Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Chapter 35

Pitying myself, I called a small magical carriage.

There was no horse and no coachman, but despite that, the carriage was unique, so although the distance was short, one’s safety was guaranteed. Even the handles used on the door of the carriage had magic.

While getting off the carriage I experienced hell, but did arrive without a hitch, and entered the bell tower.

The inside of the bell tower was clearly unmanaged, cold, and had a bleak atmosphere. Still, it wasn’t as cold as outside since it provided shelter from the wind.

I pulled open my coat just as Aedis appeared.

“You traitor….”

“Take this.” Spoke Aedis as he pushed a big round object towards me.

A transparent sphere contained a small ember, setting aglow the sphere to resemble a fish tank.

The weight was as light as a feather, but the effect was strong.

As soon as I hugged it, my frozen body relaxed.

“Don’t leave it behind when you go.” As Aedis’s voice softened, a smile grew upon his lips.

“That’s fair.”

Only then did I have the energy to explore the inside of the bell tower.

The tower was more spacious than I had originally expected from the outside view.

The spiral staircase wound all the way up to the tower’s peak, reaching across all 20 floors. Even with only a small ember to rely on in the surrounding darkness, the icicles formed on the wall were clearly visible.

“Interesting, I can still see well in the tower’s darkness.”

“It may be a result of the spirit’s power working, or perhaps, wife had good eyesight from the beginning.”

It seems to me that it is the former, but I wish it was the latter.

As I walked past the broken angel statue, I asked, “Have you ever been to the bell tower before?”

“No.” Aedis replied.

“Aren’t you curious about the spirit?”

“Not really.”

As expected, it was a lukewarm reaction that followed.

I paused and looked back at Aedis. He was following slowly from behind so I could stay ahead.

“If I find the statue where the spirit is sealed, can I make my own personal wish?”

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“It’s unlikely. The tradition is just an old superstition anyway.”

I shed a bitter smile.

“Aedis, do you hate spirits?”

“…..”

“Shall we not make a wish?”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I’m not even sure which statue the spirit is sealed in. There are so many here.”

If I was told it wasn’t a bell tower, but a stone statue warehouse, I would believe it.

Because the condition of the stored statues was a mess, it was difficult to properly distinguish the statues’ features, but they seemed to have different appearances.

“Didn’t Regen say that there was only one object sealed in the bell tower?”

“Yes?”

“Excuse me?”

With a sharp twist, I turned my head back to face Aedis.

Angel statues, devil statues, animal-shaped statues, and bizarre sculptures reminiscent of demons….. There is really no end.

Suddenly, my eyes dimmed.

“Then all the statues here…..”

Aedis smiled like a villain as a sign that I was right.

“Please test yourself whether it’s a superstition or not.”

Perhaps the reason why the number of spirits had dropped sharply in the past, is because the first Grand Duke of Kallakis collected all of them. Seeing the same number of statues as stairs climbing towards the ceiling, I thought it was a reasonable doubt.

He’s really an extraordinary person. Aedis gave a fair evaluation, but it was still frustrating.

I now understand why the previous masters left their wishes to the Grand Duchess, and never tried to do it themselves.

Even right now, it seemed that the stone statues were alive and insisted on asking for the blood of the Kallakis

Uh. Well, that makes me a little nervous.

“Aedis? This time, there really is no going back first leaving me behind.”

When I called his name once more, I heard a gentle laugh.

Well, at least, there was no way to make a wish with an empty stone statue, I can pick anyone to make my wish.

I thought about going up to the top of the bell for a moment, but then I shook my head.

It’s annoying.

There aren’t any desperate wishes that must be fulfilled, and it seems that my legs will feel stiff after my descent of the stairs.

Of course, it’s fascinating to hear that spirits are all over, but I couldn’t seem to bring myself to be excited.

Go back and eat chocolate…..

“Huh?”

Tsk, something caught my foot. I was walking slowly, so, fortunately, I didn’t fall. I stopped and looked down, among the stone statues I’ve seen so far, the one in the worst condition was the one that laid on the stairs beneath me.

It was small enough to hold in one arm. I had caught my foot on the tail part of the stone statue that I had walked on. Although my foot only slightly nudged it, fragments of the stone fell.

“Wait a minute.” After informing Aedis I stopped, I squatted down and inspected the statue.

It looked like a dragon, except it was cracked and broken all over the place, so I couldn’t be sure. The claws were blunt, and the wings were encased in spider webs, but the vertically torn pupils were vivid as if they were alive.

“It’s going to crumble.” Aedis briefly explained.

It won’t last long before it deteriorates as it’s already broken. I was even afraid to set the statue upright, thinking it might break from the slightest movement.

Unlike other stone statues that have naturally decayed over the years, it seemed to have been picked up and thrown several times.

If it takes another hard hit, it will disintegrate into powder without any shape remaining.

“Would a spirit be sealed in here too? What happens to the spirits when the stone statue is completely broken?”

“It will disappear.”

It was a harsh conclusion.

Well, that’s why you should stop bothering people.

“I’ll do it with this stone statue.”

“…….Will it be okay?”

Aedis once again gave a lukewarm response.

“I’m not expecting very much. Can I make a wish now?”

“Yes.”

“If I put it upright, it looks like it will break… What do I use as a gift?”

I didn’t bring any money.

After rummaging around for a moment, I took out a ribbon.

A pink string, similar to the color of my hair, was tied very loosely to the gargoyle’s tail.

I sat down on the stairs and chanted something like a wish.

“Hello, spirit. I’m sorry that you have been sealed in such a shabby place. It’s quite difficult to give a blessing, right? But it’s already been 500 years. There’s also a saying that the beginning is half the battle, so cheer up. I don’t know if it’s any good to cheer up tomorrow but… I’ll specifically pray for the statue to endure for another 500 years.”

It was a simple way to check if the spirits really did grant wishes.

Your wish won’t be achieved without the intervention of the spirit.

“My wish is…. Um, to let me get rich. It’s me, not the family. For reference, the Grand Duke would not receive the blessing only I would, to which he has agreed.”

“……I thought you said you don’t expect much?”

I pretended not to hear the small protest.

“So, I’ll ask you to try hard enough till you say, ‘Ah, isn’t this a little too much?!’”

“…..”

“Specifically, it would be nice if you could give me gold and diamonds as much as the tallest mountain in the empire, and honor. I would be grateful if you would allow my fame to reach the other side of the continent, and finally a religion to support me, so that I could be praised forever, and ever.”

“…..”

“If you listen to this, I’ll pray for the safety of this statue’s spirit, and I’ll try to repair your stone statue. Even if things go wrong and the spirit doesn’t exist in the world, I’ll remember you. Wow, isn’t it an authentic business deal? You just have to do what I wish, and you’ll live forever in my mind.”

Aedis smiled and also looked like giggling.

“I feel like a crook so I have nothing else to say.”

“You say it’s a superstition anyway? If you’re not sure, you have to shout loudly.”

Suddenly, Aedis threw a strange look at me.

“Eve, are you not interested in world peace?”

“No.”

“Then, limit the range to the north.”

“I believe my husband, the master of the North, will do his job.”

Yes, it’s your job. Aedis huffed and smiled, before reaching his hand out to me.

The lines drawn on his long fingers, and on the back of his hand were smooth.

I took his hand and stood up.

“You could have wished for the Morgana family’s prosperity.”

Uh-huh, that’s not my business.

“It’s something my parents will do on their own. It would be different if they pass me the title.”

In the Ravena Empire, it was possible for one person to have multiple titles.

Of course, it would be another issue to occupy both the positions of the master of the Morgana house and Grand Duchess at the same time. Since the responsibility was enormous, it would have a direct impact on my situation.

Until now, I was the predetermined successor of Morgana Family.

As soon as I was born, my parents announced that this child was the successor.

They said that the Morgana family must be led by a man; however, I was the only child of my parents. As such, I very timidly insisted in a letter to deal with the marriage contract on my own because if I left the capital, I would pressure my parents to choose a new successor.

“Shall we go back?”

Instead of letting go of Aedis’s hand, I changed my hold so that we could continue to walk side by side holding hands.