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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Chapter 16
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The boy's gaze, fixed on the mirror, was utterly serious.
Of course, Aselt was handsome enough that even his raw, irritated wounds looked appealing, but unfortunately, he couldn't think of any other reason.
After repeatedly putting the eye patch on and taking it off for a long time, Aselt became convinced.
It must have been because he was too ugly that the little girl had reacted with such horror.
That girl must be an extreme lookist.
* * *
Holding Ella's hand, Mabel emerged from the Greenhouse, curious about where they were headed.
But Ella didn't satisfy Mabel's curiosity.
The other maids were the same.
They all just said, with smiles plastered across their faces, “You'll see when we get there~”
“We've arrived, Young Lady~”
Ella, standing before an arch made of rose vines, pointed inside.
“Here?”
Mabel, looking suspicious, stretched her neck out and peered inside.
There's nothing special visible...
Ella chuckled at her tortoise-like posture and gently nudged Mabel's back, encouraging her to go in.
Mabel hesitated for a moment, then bravely took small, quick steps inside.
And soon after...
Bang! Pop-pop!
“Eek!”
Mabel jumped up from her spot at the sudden sound of exploding fireworks.
To the startled child, the people gathered in the rose garden smiled brightly and called out.
“Congratulations, Young Lady~!”
“Congratulations, Young Lady Mabel!”
“Uh, whoa...?”
The rose garden, colorfully decorated with ribbons and various other ornaments, was full of people.
What on earth was going on?
As Mabel, unable to grasp the situation, just stared with a dazed expression, Ella spoke with a smile.
“I heard from the Grand Duke~ that our Young Lady made an amazing discovery~ and that's why you went to the Hermetic Nation this time~”
“So you were officially hired as the Grand Duke's assistant?”
“So young, yet truly amazing!”
“Thanks to you, Young Lady, one of the Grand Duke's worries has disappeared. Thank you so much!”
“That's right, we owe you a great debt, Young Lady. Thank you!”
Mabel's mouth parted slightly at the servants' continuous expressions of gratitude.
From the sky, paper flowers from the high-fired fireworks fluttered down, and laughter and applause were ceaseless.
“Everyone was late because they were preparing this~ Many more people wanted to attend the celebration party~”
Ella apologized, saying she herself was late because she was helping prepare the party.
Mabel, who had been staring blankly at the people, hurriedly made an excuse.
“I, I didn't do anything to deserve such greetings! The, the Horned Spirit summoning ritual hasn't even been fully verified yet!”
Moreover, the Haber-Bosch process wasn't something Mabel had devised.
She had merely been lucky enough to recall something someone else had discovered.
To receive such congratulations and thanks, it was absurd.
Ella patted Mabel's hand.
“You don't have to be modest~ Young Lady~ It was something truly worthy of praise~”
“B-but...”
Luck might only favor her once.
Even though Sigmund and Dein were praising her as a genius now, she was secretly anxious about whether she could continue to be of great help to them in the future.
As Mabel hesitated, Ella offered a gentle smile.
“Even if you don't complete the Horned Spirit summoning ritual, it's alright~”
“That's right! Anyway, it's a fact that you've become the Grand Duke's assistant!”
“So, you'll be living with us here from now on, right?”
The people congratulated Mabel on becoming an assistant, regardless of her achievements.
Mabel stared at them, bewildered.
‘I thought everyone would be uncomfortable if I became an assistant...’
Mabel was Sophia's daughter.
The thief who had stolen all of Sigmund's hard-earned research data.
For such a Mabel to become an assistant.
Even if the Grand Ducal family members were kind to her, she expected them to harbor some resentment.
But they were wholeheartedly welcoming Mabel's stay with them.
Her heart thumped.
‘They're truly good people.’
It would be too sad for such kind people to be scattered when the Grand Ducal family falls.
Mabel liked it here.
She wanted to continue living here, with these good people.
‘So, I'll prevent the Grand Ducal family's downfall.’
So that Sigmund and the people of the Grand Ducal Castle could keep smiling forever!
Mabel, her resolve renewed, took Ella's hand and headed towards the center of the party.
“Hehe, thank you!”
Smiling so brightly that it would make anyone watching happier.
* * *
That evening, after enjoying the party prepared by the servants, Mabel heard an unexpected story from Ella.
“A disciple... you mean?”
Now that she thought about it, she remembered Aselt calling Sigmund 'Master'.
“Yes~ the Grand Duke rescued Young Master Aselt when he was almost sold in the black market as a child~”
Aselt had ordered the servants to keep his existence a secret.
But because Mabel had nearly gotten into serious trouble, Ella disobeyed his order and told her about him.
It was the moment she understood why the villainous boy from the side story was at Esclid Grand Ducal Castle.
‘Black market... No wonder that Mister seemed like no amateur at picking up children.’
Sigmund was experienced.
At the same time, Mabel realized why Aselt hated Sophia so much.
It was Sophia who had greatly contributed to the downfall of the Esclid Grand Ducal family.
From Aselt's perspective, who revered Sigmund as his master and savior, Sophia was an enemy he wouldn't feel satisfied even if he chewed her to bits.
‘And I'm the daughter of that enemy.’
To think she'd tried to sell information about the Ashilonia Family to Aselt without even knowing that!
If she hadn't met Sigmund and had gone straight to Aselt...
‘Gasp!’
Mabel shivered, recalling the pressure she'd felt when facing the boy.
“Oh my~? Are you cold~?”
Ella, unaware of the situation, brought a light, warm blanket and wrapped it around Mabel's shoulders.
Handing her a warm glass of milk, Ella continued.
“And there's one more disciple of the Grand Duke~ He's also a Beastman~”
“Aha... Huh? But I thought I heard there was no successor yet?”
Dein's muttering to himself came to mind.
“—If we were to have the Saintess of the Alchemy God as a successor, even those stubborn old geezers wouldn't be able to object any longer...”
His voice was too low for her to hear the rest.
Ella agreed, saying she was well aware.
“That's right~ The two young masters are merely the Grand Duke's disciples, not his adopted sons~ So they're not successors either~”
Ah, she remembered seeing this in the novel.
Sigmund had tried to make his two brilliant disciples his successors, but the elders had opposed it due to issues of lineage.
‘That lineage was about race...’
Back in the Age of Magic, Beastfolk stood shoulder to shoulder with humans.
As a race close to nature, their mana sensitivity was exceptional, and they were even recognized for their magical prowess, superior to humans.
However, as magic declined and Alchemy flourished, the Beastfolk's standing dwindled daily.
One day, among alchemists, the belief spread that Beastfolk bodies were excellent materials for alchemy.
As a result, by the present day, more people thought of Beastfolk as mere animals, or as ingredients for alchemy.
In the last 20 years, Beastfolk trade even occurred outside the black market.
To think Sigmund had taken such Beastfolk as his disciples.
“Perhaps~ you find it strange~?”
As if sensing Mabel's thoughts, Ella asked with a smiling face.
“That the Esclid Grand Ducal family, masters of Alchemy, took Beastfolk as disciples~”
“Uh... a little.”
“Hehe, our Grand Ducal family~ has always asserted~ that Beastfolk aren't necessary for alchemy~”
More precisely, they argued that alchemy could be researched without the sacrifice of Beastfolk.
“Because~ even when magic existed in the world, the Esclid Grand Ducal family continuously~ researched alchemy~”
In those days, materials couldn't be obtained through Beastfolk.
Yet, they researched well and achieved results, so why would Beastfolk be needed as materials now?
Mabel, drinking her milk, tilted her head and asked.
“So, are the people who say Beastfolk are used as alchemy ingredients all liars?”
“Well~ But one thing is certain~ that was a rumor spread from the beginning to oppress Beastfolk~”
Saying that, Ella wiped the milk foam from Mabel's philtrum.
It was a soft handkerchief and an even more careful touch.
“Anyway, it wasn't that I didn't trust you, Young Lady, which is why I didn't tell you about the young masters~ It's just~ Young Master Aselt said he didn't want to instill prejudice in you~”
“Then... Young Master Aselt was wearing an eye patch because he's a Beastman?”
“Yes~ that's right~ If you look into a Basilisk's eyes, you'll turn to stone~”
However, Aselt in the side story was using his abilities freely.
Is it difficult for him to control his abilities now?
Is that why he doesn't take off the eye patch, even though his skin is irritated and he has wounds that bleed from the slightest touch?
‘He looked like he was in a lot of pain...’
Mabel, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly looked up.
