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“Bellen?”

Aol responded in a bitter tone.

“She should have arrived at Frostheart by now.”

“I suppose the reason for her going there is obvious. It must be because of alcohol, right?”

Alcohol was always the problem with her.

Despite her past glory, serving other families was easy for her, but she was always driven out for being drunk.

This had happened so frequently that no family was willing to take her in anymore.

Coulot clicked his tongue in pity.

“It’s sad to see the end of someone once called the Empress.”

In her youth, Bellen Tol Arvana was a wandering knight known as one of the best swordsmen.

The news of her complete downfall wasn’t pleasant for someone who had once admired her.

“Do you think my decision was too harsh, considering she’s family?”

Coulot shook his head at Aol’s words.

“You already gave her a chance, even bending the rules of the family. You let her back into the mansion despite her having abandoned her family name.”

She had left because she was infatuated with a fallen noble, going against everyone’s wishes.

The head of the family at the time had stripped her of her status and completely disowned her.

Even though they had become complete strangers, Aol had taken her back out of old affection.

‘She had a sad story, but she was so consumed by alcohol that she couldn’t function as a human being. It was like she was stuck in a swamp…’

She was taken back when the twins were three years old, an adult who was not good for their emotional development.

There were reasons for driving her out.

“If you think about it, Bellen might be the reason why your eldest son went astray. He was in his rebellious phase then.”

“That’s not true. He showed signs even before she came. He would always try to sneak into my liquor cabinet.”

“Hmm, that’s true. He had a mischievous streak from the start.”

A person is born the way they are.

Coulot and Aol nodded in agreement.

“Still, I have some hope. It’s a miracle that he quit drinking. Maybe he’ll have a good influence on her.”

Coulot nodded vigorously at Aol’s words.

If you asked the people in the Northeast who the least likely person to quit drinking was, they’d probably shout ‘Hersel’ in unison. Yet Hersel had quit drinking.

“Maybe he will come back a changed man.”

“I’ve already sent a letter. Hopefully, he’ll take good care of her.”

“Don’t worry. As you know, the eldest has changed a lot.”

Aol smiled broadly.

“That’s true. I never thought I’d be so proud of him…”

Coulot didn’t interrupt Aol, who seemed lost in his proud thoughts about his son.

He didn’t want to spoil the mood for a father proudly admiring his child.

Aol must not discover that Hersel had entered the Department of Magic.

***

I learned that Erucel had heard something from the mistress and had been keeping it quiet after our conversation in the dining hall.

– Brother, why did you join the Department of Magic? I was so surprised when I found out.

– Why? Are you going to tell Father?

– I wanted to, but Mother sent me a letter. I wish she had sent it earlier…

Although it was inevitable that he would find out someday, it would be better if that time wasn’t soon.

Aol, being an alumnus, had the authority to visit anytime.

If he found out before then…

‘Ugh.’

I imagined my head being crushed in Aol’s grip.

Given the circumstances, meeting someone related to Aol wasn’t pleasant.

Even if Bellen was nearly a wreck, there was a chance she might mention it to Aol.

Of course, this was assuming she was indeed my great-aunt.

‘She might have alcohol-induced dementia.’

– It’s best not to provoke her unnecessarily. Hersel, despite her age, she still has formidable aura flowing through her.

Alright, let’s test this.

I smiled like a policeman dealing with a belligerent drunk.

“It seems you’ve mistaken me due to overdrinking. My surname is Tenest, not Arvana.”

Bellen stared at me incredulously.

“You insolent brat, now you’re treating us like strangers just because I abandoned the family name?”

‘Abandoned the family name?’

“Stop talking nonsense and get me some alcohol. I bet you’ve stashed away some expensive stuff.”

Ah.

I made a foolish mistake.

In this world, there’s a tradition of taking the husband’s surname upon marriage, so not being called Tenest wasn’t unusual.

This meant Aol’s letter wasn’t sent by mistake, and the person I was supposed to serve was Bellen…

While I pondered what to do, Leana squinted her eyes behind me.

I wanted to get out without interfering with the event.

“I was just joking. I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

But Bellen didn’t let go of my shoulder.

“Don’t you understand what your great-aunt is saying? Get me some good alcohol, now.”

“I quit a year ago.”

She blinked at me in disbelief, then laughed.

“Yeah, right. The guy who’d die with a bottle in hand says he quit?”

I looked at her calmly and replied.

“I quit. You can do it too, for the sake of your health.”

Bellen’s expression turned puzzled as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

She sniffed me and widened her eyes in surprise.

“What? You really don’t smell like alcohol? Am I dreaming?”

I guess the idea of me quitting alcohol was that far-fetched.

“You must have had too much drink today.”

Maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about her for a while.

She’d probably stay drunk for the time being, not in a state to write letters.

With letters being the only way to contact Aol, she wouldn’t be able to send any.

Of course, she’d sober up and get back to her senses eventually, but that was a concern for later.

I’d think about how to deal with her mouth then.

For now, I began to leave.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

But she continued with her drunken behavior, not caring whether this was a dream or not.

“Ah, perfect. I was feeling lonely without anyone I knew. Let’s have a drink together, nephew.”

Leana, behind her, looked at me and Bellen back and forth.

Her eyes soon turned sad, like a puppy that had lost its owner.

“I told you I quit.”

“You brat. How dare you refuse alcohol from your elder?”

“Yes.”

I answered honestly, and Bellen’s hand flew to my back.

Slap!

[Impact detected.]

[Special trait activated.]

[1-second Invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds.]

Of course, it didn’t hurt.

But Bellen clutched her wrist in pain.

“Ouch!”

The hand she was supposed to teach swordsmanship with was not broken, but this was her own doing.

Seizing the opportunity, I quickly made my escape.

***

“Ow, my hand… How can someone’s back be so hard?”

Bellen groaned in pain.

While the professors were bewildered, Leana approached her with a concerned look.

“Miss Bellen, are you alright?”

“Ouch, my joints aren’t good either… By the way, why do you keep hovering around me? Hic.”

Bellen hiccupped and leaned on the professor.

“My head hurts. Take me to my room. Bring some bandages and some alcohol.”

“Yes,

Leana watched her leave, supported by the professors, with a blank look.

She was shocked.

This old woman was nothing like the hero who had wrapped her in a blanket on cold nights during their journey.

More than anything, it was heartbreaking that she didn’t remember her.

Despite the disappointment, Leana smiled.

Just as Bellen had rescued her back then, it was now her turn to help.

But to do that, she needed to understand what had happened to her.

Leana’s gaze turned toward Schlaphe Hall.

“A great-aunt?”

If he was her relative, he might know what happened to Bellen.

She had no choice but to ask him directly.

What had turned Bellen into an alcoholic wreck…

Suddenly, she remembered the sight of Hersel walking away from the injured old woman without a second glance.

“He just left her? What a terrible person…”

***

I approached the wardrobe to get my coat.

Hetherson’s summons had come earlier than expected, contrary to my thoughts that it would take a few more days.

I hurried with anticipation about what magic I would be selected for.

Creak—

Inside the shabby wardrobe, several clothes were missing.

I had lost two outfits while testing the self-destruct magic and another during the actual battle.

“Hmm.”

It seemed like a useful attack, but the tests revealed many problems.

Besides the clothes tearing apart in the explosion, it was difficult to use in real combat.

The time it took to draw the spell made it easy to be intercepted, and without a surprise attack, it could be neutralized quickly.

If the ‘1-second Invincibility’ went into cooldown from even a simple attack, it would be useless.

The most critical drawback was that it took three hours to recharge after use.

This meant it consumed all the mana and magic power in the body, requiring a long recharge time, and I wouldn’t be able to use magic during that period.

Essentially, it was impractical and had too many risks.

‘I was lucky to defeat Emeric. The positioning on the fortress and the surprise attack aligned perfectly, otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared.’

“Looks like I won’t be using this much in the future.”

I needed a more practical offensive technique.

I walked toward the fortress to learn it.

As I exited Schlaphe Hall, the front yard was bustling.

Several men were hastily covering something large with a tent.

“It’s Hersel.”

“Shh.”

They were busy avoiding my gaze.

They did the same yesterday, so I ignored them, not wanting to get involved in their nonsense.

They were probably up to something trivial as usual.

But a woman with red hair blocked my path.

“Hersel.”

Leana spoke with a bit of anger in her voice.

Quite different from her usual cold demeanor.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, I decided to ask directly.

“What’s the matter?”

“Miss Bellen injured her wrist. How could you just leave her, being family?”

I sighed inwardly.

“She’s not an ordinary old woman.”

“Even so, isn’t it right to worry about her?”

“And is it right for you to meddle in someone else’s family affairs?”

I was already busy. I tried to walk past her, ignoring her again.

But Leana stepped in front of me again.

Thud.

I almost bumped into her this time.

A sigh escaped my lips.

“To be honest, wouldn’t it be more unnatural for you if I took care of my great-aunt?”

“That’s true, but…”

It was annoying that she agreed so quickly. Maybe I should tease her a bit.

“That’s strange. You wouldn’t think I’d change just because of a few words. So why come looking for me… Could it be…”

I trailed off and smirked.

“Are you regretting the broken engagement?”

Leana stepped back, contradicting her stern expression with a firm gesture.

“Oh, I see. You’ve been coming around too much. But sorry to disappoint you, as I said before, I don’t see you as a woman—”

“You better stop talking now.”

Despite her threatening tone, I smiled leisurely.

“If that’s not it, then you have no business with me.”

“Actually, I came more to ask you something than to scold you.”

She seemed to think I was an encyclopedia or something, always wanting to ask me questions.

But this one was surprisingly commendable, making me almost exclaim in admiration.

“Tell me what happened to Miss Bellen.”

To take Bellen as her mentor, she had to change her heart.

Gaining her recognition and opening her heart was the proper way.

Nevertheless, Leana chose to seek clues directly from me instead of going the long way around.

She probably thought a relative would know something.

“Why should I tell you?”

Leana bit her lip.