"So the child was just at the pond at that time..."

"Honey, she's a child with many emotional scars. It's not something to blame the child for. It's just my fault for being inadequate..."

The entire county estate had been turned upside down because of Nella, who had been found collapsed at the pond last night.

Nella was still unconscious, and Lucas, who had found her, had a hard time explaining why he was there at that time.

"More importantly... our Lucas too..."

"No. Our Lucas is a mature child..."

It was a little hard to believe that an eleven-year-old would go for a walk at three in the morning.

His parents had only given him a suspicious look at his absurd excuse that he had gone for a walk because the moon was nice and the weather was cool, but they had not scolded or reprimanded him much.

But Lucas knew. That the reason Nella had gone there was not something like sleepwalking.

'A spirit?'

Lucas, who had woken up from his sleep feeling a strange energy, had been surprised when he looked out the window.

Lucas, who was surprised at the sight of Nella walking into the forest in her pajamas as if possessed by something, had run out in a hurry, but it was already too late.

Nella was collapsed, and there was a faint energy of a spirit felt around her.

Because of that, Lucas could tell. That Nella's behavior was not the problem.

A spirit summoner after a mage. It was still unknown whether the Count and Countess's luck was turning, or the opposite.

The faces of the Count and Countess, who were guarding Nella's side, were filled with worry.

"Nanny, if the child wakes up, please let me know at any time."

"Yes, don't worry, my lady."

***

"Rookie! Is Nella okay?"

"I heard the news. What in the world happened last night!"

The children, who had heard the news early in the morning, were making a fuss asking about Nella's well-being.

"She's fine. She just went to the forest and fainted."

"No, why in the world did she go to the forest at that hour?"

"That's right. And why did you go to the forest?"

It was one mountain after another. After reassuring his parents, now the children had come and started pouring out all sorts of worries.

"Aren't you hungry?"

He was a savior. Lucas, who had passed the difficult situation thanks to Blaine, whom he had met on his way to the dining room for a meal, let out a small sigh.

"Ah, ma'am! Hello."

"Yes, our Pola is always so bright."

"Did you have a peaceful night?"

"Yes. Skir. Did you sleep well?"

Blaine, who had exchanged greetings with the children, gently stroked Lucas's hair.

"Now, let's go and eat quickly."

The children, who had arrived at the dining room, had long faces in front of the well-prepared food.

"This is what Nella likes... ma'am, is Nella very sick?"

Pola, who couldn't bring herself to eat the sausage in front of her and was just poking it, pouted her lips.

"Hoho, our Pola cares a lot about Nella. No, she'll be fine soon."

"Right... don't worry."

Although he said this, Skir, who was comforting Pola, was also just tossing his salad and couldn't eat at all.

"Eat your food. Nella won't just get up because you're not eating. And she'll really be fine."

It wasn't a lie. Nella's condition was not bad.

It was because she had fainted from the sudden influx of a spirit's energy into her body, not because she had a fatal illness.

Even at Lucas's words, the children couldn't eat, as if they were still worried.

"If you're so worried, go and see Nella after you eat."

"Is that okay?"

"Is that okay?"

The children's eyes, who were asking back at Lucas's words, were looking at Countess Blaine. They were asking for permission.

"Of course, it's okay. I'm sure Nella will be happy too."

The children's faces brightened at Blaine's permission.

"But, you have to eat your food deliciously."

The children nodded their heads vigorously at Blaine's words, which were mixed with a slight scolding.

"Yes! We'll eat deliciously and go!"

"I understand. I will eat deliciously!"

A gentle smile spread across the lips of Lucas and Blaine as they looked at them.

***

-Bang!

The white-haired old man who slammed the desk roughly. The face of Alberto Nimrode, the school principal and Mage Tower Master, was distorted with anger.

"To not be able to catch a single one of those bastards..."

-Bang! Bang!

As if that wasn't enough to vent his anger, he began to throw all the things on his desk.

"Aaaah!!"

Someone was putting a brake on Lakmer's progress.

The important members had not been hit yet, but they had already suffered a lot of damage from two attacks.

The children's case had been handled well by linking it with the immigrants, but because of the foolish mistake of summoning ghouls in the city, all the members who were continuing their research in the dungeon had been annihilated.

He had annihilated all the members without leaving a single trace of who had done it.

The members were also mages of considerable skill. But the fact that he had annihilated all those members without a sound and without leaving a single trace was a great threat.

"Who in the world... who in the world!!!"

Across the empire, and across the entire continent, there were few who had the same skills as him.

There were also boring mages who were stuck in the Mage Tower and only did research. But for those boring people to suddenly pop out into the world and take an interest in his members? That was also not plausible.

Then who in the world?

"Don't tell me..."

His mind, which had been filled with anger, calmed down.

"No, that's absurd. Absolutely. Such a thing... can't be..."

The corner of the old man's mouth, who had been throwing things and throwing a tantrum just a moment ago, was trembling slightly.

"Absolutely... absolutely..."

The old man, who kept repeating the same words, began to chant a spell and then teleported and disappeared.

***

"Don't worry too much."

"...But we're gradually reaching our limit, my lady."

"If I dispose of a few of my clothes and... a few horses..."

"Don't say such absurd things. If that happens, we'll have to pull the carriage with two horses..."

"Let's just reduce the size of the carriage while we're at it..."

-Thwack!

The corner of Count Cibie's eyes, who had roughly put down the teaspoon in his hand on the table, turned red.

"That's absolutely not an option! If we reduce the size of the carriage..."

"Honey... what's the use of a big carriage in our situation..."

"Then our son will have to go back to the academy in a small carriage! That's not acceptable."

He was right. No matter how declined the county was, a noble was a noble.

Anyone would laugh at the carriage of a county whose size and number of horses had been reduced.

They didn't care about themselves. They were strong enough to endure people's pointing fingers, ridicule, and anything else.

But their son was different. They didn't want him to be pointed at or ridiculed by anyone.

"Sob! Then what should we do?"

"Don't worry, my lady. I have a plan..."

As Blaine finally shed tears, the Count gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

'Ha, we're on the verge of ruin, aren't we?'

Lucas, who was passing by the Count's office, happened to hear all this conversation.

While he was away at the academy, the county's finances seemed to be getting worse and worse.

They had managed to get by somehow until now, but it seemed that there were many places where money had to be spent urgently because of the incidents that had occurred one after another around the territory.

In such a situation, with his two friends coming to visit, the food warehouse was also being depleted by the sumptuous feasts that were prepared every day.

'What should I do about this...'

He had reached a dead end. It was nothing to go and find Aman right now and get a few gems.

But what would he say to the Count and give him the gems?

'Father. Look at this. I got this by extorting a dragon!'

It was not something he could do, was it? And what excuse would he give to Aman?

To ask Aman, who already knew about the secret warehouse, to give him gems first because he couldn't open the warehouse? No, that was absolutely not an option.

"There's big trouble!!!"

He was walking down the corridor, thinking for a long time.

He turned his head at the voice that echoed through the mansion, and a knight standing in front of the main gate came into view.

"What is it!"

The Count burst open the door of his office, and Blaine followed him out.

"W-werewolves have appeared!!!"

"What!?"

Werewolves? What is this situation now...?!

"Speak slowly."

The Count, who had come down the stairs in one go, was showing a completely different action from the words he was uttering.

"Huk, huk..."

The knight, who was panting from running so fast, seemed to be taking the Count's words literally and was bending over in that spot for a long time.

"I told you to speak slowly!"

The Count, who seemed to find it difficult to take back his words, was urging the person in a strange tone.

"T-that is..."

The Count's expression gradually darkened as he looked at the knight who was continuing his words, catching his breath in between.

"...Any damage to the people of the territory?"

"Fortunately, there is none yet."

"I see. Have the knights... stand by."

The Count bit his lip several times as he said to have the knights stand by.

And for good reason, the knights who had come with him when he was driven out to Citata were already too old to be on active duty.

The Count also knew that fact well. But he couldn't face a werewolf alone.

And he couldn't subjugate a werewolf with just a few knights.

"Honey, what are you going to do?"

"First, we have to check if the people of the territory are okay. Don't worry. I won't do anything dangerous."

"Think of Lucas..."

"I know. So don't worry, my lady."

And so, the Count went out with a few knights to inspect the territory.

'Why did a werewolf suddenly appear? There must be a lair somewhere around here...'

There was definitely a dragon lair in Citata.

But he couldn't remember whose lair it was. There were always many monsters around a dragon lair.

But they never came down to the private houses. The monsters that lived around a dragon lair revered the dragon, who was like their king, and they would never do anything to get on their bad side.

If they ever got on their bad side, they had to consider not only a few individuals but also extinction.

But the fact that a werewolf, which had a fairly high intelligence among them, had come down to a private house meant that something was definitely wrong.

'I have to meet Aman.'

If Lucas's memory was correct, the owner of the lair in Citata had either been in hibernation for too long, or had been on an excursion for too long.

If it were his previous life, he would have just left the damage that had spread to the private houses to be dealt with on its own, but not now.

His home, and furthermore, his family, was in danger.

'Where is Aman... huh? A werewolf?'

Lucas's eyes flashed as he thought about Aman's whereabouts.

'This might be a way to earn some money.'

Lucas's steps quickened at the thought that he could bring some money to the Count and Countess who were struggling with poverty, without having to extort a dragon.

***

Aman's office located at the academy.

"Wow, what brings you all the way here?"

Lucas, who had teleported to Aman's office in one go, was not surprised to see the empty office.

Of course, he didn't think he would be here. But he had come here without a second thought, thinking that he would have cast an alarm magic.

As expected, Aman appeared less than a minute after he arrived.

"Ah, I have something you need to do."

"Ha! I'm very busy, you know?"

"The warehouse, the contract."

"Ah... come to think of it, that busy work was to help Lucas-nim. Now, feel free to order me around."

Aman, who held out his hand and joked, smiled broadly.

"When are you going to grow up?"

"Haha! Iron is heavy, isn't it!"

Lucas's face hardened at Aman's lame joke.

"Cut the crap. More importantly, isn't there a lair in Citata?"

"Yes. There is."

"Whose is it?"

"Why do you ask?"

Aman also put on a serious expression at Lucas's quite serious expression.

"Just answer me."

"It's mine?"

"..."

As Lucas's expression hardened, Aman rolled his eyes like a guilty person.

"Why are you asking..."

"Don't you manage your lair? What in the world are you doing, wandering around, that a werewolf is crawling into our territory?"

"Eh? A werewolf, you say? I'll deal with them right now..."

Lucas, who slightly restrained him who was about to roll up his sleeves and rush out, let out a deep sigh.

"Ha... that's that, and, deal with those werewolves... and skin their hearts and hides."

"...Am I some kind of butcher who catches werewolves?"

"If I tell you to skin them, just skin them!"

"Why are you telling me to skin them!!!"

"Because I need to sell them and make some money!!!"

"...Khuk! Khuk! Puhak! Puhahahaha!!!"

Aman burst into a fit of laughter at Lucas's shout.

"Don't laugh... my family is poor..."

"Khahahaha!! Hahaha!! Haha!"

Lucas's expression gradually hardened as he looked at Aman, who was even rolling on the floor, holding his stomach.

'That son of a b-tch of a lizard... someday... someday!!!'

(End of Chapter)