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Eri couldn't comprehend what Calion just pronounced.
Retrieve her last name?
Dug out of the family register?
That meant…
"No, don't talk nonsense. Who wants to dig me out of the family register? No matter how much you hate me, this is crossing the line. If father comes to know—"
"Did I not told you? I'm telling in stead of the head of the household."
"What? So… does that mean it's father's will to erase me off the family register..?"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably. To that, Calion was delighted beyond measure. It was not common to see his cheeky half-sister so flustered.
'Ah, she's not even my sister anymore.'
She was just a stranger, no strings attached.
He smiled and responded to her words.
"You are right. It's the will of the head of the household on which you are excluded from the family register this time."
"Nonsense… father couldn't have…"
Eri murmured in denial of reality, and Calion scrunched his brows in displeasure.
"Who is your father? The head of the household is no longer your father. There is no one in the world you can call your father!"
"You..!!!"
Losing sanity in boiling rage, she chanted a wind blade spell instantly. The jewel on her wand glowered and mana condensed as two well-forged blades touched his neck.
Calion's escort knights pulled out their swords.
"You, you…"
Eri's gaze trembled. Although she was the youngest daughter, she was treated well in her own way. That was why those escort knights were also familiar faces.
"Eri, let go of the mana."
They warned her with an infinitely cold face, bringing their blades to her. Originally, they used the title of lady, but now they called her just 'Eri'.
The changed attitude of the escort knights forced Eri to accept reality.
She was really abandoned by the family, by her own family.
""
"…why? What did I do wrong…"
"I don't believe you ask because you really don't know."
"…"
Eri shut her mouth.
This time around, she understood.
It was most probably an extension of what they talked about at home the other day.
Her family's declined status due to what she did in the past.
Yeah. She understood.
Because she too was aware of her own faults.
But…
"If you're doing this because of that… Why, why do this now?"
If she was being expelled because she disgraced the family's status, shouldn't she be punished at the time she did the wrong?
""
Not now. Not so out of the blue.
To her question, Calion replied as if it was no big deal.
"Because you are useless."
"Useless..?"
"Indeed, useless."
From the Oller family's perspective, Eri was a nuisance. She was a mischievous troublemaker who somehow managed to attain attraction. They wished it would have ended there, but the problem was that the troublemaker was unnecessarily good at her job.
Since she was kicked out of the Mage Tower, she had taught herself magic on her own, and she was so much better than most wizards in the Mage Tower.
Her genius was recognized, and she even became a Hero's ally.
Thanks to which, the Oller family had to be dragged along by her actions for a while.
Not until she returned to Cloud's party, let alone when she voluntarily walked into Lorian's party.
They were somehow responsible for all of her actions, but the family could not punish her.
Because you never know what the next day would be.
In the future, Cloud's teammate Eri might be needed.
But now it was all different.
The Oller family had lined up with Prince Lorian.
Not vaguely, but explicitly.
Even if the Cloud's party made her name known and Eri's influence became stronger, it would become difficult to use her.
So it was more in the family's advantage to earn Lorian's favor by demonstrating their willingness to cut off the relationship with her with a single stroke.
Duke Oller's decision carried such an intention.
And Eri, not knowing the details of the situation, felt a terrible sense of betrayal.
"Used and thrown, just like a tool…!"
"It's not about being a tool, it's about being useful."
"What?"
Looking at Eri, who frowned at him, Calion continued with a stern expression.
"Not only you, but me, my sisters, and even the family head. All of us are tools for the Oller family to shine."
But you were just a tool that could be thrown away.
That was all.
His part said, Calion raised his right hand. The swords that had been aimed at Eri's neck were withdrawn.
"You wasted time needlessly, custron."
Calion passed by Eri, who had her head dipped low, along with his escort knights. Grounding her teeth, she turned around and called after Calion.
"Yeah, do whatever you want! I don't need an unfeeling family either! Rather thank you! For getting me out of the damn family soon! For not ruining my life!"
Unlike harsh words, her voice was teary.
Calion stopped short and raised his right hand, which then clenched into a fist.
And the moment Eri narrowed her eyes.
* * *
"Are things going as planned?"
A large room in an inn.
Lorian asked, looking at Calion and some nobles who were in charge of supplying food.
In response, Calion, who supplied the most food among the nobles, responded on behalf of the nobles.
"Yes. The princess herself is also actively cooperating, so the work itself is proceeding without a hitch."
"How do people feel about us?"
"Every day it's getting better."
"I'm glad."
"But…"
Calion added with a slightly exasperated expression.
"But?"
"It is true that public sentiment towards us is improving. But there is one problem."
"That is?"
""
"Citizens' support for the Hero, Hero Cloud, is stronger than expected. They keep talking about miracles, I think the biggest reason is that they saw the events of that particular day in person."
"Speaking of that day…"
"Yes. The day the Hero Cloud defeated one of the four Heavenly Kings alone."
At Calion's words, Lorian hummed while crossing his arms together.
Miracle day.
The citizens of Lupus referred to the day the Heavenly King fell.
Miracle day.
As if they couldn't get tired of it, the citizens of Lupus talked about it every day.
How the city was entangled in thousands of black tentacles, shrouded by the Heavenly King, when the holy light shone aloft, and the Heavenly King disappeared into thin air.
'Nonsense.'
Even if the whole church, including the pope, were to hold a holy ceremony as a group, there was no way they would harness that intensity of holy mana, let alone an individual.
'But there was a pronouncement from the Goddess and then the Pope…'
It was clear that he had expedited the monster alone.
They just had no notion of what method was used.
Lorian let out a deep sigh.
"Is that why it's so hard to dig into?"
"It's not, not really. If we don't bother trying to put him down, we can win enough people's hearts either way."
"That will be enough. We don't have to overdo it and mess up our objective."
"Understood."
Calion nodded his head.
Lorian's gaze darted away from him to the other nobles.
"It is important to win the hearts of the citizens, but we have a more important thing to regard. And that is the coronation of the princess."
Tension appeared on the faces of the nobles.
The princess may not have proved her abilities, but she stood perfect as far as legitimacy went.
She was a difficult opponent to touch.
Lorian smiled at the aristocrats with hardened expressions.
"By the way, according to rumors, the former archbishop passed away during the last Heavenly King incident, and the new archbishop seat is still vacant."
At his words, some quick-witted nobles' eyes lit up.
"That means…"
"Yes. I think we better place our attention on the succeeding archbishop first. To someone who is as close as possible to becoming the next Archbishop."
""
An archbishop was necessary to perform the coronation ceremony.
* * *
The nip scribbled–
—writing down words and syllables on the parchment. The speed was incomparably slower than before.
'Tool that can be discarded? Don't be ridiculous! Do you think I'm just a tool!?'
She'd made herself successful.
And she would do so more and make their stomach ache in agony. They'd regret everything they had imposed.
It would be useless to come and beg then.
With bitterness in her heart, she continued her research work.
At that moment, suddenly, a drop of water dripped, soaking the parchment, and smearing the ink across the page.
"Ah, wha…"
Realizing that the water droplets were coming from her own eyes, she wiped at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. She was able to wipe away her tears, but her eyes were still red.
Water droplets welled again from the corners of her reddened eyes.
Soon, she cried as the bitterness docked in her heart drained.
She was given no choice; isolated from her own family.
No matter how they had fared in years, they were related by blood. To her, as to everyone else, blood ties held a special meaning. She wondered what all the hard work she had waded through to get the recognition of her family meant.
Although she was eventually abandoned.
Again.
Her hand gripping the quill tensed. She couldn't help but throw the quill to the corner of the room.
"I don't need you! You don't need me either!"
She had tried her whole life to be accepted by her family.
Still, they abandoned her.
Then she would forsake them too.
'I… just needed someone to acknowledge my hard work.'
And she had one such person that came to mind.
He was the man who had always acknowledged and respected her.
Cloud.
He was all she had left to herself.
'This research is also nearing its end.'
A kind of trick that slightly twisted and roiled the mana circuit so that one could temporarily use magic beyond their own circle.
Completing this alone would be of great help to Cloud.
He too would be very happy and praise her.
'That's enough.'
Eri nodded, picked up a new quill, and tried to continue her research.
"…"
But maybe it was because her mind was disturbed, and the research was tapering.
After blowing dozens of minutes thinking, she finally let go of the quill.
'…I should visit Cloud. It has been quite some time.'
If she would talk to him, even this stuffy feeling would get much lighter.
Eri left the room and knocked on Cloud's door.
Then she heard an unexpected voice.
– Who is it?
Katarina's voice, not Cloud's.
Eri stiffened momentarily.
"…Isn't this Cloud's room?"
– Is it you, Miss Eri? Yes, that's right.
The door opened and Katarina peered out her head.
"But why are you…"
Eri started to ask why she was there, but then she stopped. Because Katarina was Cloud's lover. It was not unusual for her to be in his room.
Although this was slightly off-handed…
It wasn't something Eri could comment on. Rather than that, she decided to achieve her purpose of coming here.
"Is Cloud inside?"
At her question, Katarina shook her head.
"No?"
"Yes, he isn't. Do you need him? For he only comes late at night. Even if I ask, he just skims over."
As if she had accumulated quite some, Katarina began to express her dissatisfaction. As for Eri, she didn't have the will to listen, so she cut her off short and left for outdoors.
Normally, she would have made sure he wasn't there and she would have gone back to her room, but this time around she wanted to see him anyway.
She recited an incantation.
As mana took shape, huge blue eyeballs appeared in the sky above her.
[Clairvoyance]-!
The eyeballs swivelled and scanned the city.
Mana drained quickly like water into a bottomless hollow, but that was okay. Because the places he could be at were limited. She would find him before she would run out of mana.
'Found him.'
Red hair was caught in the royal palace's gymnasium.
There was no one other than Cloud with that hair color.
Eri slightly modified the clairvoyance spell.
The field of view quickly expanded toward the kingdom's gymnasium.
"…uh?"
She caught sight of Cloud kissing a brown-haired woman.
And the brown-haired woman was someone she knew very well.
Lorraine.
Lorian's younger sister.
She was someone Eri loathed beyond dislike.
You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.
p(a)treon.com/Daoist02