Chapter 28: 28

Winston Noel was one of the best knights and youngest knights of the Duke. He was loyal, talented, and young, so he often left the estate under secret missions he received from the Duke.

It was the same again this time. Since he returned from his mission after half a year, he had no idea that a young lady, who even Dante did not know existed, had appeared.

So it wasn’t really Winston’s fault, but somehow he felt like a sinner.

“······.”

Winston sat on his knees and received Dante and Den’s fierce bloody eyes. A cold sweat trickled down his back.

He was sure he was not guilty, but being in this position seemed to lead to a sin that was not even there before.

Knock, knock.

“Your Grace, this is Sullivan.”

“Come in.”

The strange silence of the three was broken by Sullivan’s arrival. Dante’s eyes barely fell, but Winston was greatly relieved.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

“Can I sit down, too?”

When the woman he met for the first time sat on the sofa, Winston, who was kneeling, slightly raised his hand, but what came back was the fierce look that had barely fallen.

He lowered his hand quietly.

“Yes, I’ll stay right here.”

“Is the Lady okay?”

Sullivan glanced at Winston as if he was pathetic and asked in a serious manner. Her feelings towards Winston were not very good because she remembered little Ivanna, who was tired and fell asleep after the seizure.

“There wasn’t just one trauma, severe enough, to cause seizures.” (Sullivan)

“There seems to be nothing as bad as the altar, but this time she calmed down faster than then.” (Dante)

“Your Grace has done the right thing.“ (Sullivan)

It doesn’t matter that she recognized that the altar deserved to be broken because it should be broken anyway.

But the armor was different from the altar. The same method as the altar could not be used. When she first heard the news, she was really worried about how to solve this trauma.

But she couldn’t believe he explained it to her step by step as if it was a natural thing to be used by both Louise and himself.

It was a more appropriate solution than the impact of destroying the altar to solve the trauma of the armor, that she would definitely encounter on more occasions than the altar in the future.

Destroying things was never a good solution to break down a trauma unconditionally.

“I’m glad she’s asleep, so I don’t think her condition will get any worse.”

“Well, excuse me.”

Then Winston slipped back again, three people’s eyes were on him.

“What the hell happened? The Lady······. Did my Lord have a new child while I wasn’t here?”

Everyone understood that he had questions, but the words were somehow strange.

Sullivan glanced at Dante’s stomach when he started to look as if has a stomachache, then turned her gaze when Dante’s face distorted harshly.

“Ivanna Lancelot. She’s Louise’s and my daughter.“

The words hardened Winston’s face.

“Lady Hugor’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Now that I see it, they look alike······.”

It was a little rough but, white hair and clear purple eyes. She certainly looked the same as Louise.

“Oh, God. Lady Hugor had a daughter······. Then where is the Lady now? Is she back with her daughter?”

Dante chose silence. Sullivan only looked at Den, and it was Den who finally opened his mouth.

“Two years ago, there was a sharp decline in the number of monsters. That’s exactly what Lady Hugor did. At the cost of her life.”

Winston couldn’t keep talking.

It’s amazing that a daughter who everyone didn’t even know existed appeared, but Louise was now dead. 

What the hell is going on as soon as he gets back to the Duchy?

“In the end······.”

“The daughter of Lady Hugor, Lady Ivanna, is also a guardian of the Great Holy Spirit just like her.”

Winston opened his eyes wide. How far are you going to startle me? 

White platinum hair and purple eyes. He thought it was amazing that she inherited that rare color, but she even inherited the power of the Holy Spirit?

“But the power of the Holy Spirit is not hereditary······.”

“We don’t know why either. Maybe it’s because Lady Hugor was really strong······. But that’s not what matters now. After her death, the young lady was held captive in many countries, which extracted her powers.”

“So, when the Lady first saw me······.”

“She saw your armor and mistook it for the ones who abused her.”

Winston looked down at his armor.

Ah, iron clothes.

That’s what she meant.

“······I’m sorry.”

He thought he was innocent, but now that he heard the facts, he knows he’s not. Even if it wasn’t intentional, it was a very serious sin.

“I’ve told Cain beforehand, but when you’re going to the main building in the future, just wear light armor.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And one more thing. What did she say when she had a seizure?”

Winston raised his head. When she was having a seizure······.

Honestly, it was very shocking to see a thin and small child trembling all over her body and falling back. Because of that, he remembered everything clearly.

“I’ve planted invisible escorts around the child, but you’re the only one who’s heard it right up close. What exactly did she say?”

Oh, they should be the presence that he felt.

As he was heading to the mansion, he felt many signs of a hidden presence, so he stopped walking in wonder. Because he was distracted by it, he didn’t know that the child was approaching, so she ended up bumping into him, which led to this disaster.

That was all her escorts.

“I remember everything she said, but I honestly don’t understand what she means.”

“Tell me.”

“Everyone tries to kill me. Everyone watched me as I died. Hurry up and kill me. Take everything you can from me. Just end my suffering, take all the sacrifice’s worth.”

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“Did my mom die like this too?”

Dante’s eyes trembled greatly. Den and Sullivan’s faces also got darker. Ivanna had said something unknown during her first seizure.

Take all my power, just like when you showed me the gray world. Then everything of this will end. Just kill me like that.

I’m dying again.

No matter how much they thought about it, it wasn’t something that a five-year-old child who hadn’t learned anything properly would say. Even if she has suffered for two years, it’s impossible to say something like that.

So they became more and more suspicious.

What kind of scene does Ivanna see when the trauma comes to her mind?

Maybe the future.

“What do you think?”

Dante glanced at Sullivan. Her face was very serious because she was thinking the same thing.

“I’m sure there’s something different about the princess, but what bothers me is that she keeps talking about death.”

Death.

A 5-year-old keeps repeating the same word. The weight could never have been light.

“Perhaps she’s seeing things related to her past experiences?“

“Death after trauma.”

Dante swept his face down with his hands. There was a feeling of misery beneath it.

What on earth did they do until my five-year-old child pleaded for her own death?

“Could it be?”

“It’s hard to say for sure, but her trauma is close to death. The person concerned feels near-death fear, so seeing death is not impossible.”

“Is what the Lady saw really the future?”

Den’s slightly trembling voice was full of worries. That means that Ivanna’s death was so terrible and painful.

“The child said that the gray world was covered with monsters, ashes, and burned in the fire. And like when they showed her the gray world, they took all her powers away until she dies······. Using all the value of the sacrifice.”

Putting it all together, there was only one conclusion.

Ivanna will be sacrificed to death when the monsters overflow again.

It was her death.

Just as Louise sacrificed herself to reduce the number of monsters and died in the process.

“That’s absolutely not going to happen.”

They’re sacrifices to reduce the number of monsters?

It was ridiculous. The power of the Great Holy Spirit does not exist only to kill monsters. And the guardian of the Holy Spirit was not an existence assigned to save people by dying and killing the monsters in the process.

The guardian of the Great Spirit was also an ordinary person who could live only for themselves.

No one could force them to be sacrificed.

The world will be destroyed by monsters?

Then tell them to perish. Even if they die together, Dante will never sacrifice Ivanna. 

He had no intention of letting his daughter follow after his beloved lover.

“As expected, it would be better to take the best possible measures for Ivanna to be able to protect herself. Just like Louise did.”

“Are you really going to announce the existence of the Lady?”

Dante glanced at Sullivan. Beyond the eyeglasses, the doctor’s eyes were flashing strongly.

“I, of course, oppose offering the Guardian of the Holy Spirit as sacrifices, but many more do not. Even more so, for those who have lost their families to monsters.”

“So? Are you telling me to not announce her existence, and just lock her up?”

“A mansion of this size can’t even be called confinement, right? The garden is spacious.”

“Did you change your mind last time against keeping her in custody?”

“I’m telling you to be prepared for what’s to come.”

Dante shut his mouth. Sullivan took off her glasses.

“The Emperor, a close friend of Lady Hugor, will of course not sacrifice the princess. However, the nobility and the people are different. They will cry out for her sacrifice and demand her life.”

“······.”

“If you want to protect the Lady, you’ll have to do something about it in advance.”

Dante nodded heavily.

It wasn’t even a headache. He could do anything for his daughter, he was even willing to die together. However, he hopes that Ivanna doesn’t give up on herself when she sees the blood-soaked lands.

As Louise said, the guardian of the Holy Spirit was not just for the people.

“…I can see why Louise died.”

Dante sighed. He understood why she left and he could guess the reason, but death was not the answer.

Dante couldn’t understand why Louise died alone with her daughter.

But now he knew.

She chose to burn herself rather than make Ivanna a sacrifice due to the increase in the number of monsters. If she could kill the monsters as much as she could, the stampede will be delayed.

Louise eventually died for her daughter.

“Your Grace?”

Den called Dante who was muttering unknown words. He didn’t tell them what he realized.

It was good that he was to recognize this fact. As far as it was known, there was nothing good about being the Guardian of the Holy Spirit. Louise wouldn’t want it for Ivanna either.

All she needs to know is that she is the fruit of the love between them both. He will be fine to swallow this pain alone.

He was also a father who could do everything for her.

“Winston.”

“Yes.”

“Today’s conversation never happened.”

“Yes.”

“And I ask you to take on a new mission, come back right after the mission report, and escort Ivanna, in a manner that she doesn’t see you.”

“I obey your orders.”

Winston gladly bowed down to accept the mission.

Since the mission was over, he had to take a week’s reward vacation, but the reason for his early return was fully understandable.

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