Chapter 18
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Chapter 18
Yet I noticed beads of cold sweat forming on his brow. I handed Dale my handkerchief.
"Is something wrong? Why are you sweating like that?"
"It's nothing. Just... a bit nervous."
Dale spoke carefully as he kindled the fire in the brazier.
"By the way, Miss Enya, how far would you like Kidland to be investigated?"
"Will it be as much as I want?"
"Of course..."
Dale continued.
"It probably will be. I can't say for certain. The decision rests with The Emperor."
"Then I think having the stolen territory returned would be sufficient."
"Stolen territory?"
"This."
I produced the documents I had found by searching through the archive that Adeline had called a filthy place.
"This is..."
Dale set down the potato, his eyes narrowing.
But there was one more thing.
"And there's also a map."
* * *
"So it really was Sister Adeline..."
Sophia's eyes were swollen as she sniffled.
Two days later, an urgent dispatch arrived at the Kidland Marquis Territory.
A direct order came down from the Imperial Palace to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the marquis territory.
'This is faster than usual.'
The reasons were that the covenant concluded between Kidland and Grunvalt had not been properly upheld, there were clear violations, and there were suspicions of tax evasion.
"I had no idea such a thing existed."
Yurta and The Lord gazed at the aged documents with bewildered expressions.
It was an old alliance contract between Marquis Kidland and Count Grunvalt.
The two of them, who shared the Gonia Mountain Range side by side, had...—explaining it in detail would be far too lengthy, so in summary, it was this:
1. During the period when both Grunvalt and Kidland saw their populations dwindle, Grunvalt lacked sufficient military forces compared to Kidland.
2. The Gonia Mountain Range was infested with monsters. The Count promised the Marquis several mines in exchange for subjugating the creatures.
3. As Grunvalt's power weakened, Kidland turned a blind eye. Over time, they began to treat the mines as naturally their own land and fulfilled none of their obligations.
4. What Kidland obtained was merely mining rights, not ownership—that still belonged to Grunvalt. To conceal this, rather than subjugate the monsters, they deliberately sent them down upon Grunvalt, laying waste to the land.
5. Now they even plotted to secretly kill The Lord and absorb his territory.
6. The fine particles scattered like sand before Lord's Castle were toxic hallucinogens. It was a conspiracy to spread vicious rumors about The Lord.
7. Adeline Kidland, acting on the Marquis's orders, walked through the Wasteland with Count Grunvalt three times daily, exposing him to the hallucinogen under the pretense of reclaiming the land.
8. Antitoxin components were detected in Adeline's blood. None were found in The Lord's.
Kidland had stolen Grunvalt's land, yet legally still maintained his former modest territory, so he paid taxes based on that standard.
'This was precisely the sort of case the Imperial Palace bureaucrats would love.'
If you asked anyone in the Empire right now where the most difficult place to survive was, they would all point to the Imperial Palace.
Thanks to the Emperor's performance-oriented policies, the officials were searching with fervent eyes for cases that could earn them promotions.
This incident happened to align perfectly with that need.
It was a case of tax evasion owed to the Imperial Palace itself—the Emperor would surely be delighted.
The map I found in the archive bore old boundary lines that proved the documents were authentic.
"All evidence has been submitted."
Dale, returning from the Kidland Marquis Territory, removed his robe. He had handled the matter in my stead.
"How long do you think the investigators will stay?"
"With so much evidence, it shouldn't take even a day. They'll likely return to the Capital within half a day."
"Thank you. Anne, Dale... *cough*, sir."
The Lord approached us with a weary yet unburdened expression.
He knew the full story and let out a long sigh.
"I was too lenient in my handling, and I didn't realize things had come to this, that Sophia had suffered so much."
I didn't reveal what Adeline had done to Sophia.
But learning that Adeline had taken over what was originally Sophia's room, The Lord seemed to have grasped the general situation up to this point.
"I don't know how to repay this debt of gratitude..."
"It's fine."
"It is not fine for me. My heart cannot find peace."
But why did The Lord keep glancing at Dale like that?
It seemed as though he was grateful but wanted to escape this situation, and perhaps even trembling.
"I've already received compensation for this work."
"You mean the Dry Garden?"
"And the adjacent land as well."
"But that would be a very small area."
"Yet now you've reclaimed the land that was stolen by the neighboring territory, haven't you?"
I pointed to the map.
Kidland and Grunvalt were positioned very close to each other. The area known as the Dry Garden didn't end merely at the flatland.
There was more territory that extended beyond Kidland's false boundary line.
A region lush with vegetation that neither Kidland nor Grunvalt had touched, thinking it was a neutral zone that had been left untouched as time passed.
"That much is mine."
"...!"
The Lord's eyes widened in an instant.
"I purchased the entire garden behind Lord's Castle. Here's the old map."
I traced a circle on the map with my finger.
"Everything marked as garden up to here belongs to me, doesn't it?"
"That, that is...!"
"Isn't it?"
"Well... I see. You're right. Since you've recovered from your illness, how could I refuse you anything?"
The Lord couldn't spit at my smiling face and conceded.
"And give me the Wasteland as well. I know how to restore the land to its original state."
"Certainly. I'll give you whatever you wish, Miss."
I had extracted a firm commitment from The Lord.
The lands of Grunvalt, not just here but scattered throughout, were covered in monster corpse dust that prevented life from flourishing.
Monsters possessed toxins even in their bones, which devastated the soil.
This was a cunning scheme Marquis Kidland had devised after learning the method from Hexagon, designed to slowly seize Grunvalt.
And later, it became the land Hexagon used as a medicinal herb garden.
'In the original story, it was where Hexagon secretly cultivated medicinal herbs.'
The moment I pondered the name Marquis Kidland, I realized where I'd heard it before.
The family name Hexagon had used to purchase land in other territories and cultivate medicinal herbs while evading the Emperor's gaze.
Marquis Kidland was merely an extra villain character in the original narrative.
"Call a priest and ask him to bless some small saplings. Even tiny ones will do. Once planted, the land will be purified immediately."
It was the only way to remove magical energy.
"Thank you, truly thank you, Miss Enya."
"But to summon a priest... the cost aside, now that you've reclaimed the mine, I understand scheduling is quite difficult."
Yurta's concern was valid.
Priests rarely venture outside the Temple System. Without orders from above, one must make an appointment and wait for an extended period.
"It's fine. I know a priest."
"Truly?"
"Yes. I'll speak to him. You can provide the payment, right?"
"Of course! For the sake of reviving this land, anything at all!"
The Lord was brimming with enthusiasm.
I do know a priest, certainly.
'Though he's somewhat corrupt.'
"Dale and I even exchanged vows of love before him."
At my words, Dale's eyes widened. His expression seemed to ask if that person was acceptable.
I whispered.
"It's fine—his blessing was genuine. By the way, Dale, do you have time today?"
"Today I have somewhere to..."
"Ah, I see? I was going to ask if you could come along when you had time. Understood."
I decided to let the busy Dale go.
"You don't have to leave."
"But you just said you had somewhere to be?"
"I did, but honoring my contract with you is more important."
His steadfast words made my heart swell with warmth.
"Then would you like to go out for a stroll with me?"
After hearing this, Dale, who had been thinking for a long time, flushed crimson.
"Is this perhaps... a date?"
* * *
"Once the investigator arrives, they'll soon come to Grunvalt as well. I'm planning to stay far away."
I led Dale to the Shopping District we had visited before for our outing.
"Dale? Why are you so quiet?"
"...It's nothing."
"Do you perhaps dislike this place?"
"I like it. As long as I'm with you."
Though he seemed to look somewhat dejected—or was he?
"Here it is. Come this way."
I showed him a rose-shaped badge and entered a shop.
"Ah, you're a customer of Rosanna's."
"I've come to pick up some items."
"Please wait a moment."
The man who appeared to be the shop owner brought out a stack of boxes.
Click.
What filled those numerous boxes was currency itself.
A total of 3.7 million Crobat—the full amount Rosanna was paying as the price for the necklace.
Then Dale, who had been quietly observing the boxes, snapped his fingers.
"It appears to be more than 3.7 million Crobat."
"That's right."
Simply cultivating medicinal herbs wouldn't help. I needed to sell them to turn them into money.
"The total is 5 million Crobat."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org