C129
Roland, who awoke from the blessing, believed that Liena was a witch and that he had been under a dark magic spell.
"I didn't explain it correctly, so it's natural to think that way, right?"
In any case, the fact that he had been manipulated by an orphan peasant girl whom he had despised so much seemed to have caused tremendous damage to Roland's great pride.
"I'll never forgive her! She must have stolen all kinds of wealth from me, even though she's so insignificant!"
Instead of stealing it, Roland, with a brainwash, probably gave it to her with his own hands, but that seemed no different to him.
"More than that."
I hit the table to get Roland's attention.
"You said you had something you wanted to tell me, right? Can you tell me what that is?"
Personally, aside from the fact that Roland was not very pleasant, I had no reason to reject his offer to provide me with information.
"The movements of that nasty witch are unusual."
The elder, who had not yet let go of his anger, grumbled and explained.
"She must be plotting something."
"How is that unusual?"
"They were called to the capital."
"Who?"
"Don't be surprised when you hear this. As for who..."
Roland paused so tensely that I swallowed saliva for no reason.
"Ethan, Claire, Benjamin, Charles, Olivia, Joanna, Lucia, Daniel, Grace, Isaac..."
"Wait, wait! Why are there so many?"
"I told you not to be so surprised."
For a moment, I was surprised by the list of names; they were names I had heard many times somewhere.
I encountered those names several times in <Return and walk alone on a path of flowers> and in real life.
That's right, they are from Liena...
"They are her uncle, aunt, cousins, little uncle, little aunt, uncle's husband, aunt's wife."
"Did she bring them all to the capital?"
"That's right. They are probably gathering here from all over the empire right now."
In a word, it was a gathering of all members of the Cassius family.
Oh my God. I stopped and opened my mouth.
Since the moment Liena suddenly appeared with Roland, I wondered if it was possible...
"I never thought she would call all her relatives!"
Liena's relatives were characters that frequently appeared in Part 1 of the novel.
As befitting their reputation as descendants of the devil, they were all initially cold or straightforward with Liena, an orphan peasant, but soon, one by one, they were captivated by the girl's tenderness and warmth.
"When Part 1 came to an end, a situation had developed where Cassius couldn't help but love Liena."
After Duke Cassius ascended to the position of duke, he didn't monopolize the family's wealth but shared it with his brothers and sisters. However, this didn't mean their relationship was friendly.
Because they grew up in fierce competition under Roland's command, they lived in a poor state with little interaction between them.
That is until Liena appeared.
They were captivated by the little bunny and were eager because they couldn't visit Cassius Castle frequently and bring precious gifts.
"Liena! Why don't you become this uncle's daughter?"
"That's right. We only have one son, so I always wanted to have a daughter."
"Don't be ridiculous! Liena has the long-awaited promise to come to our house!"
"Liena, you still have many brothers; don't you want a sister? If you become our second daughter, there's nothing I can't do for you."
"Brothers, please give Liena to this childless couple."
"I agree. We'll raise her as the only daughter, so we can give her more love than anyone else."
"Why are you leaving me out subtly? Even if I'm single, I can raise as many children as I want."
"Bunny, do you want this uncle to get rid of all these people? Just say the word. In return, the reward is that Liena becomes this uncle's daughter."
When they fought over Liena, Duke Cassius got so nervous that he shouted.
"Everyone out! Liena is my daughter!"
Unable to bear it, he finally moved his residence to the capital and took special measures.
He made a stern threat that if they appeared in the capital without his permission in the future and coveted Liena, he wouldn't treat them as if they were family or anything like that.
After that, as if it were a lie, the footsteps of the relatives stopped at Cassius Castle, from where Liena departed.
That's why, although she lived there for two years, she never saw their faces except at the wedding.
"At least they attended Leandro's wedding, so can I say they are better than this old man who didn't attend...?"
While thinking that, the worst Cassius, Roland, said with a snort.
"Why would the leech gather them in the capital? It takes money for things to happen, but Edman distrusts her, so she l
ured others!"
"Does Duke Cassius distrust Liena?"
"Ahem, I gave him a severe warning last time. Don't be deceived by that leech!"
I don't know if it was really because of that warning, but it was true that the relationship between Duke Cassius and Liena was not as good as before.
In fact, I witnessed their argument in the mining village with my own eyes.
"I don't think it's just a matter of financing."
"Then what else could it be?"
---...
Roland Cassius came to dislike Liena a lot, and Duke Cassius also changed compared to before.
Isn't this something that Liena probably wants to check?
Whether the other members of Cassius also changed their minds or not.
According to Liena's memories from before, it was said that the Cassius family, which inherited the blood of demons, did not receive the goddess's blessing completely.
In that case, Liena, who didn't know about my blessing, might have guessed that Cassius's lineage was the cause of the change.
"Well, this is just my assumption."
However, if that wasn't the case, there were many other followers in the capital who could become a source of funds for Liena, so the reason for calling her relatives was not explained.
I ignored Roland, who kept asking me what I was talking about, and asked him a question.
"But how did you find out about this? I don't think Liena would have called you, old man."
"...Old man?"
"Just skip the minor details."
Roland cleared his throat a couple of times as if he were disgusted.
"The kid told me."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Instead, quickly free them from the clutches of the witch! If this continues, all the wealth I built with my blood and sweat will end up in her hands!"
As expected, you didn't come to me out of pure concern for your descendants.
"...It's not that easy."
I thought for a moment about how to resolve this situation.
If I moved hastily, I wouldn't be able to properly eliminate the brainwashing, and it would only make Liena distrust me.
Then, Roland Cassius's grumpy face appeared in my field of vision again.
I suddenly had an idea.
"Among the people Liena called, who looks most like you?"
Actually, a person came to mind, but I wanted to get confirmation from Roland if possible.
"Eh? If you ask who looks most like me... Then it would be Isaac, my youngest son. He's the one who told me that the witch called him."
I knew it.
"Ha, it would have been better if Isaac took my place instead of Edman. If only that damn passion for travel didn't exist."
"Can you call that person separately? Don't tell him anything about me."
"Of course! I suppose you plan to eliminate Isaac's dark magic quickly. He resembles me, so he has excellent mental ability and can accurately discern between interests and benefits."
No, I just chose him because he has a bad personality.
So far, many people have been freed from Liena's blessing, but Roland was the only one whose attitude changed 180 degrees.
Although Cecil and others were free from his excessive obsession with Liena, they didn't feel any hostility.
"Why?"
As I slowly reread the novel, I realized that Roland Cassius was basically a person incapable of truly loving others.
The blessing worked because Liena wanted to be loved even by such a heartless person.
However, because that love was purely composed of blessings, after the blessings disappeared, not a bit of affection remained.
This was the conclusion I reached.
"If she wanted to make friends with people, she would never choose someone like Roland..."
What I needed now was a temporary ally, someone who could stir up a scandal with Liena in an instant.
Even after being freed from the blessing, if he still feels something for Liena, it's unlikely he'll be on my side.
Two days later, Roland called me again and said that Isaac had agreed to meet him, as I said.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I heard that he arrived in the capital first among those called by Liena.
The location, like last time, is one of the safe houses that Roland owns in the capital.
"Why did my father ask to see me first? He's finally gone senile..."
The man who entered the room swaggering confirmed my presence and frowned.
"Who is she?"
I calmly stood up and offered to shake hands.
"Hello, I'm Ethel Lucibiu."
".... If it's Lucibiu, are you Leandro's ex-wife?"
Isaac Cassius completely ignored the hand I extended and looked at his father.
"Now that I think about it, our bunny said that my father had become strange. Could it be that you betrayed Liena and joined this woman?"
The blue eyes glowed coldly.
Isaac Cassius. Known as the most troublesome son of the Cassius family, he was, in a word, a rough and shameless person.
As the last son of Roland, he inherited Cassius's superior appearance, making him young and handsome.
But inside, he's a complete mess. A kind of human who treats human life as if it were worth no more than a fly.
If it weren't for his lazy personality and passion for travel, he might have succeeded Roland and terrorized Cassius.
"Uncle Isaac is a dangerous person, so I have to be careful with him!"
Even Liena, who was generous in her assessment of those who showered her with affection, mentioned that about Isaac.
"Senile? There's nothing you can't say to your father."
But who is Roland Cassius?
Without even blinking, the old man drew his sword and aimed it at his own son.
"Damn bastard. Sit quietly."
He was a man who didn't care even about his own children.
---