It seems that ever since I died and woke up again, the people I meet have become considerably more violent.

Compared to the scene unfolding before my eyes, the attack I suffered was quite tame, leaving Aeli at a loss for words.

‘I thought it was a bit dull to just make me stand up, but what is this!’

Far from being dull, it was like polishing a blade to a brilliant shine.

The shape of blades rose around Noel, who was grabbing Lutis by the collar.

Seeing that, Aeli’s face turned pale.

“…!”

It was natural, as she was one of the few people who knew about the magic Noel had personally developed.

It looked threatening with its sharpness and occasional sparks of electricity, but those weren’t real blades.

Although it was for attacking, it wasn’t the type to inflict wounds like a sword, so it didn’t endanger one’s life.

But why was this magic so horrifying?

‘That, that… that’s for torture!’

Unlike ordinary attack magic, even if it stabbed or slashed, it wouldn’t leave a wound, but the pain would be felt just the same.

In a word, phantom pain.

As long as one was careful about shock, there was no risk of aggravating the wound or dying from excessive bleeding, making it a suitable magic for torture.

However, since it felt closer to a curse than an attack, its actual use was tentatively put on hold.

‘He’s going to use that on Lutis?’

The problem was that the suspended magic was now visible to her eyes.

Without further thought, Aeli hurriedly stepped in front of Noel and shouted.

“Are you crazy? What are you doing all of a sudden!”

Honestly, blocking him in a state where she had no strength wouldn’t be of much help.

Noel’s eyes also looked crazed, which was scary in itself. No one likes pain, after all.

But even so, she couldn’t just stand by and watch.

It also played a part that Lutis, who would have normally defended and even counterattacked, was just taking it.

‘He’s the type to pick fights first, not endure them, so why is he just taking the hits?!’

Even if Noel’s magical skills were unrivaled within the empire, Lutis was a Sword Master.

No matter how good a mage’s physical abilities were, they couldn’t compare to a trained knight.

If he wanted to turn the tables in this close-quarters battle, it wouldn’t be impossible.

‘…He’s definitely letting himself get hit on purpose.’

Somehow, ever since Noel barged into the mansion, Lutis had been quietly going along with it, unlike his usual personality.

Whether he felt indebted or thought Aeli’s foolish death was his fault and felt guilty about it.

That magic, too, would clearly pierce right through Lutis unless Aeli stopped it.

How could she pretend not to know that?

Noel frowned and opened his mouth at Aeli, who was trembling slightly as she blocked his path.

“Move.”

“Would you move if you were me?!”

“If you don’t move, you’ll get stabbed too.”

“…It’s not like you’ll really die from getting hit by that anyway. It’ll just hurt a lot.”

“You-”

“That’s why you chose this magic on purpose, right? You’re angry and don’t have the confidence to control it, but Lutis isn’t fighting back, so you’re afraid you might really kill him if you use the wrong spell.”

“…”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

To be a bit more honest, part of the reason she stepped in was because she saw a flicker of hesitation pass over Noel’s face.

It seemed like she could persuade him if she tried.

‘Of course, we’ve lived together for several years. I can tell that much.’

From behind Aeli, a slightly surprised voice was heard.

“You…”

Without even looking back at Lutis’ call, Aeli spoke.

“Killing a noble is punishable by death regardless of the reason if caught, right?”

“…”

“Even if it only applies to the perpetrator and not the entire family, if Noel kills Lutis, he’ll die too.”

Up to this point, it wasn’t their eyes that were rolling back, but they had Adi.

If Lutis and Noel disappeared, the child would be left alone.

Of course, there was Aeli and the former Count and Countess, the child’s grandparents, but there was no guarantee anywhere that they could perfectly fill the void left by the Duke and Count.

It was never easy for a young child to endure among adults who only wanted to tear them apart and eat them down to the bone.

Even if there was somewhere else to rely on, that fact wouldn’t change.

“Even if there are other families to support them, it makes a big difference whether there are elders to back them up from above. It’s not impossible to establish a position without that foundation, but it’s not eas-”

Ah.

“…”

Aeli, who was startled for a moment after saying it herself, hurriedly shut her mouth, feeling like she had made a mistake.

Although the sentence was cut off in the middle, Noel, who understood Aeli’s meaning, flinched.

Because Lutis had been like that.

“…”

“…”

As mentioned a few times before, Lutis had relied on the Masons from a young age.

At the time, his parents didn’t tell them the reason, so he thought that was why, but once he grew up a bit, he couldn’t not know.

The young boy covered in wounds, dressed in black mourning clothes, standing alone without crying at the funeral he had attended with his parents.

[Aeli, there will be someone living with us at the mansion from now on.] […Are we getting a puppy?!] […] [Dad?] […No. Not a puppy, a person. You don’t ‘keep’ a person. We’re just gaining a new family member.] [Family… family? Dad cheated on Mom?! Mom! Mooom!] [No, no…! There was a Duke who was very close with Dad since our academy days, and it’s his son. We attended the funeral together not long ago, remember?] [Oh, oh…]

The encounter she thought would end there continued a few days later when that kid came to the Mason mansion.

They said that while traveling together, their ship ran aground and everyone died, but he miraculously survived alone.

Only then did Aeli understand why he was so covered in wounds that day and why he blankly stared at the two empty coffins as if his soul had left his body.

The reason she had persistently followed him around from the day they first met was purely because she was anxious.

‘Of course, since he only stayed locked in his room with a face that looked like he might collapse at any moment.’

Thinking of Lutis now, it was unimaginable, but at the time, he only gave the impression of being very frail and sensitive.

Feeling like she couldn’t leave him alone, she would always drag him out of his room, asking if he wasn’t bored staying inside all the time.

‘…It wasn’t until the seasons changed that he stopped ignoring me and we could have a proper conversation.’

Anyway.

At first, she thought it would be more common for him to rely on another Mason vassal or the family of the former Duchess instead of the Masons, but later on, she understood the reason for that choice.

Lutis’ parents had met and married during their academy days, and since it wasn’t a political marriage, there was a significant gap between their families.

In other words, they were too weak to protect the still young Lutis.

But relying on a vassal risked upsetting the balance between other families, and there was a danger that they might become too powerful or develop other intentions.

‘They weren’t expecting any benefits to fall into their laps either. If it was a place that could protect and care for a young child, with enough friendship…’

Honestly, the Masons were the best choice.

Aeli had personally seen how busy Lutis was when he inherited the title.

For the few years between their engagement and marriage, he often had dark circles under his eyes.

He probably had to work for days and nights without sleep just to make time to see her for a day.

So back then, they mostly went on picnics except during the very cold winter.

‘Because I could make him sleep if I insisted on taking a nap…’

That’s how they spent their time.

In conclusion, there was no way Noel wouldn’t know that, so he wouldn’t create such a situation with his own hands.

‘-But how do I say this in front of the person concerned?’

When Aeli couldn’t continue speaking and was biting her lip, a hand rose above her shoulder and quickly fell.

Aeli turned her head.

“…There was blood on it.”

Lutis awkwardly raised the arm that was first injured by Noel’s attack, then lowered it quietly as red liquid dripped onto the floor.

Drip.

At that action, Lutis opened his mouth with a face that seemed unconcerned, unlike when he had misspoken and tried to read the room earlier.

“I think this much should be enough. Are you going to hit me more?”

“…”

At his words, which seemed to say he would take it if Noel intended to attack, Noel shut his mouth just as Aeli had done.

The atmosphere wasn’t one where he could say he would hit him more, and the magic he had raised in the air had long been withdrawn since Aeli intervened.

Lutis continued.

“Even if the Count asks, there isn’t much we can answer. That’s why we moved the coffin here and hid it in the first place.”

“…”

“-When a beast dug up the grave and we checked for repairs, we found that the corpse hadn’t decayed at all for weeks.”

“…What?”

“You’re a mage, so you’ve probably already checked, but it wasn’t preservation magic or black magic. …Once we confirmed that, how could we just bury it again?”

He had no other choice since he found out right before departing. At Lutis’ words, Noel’s brow furrowed.

Aeli had already heard it from Lutis, so she nodded slightly.

No matter how they tried to contact the Masons, they couldn’t get through, so how could they inform them?

Noel frowned for a moment, then pointed to Aeli and asked.

“Then how will you explain that?”

“…”

“You should know how absurd your claim sounds. I’ve never heard of such a thing either, so even if we let this slide for now, does it make sense for someone to wake up fine after being dead?”

“…”

“Are you saying a corpse that hasn’t undergone any preservation treatment suddenly sat up after lying still for years?”

“…”

“…”

Aeli’s eyes trembled slightly at Noel’s highly agitated tone.

Well, it does seem to be the case.