231 – The Myth of Bernhard
Claire calmly began to tell her story.
The story of her unrequited love for Lucas.
The starting point was around the age of 11 when Lucas appeared at her first church.
At that time, she was very interested in the archduke’s son like herself, and she naturally had her eyes set on Lucas.
-Ah, are you Lucas from El Marga? That amazing person is mixed with the blood of commoners?
However, Lucas was being ignored by his peers.
No matter how much Adela’s status rose as a war hero, it was difficult for her to survive in an aristocratic society that treated commoners as livestock.
‘It’s too bad. I will disappear quietly after being ridiculed like that.’
Lucas shakes his shoulders with a red face as he listens to the ridicule of several noblemen.
Claire turned her head, thinking that Lucas would disappear from social circles.
It seemed difficult for that weak-looking boy to survive in the harsh aristocratic society.
‘Look. ‘I’m right.’
And as expected, Lucas soon ran out of the social gathering with a tearful face.
Peers made fun of Lucas by saying, ‘You’re coming as a commoner!’
Claire looked at that and shook her head.
If you are swayed by the ridicule of such trivial things, the future of the Elmar family is also obvious.
As long as Lucas is the successor to the Elmar family, the Elmar family will face downfall.
‘You fool.’
So I thought about stopping.
In essence, a social church is a gathering where families engage in exploratory warfare and form interest groups for their own families.
There seemed to be no need to become friends with Lucas, who seemed to have no particular potential.
‘I need to say something kind.’
But for some reason, I was worried.
Is it because he is the son of a grand duke like himself?
I can’t believe the eldest son of the Elmar family, which is said to rule the East, shows such weakness.
As a great duke, I felt something unacceptable.
Claire came out to find Lucas to give him some harsh advice.
“·····Ah.”
But when she found Lucas, she froze.
This is because I found Lucas crying sadly in the corner.
Seeing such a pretty-looking child crying so sadly, the anger that had been boiling in her chest a moment ago disappeared.
‘···At least take this.’
Instead, Claire tried using the ‘buff’ she had recently started learning on Lucas.
This is the ‘spirit of victory’ that inspires courage.
Not long after that, Lucas’s expression also changed.
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A venom appeared in the eyes that were filled with tears, and the mouth that had been pouring out sobs was tightly closed.
Lucas seemed to have decided on something.
‘Did my buff work?’
And Claire was secretly happy to see Lucas like that.
This was because he mistakenly thought that the buff he had used for the first time in his life was working on Lucas.
But the truth is that her buff didn’t even activate properly, and Lucas just promised himself that he would become stronger.
But at that time, Claire was under the illusion that her buff had worked on Lucas.
From then on, he became interested in Lucas and started watching him.
A social church held a month later.
‘Yes, I am a lucky person who received the first buff for this body. ‘It has to come out like that.’
Lucas gave true education to his noble peers who ridiculed him.
Claire smiled with satisfaction as she saw Lucas’ completely changed appearance.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “This is all thanks to me.”
In any case, the ‘spirit of victory’ he gave to Lucas awakened him.
Because I thought Lucas was able to grow like that through that snowball.
“Hey. Are you hitting too? Should we be friends?”
Just like that, Claire approached Lucas, who had completely changed, and asked to be friends.
Lucas readily accepted her offer, and after that, the children of the Grand Duchy began to hang out with each other.
‘Ah. ‘That didn’t work…?’
But he was 16 years old.
Claire realized something shocking.
When she was around 11 years old, she realized that the buff she had placed on Lucas had failed.
Because she was 16 years old and at the peak of her skills development, she naturally knew that at 11 years old she was quite buff.
‘Then, did Lucas overcome it on his own? ‘My own complex.’
However, this incident served as an opportunity for Claire to grow even further.
She, who was proud that her Lucas had grown thanks to her, became humble and began to try to look into the inner self of people.
‘Lucas… You’re desperate, still.’
And Claire was able to realize.
She always smiles exaggeratedly and pretends to be smug, but Lucas realizes that in fact she has a wounded inner self.
She is living desperately to never be ignored by anyone again.
‘···Lucas.’
From then on, Claire began to sympathize with Lucas.
Although Enya and her Isabella teased Lucas, who showed off his skills and laughed exaggeratedly, calling him unlucky.
Claire could tell that the truth was that her appearance was all made up to hide her own hurtful past.
Claire, who started looking into Lucas like that, soon fell in love with him.
Her sympathy developed into feelings of support, and feelings of support developed into love.
“···You had no idea, right? “That I liked you…”
And Claire only now.
She expressed her honest feelings to Lucas.
To Lucas, who is trapped in Cassandra’s cocoon and doesn’t know if he is alive or dead.
“Lucas, are you listening…? Actually, I’ve really liked you for a long time. So Ed and I really have no relationship. “The reason you misunderstand Ed and me is because Ed said that stimulating you would help you grow further, so I had no choice but to cooperate with Ed.”
Claire appeals to Lucas with all her heart.
However, there was still no answer from Lucas inside the cocoon.
Perhaps Cassandra’s tentacles attached to the top of the cocoon had already sucked all of her life force out of her, making her a corpse.
“Lucas, please, accept me.”
But this was all Claire could do.
Sending buffs and mana beyond the cocoon in the hope that Lucas’ consciousness will remain.
He pours his strength into Lucas, hoping for a miracle.
That was all.
-Paaat·····.
A bright light bursts from Claire’s hand.
Purification techniques and mana delivered with all sincerity, strained to one’s limits.
-Suuu…
Claire thinks that it may be useless.
If Lucas is unconscious, all of his mana is just a waste of cards.
I told it to Lucas.
I hope that this time, my heart will reach him.
***
‘Ha, these cuties.’
Meanwhile, Ed, who was watching the whole situation inside the Cassandra suit, was smiling.
Hearing Claire’s sincerity toward Lucas made me feel happy.
Claire is truly a true daughter-in-law.
There was no woman like this for Lucas.
Appearance, family background, and personality are all 10 out of 10.
[Claire···.]
Just inside the monitor.
Lucas was shaking his head after hearing Claire’s whole story.
Even though his body is not listening due to the strong paralyzing properties, he is struggling desperately to respond to her confession.
Ed rested his chin on her with a happy smile and spoke as if muttering.
“Okay, Lucas. Now it’s your turn. “It’s your turn to tell me your truth.”
Claire’s purification spell and mana flow into the cocoon.
Lucas struggled desperately to make sure it wasn’t in vain.
Even though the entire body is paralyzed due to the paralyzing poison and there is tremendous pain in the muscles and bones.
She was able to create mana and circulate mana around her body.
Although it was accompanied by tremendous pain that felt like lava flowing through her veins.
Lucas didn’t care.
She abandoned her mother and Claire’s love because of a fleeting emotion, because this is all she can do.
-Paaat!
Just like that, Lucas pulled one of her arms out of the web that was binding her.
She then held Claire’s essence floating in her liquid with one of her hands.
Her emotions and strength began to dwell throughout her body.
[Lucas… Can you hear me? My mana flowing inward is reaching you…?]
However, Claire was unaware of the situation inside her cocoon.
That’s why I’m trembling with anxiety that all of this may be useless.
[K, Claire…]
Lucas wanted to convey this.
That your sincerity has reached me.
Your sincerity has completely changed my life and made me crave life like crazy.
-Paaat!
And the moment Lucas thinks that.
Claire’s mana that had seeped into him began to glow golden light.
Soon, that golden mana, ironically, escaped from Lucas’ body and onto the inner wall of the cocoon, and then out of the cocoon and seeped into Claire.
Ed looked at her and the corner of her mouth curled up.
Bernhard’s ‘awakening’ had finally begun.
***
Distant past.
So, an ancient war that corresponds to the ‘Genesis’ of this world.
Ed recalled that time.
And in that war, he remembered a woman who single-handedly wiped out millions of demons.
Bernhardt’s first matriarch, Iris Bernhardt.
Her strongest technique, her words, her words.
‘Bernhardt is the weakest family? ‘That’s funny.’
However, her descendants, who were the strongest, suffered from the stigma of being the weakest of the grand ducal families.
Because they are considered a family specialized in ‘buffs’ and ‘auras’, they mistakenly believe that their actual combat abilities are low.
‘No, buffs and auras are just means.’
But that was a big mistake.
Because the buffs and auras that Bernhard uses are merely ‘means to strengthen oneself.’
This is because their true power comes from recovering the buffs and auras they have spread.
‘If the sincerity prevails, Bernhard is the strongest.’
And the condition for their buffs and auras to be recovered is when the buffs and auras used by the caster contain ‘sincerity’.
Only then will the recipient of the buff accept the caster’s sincerity and resonate with their buff and aura.
‘Iris was always sincere.’
For this reason, Iris Bernhard, who was the strongest drinker, gave buffs and auras to hundreds of thousands of soldiers with her sincerity.
Her character and humanity. And the soldiers who understood her sincerity responded to her sincerity.
Tens of thousands of lights emitted from the battlefield were returned to Iris.
That’s how she was able to become a myth.
‘Now it’s your turn, Claire.’
And here, in an aristocratic class society, there are her descendants who look just like Iris.
Claire Bernhard likes to look into people.
Sometimes he thinks too much and does the wrong thing, but he is a thorough altruist whose actions ultimately come from ‘attempts to understand that person.’
-Fuhhua Ahhhhh !!!
And to that altruist, the sincerity of the person he loved returned.
The feelings of love that had been fostered since a very young age were finally completed through Lucas’ response.
-Gooooo───
Claire’s whole body began to be surrounded by golden light.
It was the moment when the myth of Iris Bernhard was revived.