The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 46
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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 46
“I heard the dead Prince Nuanork was a madman? They say he died cursed after touching the Sacred Tree while searching for Spinel’s Burial Ground.”
“That’s what they say. He drove a nail into my father’s heart before dying. Duke Nuanok was someone whose only wish until death was to restore his son’s honor.”
“But I heard all of that might just be false rumors?”
“What do you mean?”
“Actually, they say Prince Nuanork was brilliant. Brilliant enough to become part of the Senate’s leadership at a young age. Would such a person have done something so foolish?”
I had definitely heard such rumors in High Society.
‘I don’t know which story is true, but it’s worth checking out.’
I could call forth his soul using Bune’s Ability, but it would be wasteful to use a demon’s power on something uncertain.
‘A father knows his son’s affairs best.’
I decided to test the chairman and grinned wickedly.
* * *
The next day. I grabbed the wall at the corner of the corridor and looked around, peeking left and right.
Dubbled’s Great Council had continued from yesterday until today and had only just ended a moment ago.
I watched until the end as the retainers all filed out, but the chairman wasn’t among them.
‘Then he must still be somewhere near the conference room.’
Sure enough, as expected, the chairman was walking from the end of the corridor.
I ran toward him with a delighted expression.
“Grandpa!”
“…What brings Young Lady all the way here?”
“To see Grandpa.”
“Me?”
He furrowed his brow and looked at me.
“Yesterday you helped wake up Lebu. I’m giving thanks to someone who was kind to me.”
I spoke as childishly as possible and suddenly held out chocolate to him.
He stared at me intently and then opened his mouth.
“That’s alright.”
“Why?”
When I asked in surprise, he let out a hollow laugh.
“When you make such a reluctant expression, how could I possibly accept this?”
Oops.
I guess my reluctance showed on my face.
This was the most delicious chocolate from the candy room that the Duke had made for me.
I had nibbled away at them all until only one was left, and I had offered up that last one.
“Give half of the chocolate to Grandfather Lebu.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“But Grandfather is so skinny. The other retainer grandfathers have bellies this big, but Uncle Grandfather is this thin.”
“….”
“I’m worried.”
While I did have the cunning scheme of asking about his son, it was true that I was worried because he was so thin.
The Chief Retainer had lost his wife early, and had also lost his only son a few years ago.
Though there were servants in the mansion, there would be no one who truly cared about his health and looked after him.
Perhaps that’s why his complexion wasn’t good.
On top of that, while the other retainers ate their meals regularly even during meetings, the Chief Retainer had skipped several meals.
I rustled open the chocolate wrapper, broke off half, and held it out to him.
The Chief Retainer’s eyes wavered slightly as he looked at the chocolate.
The Chief Retainer took the chocolate from me and carefully put it in his mouth.
“It’s sweet. I wonder how many years it’s been since I’ve eaten something like this. I only tasted it a few times when my son was still alive.”
‘He’s talking about his son!’
Thinking this was perfect, I quickly joined the conversation.
“I know. His name was Louis, right?”
“How does Young Lady know about my son?”
“I heard he was really smart. As much as Eldest Brother and Second Brother.”
“Yes. My son also attended the Academy for Gifted Children around the same age as the Young Masters.”
This opened the floodgates to the topic I wanted.
The Chief Retainer seemed to enjoy talking about his son.
Of course he would, since no one had ever asked about his son before.
The Chief Retainer was as fearsome to the regular retainers as Duke Dubbled himself. No one would have the courage to make small talk with him. They wouldn’t want to risk getting burned by accidentally making him think of his son.
Using the excuse of seeing the Chief Retainer off, I walked alongside him with small steps and asked detailed questions about his son.
“Eldest Brother is good at mathematics, and Second Brother is good at swordsmanship. What was Louis good at?”
“My son did geological research at university. He studied the properties of the earth.”
“I see.”
“He had no interest whatsoever in family affairs or politics. I was displeased with such a son. So I pushed that child very hard….”
The Chief Retainer’s eyes grew dim.
Most parents who had lost their children first regretted things this painfully.
“If only he hadn’t had a father, he could have lived freely.”
I felt sorry for him and gently took his hand.
“No. Louis was better off having a father.”
“How does Young Lady know that?”
“Because Lebu doesn’t have a mother or father, so I know.”
I answered matter-of-factly.
“Kids who have mothers and fathers call out ‘Mama!’ and cry when they fall down. But kids who don’t have them can’t do that. That’s a very sad thing.”
“….”
“And when Lebu dies, there’s no one who will miss me. But Louis is different. It’s better to have a mother and father than not to have them.”
I looked up at the Duke.
“Grandfather loved Louis so much, so Louis must have loved Grandfather a lot too.”
The Duke’s hand holding mine tightened with strength.
‘Oh wait, this isn’t the time for this.’
I need to ask about the spinel.
I shook the hand of the Duke who was staring at me blankly.
“If Louis studied the land, would he know well what kind of land produces gems?”
“Of course. He said he found a spinel burial ground too. He was on his way to confirm it when he had the carriage accident, otherwise he would have definitely found it.”
“But people say Louis was lying…”
When I asked carefully, the Duke’s face contorted.
“They know nothing. The carriage accident destroyed all the documents that child had, so it simply cannot be proven.”
“I see.”
“Yes. I still cannot forget my son’s voice when he was rejoicing that he had found the spinel burial ground.”
The Duke was someone who prioritized reason over emotion.
For such a person to answer this firmly meant he was certain that Louis Nuanork had truly discovered the burial ground.
I hummed to myself inwardly.
‘Then now I just need to hear it directly from him.’
* * *
That night.
I lay in bed pretending to sleep, then quietly got up from the bed only after Lea left the room.
And I checked for any signs of people around.
Good, no one’s there.
Holding Etoile, I spoke inwardly.
‘Bune, manifest in human form.’
Then whitish light gathered around Etoile in several curves, and Bune appeared before my eyes.
I looked at Bune with expectant eyes and smiled brightly.
“Have you been waiting long for the gem?”
“Even the waiting was a joyful time.”
He lightly tapped my cheek with his fingertips.
I took out the Goddess’s Tears I had been hiding in my pocket and held it out to him.
Bune, who had been quietly gazing at the gem in my hand, swallowed a trembling breath.
Then very carefully pressed the hand holding the gem against his forehead.
“Finally, Master…”
Master?
I blinked wondering what he meant, and Bune bent his waist to meet my gaze.
“Since you granted my wish, I too shall grant Little One’s wish. Now, what is Little One’s wish?”
“Please call Prince Nuanork.”
Bune’s eyes looking at me curved gently.
He lightly kissed the corner of my eye. For a moment, my head spun. It felt like all the blood was draining from my body.
In that instant, the window rattled with a clatter!
The pure white moonlight streaming through the window shattered along Bune’s silhouette. Soon, he gradually grew fainter.
[Someday when Little One… needs… let’s meet again.]
A gentle voice whose meaning I couldn’t understand flowed into my ears.
And what appeared before my eyes was─
“I greet Young Lady.”
A chubby man with a shaved head.
‘Huh?’
I blinked in confusion.
Seeing my expression that seemed to question if he was really Prince Nuanork, he scratched his head and said.
“I am indeed Louis Nuanork. I came following Lord Bune’s orders.”
“Bune, just left though…?”
“That place and This Place have completely different flows of time. A moment could be a very long time, or an eternity could be the blink of an eye.”
Having said that, he asked with an embarrassed face.
“Are you disappointed? Most people who meet me after seeing Father tend to be.”
“No, not disappointed. Just surprised.”
Father has a sharp appearance and exudes an elegant atmosphere – if I had to compare him to an animal, he’d be like a black panther.
But Louis Nuanork looked like a gentle bear.
“You do look a bit different, but when I look closely, you’re similar.”
At my words, Louis Nuanork smiled brightly.
“Thank you. But what is the reason Young Lady sought me out?”
“Louis, you know a lot about spinel, right?”
At that, his eyes immediately began sparkling.
“Yes! The spinel on This Continent is special. Unlike spinel from other places, Divine Power Conduction is possible with it. I thought it might be due to environmental differences, so I conducted repeated research. At first, I compared soil density, and this was really interesting…!”
He then rattled off difficult explanations one after another. After listening to his story in a daze for nearly ten minutes, I clapped my hands together!
“Just the main point!”
“Ah… That habit Father disliked came out again.”
He laughed innocently and scratched his head.
“To conclude, Spinel Mines or Burial Grounds don’t exist.”
“What?”
I was so shocked that my eyes widened.
“But Selbon Trading Company has mines though?! And the Temple also has Burial Grounds.”
“There are no places anywhere in this world where spinel itself is buried. There are only naturally created Transformation Sites.”
He said while counting on his fingers one by one.
“There are three conditions. It must be a Volcano, it must be an Elsa Tree Habitat, and Divine Power.”
“…”
“In locations that meet these three conditions, rock transforms into spinel with a certain probability.”
Good heavens.
So you’re saying if I just bury the rock in the ground, I can generate spinel infinitely.
I wonder if this is what it feels like to discover a mine with no worry of diamond depletion.
Louis Nuanork spoke to me as I wore an ecstatic expression.
“Currently, there’s exactly one undiscovered location that meets those conditions. In Dubbled Territory.”
I recalled the phrase Mina used in situations like this.
‘I hit the lottery.’
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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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