Damn it! A wraith had dissipated just from blocking a single third-tier spell!
But it could not have been otherwise.
Third-Tier Curse Magic: Binding.
It was a binding spell on an entirely different level from the fifth-tier Necromancy Nellis had cast.
'At this rate, won't my stuffing start coming out?'
Nellis tried desperately not to collapse.
She could hear Ruperi screaming from far away, but she could not turn around.
'I was careless. Right now, I'm only a teddy bear.'
What had given her the confidence to step forward and try to break Dikidia's curse?
As she gritted her teeth and tried to brace herself upright, she saw the Dikidia bastards looking relaxed through her blurred vision.
"Looks like this one's done for."
"You said we'd regret it. I don't know who you are, but you should've come in your real body."
"Then I'll go get that little brat."
No!
One of the Dikidia bastards left.
Nellis wrung every last drop from her mana core, which screamed in protest, but she could not even increase the wraith's speed. Merely maintaining its form was difficult enough.
Nellis bit nonexistent lips.
'If it comes to this……….'
The teddy bear abruptly lifted its head.
Sensing its ominous atmosphere, the remaining Dikidia bastard looked down at it.
"What futile struggle are you trying this time—Agh!"
Nellis sprang lightly from the ground.
Using a nearby tree as a foothold, she drove her foot into the Dikidia bastard's face.
Though her legs were made of nothing but cloth and stuffing—
THUD!
Once infused with mana, they became hard.
Nellis then summoned a wraith and chased after the Dikidia bastard heading for Ruperi.
[Stop right there!]
Having scraped together all her mana, the wraith's speed was nearly on par with second-tier magic.
The distance closed in an instant, and Nellis nimbly leaped onto a tree as before.
"-"
The Dikidia bastard muttered something.
Just as he stretched out a hand and was about to cast curse magic—
[I told you to get lost!]
The teddy bear's steel-like leg struck the Dikidia bastard in the face again.
WHAM!
"……….!"
It did not make the sound of a person being kicked.
With a single kick from the teddy bear, the Dikidia bastard flew far into the distance.
The recoil sent the teddy bear flying weakly in the opposite direction.
Nellis's consciousness grew even hazier.
She tried to maintain Wraith Summoning somehow, but her remaining mana……….
Thanks to that, Ruperi was freed from the wraith and desperately caught the falling teddy bear.
"Paul! Are you okay? I told you not to do it!"
………But you……….
No words appeared.
As the light in the teddy bear's red eyes began to fade, Ruperi was seized by fear.
"Paul! Get up! Snap out of it!"
I have to protect Ruperi……….
Now unable to maintain even her consciousness, Nellis twitched an arm and pointed toward the manor.
"Are you telling me to go? To run away?"
………Yeah.
"Okay! Just hold on a little longer! Don't die, Paul!"
Just as Ruperi hurriedly tried to stand—
"How dare that teddy bear hit me?"
A shadow fell over them, accompanied by an enraged voice.
It was an evil, sinister Dikidia bastard.
Nellis's eyes darkened with despair.
Just as regret was about to surge over her like a tide—
"I came because I felt a foul energy."
The heavy shadow lifted, and a pure white hem swept past Ruperi's head.
Voices of alarm rang out.
"H-how did you get here so quickly?!"
"I never thought such rat bastards had infiltrated my manor."
"Then I have no choice!"
A derisive tsk sounded as someone fled, while a familiar voice rang out in anger.
Ruperi blankly stared toward where the white hem had disappeared.
Creak, creak.
Nellis barely managed to move her neck and assess the situation. Dawn was slowly breaking.
Faint light seeped into the corner of the garden, and one Dikidia bastard lay unconscious on the ground.
Far away, the man in white chased after the fleeing Dikidia bastard, but Nellis's vision was too blurry for her to see him clearly.
Something gleamed in the dawn light……….
'………A sword?'
It seemed the man was holding a sword.
"………Father."
Ruperi's words allowed Nellis to be certain.
Duke Kreuz had saved both her and Ruperi.
Seeing his back, Nellis relaxed and lost consciousness.
***
Duke Kreuz, Hadel, had a headache.
He had rushed back because it was not good to leave the manor unattended for too long, only to find that a terrible disaster had nearly occurred.
But why had his son, Ruperi, become involved in that disaster?
'What happened?'
At the moment, Ruperi sat on the sofa in his bedroom with a blanket around him.
He held the teddy bear Hadel had given him as a gift, while a bucket filled with what were presumably curse media discovered by Ruperi sat on the table.
Hadel stared at Ruperi in bewilderment.
'Was it because he almost went through something terrible?'
Ruperi held the teddy bear far too tightly.
It looked as though the teddy bear had gone on an exciting adventure with Ruperi, because its body was torn in several places.
Its feet looked especially tattered, which puzzled Hadel, but he did not think deeply about it.
Ruperi's face was red.
Hadel could tell how urgent the situation had been, but unfortunately, the matter was too serious for him to comfort his son first.
"Ruperi."
A stern voice came out before he could stop it.
But unlike Hadel, who flinched at his own tone, Ruperi only looked anxiously at the teddy bear.
"Can you tell me where you found that thing?"
"………."
"I am only asking because I am worried, my son. You may have been affected by dangerous magic."
Even so, Ruperi did not open his mouth.
Hadel waited patiently.
After a moment, Ruperi finally spoke.
"………I found it while adventuring."
It was an incredibly childish answer.
"You found it while adventuring?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Yes. It is possible you could not sleep. But are you saying you wandered around without informing a knight, even though you found something dangerous?"
Hadel had much to say, but he barely swallowed it and spoke in a measured tone.
"Do you know what that thing is?"
"I don't."
It was a lie.
A father's intuition told Hadel as much.
"Tell me the truth. How did you find it?"
Again, Ruperi did not speak.
Hadel looked up at Fin, the chief butler standing by.
Fin shook his head as if to say that Ruperi was unlikely to speak and should be allowed to rest.
Hadel sighed inwardly.
Miten had invaded a border city.
It had plainly taken citizens of the Horein Empire and used them as experimental subjects.
Yet that brutal act had not been an invasion driven by greed. It had been a smokescreen intended to target House Kreuz.
On top of that, Miten had apparently infiltrated the manor with Dikidia curse mages to cast a curse—
'Ha.'
Once Hadel pieced together the situation, his head hurt even more as he considered how to resolve it.
He decided to stop questioning Ruperi.
Before letting him rest, however, Hadel decided to give him one warning.
"Ruperi."
Ruperi still did not look at him.
But he seemed to be listening, so Hadel continued.
"If you find something dangerous like this, you must call a knight. Do you understand?"
"………."
"Do not walk around alone at night. I heard you wandered around alone last time as well. You know that we are not on good terms with Miten."
Ruperi nodded.
That was fortunate.
At least he was listening.
"It is good that you understand. Paul must be worried about you as well."
Ruperi flinched.
"Anyway, promise me this. That you will never go out alone at night. That if you find something dangerous or anything happens, you will call a knight. Do you understand?"
Nod, nod.
"Good. Thank you. Paul will worry less if you do. This little fellow should have protected his master better."
Hadel made a motion as though he were going to pinch the teddy bear's cheek, hoping to lighten the heavy atmosphere, but Ruperi did not smile.
Feeling awkward, Hadel fell silent and spread his arms instead.
"Come here. You went through something frightening. Your father should hold you."
Ruperi cautiously approached while watching his father's expression.
'He seems to have grown a little.'
Because of those Miten bastards, Hadel had not seen Ruperi growing up.
Fury welled up inside him at the thought, but he gently patted Ruperi.
"You were very frightened, were you not? It is all right. Your father is here. So you may rest easy now."
Perhaps because he was held in his father's warm embrace, Ruperi's stiff face crumpled as he began to cry.
"………Father, you know, Paul………"
Sniff, sniff.
Half-submerged in tears, Ruperi's words did not reach Hadel clearly.
Still, Hadel could tell that his son feared something, so he comforted him.
As his father silently stroked his back, Ruperi sniffed and made a request.
"………So, Father, could you teach me swordsmanship?"