[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 58

    “What in the world is going on here?”

    Standing before the painting of Starn, Alves’s expression was frozen, rigid with shock.

    He had only intended to calm his restless thoughts by looking at the artwork, but suddenly, a group of people burst out from within the painting, leaving him utterly bewildered.

    “A... Father...”

    “...Father?”

    One of the individuals—who was visibly shaken—called him “Father,” which only added to Alves’s confusion.

    The speaker was a black-haired young man covered in red tattoos.

    Alves could say with certainty: he had no such son.

    “I-I’m Royen!”

    “What nonsense is this? Royen is just a child.”

    “Ah... well, that’s... uh... it’s complicated...”

    Royen stammered in response to Alves’s perfectly reasonable question, struggling to explain.

    Even Royen himself wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. After losing consciousness, he awoke to find his appearance completely transformed. What more could he say?

    As he faltered, Kaylen emerged smoothly from the painting.

    “Father, you’re here,” Kaylen said, walking forward with his usual composed demeanor.

    “Kaylen. What on earth is happening? This young man claims to be Royen...”

    “It’s true. He is Royen.”

    “What...?”

    “And this corpse here is Ruhos. The woman over there, barely clinging to life, is the Baroness.”

    “What?!”

    Alves’s eyes widened in shock as he quickly looked down at the figures Kaylen had indicated.

    The limp, blackened corpse lying there—it truly was Ruhos. Initially, he had doubted it, but a closer look confirmed the truth.

    “What... what in the world has happened here?”

    Kaylen proceeded to give Alves a brief summary of the events that had occurred inside the painting.

    The subspace within the painting, the demonic relics, and the story involving Drake—all of it left Alves speechless.

    “Ruhos... was after that painting this entire time? Not the Baron’s estate?”

    “His greed got the better of him,” Kaylen replied calmly.

    “Still... for Ruhos to die...! This is a catastrophe. The Count’s household won’t leave us alone when they find out...”

    Though Ruhos had served as Baldur’s steward, he was also a member of the family by blood.

    The fact that he had died in Starn, a vassal household, would undoubtedly lead to the Count’s estate demanding accountability.

    Alves’s face darkened with worry.

    “There’s no need to concern yourself. I’ll handle it,” Kaylen said.

    “How do you intend to handle this?”

    “I have my ways. However...”

    “However?”

    “Give me that painting.”

    “The painting?” Alves asked, his expression puzzled.

    The painting had always been a treasured heirloom of their household. However, with its true nature revealed as a demonic relic—and after all the havoc it had caused—it now seemed more like a cursed object.

    And yet, Kaylen wanted it.

    “Yes. I need it for something,” Kaylen replied.

    "...Understood."

    When Alves gave his consent, Kaylen placed his hand on the painting.

    Whoosh—

    The painting glowed with a golden light and, in an instant, shrank to the size of a palm.

    "How...?"

    Alves gaped in astonishment, his mouth agape. Kaylen offered no explanation, instead pointing a finger toward the baroness.

    "Royen."

    "Y-Yes?"

    "Do you want to save your mother?"

    "Yes! Please, save her. I beg you!"

    Kaylen looked at Royen carefully. The boy’s body had been drastically altered within the demon artifact, maturing at an unnatural pace. While he had unexpectedly awakened a talent for fire magic, his condition was precarious, and it was unclear when his body might deteriorate.

    "I’ll need to keep an eye on him."

    Under normal circumstances, Kaylen wouldn’t have cared about the safety of his half-brother. But things were different now. A capable descendant of the Meier lineage was worth preserving.

    Kaylen held up three fingers.

    "Three years. Assist me for three years."

    “Be mindful,” Kaylen replied coldly.

    “And... Ruhos ending up like this has nothing to do with us,” Zaik continued hastily. “Think about it—if we were behind Ruhos, why would we bring servants along? There would’ve been no need to prepare for Lioness’s arrival either.”

    Zaik desperately tried to explain, while Kaylen, arms crossed, listened at his leisure. The difference in who held the upper hand was stark.

    From a distance, Baron Alves watched the exchange with a dazed expression.

    ‘So that’s what authority looks like...’

    Alves couldn’t help but reflect on how he’d treated Ruhos. He worried—what if the Count’s household blamed them? What if they demanded accountability for Ruhos’s death?

    But those fears that had plagued him since yesterday vanished entirely, thanks to Kaylen.

    ‘Kaylen is living in an entirely different world now.’

    Kaylen had once been indifferent to the Starn family, paying it no mind. His behavior now was so different that Alves had wondered if it was all an act.

    But now he understood.

    Kaylen and the Starns—they were no longer comparable.

    “...Hearing your explanation, I understand,” Kaylen finally said, breaking the silence.

    “G-good. Thank you.”

    “Then, we will wait for the baroness to awaken and see if she knows anything. Meanwhile, I’d like you to investigate Ruhos’s corpse.”

    “Understood. First, we’ll need to move it out of here...”

    “Fly,” Kaylen commanded, stretching his hand out.

    Ruhos’s body floated into the air, suspended as if weightless.

    “I’ll place it outside for now. Let’s go.”

    “...Alright.”

    Kaylen led the way as Ruhos’s lifeless form hovered behind him, leaving the hall. One by one, the servants of the Baldur Count’s household followed suit, shuffling out.

    After all, a hall tainted with dark mana was no place to prepare for a reception.

    Once the room cleared, a small head peeked out from the stairs leading to the upper floor.

    “...Are they all gone?” Royen whispered to himself.

    He stepped out cautiously, his eyes wide with awe.

    “Amazing... To see Lord Zaik flustered like that...”

    Having been raised under the Baldur Count’s tutelage, Royen knew exactly where Zaik stood in the family hierarchy.

    Zaik was the only Meister among the Count’s direct descendants and the most beloved by the Count himself. In the Baldur household, no one dared oppose him.

    And yet, Kaylen had made such a figure bow his head.

    At that moment, a tiny, dragonfly-sized creature flitted out of Royen’s cloak.

    Flap, flap.

    “Ugh. That was suffocating,” a small voice muttered.

    “Ah! You can’t come out—Dragon!” Royen gasped, panicking.

    -"No one''s here. It''s fine."

    "Still!" Royen called out to the creature he referred to as Dragon.

    Despite its minuscule size, it resembled a Drake perfectly.

    -"You... you stink. It''s so suffocating."

    "Well, I couldn''t bathe! I’ve been hiding, you know!"

    -"Ugh, this body is suffocating."

    The small Drake glared at its own body in dissatisfaction.

    Kaylen had used the Infinity''s size-modifying ability to shrink it down even further.

    "Dragon! Please, hurry up and come inside! What if someone sees you?"

    -"My senses are sharp. No one can deceive me. There''s no one around right now."

    Flap, flap.

    The tiny Drake puffed out its chest proudly, and though it was cute in its miniature form, Royen only felt anxious.

    "Come on! Please, hurry!" He fretted. "What if someone catches us?"

    -"It’s fine. It’s fine..."

    Suddenly, the Drake stopped midair.

    -"Huh? Huh?"

    Royen looked closer, surprised to see small threads binding the creature.

    -"Ah! What is this? Let go!"

    "...What is this?"

    Thud. Thud.

    At the end of the hallway, a large, furry ball bounced toward them, rolling like a ball. From within the fur, two glowing eyes gleamed ominously.

    Royen instinctively dropped to the ground in fright.

    "Hi—hiiiiiik!"

    "...Is that... is that a Drake?"

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]