Chapter 50: Spirit (1)

A few strands of green hair stood out against her black locks, like stray gray hairs. Her light green eyes evoked the image of a lush forest.

Dressed in a light leather armor, the woman pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was Arin.

Commander of the Black Raven Order and the only Spirit Knight in existence. She was one of the children taken in alongside Evan when we were young.

In the original story, she had appeared as Louis’s personal knight. Using my knowledge of the original plot, I had recruited her first.

And now, she had single-handedly eliminated three Imperial Nests before finally returning to the Ducal House.

Arin knelt on one knee, her gaze lifting toward me.

“It’s been a while, Duke.”

“Yes, it has.”

Her tone was still stiff.

There was a time when I had tried to correct it because I found it unpleasant to hear. But in the end, I gave up. Her personality was one that strictly separated business from personal matters, and I had realized that changing it was impossible.

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, I waited for her to speak.

“I will report my findings.”

Rising to her feet, she began her briefing.

“A total of thirteen Imperial Nests were discovered in the Hardenberg territory. Of those, twelve have been successfully purged.”

“That many, huh.”

Imperial Nests.

Mid-level intelligence hubs that managed the Emperor’s eyes and hands, collecting information.

Each region typically had two or three, and they maintained connections with the nobility to some extent.

In modern terms, they were equivalent to intelligence agencies—so secretive that even the Empire kept their very existence under wraps.

Even someone of my rank, a duke, had only learned of their existence after reaching this position. That alone showed how deeply concealed they were.

Yet, there had been thirteen of them hiding in my territory?

Even considering the vast expanse of the Hardenberg lands, that was an absurd number.

I barely held back a sigh and gave a nod.

Arin continued her report.

“I’ve found clues regarding one of their new projects.”

“And what would that be?”

A new project.

Given the nature of an intelligence agency, it was unlikely to be anything good.

“The project is named ‘Sacrificial Lamb.’ The details remain unclear, but it appears to be related to the Hardenberg family.”

“I see…”

So they were finally making a move.

It made sense. Honestly, it was surprising they hadn’t acted sooner.

With all the groundwork they had laid, it was shocking that they were only just now beginning a project.

‘I can’t take this lightly, though.’

I wouldn’t let my guard down.

The Imperial Family was the opponent. They would undoubtedly try something unimaginable.

For now, I needed to have my ravens gather more information about this project.

“Good work.”

“Um… by any chance…”

Arin hesitated, stealing glances at me as if expecting something.

Amused, I stepped forward and ruffled her hair roughly with one hand.

I had thought she had grown up, but it seemed she still sought comfort in moments like this.

The little slave girl from back then had already come so far.

The passage of time felt strangely bittersweet.

“You did well, Arin.”

“…Thank you, Father.”

Father.

It had been a long time since I heard that title.

Evan, at least, had stopped calling me that, saying it was embarrassing.

Thud.

The sudden sound of something dropping caught my attention.

Turning my head, I found Adele staring at me in a daze.

After a moment of awkward eye movement, she let out a forced laugh.

“Y-you have a daughter, Duke?”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

It was obvious she had drawn the wrong conclusion.

“Oh, no, no! There’s no misunderstanding at all!”

Despite her frantic denial, her trembling eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

She wasn’t just misunderstanding—she was misunderstanding in a completely different direction.

Slowly, I approached her.

Adele’s eyes spun in circles as I took her hand.

Startled, she closed her mouth and looked up at me, completely frozen.

Feeling mischievous, I lifted her hand and placed a kiss on it.

“H-heuk!”

A strange noise escaped her lips as her cheeks turned as red as a tomato.

I suppressed a chuckle.

I had been slightly worried about her after everything that had happened in the past few days. But she was still as innocent as ever.

“The only one I love is you, Adele.”

“Huk!”

A sharp intake of breath echoed from the hallway.

I ignored it.

“T-th… th…”

Adele stuttered and turned her head away, avoiding my gaze.

Chuckling softly, I let go of her hand.

“Are you alright?”

“…It’s nothing.”

At my questioning look, Adele shook her head and took a step back.

I was relieved to see that the misunderstanding had cleared up—until I heard the same sharp gasp again.

Turning my head, I found Arin, her hands covering her face.

Yet, through the gaps of her fingers, her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she peered at us.

“Ah! I-I wasn’t trying to interrupt!”

She shouted hastily, then quickly attempted to flee the room.

I grabbed her shoulder and spoke.

“At least introduce yourself before you leave.”

“Ah, right!”

With a slight bow, she straightened her posture. Adele looked slightly flustered, but Arin casually took a knight’s salute.

Raising one hand in a disciplined manner, she introduced herself in the same calm voice as before.

“Commander of the Black Raven Order, Arin.”

Snapping out of her daze, Adele gave a noblewoman’s courtesy bow in response.

“I am Adele von Este. Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Madam!”

****

Why did they all call her ‘Madam’?

I didn’t recall ever teaching them that term when they were younger.

Pushing aside that fleeting thought, I watched as Arin spoke loudly, making Adele smile awkwardly and nod in response.

She still seemed a bit uncomfortable with Arin’s rigid demeanor. With a sigh, I decided to add some context.

“She’s the commander of the Order Evan belongs to. Also, she’s one of the rare half-elves.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Arin nodded so vigorously that it almost seemed like she was trying to affirm my words with sheer force.

Adele, seemingly intrigued, took a step closer to her.

“You’re a half-elf?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m a descendant of elves too.”

A descendant of elves?

The moment Adele said that, a flicker of doubt arose in my mind.

That wasn’t a detail I had ever encountered in the original story.

I turned to look at her, and she muttered to herself as if realizing she had forgotten to mention it before.

“Louis told me.”

“She did?”

There was no way she was lying.

Elves were known as the most honest race, treating falsehoods as a near-taboo.

But if this was true, then why hadn’t it been mentioned in the original?

‘Wait… could it be…?

’

Now that I thought about it, something had always seemed off.

Despite standing on the Emperor’s side, Louis had always shown an odd sense of goodwill toward Adele.

From the beginning, it had been strange that someone as meticulous as Louis had even entertained her trade proposal when she was practically his enemy.

Could it have been because Adele was a descendant of elves?

‘Then… was that the reason he didn’t send her away this time?’

It felt like scattered puzzle pieces were finally snapping into place.

The only reason I had told Adele about Louis’s intelligence guild was because I had believed she would eventually be dismissed.

But if he had gone so far as to provide her with classified information, then that must have been the reason all along.

‘I’ll have to confront her about this later.’

For now, I set the thought aside.

“Really?!”

Arin’s voice shot up in excitement, making Adele flinch slightly.

Her eyes sparkled like stars, brimming with curiosity.

I felt a headache coming on.

I knew how exhausting it was to have a conversation with her when she got that look in her eyes.

“…Yes.”

Adele answered hesitantly, still looking a bit overwhelmed.

Arin took another step closer, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Even as Adele instinctively backed away, the distance between them somehow remained the same.

“Have you ever seen a spirit before?”

“A… spirit?”

“Oh, you don’t know what they are?”

I had to admit, it was a little funny.

In modern terms, Arin was what you’d call a spirit-obsessed fan.

Spirits had nearly vanished from this world, but her love for them had never wavered.

Even Evan, who usually had plenty to say, ended up completely drained when caught in one of Arin’s spirit rants.

She had been more restrained over the last few years, trying to keep herself in check.

And yet, Adele had unknowingly shattered that restraint in a single moment.

Enthusiastically explaining spirits, Arin suddenly extended her right hand.

“I may be a half-elf, but… I can still see my friends!”

A green spirit appeared in her palm, flickering like a tiny flame.

A small girl, barely the size of a thumb, blinked in confusion, looking around.

After reaching the realm of Archmage, I had gained the ability to see spirits as well, despite not being an elf.

Of course, I never told Arin that.

I had no intention of getting sucked into her endless spirit discussions.

“Look! It can do this too!”

Arin, practically vibrating with enthusiasm, began demonstrating the spirit’s tricks.

“This green flame… is a spirit?”

“Yes! Isn’t it adorable?”

“It is cute.”

Well, if they were enjoying their conversation, then I had no reason to interfere

Honestly, the way I had been worried about their relationship now felt a little ridiculous.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

 

[TL: You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OracleTls

 

Join our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]