The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 23

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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 23
The nature of that mass was simple.
An Imperfect Being.
An existence that had failed to become a Spirit.
This land was built upon the power of countless Spirits. The Spirits under God’s command sustained the heavens, maintained the earth, nurtured plants, and carried on their existence.
Yet centuries ago, due to “a certain incident,” the lineage of flower and tree Spirits had nearly been severed entirely.
The Spirits of flowers perished and vanished altogether, and the flowers that should have bloomed beautifully emerged twisted and grotesque, stripped of their original form.
The trees clung to life by leaning upon the power of Elissia, the one Spirit of wood that remained.
Such was the state of things.
Flowers and trees were dying without hope. It was clear the balance would shatter.
But then.
Clover.
On the day Clover was born, Lucky—reborn from Clover’s birth and the infant’s power—glimpsed a certain hope in that newborn’s Authority.
Perhaps Clover’s power could resurrect all the dead Spirits.
So Lucky trained Clover endlessly, standing beside her to help that Authority bloom.
And now, at last.
An Imperfect Being, an ugly thing—if this were called a Spirit, then surely the Spirits who long ago died and returned to nature would flail their limbs and come rushing out.
“Huurgh…”
But still, it is a success, little one.
Something Spirit-like stirred and moved into being within Clover’s hands.
It was so base compared to the existing Spirits that it owed them an apology, and it possessed no power whatsoever.
Yet it surely carried a force similar to that of a Spirit. By its mere existence, the plants around them felt moved to lift their heads in welcome.
Clover gazed at the liquid-like mass hovering before her, bobbing gently.
“Success…!”
She had practiced this a few times with Lucky back at the Demper estate.
But nine times out of ten, it never came into being—the light simply faded. The one time it did form, it scattered at once, soaking into the ground. Lucky helped, but she could not stop it from dispersing.
But now.
Floating, bobbing.
It neither scattered nor seeped into the earth, hovering as though waiting for some command from Clover.
Clover beamed at the translucent pale-green liquid mass.
“Yay, I did it!”
It had no eyes, no nose, no mouth. No ears either.
But it could understand Clover’s heart, and it would be able to hear Clover’s voice. Because Clover was the master of this Imperfect Being, she could know this.
Well done, little one—clever girl. But you remember what I told you, yes?
“Remember?”
This is a secret, Clover. This is something only you can do, so you must keep it secret.
Clover recalled the words Lucky had spoken long ago and nodded her head.
“Mm-hmm, gotta keep it secret.”
Good.
Otherwise Clover would be in danger.
She knew this well because it had been hammered into her ears constantly back at the Demper estate.
Lucky had said it: no one in this world could create Spirits.
What Authority-users create through their Authority is not bound to nature or objects, but to the Authority-user themselves, so they are called “Summoned Creatures” rather than Spirits.
But the Spirit that Clover had created was bound not to Clover, but to this Garden. So it truly was an Imperfect Being.
And Clover was the only one in this entire world who could do this.
No one else could, so it had to remain secret.
Clover was a clever child, and keeping secrets was easier than anything else in the world.
It was as she nodded her head enthusiastically.
Wait, hold on—your feet!
Your feet?
A beat slower than Lucky’s cry, Clover looked down, and her body sank.
The child froze in that position, unable even to scream.
!!
In that instant, a black hand burst forth from somewhere and yanked Clover away.
***
The Sidue Count House was a family of retainers who had served Claudian for generations.
The reason Count Sidue had come to visit the Claudian estate was none other than.
‘They actually brought the youngest—without the Storm Authority—into the mansion?’
She was supposed to stay in Demper until her tenth birthday, so why?
In truth, Count Sidue had lived dissolute since his predecessor died, squandering a considerable portion of the family’s fortune.
The last place where his assets were concentrated was Hickleste Harbor.
If the ventures he was running there with the Demper Family succeeded, he could rise again.
But then—that little one had returned to Claudian!
Word had it that evidence of the Demper Count abusing the child had come to light, falling out of favor with the Duke of Claudian, and that the Demper Family was on the brink of collapse.
He’d also heard that the Duke of Claudian had obtained investigative authority from the Emperor and was now examining all the ventures the Demper Count had touched.
If he investigated those ventures, it was only a matter of time before the involvement of the Sidue Count House came to light! The Count had no idea how to handle this.
So he’d first decided to watch the movements of the Duke of Claudian and gauge his mood by visiting the Claudian Family estate.
Whoooosh.
“Ack! What—!”
Suddenly, a tiny child appeared right before his eyes.
Sprawled on the grass, the little one lay in a posture as though invisible hands had seized her by the ankles and dragged her here, staring up at Sidue with wide eyes.
Indeed, there was a long furrow of disturbed earth marking the path where she’d been pulled.
“Huh…?”
Trembling.
The child, shaking like prey before a predator, suddenly startled at the sight of Sidue and clutched her head in her arms.
“What—”
He’d never seen this little one before. But why was she appearing like this and then cowering at the sight of him?
“Wait—who is this child…”
Sidue narrowed his eyes and studied the little one carefully.
Round, pale-green hair.
Large, deep black eyes.
Chubby, stubby limbs.
“Could it be… the youngest daughter?”
Any child with pale-green hair in the Claudian Family would be their youngest daughter, Clover.
Sidue stared at the child with a bewildered expression. Who on earth had dragged this child before him?
The fact that Sidue disliked the existence of this youngest daughter was utterly without exaggeration.
However, that didn’t mean he wished to summon this youngest daughter and do her harm. Who in the Claudian Family would be bold enough to attempt such a thing?
He’d heard her body was so frail that she would collapse merely by standing before someone with strong Authority. He had no desire to invite trouble.
Of course, Sidue’s Authority wasn’t as formidable as Claudian’s, but he certainly wanted to avoid complications.
He was already on the verge of a headache from how this little one had complicated his business ventures, and now to encounter her in this state…
Sidue cleared his throat, composed himself, and spoke.
“Greetings, youngest daughter. It is my first time meeting you. I am Count Sidue…”
“Scary.”
But before Sidue could finish his words, Clover covered her face with both hands.
“Scary…?”
She found him frightening?
Why suddenly? He’d done nothing.
“Um, youngest daughter?”
“Dragged Clover here, bad mister want to hurt Clover…”
“Pardon?”
Startled by Clover’s sudden words, Sidue took a step toward her.
“Don’t come near me, bad mister!”
It was then.
“Stand back.”
Whoosh!
A sharp, powerful wind from nowhere drew a clear line between Sidue and Clover.
The wind gently lifted Clover’s small body into its embrace, while Sidue was shoved roughly away, separated from the child.
“Hnngh!”
Hit directly by the brutal Storm Authority, Sidue tumbled across the grass.
“Ugh…”
Above the groaning Count, the voice of Kalid Claudian cut down like a north wind sharper than winter’s bite and colder than any blade.
“What are you doing here?”
“Y-Your Grace!”
“What did you do to my daughter?”
The wind carried Clover’s body gently to Kalid. She clung to him, her face drained of color.
“You seem unwilling to answer.”
Kalid’s face had gone cold. Sidue looked up at him with an expression of utter confusion.

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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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