Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 57
***
It was after finishing a meal out, enjoying the pleasant feeling of fullness, and lounging around contentedly.
“Master, here’s today’s mail.”
Terry handed me a stack of letters, neatly sorted like a proper butler would.
And among them was a letter tucked in between the countless marriage proposals that arrive by the dozen every day.
Even among the lavish envelopes, the golden one seemed particularly elegant.
Without thinking, I picked it up and my eyes widened as I checked the seal.
“……!”
A grandiose seal combining a wizard’s staff, a holy sword, and even a shepherd’s crook, symbolizing religious authority.
The moment I grasped the meaning behind that seal, it felt like the sound of rushing blood filled my ears.
With trembling hands, I broke the seal.
Inside was an invitation card. And not just any, it was from the royal family.
While the festival is winding down, the noble ball, cherished by the aristocrats, is just beginning.
Most central nobles receive invitations, so I had already received one before the festival even started.
Why had another invitation arrived now?
With a barely steady breath, I scanned the contents of the invitation.
Written in elegant script, it earnestly requested my attendance at the ball.
‘If I refuse to attend the ball…….Huh? Wait a minute.’
The name of the sender at the end of the invitation shattered my mental composure.
[Mikhail Genos Fondrich].
Someone daring enough to use the country’s name as their middle name.
‘Mad.’
It was an invitation to the royal ball sent by none other than the Crown Prince himself.
And not just any invitation, but a request for me to attend as his partner on the final day of the ball.
***
The winter in the northern regions was harsh.
Therefore, the preparations for winter in the Baluasten territory were busiest from late autumn to early winter.
There was much to be done to survive the winter, which made the preparations quite extensive.
Naturally, the Baluasten territory, which had to inspect vast lands, was bustling. No, it had to be bustling.
However, the winter castle was as quiet as if it had tasted death.
The castle’s employees moved cautiously as if walking on thin ice, even monitoring their breaths.
They were afraid of provoking the master’s mood.
Ever since the day their lord committed the bloody usurpation, not a glimpse of him had been seen by anyone. Yet, the fear of him lingered around the castle like nightly fog, refusing to dissipate.
Perhaps it was because the remnants of the burnt twin castles, blackened and scarred, still bore the sinister marks of the past, haunting the castle grounds.
Whenever the castle’s employees saw the traces of the remaining ruins, they recalled the cruelty of the master who had seized the blood-soaked throne and avoided even meeting his eyes.
Thus, the absence of the owner of the winter castle was a secret known only to very few.
“How is the forest?”
The Forest was the name given to the boundary that the first king had established across the continent to keep the demons at bay.
It was the duty and existential significance of the Baluasten family to safeguard this barrier, known as the last defense line of humanity and the limit of humanity.
“It remains peaceful. His Grace must have put a lot of effort into cleaning it up. It almost seems like the monsters have been completely wiped out.”
Though the Butler spoke with reverence, the sigh from Sir Penadel only grew heavier.
After cutting down so many monster throats, the curse must have grown stronger.
“If they had been wiped out so easily, things wouldn’t have come to this.”
Sir Penadel looked at the golden envelope with a troubled expression.
He stared at the seal marked with a staff, a holy sword, and a shepherd´s crook endlessly before rubbing his dry hands roughly.
It was a summons from the royal family.
For the past four years, they had sent proxies due to his constant internal affairs, but now he could no longer ignore the royal decree.
Concerned that Sir Penadel would burn the summons with a glare, the butler cautiously added,
“Um… If he disobeys this time, he will be punished.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Some claimed that the Grand Duke’s military power surpassed that of the king, and even dared to challenge royal decrees.
However, such talk came from ignorant fools who knew nothing of reality.
Due to the constant monster hunting, casualties among the Grand Duke’s forces were a daily occurrence, making the Grand Duchy no different from a battlefield.
Rumors even circulated within the Baluasten territory that the Grand Duke acted as the king within the domain, given his reclusive nature.
The term “reclusive” also meant that the Grand Duke was isolated from the outside world.
Furthermore, since a knight from the north was always at risk of being corrupted and turned into a demon, every time they left the Grand Duchy, their movements were recorded and reported to the royal court.
‘Of all times, to receive a summons from the king now.’
With the change in the Lord of Silver, and no loyal lords showing themselves to the king, the suspicious king might have harbored serious thoughts.
The discomfort in the king’s mind was evident from the message to visit the royal court before the joy of the festival disappeared.
To reach the royal court within the festival period, preparations had to be made immediately to ride non-stop.
After expressing his troubled thoughts with a sigh, Sir Penadel finally made a decision.
“I will go.”
First and foremost, it was urgent to conceal the fact that Cesare was absent.
To avoid turmoil, Cedric had left the North in Penadel’s name, leaving Penadel no choice but to leave the North using His Grace’s name.
“As for His Grace…”
“I will go and explain.”
He had vaguely anticipated such a situation arising.
Despite that, at that moment, he believed that even resorting to cowardly and cruel excuses to make Cedric leave the North was the best course of action.
That belief remained unchanged.
Penadel looked beyond the castle-encased window, gazing at the forest of whispers.
As if saturated with the blood and grudges of the deceased, the forest was dense enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
In that forest where even robust knights went mad within a week, Cedric had spent a staggering four years.
It was enough time for him to blur the lines between human and demon.
Penadel shouted at Cedric with a heart filled with desperation.
“Your insistence on not leaving the forest accomplishes nothing, Your Grace. No one can kill all the monsters beyond the forest!”
However, Cedric remained resolute.
“Just because no one has ever done it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
If things continued like this, they were truly at risk of losing their lord. It had been several years since his pupils turned red and never returned to their original color.
As much as the bloodline of Baluasten possessed the ability to purify curses, this was beyond its limit.
Eventually, Penadel had to break the news to him.
“There is… information about Lord Endymion.”
“…….”
“Four years ago on that day, there was a couple who protected a boy believed to be Lord Endymion. The couple lost their lives to a monster attack while leaving their land for the royal capital three years ago. However, the child was safely escorted by the kingdom’s army to the facilities in the capital…”
On that night of rebellion when one of the twin castles was completely razed, and ash fell like snow all day long.
Among the surviving bloodline of Baluasten, only Cedric remained.
Two bodies were never found.
These were Cedric’s older brother Manuel and his younger son Endymion.
Manuel’s death was confirmed, but Endymion’s body was never found.
Everyone in the castle believed that the young lord was engulfed in flames without leaving a single bone fragment behind.
Only Cedric believed in Endymion’s survival and had people searching for his whereabouts, hoping to find his young nephew.
Knowing this, Penadel lowered his head with a heart willing to sacrifice and spoke.
“That’s why Lord Endymion must surely be safe.”
Penadel knew all too well that these were dreadful words.
Yet, if these words could momentarily distance Cedric from the forest and his rage…
“Penadel, this is the last time I’ll tolerate your insolence.”
Penadel would willingly tarnish the honor of the deceased lord multiple times.
And so, Cedric left the forest and headed for the royal capital, leaving the northern region behind, secretly searching for Endymion himself.
Penadel, filled with remorse, finally tore his gaze away from the forest, his face looking older than before.
“Perhaps it’s time to pay respects to our Lord.”
It seemed he would unwittingly bestow a surprise gift upon his lord.
Translator
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O ml é sempre tão legal, não imagina esse lado tão Sombrio…
Thanks for the update 🇧🇷 😸 🥰