Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 73

Hendricks kept looking back anxiously.

About 30 meters behind him, Eddie and Marcel were talking, exuding an icy atmosphere.

Eddie had asked him to step aside for a moment, saying he had something to discuss with the young master.

He was dumbfounded, wondering where he was supposed to step aside in this vast central plain of the ruins, but the request was simple.

Just stay far enough away so that their voices couldn't be heard.

It was treating him, who had done nothing wrong, like an unwelcome guest, but the atmosphere between the two was too tense to refuse.

And decisively.

The sentence Eddie added while thanking him for complying with the request was scary.

"Keep an eye on us from a distance, and if it looks like we're in danger, let us know before it's too late."

Hendricks' spine chilled at those meaningful words.

But Eddie just gave him a sly smile.

Did he say that after noticing his 'identity'?

Did he entrust him with the perimeter watch knowing that he could understand the cries of magical beasts and sense their presence?

Hendricks bit his lip in anxiety.

He wanted to believe it wasn't true, but Eddie's reaction was too natural to be considered a mere guess.

Thinking of Eddie who had smiled even after seeing his ashen face, he could no longer deny it.

"Haah..."

Hendricks closed his eyes tightly and let out a pained sigh.

So he had been found out after all.

To hide his 'identity,' Hendricks hadn't readily stepped forward even when he saw Marcel captured by Burgis.

Of course, his heart ached because Burgis had died as a result, but he had done his best to hide his identity.

But it seemed it had all been for naught.

But on the other hand, he was curious.

'If he really noticed my identity, why didn't he use me to avoid the magical beast?'

Does he have no intention of revealing my identity?

Hendricks looked at Eddie with a glimmer of hope.

But because of the distance, all he could make out was the general change in his expression.

'Somehow... it's a very meaningful expressionless face.'

As he continued to watch, he felt a shiver, so Hendricks turned his head away.

.

.

.

"So, what do you have to say, Eddie? Are you planning to commit insubordination after getting rid of Hendricks too?"

Marcel asked with a seemingly twisted expression.

Eddie shook his head at the question full of resentment.

He still spoke in an indifferent tone.

"No, I never intended to commit insubordination in the first place. I just wanted to ask if the reason I'm thinking of is correct."

"What do you mean?"

"The reason you're not particularly wary of Hendricks, who was tailing you."

"..."

"And the reason you're just standing by without any particular reaction, even though you've noticed that I'm planning to leave the family soon."

"...!"

Marcel's eyes widened in an instant.

He said he never intended to commit insubordination in the first place.

But what Eddie had just said was insubordination itself.

Marcel forced his mouth shut, which was about to open further, and strengthened his gaze.

He tried to read Eddie's intentions in asking such a question.

But he couldn't see anything.

Finally, after a long silence, Marcel opened his mouth.

"You seem to be expecting some grand answer, but you'll be disappointed. There is no reason. I'm just not particularly concerned. Whatever the reason Hendricks was tailing me, or whatever you plan to do by betraying the family, I'm not particularly interested."

"Why is that? Your indifference could lead to carelessness and you could get into trouble. You don't know what Dickens or I are thinking..."

"Do you think the current Dickens, no matter how hard they try, could become a threat to Kirhausen?"

"..."

"The same goes for you. No matter how much you grow after betraying the family, you won't become a great figure in the magical world once you're out of Kirhausen's favor."

"..."

Arrogant words, as if it were natural for the world to be at his feet.

For once, Marcel spoke in a condescending tone to Eddie, befitting the next head of the Kirhausen family.

It was a tone that contained the history he had lived through.

"There were plenty of people before you who tried to get ahead with Kirhausen's backing. I grew up watching the end of such people. So, instead of being presumptuous, you should be thinking more about your own future."

"I see. But..."

Eddie's voice dropped low.

Kkattak-

Then, his head tilted slightly to the side.

As if to crush Marcel, who was trying to look down on him.

"In front of a tail who doesn't even know his place and is spouting an uninteresting ambition... why are you trembling?"

Eddie's gaze fell on Marcel's hands.

Two hands that were trembling slightly without him even realizing it.

"...!"

Only then did Marcel realize that he had been tense in front of Eddie all along.

'Why... why am I like this...?'

There was not a single lie in what he had answered Eddie.

Even if there had been a lie, he was good at hiding his true feelings.

So, this was due to the pure fear he felt from Eddie.

But Marcel couldn't accept that fear and denied it.

'No, get a grip. He's just another opportunist whose judgment has been clouded by enjoying the family's fame for a few months. There's no way I'd be afraid of someone like that.'

Marcel clenched his slightly trembling hands into fists.

Eddie's eyes turned bitter for a moment as he watched.

Marcel's answer to his question was exactly as he had expected.

He had expected it, but the wall called family that surrounded Marcel was much thicker than he had thought.

'Since he has only lived in the world shown to him by his family, things outside the family are just small commotions at his feet.'

The final check before swinging the hammer was over.

It was time for a large crack to form in the wall surrounding Marcel.

"Young master."

"..."

"If I say I'm leaving the family, the Kirhausen family will cast me out and block my path."

"Of course. No matter how talented a person is, if they are a traitor, they must be cut out and nipped in the bud. Surely you're not upset about that, being the one who breaks a promise and betrays?"

"How could I be? Even if I show my will to betray, Kirhausen won't cast me out."

"...What?"

It was time to correct the misread situation first.

"What... what do you mean?"

"Your mana, young master. When we sparred in Shainborough during the holiday, it was stable and strong, but it must have become weak again right after the spar."

"How did you... no, more importantly, why are you suddenly talking about mana?"

"Didn't you find it strange? Your nerves are still on edge and your energy is a mess, but your mana suddenly stabilized."

"Stop changing the subject and answer what you meant by what you just said!"

"I am not changing the subject at all right now."

"...!"

Suddenly.

A piece of the puzzle fell into place in Marcel's mind.

Eddie continued.

"Perhaps this will be the last time I have a conversation like this with you, young master. It was a conversation we didn't necessarily have to have, but... my heart weakens at a request that puts forth only sincerity without any frills."

The last part was a secret between Eddie and a certain knight captain.

So Marcel shook his head as if he didn't understand what he was talking about.

His face was contorted in confusion and shock.

He looked ready to shout for an explanation at any moment.

But Eddie turned his back, and at the same time, Hendricks' urgent voice was heard.

"Eddie! Young Master Marcel! Something is approaching!"

"I know."

Eddie answered calmly and lowered his posture.

Then, he placed his hand on the ground and gauged the approaching energy.

Eddie had also been feeling some energy, not mana, approaching for a while now.

It wasn't a magical beast.

If it were a magical beast, Hendricks would have noticed it much faster and warned them of the danger.

Sasasasak-

The sound of something moving grew louder and louder.

Marcel tensed up and aimed his wand forward.

But Eddie, who had identified the source of the energy, smiled faintly.

Seureureuk-

Eddie let a little bit of mana flow below the ground.

Then, a moment later, a blue energy that had revealed itself through the ground gathered in front of him.

The blue energy soon transformed into several summoned beasts.

Fury, Trakul, and Mambres.

They were all Brenda's summoned beasts that were fast on the ground.

"They are Professor Jin's summoned beasts. She sent them to find us."

Marcel and Hendricks, who had been stiff with tension, finally relaxed.

And a little later, the search party led by Brenda really did run towards the three of them.

***

When the news that the students had been found was relayed to each search party, over 100 people gathered in the center of the ruins.

Eddie smiled slightly as he looked at the bustling search party members.

He had expected it, but seeing it in person, it was a sight that was quite daunting even for a great archmage of his former years.

Not to mention the city hall mages, but a search party of 100 people including the city guard.

He could tell how surprised this small, rural city was by the disappearance of the next head of the Kirhausen family.

While Eddie was marveling at the number of search party members, Brenda checked on the condition of the three, including him.

"Is everyone uninjured?"

"Hendricks and I are fine. But Young Master Marcel hurt his leg."

"Really? Marcel, let me see your leg, sit here..."

"Ah... no, I'm fine, professor. I just sprained it a little, so I have no problem walking."

Marcel's face, who was hastily shaking his head, turned red with shame.

He couldn't bring himself to say, 'I was entangled in Burgis' stems and couldn't move until I was finally rescued.'

Fortunately, Eddie and Hendricks didn't bring up the story of Burgis, but that didn't lessen his shame.

"But... what happened to the magical beast that came with Mr. Summerson? Did you fight it or something?"

When Blake asked Eddie in an anxious voice, everyone's gaze turned to Eddie.

Marcel and Hendricks, who had been with Eddie the whole time, wondered what this was about.

A brief silence followed.

And soon, Eddie's face was colored with surprise.

He stuttered as if he were genuinely shocked.

It was finally showtime.

"Th-then that means... it wasn't a dream? That magical beast was real...?"

"A dream... you say, Mr. Summerson, what do you mean by that?"

Everyone, including Blake, focused on Eddie even more.

And Eddie, with a bewildered expression, continued to speak.

"Actually... I had a dream where I was walking as if possessed, following some kind of energy. It was a powerful and mysterious energy that I couldn't resist. And as I left the campsite and kept walking, there was a huge magical beast in front of me... and we walked to the ruins together, and at some point, I lost consciousness and collapsed."

"Why all of a sudden... did you run out of stamina or something?"

"No. Actually, I don't remember that part well. But it's clear that I consumed a huge amount of mana and collapsed. The last scene was the magical beast in front of me, raising its shining horn towards the sky."

"...And when you opened your eyes, you were lying in the middle of the ruins."

"Yes. I was wandering through the ruins like that when I found Hendricks and the young master. I thought I was sleepwalking or something... so it wasn't a dream?"

"..."

Everyone, including Blake, stared at Eddie in silence.

A little later, the sound of people swallowing nervously could be heard from here and there.

The faces of the people from Lacania City, including Blake and Samuel, stiffened in shock.

As people who made a living selling stories and traces of the Rakan tribe's magical beasts, they knew the beasts well.

So Eddie's words now came as an even greater shock.

If Eddie's words were true, the magical beast hadn't simply been drawn out by Eddie's mana.

The king had personally ordered it to come and take Eddie.

The sight of the magical beast raising its horn, as described by Eddie.

That was the howling of the Rakan tribe's magical beasts, a way they communicated directly with their king.

The magical beasts received the king's command through howling, along with the power to carry out the command, making them even more powerful.

But such a powerful magical beast had failed to take Eddie in the end.

It had lost the power struggle with Eddie and had fled without even having a chance to do anything to the unconscious him.

"What in the world is that child's identity..."

Samuel, who was looking at Eddie, muttered in a low voice.

As a person from Lacania, he saw a hero from a fairy tale in Eddie.

The plan was so successful that it even fascinated the cool-headed knight captain.