“You come here often these days.”

“I’m coming in advance because I think I’ll be busy soon. There’s especially a lot to do in autumn.”

As the prosperous season approaches and preparations are made for the upcoming winter, trade at the company will also increase.

Maybe it will be difficult to find time before winter arrives.

Eclas looked regretfully towards Eve’s room where she was soundly asleep.

“Every time I come, Eve is sleeping. Just like a young sprout in spring.”

He thought of Eve, who could now speak well before he knew it.

Last time he came, it seemed she could only say two or three words together briefly.

Leah also agreed with his words.

The tiny child could now walk, run, and talk.

“A while ago, she said she wanted to do tumbling and was walking around on her hands.”

Leah laughed as she looked at Eve.

“It seems her development is faster than her peers… As expected of our Eve, is she a genius?”

Egon touched his chin with a serious expression.

It was very unusual for a child who was only three years old to speak so fluently.

Moreover, didn’t she climb a tree recently?

It was a growth rate that far surpassed children her age.

Leah burst into laughter at his proud words.

“That’s right. I wasn’t that active, but being healthy is something she takes after her father…”

Leah, who was muttering while thinking about Eve, suddenly realized her mistake and stopped talking.

She ended up mentioning Sched in front of Egon.

Even though she knew he was uncomfortable talking about Sched.

“I’m sorry, Egon.”

Sometimes when she looked at Eve, Sched’s face overlapped.

Especially the way the corners of her mouth turned up when she smiled, it resembled him so much that it made her heart ache.

“You know, I think it’s really fortunate that Eve takes after you. Those round, pretty eyes, and her hair too.”

Egon gently stroked her hair.

Thanks to him constantly getting her hair dye, Leah maintained brown hair, but he knew the beautiful blonde hidden underneath.

Under long lashes, the gaze in her red eyes was passionate.

Leah couldn’t meet his gaze for long and turned her eyes away.

At some point, he started getting close to her like this more often.

Gradually, he was taking up a larger part of her life.

This island, this house, this family, and this peace.

It all belonged to Eclas Bitel.

Moreover, Eve.

To the young daughter, he was really like family.

Leah, who had been lost in thought, heavily parted her lips.

“Viscount.”

Egon’s face stiffened as Leah suddenly called him by his title instead of “Egon”.

“…As I said last time, you don’t have to take care of us directly like this.”

Leah spoke in a rather serious voice, clasping her hands together.

It wasn’t that she disliked or felt burdened by Eclas saying these things.

Rather, she was grateful for many things.

Both for what he had done for Eve and for what he had given her.

But she never forgot that “Egon” was “Eclas”.

“It’s a relationship that will have to end someday… I think it would be better for you to keep your distance.”

“Leah.”

“I know it’s selfish. But I hope Eve doesn’t get too hurt.”

The thought of Eve possibly thinking of Egon as her real father always remained like a thorn in her heart.

So Leah was always grateful to “Egon”, but kept her distance.

“Is that why you’re doing this?”

“What…?”

“Not using the living expenses I send you.”

Egon looked at her roughened hands.

While living on Janna Island, Leah didn’t need to work.

Because everything here was under Eclas’s jurisdiction.

He provided ample living expenses so she could get whatever she needed at any time.

But she didn’t spend the living expenses Egon sent and saved them up.

Instead, she supplemented her life with money earned from odd jobs in the village.

“…Even without living expenses, I’m already greatly indebted to you, Viscount.”

Leah smiled awkwardly.

Even without living expenses, the amount of support she was already receiving from Egon was immense.

As Janna Island was closed off, the market was also in Egon’s hands.

So the items at the market were extremely cheap, and sometimes provided almost for free.

It was welfare from the Bitel family for retired birds.

Moreover, the gifts he brought whenever he visited were all things that exceeded Leah’s monthly living expenses.

So earning and using living expenses was perhaps a meaningless thing.

But relying entirely on Eclas felt abnormal to her, so she wanted to handle even a very small part on her own.

“If you thought everything I give is debt, I’m a bit disappointed…”

“What?”

“There’s no such thing as debt between family. We live together.”

Egon looked at Leah with a sad face.

At that, Leah smiled awkwardly, brushing her hair behind her ear.

At times like this, Leah felt a gap between them.

He often spoke as if they were really family.

“There are only a few years left until the contract ends.”

So Leah reminded him of the expiration date of the contract.

The end that was now less than a year away.

Then his expression hardened.

Leah now knew why he made that expression.

So she changed the subject.

“If I just receive money without doing anything, I feel like I’ll become too powerless and useless.”

Then Egon’s hand gently overlapped on the back of her hand.

“Leah, I’m sincerely raising Eve as my own child.”

“But someday you’ll have a real family too, Viscount.”

Leah slowly pulled her hand away from him.

He was the viscount of the Bitel family, the wealthiest family in the empire.

Someday he would inherit the title of count, and form a family befitting that.

He would have a “real family”, a “real child” to inherit the Bitel family.

She couldn’t rely on his affection forever.

“Leah.”

“Is there any news about Count Lester?”

Leah pretended not to hear Egon calling her and changed the topic.

When the topic of Sched came up, Egon shut his mouth.

He knew Leah intentionally brought up Sched’s name.

Leah always brought up the story of Sched Lester when she became aware of reality.

She did so knowing that questions about Sched would hurt Eclas.

She wanted to distance herself from him even if it meant that.

But he was a merchant skilled enough to be seasoned in dealing with people.

He wasn’t someone who would be shaken by Leah’s small struggles.

“They say he’ll be returning soon from Blankas. He must have thought it was time to take care of Lester territory.”

Egon delivered news about Sched in an unwavering, straight voice.

The war with Blankas that started 4 years ago lasted over a year.

Following Emperor Sched Lester’s orders, he occupied major cities throughout Blankas.

The title of undefeated hero continued without being broken in this war as well.

‘There were some crises though.’

After the curse of black magic, he could no longer use aura.

Perhaps because of that, he had also asked Eclas to gather information about black magic.

But in the end, he never regained the power of aura.

In Blankas, they realized Sched’s condition was abnormal and exploited that weakness.

To catch Sched alone, they attached three Sword Masters.

In that way, Sched was completely cut off and isolated from the imperial army, and his life or death was unknown for nearly a month.

‘I thought he died… But to think he would return with the enemy commander’s head.’

In half a month, Sched returned in a state close to being half-dead, holding the head of the Blankas general.

Limping on a rotting leg that didn’t receive treatment in time.

It was impossible to know how a person who couldn’t properly eat or drink brought back the general’s head.

Some even said that his isolation from the start may have been his strategy.

‘Facing three Sword Masters alone without aura? Who would come up with that as a strategy.’

It was a nonsensical hypothesis.

But even so, Eclas couldn’t completely dismiss the thought that the hypothesis might be correct.

Because Sched Lester often carried out incomprehensible, crazy acts.

‘…To find Riana Serpens.’

Eclas’s gaze fell on the woman across from him.

The head that was grasped in Sched’s hand when he returned alive after half a month.

That head belonged to the general who led the seizure of the Phedika.

The ship Riana Serpens was said to be on.

‘He’s persistent.’

Eclas was very irritated by Sched’s tenacious pursuit.

Even after returning half-dead, he stood up again.

As soon as his body recovered thanks to the priests’ holy power, he went to the battlefield.

He was truly a monstrous figure.

At the end of the war, the empire finally completely subjugated Blankas.

But even after that, Sched Lester did not return from Blankas.

He volunteered to the emperor to be the governor-general of Blankas.

Holding onto a single piece of information that Riana might be in Blankas.

Using the information Eclas provided and his own mobility, he thoroughly searched the land of Blankas.

In that way, he devoted a long time to Blankas again.

Egon’s red eyes quietly turned to the woman in front of him.

She knew nothing.

Why Sched Lester participated in the war with Blankas.

Why he occupied the port of Kalle first instead of the capital.

Why he volunteered to be the governor-general of Blankas.

All she knew was Sched Lester’s brilliant victory and the great glory of the young governor-general.

“He’s coming back…”

Leah muttered quietly, recalling Sched’s glory.