Chapter 238: Where There Is Darkness, There Is Also Light

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02

༺ Where There Is Darkness, There Is Also Light ༻

"Everyone, move away."

Isolet lifted her sword with a keen gaze.

– Buzz…

Simultaneously, energy started gathering on her sword.

"Better step back."

Everyone sensed a chilling sensation, not from her usual smooth mana but from a mana that felt purely deadly. They listened to her advice.

– Boom!

When she released her sword energy, walls crumbled loudly.

It was her 11th time breaking a wall.

"Huff… Huff…"

Yet, due to the aftermath, Isolet again dropped to one knee.

"Are you… alright…"

"I'm good."

Isolet stood up and addressed the nearby maid.

"…Just one thing."

She questioned a noticeably shorter and younger-looking maid.

"Is it really rumored among the servants… that Frey assaulted them?"

"What?"

The maid, with bruises on her arm, tilted her head.

"That rumor… is going around."

The maid then spoke with a serious expression.

"Whispers, scary tales, and jokes have been going around for a while… but not many believe it."

"Really?"

"Yes… he always seemed to hate us, the servants, and never bothered with us. He never touched anyone…"

As the maid bowed her head, Isolet pondered.

"But lately, rumors are spreading everywhere."

"What kind?"

"Maybe after the investigators checked the mansion. They asked strange questions then."

"Like what?"

Isolet asked sternly, making the maid speak fearfully.

"Have you been taken by Lord Frey at night? Do you have memory gaps?… Questions like these were common, and some maids were even directly asked if they were assaulted…"

"And what did they say?"

"Most servants denied being assaulted. They only spoke about verbal abuse or threats."

"....."

Isolet fell silent, and the maid cautiously continued.

"But… some malicious servants… exaggerated the story."

"I understand."

"Some even took bribes. They were all recruited by the Hero Party."

Isolet clenched her teeth upon hearing this.

"Those who spoke well or defended him… ended up with tedious tasks for the Imperial Family."

"This is frustrating."

"Most of the rescued maids, who were stuck in the building and couldn't evacuate, were those assigned by the Imperial Family."

After explaining, the maid discreetly stepped back, noting Isolet's lack of reaction.

"Servants of the Hero Party, investigators from the Imperial Family and the Church… I explicitly told them to get my approval…"

Isolet, standing still, mumbled with a puzzled expression.

"…I'll kill them."

A menacing aura surrounded her, directed at those spreading false rumors about her lord.

"Vener."

"…Yes."

After pondering for a bit while emanating a fierce aura, she finally spoke.

"If you ever bring up unconfirmed rumors again, you won't be against a wall but buried underground."

"…I understand."

After warning Vener, she began to walk forward slowly.

– Step, step.

Isolet's enormous armor caused her footsteps to echo all around.

"Sigh…"

Isolet's anger hadn't completely subsided.

"…So."

"E, Eek!"

Isolet spoke abruptly while walking briskly. A young maid, unsure when to leave and seeking cues, looked terrified by her side.

"What did you say about Frey that got you here?"

"Well, you see…"

Isolet softened her expression and asked, prompting the hesitant maid to speak slowly.

"I… I said he wasn't entirely bad…"

"What?"

"No, no… I mean, he's bad, but… not arrest-worthy bad…"

"Why did you think that?"

When Isolet inquired, the girl tightly closed her eyes and started explaining.

"I… used to sell vegetables in a back alley with my younger brother."

"Sell vegetables?"

"Yes, Ruby was a regular customer. She always gave us a gold coin."

"Hmm…"

Isolet's gaze sharpened at the mention of Ruby.

"Whenever she came, we felt happy… but business was always bad for some reason."

Unaware of Isolet's reaction, the young maid continued her story.

"So, my sick brother couldn't get treated… One day, some thugs almost took us… but Sir Frey, um… he defeated them."

"He saved you?"

"…He took us as slaves."

Isolet's expression darkened upon hearing that.

"But… life wasn't too bad. We got good food… better living conditions… It was better than living on the streets."

"Really?"

"And, he even treated my brother. Well, Lulu did it, but… it was with Frey's money, anyway."

Upon hearing this, Isolet asked with a puzzled look.

"Then why do you say he's somewhat bad?"

"He said he saved my brother to make him work as a slave forever."

Then, she puffed up her cheeks and added.

"Also, he often hit Kania? Was that her name?… And Irina too…"

"Frey hit them?"

"I heard screams at night."

"...…."

Isolet's expression became even grimmer.

"When I asked, they'd avoid eye contact and admit Frey was behind it."

"Alright, I get it."

"But, even if he's bad, my life got a bit better thanks to him."

The girl spoke with a slightly shaky voice while looking at Isolet.

"I still have to repay the debt for my brother's treatment many times over… but I'm grateful for the treatment of his rare disease, and the meals were really delicious."

"Hmm…"

"Perhaps the people behind us defended him because they had unknowingly received help like I did? Quite a few people wanted to return to the mansion, but their requests were denied."

The girl stated.

"I was comfortable there because of my brother… But I got kicked out the last time I went there."

She mumbled, wearing a gloomy expression, her head lowered.

"I don't like the tasks assigned by the Imperial Family. They're always strange."

– Swoosh…

"Heh."

Isolet glanced down at her briefly, then gently stroked her head.

"That's why… I won't give up on teaching."

After a while, she softly smiled and muttered.

"No matter how dirty the ground, well-cared seedlings will grow and change the soil."

Then, a prolonged silence filled the air.

"Uh…"

After they had traveled for a while, they saw another wall. Isolet took a deep breath.

"Hyaaah!!!"

With a cry, a powerful sword energy soared.

– Boom!!

Isolet shattered the twelfth wall in the distorted space.

"Today's… a bit easier."

She prepared to move with a more relaxed expression.

"Whew…"

Suddenly, she emitted a peculiar sound and sat down.

"Are you okay?"

"Professor!"

"…Don't come."

Isolet halted the approaching group, surprise evident on their faces.

"I'm just a bit… tired."

Cradling her stomach, she added.

"It's nothing. Go on. There shouldn't be more walls to break since we're almost on the second floor."

She spoke with labored breaths.

"… I'll follow from the back."

"Meow."

Inside her armor, Frey had already wrapped his grown tail around her waist.

.

.

.

.

.

"…Hoo."

Isolet trailed behind the Hero Party.

"Frey."

Isolet glanced around and muttered with a blush.

"What's the matter… uh."

But before she could complete her sentence, she shivered.

– Swoosh…

With a red face, she peered inside her armor.

"Lick, lick."

Inside, Frey clung tightly to her stomach, diligently licking a wound on her belly with his eyes gently closed.

– Prick, prick.

Frey had now shrunk significantly and even had cat ears.

"Frey…"

– Swoosh, swoosh…

Isolet gazed down at Frey, who once again coiled his tail around her waist and nuzzled against her.

"…Hmm."

She softly touched her belly, mindful of her surroundings.

"He'll need a few more minutes to become completely miniaturized…"

Isolet murmured and sighed.

"…Meow."

Frey, wriggling inside her armor, looked up at her with a bright smile.

'…Can't I have more of this scroll?'

With a silly thought, she loosened her grip on her armor.

– Clank.

As a result, Frey, pressed by the armor, clung tightly to her body and began to squirm.

– Squirm, squirm.

'…I need to get used to it. It'll be problematic if someone notices.'

Even though Isolet was blushing, she decided to acclimate herself to his actions to avoid arousing suspicion from the observant Vener.

"…Sigh."

"...…."

Perhaps feeling suffocated, Frey cautiously stopped licking her stomach.

'Entertaining desires for one's master in this situation is inappropriate for a knight. Above all, his safety comes first.'

Despite her internal grumbling, Isolet's mind was already flooded with numerous random thoughts.

She held Frey, whom she had sworn allegiance to and was legally her master, inside the armor. A sense of guilt overwhelmed her, aware she could let others find this out.

Maternal instincts—something she had never expected to experience—and silly thoughts crossed her mind as Frey squirmed inside the armor.

'Is this what carrying a child feels like?'

She felt a chill when he licked her wounds, along with various other urges when he looked up and grinned at her.

"…Nom."

In this overwhelming situation, feeling hotter than ever, Frey, inside the armor, bit her stomach and wagged his tail.

"Hmm…"

Unable to hold back, she covered her face with her hand.

""...…..""

Then, a brief silence followed.

"You, cheeky, little…"

Isolet, dumbfounded, slightly pulled the armor with her trembling hand.

"If you keep doing that, in the future, during training… you won't… see a pretty sight…"

Murmuring in a low voice, she looked at Frey, who peeked his head out from between her and the armor.

"…..Huh?"

Her eyes widened in surprise.

– Swish, swish.

Frey shook his head with a frustrated expression.

"Meow… Sigh."

Trying to speak, he realized his voice only sounded like a cat's. He grabbed his throat with a hand and made a sullen face.

– Swoosh, swoosh…

Closing his eyes tightly, he started licking her stomach again.

"What on earth…"

As Isolet observed him with a bewildered expression,

"…Huh?"

Noticing a pattern to Frey's licking, she closed her eyes and focused.

'…Letters? Is he writing? What? What letter?'

Soon, she realized that the lines made by Frey's licking formed shapes of the imperial language.

'Could it be that he's been trying to convey something to me all along?'

Feeling the gravity of the situation, she concentrated once more.

"Hmm."

"Indeed, it's suspicious."

Vener and Alice, who had been observing her closely, began to approach Isolet.

"Come to think of it, the location of Frey on the tracking map constantly matched ours…"

"It's possible Frey used magic to mislead us, but if not…"

They exchanged words with cold expressions and moved toward Isolet, who was shivering with her eyes closed.

"Isolet, wait…"

"Professor…"

They began reaching out towards her massive armor.

"…Trap."

Isolet eyes suddenly widened.

"A trap… on the second floor…!?"

She swiftly released her energy in all directions, using all her strength.

"Everyone, fall back!"

Halting her search suddenly, she began to retreat, sweating coldly.

"I had a feeling… wondering why so many assassins were coming out continuously…"

While people were puzzled by her actions, she had already taken a defensive stance.

"At some point, I found it strange that they attacked without saying anything."

She murmured, brandishing her sword forward.

– Sizzle! Sizzle!!

The sword energy she was releasing bounced off something.

– Clank, clink.

Someone appeared before the shocked Isolet and the Hero Party in that situation.

""...….""

At least a hundred knights filled the hall on the second floor.

"It's cold."

"…I can't feel their souls."

The paladin and Isolet muttered, wearing tense expressions.

"Hehehe…"

The atmosphere became suffocating from the tension on both sides.

"How are you all doing…?"

From between the knights, a Bishop of the Sun God's Church revealed himself.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Seeing his ominous demeanor, Isolet stepped forward and pointed her sword at him.

"Well, the thing is… if you guys escape from here…"

The Bishop had a benevolent smile on his face at the time.

"…it would be problematic."

But his expression quickly turned cold, and he gestured.

– Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of spears being brandished began to fill the second floor.

"This… I regret this. But this is a direct order from 'that person,' so even I cannot…"

Soon after, all the knights directed their spears at once. The bishop, sporting a terrifying expression, tried to retreat.

"Everyone, kneel."

At that moment, a voice came from behind them.

"…Right now."

The voice belonged to Lulu, who had just reached the second floor, her eyes shining ruby red.

– Chirp… Chirp…

"What, what! This is impossible!"

The bishop seemed flustered as he watched his puppets kneel.

"Master… I'm certain Master's mana composition is here…"

Lulu anticipated praise and affection from Frey and looked toward where Frey should be.

"Master…! Please, pet me… Huh?"

Soon, she tilted her head in confusion.

"Grrr…?"

Instead of her master, there was a woman in some strange armor.

– Lick, lick.

Within that armor, something resembled a silver cat ardently licking her stomach.

"….!?"

But didn't this mysterious being have the same mana composition as her master?

"U, uhh… huh? What?"

Lulu felt confused.

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02