Chapter 17
Chapter 17
"Huh?" Me? I did?”
What did I do?
“Didn’t you seal the Barrier that was broken by the Spirits? Thanks to you, the contamination disappeared, so all we had to do was catch the rampaging Bellac.”
“Ah, I did.”
Nina recalled the seal engraved on the Barrier. It must have appeared the moment she summoned Tae Yang.
‘They took care of me in many ways.’
“The Bellac didn’t come near that Barrier, so we used it as a base and took them down one by one.”
Louis said, sweeping his low ponytail behind his back.
“We almost died several times. It was like the Jet-Black Knights before Your Excellency came.”
“I’m glad everyone survived.”
Nina sighed.
Jin reached out and ruffled Nina’s hair.
“You too. What’s this? Why is your hair so soft?”
“There’s a story behind that. More importantly, what’s next?”
Adrian briefly explained what followed.
“There was an epidemic.”
“An epidemic?”
Huh? This is something I don’t know?
Because the story begins with the appearance of the female lead, Fiona, much of Adrian’s past was hidden.
Aside from the major events that influenced the original story, Nina didn’t know much about what had happened to him.
“It spread throughout the empire. The elderly and the weak suffered the most.”
Interestingly, the Jet-Black Knights, who were practically isolated due to the battle with the Bellac, were not infected by the epidemic.
Doctor Kirill’s management was thorough.
The epidemic struck the Louveaen estate, and both the Duke and the Young Master died of the disease.
Adrian was the only legitimate heir left.
Although he was a bastard, Adrian, who was registered in the Duke’s family, had the right to succession.
“So?”
When Nina asked about the rest of the story, Jin scratched his chin.
“Well, it was chaos. Before the funeral was even over, the Duchess joined hands with the Duke’s younger brother and claimed that Your Excellency had poisoned them both.”
“Getting out of the mansion was a headache.”
Louis recalled with a bitter smile.
Only Adrian was calm, as if he knew the situation.
Thanks to the Jet-Black Knights who had been called nearby in advance, the group was able to escape safely.
And a civil war broke out in the Dukedom.
Adrian and the Duke’s younger brother fought over the right to succession. Most of the vassals sided with the Duke’s younger brother, who was supported by the Duchess.
Adrian had far fewer forces, so it seemed like a hopeless fight.
But he never lost.
Unless it was a strategic retreat, he always won.
As if easily taking white stones in a game of territory, Adrian dealt with the rebels as easily as breathing.
Cruelly and thoroughly.
So much so that even the sight of his flag made them tremble and unable to hold their spears and swords.
Half a year.
In just half a year, Adrian quelled the civil war and rose to the position of Duke.
At that time, Louis felt both admiration and fear.
He felt like he was riding on the back of a relentless tiger.
A relentless tiger that runs endlessly until the moment of final destruction.
‘But…….’
Louis glanced at Nina.
Can I relax a little now?
Nina sighed deeply.
“So many things really happened while I was gone.”
She felt sorry for not being there with them. But she was glad that he hadn’t harmed his family with his own hands.
She was happy that the future she wanted to change was changing.
That’s what she thought…….
‘Huh.’
As they entered a crowded street, she noticed that the road was bumpy.
‘Huh huh.’
The people’s clothes were also shabby.
Suddenly anxious, Nina turned her gaze from side to side.
‘Is my garden ruined?’
She had talked a lot with Adrian about tending the garden this way and that…….
‘No, there was a civil war. It wasn’t the time to worry about the garden.’
Thinking that, Nina covered her face with both hands when she saw Black Shield Castle.
‘Sob sob, our territory is poor.’
\ \ *
There are two castles in the Louveaen territory: Black Shield Castle near the Violet Forest and Silver Lake Castle in the center of the territory.
The latter is the main castle of the Duke’s family, so not many lords stay in Black Shield Castle like Adrian.
Maybe only the first Duke Louveaen.
Black Shield Castle, which is similar to a fortress for battle, had small windows and was stained with old dirt in places.
There were stains everywhere that would never come off even if you scrubbed them with a pig bristle brush.
The window frames were also dirty. There was a stickiness or slipperiness that remained no matter how much you wiped it.
The interior was truly desolate.
There were no people, no furniture, nothing at all.
Nina was embarrassed because it felt like living in a cave as a caveman on a stone floor.
“Is it always this empty?”
“It’s too noisy to have anything.”
Looking at Adrian’s frowning face, Nina understood what he meant.
‘He didn’t like the interior……. Adrian has high standards. That’s right.’
He’d rather tear everything down and put it in the warehouse than look at something he didn’t like.
The civil war was suppressed in half a year, but the aftermath would have taken longer.
He wouldn’t have had the time, money, or leisure to leisurely do the interior.
“Good heavens! Nina!”
Doctor Kirill’s mouth dropped open when she saw Nina. Nina smiled and said.
“You can’t dissect me.”
“That’s a great pity.”
Kirill strode over and said.
“Let’s start with a checkup.”
After the checkup, Kirill gave the opinion that she was ‘very healthy,’ and Nina barely escaped from her hands.
In the meantime, a drinking party was prepared, and the group gathered intimately for a drinking party.
It was too informal to be called a banquet; it was literally a drinking spree.
Meanwhile, Nina looked at the appearance of the castle and the servants working there.
‘There are few servants, and the castle is deserted. There’s really nothing.’
Of course, she felt it most strongly at the drinking party.
‘Why are the side dishes mainly potatoes? Mainly potatoes.’
It’s not that there’s no meat, but there were more potatoes than meat.
Potatoes are food for farmers, not for nobles. So potatoes were a precious crop that was not included in taxes.
When Nina was young, she and her sister used to grow potatoes instead of her brother, who was busy with wheat farming.
‘But why are potatoes coming out at the Duke’s drinking party? Of course, potatoes are delicious, but…….’
While eating a potato pancake made with shredded potatoes, Nina told them about her experiences.
Everyone’s eyes widened at the part about meeting the Spirits, and at the part where they restored her body, Kirill declared that she would do another ‘detailed examination.’
Jin said with a strange face.
“So that’s why you were so strangely light.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you’re strangely light. Not like a human. But if the Spirit fixed your body, then it makes sense.”
“Am I light?”
When Nina asked Adrian, who was sitting next to her, he reached out and grabbed her sides and lifted her up.
Her body was easily lifted up, surprising even Nina herself.
“Ehh?”
“Light.”
After Adrian said that, he put Nina down. Nina felt somehow wronged and jumped up from her seat.
“But I’ve gotten stronger! I can split firewood with my bare hands! Now, I’ll lift Young Master up.”
“I’ll pass.”
Nina, who was upset by Adrian’s refusal, found a side table next to her.
It was an old and heavy-looking side table with a marble top and bronze legs.
“Look!”
When Nina lifted it up with one hand, everyone was amazed. Jin said awkwardly.
“You could do a street performance anywhere.”
“I can swing this around so, so lightly.”
As she swung the side table around, people scurried away. She put the side table down and said.
“But I don’t think it’s very efficient. I’m so hungry. After using my strength once…….”
Then she ate the steamed potatoes in an instant.
Kirill tilted her head in wonder.
“Do you have to eat a lot as much as you’re strong? That’s really amazing.”
Kirill reached out and patted Nina’s head.
“You’ve worked hard, kid.”
Nina sighed.
“I think you guys have worked harder than me.”
When she brought up the civil war, Jin shuddered.
“I’d rather deal with Bellac than deal with those people.”
