Chapter 360: The Child who isn’t aware of the Adoptive Mother’s thoughts

A moment of silence went in the creaking air. A blank space where no one spoke or moved.

In the middle of this silence, Ninz thought just one thing.

“…What did he say just now?”

Ninz narrowed her purple eyes while keeping them fixed on her foster child Lugis.

Ninz’s skull, which had been warmed by nostalgia, suddenly cooled down, and she felt as if even her spine had turned to ice.

While she was trying to put something into words, she cleared her throat and adjusted her voice. Lugis’ words were running through her thoughts without dissipating.

“He hasn’t forgotten Ariene. There’s no wavering in those feelings. Much less in those words.”

「…Lugis. You’re no longer a child. I know you didn’t mean that. 」

Ninz moved her lips after carefully choosing her words. However, the way she spoke could be lethal. Questioning the meaning could clear the misunderstanding or aggravate it.

The faint hope that Ninz had was easily crushed by Lugis’ words.

「Of course I mean that. And I know it won’t be good for a person of the Heraldic Order to have a relationship with the Saint of the Great Holy Church.」

Lugis spoke in a loud voice and acted like he understood everything.

After listening to those words and looking straight into Lugis’ eyes, Ninz came to one certainty.

“He doesn’t know anything. His position, and the meaning of the words he uttered.”

The proof of that was simple; he implied that it wouldn’t change anything.

Was it happiness or misfortune? Ariene and Lugis’ positions had undergone a major transformation since they left the orphanage.

Candidate to be the saint of the Great Holy Church on one side, and Hero of Heraldic Order on the other side. They were clearly polar opposites. It was almost impossible to touch. For Ninz, it would’ve been better to hide the fact that they were childhood friends.

Moreover, Lugis still thought of Ariene and had not given up on taking her by her hand.

If he did it poorly, the power of the Heraldic Order would split into two.

Even though Ninz had been in prison for a while, it was not like she didn’t know anything. Rather, when she was working in the Gharast Kingdom, she even undertook the handling of classified information single-handedly. That’s why she understood.

There were still people within the Heraldic Order that were dissatisfied with Lugis. Moreover, many of them belonged to the higher spectrum of the Heraldic Order.

However, they couldn’t expose their dissatisfaction. It could give them a disadvantage. First, if they were hostile to Lugis, they’d be hostile to Saint Matia. There was no way they could speak frankly about it.

Still, they couldn’t speak about it because there was no opportunity to express their dissatisfaction. That dissatisfaction would continue to endure.

If there was some kind of trigger, they would easily vent out their dissatisfaction. Such dissatisfaction would eventually lead to disgust, hate and persecution. It would lead to hostility.

Then, antagonism would turn into division. The clash of forces always carried such danger. Many organizations, powers and nations had repeatedly split like this in the past. The Heraldic Order was no exception.

For the believers there was one doctrine, but not one form of faith.

Therefore, if the Heraldic Order split now, the only thing that lay ahead was clear destruction.

Ninz almost felt dizzy thinking about it and let out a sigh.

「You…have changed. No, should I say you’ve grown up? 」

Perhaps unable to comprehend the meaning of Ninz’s words, Lugis shrugged his shoulders and twisted his neck. The situation itself had not changed at all since the time when Ninz knew about his new role. Including his habit of twisting his wrists lightly.

However, Lugis’ gaze changed dramatically.

The child named Lugis that Ninz knew was somewhat stubborn, but he was a child who disregarded himself.

To put it in a good way, he was clever and logical, but in a bad way, he had no expectations about himself.

For him, it couldn’t be helped. Ninz remembered well that he used to say those words despite being common for children to dream. He was a person of compromise and resignation.

If it was Lugis back then, Ninz was sure he would’ve resigned. He would’ve swallowed the fact that he couldn’t take Ariene’s hand because it couldn’t be helped.

“But this guy in front of me is different.” Ninz looked at Lugis while trying to understand the complicated thing that dwelled in his skull.

From Lugis’ eyes, Ninz felt a deep ego that she had never seen before. That of a person who possessed glorious pride.

“I guess I can call it growth. I’m not implying child Lugis was unfavorable. That’s one way of life.”

“However, if he now lives according to his own ego, then that’s good for him.”

“As a parent, I feel the growth of my child.” A smile appeared in Ninz’s expression.

Even so, that growth had nothing to do with the Heraldic Order. Right now, Ninz knew how dangerous the direction of his will was. It would be nice if it could be demonstrated in a slightly better place.

Lugis admired Ariene like a chick following its parent bird. Perhaps that promise he made with her was still tightly closed to his heart.

It wouldn’t work. It would only produce the worst results no matter how much he struggled. In other words, it was like rolling himself into a puddle of blood with thorns sticking out. It was far from being ideal.

“If so, what should I do?”

Ninz averted her gaze from Lugis to an unnatural extent. Three shadows were visible behind his back.

Caria Burdnick, who was famous as the master of the battlefield, and Filaret La Volgograd, a sorceress of the Bolvat dynasty. And then the ruler Philos Trait.

Ninz had heard that some people formed a connection with Lugis to some extent. She thought they were building a friendly relationship when she saw them together.

She looked at their eyes. After that, she slightly twitched her cheeks.

Ninz saw eyes that were burning like a raging fire, while others quietly distorted the back of their eyes. Although there were three different gazes, none of them looked indifferent towards him.

That meant one thing. They possessed emotions towards Lugis that were too embarrassing to put into words. “I wonder if Lugis is aware of that.”

“Just don’t burn him please, okay?”

Ninz cleared her throat as if mocking the words she had just thought for herself. Looking at this situation, it wouldn’t be enough. Ninz sighed in her heart.

“What did my foster child do to make these three people behave like this? I’m sure regrets and resentments are likely to arise in the future.”

“But I don’t mind now. Rather, they are quite convenient. If it’s them, they might be able to tie him down.”

Ninz chose her words to utter in this silent room. She tried to keep her voice as soft as possible.

「…Lugis. I want to talk to them for a little bit. There are things that are hard to say with you around. Can you stand up from your seat and leave the room?」

Did Lugis think Ninz would speak badly about him? He opened his eyes in astonishment for a moment, and then he glanced at the three people standing behind his back.

At the same time, Ninz also looked at those three as if calling out to them. She didn’t put it into words since her gaze showed her intentions.

The three of them also seemed confused but nodded in acceptance. They had understood that it was a story related to Lugis.

Ninz swallowed dry and narrowed her eyes. Her sharp eyes were now shining brightly with a single goal in mind.

“…It’s for your happiness, Lugis. I’ll show you that true happiness is unexpectedly in other people’s hands.”

Shortly after Lugis left the room, Ninz opened her mouth to speak with the other three. A gentle smile danced on her face.

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Please look forward to what Ninz has to say…It will be unexpected…:)

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