Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock-Chapter 274: I've Been Waiting For You (3)
* * *
―Russell!
Ratta ran toward Russell and clung tightly to his leg.
―Ratta was so, so worried! I’m so glad! So glad!
Russell glanced down awkwardly at Ratta, who was drenching his leg with tears, then shifted his gaze to Bethel and Hume.
Seeing their stunned expressions, he chuckled awkwardly.
“Thanks for waiting.”
“…”
Hume continued to stare at Russell, his eyes wide with disbelief.
But soon, noticing Lucion peacefully asleep in Russell’s arms, he quickly stepped forward and took him.
“How… how are you still alive?”
Although he was worried about Lucion, Hume’s focus remained on the shocking fact that Russell had walked out in a physical form.
“I know the situation isn’t ideal, but I had to put him to sleep. If I hadn’t, he might not have woken up for days,” Russell explained, addressing Hume’s concern first.
“As for me… well, I know this might sound strange, but I was never actually dead. I just took on too much of a burden, which caused my body and soul to separate.”
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Bethel.
Guilt weighed heavily on him.
So much guilt.
[Russell.]
Bethel called out to him.
“Bethel… I don’t even know what to say to you.”
[Congratulations. Truly, congratulations, Russell!]
Bethel beamed, her voice brimming with unmistakable joy.
Russell’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He felt both guilty and grateful toward Bethel.
[I won’t lie and say I’m not a little sad to lose my only ghostly friend, but I’m much happier that you’re alive. So, I’m okay.]
“Unlike Lucion, who’s still growing, I can go without sleep for a few nights and be fine.”
[That’s a relief. Then…can we watch the stars together?]
“Of course! Stars are always prettier when we see them together, right?”
Russell chuckled.
How could he not understand Bethel’s bittersweet feelings?
Having been a ghost himself, he knew all too well how lonely and endless those sleepless nights could be.
―That’s right! Ratta wants to see the stars with Russell and Bethel too!
Ratta, still sniffling from crying, brightened with a wide smile.
“Ratta, weren’t you supposed to be growing big and strong?”
―Ratta can grow big now!
“Grow big?”
[Is it because of the black orb?]
Russell and Bethel exchanged puzzled looks.
Only Hume, who had witnessed Ratta’s fully grown form, nodded knowingly.
―Ah! Bethel and Russell haven’t seen Ratta grow big, have they?
Ratta ran over to Hume, tugging at his pant leg.
―Hume, tell them! Tell them how cool Ratta looked!
She puffed up with pride.
―Ahem.
* * *
“Shaela, don’t worry too much.”
As he added firewood to the flames, Heint spoke calmly.
Shaela, who had been pacing anxiously, paused for a moment.
“How can I not worry? Lucion’s teacher disappeared. He’s definitely going to be sad—I can’t just sit still.”
“You saw Lucion’s eyes, didn’t you? There was determination in them, not sadness.”
At Heint’s words, Shaela hesitated.
“More importantly, Brother,” she said after a moment, “aren’t you going to tell me what happened to Lucion in there?”
“If I do, you’ll faint.”
Lucion had fallen into corruption.
He couldn’t bring himself to say those words to Shaela.
“To be honest, when Hume carried Lucion back, you completely lost your composure for a moment. And now you want to know what happened?”
“…”
Shaela clenched her fists, watching Heint’s face glow in the firelight.
It frustrated her that he had explained everything else but deliberately left out Lucion’s part.
“Just take it as… something big happened.”
“So… ha.”
She let out a deep breath.
“Never mind. If you’re keeping it from me, there must be a reason. You’re afraid my worries will hold Lucion back, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. It was… a lot.”
Even recalling Lucion’s corrupted state sent a chill down Heint’s spine.
And even now, he was still worried about him.
If he were being honest, he wanted to go with Lucion.
But neither he nor Shaela could step into the boundary Lucion had drawn around himself.
All they could do was stand on the sidelines, restless.
Russell Paul.
He had never seen Lucion’s teacher’s face, nor had he ever spoken to him.
“Lucion… will probably move again, today or tomorrow, no matter what condition he’s in.”
“…!”
“Even if you try to stop him, it won’t work. So just accept it. That’s another reason I’m not telling you everything.”
Watching Shaela’s lips tremble slightly, Heint sighed.
She shouldn’t be this shaken already.
Lucion was terrifyingly stubborn about things like this.
Heint glanced at Shaela and, for her sake, changed the subject.
“When we get to Cronia, the lord will probably grab me by the collar, huh?”
He let out a deep sigh, already dreading the confrontation.
Saying he had done his best wouldn’t be an acceptable excuse.
“Carson will try to kill me. His Majesty will reprimand me. And the I have to write… huh?”
“…?”
At Heint’s sudden reaction, Shaela turned her head to follow his gaze.
Hume was emerging from between the rocks.
Instinctively, without exchanging a word, both Heint and Shaela rushed toward him.
There were supposed to be only two, but now there was a third.
“Ha… wait, Lucion-nim!”
Kran couldn’t contain the flood of emotions rising within him.
Corruption.
The words Heint had secretly shared with him were terrifying.
How much pain must Lucion have endured to reach that point?
Having lost everything himself, Kran hoped Lucion would never have to experience such sorrow.
Ever since witnessing Lucion in such a ruined state, he hadn’t been able to stop worrying.
But Kran halted his steps.
Heint and Shaela, who had rushed forward alongside him, also stopped in their tracks, their eyes flickering with slight wariness at the unfamiliar man standing before them.
“Shh.”
Russell raised a finger to his lips.
“Who are you?”
Heint’s sharp gaze flickered to Hume before he asked.
“Russell Paul.”
“…?”
Shaela’s eyes widened in recognition.
That name… it was familiar.
“I am Lucion’s teacher.”
For the first time, Russell introduced himself.
Proudly.
* * *
“Hah…”
Heint found the entire situation bizarre.
“Go ahead and tell us,” Lucion urged.
‘I got tricked.’
Heint resisted the urge to shut his eyes in frustration.
When Hume had come to his room saying that Lucion was awake and looking for him, he had rushed over without hesitation.
‘I was a fool.’
He should have been suspicious when Hume hesitated before delivering the message. No—he should have simply postponed it until morning, considering it was still the middle of the night.
“I also ask you to tell us,” Kran added politely.
“Yeah, stop stalling and just say it. Lucion needs to sleep. Seriously, Lucion, you’re amazing. You’re not even nocturnal, yet you wake up every dawn?”
The man who had spoken crossed his arms, swinging his legs in a casual manner, though there was something oddly perceptive about him.
It felt like he saw through everything more than Lucion could, making it difficult to speak carelessly.
But…why was his forehead red?
“Ah. It’s just how I look. I’m not actually angry, so don’t misunderstand.”
Russell chuckled at Heint’s scrutiny, recalling similar misunderstandings from the past.
With his sharp and stern features, he had often been mistaken for being angry.
After spending so much time as a ghost, human gazes now felt strangely unfamiliar to him.
“No. Carson has a fierce expression too, so it’s fine,” Heint replied.
“Then why are you staring at me? Got something to say?”
“Why aren’t you stopping Lucion? If you listen to what I have to say, you’ll know exactly where he’s planning to go.”
“He’s going to the Emperor.”
Russell smirked.
“And you’re just standing here knowing that?”
Wasn’t he supposed to be Lucion’s teacher?
Even before reaching Cronia and getting grabbed by Carson by the collar, Heint was still reeling from the sight of Russell alive and moving.
Hadn’t Lucion said he was a ghost?
Could black magic really have the power to bring someone back to life?
“Then can you stop him? How? Are you going to tie him up? Good luck with that.”
Russell sighed deeply, his teeth clenching.
“If it were you, would you want to send your wounded disciple off like this? I’m barely holding myself back right now—so much that my teeth might break from clenching them.”
“I’m fine,” Lucion replied calmly.
Russell thumped his chest a few times in exasperation.
“See? Did you hear that? He says he’s fine.”
Heint nodded, suddenly feeling guilty.
“I’m sorry, Brother.”
Heint raised an eyebrow at Lucion’s unexpected words.
“But the barrier created by the Divine Beasts is unstable. Veronia—that bastard—is going to break free soon.”
“What? What did you just say?”
Heint quickly covered his mouth, his eyes darting around.
Everyone here had sharp ears—he had to be careful.
“What should I do?”
Kran asked in a steady voice.
Heint turned to him in surprise.
“Why… aren’t you shocked?”
“There seems to be a lot more to be shocked about in the future, so I’ve decided to just accept things. If Hamel-nim told me he was a king as a joke, I’d probably believe it.”
“You’ve got good instincts, Kran,” Lucion remarked.
“Yeah?”
At Lucion’s strange smile, Kran suddenly felt uneasy.
“I am a king. The King of Darkness. When did that happen? Hmm… since yesterday?”
Silence fell.
Even Hume, who had been standing quietly…
Even Russell, who had already learned what a ‘vessel’ was from the Darkness…
Even Kran, who had mentally prepared himself…
And even Heint, who felt as if he had just been hit over the head…
None of them could find their voices.
[L-Lord Lucion?]
Bethel, unable to hold back any longer, finally spoke.
[What do you mean by that?]
“It’s the truth, Bethel. You know I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”
“Wow. This is crazy.”
Russell smacked his own forehead, only to wince and rub it from the sting.
So the words Darkness had once spoken—that the Vessel was destined to become the King of Darkness—weren’t just symbolic, but literal?
Then what was happening now?
“Brother, this story isn’t that important. So what happened?”
“T-This sounds way more important,” Kran stammered, his face full of shock.
“I think so too. I don’t know what the King of Darkness is, but it sounds impressive.”
Hume’s expression soon shifted into a proud smile.
He understood that being a king was a significant position.
“W-Wait a minute. Lucion, please, just give me a moment to catch my breath.”
“You seem to be breathing just fine,” Lucion retorted sharply.
“Pfft—hahaha!”
Russell quickly covered his mouth, laughter bursting out unexpectedly.
His voice was louder than expected, and he glanced around, worried that Ratta might wake up.
[You still need some time to adjust,] Bethel chuckled as she looked at Russell.
“Brother, I’ll make sure you’re breathing just fine, so please just tell us about the current situation.”
“Should I be laughing or not?” Heint muttered, rubbing the back of his neck before sighing.
He knew Lucion wouldn’t let him leave the room until he got the answers he wanted.
Russell’s smug look, as if saying See? You’re just the same, only irritated Heint further, but there was no avoiding it.
“After sealing that bastard away using the relic barrier created by the Divine Beasts, the power struggle within Nevast spiraled out of control due to Ravid Bahal’s death—he was their First Servant.”
“Well, since the goal was to bring down Nevast, this kind of chaos was to be expected,” Lucion remarked, waiting intently for Heint’s next words.
“By principle, the Second Servant should have taken over as the new First Servant, but one after another, they all ended up dead as the price.”
Ravid Bahal.
Because of that bastard, everything had descended into chaos, and Lucion’s expression grew tense.
“In the end, one of the few surviving High Priests, Yones, took control of Nevast.”
“Yones?”
“Yeah. He’s been trying to fix the mess left behind in Nevast, and the followers of Ravid Bahal clung to him in a desperate attempt to escape death. Besides, he already held a high rank within the order.”
“And? What is Yones doing now?”
“He requested aid from the Empire. After witnessing firsthand how people were sacrificed and understanding the true nature of the one they once worshiped as a ‘god,’ he must have realized that staying in Nevast was too dangerous.”
“Tsk… How convenient,” Russell clicked his tongue at Heint’s words. “Too ashamed to seek help from the Kingdom of Neubra, so now he’s trying to latch onto the Empire instead, huh?”
Amusingly, Yones’s decision turned out to be a wise one.
If more people had been sacrificed, the situation would have escalated beyond control.
“So what decision did His Majesty make?”
Lucion pressed Heint for an answer, believing that Yones’ choice wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
For Veronia to be eliminated, the Empire needed to take action—making Emperor Ketlan’s decision all the more crucial.
.
!
Chapter 274: I've Been Waiting For You (3)
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