novelraw Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Episode 20
For some reason, the bad mood was gradually lifting.
With a smile playing on her lips, Flora followed his lead and giggled.
"I'm serious. Don't you believe me?"
"What if I don't?"
"Then I'll make you believe. Just wait. I'll show you how amazing your little sister is."
There was no sneer or sarcasm in response to her confident words.
Even though one could dismiss it as childish bravado or find it quite cheeky, he smiled with a look of trust in his eyes.
"I'll look forward to it."
Like father, like son, indeed.
Benio was truly a copy of Athanas.
'So there's another naive bear here.'
And this one is a mini-bear at that.
Seeing how happy he looked just because she took his side, it seemed that despite his large build, a child was still a child.
'...Oh my, I got excited without realizing it.'
I must not forget that the Lucifers are my enemies!
But with Athanas and Benio constantly showing unexpectedly vulnerable sides, this child's body kept getting easily swept up in emotions.
'I need to calm down.'
Flora took deep, rough breaths, controlling her intensely excited emotions.
"Let's take a quick look around the town and then head back to the castle. If there's anything you want, just say so anytime, and I'll buy it for you."
It seemed he wanted to show off a bit as an older brother, but after hearing about the territory's situation over the past week, Flora had no such desire.
'On the contrary, I should be the one earning money for them.'
Just as she was about to hide her pity and agree, a massive vibration began to be felt from outside the castle walls.
'What's that?'
At the familiar yet unfamiliar energy, Flora turned her head and saw people screaming and running away.
"Kyaaak! Monsters are swarming!"
"Run away!"
"Call the knights!"
"The Lord! The Lord!"
While gaping in shock at the scene she had never experienced in Hermannus, Benio also urgently began to move.
She thought he was running away quickly, but that wasn't it.
Benio put Flora down in the carriage and immediately closed the door.
"Oppa?"
Flora looked at the closed carriage door and called out to Benio through the window, but he didn't open it.
"I'll be back soon, Flora. You go home first."
We'll go out another time.
Without looking back, Benio ran straight towards the castle walls, and the carriage set off.
"Oppa? Oppa!"
Left alone, Flora remembered what she had missed in their earlier conversation.
"He said he came back after doing mercenary work."
Mercenaries typically referred to those who stepped in to subjugate monsters in place of Executors.
Some jumped into the dangerous and looked-down-upon profession out of a mission to save humanity, while others did it to earn big money, risking their lives.
A mere fourteen-year-old child. A boy who should be rebelling because he hates studying, playing with friends, and receiving protection from adults had come back from harsh mercenary work, covered in blood.
It was strange.
Was this something one had to endure simply because they were a Lucifer?
'Hmm, hmmm.'
She crossed her arms and thought as hard as she could, but an answer didn't come easily.
'No, why should I even care about the Lucifers in the first place?'
She was still young, but she was a Lucifer now, wasn't she?
'No. Because Etar Lucifer was strong, his descendants would naturally be strong too. That's why he fights monsters like a mercenary from such a young age. He'll probably return to the castle safely without any issues, so I shouldn't worry unnecessarily.'
Concluding with the thought that he would manage just fine, her uncomfortably restless heart calmed down.
'Anyway, even if I encountered a monster right now, there's nothing I could do, so I should just go back quietly.'
The carriage carrying Flora was racing at full speed, unlike when it had arrived.
As she had gone out with Benio without a separate guardian, Flora had to hold onto the seat tightly to avoid being tossed around the floor of the jolting carriage.
Whether the road was poorly maintained or not, every time they hit a stone, the carriage jolted, making her bottom sting.
This was the most uncomfortable carriage ride of Flora's life.
'Rosaria's carriage wasn't like this!'
Missing the plush, luxurious carriage, Flora grumbled vigorously.
'But it's a bit of a shame. I wanted to see what kind of monsters they were.'
If only Benio hadn't just plopped her into the carriage, she could have at least seen what the monsters trying to scale the walls looked like.
It was a little disappointing that she couldn't.
'Hmm, is it really a shame? What if the monsters recognized me and greeted me? That would have been a huge problem, right?'
Flora's demonic energy was small but held pure power.
The demons and monsters born in this land instinctively know the energy that created them. That's why they worshipped, were loyal to, and followed their creator, Mors.
Even with a faint energy, if Flora used even a little power in front of them, monsters recognizing the high-purity demonic energy might have started following her. This could have fueled the ill repute of the Lucifer Ducal House.
'Of course, not all of them would do that; some monsters would just attack mindlessly.'
There had been such cases even among the monsters she saw in the Hermannus territory.
She ended up just speculating to herself whether monsters had also evolved over the eons since the Great Demon's death.
'How dare they not recognize their creator, the insolent brats.'
Momentarily angered, she slapped the seat with her small hand, and at that exact moment, the carriage jolted violently.
'What is it? I didn't sense any monster energy?'
Wondering what was happening, something huge and black appeared outside the window.
"Flora!"
As expected, it wasn't a monster.
The moment Flora realized who it was, the window opened.
"Are you okay, Flora!"
"Dad?"
"Thank goodness you're safe. You must have been very scared?"
As if she'd be scared by a few monsters like that.
When Flora shook her head firmly, Athanas simply gave a bittersweet smile, thinking she was putting on a brave face.
Normally, a parent would hug and protect their child in such a situation, but Athanas was the lord of this frigid northern territory.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you when you must have been scared. I'll be back soon, so stay with Zamira."
'Part of me wants to throw a tantrum and ask him to stay with me...'
But looking at Athanas's figure outside the window, Flora couldn't bring herself to do it.
Athanas, mounted on a giant black horse, exuded a tremendous majesty, as if to show he was the lord of this harsh land.
"Oppa went out alone. Will you come back with Oppa?"
"Yes, I'll definitely come back with him."
Seeing her make the request so boldly instead of being afraid, Athanas smiled with relief.
Then he turned his head and shouted.
"Faur, head for the ducal estate at full speed!"
"Yes!"
The coachman Faur began driving even faster than before, the moment Athanas's command ended.
Athanas, who had been riding alongside the carriage, also turned his horse's head and galloped back towards the street where Flora had just been.
Soon after, the ground rumbled again as dozens of knights passed the carriage.
"With such a loud noise, you didn't even know they were coming, did you?"
After confirming that Athanas and the knights were completely gone, Flora grinned.
'Wait a minute. If Dad just left, that means there are no Lucifers in the ducal estate right now?'
The moment she reached this thought, she lightly flicked her fingers.
Then, demonic energy, smoldering from her toes, stabilized her weakly swaying body.
'I was being careful about using demonic energy, just in case.'
Flora let out a small sigh and finally leaned back comfortably in the carriage.
She had wanted to use her demonic energy to protect herself comfortably since earlier but hadn't dared, worried that Athanas or Benio might notice.
Now that both were out of the castle, there was likely no one else, besides those two, who could sense this demonic energy.
Thinking such peaceful thoughts, Flora leaned against the carriage wall.
Comfort without a single jolt.
What the carriage couldn't do, this demonic energy does for me.
Flora smiled proudly at her capable ability.
As her carriage entered the castle grounds, the drawbridge rose and the castle gates closed.
"Young Lady!"
She saw Zamira running towards her urgently from a distance.
'Should I pretend to be scared at a time like this?'
Flora withdrew her demonic energy and got out of the carriage with a pale face, as if she were about to get dizzy.
"For something like this to happen on your very first outing."
With a voice full of pity, Zamira hugged Flora in her warm embrace.
"Mm, no. I'm okay."