Chapter 23: The One Who Is Not Tainted by the Red Petrified Stone

Late afternoon.

As the sun was slowly preparing to scatter the evening light, Rosel’s butler, Gellion, and Brikal’s knight, Duvel, were walking side by side along the stone path in the garden.

It was a walk with no particular destination.

Duvel, who had been patrolling aimlessly for Brikal’s well-being as he remained bedridden, and Gellion, who had been strolling for the convenience of the nobles gathered for a rare moment of peace, happened to cross paths.

“Long time no see, Gellion-nim.”

It was Duvel who spoke first.

A mild breeze blew, ruffling his blue hair.

His face, with a long scar on his right cheek, appeared somewhat rough, but overall, it wore a melancholic expression.

Gellion nodded lightly in Duvel’s direction and responded.

“You must have had a hard time, Duvel-kyung.”

“You’ve had more of a hard time, Gellion-nim.”

“Haha, I won’t deny that.”

Duvel followed Gellion’s playful remark with a warm chuckle. Then, deciding to ask a question that had been bothering him since the night before, he continued.

“By the way… When did Duke Rosel start handling mana?”

“…What? He’s been handling mana?”

Gellion looked surprised, and Duvel wore a similar expression.

“You mean to say, Gellion-nim, you didn’t know?”

“Hahaha, that can’t be. Our lord cannot use mana. Just two months ago, during the development of a magical weapon, mana was accidentally released, and it was absorbed into his body, causing him to faint.”

It’s not that one would automatically faint just from being unable to use mana. For Duvel, his body had been greatly enhanced, and he had built a perfect tolerance to mana.

Also, when wearing an “artifact” officially produced by the Alchemy Association, mana was absorbed by the artifact without affecting the body.

Thus, in noble families where mana manipulation wasn’t possible, they would often wear various types of artifacts.

These artifacts, being highly concentrated with mana technology, were far too expensive for commoners to afford.

However, Rosel couldn’t use mana, not because he couldn’t, but because he chose not to. The fainting incident was caused by a weapon explosion during

development, not from mana absorption, but that’s how Gellion had interpreted it.

In particular, the use of artifacts at the magical weapon development site was strictly forbidden, as it could affect the imperfect weapons.

Of course, Gellion now knew that Duke Rosel could manipulate mana, but out of respect for his lord’s will, he had only spoken of the past to Duvel.

He didn’t know the exact reason, but he knew well that Rosel wasn’t the kind of person to create unnecessary secrets.

Duvel furrowed his brows.

Well, last night had been chaotic, and the faint hint of dark mana in Rosel’s hand had been difficult to distinguish from the surrounding shadows.

“Hmm… Perhaps I might have seen it wrong.”

“Haha, you never said anything about being unable to use mana. But at least from what I know, our lord hasn’t been very close with mana.”

“Haha, I understand.”

The conversation paused for a moment.

The chirping of sparrows, gathering in the bushes of the garden instead of the orchestra, tickled their ears.

It was Gellion who resumed the conversation.

“Duvel-kyung.”

“Speak.”

“Your knightly ideals haven’t changed, have they?”

Duvel hesitated to answer immediately at Gellion’s sudden question. He knew what the intent behind the question was.

He had known Gellion for a long time.

They had been together even when the scar on his cheek had first appeared, and now, after ten years, they served different lords.

Gellion understood the meaning behind the scar on Duvel’s cheek and asked because of it.

Duvel was an honest man, a knight who lived by his vows and ideals.

It was clear that he would not approve of Brikal’s tyrannical rule.

And Gellion, who was affiliated with the royalist faction, also knew that Duvel’s solemn oath to protect the king had not wavered.

Gellion’s question carried a weight, asking if Duvel’s commitment had remained unchanged.

…Though Gellion asked with opposing intentions, Duvel wasn’t yet sure.

“Hmm…”

“Hahaha, you don’t have to answer.”

“…A vow is the life of a knight.”

In the end, Duvel let out a sigh and brushed off his concerns, then gave the answer Gellion was likely hoping to hear.

Of course, the answer wasn’t a lie.

It was just… confusing.

“Haha, that’s right. A knight should always be that way.”

Gellion smiled bitterly.

At that moment, as if reflecting the intent of Gellion’s question, Duvel spoke.

“By the way, the way Duke Rosel struck the young servant’s head last night… somehow, it reminded me a lot of King Brikal.”

Duvel’s counterattack caused Gellion to fall silent.

Of course, it was a different kind of silence than Duvel’s.

“Do you really think so? Duvel-kyung.”

“Haha, didn’t you see it yourself, Gellion-nim? Well, I think it’s an inevitable truth. If you stay in the red petrified stone for long enough, anyone will inevitably become tainted.”

Gellion fell silent again.

In his gaze, his loyalty to Rosel had not wavered even a fraction.

And Duvel, who couldn’t see that belief, felt pity for him.

Ten years ago, the two had fought side by side to protect the young Lady Ronsya, who had since passed away at the age of 16.

It had been during an ambush on their journey to debut in society, when they were both sincerely serving a noble lord.

But now…

Duvel, serving a lord who had lost his honor, was a source of deep sorrow for him.

What Duvel had said, about how “if you stay in the red petrified stone for too long, you’ll inevitably become tainted,” ironically applied to Gellion, but perhaps he didn’t realize it.

Of course, just because a ruler is a tyrant doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be served.

It’s just that it was sad that Gellion had forgotten the noble glory they had once shared in serving a worthy ruler ten years ago.

Thus, after a brief silence, Gellion spoke to Duvel.

“Duvel-kyung, do you have a moment?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I have something to show you.”

What could it be?

With Gellion’s suddenly heavy mood, Duvel followed him, still questioning, until they arrived at a door marked with a small sign reading [Duty Room].

The question grew in Duvel’s mind.

What was the intent behind this?

Arriving at the duty room seemed to imply that Gellion wanted to make Duvel recall the events of the previous night.

Could it be that he was going to reprimand him for saying that his lord had become tainted by Brikal’s tyranny?

Click.

The door to the duty room opened, and as Duvel followed Gellion inside, he saw Roden lying in bed.

“…Is he still unable to wake from the brink of death?”

“Haha, no. He’s just having a peaceful sleep.”

“Really…”

At Gellion’s words, Duvel expressed his condolences, mistakenly thinking “peaceful sleep” meant eternal rest.

Gellion smiled again.

“He’s just sleeping. He’ll wake up soon.”

“…Really?”

A flush of color returned to Duvel’s face, his sadness lifting a little. He knew Roden. He had seen him playing amiably with Lady Cilia several times.

So, he should have felt the pain when Roden collapsed.

“But I clearly saw the wine bottle break…”

“It was my lord who sacrificed his hand.”

“S-sacrificed his hand? But, he clearly fainted…”

“Haha, it seems that he released the mana from the artifact into Roden.”

“Ah…! So, he broke the wine bottle with his hand and released mana to faint Roden?”

Duvel had never heard of the technique to release mana from an artifact, but he didn’t question it.

He was simply astonished.

It was remarkable that Duke Rosel had managed to use such quick thinking in such a critical moment.

“Haha, yes, that’s what happened. I felt it was something I had to show you, Duvel-kyung.”

Through this, Gellion wanted to show Duvel that there was still a lord worth serving in this world.

Even if one were to be tainted by the red petrified stone, as Duvel had said, it didn’t mean they would be completely corrupted like King Brikal.

Gellion had hoped that Duvel, at least, wouldn’t forget the glory of ten years ago.

Even if that glory had ended in failure, he wanted Duvel to realize that such glory could still be revived.

As Gellion gently pulled up the blanket over Roden’s chest, he spoke again.

“What my lord showed us was that just because one is immersed in red petrified stone, it doesn’t mean they are inevitably tainted.”

“…Haha… I was foolish.”

Duvel laughed wearily.

Yes, Duke Rosel could never be like that.

It was only natural to think that someone as virtuous and gentle as him would never act in such a way, but at that time, he hadn’t realized it.

In the end, it was himself who had been tainted by the red petrified stone.

“…Thank you, Gellion-nim.”

“There’s no need to mention it. We simply hope that the red petrified stone becomes purified.” He chuckled.

“Do you think it will be purified…?”

Gellion looked at Duvel.

Then, with a warm smile, he patted Duvel’s shoulder.

“Duvel-kyung, you just need to watch over the pond until the red petrified stone is purified. Isn’t that the job of a knight-errant? Just like the day ten years ago.”

Gellion, having encountered countless nobles, knew well that humans could both fall into corruption and be redeemed.

For now, the once clear pond had turned red.

But even so, it was still a pond, and Gellion simply hoped it would regain its clarity.

Duvel nodded, as if he had come to an understanding.

His confused heart seemed to settle with Gellion’s broad perspective.

“Haha, that doesn’t mean Duke Rosel has rebelled against King Brikal. He simply knows how to protect his own in this chaotic world.”

Duvel couldn’t help but look at Gellion with admiration, seeing the loyalty, affection, and respect in his words.

“…There is no greater honor than serving a good lord with all your heart. I envy you, Gellion-nim.”

“One day, Duvel-kyung, you will also experience such honor. I hope you don’t forget the glory of ten years ago.” He chuckled.

“Haha, I truly hope so.”

Just then, the door to the duty room suddenly opened.

“Oh, here you are.”

It was Cilia. She had come to deliver her father’s summons.

Upon seeing Cilia, Duvel gave a light bow and said,

“Ah, Lady Cilia. I haven’t properly congratulated you yet. I sincerely wish you a happy birthday.”

“Hehe, thank you, Duvel-nim.”

“You can just call me by name.”

Cilia always addressed Duvel with the honorific “nim,” and though Duvel always asked her to call him more casually, she always gave the same response.

“How can I call someone as great as Duvel-nim, who protects His Majesty the King?”

Duvel looked at Cilia.

And he thought,

She truly resembled Lady Ronsya, whom he had protected with all his heart ten years ago.

That evening.

In the garden of the mansion, where a faint darkness had settled, peace prevailed.

It was peace for Brikal, who had yet to recover from his hangover.

After Duke Rosel, the one responsible for this peace, greeted the nobles,

While all the attendants were distracted by the aristocracy, he slipped into Esil’s room.

To anyone watching, it would have meant nothing.

After all, it was only natural for a master to enter the servant’s quarters.

After his brief meeting with Esil, Duke Rosel left the empty dishes and headed toward the kitchen.

Thanks to the ongoing party and banquet, he didn’t need to set aside food, so he wasn’t hungry.

Of course, after the banquet was over, he would have to skip a meal.

Esil had insisted she was fine with just bread, but for Rosel, her meal was a serious matter.

He knew well that a healthy body fosters a healthy mind.

Having placed the dishes in the wash basin, Rosel was about to leave the kitchen,

But then, from the darkness in the corner of the kitchen, someone called his name.

“Master.”

The voice belonged to none other than the head attendant, Jicel.