The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 24

24. Melody Oser (1)

November 24, 2023

“Rose, that’s not something you need to worry about.” Duke Adrian muttered, glancing at Joseph Oser, who was staring at him earnestly. “And, we’re looking for Melody Oser’s whereabouts, but we haven’t found her yet. It seems she’s hidden herself quite well.”

“I can!”

Rosette shouted quickly, then frowned at the pain in her throat. Lucas told her not to speak, but she insisted.

“I can find her.”

“How can you?” Duke Adrian asked, puzzled.

“Is it true, Miss? Can you really find Melody?” Joseph clung to the bars, desperate.

Rosette looked back and forth between the two of them and nodded.

“I can do it.”

She carefully began to explain what she could do. Duke Adrian’s eyes widened as he listened.

* * *

“That makes perfect sense,” Celine nodded after hearing Rosette’s plan from Duke Adrian.

“I’ve never done it before, but it sounds plausible in theory. I don’t know how the little lady came up with such a thing…”

*In times like these, it’s best to just smile and pretend you don’t know anything.*

Rosette simply smiled at Celine, who was looking at her with a complicated expression.

Still, Celine didn’t seem to be taking action, so she carefully tugged at her skirt, urging her on.

Celine seemed to understand, and she composed herself.

“Anyway, I’ll give it a try.”

The method Rosette suggested was tracking magic. It wasn’t commonly used anymore, but it was occasionally used before Rosette turned back time.

Celine reconfirmed with Rosette.

“You’re saying we should use Joseph Oser’s blood for tracking, right?”

“Yes.”

Rosette nodded.

The method she proposed was to use blood relation identification magic for tracking. After checking the reception range of the magic communication device Joseph Oser possessed, they would use blood relation identification magic within that range. It would take some time, but if they narrowed down the range, they could find Melody.

*The problem is narrowing down the range where Melody might be…*

Rosette was confident. She was an expert at tracking people under the orders of the Marquis Dallas in the past.

However, Celine agreed with Rosette’s idea but remained somewhat skeptical.

“But narrowing down that range won’t be easy.”

“I can do it.”

Rosette muttered, her voice now a little clearer.

“It’s possible.”

Celine shrugged, looking at Rosette with conviction.

“I guess a genius can’t be understood by ordinary people. Let’s try it together.”

Soon, Duke Adrian had someone bring the communication device that Joseph Oser possessed.

Rosette touched the communication device that a knight hurriedly brought and closed her eyes.

At that moment, Celine grabbed Rosette’s shoulder. Rosette was surprised and turned around, and Celine smiled.

“The young lady’s core is still small, so it might be too much for you. I’ll add some mana.”

Celine’s mana flowed into Rosette’s body.

Rosette felt a large amount of mana enveloping her small mana core as if to protect it, and she activated the tracking magic.

*Southwest of the mansion. At this distance, we’ll have to go outside the capital.*

Rosette opened her eyes and pointed to a spot on the map with her index finger.

“It’s this way.”

Duke Adrian, who had been closely watching the map, eagerly instructed the knights. From what she could hear, it seemed he was asking the imperial wizard for help.

Celine, who had already withdrawn her mana from Rosette, also smiled.

“I’ll go too. Miss Rosette, please go back to your room and rest. You shouldn’t overdo it again.”

“I also…”

She was about to say she wanted to go too, but Duke Adrian refused firmly.

“Leave it to the adults.”

“But…”

He gently grabbed Rosette’s shoulders and smiled.

“I know you’ve done a great job, Rose. But can’t you trust your father this time?”

Rosette bit her lip and looked up at Duke Adrian. His purple eyes held many emotions.

When she found worry and affection within them, Rosette nodded.

“Okay.”

“Good.”

Duke Adrian gestured, and a knight approached Rosette.

“Miss, I will escort you safely to your room.”

As Rosette walked away, following the knight, she turned back to look at the Duke.

“You have to come back safe.”

The Duke’s eyes widened slightly, then he smiled again.

“I will.”

* * *

Rosette returned to her room with a heavy heart. Then, the Adrian siblings came in.

Lucas plopped down on the bed next to Rosette, sighing in relief.

“That’s a relief. I thought I’d be scolded more by Father.”

Daniel sternly rebuked him. His face, which was always gently smiling, was uncharacteristically stiff.

“You’ll be scolded more when Father comes back. You need to be scolded more. How could you even think of taking Rose there?”

“But…!”

“I said I wanted to go,” Rosette interjected, and Daniel scolded her this time.

“You shouldn’t do that either, Rose. What if something went wrong?”

Rosette clenched her fists.

“I can protect Lucas.”

“No, no. We should be protecting you, not the other way around.”

“…?”

“You’re our youngest. You don’t have to do anything.”

“That’s right.”

Isabelle agreed.

“You’re still small and young. Leave it to us.”

*But you’re not that much older than me, and neither are you, Sister and Brother. You’re still young too.*

She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t say anything.

Even though they weren’t that much older, Daniel and Isabelle’s faces looked particularly mature today.

Rosette hung her head and fidgeted.

Even though she knew this wasn’t the time to feel this way, her heart fluttered at the feeling of being protected.

As she listened to Lucas teasing her, saying, ‘The little one’s face is red!’, Rosette secretly wished that everything would be resolved well.

* * *

Once Rosette narrowed down the range, Melody was found sooner than expected. It didn’t even take two hours.

Melody was found in a mansion on the outskirts of the capital.

“We found her! She’s here!” Duke Adrian, who was directly searching the outskirts of the capital, rushed inside at the knight’s words. In front of the door, a knight guarding the room had been subdued and lay collapsed by a knight of the Adrian family.

“Let’s go in.”

Duke Adrian slowly opened the door and entered. Then, he saw a bulging pile of blankets on the bed.

He gestured for his subordinate to wait and slowly approached, sitting on the edge of the bed.

The pile of blankets twitched, and a voice filled with fear leaked out from within.

“P, please save me.”

Duke Adrian stroked the area presumed to be the head.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I swear on Asherah, the Goddess [a deity in this world].”

Only then, slightly relieved, did the child peek out her head.

She was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She matched the description of Melody Oser that Joseph had given.

“Is your name Melody?”

The child’s eyes widened.

“How did you know my name?”

“Your brother told me.”

“You know my brother?”

“Yes. Your brother asked me to come and get you.”

“But…”

The child, Melody, hesitated.

“The other men said my brother was coming to find me.”

“Did they?”

“Yes. But why didn’t my brother come?”

“Your brother is a little busy.”

Duke Adrian held out his hand.

“Would you like to go with me?”

Melody hesitated.

“But my brother told me not to follow strangers. But I followed a stranger and got separated from my aunt. So…”

Duke Adrian smiled and praised her.

“That’s right. You shouldn’t follow strangers. You’ve learned well. Then, will this do?”

He showed her the sword he was wearing at his waist. The Adrian family crest was engraved on the sword hilt.

Melody immediately recognized it.

“Oh? That’s the same as the one on my brother’s sword! Do you work for Duke Adrian too?”

“Yes, that’s right. Can you trust me now?”

Still, Melody looked troubled. But soon, she seemed to have made up her mind and wriggled out of the blankets.

“Okay. I’ll trust you. And actually, I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Good, you’ve made a good decision.”

Duke Adrian held Melody in his arms and came outside.

“Now, let’s go see your brother.”

* * *

While Duke Adrian was bringing Melody, his subordinates were busy searching for the mastermind.

First, they found the owner of the building where Melody was found. But the owner was not a noble, but a merchant with modest wealth.

Duke Adrian judged that the merchant could not have purchased such a mansion with his wealth. So, after interrogating the merchant, he learned that the real owner was Baron Shane.

“It wasn’t me! Why would I try to harm Duke Adrian!” Baron Shane cried out in frustration as he saw the security forces storming his mansion.

However, a magic communication device, a matching pair to the one Joseph Oser possessed, was found in his mansion. It was proof that he had instigated Joseph.

The Emperor declared that he could not overlook this matter and personally ordered the Imperial Knights to investigate. Baron Shane was imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the Imperial Palace.

And Melody safely came to the Duke’s residence with Duke Adrian.

Upon hearing the news, Rosette came out with the Adrian siblings to see Melody.

*Wow, she’s pretty.*

Joseph Oser’s younger sister, Melody Oser, unlike her somewhat ordinary brother, was a doll-like, beautiful child.

Strikingly bright blonde hair and blue eyes resembling the autumn sky. Soft, white cheeks like dough kneaded with flour.

Looking at Melody, Rosette was reminded of Elisha’s bisque doll that she had seen sometime ago.

Such a pretty child was trembling, her already round eyes even wider. It was almost pitiful.

However, there was something that captured Rosette’s attention more than Melody’s pretty appearance.

*That child, if taught by a good teacher, could become quite a skilled magician.*

If Joseph was naturally talented in swordsmanship, Melody had a talent for magic.

The energy of unrefined mana, not yet harnessed because she had never learned magic, was overflowing. It meant that she had quite a lot of innate mana.

Only after seeing Melody did she understand why the Dallas family had kept her alive instead of killing her.

They intended to raise and use Melody. In addition, they could threaten Joseph, so it was a win-win situation.

Melody, who had been taken out of Duke Adrian’s arms, looked around.

“Where’s my brother? Where is he? He said he was coming to see me.”