19. Regretful Male Lead 2, Duke Reshaniel Has Returned
Barely escaping the hell of steamed towels, I slipped out of the mansion early in the morning to heal myself at the coffeehouse. Running into Giyet, who was busy arranging potions at the nearby potion market, was quite the coincidence.
“Greetings, Duchess Kalinos.”
“Hey, Giyet. Want to grab a cup of coffee?” I asked him lightly, and he responded with a carefree smile and a nod.
The problem was, Giyet just couldn’t seem to focus on the conversation. Even as he sipped his coffee, he kept staring off into space, looking oddly distracted.
“If you’ve got something to do, you can go ahead.”
“Oh, it’s not that. There’s just some exciting news in our medical community.”
“Hm?”
“Duke Reshaniel has returned after completing his long training pilgrimage at the Magic Tower. There are even rumors he might soon become the tower master.”
…What? That mosquito that used to suck my mana dry with a straw is back in the empire?
“They say he’s been treating the wounded for free near the old fortress, which is called a holy place. Apparently, there’s a ritual that combines divine power and magic.”
“Oh, really? Does he do that kind of ritual?”
“Yes! It’s like a baptism with mana, I guess. He’s got that rare constitution, overflowing with both mana and divine power, right? People say everyone heals incredibly fast… And you know I have a knack for medical volunteering, don’t I?”
“So Duke Reshaniel can use both magic and divine power?”
Watching Giyet nod, I stroked my chin, deep in thought. Yeah, right. That damned rare constitution. Male leads always seemed to snatch up all the best traits, as if the whole world was on their side. Just like Marquis Berto, who was not only an outstanding swordsman but also a renowned painter, Duke Reshaniel had something special too. He was a so-called perfect prodigy, able to wield both mana and divine power at the same time.
What am I supposed to do with that b*stard? I muttered, absently stroking my chin as I stared into space. “Is there… no way to beat him?”
“Are you talking about Duke Reshaniel? Oh, in the healing world, there’s basically no one who can compete with him. He’s at the very top.”
“…”
Unlike Marquis Berto, who had a bit of a hot-tempered, wild-child reputation, Duke Reshaniel’s image was pure, one hundred percent untainted spring water. A saint blessed by the gods, the greatest healer, even his face was said to radiate holiness. Truly, he was the kind of male lead the whole world seemed determined to help.
The thought of facing someone so completely different from me made me instinctively uneasy. I felt a creeping anxiety that my hard-won, carefully rebuilt happiness might come crashing down…
But so what? It’s none of my business. I just have to take that guy down. I swallowed my anxiety and resolved to figure out a solution as quickly as possible.
At that moment, Giyet clapped his hands once, breaking the tension in the air. “Ah! Actually, now that I think about it, there is someone who could rival Duke Reshaniel’s reputation and healing abilities.”
Oh? Maybe this is a new stroke of luck for me, given how I’ve twisted this damned novel.
I looked at him with a sly grin. “Who is it? I’d really like to meet them.” Determined to win this person over to my side no matter what, I smiled with satisfaction.
And at that moment. Giyet let out a huge, excited huff, as if he could barely contain himself. He pressed his hands to his chest, looking just like someone about to gush over how beautiful, cool, and perfect his favorite idol is, and recited with utter seriousness, “Yes, I’ll tell you. The one who can stand against Duke Reshaniel is the saint of the streets…!”
“Oh…!”
“That person has inspired countless doctors and is the greatest guardian of medicine!”
Excited at the thought of making an ally, I was about to blink, then suddenly froze. Why do those titles sound so familiar…
“That person even brought great benefit to the world and healed Lord Neslan in an instant…!”
Wait. So that person is…
“It could only be Lady Wot!’
That’s… me?!
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Kalinos Mansion, Garno was busy these days searching for Wot. If I’m lucky, maybe that person could heal that child more completely. He hadn’t fully accepted Giselle as his granddaughter-in-law. But the sight of her collapsing had left a deep trauma in him as well.
I almost lost someone again because of my own mistake… He couldn’t help but feel small and guilty. That was why he wanted to find a healer and make sure that child recovered as much as possible.
While Garno was searching for Wot, his blood relatives quietly paid a visit to his parlor. Lately, he had always worn a gloomy expression as he greeted his other family members.
“What brings you here?”
“Our family is facing a crisis, Milord.”
“We know how devastated you’ve been since what happened to Hwairi. It was a shock to us as well.”
Judging by the looks on some of their faces, it wasn’t just empty words.
“But… it’s time to pull yourself together.” The blood relatives spoke in hushed voices. “There’s been a report that a demon seed has been discovered in the territory.
At those words, Garno’s face turned deathly pale. “De-Demon seed?”
“Yes!”
Demon seed. That was what people called the primordial demons that seeped out from the rifts. While weaker demons were born by borrowing a human mother’s womb, the most powerful ones were born from seeds, like plants. They would exist in their most vulnerable state, then, at some point, would take over the entire territory with demonic energy, creating an environment where they could run rampant. And now, something that dangerous has been found…
“Have you taken care of it?”
“We disposed of the seed we found, but you know as well as I do. Every monster war in history has started with the discovery of a demon seed.”
“…”
Garno’s eyes sank deep with pain. War. Just the thought of that word made him feel as if his feet were sinking into a swamp. It was as if the dead soldiers were reaching up to drag him down.
“For now, we’ve ordered close surveillance of the monster rift. However…”
Garno muttered, pressing his gritty eyes. “So, you’re saying we need a healer who can save both the mercenaries and our household members in case war breaks out.”
“Yes. And beyond that, we need someone with the power to purify a demon seed. Someone with healing or divine power.”
Even Garno couldn’t hide his agitation at the news that a demon seed had been discovered. All he could do was let out heavy sighs, one after another.
A blood relative who had lost an arm to monsters in the past whispered wistfully. “Sadly, the holy House of Reshaniel immediately refused our request for help.”
“Those arrogant, stuck-up b*stards. When have they ever lifted a finger for us?” Garno snorted in anger, his breath coming out in a huff. “Ugh… Who would’ve thought the lack of healing power would be what drags our family down like this?” He let out a long sigh and ran his hands roughly through his hair.
“Still, the current head of the family might be able to build some rapport with the Duke Reshaniel, don’t you think?”
“It’s true that only Reshaniel’s divine power can purify a demons seed. So, if a demon seed were to be found in the mansion as well, we might really have no choice but to swallow our pride and ask for help…”
Just then, someone murmured quietly. “…But do you really think Duke Kalinos would bend?”
“He may not be the most sociable, but his devotion to the family is genuine. There’s no reason he wouldn’t.”
“But, um, if you look at it a certain way, this whole thing is tangled up in a bit of a love affair…” A blood relative tilted their head and muttered about the messy relationship between Giselle and Duke Reshaniel.
After hearing all this, Garno’s face flushed bright red in an instant. If that’s all that happens, we’d be lucky if it doesn’t come to grabbing each other’s collars. Even he, who had no direct connection to Duke Reshaniel, almost lost his temper. So how much angrier must those directly involved feel?
At that moment, Garno suddenly remembered that Vientin had mentioned meeting with the House of Reshaniel at a previous dinner. He quickly looked around at his relatives. “When was that meeting with the House of Reshaniel scheduled for?”
“Oh, Milord. Let me check the schedule…” One of the relatives thought for a moment, then their eyes widened. “I-It’s today…! This afternoon!”
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