Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 229

☆ Chapter 229 ☆

“Th-that’s what I’m about to do!”

“Then why don’t you say something *after* you’ve done it? Unless you’re the type to talk before acting.”

Shuela’s face flushed red.

Ruatisha stood up from her seat and picked up the documents Shuela had thrown down.

“I accepted your ‘request’ to be in charge of internal affairs, thinking it was a gesture of goodwill. But if this is all you can do, it won’t work.”

“What?”

“If your abilities are this limited, I can’t hold onto you and teach you everything one by one. It’s difficult for both of us.”

Ruatisha shrugged and smiled brightly at Shuela.

“Would you please leave now?”

Shuela, overwhelmed with humiliation, couldn’t say anything and just stood there.

“The young lady is asking you to leave.”

“Please leave.”

Orca and the other employees urged Shuela to leave.

‘They’re treating me like this? This is a complete dismissal.’

“Miss, aren’t you being too lenient? If I had submitted something like this, you would have fired me immediately, but you’re kindly telling her to redo it.”

“You can only be disappointed if you have expectations. But this… this is a bit much.”

Thump.

The sound of the door closing and Ruatisha and her aide’s chatter disappeared at the same time.

Shuela’s clenched fist trembled.

“Miss…”

The close aide who came with her comforted Shuela’s shoulder.

Shuela roughly shook off her hand.

“Aaaargh! Aaargh!”

Unable to contain her anger, Shuela screamed and glared at the closed door.

“Zeon… I’m going to Zeon! I’m going to tell Zeon everything!”

* * *

I shook my head at the squawking sound coming from outside the office.

“What a temper.”

“She has no manners at all. I’ve never seen a young lady like that before.”

Grunde shook his head.

I chuckled.

“Grunde, you’re really good at being sarcastic.”

“Oh, not at all. I’m nowhere near as good as you, Princess.”

“Haha… That’s an insult, isn’t it?”

“It’s a compliment, a compliment.”

Grunde winked.

‘Whatever.’

I plopped down on the sofa and opened my mouth.

“How was it?”

Then, the door to the inner conference room connected to the office opened.

And the head of the Paeraton Magic Department and the chief sorcerer walked out.

“There’s no trace of mana at all. It’s not black magic.”

“There were no spell formulas or imprints either.”

“…Is that so?”

Not black magic, nor sorcery.

‘I don’t even know which novel to summon [referring to which fictional trope or explanation to apply].’

“I understand, for now.”

“…Do you have something in mind?”

“Does it look like I do?”

“Yes. Because you’re not panicking.”

“Well, there’s more to the world than just black magic or sorcery.”

“But if it’s not black magic or sorcery, this kind of thing can’t be done.”

“No. There’s one left.”

At my words, the two frowned. They looked like they were wondering what was left.

I slowly opened my lips.

“A trick using fraud [a type of powerful, reality-bending magic].”

“…!”

“Bu, but that’s—”

“It’s possible. If there’s someone who can manipulate fraud besides Muriel Shabon.”

Muriel used fraud to place a curse on Sid and even opened the gate to the Demon World.

After Sid stayed in the Demon World in my place, I frantically searched for someone who could use fraud.

If someone could manipulate fraud like Muriel, they could reopen the gate to the Demon World.

But no matter how much I searched, there was no such person.

I thought that fraud was like a power that humans couldn’t handle, so there was no one who could use it….

“There was.”

“…It’s our fault. If they existed, we should have found them back then.”

“No, maybe it’s not a person.”

Muriel wasn’t human either.

She was just something disguised as a human.

“I wish they had used black magic or sorcery instead. Fraud…”

It’s such a dangerous power.

The faces of the two, who knew the danger of fraud well, sank heavily.

“Bring Frith.”

At my words, Orca bowed and left the office.

Not long after, Frith entered the office. Sandra was with him.

“You called, Princess.”

“There’s something I want you to find out. Get me a list of people Shuela Prussian has been meeting recently.”

At my words, Frith pouted.

“You keep using us like your private information organization, but we’re an organization created by the Marquis to protect you, Princess? You keep threatening us not to follow you when you go out, so we can’t do anything, and the Marquis is always scolding us. If you order us to investigate other people like this, that manpower is—”

Thwack!

“Ack!”

Sandra, who kicked Frith in the shin, bowed to me.

“I’m sorry, Princess.”

“It’s okay. It’s not Sandra’s fault. The organizations are different from the start.”

Recently, I’ve been (threatening) WBD [likely an intelligence agency] and SSS [another agency] to keep them away whenever I meet Sid, so Frith must have a lot built up.

‘Poor thing.’

I asked Frith, who was teary-eyed and whimpering.

“What’s your organization’s name?”

“SSS.”

“Besides that, the real name.”

“…MyMoneyMyHand YourNeckMyHand PetiteCutePretty OurYoungestGranddaughterPrincess TMI Auxiliary.”

“Okay, what does YourNeckMyHand mean?”

“Your life is my granddaughter’s.”

“You know it well.”

I smiled brightly.

“Do as you’re told.”

The tears that were hanging in Frith’s eyes finally streamed down.

* * *

Zeon Paeraton stared at the doll in the room.

The hamster doll, which didn’t suit his room, showed off its plump cheeks, saying kyu [onomatopoeia for a cute sound].

‘What is it?’

He should just throw it away, but strangely, his body wouldn’t move.

A feeling of emptiness.

It was strange.

He had never felt filled, so he didn’t even realize it was empty.

Why does it feel empty now?

‘It’s like I’ve forgotten something I should never forget—’

At that moment, Zeon suddenly raised his head.

The outside of the door was noisy.

Zeon’s brow furrowed slightly.

Others might not feel it, but everything was clearly captured by Zeon’s sensitive senses.

It was strange.

He felt like these sensitive senses had once subsided.

‘…That’s a ridiculous thought.’

However, the senses he was feeling now were by no means as extreme as before.

The commotion grew louder and louder, and soon the door burst open.

Zeon looked down at his hands.

‘Should I kill?’

—You mustn’t kill!

‘…?’

Zeon was startled by the young voice echoing in his head.

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel any resistance, but rather wanted to do as it said.

He wanted to keep hearing that voice.

He listened again, but the scattered voice was no longer heard.

‘What is it?’

When he raised his head, he saw a woman running towards him with tearful eyes.

The moment he saw her face, all questions disappeared.

‘Ah, it was this child.’

What I had forgotten.

Something precious and precious, more valuable than my life.

Why did I forget?

“Ze, Zeon! Listen to me—”

“Pet me.”

Shuela, who was about to tell him everything in detail, stopped at Zeon’s words.

Soon, a deep smile spread across her lips.

“Okay, Zeon.”

When Shuela raised her hand, Zeon leaned close to her so she could pet him.

Thump, thump.

Shuela was overwhelmed with her pounding heart.

The fine black hair flowed softly through her hands.

A cool scent.

A beautiful face.

‘Now it’s mine.’

“I didn’t know Zeon could be such a spoiled child.”

Chuckling, Shuela continued to stroke Zeon’s hair.

“Of course, I love this side of you too.”

Listening to the chatter, Zeon closed his eyes.

He always felt good when this child stroked him like this.

Comfortable, peaceful, and cozy….

It was an emotion he had never felt before.

He flinched.

Zeon raised his head.

‘This isn’t it.’

It wasn’t this kind of feeling.

Clearly, it was a little more before—

At that moment, pink hair flashed into view.

Zeon unknowingly reached out towards that hair.

“Zeon?”

Shuela looked up at Zeon with a surprised face.

Zeon looked at the hair he was holding.

Green hair.

“….”

Yes, this child originally had green hair.

‘…What was that just now?’

Why did it look like pink hair?

It was unsettling to just dismiss it as a mistake.

A precious and precious thing that was affectionate and just looking at it was a waste….

“Oh, Zeon.”

Shuela giggled and placed her hand on top of Zeon’s hand, which was stroking her hair.

“I’m embarrassed.”

Hehe, Shuela smiled happily.

Zeon was caressing her hair like this.

It was like a dream.

“Hey, Zeon. I was so upset today.”

“…Upset?”

Something made this child upset?

Whatever it was, he would clean it up.

“I guess they don’t like that I’m with Zeon like this. So they’re picking on me, finding fault with me, and punishing me.”

“…Punish?”

How dare they, this child?

“I stood in front of the door for over three hours today. My legs are still swollen. You’ll punish them for me, right? Huh?”

Shuela clung to Zeon and whined.

“I told you.”

Zeon pressed down on Shuela’s head.

“I’ll get rid of everything that’s bothering you.”

“…Yes?”

‘Did I ever say that?’

Shuela was embarrassed, but soon smiled and nodded.

“Yes! Then I’ll trust only Zeon!”

* * *

“Isn’t it better without that bastard?”

“It would be nice if you weren’t here either.”

Ares and Ixion bickered, each taking a seat on either side of me.

“Aren’t you two working?”

“We’ve already done all that.”

“We can’t help it because you get angry if we come without doing it.”

I sighed deeply at Ares and Ixion’s answers.

“I still have work left.”

“Shall I help you?”

Ares smiled softly and made a very tempting sound.

Just as I was about to nod at the temptation, Ixion tilted his head, looking behind me.

“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear, that guy’s here?”

I flinched.

My body tensed up without me realizing it.

Zeon is here.

‘…Scary.’

I’m afraid he’ll look at me like that again today.

‘No. It might not be.’

I smiled brightly and turned around.

“Zeon! You’re out?”

But Zeon’s gaze was still the same.

A murderous red eye.

A gaze that looked at a complete stranger, no, a gaze that looked at a bug that had sneaked in.

“Zeon….”

“You.”

Step, step.

Zeon slowly approached me.

The face looking down at me was frozen coldly.

‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

I’m Zeon’s youngest sibling.

I wanted to cry.

But I smiled.

“Zeon, the weather is really nice today! Shall we go for a walk together? Let’s ask them to pack us a picnic lunch and eat something delicious—”

It was the moment I reached out to Zeon.

Whack!

My struck hand burned.

“You bastard, are you crazy!”

“Zeon Paeraton, do you finally want to put a hole in your body? Where should I stab you? The head?”

Ixion and Ares emitted murderous intent towards Zeon.

Zeon’s gaze turned to the two of them.

“Did you guys bother this child?”

“What?”

“I’ll kill you.”

Kwaaaack!

Ferocious magic power erupted from Zeon.

A jet-black magic power, with not a single speck of light, consumed the space.

It was a different dimension from the magic power I had seen from Zeon so far.

“Wow, this bastard is really crazy? Taking this out in front of a cotton ball?”

Dark magic power also spewed out from Ixion and Ares.

All three of them were using magic power that I had never seen before.

The burst of vicious energy invaded the room.

‘I can’t breathe.’

“…Don’t do it.”

My voice trembled.

The three people’s confrontation was not resolved, as if they couldn’t hear me.

Rather, the murderous intent only intensified.

“Don’t do it!”

I screamed.

“I’m really scared!”

Ixion and Ares were startled and looked at me.

“So, sorry.”

“Were you very scared, my sister?”

But I didn’t even look at the two of them.

“We would never hurt you.”

“I’m not scared that you’re going to attack me, or that you might hurt each other.”

I only looked at Zeon.

“I’m so scared that Zeon is looking at me like a stranger, like he’s not my brother!”

Tears poured out.

Zeon was staring blankly at me, motionless like a broken doll.