Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock Chapter 290 - Side Story – Teacher and Disciple

 

Bang! Bang!

 

Fireworks lit up the night sky.

 

As everyone around him looked upward, lost in joy and awe, clapping their hands and laughing, a deep sigh escaped from a man in the crowd.

 

‘What’s so fun about this, anyway?’

 

He had only come out of curiosity, annoyed by the constant murmur of ghosts.

 

But no matter how long he stared, he couldn’t understand what was so beautiful or awe-inspiring about the fireworks.

 

Expressionless, he looked up for a moment before turning away.

 

Nothing looked beautiful to him.

 

Nothing tasted good either.

 

‘If I’d known it’d be this boring, I would’ve just stayed in the hideout and studied black magic.’

 

The only things that stirred his heart were black magic—and occasionally, the whispers of the darkness that wandered through nature.

 

After taking just a few steps, he felt something lightly bump against his leg.

 

It was so subtle, he thought it was just a box someone had left on the street.

 

But just as he was about to keep walking, the darkness spoke up.

 

“You’re just going to walk away after bumping into a child?”

 

“Russell, even we think that’s a bit much.”

 

‘A child…?’

 

Startled, Russell looked down.

 

A small child was lying quietly at his feet, blinking up at him.

 

“How could you, Russell? You hit a sick child.”

 

As the voices of darkness murmured, panic set in for Russell.

 

“S-Sorry! I’m really sorry!”

 

Flustered, he quickly picked up the child.

 

The child was far too light.

 

He looked to be about five or six years old.

 

The child’s bright blue eyes gazed up at him.

 

“Wow!”

 

Suddenly, the child broke into a wide smile.

 

At that moment, Russell’s heart sank.

 

Why would this child smile at him, of all people?

 

“A-Are you hurt? Did it hurt? No, wait, I should—”

 

“No, I’m happy! You chased away the bad uncles!”

 

“Bad uncles?”

 

Russell glanced around.

 

He’d purposely wandered into an alley, so there weren’t many people around—just a few ghosts loitering nearby, looking vaguely disappointed.

 

‘No way.’

 

Russell stared at the child.

 

The child hugged him tightly.

 

Frozen in place, Russell’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar warmth.

 

“Anthony said I should say thank you when someone helps me.”

 

Darkness spoke fondly as it looked at the child, who spoke so clearly.

 

“Russell, this child… He’s been blessed by the darkness.”

 

“I’m, um, Lucion. Thanks for helping me.”

 

Lucion nuzzled into Russell’s chest before pulling back slightly.

 

“…Oh, um—sorry I bumped into you. Did it hurt a lot?”

 

“No, I couldn’t possibly be hurt. It was like being bumped by a stuffed doll.”

 

“Heehee. That’s a relief.”

 

“There weren’t any of them near me, were there? That’s why you came this way, right?”

 

Russell asked, unsure.

 

“You can see them too, mister?”

 

Lucion’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

And Russell felt a strange sensation wash over him.

 

He had never seen a child so young, blessed by darkness.

 

‘He looks like he’s from a noble family…’

 

Judging by the clothes and the boy’s appearance, Russell couldn’t imagine him as anything else.

 

“Do you really see those bad uncles over there, mister?”

 

Lucion’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but Russell felt the need to correct something first.

 

“I’m not ‘mister.’ Call me ‘brother.’”

 

Lucion fidgeted with his little hands, awaiting Russell’s response.

 

His legs and the way he moved seemed awkward, but Russell pretended not to notice.

 

“My name is Russell. Russell Paul.”

 

As he bent down to pick up a small crutch that had fallen, he introduced himself.

 

“Brother Russell!”

 

The child’s little arms wrapped tightly around Russell’s neck, and hearing his name spoken so brightly felt strangely unfamiliar.

 

Bang!

 

Another firework burst in the sky.

 

“Brother Russell is my hero!”

 

“…?”

 

Amid the loud explosions, Lucion’s voice rang out clear and proud.

 

‘Me… a hero?’

 

Russell stared at Lucion, confused.

 

‘He fell over because of me. We only just met. I haven’t even done anything…’

 

For a moment, Russell nearly shouted at the child.

 

He was a warlock.

 

A world enemy, despised by everyone, with no one to welcome him.

 

But slowly, he set Lucion down.

 

As Lucion wobbled and struggled to stand properly, Russell quickly handed him the crutch.

 

“Where are your parents?”

 

“Ah…!”

 

Lucion finally glanced around.

 

“Those bad uncles kept bothering me, so I ran away. But I know the way back.”

 

He took the crutch and gave a small bow.

 

“Thank you, Brother Russell. I hope to see you again next time…”

 

Lucion pouted with a regretful expression before turning his back on Russell, who urged him to go quickly.

 

“Russell, you weren’t like that when you were little.”

 

The darkness giggled.

 

“Shut up,” Russell muttered, frowning as he watched Lucion’s tiny back disappear into the crowd.

 

As Lucion was about to vanish among the people, he looked back at Russell with tear-filled eyes.

 

With a sigh, Russell walked up to Lucion.

 

‘I knew it.’

 

* * *

 

“I’m…”

 

Munch.

 

“…sorry.”

 

Munch. Munch.

 

Lucion held a crepe nearly the size of his face and was busily munching on it.

 

He looked like a squirrel with its cheeks full of acorns.

 

“Pick one—talk or eat,” Russell said, starting to feel awkward about babysitting the child all of a sudden.

 

He had planned to ditch the festival and go back to his black magic studies.

 

“Brother Russell?”

 

“What?”

 

“I really, really begged my dad to let me come here… So if I suddenly go missing and he gets really mad, what should I do?”

 

Lucion’s voice wavered as he teared up again.

 

“Just apologize. Say you’re sorry.”

 

“Will that be enough? …What if my brother gets mad too, Brother?”

 

“You’ve got a brother too?”

 

“Yeah! His name’s Carson. He’s super cool. When he swings his sword, swoosh—everything just splits in half!”

 

Instead of crying, Lucion giggled softly.

 

Russell raised an eyebrow. Kids really were unpredictable.

 

“So you actually managed to sneak past the knights, huh?”

 

“…The knight uncles…”

 

Lucion’s hands trembled as he clutched the crepe tighter.

 

As fear washed over his face and his breathing became erratic, Russell quickly patted Lucion’s back to soothe him.

 

“Th-the fireworks were pretty, right?”

 

“You didn’t even watch them.”

 

“You looked bored the entire time.”

 

The darkness scoffed.

 

“…Hah.”

 

Lucion finally exhaled.

 

Tap. Tap.

 

As Russell gently patted him, Lucion, still sniffling, managed a tearful smile.

 

“They were beautiful! I think… I could watch them forever and never get tired.”

 

When his runny nose started to drip, Russell sighed and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe it.

 

“Thank you!”

 

‘He seems a bit older than he looks. Maybe eight or nine?’

 

Russell tilted his chin slightly, studying Lucion’s cheerful expression.

 

Maybe it was because the child was blessed by the darkness, but he felt a strange sense of concern toward him.

 

Children that young typically weren’t aware of their own powers, and that made things all the more difficult—especially for those tormented by the presence of ghosts.

 

“Where’s your home? I should take you back.”

 

But even this odd feeling of attachment would likely disappear once he dropped the kid off.

 

Lucion was a noble. Someone like him wasn’t meant to be involved with someone like Russell in the first place.

 

“Anthony told me not to tell strangers where I live.”

 

“Even after I bought you a crepe?”

 

Russell was taken aback, then let out a laugh when Lucion clutched his crepe tightly and leaned away, as if afraid it might be taken from him.

 

It had been a long time since Russell had laughed like that—and once it started, it wouldn’t stop.

 

“…Then, um… I’ll make an exception for Brother Russell. You’re a good person.”

 

“We only just met. You shouldn’t trust people so easily. Didn’t Anthony teach you that?”

 

“He did! I—I messed up…”

 

“Alright, fine. I’ll be the exception. I’m actually a pretty nice guy.”

 

The darkness fell silent for a moment.

 

Russell almost burst out laughing again.

 

‘Yeah… you just don’t want to admit it, do you?’

 

“Yes! Brother Russell hugged me, bought me a crepe, and chased away the bad uncles!”

 

‘Just a hug made him that happy…?’

 

Russell tilted his head at the innocent yet unexpected remark.

 

“Okay, okay. Now tell me where you live. Good kids need to get to bed.”

 

Lucion took a big bite of his crepe, mumbling as he spoke.

 

“It’s the Cronia Mansion!”

 

“…?”

 

Russell couldn’t believe his ears.

 

“You mean… that mansion over there?”

 

He pointed toward the magnificent building nestled between other structures.

 

Standing tall and proud, the Chronia mansion exuded grandeur even from a distance.

 

“That’s right!”

 

‘Whoa. I knew he was noble, but he’s the youngest son of that family?’

 

Russell’s throat suddenly felt dry.

 

‘I’ve never even spoken to a noble before.’

 

* * *

 

“…?”

 

Russell’s mind filled with unease as he approached the mansion, noticing a disturbing number of ghosts swarming around it—far more overwhelming than even the hostile gazes of the knights guarding the entrance.

 

‘What the hell… I get that the Cronia family has killed a lot while defending the frontier, but this many ghosts?’

 

They should have at least used some blessed items occasionally.

 

But apparently they hadn’t—this place was practically a den of ghosts.

 

“…Russell.”

 

The darkness called out to him.

 

“That kid… he was being chased by ghosts too. Can’t you help him?”

 

“Yeah, help him. You’re capable of that, aren’t you?”

 

It was uncharacteristically nosy of the darkness, but Russell was already feeling a twinge of concern.

 

Not everyone blessed by darkness became a warlock. For a child like Lucion, simply being able to see ghosts must’ve been a terrible burden.

 

Snooze… snooze…

 

Russell felt something stir deep in his heart—something warm and unfamiliar—as Lucion breathed softly on his back, sound asleep.

 

“This child says he lives here and seems to have gotten lost,” Russell explained, turning to the knights.

 

“L-Lord Lucion!”

 

The knights gasped upon recognizing Lucion, quickly covering their mouths.

 

“Keep it down. You’ll wake him.”

 

“P-Please, come this way.”

 

The moment they saw Lucion, the knights dropped their previous hostility, allowing Russell to walk directly into the mansion.

 

One of the knights contacted someone inside, while the others, filled with concern, followed Russell inside.

 

“I am Anthony, head butler of the Cronia household. Thank you sincerely for bringing the young master home.”

 

Anthony bowed respectfully.

 

However, a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes.

 

“I’ll take the young master from here.”

 

As he reached out, Russell turned his back slightly.

 

Just when he thought he might finally be free of the child, a small hand clung tightly to his neck.

 

“My apologies, young master. Did I wake you?”

 

Seeing Anthony’s apologetic expression, Lucion shook his head.

 

“Anthony, I want to go to the room with Brother Russell. If Brother Russell is there, the scary uncles won’t show up.”

 

The timid boy now smiled brightly, and Anthony turned to Russell with a gentle look.

 

“Mr. Russell, if it’s not too much trouble, would you come with us?”

 

Russell was a bit taken aback by how things were unfolding. But since he was already involved, he figured there was no harm in indulging the child just a little longer.

 

“…Alright.”

 

“Thank you for your kindness.”

 

Anthony let out a breath of relief. He had never seen Lucion attach himself to a stranger like this. Perhaps the trauma from the kidnapping was starting to fade.

 

“I’ll inform the Lord that the young master has returned home.”

 

After giving instructions to the other servants, Anthony bowed once more to Russell and began to lead the way.

 

“Woooow…”

 

Lucion leaned against Russell’s back, his eyes sparkling.

 

With Brother Russell around, all the bad uncles had vanished, and the mansion had fallen quiet.

 

It was amazing.

 

It was like a dream come true.

 

He was truly happy.

 

Even more than when everyone celebrated his birthday.

 

“Brother Russell.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Is your house far away?”

 

Russell thought for a moment. His hideout, located in a rocky area, wasn’t that far from the Cronia estate.

 

“Not too far.”

 

“Our house… has a lot of rooms,” Lucion said, his voice shy.

 

Anthony, catching the hint naturally, added, “Since it’s getting late, how about staying the night and leaving in the morning? We’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”

 

“I…”

 

Russell was about to refuse, but Lucion’s small hands tugged at his clothes, as if begging him not to go.

 

Letting out a small sigh, Russell relented.

 

“I’ll stay for one night.”

 

“Really…?”

 

Lucion’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Yeah.”

 

At Russell’s answer, Lucion smiled bashfully, then tugged on his clothes again, whispering softly, almost like a buzzing mosquito.

 

“If we could… sleep together…”

 

“Sure. Let’s sleep together.”

 

Russell was already feeling annoyed by the persistent voice of the darkness nagging him to help.

 

“Doesn’t it look like a child who finally found his lost parent?”

 

‘You happy now?’

 

“Thanks, Russell!”

 

“That was the coolest Russell I’ve ever seen!”

 

“Thank you, Brother.”

 

Hehehe.

 

Anthony sniffled quietly as Lucion’s soft laughter filled the room.

 

‘Is this… really that touching?’

 

Russell still couldn’t make sense of the whole situation.

 

* * *

 

“Brother. Brother Russell.”

 

Lucion opened his bright eyes, looking up at Russell, who was sitting beside him.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“This is the first time my house has ever been this quiet. I’m really happy you came today. My wish came true.”

 

Lucion fiddled nervously with the blanket.

 

“…You know, Brother, no one believes me—not Dad, not my brother, sister, or even Anthony. The bad uncles keep saying awful things to me, but no one believes me.”

 

He buried his face in the blanket, his voice trembling.

 

“Is it because I’m a bad kid who makes everyone sad?”

 

“No. It’s because the others can’t see them.”

 

Drawing on the connection he felt with Lucion since they met, Russell began to slowly bring out the gift he had for the child.