The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living
Chapter 22
Chapter 22
The moment he heard that song with its bizarre, incomprehensible lyrics, his strength drained and overwhelming drowsiness washed over him.
“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■”
The elite troops he had brought along began to collapse one by one, their knees buckling under them.
Just as Alpheus himself was on the verge of slipping unconsciously into slumber—
“Use it when you can’t fall asleep but are too drowsy. Keep it on you at all times.”
Suddenly, Brisa’s voice crossed his mind.
Forcing his cotton-heavy head to focus, he fumbled through his inner shirt pocket.
Just as Brisa had handed it to him, his fingers brushed against the thoroughly dried Awakening Herb.
Snatching the Awakening Herb with trembling hands, he chewed it down, and his eyes snapped wide open. At the same time, far out in the sea, the silhouette of the monster singing the song came into view.
‘……Hm?’
Alpheus unleashed a rapid barrage of sword aura toward the indistinct monster.
‘That is…… a monster, right?’
Was that shimmering gleam fish scales, or a person’s silver hair……?
“They say a very peculiar monster has appeared there as well.”
Just as the servant had said, it truly was a most peculiar monster.
As he narrowed his eyes, the monster, grazed by his sword aura, vanished into the sea. At the same time, the intoxicating, drowsy song ceased.
“Come on, wake up.”
He hurried to awaken the slumbering knights and the 2nd Prince.
“Wake up, everyone get up.”
When they wouldn’t stir easily, he finally delivered a fair share of physical shocks.
The knights and the 2nd Prince groaned as they rubbed their bruised, battered bodies and sat up.
“Ah…… what happened?”
“The moment I heard that strange song, I fell asleep…… and I don’t remember anything after that.”
“It seems we were out cold in the meantime. Good heavens, we truly almost died. Is that right, Alpheus-nim?”
At the question from the imperial knight checking his bruises, Alpheus nodded.
“That sounds about right.”
Then he quickly turned to the 2nd Prince.
“I failed to kill the monster in question. I have no more of the Awakening Herb my younger sister gave me, so we must leave this island immediately.”
Now that they were actually here, it seemed less like a massive Monster Wave and more like the survival rate of those who came had plummeted because of a single monster with a bizarre ability.
“Indeed, let us return at once.”
The 2nd Prince agreed, surveying their surroundings.
Then, before Alpheus could even speak, he continued:
“Let us all head to the Imperial Palace together. If you have no need for a barony, I will personally speak to His Majesty the Emperor to ensure you receive ample compensation for your war efforts.”
He added with a slightly choked voice as he looked at Alpheus’s worn attire:
“Besides, did you not come all this way out of friendship to save my life? My mother will surely reward you handsomely in private as well. If so, you must never refuse.”
Alpheus thought it was fortunate he didn’t have to confess, ‘I came to beg, not out of friendship.’
When they all finally left the island and set foot on the continent—
“Huh?”
The warp gate had stopped working.
“The Magic Tower has suspended all warp operations. They say it won’t be operational until midsummer.”
The imperial knight who had looked into the situation reported in a grim voice.
The 2nd Prince let out a deep sigh.
“Then we have no choice but to stay here for now.”
He muttered with narrowed eyes.
“I wonder if there is a noble estate nearby that can accommodate a knight order of this size…….”
Alpheus shook his head cheerfully.
“Ah, I’ll be going on horseback.”
“What?”
“If the warp is down, I plan to ride a horse.”
The 2nd Prince stared at his face blankly and asked:
“Are you in your right mind?”
And for good reason—traversing such vast territory on horseback was no small feat.
Moreover, the Empire was enormous.
“Ah, of course, only my knight order and I will be moving. I’m not suggesting we all ride to the Imperial Palace together.”
Alpheus hurried to explain.
“I left my young sister all alone back at our estate. I can’t wait until midsummer.”
At that, the 2nd Prince was even more appalled.
“That doesn’t change my reaction. Are you truly out of your mind?”
Wondering if the bruises on his own body had somehow found their way into Alpheus’s head, he kindly explained:
“From the East all the way to Central, on horseback? Do you know how long that will take? Besides, monsters are reportedly appearing along every territory’s borders right now.”
“Even so, our Bribri is waiting for me.”
The 2nd Prince blinked and asked in return:
“Buri-buri? Are you perhaps raising a short-tempered pet?”
“No! That’s the name of my newly found little sister, who gave me the Awakening Herb as a keepsake!”
Truthfully, while Alpheus had saved his life thanks to Brisa, what he could never forget even more was the very moment he had received that Awakening Herb.
“Do you know what it was like? When we were fighting for our lives day after day in the North…….”
He murmured with wistful eyes.
“Every night, everyone would gaze at something. A mother’s photograph, a father’s keepsake, letters from siblings, things like that. The tokens left behind by beloved family, the last things they wanted to see before a life-or-death battle, the traces of the people they had to return to at all costs…….”
Alpheus’s voice grew subdued.
“I had nothing like that. So I merely read things like youth hero novels.”
If Brisa had heard this, she would have remarked, ‘So those youth hero novels were the source of your main character syndrome.’
Alpheus continued, his face full of suppressed emotion.
“But at last, I too have a token of family given to me by Bribri. I have a place to return to. That’s why I must hurry back to her.”
The first family for a righteous young man who had grown up lonely as a commoner orphan.
Alpheus wanted to give her nothing but the best, unconditionally.
“I had to mature at far too young an age. Because I had to take responsibility for myself. Knowing so well how sorrowful that is…… I never want to raise my sister like that. Never.”
With him speaking like this, the 2nd Prince could not stop Alpheus.
In the end, the 2nd Prince searched his robes and pulled out the emergency jewels he carried.
“Here, take these at least.”
“No, you really didn’t have to…….”
“With the warp shut down, distribution will be halted, so food prices won’t be cheap. You’ll need to eat along the way, won’t you?”
Having meticulously stripped off even all his brooches to hand over, the 2nd Prince gave a gentle smile.
With all his ornaments removed, the brown-haired, green-eyed man looked almost like an unpretentious knight.
“My elder brother sent me here, but thanks to you, Alpheus, I’ve survived once again. I will never forget this favor. Let us meet at the Imperial Palace as soon as the warp is restored.”
Alpheus let out a hearty laugh.
“To be precise, it was our Bribri who saved Your Highness’s life. It was thanks to the Awakening Herb Bribri gave me that I was able to come to my senses. All of us nearly perished.”
“That child…… well.”
The 2nd Prince began to say something, then closed his mouth.
Alpheus tilted his head.
“What about our Bribri? Have you perhaps met her before?”
“……I have.”
The 2nd Prince rolled his eyes slightly and replied:
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager favored her, so while she was attending the Capital Academy, she summoned her to the Imperial Palace several times. I caught glimpses of her in passing now and then.”
“Is that so! As expected, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager must have recognized our Bribri’s cuteness as well!”
“Personally, I think she recognized her…… usefulness, rather than cuteness.”
The 2nd Prince’s expression darkened slightly. But he quickly smiled and patted Alpheus on the shoulder.
“You always yearned for family.”
With gentle eyes, he wished his comrade well.
“I sincerely hope that child becomes good family to you.”
“Of course.”
Alpheus said cheerfully.
“Naturally, I must be a good family to her first. She’s just a child, after all.”
