watching the backs of the two people, I groaned.

‘What should I do? Should I stay here?’

But what if Mina says something foolish to Duke Amitie without my knowledge?

In the worst case, Duke Amitie might believe Mina and try to figure out my identity. If that happens, the chance to obtain tears will disappear forever….

‘Oh well, I don’t know.’

Cheolsu said that. There’s a saying: it’s all or nothing.

Let’s look for a chance to get tears, monitor Mina, and while we’re at it, find the alchemist who cursed Johan.

I hurriedly ran after the Duke and Mina. But with legs much shorter than an adult’s, I could only reach the Shopping District Back Gate much later than Mina.

‘Blacksmith shop, blacksmith shop… There are three blacksmith shops just at the back gate, but which one?’

Is it Mirose’s Blacksmith?

No, Grandmother Mirose may seem gruff on the outside, but she’s a good person who wouldn’t act as an intermediary with alchemists.

Then Mason? …No, not him either.

He’s just big but he’s the biggest coward in the Imperial Shopping District. If he even saw an alchemist’s shadow, he’d be the first to run away.

‘That’s it, Matthew’s Blacksmith!’

He’s a man addicted to gambling who’s always short on money, so he could work as an alchemist’s lackey.

‘I need to hurry, so let’s take the side path.’

If I go through the proper roads, it’ll take forever with my legs. I recalled my memories from when I lived with the Beggar Gang and entered between the buildings.

I say between buildings, but it was a gap that only six or seven children could barely fit through. I was pushing through the bushes trying to get to the alley when it happened.

‘Huh?’

Figures in black robes were dragging a limp man along.

I quickly hid among the bushes.

The face of the man being dragged looked familiar.

‘Max?!’

It was Max, the captain of the Beggar Gang where Tree, Emeline, and I had been.

He wasn’t in good condition. His whole body was covered in blood, and foamy saliva dripped through the gaps of the gag in his mouth.

“Grr, ugh, uugh….”

‘What’s this? Why is Max being dragged away?’

Max was stupid and violent with many enemies, but no one messed with him. That was because he was as strong as an ox, and his uncle he found during his Beggar Gang days was a loan shark who ruled the back alleys.

After the robed men dragged Max away and disappeared, I carefully entered the alley.

Then, shouting could be heard from behind the corner of the alley.

“Nonsense! There was a report that an alchemist was seen at your blacksmith shop!”

‘That’s an Amitie knight’s voice.’

I quickly turned the corner and ran to Matthew’s Blacksmith.

Mina was in front of the blacksmith shop, and when she saw me, her eyes widened as she said “You…!” But soon another shout came from inside the blacksmith shop.

‘That’s Matthew’s voice.’

I quickly covered Mina’s mouth and peered inside the blacksmith shop.

Matthew, kneeling before the knights, shouted with an aggrieved expression.

“It wasn’t me, I tell you! I barely even visited the blacksmith shop before and after the mock battle!”

“We confirmed you didn’t visit the gambling den either. Weren’t you with the alchemist?”

“My children came up to the Imperial Capital for the first time in years to watch the mock battle. Since I separated from my wife, I couldn’t see the children at all, so I looked forward to just that day and cleaned the house starting a week before the mock battle!”

“Do you have a witness?”

“That’s what I’m saying, the new worker I hired is the witness. Find him and ask him. I once said that after cleaning up the house that was like a pigsty, wouldn’t the children be comfortable sleeping here now.”

“Then where is this worker?”

“Well, you see, that worker….”

Matthew stammered with a troubled expression, then glanced at the Amitie knight.

“…disappeared.”

“What?”

“It’s true. I came to work today, and he was definitely there, but when I came back from the outhouse, he had vanished without a trace….”

“Who would believe that? Your Excellency, we should move this man to the interrogation chamber.”

I quickly shouted.

“Is it Max? The worker. Is it Max?”

“How do you know that? No, who exactly are you?”

Matthew looked at me with a bewildered expression.

‘This is bad.’

Duke Amitie frowned as he looked at me and Mina.

“Why are you two here─”

“Max is over there. He got captured!”

“What?”

“I saw it. Black misters dragged Max away. Max was bleeding a lot! Inside that alley over there!”

Duke Amitie and his knight quickly exchanged glances. The Investigation Team’s knights hurriedly rushed out of the blacksmith shop.

I also quickly followed behind them, and there were still bloodstains remaining in that place.

But around the few remaining bloodstains, sparks began to appear and they started disappearing without a trace.

‘It’s magic. Someone cast magic to prevent tracking.’

Seeing that, I could instantly deduce the situation that was unfolding. The alchemist’s lackey wasn’t Matthew. It was Max.

Max had been using Matthew’s blacksmith shop as a commission center, and when it seemed like his tail would be caught, the alchemist must have sent people to eliminate him.

Judging by Duke Amitie’s hardened expression, he seemed to have caught on to the inside story as well. Amitie’s knight looked back at the Duke in confusion.

“What should we do? All traces will disappear before we can bring a mage.”

Duke Amitie can use aura, but he’s a military force specialist type and unlike Father, he cannot use magic.

‘I need to break this alchemy… Only then can I catch the one who cursed Johan.’

But if I use magic here, there will definitely be those who find it strange.

If by any chance Duke Amitie becomes suspicious of me and brings a priest… If that priest can judge the quality of my divine power…

‘What should I do? How should I handle this?’

While I was pondering, I noticed Mina standing there blankly. I quickly pointed at Mina.

“Sister knows. Sister is the Child of Fate, right? They say the Child of Fate is amazing. Right?”

“Huh?”

All at once, Duke Amitie and the knights’ gazes turned toward Mina.

“That’s right. We have the Child of Fate, don’t we, Your Excellency.”

The Duke asked.

“Can you break it?”

“Breaking it… I did learn how, but…”

“Tell me clearly whether you can or cannot do it.”

“…I can do it.”

Mina placed her hand on the ground. Light stretched out from the ground as if cracks were forming. A chilling, eerie sound could be heard, then the light was blocked in front of the flames.

I was startled and opened my eyes wide.

‘It blocked Mina’s power?’

Mina was a child with Pope-level divine power. Unless it was an extremely advanced technique, nothing could block the power of someone like Mina.

‘Who on earth…’

Is it the shrine after all?

Unless someone at the Cardinal level is involved, they couldn’t push back Mina’s power.

‘Then this is an opportunity.’

I can push the shrine’s influence in the Empire far away.

‘I have no choice.’

I placed my hand on the back of Mina’s hand.

Mina and my gazes met in mid-air. And I channeled power into it, when clang─! A sharp bursting sound was heard from within the flames.

‘It worked. I dispelled it─’

That’s when it happened.

Kwaaaaaaang─!!

With a tremendous explosion, the ground shook violently.

“Kyaah!”

“Keuaak…!”

Mina and I screamed at the same time.

‘It feels like my head is going to split!’

My vision turned bright red and I felt all the strength drain from my body. Blue veins began to bulge on both Mina’s and my bodies.

Duke Amitie shouted.

“Let go!”

But I couldn’t let go. I had already tried to pull away several times, but our hands were stuck together as if glued.

Duke Amitie hurriedly grabbed my wrist. At that moment, Mina’s eyes began to gradually turn pitch black. And as the surroundings became quiet, the world was shrouded in darkness.

Crack, crack….

I could hear something breaking in my ears as if my body was fragmenting. I know this sensation.

‘When I became a sacrifice.’

When I had to receive Mina’s divine power while lying on the platform with the holy sword pierced through my chest.

[The time has not… come yet….]

A distorted voice reached my ears. Memories of my first life flashed through my mind like a panorama.

Then, with a bang─!! sound, a wave of mana enveloped me. And what I saw was….

‘Father.’

Father embraced me and separated me from Mina.

“Are you alright? Breathe. Leblaine, quickly!”

I coughed incessantly in his arms while looking at Mina who had collapsed.

‘Her hair… huh?’

Her hair, which had been black as ebony, had turned blonde.

At that moment, Duke Amitie looked at me.

“Leblaine….”

Like someone who had realized something.

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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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