Chapter 234: |
Chapter 234
“Catch the others!”
Only then did he realize that it was impossible to open Elmud’s mouth, so he gave the order, but it was too late.
“It’s urgent!”
“……?”
“His Excellency the Duke Raven has awakened!”
“What, what?”
Alfred’s face turned white.
‘Nonsense, how?’
‘But what can I do?’
“Don’t talk nonsense……!”
He was about to shout, but when he was conscious of his surroundings, he quickly changed his words.
“…… Could that be the case? But he was po. Something ……. wrong.”
But the messenger continued:
“This is from someone who has seen the Duke in person! Your Excellency the Duke has ordered the urgent arrest of Prince Alfred, the real culprit in this case!”
“……!”
The surroundings were abuzz.
How is this going to work?
People soon realized the truth.
The culprit is Alfred.
Alfred stepped back at the crowd’s chilly gaze.
“Oh, no. That’s a lie! The culprit who poisoned my father was Christine…!”
Then.
“…… Shut up.”
Dried and twisted.
But a heavy voice fell.
It was the Duke of Raven on a stretcher!
Raymond, Christine, and the Royal Knights who had been lured were with the Duke.
The Duke Raven looked struggling, barely regaining consciousness.
But the look in his eyes was bright.
“Catch that loser right now.”
At Duke Raven’s command, Alfred sat down.
It was over.
That was the end of the story.
* * *
“No, Father! It’s a misunderstanding!”
Alfred begged, but it didn’t work.
“Put him in prison.”
“Yes, sir!”
Alfred’s future was doomed.
To be executed or imprisoned forever. There is only one or the other left.
Finally, in despair, Alfred cried out in disgrace.
“It’s all because of you! You’re going to make her your successor! It’s supposed to be me!”
“…… I’ve never given up on you.”
“What?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to change until the end. Huh.”
Alfred’s eyes fluttered.
It was then that he realized his father’s true intentions.
But it was too late.
“Drag him away.”
“Now, wait……! Oh, Father……! Forgive me! The wicked Kairn had me lured in! Please! Just give me one more chance!”
Looking at his son being dragged away, the Duke Raven had a bitter face.
He loved Alfred most of his life.
He had waited countless times for him, even if he was rotten, but this is the result.
On the other hand, his daughter, who he was least affectionate with, saved him.
To think that he had been ignoring her too.
With a deep sigh, the Duke turned to Raymond.
“I didn’t even say hello to my benefactor properly. Thank you. I don’t know how to repay this favor.”
Raymond came to his senses.
It was an unexpected reward time.
“Actually, this time I didn’t come to ask for a reward, but to help my apprentice.”
Still, he wasn’t going to turn down the rewards that were offered.
‘The Duke Raven is the greatest nobleman in the kingdom. The undisputed Duke.’
He was one of the most prominent who supported the Kingdom of Houston.
As such, there will be plenty to receive.
‘I’m in trouble for thinking that he is Christine’s father. I make a strict distinction between public and private.’
A disciple is a disciple, and a cash cow is a cash cow.
Moreover, it seems that he was not very good to Christine. So Raymond had no qualms.
‘The question is, how should I rip off the rewards?’
The Duke Raven was no easy man.
A clumsy approach could have ended with a few pennies.
‘I can’t do that! It’s a chance to rip off the best duke in the kingdom! I have to suck the spine as much as I can! But in what way?’
As Raymond pondered, Christine’s face came into view.
A hardened face unlike her usual confident appearance.
Come to think of it, he doesn’t think she had ever seen her happy talking about her family.
‘I can’t believe that such a good disciple has such a bad family situation.’
Raymond clicked his tongue.
It was pathetic.
‘It’s too bad for her. And yet… she still calls him her father.’
Then a method came to mind.
It was a way to stand up for Christine and make a huge profit!
‘It’ll be easy to rip off the Duke if Christine will be his successor. My disciple will simply generously give me the reward I want!’
In other words, the Duke should sincerely repent of the wrongs he has done to Christine.
Then, naturally, he will benefit.
A message came to him as if to cheer him on.
[I confirm that the other party is the ‘true opponent’’!]
[The opponent’s true power is ‘medium’, and the truth pattern is ‘ugly parent’!]
[‘Truth Special Move: ‘Touching the Conscience’ is revealed!]
Raymond gathered his thoughts and spoke.
“You don’t have to say that. I wasn’t the one who saved the Duke.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was Princess Christine who saved the Duke’s life. Therefore, I think it is only right to express your gratitude to the princess.”
“……!”
The Duke Raven widened his eyes.
Christine shook her head in embarrassment.
“No, Master. That’s …”
“Isn’t that right?”
Raymond spoke in an unusually strong tone.
“I just helped within the last moments. But the princess was the one who helped you escape when you were poisoned. She risked her life hiding you here. She was also by His Excellency’s side, nursing you until we came in. Isn’t that right, princess?” Raymond deliberately mentioned what she had done.
The hall fell silent.
The Duke Raven listened to Raymond with a heavy face.
“To be honest, the princess could have abandoned the Duke at any time to survive. But she didn’t. And that is because…”
Raymond looked at the Duke straight in the eye.
“Because your Excellency is her father.”
“……!”
The Duke Raven’s eyes fluttered.
This is what Raymond meant.
Shame on you as a father.
At this moment, the person you should be most grateful for and sorry for is Christine.
There was a heavy silence in the hall.
Raymond was nervous.
‘Will the Duke be remorseful?’
People don’t change easily.
‘If he gets offended by what I’m saying, I’m just going to blow my chance.’
But Raymond shook his head.
Even if that were the case, he had said something for Christine, so he didn’t think it was a losing business.
‘I hope it works out. Not for me, but for her.’
‘How long has it been like that?’
The duke sighed.
“Right.”
“……!”
Raymond’s eyes widened!
He took his word for it!
It had to be.
The Duke Raven was aware of Christine’s efforts.
‘…… What kind of life have I been living?’
The Duke Raven lamented.
Regret swept over him.
What a foolish past.
‘If it hadn’t been for the Marquis’ words, I might not have realized it.’
The Duke Raven looked at Raymond.
‘…… Christine, you were right. He’s really the light.’
Only for others,
Brilliant light.
He ignored it, but he understood.
He knew that what he heard about Raymond wasn’t wrong.
He was really a light.
“I’m going to leave. I’ll let the two of you share the rest of the story.”
Raymond bowed his head.
That’s where his role ends.
The knots between the two were a matter that the parties had to solve themselves.
Raymond bowed his head and withdrew.
Christine looked at the back of Raymond with red eyes.
Gratitude and emotion sparkled in her eyes that she could not express in words.
* * *
Raymond looked down at the duchy from the top of the Duke’s mansion.
He saw a lively street bustling with a large number of people.
‘Ugh. After all, it’s the most prosperous estate in the kingdom. The amount of tax earned must be enormous, right? When will the Rafald estate flourish so much?’
They’re the same lords, but they’re not comparable!
Compared to the Duke Raven, he was just a pauper.
‘…… No, I don’t even need to compare, do I? I’m just a poor man.’
Raymond swallowed back tears as he remembered the pile of debt on his shoulders.
Someday!
I will develop the Rafald estate far beyond this and become the richest duke ever!
That’s what Raymond was telling himself when a familiar voice sounded.
“Master.”
It was Christine!
“Oh, disciple.”
Raymond’s eyes widened slightly.
‘You’ve worked it out.’
Reddened eyes and a faint smile.
Even if he didn’t hear the conversation, he could guess what was said.
He was worried, but it seems to have worked out well.
Christine stood beside Raymond and they looked down together.
There was a moment of silence and then Christine spoke.
“My dad apologized. And… he thanked me. It’s his first time. That’s what my dad told me.”
Christine fell silent again, then spoke in a faintly trembling tone.
“Thank you for your work today. Really.”
Raymond scratched his head.
‘Was it because of my greed? It would be beneficial for me if he had a strong position in the political field.”
Christine is well done, and now the benefits for him will be enormous!
“Actually, I did it out of greed.”
“What?”
“If you do well, it’s good for me. That’s why I did it, so please help me a lot in the future.”
He meant it, but Christine misunderstood again.
‘You’re talking like that because you’re afraid I’m going to feel like I’m a burden. In any case, you don’t have any greed.’
Christine shook her head.
“Don’t lie. I know you did it for me. It’s okay to be honest.”
Christine continued.
“Today is the day…… I’ll never forget it.”
It’s like an oath.
Raymond was silent.
‘Well, it’s real.’
He didn’t think she would not believe it.
Instead, he talked about other things he wanted.
“You don’t have to think about it. You just have to work hard to treat your patients. That’s what I want to do the most.”
‘If you are grateful, please work hard for me in the future!’
Christine shook her head as if she couldn’t stop him.
‘After all, he is a fool for his patients. Even in this situation, he can’t help but talk about his patients. All he can think about is the patients.’
Christine sighed secretly.
It was a sigh of regret that she herself couldn’t figure out.
Then Christine had an unexpected idea.
‘My father was being ridiculous. The Master is a great man who only thinks about his patients.’
Earlier, the Duke Raven made an unexpected request of Christine.
He wants her to make Raymond a duke’s man!
It was a brief meeting, but the Duke Raven recognized Raymond at once and hoped that the two would marry.
But Christine shook her head emphatically, saying it was ridiculous.
Raymond only looks at his patients. His heart will be filled with a sublime light for others, and there will be no room for such personal feelings.
‘It can’t be helped. Because this is the master.’
Therefore, the only way for him is to be a good healer and serve his patients.
The two of them stared at the sky in the distance together in silence for a moment.
Presently Raymond spoke.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes.”
Christine nodded.
There was important work to be done.
Christine said in an eerie voice.
“Kairn, let’s hang that demon on the gallows.”