Chapter 112 – …So trash?
Chapter 110
Seeing his daughter, Elfriede, frowning and asking questions, Duke Bathory frowned as well.
“What kind of rude attitude is this in front of your father, Elfriede.”
“What is a father doing with a sick child like that!”
Duke Bathory had no choice but to stop at Elfriede’s remarks. Elfriede strode over, and she snatched her stationery from between them.
“Elfriede, go there!”
“‘Your Excellency, how are you? We are going to visit the duke’s house once to celebrate Princess Elfriede’s birthday party, so please clearly decide what you’ve been discussing before. It’s not enough to express our sincerity from the Marquis of Roberg, but we send you a bunch of flowers that resemble Princess Elena.'”
Elfriede, who deliberately read the contents of her letter aloud, looked at Duke Bathory with a frown still on his face.
“Father, do you really intend to send Elena to the Marquis of Roberg?”
“…What is the problem? Elena is also at an age where she will soon become an adult. Unlike you, she is a warrior, it is only natural that Elena should look for a coma in advance and send her a book of marriage.”
“Isn’t that a story you talk about under normal circumstances! What the hell is missing, even sending this sick child to another family…!”
“…Sister, stop it. How disrespectful are you to your father?”
Elena tried to stop Elfriede, but she didn’t listen.
“With all this power, do you covet more power?”
“…Elfriede! What did you say just now!?”
Duke Bathory was genuinely angry. Normally, Elfriede would bow at this point, but at this moment, Elfriede did not back down.
It’s not another problem, it’s because it’s a sick younger brother’s problem.
Elfriede did not back down despite Duke Bathory’s scolding.
“I don’t know how long I will live if I just stay in the mansion and recuperate! Are you saying you’re going to sell her to another family, even though you can’t let her live the way she wants? What did you expect to receive from the Marquis of Robert!”
“What…”
“Sister!”
At Elena’s shout, Elfriede turned her head away. Elfride frowned at her as she looked at her brother.
“Elena. Do you agree with this opinion now?”
“…It’s true that I’m useless unless this happens.”
“Then, who dared to ask you for usefulness? I hope your brother…”
“No, no. My brother didn’t say anything. Why would my brother do that to me?”
Then there was only one person who would throw such a word. Right in front of them is their father, Duke Bathory.
“You ask the usefulness of a sick child, father.”
“…Don’t be sarcastic, Elfriede. It’s hard for me to tolerate your behavior as the family head now, but I fully understand that you can be excited about things related to her sister, so stop it now.”
“Enough? What will happen if I stop? Should I send her sick brother to a different family like that!?”
“…If you had done better, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“…Yes?”
Duke Bathory sighed heavily, and then he stood up. He walked over to his desk where he usually works and opened a drawer. And he said as he put some letters on the desk.
“Read it for yourself.”
“This is…”
It was a letter with the crests of each influential family in the Kingdom of Vesta. In addition to the Duke of Bathory, there were also the Duke of Battenberg, one of the two dukes of the Kingdom of Vesta, and the Marquis of Roberg, which was mentioned earlier. Some even had the royal coat of arms stamped on them.
Elfriede opened the letter. And Elfriede, who was reading the contents, gradually widened her eyes, and she slightly trembled her hand holding the letter.
“What…Is this…?”
“These are proof that our family’s status has declined as your performance has declined.”
“…Could it be father, did you take me as collateral for this kind of investment?”
The contents of the letter were generally as follows.
‘As Elfriede’s performance is relatively pushed aside by the new warrior, Abel, the status of the Kingdom of Vesta is declining. The investment was made under the condition that Elfriede would be of great help in consolidating the Kingdom of Vesta’s position on the Gaia continent, but it would be difficult if it was repeatedly defeated by warriors from other countries’.
In a way, it could be seen as an investment for patriotism, but in reality, it was intended to gain an upper hand in international relations by presenting an overwhelming hero named Elfriede Bathory.
And whatever the intention, it was true that Duke Bathory received an investment with the hero named Elfriede as collateral.
“Do you know how much money and power it takes to run the kingdom’s largest city and seize the greatest power in the kingdom? Since you’ve been so far superior to Levius and that idiot, they have no hesitation in investing in our family. As the reputation of you and this family grows, so does the position of the Kingdom of Vesta.”
Duke Bathory placed a pipe in his mouth. And as he lit the fire, Elena frowned slightly.
“…Please put out the cigarette. Did you forget Elena was there?”
From noble mtl dot com.
“…I forgot.”
Duke Bathory put out the cigarette, but Elfriede was dumbfounded. The fact that she smoked, obviously knowing that Elena was sick, showed that the duke had little interest in her children.
The Duke, who smoked, continued.
“But as you started to fall behind the new hero, many families questioned this investment. In particular, the royal family does not want you to be defeated by the warriors of the empire. If it continues like this, the investment coming into our family will decrease and the family’s prestige will become increasingly unsustainable.”
Elfriede bit his molars hard.
“Of course, since our family has the size and power, we won’t completely stop investing, but a decrease in investment is fatal. Are you saying that you are watching our family decline?”
“…Dad, why should Elena take on something I could have put in the effort for?”
“So you mean you didn’t do it even though you could have done it earlier?”
“That’s not what it sounds like…”
“Looking at it objectively, you have never been like that since you became a hero for 7 years with Abel, who single-handedly subdued Agares-class monsters in just five months. It’s pretty obvious which of the two will do more.”
“…So you’re saying that your father will use Elena to maintain the prestige of the family?”
Duke Bathory gave a simple answer to Elfriede’s question.
“The head of the household said he would work for the family. What’s the problem?”
“…Elena, let’s go. There is nothing more to hear.”
“Sister, wait…!”
Elfriede, who judged the duke’s answer to be unworthy of further conversation, tried to take Elena out. However, Duke Bathory struck back in a cold voice.
“Elfriede, this is my decision as the head of the household. Are you saying that you, a member of the family, would dare to oppose the head of the family?”
“…Before I was Princess Bathory, I am the hero Elfriede. As a hero, I can’t stand by and watch my father act like this.”
“…I’ll give you another chance. Choose well.”
“My choice will not change…”
“Sister, stop!”
Elfriede stared at her in surprise at Elena’s yelling at her.
“…Helena?”
“I don’t think my father’s idea is that wrong either.”
“What?”
“Anyway, I won’t be able to live long because of the disease. No matter how well you recuperate in the mansion, you will only live a few more years. It’s going to rot like that, so it’s better to be of some help to the family.”
Elfriede’s expression hardened as she saw Elena talking about her own future with her calm demeanor.
“So, unni, this matter will be decided by my father and I. I know very well how unnie feels like this, but… Father’s words are not very wrong. Certainly, when our family is strong, there will be no shortage for my sister to be active as a warrior.”
“…I don’t want that kind of support, Elena.”
“…Please go back, sister. Please apologize to your father for today’s rudeness later.”
“Are you… Saying that being sold to strangers is okay?”
“It is not for sale. I’m going through the official marriage process. It’s just a noble getting married to another noble.”
“What is the difference between that!?”
Elena Bathory. She is one of Elfriede’s two younger siblings, and unlike her other younger sibling, she was a poor child born with an illness from an early age.
She has an incurable disease of unknown cause and unknown name. She called doctors who were known for their diagnosis and tried to diagnose it, but it was a rare disease that all of them answered that they did not know the name of the disease.
It was a strange, unmatched illness that could have caused it. She just had frequent high fevers since her childhood, she would faint suddenly, and her skin was always pale because there was no vitality in her skin. In addition, her body was unable to accept food properly even if she ate properly, and her body was small because she was growing slower than her peers.
I still suffer from a high fever accompanied by a cough from time to time, and I have collapsed out of nowhere even though I was living a normal life. Still, she always had to have her maid by Elena’s side, and she was always staying at her mansion because she couldn’t cope if something happened outside her mansion.
Are you going to send such a child to another family? Elfriede was not convinced when he said that he would send her a collection of poems as well. What if that weakling died on her first night?
Elena said with an awkward smile at Elfriede’s angry voice.
“…Roberg Youngsik is a kind person.”
“Don’t say such nonsense… How well would a person with no sickness and a bright future treat you when you are suffering from an incurable disease? It’s not that we marry because we like each other, it’s a contract marriage through a transaction between families.”
“… I understand her sister’s concerns, but it doesn’t change anything.”
Elena smiled bitterly.
“But there is nothing that unnie can do for me right now.”
“…….”
I came to protest against Duke Bathory’s decision, but in the end, the decision was made by the owner of the house, the Duke. No matter how much Elfriede protested and objected, if the family head decided to do so, Elfriede had no choice but to follow.
That was the power of power. She was Elfride, and if she didn’t intend to leave the Bathory family behind her, she had to follow the family lord’s orders.
Elfriede wasn’t worried about her belly disappearing. Here she was, until she left her family, she refuted the matter, and if she didn’t know if it worked, she knew that it wouldn’t solve anything. If she broke off her engagement with the writer after Robert, the duke would find another marriage partner.
That’s why Elfriede couldn’t respond to Elena’s words. Because everything Elena said was true.
“…Go out and see. I need to talk to Elena a bit more.”
Elfriede clenched her fists at Duke Bathory’s congratulatory decree. But she said there was nothing more Elfride could do. Just for her…
“…You might want to think about it again, Elena.”
“Yes, I will think about it.”
…The limit was to give one word of advice.
#
“…Elfriede?”
It took some time for Elfriede to return to her gymnasium. Why was she so late at first, she tried to ask playfully, but she didn’t like her expression when she returned.
“Why do you look so bad? What happened?”
“…No. I’m sorry I’m late. I’ll give you a map right away, so raise your sword.”
“Yes?…No, what is it not? You don’t look good like this.”
It was the first time I had seen Elfriede make such an expression. Even if she’s just a stranger, she’s got a look that might be nerve-wracking, how could she just pass by as an acquaintance and friend?
“What the hell is going on? Did something bad happen?”
“…Even if you know, nothing will be solved.”
“At least say something. She’s a friend who shares her worries and thinks with her.”
“Friends…”
Elfriede chewed on the words, then let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
…Did you really see what happened? It was the first time I had ever seen Elfriede so depressed. ‘Cause she’s always been cool
“…Then would it be all right if I confided in her friend about her troubles?”
“As much as you like.”
That’s a friend. They say that if it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have anywhere to confide in, and then she would have to suffer alone… Then it would fester inside.
Elfriede and I sat casually on the floor of the gymnasium. She brought her knees up and cupped, leaning her chin between them.
“…It’s about my sister, Elena.”
“Yes?”
Princess Elena? She didn’t expect that she was worried about Elfride’s younger sister whom she had met this morning. Did her sister have an accident?
“…The child has been suffering from an unknown and rare disease since her birth.”
What?
The story that started with a shocking remark was also quite shocking. As soon as I finished hearing Elfriede’s story, I spat out a word.
“…Is it too trashy?”
“Abel…”
Whoa, f*ck. What did i say now?
I hurriedly apologized for unintentionally playing Tallulah.
“I’m sorry. Still, Elfriede’s father…”
“…f*ck.”
“?”
Someone laughs when he hears the padlip. Is it a buddha?
“Thank you. For doing what I want to say instead.”
“…Uh…”
“I know. A man called my father cannot be called a good man even with empty words. No matter how much it is for the sake of the family, what kind of father would send a sick child to a foreign country?”
“…That’s why you’re in such a bad mood.”
“Yes.”
Elfriede let out a deep sigh and said.
“To overturn the family head’s decision, I need to get the consent of the elders, but to be honest, I don’t think the elders of my family will take my side. After all, they are also people who value the safety of the family… Just like my father.”
“…Then what should I do? You can’t just let your little sister go.”
“…I don’t want to send it. Of course I want to too. But… there is no way.”
There is no way. That didn’t sound very nice, but there was no way I could do anything about it.
I can’t get involved in the affairs of nobles. Even if you can intervene, you have to have a justification to intervene. It wasn’t that they just went and said, ‘Don’t let Princess Elena go!’
At times like this, being a commoner is a bit embarrassing.
Elfriede said with a bitter smile.
“At the very least, I wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable if I healed the disease and sent it off.”
…Sick…Sick?
I suddenly remembered one thing. Estelle’s divine power returned to Claw, who had turned into a monster. If so, would it be possible to treat rare diseases?
If that’s possible, something similar would be possible with my holy sword…
“…Is it possible even now?”
“Abel, what did you say?”
“Ah… That’s it.”
I told Elfriede about the ability of the Holy Sword of Order. Upon hearing the story, Elfride widened her eyes and muttered.
“Yes… I’ve heard that the Holy Sword of Order definitely has that ability. It’s not a common wound, but a rare or incurable disease is treated as a holy sword that goes against the order of the world…”
Is that so? Ordinary wounds cannot be healed. That’s a bit unfortunate
Muttering to himself, Elfriede grabbed my hand tightly.
Huh?
“Abel, please. Can’t you just give it a try?”
“…That, Elfriede. But I don’t know how to use the power of the holy sword.”
“I will teach you that. So please…”
“Well, even if you didn’t say that, of course I tried.”
I was taken aback when I saw Elfriede clinging to me as if pleading. But he didn’t express it outwardly.
…How desperate you are. I informed Elfriede of one thing.
“Right now, I’ve unlocked the holy sword three times, but that ability may not have been unlocked. So you have to know that I’m not sure.”
“It’s okay. It’s enough if you just try.”
“Then, let’s try it when Princess Elena returns. Until then…”
I handed over the iron sword for sparring to Elfriede.
“You have to teach me, sir.”
“…Yes, I almost forgot my duty.”
While saying that, Elfriede raised her sword and had a much more comfortable expression than before.
“…Abel.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Elfriede gave me thanks and smiled. It was her usual smile.
…Yes, this is the Elfriede I know.