Jared Murphy had finished most of his conversation with Hugo Rüdiger, the head of the Duke Rüdiger’s Family.
He was surprised and offered a wry smile at Hugo’s excessive affection for his daughter, Lily Rüdiger, though he also felt a touch of envy.
Jared had a strained relationship with his father. He understood it was unavoidable, given the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death and his own birth. It was good to finally hear his father’s true feelings and learn that he hadn’t been unloved.
However, this did not mean their father-son relationship was repaired.
Their relationship had been so distant to begin with that even a reconciliation felt more like a formality. If asked whether their bond had improved since then, Jared would have to shrug.
Unlike before, he now knew that his father loved him. He also knew that his father loved his mother. They occasionally exchanged letters now, but that was about it.
This was no longer a matter of forgiveness.
Given that their father-son relationship had been broken from the start, knowing his father’s true feelings or reconciling would only lead to building a new relationship.
However, building a new relationship was quite difficult. Hugo had more than just Jared—he had a stepmother and a stepbrother. Jared strongly felt that they should be prioritized over him. He had communicated this clearly, and his father had agreed. This meant that his relationship with Jared would take a backseat.
Perhaps that was why Jared envied Lily, whose father showered her with affection.
For Lily’s sake, he had to act with sincerity towards her. Regarding the matter of the consort, Jared was completely at a loss.
He hadn’t even known that such a discussion had taken place. First, he needed to speak with Olivier. He couldn’t predict the outcome, but he wanted a clear resolution.
“–Hm?”
At that moment, he heard the faint sound of a room window opening and stood up. Unarmed, he grabbed the fountain pen from his desk, holding it defensively.
“Jared, no need to be on guard. It’s me.”
“…Pfeil?”
Emerging from a gap in the curtains was Pfeil, one of the successors of the continent’s foremost Assassination Organization, Waalthe. He was not only a master archer but also a formidable warrior capable of unleashing an inexhaustible barrage of magic arrows.
He had once targeted Hannelore and was defeated by Jared. Since then, he had helped Jared on several occasions, and now they lived together in the same mansion.
It was strange how someone he’d met as an enemy now felt like a friend.
“Why are you in Duke Rüdiger’s territory— No, wait! What happened to Ernesta?”
As Jared tried to ask Pfeil why he was there, he noticed a familiar figure cradled in Pfeil’s arm and panicked.
It was Ernesta Kaif, the secretary officer. She was the younger sister of Barnabas Kaif, who had previously killed a Court Mage Candidate and nearly killed the current Court Mage, Tres Brauer.
Ernesta was a capable individual who not only rivaled Court Mages but had also single-handedly defeated Minotaur, the lord of a labyrinth that even they would find extremely difficult. Jared was the one who had killed her brother.
It was surprising that Ernesta, Barnabas’s sister, would want the secretary officer of the man who killed her brother, but she had apparently faced difficulties in the Royal Mage Corps due to her criminal brother.
Jared had decided to make her his secretary officer because of her excellence and his desire to understand her thoughts and feelings.
Therefore, he was shocked to see her so weakly cradled by Pfeil.
“Pfeil, what happened?”
“Who knows. I found her while I was checking for any remaining ghouls. I realized she was Jared’s secretary officer, so I brought her with me.”
From Hugo’s knowing Pfeil’s name, Jared realized they were already acquainted.
“There are no external injuries, but I can sense residual magic. Her life is not in danger, but she should be seen by a doctor.”
“Thank you for finding her. Um, Duke.”
“I understand. I’ll call a doctor now.”
As Jared took Ernesta and prepared to ask Hugo to arrange for a doctor, Hugo nodded and left the room even faster.
Jared, grateful to the Duke for acting so swiftly for Ernesta’s sake, followed him.
Although he had many questions about Pfeil, his immediate concern was for Ernesta.
“Lily! Hey, Lily!”
He called out loudly for his daughter as he walked down the corridor.
“Father, did something happen— Ernesta!?”
“Bring a doctor. Ernesta collapsed outside. Hurry!”
After nodding to her father, Lily ran off to fetch a doctor.
“Ernesta’s room is this way.”
“Yes.”
Following Hugo, Jared carried Ernesta to her room and gently laid her on the bed.
He checked her breathing and magic flow, but they seemed undisturbed. He noticed faint traces of tears but couldn’t ask her while she was unconscious.
“Father! I brought him!”
Lily quickly returned with the doctor who was stationed at the mansion. The doctor, a man in his late fifties, began examining Ernesta on the bed.
Jared and the others could do nothing but watch vigilantly.
“Hmm… as far as I can tell, there are no problems.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I did feel residual magic, but there are no external injuries. She has likely tried to use magic. There are no signs of a struggle, nor even bruises. I can’t tell why she fainted without speaking to her, but she will be fine.”
Relief washed over Jared and the others at the doctor’s words.
While they were sincerely happy that everything was all right, the question of why Ernesta had collapsed remained unsettling.
However, for now, they decided to rejoice in her safety and question her once she woke up.
Leaving Ernesta in Lily’s care, who offered to stay with her, Jared and the others left the room.
