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Chapter 273: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (66)

Elsie was afraid of Reynold.

Count Rinella, who held an omnipotent position, always reigned as an object of both reverence and fear.

For Elsie, it was no different..

Even as she sharpened her blade of vengeance against the siblings who tormented her, Elsie never dared to entertain the thought of rebelling against Count Rinella.

That was also the reason why the members of the Rinella family turned a blind eye to bullying towards Elsie.

Because that was the will of Count Rinella.

Therefore, Elsie endured unilateral violence without receiving any help.

Even Elsie, the biggest victim, didn\'t dare to rebel against Count Rinella. Who could possibly interfere with his philosophy?

It was an expectation that could never be fulfilled from the start.

Except for one person.

"...What are you doing right now?"

That sole exception was Uncle Reynold.

One of only two Archmages in the family and Count Rinella\'s younger brother, who had his full trust.

He was the only one in the family who could go against Count Rinella\'s will.

Reynold would sternly scold the siblings whenever he saw them bullying Elsie and Lupine.

"Do you realise how childish and petty your actions are? If it’s okay to bully the weak, then I suppose I can bully you all I want."

"Th-That\'s not it, Uncle..."

No matter how much they tried to excuse themselves, he never showed leniency to the perpetrators.

The siblings, who were so arrogant when tormenting Elsie and Lupine, would soon become disheartened and flee.

Watching Reynold like this, Elsie nurtured her dream of becoming a mage.

Right now, she was just a small and weak little girl. But someday, she would surely become a remarkable mage like her uncle.

Then, the people who mocked and bullied her would have to completely change their attitudes.

Fortunately, Elsie had both extraordinary talent and determination. Thanks to that, she soon achieved her dream.

More cruelly and violently.

She became a demon who crushed her opponents so they could never resist again, but Elsie thought that it was only natural.

That is, until she found herself being scolded by Reynold.

"Elsie, that\'s enough."

This was the reprimand she heard when she was in the midst of fervently exacting her revenge on her siblings.

Of course, she couldn’t understand Reynold.

She merely returned what she had suffered. There was nothing wrong with her motives.

Nevertheless, the answer she received each time was always the same.

"Aren\'t you a Rinella, and aren\'t those children Rinella too?"

Had they ever shown her any leniency because she was a Rinella?

Such anger suddenly welled up, but Elsie couldn\'t bring herself to argue with him.

Elsie was still weak and needed a safe haven.

Reynold, who had always been strong and reliable, was one of the few people who gave her a sense of security.

Elsie had once thought that if she could ride on his back, she would gladly bear the name of Rinella.

She never imagined that her then resolution would come back to her in this way.

Now, Reynold stood before her as a wall higher and thicker than anything else.

The moment Elsie met his cold eyes, she froze.

It was a fear ingrained since childhood.

"I’ll say it again, Elsie, the family\'s will is firm."

That damned family once again..

Elsie’s body had stiffened at first,but she was already at her wit\'s end now.

She needed to go rescue her Master as soon as possible.

There was no time to argue with Reynold like this.

Finally, Elsie couldn\'t hold back any longer and bared her teeth.

"...So what?"

Her tone was sarcastic.

It was not the kind of language one should use with a respected elder of the family.

Yet, Reynold\'s voice remained calm as he responded.

"Didn\'t I tell you to stop?"

His words were short and concise, devoid of any emotion.

He seemed like a robot, operating purely on logic.

"As you can see, it’s a hopeless fight... Going there would only result in a dog\'s death. I would prefer my niece not to be that foolish."

"So you\'re telling me to just let him die like this?!"

It was a desperate retort filled with emotion.

Elsie raised her voice, pointing to the center of the battlefield.

There, Ian was still struggling for his life.

His condition was so dire that it wouldn\'t be strange if he collapsed and died at any moment.

Taking in the bloody scene, Elsie\'s voice grew even louder.

"You don\'t understand, Uncle, how important Master is to me...!"

"...Why wouldn\'t I understand?"

It was a single phrase.

A common expression of empathy that interrupted Elsie\'s words.

But just that single statement left Elsie speechless.

It was because his face looked so sorrowful as he spoke.

It was an expression that even Elsie, who had been with him for a long time, had never seen before.

"I, too, was once in love. It was my first and last love... But our love was faced with opposition from the family and, unable to bear her sense of self-reproach, she took her own life."

Elsie was about to argue back.

But instead, she ended up pressing her lips together and remained silent.

Because of the sudden revelation of her uncle\'s tragic past.

Reynold always seemed so reliable and strong. She never knew he still carried the wounds from that day.

Because he never spoke about it, not even once.

As he recounted his past, his eyes were filled with deep sadness and pain.

"So, seeking freedom, I left the family... But I returned to the family\'s embrace in the end. Because while emotions are volatile, blood ties remain unchanged."

"But still, still..."

"That\'s why it\'s fate."

As Elsie muttered, seemingly unable to accept it, Reynold asserted again.

His finger pointed somewhere.

"...Now, look. At that monster."

It was a giant body towering tens of meters high.

Every time it stomped its feet or threw a punch, a rumbling noise arose. The ground shook, and the world suffered from the tremors.

Fear resurfaced in Elsie\'s eyes.

"Do you think you would change the course of the battle by going there?"

She had no rebuttal.

Elsie was an excellent mage who had reached the 5th Circle, but she wasn\'t yet at a level where she could single-handedly turn the tide of battle.

To do that, she would need to become an Archmage who had reached at least the 6th circle.

And even at a glance, that monster seemed impossible to handle, even with the Enhanced Magic of the 6th Circle.

But Elsie couldn\'t give up until the end.

As she couldn\'t bear to lose Ian like this, Elsie pleaded desperately.

"Th-Then if we lead the mage corps..."

"Look at that."

Of course, Reynold was not an easy opponent.

Even in the face of his niece\'s pleas, he only gave a cold answer.

"When cornered, you again try to rely on the family\'s power, don\'t you Elsie... That\'s who you are."

It was a brutally straightforward truth.

She could only blankly lower her gaze.

She thought she had changed.

Rather than being a troublemaker who solely relied on her family, she was proud that she had grown by being with Ian and falling in love with him.

But that was just an illusion.

Even now, Elsie couldn\'t do anything on her own.

She knew that going alone wouldn\'t allow her to rescue Ian or turn the tide of the battle.

\'A dog\'s death.\'

Just as Reynolds said, it would be nothing more than a dog\'s death.

Elsie trembled, clenching her fists tightly.

She had many precious memories with Ian.

The memory of winning the hunting festival, beating the arrogant Delphine.

The memory of being saved by Ian at the orphanage, traversing through the battlefield in his arms.

The memory of asking Ian for a date, being rejected, and then taking it out on Lupine.

The memory of Ian rescuing her again the next day, and the memory of him telling her he would love her in the backyard.

And after that, memory after memory after memory...

The memories with Ian continued endlessly.

When had they piled up so much?

All those countless memories stacked up on Elsie\'s heart like a tower of stones, shaking precariously.

With a voice on the verge of breaking into tears, Elsie suddenly voiced a question that came to mind.

"...Master."

Reynold\'s blue eyes still showed no ripple of emotion.

He simply stared at Elsie silently.

"What did Master say...?"

There was no response.

It meant Reynold didn\'t understand the intent of the question.

Finally, Elsie shouted in frustration.

"You said Master said something! When you proposed the engagement, what did he say?!"

Only then did Reynold slightly avert his gaze.

He seemed a bit hesitant.

Whether to convey this or not.

Reynold\'s hesitation didn\'t last long.

With a resigned tone, he began to speak.

"...He kept asking what you thought about it. So I told him that the opinions of the parties involved don\'t really matter in an engagement."

I told him, but what does it matter?

Elsie\'s tear-filled eyes glared at him in annoyance.

In the end, Reynolds had no choice but to let out a sigh-laden response.

"Young Master Ian said this. That since you\'re so headstrong, he needs to hear your opinion..."

Heh, Elsie let out a scoff as if in disbelief.

Headstrong?

It was inevitable. Ever since she bore the name of Rinella, Elsiealways relied on her family\'s power to commit misdeeds.

Even if those memories lingered in Ian\'s mind, there was nothing she could do about it.

Right, Elsie was a \'Rinella\' after all.

She was nothing more than the best fighting dog her family raised.

Just as Elsie was about to turn away powerlessly, thinking Ian must have thought the same.

‘Senior Elsie.’

A man\'s voice pierced her eardrums.