This Time, I Became the Fiance of a Duke’s Daughter. But She is Rumored to have Bad Personality, and Ten Years Older – Chapter 135

Five days have passed since the battle with Barnabas Kaif.

With the confirmation of Barnabas’s death, the perpetrator of the murder of a Court Mage Candidate and the assault on Court Mage Tres Brauer, the Mage Association officially announced to the public the conclusion of the series of disturbances.

Although it was not officially announced, many people knew about the existence of Court Mage Candidates and, consequently, about their deaths, which had spread considerable anxiety. Barnabas’s defeat brought a sense of relief to many citizens.

It was announced that Jared Murphy, the sole survivor among the Court Mage Candidates, had defeated Barnabas Kaif, the perpetrator of the series of incidents. With this achievement, he was to be appointed from Court Mage Candidate to Court Mage.

It appeared there were few who opposed this decision, not only among the citizens but also within the Mage Association and the Royal Palace. Given that he had defeated Barnabas, who had even slain a Minotaur, Jared’s abilities were judged to be equal to or greater than Barnabas.

Tres Brauer regained consciousness unharmed. However, upon learning that his father was the cause of these events, he reportedly severed ties with his family. He sent Jared a letter of apology, stating that he would act as his patron once Jared was formally appointed as a Court Mage. He also expressed a desire to meet and apologize once they had both recovered.

Tres himself had apparently never imagined that the mastermind behind his friend’s downfall would be his own father. One could only guess the extent of his shock.

Ultimately, Tres himself was nearly killed, his household members murdered, and he lost a friend. He must have had many thoughts about the situation.

Count Brauer had most of his assets confiscated. He was spared further punishment on the condition that he relinquish the headship of the family to his eldest son and live in seclusion in a corner of his territory, never to leave it again. Some voices argued that his punishment was too light, but as he had been disowned not only by Tres but also by the son who inherited the family headship, he was effectively facing a life of confinement.

According to Dennis, an official of the Mage Association, Count Brauer had indeed gone astray, but he had also been a significant benefactor to mages, which led to many calls for a reduced sentence. However, the Count himself seemed profoundly shocked by his sons’ estrangement and had become remarkably subdued, almost like a different person.

It was revealed through Jared’s testimony that Court Mage Adelina Bischof had been threatened by Count Brauer at the time, a fact that Count Brauer himself admitted. Consequently, she would not be held accountable for the events of that time. However, Adelina offered to resign as a Court Mage to take responsibility. The King himself personally told her to continue serving the country if she felt remorse, and she would therefore restart her career as a Court Mage.

She also sent Jared a letter of gratitude and apology and even visited him in person just yesterday. Although she had been injured by Barnabas, the Mage Association’s swift medical response meant she would resume her activities as a Court Mage after a short period of rest.

While her sense of guilt had not vanished, she expressed her desire to become a good mage without forgetting Barnabas, and it was likely she would achieve this.

Adelina also promised to become Jared’s patron, just as Tres had.

“Lady Adelina Bischof is a beautiful woman, isn’t she?”

Olivier murmured with a cold expression after meeting her. Jared pretended not to hear.

Perhaps, due to their similar age, Olivier felt something.

While Jared would be pleased if she were jealous, he also found it somewhat frightening.

However, he agreed that Olivier was beautiful. Having been cleared of all charges, she seemed to have shed a burden, losing the cold impression she had in the beginning and exuding a certain warmth. This was likely her true nature.

Many Mage Association officials involved in the fraudulent acts were arrested. Count Brauer had given the orders, and Adelina had acted as the liaison, but the crimes of those association staff who succumbed to greed and acted dishonestly, despite their positions, were serious.

Some employees, like Adelina, cited the inability to defy those in power as their reason. They received leniency, but those who had continued their fraudulent activities or had profited from Count Brauer’s influence faced confiscation of their private assets and imprisonment without mercy.

It was judged that the Mage Association, which was supposed to protect mages from individuals like Count Brauer, had failed in its duty and was gravely responsible for ruining their futures.

Dennis expressed his desire for the organization to unite and rebuild to prevent future fraudulent acts, a sentiment Jared sincerely hoped would come to pass.

However, the Mage Association was currently facing another issue – concerning Laurentz Herring.

Laurentz, like Adelina, had also received treatment and avoided serious harm. He had visited Jared recently, expressing regret that he could not exact his own revenge, yet he also seemed relieved that he had not resorted to violence.

Laurentz, having calmed down after attending Kevin Harrington’s funeral, had come to apologize for the trouble he had caused.

He also confessed his gratitude to Jared for defeating Barnabas in his stead and his guilt for forcing Jared to dirty his hands. Jared assured him not to worry about it, as the enemy that needed to be defeated had been defeated.

Despite this, Laurentz’s use of magic to injure Barnabas, who the Court Mage Candidates could not resist, was highly praised within the Mage Association.

Consequently, there was a growing momentum to consider him for the position of Court Mage Candidate. Laurentz himself seemed bewildered and felt the responsibility was too heavy, but it was said that further discussions would be necessary. The Mage Association would need to persuade not Laurentz, but his famously overprotective mother.

And Jared Murphy was still in bed.

Although he had largely recovered, his fiancée’s patience had reached its limit due to Jared constantly sustaining severe injuries whenever something happened since they met.

His magic, forcibly unsealed, had no lasting side effects, according to his master, Almeida. The Dragon Girl, Rio, had absorbed the magic that had been consuming his body, leaving him empty for now.

Taking advantage of this, he underwent a procedure to seal fifty percent of his magic, adjusting his magic power to suit his current state. After his magic recovered, he was scheduled to undergo further training with Almeida. The thought of past training sessions made him want to flee, but he knew that if an enemy like Barnabas appeared again, he might not be able to protect those he cared about. Thus, he had no choice but to endure any training, no matter how grueling.

He was grateful to Duke Alway and Conrad Alway, who had visited him. He had promised Conrad, in particular, that they would train together once he recovered.

While Almeida’s training was too extreme to subject Conrad to, teaching him would also be a learning experience for Jared.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“I’ve been in bed for five days now.”

Olivier, entering the room quietly as Jared lay in bed, spoke to him.

“You shouldn’t. Lady Almeida specifically told you to rest until your magic recovers. So, you need to take it easy until then.”

“I understand, but I’m not the type to sit still.”

“Frankly, I wish I could put a collar on you and lock you in your room. Every time something happens outside, you sustain a major injury, and I worry myself sick.”

“I can only offer my sincerest apologies.”

“However, the majority of the reasons you get injured are due to us, your family.”

“I’m family too, aren’t I?”

Riveting her gaze, which had been sadly cast down, Olivier’s eyes widened at Jared’s words.

“At least, I consider Lady Olivier, Lady Hannelore, and Trane to be my family. That’s why I want to protect you no matter what, and do anything I can for you. Well, this time I acted for my friend and for myself – oh, Lady Olivier?”

Jared caught Olivier as she suddenly embraced him.

She trembled slightly, holding him tightly.

“Thank you.”

“Um, what is the thanks for?”

“I’m happy that you consider us family.”

“It’s nothing. Besides, Yeny surely feels the same way.”

If he could, he wanted to hug Olivier’s slender body with all his might. However, if he did, he feared he would lose control.

Even now, he was aware of his heart pounding at her sweet scent.

He probably didn’t realize how much he was swayed by her occasional emotional and somewhat childlike moments as an elder. Seeing Olivier so unguarded even made him reminisce about her wary demeanor when they first met.

“Everyone is important family to me. So, please don’t push yourself too hard.”

Olivier already knew about his appointment as Court Mage. While it would be some time before he was officially summoned to the Royal Palace for the ceremony, his life would no longer be as free as it was now. Before becoming a Court Mage, he wanted to settle the matter of Cornelia Alway, who was still confined to her family estate.

“Will life become more dangerous once I become a Court Mage?”

“I don’t know. But as a national military asset, I suppose I’ll have to fight anyone, be it a monster or a human, if necessary.”

“…Please don’t become like Barnabas Kaif.”

“Of course, I won’t.”

Did she mean for him not to die, or to not become consumed by one thing, losing sight of everything around him and spiraling out of control? Perhaps both.

He embraced the trembling Olivier tightly, savoring her warmth.

Barnabas Kaif’s funeral was to be held today.

Although he was a serial killer, it was taken into consideration that he had initially been a victim. Therefore, neither the Mage Association nor the Royal Palace would say anything to the family that had let him be.

It would be a funeral attended only by family, but Dennis was reportedly attending on behalf of the Mage Association.

“Lady Olivier, he was consumed by revenge. I can understand his anger. But I cannot comprehend why he killed people who were unrelated to him.”

He felt pity for the young candidates who were unassociated with Barnabas’s fraudulent acts. While they may have engaged in fraudulent acts to become Court Mage Candidates, they had not committed a crime significant enough to warrant being killed.

“It’s probably just him lashing out. I, too, once wondered why we alone had to endure such hardships. My anger at the time was limited to playing pranks on the prospective fiancé my father brought home, but Barnabas Kaif’s anger must have been unimaginably greater.”

“Lashing out, you say?”

“Only those directly involved can truly understand this.”

“I see. I don’t think I will ever understand Barnabas.”

“And that’s fine. You are you. If possible, I wish you would forget about Barnabas Kaif. But I suspect you won’t.”

When he defeated Barnabas, Jared had selfishly declared that he would not forget. Therefore, he would keep his word.

He could never forget that there had been a pitiable magician who, having his life ruined, sought revenge and killed innocent people.

“If I, like Barnabas—”

Jared’s words were cut off by Olivier’s lips.

Olivier parted her lips softly, her cheeks flushed. He was probably as embarrassed as she was. His face burned.

“Jared, you’ll be alright. Even if you face unspeakable unfairness and anger wells up inside you, I will stop you.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Their fingers intertwined, and with smiles on their faces, they touched lips again without exchanging further words.

—With this person by my side, I’ll be alright.

Olivier felt an unfounded sense of security and wished they could remain together forever.

“Older Brother! Please dote on me too!”

It was Yeny, who burst into the room with a rush, shattering the sweet atmosphere between the embarrassed Jared and Olivier.

Yeny’s face was flushed with jealousy, but she was more adorable than frightening. Olivier smiled wryly and beckoned, and Yeny happily rushed to the bed.

“I wish we could all be together forever.”

Jared nodded at Olivier’s cheerful voice.