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I became excessively good at playing the role of an adopted daughter. In Chapter 124, Viscount Seaal was ensnared in deep contemplation.

Two thoughts endlessly battled in his heart.

“Still, she’s the child of my beloved wife. I must cherish her.”

“Can I truly love that child unconditionally?”

The child bore no guilt.

But in the future, could he not come to resent her?

He vowed not to resent her and resolved not to hate her, but he honestly lacked confidence.

“If I can’t love her wholly…

I must consider sending her to Bellatu…

What is the right choice?

No.

This was fundamentally a question one couldn’t determine right from wrong.

He entered the underground secret chamber set up beneath the Duke’s Mansion and wept profusely for a long time.

“Oh God, I am weak.”

A year had passed, but occasionally, memories of his wife’s infidelity would resurface.

He had genuinely forgiven her, yet those memories wouldn’t just vanish.

Ultimately, he made a decision.

“Forgive my weakness.”

If it were up to him, he would want to live embracing that child.

It wasn’t impossible.

It would only hurt him alone.

“I lack the confidence to love her unconditionally.”

He acknowledged his shortcomings and fragility.

Even after arriving at this conclusion, he hid in the room and cried for a while.

If only I were a better person, if only I were a more adequate person, I could embrace the child.

No.

If I were a better person, my wife wouldn’t have cheated.

Viscount Seaal cried there alone until dawn.

With his chest pounding.

*

Sheilan cleared his throat.

“Master, Viscount Seaal went into the underground chamber.”

Having tasted a stable life and the sweetness of money, Sheilan was no longer an assassin.

As a retired assassin, he used his skills to gather information for Viola.

“It smelled strongly of mold deep underground. Watching a grown man cry for over five hours was torture…”

“Sounds like you had a rough time, so that means you want money?”

“Oh my, dear master. How could you! You hit the nail on the head again.”

“Alright. I’ll give you an extra bonus of 300,000 Daliar. Just tell Zeno.”

“Thank you for taking me on as your student.”

Sheilan, tasting the sweetness of money, bowed deeply.

His lofty dream of announcing the Grass Sword had already crumbled like autumn leaves.

Viola learned everything about Viscount Seaal’s situation through Sheilan and felt pained.

However, she didn’t let it show on the outside.

After all, it was an act to save herself.

Admittedly, with the formidable enemy, Vengas, gone, Viscount Seaal would have to live with his pain for a lifetime.

“I must take responsibility.”

Feigning ignorance, she asked Viscount Seaal.

“Have you made your decision in your heart?”

“Yes.”

Seaal ultimately decided to send the child to Bellatu.

“I can’t express how reliable it is that the Iron-Blooded Princess is becoming the guardian.”

“Have you chosen a name for the child?”

“Benato, I will name him Benato Seaal.”

He bestowed his surname upon Serfon’s child as well.

“Does Benato mean the fruit of love?”

Seaal lowered his head shyly.

It seemed embarrassing to give a name meaning ‘fruit of love’ while sending his wife’s child far away.

“No one will blame you, Viscount Seaal.”

“I feel embarrassed.”

“I understand the sorrow of being parentless better than anyone.”

“……Ah.”

Seaal recalled that the current Viola was very different from the Viola of old.

She had been adopted from the slums.

Her present form was so radiant that he couldn’t recall her past.

“I will do my best to ensure you don’t become another Viola.”

To be precise, he vowed to do his best to prevent her from becoming another Ah-rin.

Viola understood.

No one could replace a mother or a father.

The teachers at the orphanage were always kind and warm, but they could not fill the void left by parents.

“I will take responsibility for Benato Seaal.”

And then she stood before Seaal.

Thirteen years old, Viola was still small and had to tilt her head back a good amount to see Seaal’s face.

“You did nothing wrong, my lord.”

Viscount Seaal was filled with self-reproach.

If only I were a better person, if only I were a more adequate person, he thought.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.

You are more than good enough, my lord.”

Seaal bit his lips tightly and looked at Viola.

It felt as if every word coming from that little girl was infused with life.

Viola held the pink diamond jewelry box that she had shown him before.

“You’re a good person, my lord.”

Viola felt grand.

It was as if a giant had come close and embraced her.

His eyes reddened.

The Viscount accepted the pink diamond.

Though he had done nothing wrong, he felt relieved to have been forgiven.

“I’m glad that Princess Viola is the guardian of my child.”

He felt he could trust her.

This young girl was no longer just a girl.

To Seaal, she was a giant.

“If there comes a day when I become a better person and can love my child completely, would it be alright for me to bring him back?”

“Absolutely.”

Viscount Seaal knelt on one knee and locked eyes with Viola.

He spoke from the heart.

“It’s an honor to meet you in my lifetime.”

*

Bichen chuckled.

“Your wrist looks so loose! Oh dear, it hurts.”

Blood dripped, but he didn’t pay much mind.

He applied a magic potion to stop the bleeding.

“Impressive, pup. You almost got your arm cut off for real.”

“I was trying to cut off my wrist but failed.”

Tundra was not in good shape either.

His body was covered in wounds, large and small.

It was because they had engaged in a spar that pretended to be a real battle.

The ground of the training ground was soaked with blood after their duel.

After the spar, Tundra said to Hixson.

“I must become stronger.”

Hixson scratched his cheek lightly.

Tundra was growing at a rapid pace.

He had nearly cut off Bichen’s wrist, who was directly descended from Bellatu.

Despite practicing far less than Bichen, he had made it this far already.

“What drives your desperation?”

“Well….”

Tundra thought of Viola.

For him, Viola was always an object of longing.

“I want to become a partner who isn’t ashamed in front of my master.”

If he was a dog protecting his master, wouldn’t he have to be stronger than his master?

Wouldn’t he need to be a sword that his master could wield with full faith?

Tundra thought like that.

“Alright! You’ve finally dropped the ‘dog’ part.”

Hixson let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest.

Finally, that fellow had yielded.

Wherever he went, he kept referring to himself as ‘companion dog’, which had puzzled Hixson.

People pointed and murmured about it too.

Odd rumors began to circulate around Viola.

“I’ve decided to drop it publicly.

Anyway, I don’t want to be ashamed in front of my master.”

Viola was strong.

Being the White Bellatu, she hardly used brute force, though.

“I want to become sharp teeth.”

“Hmm.”

Hixson stroked his chin, thinking hard.

“There is a way.”

Long ago, about 30 years back, the training methods were incredibly primitive.

It was common to die while training.

“What is it?”

“Train in the ‘Place Where the Eye Shines.’

That’s where the Sacred Ground of the Ancient Warriors lies.”

It was an excessively dangerous and harsh training, so no one sought out the Place Where the Eye Shines these days.

Among the martial artists who entered for training, 60% died, and 30% were afflicted with severe injuries or mental illness.

“Are there those who survived there?”

“There are.”

Hixson pointed at himself with a finger.

“Me.”

Then he gestured towards Duke Heron’s room.

“Him.”

Slightly to the side, he pointed towards Medea’s room.

“Medea.”

This time he pointed southward far away.

“Emperor of the Sword Nelak.”

He tilted slightly to the left.

“And the Storm Blade Jackal. Oh, by the way. Zeno didn’t mention it himself, but he probably trained there too. You can smell it.”

As if a thought had just occurred to him, he mentioned one more person.

“That Sirson from the 6th Magic Tower trained with me there.”

If they went back a generation or two, there were quite a few people who had trained in the Place Where the Eye Shines.

Though survivors were rare, those who lived were usually at the pinnacle of their fields.

Or so it was said.

Tundra did not deliberate long.

“Please send me there.”

“It will take a long time.”

“That’s okay.”

“You might never see your beloved master again.”

“Becoming an admirable partner is better than staying beside her as an ashamed one.”

Hixson scowled deeply.

Initially, he had managed to leave out ‘dog,’ but now his true feelings had surfaced.

“Alright, go on then. I’ll show you the way.”

“What about you, master?”

“Hey, I’m too old to go there.

It’s scary.”

Cat mom Hixson earnestly continued.

“If I go too, who will keep the butterfly safe?”

*

Viola held a small child in her arms.

She had arrived at the Duke’s territory in an old and shabby carriage, but upon returning to Bellatu, she ordered the finest carriage.

Unusually, the golden lion flag symbolizing the Bellatu Duke House was raised high, accompanied by a splendid military band and numerous knight guards.

From the colossal carriage stepped out a silver-haired girl.

“I’ve come to fetch you, Viola.”

Viola was momentarily startled by this grand procession but didn’t show it outwardly.

And once again she realized.

In this world, nothing couldn’t be solved with money.

Long live my rich sister.

“With this, no one should bother us.”

Except for those who had attacked Princess Sena a year ago.

Hera swallowed those words.

Meanwhile, Viola addressed Viscount Seaal and his wife.

“I will take responsibility for Benato’s safety. You two may visit Winter Castle anytime to see the child.”

As she received the farewell from Viscount Seaal and his wife, Viola climbed into the carriage.

Benato, who almost became Vengas, was wrapped snugly in a thick cradle, sound asleep.

It was a high-quality cradle imbued with various magic spells.

Hera asked.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I need to become a guardian. I’ll do my best.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a noble.”

Hera smirked.

“Sometimes, you take actions that I just can’t fathom.”

Like that time when she bought up a large area of the Shike Wasteland or when she intentionally spared an assassin from the Eastern Continent to take him on as a mentor, Hera just couldn’t understand.

“However, looking back, your choices have always been right. So this time, I’ll try not to doubt you.”

Hera gazed at the baby surrounded by the cradle.

“It looks like it could break if you squeeze it too hard.”

Viola was horrified internally but didn’t show it.

‘Does this mean it’s cute?’

It was just Hera’s way of expressing that.

And days passed.

As expected, bandit groups didn’t dare to approach, and they reached the Duke’s Mansion without any mishaps.

Before arriving at the Duke’s Mansion, Hera asked.

“Are you serious about planning to visit the 6th Magic Tower?”

The Magic Tower was a closed-off place.

They rarely accepted outsiders.

Countless people had died caught in magic traps while trying to forcibly enter the tower.

Uninvited guests could not enter the Magic Tower.

And Viola had not been invited to the tower.

She had sent a letter long ago but had been rejected.

“You’ve already been rejected. No matter how much of a Bellatu princess you are, it could still be dangerous.”

Viola smiled slyly.

She uttered words that were the complete opposite of her inner thoughts.

“You said you would buy my sister’s future.”

Regardless of Viola’s feelings, Hera felt a chill run down her spine.

Viola’s words resonated deeply.

“I will show you how it’s done.”

Hera’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Today, Viola’s legs trembled, and cold sweat dripped down her back.