Chapter Twenty-eight: To Bring Into (Julius’s POV)
“I had no idea a panacea could be made by human hands.”
“Karen said she couldn’t recreate it, but—”
A knock on the study door silenced Helfried and Julius. It was Alise who slid into the room with practiced ease.
“I’ve sworn Sophie to secrecy. Sieg is currently with Ms. Karen and Sara.”
A gag order had been imposed on those present at the scene.
Having cleared out the area beforehand, it was a blessing in disguise that knowledge of the panacea was limited to the minimum number of people. If the word were to come out that a panacea could be made, Karen wouldn’t be able to live a normal life. It was worrying that Karen seemed unaware of this and didn’t appear concerned.
“Julius, you believed in Karen. I thought it was just a ploy to encourage Sieg…”
“I also thought Ms. Karen must have misunderstood something. Surely she meant no harm, but still…”
Helfried and Alise exchanged glances. It was understandable. A panacea was said to be a divine gift that only dropped in the depths of dungeons. No one had ever heard of it being made by human hands.
“Part of it was that I wanted to be on her side as her reward, but… somehow I found myself considering her words might be true. After all, she’s already worked one miracle for Sieg.”
At that moment, Julius was the only one who believed Karen’s words. When he believed her claim about making a panacea and thought they should retrieve it quickly, he was surprised that others didn’t share his faith.
“Indeed… Perhaps I was foolish to doubt.”
“Not foolish at all. It’s naturally hard to believe.”
“She truly is a divine blessing for the Ehlertt family.”
If the poison hadn’t been in Karen’s cooking, it would have gone unnoticed and consumed.
Plants and animals with no magical power had been considered worthless. Some people studied these non-magical materials in secret, creating poisons that couldn’t be detected by appraisal and wouldn’t be ruined like potions when mixed with anything. Julius and Helfried had once suspected Karen might be one of those people, given her expertise with non-magical materials and reluctance to explain why—but now…
“I think we should bring her into our family. What do you think, Alise?”
“I agree, dear.”
“Julius, what about you?”
“Of course, whatever you wish, Brother. Or rather, that was the plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?”
Julius himself was Karen’s desired reward. Since she completed the request, she must be given the finest reward. This had been decided from the beginning.
“It’s not just about having you marry her, Julius. We’re welcoming her as a member of the Ehlertt Earldom.”
“Sieg will surely be happy about this.”
Everyone in the Ehlertt family welcomed Karen.
Helfried had decided to accept her even if she had some dark circumstances in her past.
At that moment, there was a heavy knock on the door.
“Enter.”
At Helfried’s command, a knight entered the room.
“Here is the investigation report.”
The knight placed the documents on Helfried’s desk. Helfried checked the contents and sighed.
“So, the letter of introduction alone doesn’t provide a lead?”
“I apologize. Because I killed him, we lost the opportunity to track down the mastermind.”
“You were protecting Karen, right? It couldn’t be helped.”
Given Julius’ skills, he could have kept him alive. It would be understandable if people suspected Julius had deliberately killed the perpetrator. Yet Helfried accepted Julius’s word without doubt.
He must have heard reports of the gruesome scene, but he likely remained oblivious. Julius stayed silent as he took the documents from Helfried. It had been the work of someone who had long served in the main building. There were no signs of debt or special circumstances. Remembering his movements, he couldn’t have been a hastily recruited assassin.
“Was this the work of those targeting Sieg?”
“Most likely.”
From the time Sieg was born, there was likely a plan in place to eliminate him if needed. However, Sieg had succumbed to the Bloodline Blessing and secluded himself in the east wing, making it difficult to approach him carelessly. Perhaps they thought their goal would be achieved simply by leaving him alone. Seeing signs of Sieg’s recovery, they must have decided to act. From these circumstances, it was almost certain that Sieg was the target.
“Trying to eliminate Sieg when Julius is still here—what fools.”
Helfried spat out the words. It was obvious that Julius would be the first to benefit if Sieg were eliminated.
“Julius, I know you’ve been holding back for Sieg’s sake. But for Sieg’s sake as well, would you demonstrate your power to those around us?”
“To make them realize that poisoning Sieg would be meaningless, correct?”
“Will you do it, Julius?”
“I ask this of you as well, Julius.”
Facing the Earl and Countess, who did not doubt him, Julius narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“As you wish. I shall do everything in my power. By the way, may I check on how Karen is doing?”
“Yes, we’ve done her wrong by our skeptical attitude. She must be shaken, so it would be good to support her.”
Julius nodded pleasantly and left the study.
Once outside—his smile deepened.
“…So I can enter a dungeon again.”
Julius had no intention of threatening Sieg’s position. That’s why he thought he would have to refrain from dungeon exploration in the future. But now he had a reason to continue.
The voice within him whispered, "Isn’t it fine to keep going?" and he found no reason to resist.
Julius bit back a self-mocking smile.
“I’m the worst.”
Despite the fact that his nephew had been nearly poisoned and a loyal servant had paid the price, he couldn’t help but smile at having found a reason to continue killing monsters.
Walking through the corridor from the main building to the east wing where Sieg’s room was located, Julius stopped in front of a painting. It depicted Cornelius, the father of Helfried and Julius. The painting showed a smiling Cornelius holding up a bloody dragon’s head he had just severed.
In reality, he had never actually killed a dragon. Throughout his life, Cornelius had favored motifs of himself slaying dragons. There were hardly any portraits of the family.
“I wonder if I make the same face.”
Looking at his father’s joyful smile in the bloody painting, Julius’s blood cooled, and the smile faded from his face.
He headed toward the room where Karen, Sieg, and Sara were. A cheerful atmosphere carried down the hallway. Julius smiled wryly at the bright voices that seemed out of place for someone who had likely been wearing such a sinister smile moments ago.
“I’m sorry to be like this, but you chose me without knowing who I really am… and you said you weren’t afraid.”
To fulfill his brother’s wish and bring Karen into the Ehlertt Earldom, Julius plastered on an enchanting smile as he approached the room.
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