DTBTHS Chapter 28

"You're leaving such an important decision to that young child? Not having you or my brother act as proxy?"

"Who do you think made the decision to donate the recipe to the Temple? Did you already forget what I just told you?"

"I thought her proposing it was separate from the decision-making authority. At that age, she legally doesn't have the authority to decide even about her own assets. Isn't it the duty of her guardians—you or my brother—to manage it for her?"

"If she were an ordinary child who couldn't properly manage her own things, we would have done that. That is normal, after all."

The Archmage stroked his beard with a complicated expression.

"From the moment Ariadne demonstrated the Elixir herself, we decided to respect her decisions."

"Demonstrated? How?"

"...She poured Blighted Essence on her own hand and showed us how the Elixir healed it."

"What?"

Rebecca's jaw dropped. The Archmage continued with a bitter smile.

"After that, she proposed a transaction to us, wagering the Elixir. She'd provide the Elixir if we'd protect her until she became an adult."

"An eight-year-old did that to her own hand and then proposed such a transaction? You expect me to believe that?"

"What would I gain from lying about something like this?"

The Archmage snorted and added,

"I'm only telling you this because she asked me to recommend someone to handle distribution."

"So you're basically assigning me the distribution after all."

"What I'm doing is just recommending. Ariadne will make the decision. Go talk to her yourself."

"Oh my, you want me to go get interviewed by my eight-year-old niece?"

"So, do you refuse?"

"Not at all—I'm thrilled! When else would I get to have such an entertaining experience? And with Elixir distribution as the prize, it's a jackpot among jackpots. Connections really are the best."

Rebecca spoke cheerfully, then rattled off plans for Elixir distribution, the profits to be gained, the company's image, and other rosy prospects before bursting into laughter.

The Archmage shook his head at his second daughter, who was so excited about making money. 'She's my child, but really, who does she take after?'

After laughing heartily, she muttered:

"Come to think of it, that child really is Gloria's daughter."

"In what way?"

"That decisiveness and resolution—like when Gloria declared she'd become a duchess the moment she came of age and cut ties with you to run off."

"That little girl deciding to escape from her father's grasp and just going through with it, pouring Blighted Essence on her own hand and cleanly proving the Elixir's efficacy—she's exactly like Gloria. Though our niece seems to have an even stronger will than my younger sister."

"...You're certainly right about that."

"Everything's fine, but I hope she doesn't inherit Gloria's spectacularly terrible judgment in men. Right?"

The Archmage's expression darkened. Rebecca glanced at her father and put the pipe back in her mouth.

"You know, don't you? Father."

"Know what?"

"Among your children, I'm the one who listens to you the least."

"I know that very well."

"Gloria knew that too. Maybe that's why, before she left like that, I received a message from her."

The Archmage's eyes widened. He asked urgently,

"Wh-what message? Hmm? What did she say?"

"It wasn't a long letter. It had a date and location written, saying she wanted to meet me there, and asking me to keep it secret because she didn't want to tell anyone."

"So, did you meet her?"

"No, I couldn't meet her. My cute youngest sister stood me up."

"...!"

"I waited all day at the meeting place, but she didn't show up. When I investigated afterward—surprise—my cute youngest sister died in an accident that day."

Though she spoke with a smile, Rebecca's eyes were cold. The Archmage's voice rose.

"Good grief, why are you only telling me this now!"

"I turned everything upside down because it was suspicious, but I couldn't find a speck of dust. No matter how much I searched, the only conclusion was that she didn't show up that day because she had an accident."

The Archmage gritted his teeth. Rebecca took a drag on her cigarette and continued.

"You and my brother couldn't find any evidence either, right?"

"...That's right. I reinvestigated all winter, and searched again after coming to the capital, but there was no evidence."

"Then it really must have been an accident."

"Honestly, it's too coincidental for me to want to accept it."

Rebecca gnawed on her pipe. Only after nearly destroying the mouthpiece did she add quietly:

"I kept wondering what she wanted to tell me when she asked to meet, but after hearing your story, Father, I can guess."

"It wouldn't have been about herself."

"Right. Would she have been the type to endure if her husband was tormenting her? She would have exposed him and divorced him immediately. And she knew perfectly well that the moment she did, you'd go running regardless of the estrangement and set the Duke's head on fire."

"Yes, she would have. Even if she'd only told you, you would have divorced them immediately, so the Duke wouldn't have dared lay a hand on Gloria herself."

"But the daughter is different. She was born into Eldier. Gloria knew you wouldn't protect her daughter."

"But she should have said something. If she'd said something...!"

"Gloria knows your temper well too."

"Do you know how many times you told her to get rid of the child before she ran off? Honestly, when you said you'd brought Eldier's daughter here, I was shocked."

The Archmage's face contorted miserably. Rebecca sighed.

"No, well, I'm not only blaming you, Father. Back then, I thought it would be better for her to give up the child and cancel the marriage. I'd heard plenty of rumors that Duke Eldier lived up to his reputation as a womanizer."

"I even heard rumors he was secretly keeping mistresses."

"Those rumors were probably true. Gloria must have known to some extent. The only one who didn't know was our simple, straightforward brother Ernst."

"That's why I told Gloria that man wouldn't truly love her—"

"She was blinded by first love even knowing that. Plus, that bastard has a pretty face. The kind of face that makes you want to believe him even when he's lying."

"I should have set that face on fire the moment I saw it."

"You really should have done that earlier."

Rebecca shrugged and continued:

"After marrying my youngest sister, the Duke seemed to clean up all his other women as promised. So I foolishly relaxed too."

Rebecca smiled bitterly and muttered while tapping out her pipe:

"In any case, she must have sent me that letter because she knew if she told you, she'd just hear you say to abandon that Eldier bloodline to Eldier and come back. She was asking me to save her daughter..."

"...Yes, that's probably what happened. Because of me..."

The Archmage hung his head powerlessly. Rebecca looked at the dejected old man and smiled bitterly.

"I didn't want to mention the letter because I knew you'd react like this, Father."

"No, thank you for telling me."

"Well then, I should return to my hometown after all this time to meet my remarkable niece. Father, when are you going? Let's go together."

The Archmage suddenly frowned and let out a deep sigh.

"You go alone. I can't return for a while."

"Why? You said your business in the capital was finished."

Rebecca tilted her head, pipe still in her mouth. The Archmage pulled out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to her.

"I'm finished in the capital. Here, take this with you if you're going to Weaver."

"What's this?"

"Custody certificate."

"Ariadne's custody."

"I took it from the Duke. Now he can't spout nonsense about kidnapping anymore."

"You managed it. Taking custody from the biological father couldn't have been easy..."

"That bastard has no right to be a father. If he had a brain, he should have kept his mouth shut."

"Did the Duke admit to torturing his daughter?"

"I made him."

From the Archmage's answer, Rebecca could roughly guess what her father had done.

"Under kingdom law, even if you presented evidence, a ruling would be difficult if the biological father denied it... You moved the King."

"Yes."

"The King doesn't move for nothing. Did you grab him by the collar or something?"

"I agreed to teach those blockhead royal mages for a while. Carving formulas into those stone heads will take more than a month or two, ugh."

The Archmage grumbled. Rebecca chuckled.

"So that's why you can't go home. But Duke Eldier is really as incompetent as the rumors say. Losing even a fight this favorable to him."

"That's why I opposed Gloria marrying such a fool. He only knows how to secretly keep mistresses, but can't even properly manage his own family..."

The Archmage, who had been speaking angrily, suddenly trailed off. For such an incompetent fool, there was absolutely no evidence to be found that he'd killed his daughter.

Despite the circumstances being this suspicious.

Rebecca, thinking the same thing, hardened her expression before speaking quietly:

"It must have been an accident."

"When there's this little evidence, it has to be an unfortunate accident."

"...That must be it. Your son said the same thing."

"Yes, it must be."

Even as she confirmed it, Rebecca couldn't let go of her suspicions.

If the Duke had used Elixir—a means that had never existed before—it made sense that no evidence would appear.

'We might only be able to find evidence after the Elixir's existence becomes widely known...'

As Rebecca thought that far, she suddenly felt a chill.

Could that also be one of the reasons Ariadne wanted to publicly reveal the Elixir by donating the recipe to the Temple?

'No way, a child not even ten years old couldn't be planning with such considerations in mind. ...Though she could suspect that her mother's death was questionable.'

Even as she shook her head, she couldn't shake off that notion.