The Soul Substitute Trash of the Duke Family
Chapter 3

Once upon a time, there was a continent divided into five regions.

The eastern, southern, western, northern and central regions each have a ruler, except the central region. The central region itself is a forest area with steep and steep terrain, poor natural conditions and has unknown dangers because no one has ever entered it.

Over time, wars erupted that took a lot of casualties, so that the human population at that time decreased dramatically, so the four leaders made an agreement to form an empire centered in the eastern region.

Due to the vastness of the territory, the empire could not take care of it alone. So formed some small kingdoms on the continent to make it easier to rule the region by appointing some of his followers who have great power.

In generations, everything was going normally, until one day a swarm of monsters and mysterious diseases appeared attacking several small kingdoms and spreading almost across the continent making the empire feel almost on the verge of collapse.

Then came some people who had great magic and managed to defeat the monster to almost exterminate almost all the population. After successfully defeating monsters, they taught magic to high nobles and kingdoms, teaching knights to ordinary people as well as low nobles.

Simultaneously, a goddess appeared and blessed the twenty chosen people to exterminate the plague. And the goddess also designates one of them as Saintess.

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'Shelf'

Leona closed her book violently. He had read a stack of thick books that almost submerged him.

"Miss, it's dinner time." Jim said as he walked towards Leona. The handsome young man entered the library with an expressionless flat face that sometimes made Leona unable to guess the expression on the young man's face.

Leona stretched her stiff body. "Oh, it's night, yeah." Leona looked at Jim, who was standing behind the sofa. "Jim, can you please stop talking formally to me? Oh, don't forget to stop calling me Miss." Leona said annoyedly.

"This lowly me is inappropriate, Miss." Jim's words are polite.

Leona rolled her eyes lazily.

"alright. What if you call me by name and act normal to me if it's just the two of you?" Pinta Leona sincerely, did not forget to put on a look of compassion his mainstay.

"Good, No–ehem! Leona."

Leona smiled sincerely making a thin hue visible on the young man's cheeks.

"Alright, Jim. Let's eat."

Leona immediately tidied up the book she had finished reading and returned it to its original place. When he turned around, he saw an old book that caught his attention.

'Magic and its kind.'

"Maybe it's useful to Jim." He then searched for some books about magic. Once he felt enough, he asked Jim to keep it in his space ring.

While walking in the hallway, he accidentally runs into Iris, Duke's beloved golden daughter with two personal servants and two soldiers who follow him while carrying several large boxes. Iris looked slightly surprised, yet she normalized her expression and approached Leona with a friendly face.

Leona watched Iris' expression closely. After a five-year war in Hagoromo's dimension and meeting many people, Leona learns that Iris' expression is full of falsehoods.

"Sister, where are you?" Sweep friendly.

Leona stopped her steps and stared at Iris flatly. "I'm from the library."

"I heard two of Brother's personal servants were fired, huh?" Iris asked with a face pretending to be sad. She secretly laughs at Leona's appearance, which she thinks is strange. Leona does not wear jewelry, her clothes are like men's clothes with a red shirt wrapped in black vest, thigh shorts with heels five inches as high as a calf.

"Yes?"

"What is Brother in trouble? I can tell you to find a servant and a bodyguard for you."

Leona glanced at the 2 personal maids of Iris who were holding back a laugh. "no need. Don't add a burden on a useless person like me." His mouth was cold and he left them immediately.

Leona stopped her steps and turned to look at Iris. This time, his words sounded sincere.

"I heard you had light magic. If you want to hear the advice of someone who doesn't have magic like me, practice that magic of yours. Maybe all this time you hated me because I was intruding and making trouble with you. My goal is just to have you mentally strong."

Iris was fixated and looked at Leona with trembling eyes.

"You don't know how dangerous the outside world is. Maybe I don't know anything about magic because I don't have it, but I suggest you don't let darkness rule your heart, you might lose your light magic. I can't accept you as a brother, but I consider you a partner. Not more." Leona said at length and threw a sincere smile then immediately left followed by Jim.

Hearing Leona's words made Iris's heart tremble and stared at Leona's departure in tears.

"Thank you."

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"Sorry, Leona. The kitchen waiter just gave this to dinner." Jim said, lowering his head.

Leona glanced at the tray Jim was holding and watched.

"We're eating out, Jim. Quickly put on civilian clothes." Let Leona relax.

"But–” Jim's words were cut by Leona.

" Quick before I go hungry." Leona's word is firm.

Jim complied and immediately left. Leona soon replaced her clothes with civilian clothes. He took out a bag containing gold coins and a scroll and immediately walked out of his room.

Jim was standing in the living room in ordinary civilian clothes.

"You can teleport?" Ask Leona.

"There's no one who can do that, Miss. Very rarely can people teleport because it can drain mana depending on the distance traveled." Obviously Jim made Leona nod in understanding.

Leona immediately held Jim's hand making the young man gasp in shock, but suddenly he was in a quiet alley.

Jim immediately leaned against the wall of the alley, his head dizzy.

"Leona, how can you do that?" Jim asked after his dizziness had lessened.

"Consecret. Don't tell anyone, Jim." Pinta Leona blinked one eye.

"Good."

After Jim felt better, they immediately came out of the alley and stared around a fairly crowded pedestrian. Leona looked around with a sparkling look. The bustling atmosphere of a night market in the modern world slightly reduces his longing. Soon Leona drags Jim towards a simple two-story tavern.

Jim who was dragged could only resign. He did not want to be amuk Leona considering this nonanya has a bad temper.

"Is there a festival?" Leona asked as she glanced at the surroundings with a sparkling look.

"really. Today is a festival to celebrate the abundant harvest.

Leona nodded and approached some food stands and ordered 2 servings for herself and Jim. Jim who wanted to refuse was forced to accept when he saw Leona's face that looked terrible.

They sat in a garden chair not far from there and ate the food they had bought. Jim felt moved because Leona cared about him. Hardly any noble master cared about his own servants. Jim felt lucky to be Leona's servant, despite being rude and no manners of nobility, Leona actually had a kind and warm personality.

"Jim, is it true that Iris said that my servant was fired?" Leona's question made Jim speechless. Seeing the doubt on Jim's face, Leona immediately calmed him down. "Tell me honestly."

"really. Lily was stopped by Master Duke because you accidentally pushed Miss Iris who entered your previous room. And Cellina chose to resign when you were in the pavilion."

Leona nodded. "Thank you Jim. But don't say formal to me." Pissed Leona.

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Emillio enters Leona's pavilion angrily upon seeing Iris crying in her room after meeting Leona.

He opened the pavilion door violently, yet strangely there was no one there. Neither soldiers nor servants.

"Leona!!" Shouted Emilio blaring.

No waiter who came to greet him made the young man frown.

Soon he opened one of the rooms with a golden-coated door that was Leona's room. There was no one but a tray with food still intact. A meat soup with a little meat, a steak with mashed potatoes that can be eaten once a mouthful. Like the food was not touched.

"Leona!!" Emillo shouted again, but there was still no answer.

"Where's the kid?" Mumbled annoyed. Her eyes go through Leona's room that looks simple and is fixed on the dresser owned by her sister. There was nothing but a wooden comb and a box containing some seemingly worn jewelry. She opened Leona's closet. There were no expensive dresses other than some dark-colored clothes and a few neatly folded pants.

Hold still. Since when did Emillio care about the girl?

"What I think." He muttered while shaking his head. His intention to scold Leona for making Iris cry instead of opening her wardrobe?

She looked around Leona's room, when was the last time she was with the girl?

Instantly a sense of tightness enveloped his heart.

Immediately Emillio exited the pavilion with a hostile look.

While Leona was busy enjoying her dinner with Jim, and planned something while chuckling that managed to make Jim creep in horror.

"Is Miss possessed?" The mind in the heart.