How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 179

「Who are you?!」

 

The white-haired woman jumped up and shouted, but there was no one else around except for them.

 

Just as she sharpened her senses to detect any presence—

 

「Oh, great Shaman! M-Monster!」

 

「Monster?」

 

– How dare you call me a monster!

 

A fierce frost storm ripped through their tough leather armor and skin, accompanied by the howling of the wind that tore through the air.

 

Before they could even scream, they were flung away along with their tents, rolling across the icy ground. Among them, the first to regain his senses was a man wearing a wolf pelt over his head.

 

He immediately drew the sword at his waist and looked up toward the overwhelming presence that made his very skin tingle.

 

Blocking out the sun like a dark cloud and casting a shadow over the entire encampment, it was a being larger than a whale cleaving through the frozen sea, floating in the air with its massive wings spread wide.

 

「W-what is that…」

 

He realized for the first time at this moment that when fear is too much, the body doesn’t even tremble.

 

How could he describe that feeling?

 

As if standing before the sun, a towering mountain, or an unfathomable abyss, he suddenly felt utterly insignificant.

 

A deep, absolute despair took root—the realization that no matter how many times he died and came back, he would never be able to challenge that existence.

 

The feeling he and the other barbarians felt was close to helplessness.

 

No matter what they did, they wouldn’t even touch the tip of that being’s toes.

 

Their instincts recognized that all they could do was pray for the mercy of an absolute predator.

 

The strength in the hand of the one who had already drawn the sword disappeared, and dozens of spells melted away like snow in the Shaman’s head.

 

Everyone sank to the ground. They kneeled

 

Except for one person.

 

「My blue stone!」

 

– Huh?

 

「I can feel the presence of my blue stone inside you. Hand it over! It must have been mine originally!」

 

– aha… So it was you who took my heart and played with it?

 

The creature’s long, slit-shaped blue pupils shimmered like gemstones.

 

There was little else to say about what happened next.

 

That’s all witnesses could express about the death of the Great Shaman, who was crushed and scattered like a grain of snow.

 

And in the next moment, those who had struggled to process the absurdity of Great Shaman’s death belatedly let out screams.

 

But to the enormous being, their cries were no more than birds chirping. It merely parted its long snout, as if yawning.

 

– Now then, who else dares to claim what is mine?

 

There was no one to answer that question.

 

No, it would be more accurate to say that there was no one who could answer it.

 

Except for the Great Shaman whose eyes rolled back and whose liver protruded out of his stomach, no one dared to speak in the presence of that being.

 

– What, no one?

 

「……」

 

 

– Okay, let’s talk about something else.

 

A light breeze blew from somewhere, and six or seven of the people lying on the ground were lifted into the air.

 

They screamed in instinctive fear as their feet lifted from the ground, too shocked to notice.

 

Those who had risen into the air were all those who had been holding a meeting with the Great Shaman in the tent.

 

– What were you planning to do with Raenel?

 

The slit pupils moved back and forth, examining those floating in the air.

 

Just that—just moving its gaze—generated a surge of magic as intense as when the Great Shaman struck his wand against the ground.

 

Someone, terrified by the violent movement of magical power like a frost storm, answered.

 

「Raenel? Who do you mean—」

 

– The Marquise. She’s my mother’s friend.

 

The blue irises that looked at the one who had spoken became narrower than before.

 

– You want to kidnap her?

 

「N-no! That was the Great Shaman’s idea alone… I-It would have been impossible! We never thought of that.」

 

– Hmph. Then I’ll just erase everything that gets in my way.

 

The blue irises disappeared.

 

The long snout opened wide.

 

The magical powers that had been shaking fiercely were sucked into it and began to compress into small white ball.

 

At first, the white ball of magic looked like a small bead, but at some point, it grew into an apple, and then a ball.

 

Most of the barbarians had already fainted, and only a few of them who still had their wits about them looked up with strangled faces.

 

The compressed ball of magic explodes.

 

The last thing they felt was their vision turning completely white and the sensation of their skin freezing as if it were burning.

 

Then, all at once, their consciousness was cut off.

 

* * *

 

Compared to her mother, Rake was still small, so the power of Rake’s breath was weaker than expected.

 

But it was more than enough to wipe out an entire encampment.

 

Rake looked down at the ice ground, where not a single trace of human presence remained but a large crater, and yawned with her mouth open.

 

– Tch. Boring. I expected it, but it’s really not fun to kill time. I’d rather go to the greenhouse and pick some fruit.

 

Having vented her frustration, Rake was about to turn back when she suddenly remembered what the barbarians had said earlier. With a thud, she struck the ground with her tail.

 

– So, not all of them were here…?

 

But even so, one barbarian was the same as any other. No matter how many of them had left this place, they were no threat to Rake in the slightest.

 

However, wasn’t it different for humans?

 

Rake let out a sigh as she recalled Raenel’s soft skin without a single hard scale.

 

– Humans don’t live long as it is. I can’t let her get hurt.

 

After all, wasn’t she the contractor of a dragon?

 

Not just any dragon—her mother. So naturally, it was her responsibility to take care of Raenel.

 

– When I get back, I should ask her to bake a hundred strawberry tarts.

 

Wagging her large tail, Rake tilted her head, searching for any other living beings.

 

A moment later, sensing a presence different from that of a monster, Rake’s body shimmered like a mirage and disappeared.

 

* * *

 

‘Why has there been no news from Rake, who I thought would return by the next day at the latest?’

 

‘Did she really leave the castle?’

 

No, that couldn’t be it. She hadn’t even been hatched for a full year yet; she had nowhere to go and no one to meet.

 

‘If there had been someone else to take care of Rake, Hiyela wouldn’t have asked me to do it.’

 

‘So where on earth was Rake? Could she have really gone to the White Land and gotten lost?’

 

“Madam, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

 

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

 

I shook my head and muttered vaguely, but Layla seemed to have already figured out what I was thinking and let out a small sigh.

 

“Are you thinking about Rake again? Don’t worry too much. Nothing bad could’ve happened.”

 

Only Layla and Lucius had been told about Rake’s true identity in advance.

 

It seemed necessary to have at least a few people who knew, just in case. But if too many found out, it could cause unnecessary confusion in the castle.

 

“Rake’s physically grown, but mentally she’s still a child.…”

 

“If she’s playing outside, she’ll probably come back when she gets hungry. My little cousin used to do that.”

 

Even knowing Rake was a dragon, Layla still talked about Rake as if she were a five-year-old child.

 

‘Well, I guess dragons are just creatures from fairy tales to her.’

 

To be honest, even I still couldn’t fully grasp just how powerful a dragon truly was.

 

Though, considering Rake had teleported an entire group of people effortlessly, Rake was certainly impressive.

 

‘Maybe if I studied magic, I’d understand it better?’

 

But even though I want to study, I’m too busy with work for the time being.

 

I sighed as I watched Layla lay down new papers on the desk.

 

“The flowers that arrived this morning have all been taken to the greenhouse. Also, the silver plates, forks, and knives that arrived yesterday have been checked for defects…”

 

As I listened to Layla’s story after story, I signed the receipts sent by various merchants.

 

With so many guests arriving, the expenses were staggering. The numbers were so large that spending money didn’t even feel real anymore.

 

“And the guest rooms for the wedding attendees are all ready. I made the arrangements while you were away…”

 

Everything had to be prepared down to the last detail—from the color of the bedding to the flowers in the vases.

 

Since all the guests were nobles, we had to ensure that the rooms met their standards and even suited their tastes.

 

It was never easy. It had to match the status of the nobles who would be staying in the room, and it had to suit their tastes.

 

One mistake—like placing a flower someone was allergic to—could lead to disaster.

 

A single misstep could tarnish the lady of the house’s reputation.

 

Hosting guests requires meticulous care and attention.

 

‘But how was I supposed to know the personal preferences of people I hadn’t even properly met yet?’

 

I handed Layla a bundle of receipts I had already signed, smiling.

 

“You’re the only one I can count on. Take these to the treasury. And also—”

 

—Tok Tok

 

As I was about to give her another errand, there was a knock on the door.

 

“Madam, a guest has arrived from the Silver Frost Tower.”

 

“From the Silver Frost Tower?”

 

I had given instructions to welcome any visitors from the Tower and inform me immediately.

 

‘I didn’t expect them to come this soon, though.’

 

I tried to recall how many days had passed since I left the Tower as I rose from my seat.

 

“Who’s here? Just a wizard?”

 

“She introduced herself as Marilyn. She said you will know when you hear her name.”

 

“Really? Marie came herself?”

 

‘As a direct disciple of Felix, I thought she wouldn’t be doing that kind of messenger work.’

 

‘Hearing her name made me unexpectedly happy—perhaps Marilyn had grown fond of me as well?’

 

Thinking that, my steps quickened as I headed for the living room where she was waiting.

 

“Marie!”

 

“Ah—! Ahem, I haven’t eaten anything yet.”

 

Marilyn, startled by my call, shrugged her shoulders, put down the fork she was holding, and placed both hands on her lap.

 

There was still white cream on the corner of her lips, and half the cake on her plate was already gone.

 

I held back my laughter and sat down across from Marilyn.

 

* * *