“I can’t……..?”

Lucas widened his eyes, not understanding what he had just heard as he informed Carl who was at the training ground most of the time.

‘What do you mean by I can’t go out!? Am I grounded? WHEN!?’

It was not like Carl who always followed Lucas anywhere as long as Lucas got a permission from the Duke and he seriously thought about when he committed a fault for that permission to get retracted.

“Why can’t I? I mean…. It is just around the city?”

“It is just that the Duke said the young master has to wait for him to come back. I suppose…. umm….. he wants you to be home when he comes back.” Carl scratched the back of his neck as he looked at Lucas with a smile.

“I mean…. I am not having a sleepover? It is just a half-day visit. And father is not coming back for a while, right?” Lucas was dumbfounded as he stared at how Carl nervously laughed at his questions.

‘What kind of stupid reasoning is this?’ He couldn’t help but to stare and stare at Carl, making the poor soul more tense and got sweaty all of a sudden.

‘It’s suspicious…. Definitely, suspicious!’

“Young master, let’s just stay in the mansion, today! Oh, you must be bored since Tus and Eura are also out. Young lord and lady are not home either. Do you want to play? What kind of game do you wanna play, young master!? I can definitely be your company!”

‘I don’t like how you are talking non-stop….’ Not knowing how to proceed with the plan, Lucas looked at Carl who seemed to be a bit nervous as he talked. Carl was not that good at covering things when it came to face to face and it was only then one thought flickered in Lucas’s mind.

“Wait! Did father know already that I met with demons?” He whispered to Carl, glaring at him so much that Carl could feel pressure from him. ‘It is the only situation for father to retract his permission…’ Lucas thought, thinking for more solutions if that was the case.

“No, young master! I kept my mouth shut for that! Don’t worry!”

‘Why are you shouting like that, you idiot!?’ Lucas was stunned when he heard that loud confident voice of Carl, worried that someone might accidently hear that conversation and started to think what kind of acts Lucas was doing in secret.

‘Judging from his voice… he is not lying….’ It made Lucas more and more speechless. When Lucas compared Carl's expression to the start of the conversation, it was quite clear that Carl was hiding something from him.

“Then, I cannot get out no matter what?” Lucas lifted an eyebrow, looking at every move that Carl was making.

“Uh… yes, young master….”

“Not even the start of the town?”

Carl nodded, making Lucas frown more.

“Even if I hate you?” This time Lucas decided to use the move of a cute little curious child, wanting to go out a lot and was going to hate the person who was not permitting him to go out.

And it seemed pretty effective as Lucas saw Carl became loaded with anxiety and seemed like he wanted to cry.

‘I am sorry, Carl….’ Lucas knew Carl had no fault in it and was following the orders but he needed to push himself forward. He promised himself that he would comfort Carl later.

“I am really sorry….. Young master… The duke really ordered it…”

‘Not even that works….?’ Sometimes Lucas really hated how Carl was so loyal to the Duke, especially in cases like this.

Lucas just made a big sigh without pushing forward further. And he believed that as long as he was still asking Carl, he would not make any difference. So instead, he walked away without talking back.

“Young master, shall I accompany you? Do you want to have a small sparring?” Carl thought about how Lucas didn’t come to the training ground since the day he had arrived at this mansion so he wondered if Lucas would want that as the little master always loved it.

“No. I am going to stay in my room all day so don’t disturb me.” Lucas pouted as he didn’t look back anymore, leaving Carl who looked like his world had already crumbled, thinking that Lucas had already hated him.

But Carl couldn’t do anything as it was the best for the young master after all. Right now, he just had to endure this feeling and comfort his young master later. Maybe candy or toys would work? But it was only a few seconds before Carl finally realized how stupid his idea was.

***

‘Gahhhh, what the heck is wrong this time now?’

Lucas groaned as he threw himself on his bed, wanting to hit his head to the wall for not being able to figure out the reason for him not being able to go out.

‘Yep, there has to be something behind that!’

Lucas wondered if there was something abnormal happening in the town but at the same time, when he looked at the expressions of the staff working in the mansion, there was nothing wrong with it. They are working as if nothing was happening, with all their atmosphere and gestures light and fresh.

‘It doesn’t seem like the people in the mansion will know of the case, too….’

But again Lucas decided that there was no loss in asking or getting some information here and there from the staff. Maybe someone might just know.

And he started to try that with Lucy, because she was one of the servants in the household that Lucas didn’t remember so he suspected that she was one of the people who came to work after the Dark Wave. That would make things easier with Lucas because she would not be as cautious as others, who had already known about Lucas, in leaking the information.

“Young master Lucas, what shall I do for you?”

As soon as Lucas called, Lucy came into the room with a polite manner, thinking that if her young master wanted some company. After paying respect with a slight bow, she looked at her cute young master who was sitting on his bed.

Since it had not been that long that she started working at this mansion, she didn’t really know about young master Lucas but everyone in the manner said that he was quite kind-hearted and also a genius. And when she first saw him, she realized he had a completely different aura from him compared to young lord and lady, which was why she was so eager to serve him even if it was for a day.

“Ah, it’s just that I want to ask you some questions!” Lucas then pointed to a chair which was not far from his bed. “Take a seat, Lucy.”

“Oh…. thank you, young master.”

‘As I expected! He is so sweet!’ Lucy almost smiled from thinking as it was really rare for the masters to give maids a seat when asking questions. Usually she would stand all the time in her master’s presence. And with gratitude, she took a seat, waiting for what her little master wanted to ask her.

“Lucy, when was the last time you went into the city?”

Lucas needed to know that as he also needed to calculate the time. It was possible that the case that was happening was the recent case and Lucy hadn’t gone there for a while so she might not know exactly.

“Eh?... Oh, I think it was around a week ago.” Lucy widened her eyes, not knowing why this young master was asking this but she knew she shouldn’t question her master unless it was really necessary so she kept it in.

‘Great!’ Lucas endured his lips from wanting to curl up as he continued.

“I see! Actually, I wanted to know about Evandall city as I have just arrived!” Lucas smiled innocently, wanting Lucy to be more comfortable around him. “You know, like how the city is really doing or….. Like new cases happening in the city?”

‘Fill me with as much information as you can, Lucy. I’m counting on you.’ Lucas inwardly prayed as he continued his smile and joyful behavior.

“Oh, the city is doing well! Thanks to Duke Cassius and also the young lord and lady, it is rebuilt quite well as if nothing had happened!”

“Umm…. is there anything particular happening in the city?.... Like something strange?”

‘Don’t think I am weird for asking this, Lucy…. It is essential…’ Lucas looked at Lucy who seemed to be getting surprised by his question. Was she getting suspicious, now? He didn’t know.

“I think there isn’t. It is just like normal. Yea, it is quite normal. Although some people are still afraid that the Dark Wave might happen again, all of them are doing well.”

‘So…… nothing strange has happened and it is just the whims of my dear father who doesn’t like me to go out a lot?’

“Then, what about around the city?”

The Evandall territory did not only have Evandall city. There were also some other towns in the territory which were not that far from one another. So it was also possible that something was happening in the towns which were near to the city.

“I am sorry but I don’t think there are any particular cases in there, too.” Lucy shook her head as she answered and it also made Lucas sigh in relief a bit.

‘That’s great, then!’ Lucas was thinking if there was something major happening and it was just his family that didn't want to talk that to him but hearing from Lucy and looking at her expression, it seemed that it was just his father’s problem.

Since there were also recent cases where he was not sure whether the novel was deviating or not, he was pretty worried but now he was happy that he didn’t meet any problem. At least, he could start his work instantly when Tus and Eura came back.

‘But I wonder why Carl reacted like that, though? Was he sad that he wasn’t able to follow my wish?’

As Lucas expected that there would be no answer that he could get from Lucy anymore, he decided to dismiss her but before he did that, a few words from Lucy made him close his mouth again.

“Ah, I wonder if it would fulfill your curiosity but….”

Lucas listened quietly as she continued.

“There is a rumor that someone got the demon’s curse in the southern part of the territory.” Lucy whispered to Lucas as if she was saying some kind of gossip which she didn’t want other people to hear.

“Of course, it is just a rumor! That curse only existed in stories used for the children so it has to be something misunderstood.” Lucy let out a small laugh as if it was something absurd. “One is going to say I am so stupid for saying such nonsense stories!” She wondered if what she said satisfied young master. Children in her village loved to listen to such stories a lot.

But it was not the same for Lucas.

He really couldn’t smile, and stayed stunned even though Lucy was smiling.

‘It is not something that only exists in stories….’ Lucas gulped as his eyes widened.

He knew exactly that this curse, no… this disease really existed in reality.

And this case was not something minor.

For which the novel’s female lead, Stella, was killed by such a thing.

---

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I love you all dear readers! Since I left with cliff-hanger, I will make sure to upload as fast as I can tomorrow >///<