The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family
Chapter 23
The true nature of that mass was simple.
『A half-formed thing.』
A being that had failed to become a spirit.
This land had been shaped by the power of countless spirits. Spirits serving the gods upheld the heavens, sustained the earth, and nurtured all plant life as they lived on.
However, an incident hundreds of years ago had nearly severed the lineage of the spirits of flowers and trees.
The flower spirits had all died and vanished, leaving the blossoms that once bloomed so beautifully to lose their true forms and sprout into gruesome monstrosities.
The trees barely managed to prolong their lives, leaning on the power of Elysia, the sole surviving tree spirit.
Such was the state of the world.
The flowers and trees were withering away without a shred of hope. At this rate, the balance would inevitably shatter.
However.
『Little one.』
On the day Clover was born, Lucky—reborn from Clover's birth and the newborn's power—saw a glimmer of hope in the babe's Authority.
The hope that, with Clover's Authority, perhaps all the dead spirits could be brought back to life.
And so, Lucky made Clover practice endlessly. He stayed by her side, helping that Authority bloom.
And now, at long last.
『A half-formed, unsightly thing. If you called this a spirit, the ones that died long ago and returned to nature would come storming back, flailing their arms and legs.』
"Uh-huh……"
『Even so, it's a success, little one.』
Within Clover's small hands, something resembling a spirit squirmed to life, wriggling about.
It was far too primitive to be called a true spirit—so much so that it felt like an insult to those that existed—and it possessed no real power.
Yet it unmistakably held a power akin to that of a spirit. Just by its presence, one could feel the surrounding flora perk up and raise their heads in welcome.
Clover stared at the liquid-like mass bobbing softly in the air.
"A success……!"
She had practiced with Lucky several times back at the Demper estate as well.
Nine times out of ten, however, the light would simply fade before it could even be born. Even the one time it did come to life, it immediately scattered and soaked into the earth. Though Lucky had tried to help, he could not stop it from dispersing.
Yet now.
Floating gently.
Without scattering or seeping into the ground, it remained suspended, as if waiting for Clover to give it a command.
Gazing at the clear, light-green blob of liquid, Clover beamed warmly.
"Ehehe, I did it!"
It had no eyes, no nose, no mouth. It had no ears either.
Even so, it could understand Clover's feelings, and it would be able to hear her words. Since Clover was the master of this half-formed spirit, she knew this instinctively.
『Well done, baby. Clever little thing. But you remember what I said, right?』
"'Member?"
『This is a secret, Clover. Only you can do this, so you have to keep it a secret.』
Recalling what Lucky had told her long ago, Clover nodded.
"Yesh, hafta keep it a shecret."
『Good.』
Because if she didn't, Clover would be in danger.
She had heard that so many times back at the Demper estate that it was practically engraved in her mind.
Lucky had told her. No one in this world could create a spirit.
What an Authority-wielder produced through their power was not bound to nature or objects, but to the wielder themselves—which was why such entities were called "summons," not spirits.
Yet the spirit Clover created was bound to this garden, not to Clover. In other words, it truly was a half-formed spirit.
And Clover was the only one in the entire world capable of this.
No one else could do it, which was why it had to be kept a secret.
Since Clover was a clever child, keeping secrets was easier than anything.
Just as she was nodding vigorously—
『Huh? Wait, under your feet!』
'Under my feet?'
Looking down a beat too late after Lucky's shout, Clover felt the ground beneath her suddenly give way.
The child froze in place, unable to even scream.
"!!"
In that instant, a black hand sprang out from nowhere and yanked Clover away.
***
The House of Count Sidu had been a vassal family serving Claudian for generations.
The reason Count Sidu had come to visit the Claudian residence was none other than this:
'They really brought the youngest child into the mansion when she doesn't even possess the Authority of the Storm?'
She was supposed to stay with the Demper family until she turned ten, so why?
Truth be told, Count Sidu had squandered a considerable portion of his family's assets through a life of debauchery after his predecessor's passing.
The last place where his remaining assets were tied up was Hicleste Port.
If only the business he was conducting there with the Demper family succeeded, he could get back on his feet.
Yet to think that little brat had returned to Claudian!
From what he heard, Count Demper's prolonged abuse of the child had come to light, landing the family out of the Duke of Claudian's favor and pushing Demper to the brink of ruin.
Rumors were also circulating that the Duke of Claudian had taken over investigative authority from the Emperor and was probing into the businesses Count Demper had dabbled in.
If he investigated those operations, it was only a matter of time before the Sidu family's involvement was exposed! The count had no idea how to handle this mess.
That was why he had visited the Claudian Dukedom in the first place—to gauge the Duke of Claudian's movements and read the room.
Whoosh.
"Ugh, ack! What the—?!"
A tiny child suddenly appeared right before his eyes.
Collapsed flat on the lawn, the child looked up at Count Sidu in a posture that made it seem as though she had been dragged by the ankles by an invisible hand.
In fact, a long, deep furrow was gouged into the dirt trailing all the way from where the child had come, as if she had been hauled across the ground.
"Uh……?"
Tremble, tremble.
Shivering violently like a herbivore trapped before a carnivore, the child caught sight of Count Sidu, gasped in terror, and clutched her head.
"What in the—!"
It was a toddler he had never seen before in his life. So why did she appear in such a state and cower in fear at the sight of him?
"Just who is this brat…… Wait."
Count Sidu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the "brat."
A round head of soft, light-green hair.
Two large, pitch-black eyes.
Even down to the chubby, short little arms and legs.
"Could it be…… the youngest lady?"
A child with light-green hair inside the Claudian estate could only be Claudian's youngest daughter, Clover.
Count Sidu stared at the child in utter bewilderment. Just who on earth had dragged her in front of him?
It was an unvarnished truth that Count Sidu resented the existence of this youngest daughter.
Even so, that did not mean he intended to summon her and do her harm. Who would dare be so brazen inside the Claudian Dukedom?
He had heard her health was so frail that she would collapse merely standing before someone with a powerful Authority. What if something happened to her by getting involved?
Of course, Count Sidu's Authority was nowhere near as formidable as Claudian's, but he still wanted no part in troublesome complications.
His head was already throbbing because this brat had thrown his business into chaos, and now he had to face her like this.
Ahem, cough. Count Sidu cleared his throat, collected himself, and spoke.
"Greetings, Young Lady. It is an honor to meet you. I am Count Sidu……"
"Sca'ed."
Before Count Sidu could even finish his sentence, Clover suddenly covered her face with both hands.
"Sca…… red?"
Did she just say she was scared?
Why all of a sudden? He hadn't even done anything!
"Um, Young Lady?"
"Dragged me, mean mister dragged Cwovuh here……"
"Pardon?"
Taken aback by Clover's out-of-the-blue accusation, Count Sidu took a step toward her.
"Stay 'way, mean mister!"
Right then.
"Stand back."
Whoosh!
A sharp, fierce gust of wind materialized out of nowhere, carving a distinct line between Count Sidu and Clover.
The wind gently lifted Clover's tiny frame into the air to embrace her, while roughly shoving Count Sidu back, forcing him away from the child.
"Gah!"
Struck square by the violent Authority of the Storm, Count Sidu tumbled across the lawn.
"Ugh……"
Above the groaning count, a voice fiercer than the northern gale and colder than an icy blade drove straight down—the voice of Khalid Claudian.
"What do you think you are doing here?"
"Y-Your Grace!"
"I asked what you have done to my daughter."
The wind smoothly carried Clover's body over to Khalid. Clover buried herself in Khalid's arms, her face pale with fright.
"It seems you have no intention of answering."
Khalid spoke with a face like ice. Count Sidu looked up at him, his expression still blank with utter bewilderment.
