Support the translator on lazytranslations.com
~3rd Person Perspective~
June, Imperial Era 213.
Ars Louvent returned to Canale Castle, poisoned.
By that time, he was already unconscious and received emergency treatment.
Thanks to this, his symptoms have improved slightly, and he has temporarily regained consciousness.
However, his condition worsens, and once again, he loses consciousness.
The poison that has affected Ars is extremely troublesome, and it seems that there was no complete cure unless it is completely eliminated from his body.
Even the Louvent family doctor was unable to determine what poison used on him was.
Russell, who also has medical knowledge, analyzes the poison and begins formulating an antidote, but it’s not something easy to make.
Time passed without finding a cure, and Ars became weaker and weaker.
The Louvent family was facing an unprecedented crisis.
“Shall I hear the report?” (Borotz)
Borotz had received a report from Zetsu, who had returned.
Zetsu gives Borotz a detailed report on their infiltration order.
“You fooled his ‘Appraising Eye’? Is that even possible?” (Borotz)
“Yes.” (Zetsu)
“How?” (Borotz)
“It is a secret.” (Zetsu)
He tried to find out what Zetsu did but was flatly refused.
Thinking that it would be difficult to get information, Borotz listened to the rest of the report.
“So? You were able to infiltrate their group, but were you able to kill Ars Louvent?” (Borotz)
“Well… I think it’s fair to say that the assassination was successful. At the moment, Ars Louvent is not dead, but it’s only a matter of time.” (Zetsu)
“What do you mean?” (Borotz)
Borotz glared back at Zetsu who had given a vague report.
“I gave him poison, but it wasn’t the kind of poison that would kill him instantly, so he’s not dead, for now.” (Zetsu)
“What? So, when will Ars Louvent die?” (Borotz)
“I wasn’t able to give him a lot, so it might take more time than normal, around a month.” (Zetsu)
“…Is there any way to detoxify it?” (Borotz)
“I doubt it, no matter how excellent the vassals of the Louvent family are.” (Zetsu)
“You doubt it? You can’t be sure?” (Borotz)
“Well, you’ll never know what’s going to happen in the future. Only time will tell.” (Zetsu)
“You must be joking.” (Borotz)
Zetsu said with a cheery grin, and Borotz looked extremely annoyed.
“Why didn’t you use a poison that would kill him instantly?” (Borotz)
“It’s not that I didn’t use it, but that I couldn’t. He had quite the skilled bodyguard over there, and most poisons would be obvious from the smell. The only poison that would absolutely kill someone without being noticed was the one I used this time. Well, actually I wanted to cut off his head instead of poison, but I was stopped. That was a mistake.” (Zetsu)
“…If he survives, you will not receive any reward, and I will have your head.” (Borotz)
“What a scary thing to say. You don’t have to reward me. But I can’t let you take my head. It’s not something I can give away for just one failure.” (Zetsu)
Borotz declared to Zetsu with an angry glare, but Zetsu simply brushed it off.
Borotz doubted he could actually take Zetsu’s head. At the very least, he would need to send a large number of pursuers to kill them, but they didn’t think it was worth it.
“I’ll give you a piece of advice. It’s certain that Ars Louvent will suffer from the poison for a while, and the Louvent family will be in a lot of trouble during that time, so this might be time for you to attack.” (Zetsu)
“You’re quite the pompous one, a mere assassin, offering me a strategy suggestion.” (Borotz)
“I’m sorry. I just love thinking about these things. Please act like you didn’t hear me.” (Zetsu)
Borotz said with a veiled threat, but Zetsu didn’t seem particularly fazed.
(Hmm, what a terrible guy. Maybe I gave the wrong request to the wrong person.) (Borotz)
Seeing Zetsu like that, Borotz felt a little regretful.
“Well then, that’s it for now. As soon as I confirm Ars Louvent’s death, I’ll come back again.” (Zetsu)
With that, Zetsu left the room.
“I hope you do.” (Borotz)
Borotz muttered with a dubious look on his face.
(Just as he said, if Ars Louvent becomes seriously ill, the Louvent family will surely be in upheaval. It is definitely time to attack. It would be annoying to act because of Zetsu’s comment, but… I shouldn’t let my personal feelings cause me to lose sight of what I should do.) (Borotz)
Borotz also thought that the strategy Zetsu had proposed earlier was not wrong.
(Anyway, I need to confirm the situation. I will have them investigate the situation of the Lovent family immediately, and depending on the situation, I will immediately raise an army and attack Canale Castle. If there is chaos going on, I should be able to take Canale Castle even if the army is not gathered.) (Borotz)
Borotz thought so and immediately ordered his men to find out the situation of the Louvent family.
“Ars…” (Lithia)
Lithia muttered as she looked at Ars lying on the bed.
Weakened, Ars was looked pained.
His cheeks were emaciated, and his breathing was labored.
Two days ago, he was somewhat conscious, but for the past day, he has his eyes shut all day and does not respond when spoken to.
It might not be that long now.
That’s what the doctor told her.
Since returning to Canale, Lithia has been helping take care of Ars.
The maids at Canale Castle had told her, “We’ll take care of milord, so please rest, Lady Lithia.”
However, she really wanted to take care of Ars herself, so she did not listen to the maids’ advice and took care of him herself.
Because she had been nursing him while he slept, the fatigue was clearly visible on Lithia’s face.
Her eyelids were red and swollen from crying so many times.
She also had dark circles under her eyes due to lack of sleep.
Her hair was tangled and unkempt.
“Lady Lithia… I think it’s about time you got some rest. If you continue like this, it will harm your health.” (Mike)
The man who said this to Licia was “Mike Mainz,” the chief physician working at Canale Castle.
He was a middle-aged, slender man. He has a kind face with drooping eyes. As his face suggests, he is mild-mannered and rarely gets angry.
“There is no need for that… Ars is going through this, and I, his wife, can’t take a break…” (Lithia)
“However… if Lady Lithia is also incapacitated…” (Mike)
“I’m fine…” (Lithia)
Lithia said, clearly trying to act tough.
In reality, her body was close to its limit.
Still, she didn’t want to leave Ars’ side as he was suffering.
Mike looked at Lithia and couldn’t say anything more.
“I’ll take care of Ars, so Mike, please help Russell.” (Lithia)
“As you wish, milady.” (Mike)
Russell is still investigating the poison.
Mike left the room and made his way over to Russell.
Ars and Lithia were now left alone in the room.
Lithia holds Ars’ hand.
His skin lost his warmth, and he was very cold.
Ars’s hand, which was always warm, had changed a lot.
“Ars, you said you are leaving the Louvent family to me… but I don’t think I could live in a world without you, Ars. I definitely can’t do it.” (Lithia)
Tears were flowing from Lisia’s eyes.
The tears had flowed many times over the past few days, but they showed no signs of drying up.
“So please get better soon…” (Lithia)
Lithia desperately spoke her wish.
Ars, lying there, didn’t react at all and kept his eyes closed.
Claus and Ren were taking a walk through the castle with their pet Rio.
Rio had grown a lot since they first met. He was about the same height as Claus and Ren. He was about the size of a large dog.
“I wonder if Brother’s illness hasn’t been cured yet. I want to play with him soon!” (Claus)
Claus said with a slightly dissatisfied look on his face.
Ren, walking next to him, had a rather gloomy look on her face.
“Hey, Rio, you want to play with Brother too, right?” (Claus)
“Kon!!”
Rio cried out in response to Claus’s words.
“Claus, Brother…” (Ren)
Ren was at a loss for words.
Unlike Claus, who was of an appropriate mental age for his age, Len was a fast-growing and clever child.
She knew exactly what her brother was going through.
She understood that there was a possibility that she might never see him again.
“…If something were to happen to our brother, Claus would become the next head of the Louvent family.” (Ren)
“Ha-ha-ha… Wh-what do you mean? Don’t say such ominous things.” (Claus)
Claus, thinking Ren was joking, replied with a sarcastic-laugh.
“Don’t laugh! Listen seriously! If Brother dies, we won’t have time to grieve. As the head of the Louvent family, you have to lead the vassals. So, Claus, when that time comes, you just need to be prepared to act immediately. There will be many difficult things for you, and you will have troubles, but I will help you.” (Ren)
Ren had a mature look on her face.
The expression on her face was unlike that of a child under ten-years-old.
“That’s not going to happen! I don’t want to become the head of the family! I’ve decided to become the strongest warrior and grow the Louvent family together with Brother! There’s no way Brother will die!” (Claus)
Claus said angrily, raising his voice.
Ren looked Claus straight in the eye and retorted without flinching.
“Listen up, Claus! If Brother dies, we can no longer be children! As nobles, we must carry the legacy of the Louvent family on our shoulders!” (Ren)
“I don’t know such things!! There’s no way Brother would die!! Don’t ever talk about this again!!” (Claus)
“Claus!!” (Ren)
Enraged, Claus left the scene alone.
“Kuuun…” (Rio)
Rio didn’t look happy.
Rio seemed to understand that something terrible had happened.
“Claus, you idiot… I also don’t want to think about Brother dying…” (Ren)
Tears began to flow from Ren’s eyes.
“Kuuun.” (Rio)
Rio realized that she was sad, so he leaned in close and licked Ren’s tears.
“Rio is very kind…” (Ren)
Ren clung to Rio’s body, her shoulders shaking, and continued to cry in silence.
T/N: Support me by donating on Paypal and Ko-fi or becoming a Lazy Translations Supporter. You can also rate and review the series on Novel Updates. Don’t forget to add it to your reading list! Thank you.
Support the translator on lazytranslations.com