“Oh my. Vasquez, you’re that famous disciple of Atilei.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Where are you headed?”

“I’m on my way to Yebo Delim.”

“Is that so? What good timing. We’re also on our way to the capital. It’s rather lonely – why don’t we travel together?”

Unlike Cordelia’s businesslike and rigid attitude, Marquis Ingrion continued the conversation full of goodwill. Cordelia not only disliked traveling with a stranger, but was even more reluctant since that person was Marquis Ingrion.

“Thank you for the offer to travel together, but my father’s chronic illness has worsened and time is of the essence, so I’m afraid it would be difficult.”

It was a polite but clear refusal. Still, Marquis Ingrion showed no signs of backing down.

“Is Lord Vasquez in critical condition?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

“Then all the more reason to go together. If you come with me, you’ll be able to reach Yebo Delim faster than anyone.”

Cordelia’s lip twitched imperceptibly. He seemed to have already decided to travel with Cordelia, disregarding her opinion.

She glanced at Beluce and Gasil in turn. Gasil shook his head ever so slightly. Beluce’s expression was still unreadable, so she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

As Cordelia was about to convey her refusal once more, Gasil spoke up.

“It’s an honor to travel with you, Marquis.”

“Haha. I’d be glad to have some company on this boring journey. Oh, have you found a place to stay tonight?”

“No, not yet.”

“Is that so? Then stay here. Sir Jans.”

Jans was the old knight who had been beaten by Noah. He hurried over to Marquis Ingrion. The Marquis spoke in a generous tone.

“We’ll be traveling together to Yebo Delim. Please take care of our guests.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Marquis.”

Gasil bowed his head respectfully to Marquis Ingrion until the end. Cordelia was angry at Gasil for deciding their schedule without consulting her, but she held back for now. Though they had only known each other for a few days, he didn’t seem like someone who would act recklessly on a whim.

The three followed Jans’ guidance to the guest rooms. Only after Jans disappeared from sight did Gasil open his mouth.

“Marquis Ingrion is a cruel man. He shows no mercy, especially to those who defy him.”

“So it seems. Seeing how he struck down his own son without hesitation in front of his subordinates.”

“I’m sorry for accepting the Marquis’s offer without your permission. But…”

“Gasil is right. He’ll probably retaliate against us somehow if we don’t follow his words. He’s a petty man.”

Unusually, Beluce defended Gasil. Cordelia stared at Beluce. Recalling bits and pieces of his childhood that she had heard about, she felt worried.

“Are you alright, Beluce?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Marquis Ingrion. You’re not exactly on good terms, right? With your… brother and all.”

“Just think of it as a dog barking.”

He replied indifferently. Cordelia felt a bit uneasy, but she accepted it since the two men who knew Marquis Ingrion well were in agreement.

And so, an unexpected companion joined their journey to Yebo Delim.

* * *

Three days had passed since they began traveling with Marquis Ingrion to the capital. Contrary to expectations of discomfort, the journey with him wasn’t all that bad.

Above all, since Marquis Ingrion showed great favor to Cordelia, no one dared to treat her or her knight escorts, Gasil and Beluce, carelessly. Even Noah Ingrion, whom they had seen on the first day, was the same. He only glared intensely at Beluce from time to time, not daring to go against his father.

“It’s truly remarkable. To think such talent would come from Vasquez.”

“You flatter me.”

“Haha, I know Lord Atilei well, and he’s very picky about people. If you’re the disciple he chose, your skills must be beyond question, right?”

After some casual conversation, she could understand why he favored Cordelia – the Marquis was blatantly viewing her as a political connection to Atilei. At first, it was just burdensome, but after a few days, she thought it might not be so bad to take advantage of his goodwill.

Cordelia grew increasingly shameless, and by the third day, she was assigned a room almost comparable to where the Marquis was staying.

In just two more days, they would finally arrive in Yebo Delim. Cordelia had rehearsed in her mind several times what to say when she saw her father’s face. It wasn’t because she thought she might cry. Rather, it was because she felt she might pour out resentment towards him.

The fact that her father had agreed not to see his daughter in exchange for money from Leonard still remained a great shock and wound in Cordelia’s heart.

Though she wanted to lash out at her father with all the hurt she had received, she didn’t want to spend their last moments fighting, given that he might soon die. Not for her father’s sake, but for her own.

At that moment, an eerie sound came through the open window.

At first, she thought it might be a wild animal coming down, but human voices were mixed in.

“You… stupid… how many times…”

“I’m sorry.”

The voice heard through the wind clearly included Beluce’s. Cordelia was about to close the window when she recognized his voice and listened closely.

“Sigh, trash like you just doesn’t learn from words.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t have been born in the first place, you insolent bastard. How dare you look at me with those eyes!”

As Marquis Ingrion raised his voice in excitement, Cordelia was able to locate the two of them.

Cordelia’s eyes turned cold. At the same time, heat rose to her head. Beluce was being beaten like a dog by the Marquis while lying face down on the ground.

Without a second thought, she immediately burst out of the room. She rushed down the stairs two steps at a time and ran straight to the backyard. She was so fast that she was out of breath despite the short distance.

“Marquis, haa, Ingrion.”

“What is it, Miss Vasquez?”

He was very nonchalant, and if it weren’t for the blood sticking to the wooden sword in his hand, he would have looked as casual as if they had met at mealtime. Cordelia felt disgusted by his attitude.

She caught her rough breath and approached Beluce, who was lying face down on the ground. She grabbed his blood-soaked arm and lifted him up. Beluce stared at Cordelia for a moment before staggering to his feet.

Marquis Ingrion twitched his eyebrow.

“I’m not finished talking with that thing yet.”

“Thing? That’s quite a harsh way to refer to your son.”

“Son? Haha. Don’t say such things. I’m afraid someone might hear.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that Beluce is the proud son of Ingrion?”

She didn’t know why she was so angry. Cordelia gritted her teeth with each word she spoke. The anger boiling up in her chest kept heating up her entire body, making her hands tremble.

Marquis Ingrion dropped his half-formal speech and immediately bared his teeth.

“Watch your mouth. I have never once allowed that bastard to use Ingrion.”

“Unless Beluce’s mother conceived by divine will, it seems quite clear who his father is. Does denying it erase blood ties?”

“My involvement with that lowly whore was a mistake and the shame of my life! That thing is nothing but filthy trash!”

The Marquis shouted, blowing air through his nose. The more vehemently he denied Beluce’s existence, the more Cordelia’s blood boiled. She looked straight into the Marquis’s eyes and said,

“If you call Beluce a bastard or trash one more time, I won’t hold back either.”

“Hahaha!”

Marquis Ingrion burst into laughter like lightning. He said, rolling his dark eyes,

“You won’t hold back? What can someone like you do? A dying Vasquez at that.”

“I may not be able to do anything right now. But someday, when I become a high-level mage, become the Sirius of Acheron, and enough time has passed for me to accept the position of court mage, I will not forget a single insult you spat at Beluce today and will surely repay it in blood.”

He must have found an unbreakable will in her voice and eyes. For the first time, Marquis Ingrion hesitated. He glared at Beluce and Cordelia in turn and said,

“To make an enemy of me for the sake of that thing, you’re making a foolish choice right now.”

“Beluce Ingrion is the person who saved my life. You may not know this, Marquis Ingrion, but humans have duties they must uphold.”

The Marquis’s face turned red and blue. It was no different from openly criticizing him for not upholding his duties. Marquis Ingrion threw down the wooden sword he was holding.

“To insist on embracing the one who even killed his own mother. You must truly be Atilei’s disciple.”

Beluce flinched. Cordelia turned her head slightly to check on Beluce before facing Marquis Ingrion again. Then she smiled brightly and said,

“I would gladly accept him even if he had killed my father, Marquis Ingrion.”

“…You’ll regret those words.”

“It seems our journey together ends here, unfortunately.”

Cordelia turned around and tightly grabbed Beluce’s limping arm, heading back into the inn. Beluce whispered,

“You’ve done something unnecessary. That old man is persistent and petty. He’ll surely find fault…”

“Why were you being beaten?”

“…”

“You had no problem choking me and twisting my arm, so why were you being beaten by that beast of a man? Why?”

The anger she thought had subsided flared up like wildfire in her chest. If he had been slapped like Noah Ingrion, she wouldn’t have been this angry. But in the scene she witnessed, Beluce wasn’t human.

An animal. Or an insect.

She could find no trace of personhood in Beluce as he was being trampled with a wooden sword and feet. And Beluce being beaten seemed all too familiar with it. His submission, as if any resistance was meaningless, was inexplicably irritating.