The Prince’s Nanny, Her Specialty Is Assassination - Chapter 55

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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 55. The Duke and the Caretaker (2)

“What, what did you say?”

Jerome frowned as if he couldn’t understand my answer at all.

“You can’t trust a duke of a nation. What on earth is the reason?”

If you want reasons, there are plenty.

I recalled the memory of a certain battlefield where I first met Jerome Crowner.

At that time, I had secretly snuck into his encampment to follow The Organization’s order to assassinate the duke.

– A woman. So you’re that famous ‘Silver Thread Reaper’?

But the Subordinate Organization Member who was deployed with me as support made a mistake.

Because of that, Jerome Crowner immediately noticed our presence.

– Let that guy go.

I knelt directly before Jerome Crowner.

That Subordinate Organization Member was still The Child who hadn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony.

The Child whose parents sold him to The Organization because there were too many mouths to feed in the household.

– I’ll reveal everything about who ordered this. So just let that kid go.

An assassin shouldn’t beg for their life from their target.

They also shouldn’t reveal who ordered the assassination.

But I couldn’t let The Child whose blood hadn’t even dried on his head die so meaninglessly.

– I just need to buy time for that kid to escape safely.

Thinking that way, I tried to somehow make up stories and get the young Subordinate Organization Member out.

The kid had already lost his reason and sat down, even wetting himself.

– You’ll tell me who ordered you to kill me?

However, Jerome seemed to ponder my words once, then smirked.

– I’m not particularly curious, so what now?

He seemed rather interested in the fact that the one targeting his life on the battlefield was that famous ‘Silver Thread Reaper’.

– Instead, Silver Thread Reaper, if you can beat me, I’ll let not only that kid but you go too. How about it?

What are the odds of an assassin winning a frontal battle against the Empire’s greatest knight?

It was a meaningless question. Whatever the odds, I had no choice at that time.

– I wondered how great a person you were! You’re nothing compared to your reputation!

– That seems to be the same for you too, Jerome Crowner.

At first, I was overpowered by Count Crowner.

But as time passed, the situation began to change in my favor.

No, more precisely, I changed the battle situation to my advantage.

– Graaah!

I unleashed a series of surprise attacks with weapons I had hidden in my clothes.

The careless Jerome eventually knelt on one knee before me.

‘Back then, I shouldn’t have let my guard down.’

No, more precisely, I shouldn’t have trusted people.

– As promised, I won, so I’ll be going now. And there will be no more assassination attempts, so you can rest assured…

It was when I grabbed the terrified Subordinate Organization Member’s hand and tried to leave the encampment.

Swoosh—

Blood splattered on the floor, and The Child screamed.

When I turned around, one of the kid’s arms was nowhere to be found.

– Where do you think you’re running, you rat bastard!

The excited Jerome swung his sword wildly.

The narrow encampment became a complete mess, and the tent was all torn up.

– Reaper, where are you running! If I meet you again, I will definitely kill you! Do you think you can harm a duke of this nation and get away with it, you murderer!

Terrifying curses chased after my back, but I ignored them.

I carried The Child on my back and ran like mad.

Thanks to that, I barely succeeded in escaping the camp, but I failed to save The Child.

It was because of severe blood loss that his small body couldn’t endure.

“The reason, well.”

I can’t trust someone who can change their position at any time depending on their emotions and circumstances.

If that’s a reason I can’t trust Jerome, then that would be it.

“I’m the type who thinks you can’t trust people based on status or position alone.”

After hearing my answer, Jerome was silent for a long time.

He had quite confused eyes.

“Then I’ll really be going. I have to attend to Their Highnesses tomorrow too.”

“Wait! Hold on!”

“If you’re going to make such a proposal again, ask His Highness the Prince directly instead of me.”

“Hey! Wait…”

Once again, I quickly moved away, leaving Jerome who was trying to stop me.

An intense gaze flew toward the back of my head, but I deliberately ignored it.

‘What a shame.’

A proposal for the Empire’s greatest knight to become a teacher.

At first glance, it wasn’t a bad proposal.

Normally, it would have been a proposal I should accept even at the cost of the 2nd Empress’s anger.

‘But what fool would accept it after hearing such words.’

Count Crowner didn’t approach with pure intentions.

He’s thinking of Edwin as a substitute for the 1st Prince, after all.

Didn’t I overhear it in the conversation with The Emperor?

‘A substitute is just a substitute. He has no intention whatsoever of putting Edwin on the emperor’s throne instead of the 1st Prince.’

What he wants is probably just a shield for the 1st Prince.

He was probably thinking of taming Edwin first, then deciding where to use him.

‘Whether to set him up as a puppet emperor or make him a blind loyalist.’

In the end, the duke just needs a puppet.

A puppet that can realize Cabellius III’s will and protect his nephew.

‘It might be different if the 1st Prince dies quickly.’

But even if the 1st Prince dies early and Edwin ascends to the throne.

Could that throne truly become Edwin’s?

A powerless emperor is worse than a dog on the street.

“I won’t be fooled twice.”

He probably thought I would accept the proposal.

For some unknown reason, the corner of my mouth curved up in satisfaction.

‘Where did I bury that child?’

Though my heart sank again as I recalled the image of The Child who died that day.

* * *

In the middle of the Training Grounds of the Gloria Knight Order.

“Salute to the Commander!”

With a vigorous command, the Knights paid their respects with disciplined movements.

Where their heads turned was toward the platform.

Jerome standing on the platform looked over his subordinate Knights with sharp eyes.

“I saw your monster subjugation skills very well yesterday.”

The duke seemed angry for some reason today.

“It was absolutely terrible.”

At Jerome’s low, sunken voice, the Knights’ shoulders flinched slightly.

Their faces, blackened from training, seemed to turn pale.

“Taking half a day just to catch a few wyverns. Don’t you think anything even after seeing the Adamant Knights take only a few minutes to catch one monster?”

Anger could be felt in his voice as he spoke through gritted teeth.

“Can you still call yourselves imperial knights after that!”

“No!”

Though it was more than a dozen giant wyverns over 10 feet tall, hardly just “a few wyverns.”

But that was the only answer they could give.

“You’ve gotten quite arrogant hearing you’re called the Empire’s greatest knight order! I’ll fix that rotten attitude of yours completely today!”

Jerome was like a demon risen from hell.

“From today, we’re doubling the training load!”

It was truly a bolt from the blue.

Twenty round trips up the mountain in full armor.

The knights let out silent screams while glancing at each other.

But none of them dared rebel against their commander.

No, they couldn’t. They knew the Count’s terrifying nature better than anyone.

“What are you doing standing around! Start running!”

At the impatient Count’s angry command, the knights immediately formed ranks and began running.

Just as the sound of clashing armor began echoing through the training grounds.

“Stop right there.”

Jerome called out to someone at the very end of the line.

“Prince Edwin.”

Edwin, who never imagined he’d be called, looked at Jerome with a surprised face.

“…Me?”

“Is there another Edwin here besides Your Highness?”

Jerome approached the prince who had frozen in place.

A small boy he had to look down at for quite a while.

Unlike before, he spoke in a gentle voice.

“Let’s have a chat for a moment.”

* * *

“Speaking of which, Jerome Crowner. It’s been a while since I heard that name.”

Seiji muttered while sorting the herbs he had grown himself.

“You’re quite lucky. How did you manage not to have that monster discover your identity?”

“Humans are weak to what they see with their eyes. He’s no different in that regard.”

I leaned my head back over the chair while resting both legs on Seiji’s desk.

“Moreover, the current me looks like an ordinary woman to anyone, so it’s only natural.”

“Well, I did think you disguised yourself quite properly this time, unlike your usual self. How did you shrink your height? Did you drink some magic potion?”

Seiji examined me with curious eyes.

“…Something like that.”

I had no intention of telling him the truth yet.

If he found out I had died and come back to life in someone else’s body.

‘He’d obviously become much more bothersome than now, talking about dissection and experiments.’

I silently surveyed Seiji’s cabin thoroughly.

This place behind the annex was a hideout made solely for Seiji the gardener.

Surrounded entirely by thickets, tall trees, and small herb gardens, it wasn’t easily visible to others.

“So, why did you suddenly bring up Count Crowner?”

I shrugged at Seiji’s question.

“I was wondering if you knew anything about him.”

“Wouldn’t you know better than me? You’ve even fought him before.”

“I don’t know much. What I know is Jerome Crowner the ‘knight,’ not Jerome the ‘human.'”

At my words, Seiji seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking again.

“Well. All I know is that the Count isn’t the legitimate heir of the ducal house.”

“Not the legitimate heir? What does that mean?”

“He’s an adopted son. A child the previous duke brought in specifically for succession.”

“You mean an illegitimate child?”

“Hmm, that’s a bit complicated.”

Seiji waved his finger in the air as if drawing a family tree.

“He’s supposedly the son born from an affair between the previous duke’s former wife and a commoner knight.”

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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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