He was seriously contemplating whether he should pour all of Celsior’s fortune into inventing magic.

Knock knock.

The butler knocked, entered and asked politely.

“Master, do you still have work remaining?”

“No. I’m fine, so go in and rest.”

Kyllen waved his hand dismissively. The butler seemed about to turn around and leave immediately, but he glanced at Kyllen and carefully opened his mouth.

“If you have any worries, please tell me. I’ll worry about it together with you.”

The butler was someone who had worked at Celsior since before Kyllen was born, was forcibly driven out by Howard, and then returned.

Although they had lived without seeing each other for a long time, having watched Kyllen’s childhood, he keenly caught the subtly dark expression.

“……It’s nothing much, I just have something to think about regarding Count Sharofe.”

“Ah, then it’s romantic troubles.”

The butler smiled warmly like a grandfather. Kyllen felt slightly embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Your father, His Grace, also had many worries when he was courting your mother.”

“……Father did?”

“Yes, so much so that he purchased romance books and revered them like a god.”

The parents in Kyllen’s memory had always seemed harmonious from birth, so hearing such stories was refreshing.

“How about Your Grace also reading those books once?”

“Those books are still around?”

“Yes, fortunately they didn’t touch the library books.”

After returning at Kyllen’s call, the duke examined the ducal residence and let out a sigh of relief when he confirmed the library had escaped Howard’s family’s tyranny.

He couldn’t express how fortunate it was that traces of his masters were still alive and breathing here.

“Actually, His Grace once said he would pass the books down to his son later.”

“Really?”

The butler nodded and added.

“The book title is 〈101 Pieces of Advice That Men Who Can’t Date Should Know〉.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Intrigued after hearing the butler’s words, Kyllen immediately headed to the library.

The library, as wide and grand as the Imperial Library, was packed full of countless books.

Kyllen leisurely looked around inside while searching for his father’s romance book.

‘Ah, here it is.’

It was a book positioned in a corner of the bookshelf.

The cover was pink just like romance novels that young ladies often read.

Kyllen let out a chuckle and pulled out the book. He was very curious about what help his father had received from this book when courting his mother.

‘Will it tell me the answer too……’

He was about to pull out just the book and stand up without much thought when he suddenly paused.

He discovered a faint gap where the book had been placed.

‘What’s this?’

Kyllen frowned as he felt around the gap and unconsciously pressed a part that caught his fingertip.

Click.

Whirr.

The bookshelf vibrated slightly and an amazing sight unfolded. The gap split to both sides and a book that had been hidden inside came out.

‘What kind of book is this?’

Kyllen picked up the book without a title in bewilderment. In a way, it looked more like a diary or notebook than a book. Kyllen examined the thing covered in handprints and carefully opened the first page.

Then it was written in familiar handwriting as follows:

Rudenian Investigation and Research

Kyllen immediately recognized it as his father’s handwriting. In other words, this unidentified book was a journal organizing the results of his parents’ life-risking investigation into heretics.

Kyllen took a short breath, then soon began reading the contents written inside with a calm face.

〈Rudenians are collaborating with part of the temple to conduct strange experiments on novice priests with high holy power.〉

〈Surprisingly, this is being carried out under High Priestess Morphina’s leadership. It seems the High Priestess is a heretic.〉

〈I found out the purpose of the experiments. When someone with strong holy power becomes corrupted, they possess that much more powerful demonic energy. They seem to be trying to use this to summon Rudvalt into a human body.〉

〈The emperor is also involved in the experiments. He even has a child born from adultery with the High Priestess. His name is Raviel. It’s presumed they intend to make that child the demon’s host and achieve the dream of eternal life.〉

〈The problem is that summoning Rudvalt requires a sacrifice. Usually they offer the person most beloved by the one who will become the host.〉

Kyllen’s hand turning the page trembled slightly. His face was coldly hardened with shock.

Raviel’s birth secret was surprising, but the identity of the sacrifice offered to the demon made his heart freeze.

Anyone who wasn’t oblivious would notice that Raviel harbored personal feelings for Shailyn.

That’s why Kyllen and Raviel had been so wary of each other.

Because they instinctively sensed they liked the same person.

So according to the investigation report, the person to be offered as sacrifice was Shailyn.

His vision momentarily became distant, but he calmly checked the remaining content first.

〈If Rudvalt is summoned, the demon’s heart must be pierced with the holy sword hidden in the temple to seal it again.〉

Kyllen barely closed the book and shut his eyes. Shailyn’s face smiling brightly flickered in the darkness.

The sacrifice Raviel would offer would too clearly be her.

Convinced of this, he couldn’t move from that spot until night passed and dawn broke.

And when he finally stood up, a resolute light was circling in his coolly sunken red eyes.

***

Thanks to Carl not accepting my rejection in the garden, the mission was in a state of neither failure nor success.

While it was fortunate on one hand, my head felt like it would explode thinking about what to do going forward.

‘Do I really have to return to the original world?’

I kept asking myself that question. I felt I needed to get my own heart straight first to make a decision without regrets.

But this was more difficult than I thought.

Why is the human heart so fragile and reed-like? It kept going back and forth morning and evening.

I was lying in bed hugging a pillow and letting out a heavy sigh.

“Miss, are you busy?”

Mandy suddenly came to find me and asked carefully. I looked at her listlessly and answered.

“No, why?”

“Then please come with me for a moment.”

Mandy smiled brightly and made me stand up. I walked along as she pushed me in bewilderment.

Then the place we arrived at was the dining hall.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, so why did she bring me here?

When I looked puzzled, Mandy just grinned and gestured for me to go in.

Eventually, what greeted me as I entered as she wished was.

“You’re here, Shailyn.”

“Come on in.”

The Diart ducal family. They had set a hearty table and waved at me happily.

No, it’s really not mealtime though?

I looked them over with a dumbfounded face.

“What are you all doing here……”

At my blankly thrown question, Dain jumped up and grabbed my hand.

“Come on! Hurry up, Shailyn.”

“Huh, what?”

I ended up sitting in an empty seat following him. Lord Diart was on my right, Deborah on my left, and the duke and Dain across from me.

Deborah linked arms with me as usual with her eyes sparkling.

“Look, I only prepared things you like. How is it?”

I turned my gaze to the table she was pointing at. It looked modest from a distance, but seeing it up close was no joke.

Even as Deborah said, everything was what I liked.

I made a still blank voice looking at the table where food and desserts were mixed chaotically.

“No…… what is all this?”

Lord Diart smiled kindly and answered my question.

“You’ve seemed completely listless lately. We prepared this among ourselves.”

“A surprise party to make you feel good!”

Dain added energetically. I blinked blankly at hearing they prepared it for me.

As someone who originally had no family, this was the first time I received such care.

I never knew someone who would worry about me and try to cheer me up by feeding me delicious things would exist in my life.

As I stayed frozen, Lord Diart placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t know what’s causing you so much worry, but don’t struggle to handle it alone. You have us.”

Following his gentle patting, Deborah opened her mouth.

“Sister, I’m going to get promoted at the magic tower soon. Fast, right? I’ll become the world’s strongest mage and beat up everyone who bothers you.”

“Deborah, what are you saying? Beat up?”

Dain narrowed his eyes and added in a stern voice.

“Not just beat up, but thoroughly beat up.”