Chapter 44 – The Only One (4)
‘Father must have that child…’
She knew her father, Erns, very well. After her mother passed away in her childhood, he acted as if he would give her everything, but in reality, his true nature was pure greed.
As a child, she had not recognized that side of him and simply followed him, believing him to be a caring and capable father.
However, as she grew older and became more knowledgeable, she started to feel a distance from him, realizing how everything she enjoyed was obtained.
She was different from her father and from the things he had done. She wanted to realize and prove that difference.
‘Fortunately, the guards are not that strict.’
Lila, who moved just before dawn when everyone was most exhausted, quickly slipped over the wall and into the annex.
Under Erns’ powerful command, the subordinates guarding the place were bewildered as they did not know what was inside, allowing a gap in their vigilance.
Training as a knight at the academy, Lila easily seized the opportunity.
Even though she was the boss’s daughter, those who prioritized Erns’s orders would forcibly drag her out if caught, but since she had entered without anyone knowing, that wouldn’t happen.
‘Even with the surveillance magic… I can manage this much.’
There are various ways to ensure security besides having people standing guard. The magic that a mage casts to detect movements and trigger alarms is one of those ways, but Lila, using her mana, was a trained knight.
Noticing the boundary magic, she easily found a way to carefully cross it.
“Here.”
She arrived at the deepest room on the third floor of the annex. Catching her breath, Lila cautiously grasped the wooden door handle adorned with gold trim, carved with intricate designs.
As expected of a place that stored the most precious items, inside was Erns’s most treasured possession.
“Hello? I’ve been waiting.”
A refreshing breeze suddenly swept through a place devoid of wind, brushing past Lila’s body. The voice that seemed to know she was coming came from the bed in the room.
“Me, you…?”
Lila approached in a daze and unconsciously swallowed hard. The girl with red eyes sitting on the bed smiled at her, and when she snapped her fingers, the door that seemed to be blown by the wind closed with a thud.
‘Is she really an elf?’
Although Lila had seen Erns from a distance, this was her first time actually seeing an elf. A mysterious race she had only heard of in stories, captivated, Lila stood up slowly, flinching as the girl approached her.
“I had my suspicions the moment I saw you. Even now, you have those eyes that scream curiosity and wonder.”
The girl continued to smile, looking up at Lila. Not knowing what she was, Lila was oblivious to the danger she was in.
“My name is Irilia.”
“I, I am…”
“I know, Lila.”
Irilia revealed her own name. Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Lila tried to state her name, but Irilia nodded, indicating that she already knew.
“It seems your father wants to make me a treasure of the family. Something to be passed on to you and your children. You must have an inkling of that, so why did you come here?”
‘I need to know her true intentions.’
Irilia sat back casually on the bed, crossing her legs and smiling. Approaching Lila was part of her original plan.
If necessary, she thought of taking Lila hostage to escape from here, but for now, she wanted to observe Lila’s reaction.
Exactly who Lila was, what thoughts she held. If she could understand that, she might find a better way.
“I was worried that my father might hurt you. Although it’s seldom, he can be quite violent.”
“You don’t know him. As you said, your father is greedy. That’s exactly why he can bind me like this but can’t hurt me.”
At Lila’s reply, Irilia wiggled the legs she had crossed. Only then did she notice the chain binding the slender girl’s ankle.
The chain was thin enough to be worn as a necklace, so it wasn’t particularly intimidating or rough, but Lila flinched.
“—?”
‘Right. I suppose after dealing with all those formidable individuals and incidents, I can also see the truths emerging.’
Moreover, it wasn’t just that. Irilia saw the truth hidden in the trembling eyes of Lila, finding a lie.
The claim that she had come out of concern for Irilia was false. Lila was still quite immature in hiding the smoldering innate greed within her.
‘Why am I like this? I can’t take my eyes off her.’
Of course, it was only natural. Throughout her life, Lila had never felt a vacancy.
The impulse stirring within her now was the intense greed inherited from her father. That nature, dormant for over ten years, awakened today upon seeing the one and only treasure.
‘Just like her father, she has the same eyes.’
Irilia let out a faint smile at Lila, who regarded her with eyes mirroring Erns, only differing in color.
“How about waiting calmly? If your father dies of old age, naturally the wealth will become yours.”
“I can’t wait. I want it right now. But my father will never give it to me.”
Breath becoming ragged and heart racing, Lila’s eyes widened as she realized why she had acted so impulsively.
Irilia, who had been shoved onto the bed by Lila, smiled as she looked up at her.
‘Ah…’
Seeing Irilia lying beneath her with her brilliant silver hair sprawled across the blanket, Lila felt her body gradually heat up and, captivated, reached out to stroke her face.
Uncertain of what she might do if she went a step further, the still immature Lila was completely dominated by her emotions.
“Not the ears.”
As her hand, which was touching the soft cheek, moved toward the elf’s long ears, Irilia, who had been lying there docile, suddenly grabbed her wrist without resistance.
‘They say elves value their ears highly?’
Irilia, being one of the originators of elves, wouldn’t care about her ears being touched, but for the elves of this era, ears were considered precious.
“Why? I…”
Lila struggled, confused, but surprisingly, she could not shake off Irilia’s grip with the strength of a knight. It was impossible for a mere academy-level knight trainee to overpower someone like Irilia, who had already developed a deep bond with the spirits.
“You’re not my master yet, are you?”
And with that, Irilia began her work on Lila. There was no need for threats or force; she would make the boss’s daughter willingly take herself out of here.
“I resent my father. No matter how much I beg, he will never give you to me.”
“True. But if you really want it, it’s not impossible.”
She whispered to Lila, who had a despondent look on her face. At those words, Lila’s eyes widened.
“You know? If you let me go and take me out of here, you can have me completely. After that, if you run away to a place your father doesn’t know about, we can be together forever.”
It was a fatal whisper. A ridiculous temptation to betray her father and give up everything she had.
However, just as Erns, driven by that greed, became a wealthy and powerful figure from nothing, Lila too could not reject her innate nature.
“I will.”
In the end, Lila couldn’t resist her nature and nodded.
*
“—?”
“I didn’t even know. Who would have thought she’d be like that?”
Lila had left, and by now, the morning sun was brightening the room. I was already awake, spending time frolicking with the spirits.
I hadn’t planned on using seduction at all, but thanks to Lila’s unexpected display, many adjustments had been made to my plans.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect much, but now it can’t be helped.”
I thought she was just an ordinary beautiful girl, but she turned out to be much scarier and more talented than I imagined. And that talent wasn’t just in her abilities as a knight.
When she and I had contacted each other physically, Lila was too distracted to notice that the spirits were playfully climbing onto or clinging to her body.
It meant that she had a talent to draw out the spirits’ power, if not full spirit magic. If I, the only one who could handle spirit magic in this world, were to help her a bit, she might just become a unique spirit knight.
‘If she truly works for me, I have no reason not to reward her.’
It was a bit unsettling to make her betray her father and the organization herself, but if I could provide enough compensation, it might be fine.
Erns surely wouldn’t genuinely seek revenge against his cherished daughter, so if I succeeded in manipulating Lila, who had estranged herself, I would absorb the power he possessed.
All of this was unintentional and revolved entirely around Lila’s innate nature.
“The scheduled time is tonight. Until then, let’s rest a bit more.”
I decided to lounge in bed until Erns came to bring food.
Tonight, if Lila finished her preparations to leave, I planned to escape this place with her and return to Ethan.
