Chapter 129

"Th-there's something I w-want to ask."

"Please speak."

"D-did His Grace ultimately p-prioritize the territory over h-his own safety?"

"I can only say that he did, Lady."

Amelia looked at Arenheit, who was being held by Leandros, with pitying eyes.

His body, covered in blood and wounds, was tightly wrapped in Leandros and Amelia's cloaks to hide as much exposure as possible.

And for good reason, as the sight of someone this injured but still...

"It's d-difficult to think of him as j-just sleeping."

He looked exactly like he was dead.

Currently, Arenheit had all his bodily functions suspended.

Not only were his eyelids not moving, but his heart wasn't beating either.

Amelia ruminated repeatedly on the moment when the two of them had to stand at a crossroads in their decision for Arenheit.

Could they have made a better decision?

Wasn't there a way to heal him without freezing him?

But at that time, Arenheit's condition had been terrible, and she had instinctively sensed it.

If left alone, he would die.

Either die from infection before seeing a physician, or from excessive blood loss right then and there.

So clearly, she and Leandros had no choice.

Yet despite this, Amelia kept returning to that moment.

As if punishing herself.

"W-when we reach Gallo, we sh-should find a physician f-first."

"That's correct."

Leandros nodded, looking down at the black bundle he was holding, and added.

"I am somewhat concerned, though."

"Wh-what?"

"...Nothing. Please don't pay it any mind."

But Leandros didn't tell Amelia anything more.

Amelia tilted her head quizzically, but Leandros silently continued to drive the horse.

On the morning of the second day since leaving Glico.

Thanks to pushing the horses as fast as possible, Amelia and Leandros were able to quickly arrive at their second destination, Gallo.

The two didn't even take time to unpack or find an inn, but went straight to the physician who was said to be the most skilled in the village.

There would be experienced physicians who had dealt with emergency situations, and there would be many assistants to help them.

With this, they could prepare for when Arenheit's body thawed.

The two hurried joyfully to show Arenheit to the physician, but,

"This... this isn't a dead person! The body is so cold—are you asking me to resurrect a corpse!"

"N-no, that's not it! Th-this is just temporarily f-frozen by magic!"

"A dead person? You brought a frozen dead person? What a terrible and barbaric thing to do!"

"He is clearly alive. Please calm down and listen to the end,"

"Out! Get out right now, in all my decades as a physician, I've never heard or seen such a thing!"

"J-just a moment!"

"The only diagnosis I can give is to dig a hole and bury that person immediately! Don't bring bad luck here, get out now!"

-SLAM!

The door closed so violently it almost broke right in front of them.

Leandros and Amelia stared at the door in shock.

Amelia stammered as she spoke.

"P-perhaps. That's what y-you meant by being c-concerned."

"...I apologize, Lady. I should have mentioned it earlier."

To those who didn't know the circumstances, Arenheit appeared to be nothing more than a cold corpse.

Amelia felt a headache coming on.

She could understand why Arenheit would sometimes press his temples firmly.

What should they do? Other physicians would likely have similar reactions.

"...L-let's find s-someone."

"What kind of person do you mean?"

"W-well, someone who w-wouldn't bat an eye e-even if asked to t-treat a corpse!"

Most likely, such a person would be a madman.

Leandros swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue and quietly looked down at the sleeping Arenheit.

He was beginning to miss his Duke, who had always managed to resolve whatever trials came their way.

* * *

"Arndt, sir. Excuse me."

"Is it urgent business? If not, I'm busy now, so report later."

Arndt had been secluded in his newly assigned room.

Since Lady Arnold of the barony, Knight Leandros, and Arenheit, the master of the castle, had left Hartmann Castle, Arndt hadn't had a moment's rest.

He had to oversee the basic management of the castle, supervise the employees, review the ever-present approvals for supplies, and check the purchase details of food ingredients.

On top of that, there was the land lease business that Arenheit had asked him to handle before departing.

Arndt wished he had two heads and four hands.

Certainly, having a source of income was better than running out of assets, but wasn't this a bit much?

Arndt rubbed his tired eyes without even lifting his head.

He sensed the presence of an employee lingering at the doorway.

"What is it? Is it urgent?"

"It's nothing else but, a guest."

Before the employee could finish speaking, a familiar voice interjected.

"This isn't the Duke's office, is it? Where has our Duke gone now?"

"Mr. Aisling!"

Arndt sprang to his feet, causing several precariously stacked papers to fall.

Aiden Aisling flinched at Arndt's reaction, then looked around the room.

"I apologize for visiting without prior notice. But what's this situation?"

"It's nothing. His Grace is temporarily absent. What brings you here?"

"His Grace? Did he go far? I brought the lease contract. I could have sent such things by messenger, but the recipient is the Duke after all. So I had to show my face."

"He'll be back soon. Did you come here from the east again?"

"Since I was out, I went around to oversee branch management. I didn't go as far as the east. But rest assured, the contract has been duly approved by my father, the head of the merchant group."

"If you'll give it to me, I'll deliver it to His Grace as soon as he returns. Ah, before that, would you like some tea?"

Though flustered, Arndt ordered an employee to prepare refreshments in the reception room.

In the meantime, Aiden looked around the room.

It was a simple room with only a guest chair, a desk with a chair, and a small bookshelf.

But the desk was piled high with work, and the bookshelf had well-bundled and organized completed tasks.

Even slips of paper with notes had been inserted for classification.

Though not skilled, it showed considerable effort.

Seeing this, Aiden subtly asked.

"You seem to have a lot of work. Aren't you busy?"

"If I were to neglect visitors because of that, it would tarnish the ducal family's honor. Besides, Mr. Aisling is someone His Grace considers important."

"His Grace does?"

"Otherwise, why would he permit you to lease only good land at a lower price than others?"

A meticulous, sincere attitude with the ability to understand his master's mind.

Aiden recalled when he first met Leandros in the east.

His indifferent attitude, not caring about rewards even after defeating a terrifying demonic beast that had crawled out of a pit.

He was impressed once by Leandros's lack of greed despite his power, and twice by his humility in attributing all glory to his master.

And now this servant too.

"You can read, I see?"

"What...? Of course I can read, having done this much work."

"Can you do somewhat complex calculations too?"

"That's a fundamental skill for running a castle."

"You're fine even if you stay up all night?"

"I'm used to such things."

"All for the ducal family?"

"Of course."

How did the Duke manage to acquire such talented individuals?

The Duke himself was remarkably astute for his age, with glib speech and oratory skills smooth as a snake crossing a wall.

But being exceptional oneself and gathering exceptional people around oneself were entirely different matters.

The former was limited to oneself, but the latter meant having human charm, sociability, and admirable qualities.

Of course, he himself was also favorably disposed toward Duke Arenheit, but.

"If by chance His Grace ever drives you out of the castle, make sure to apply to the Aisling Merchant Group."

"Even though that won't happen?"

"Yes. Be sure to apply. I'll ensure your salary is well taken care of."

"You're quite the joker. But don't you have something to say to His Grace?"

"Why do you think that?"

"No matter how much His Grace is your business partner, you wouldn't come personally for such trivial matters as delivering a contract. Everyone knows that Mr. Aisling is practically the next heir to the merchant group."

"Hmm. This is troublesome. I did want to speak to His Grace first."

Aiden plopped down on the small chair.

Sensing that the conversation would be lengthy, Arndt stood before him.

"Is it... not good news?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince came to the wasteland."

"!"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. The merchant groups that had invested in the royal family withdrew like the tide. But I didn't come to see the Duke again just to relay such news."

"Then perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince is doing something else."

"He purchased the entire wasteland."

The entire thing? That useless piece of land?

For a moment, Arndt couldn't understand and wondered if he had misheard.

But Aiden's voice was crystal clear and precise.

"Strictly speaking, he purchased the rights to that place."

"Why would His Highness the Crown Prince? No, before that. Can the royal family even buy and sell land?"

"It sounds strange since that place is also kingdom territory. According to kingdom law, land without an owner belongs to the royal family."

"But saying he purchased the rights means, that is..."

"It means His Highness the Crown Prince would legally own everything that arises on the wasteland, not just the land."

It was definitely strange.

From what Arndt had heard, Sir Leandros had dealt with the source creature that gave rise to the demonic beasts coming out of the eastern pit.

Afterward, the merchant groups acting as investors, realizing the danger of the pit, turned their attention to the Dikenter Mountains,

And no more demonic beasts would emerge from the eastern pit.

In other words, the eastern pit was now like a bird's nest with all eggs broken.

Even if there were demonic beasts, they wouldn't come out in sufficient numbers for business.

Why had Crown Prince Yurik bought the entire wasteland?

What did he plan to do with the empty wasteland?

"I should contact His Grace immediately. This isn't a matter for me to judge arbitrarily."

"Large merchant groups have rushed to the Dikenter Mountains, but there are still plenty of merchant groups, though smaller in scale than ours. We need to stay ahead of whatever they're doing there."

"Don't worry. His Grace would have anticipated this to some extent."

"Oh? Aren't you trusting the Duke too much?"

"But he is such a wise person."

And since he had seen the future, he would have some measures in place.

Arndt didn't say that last part as he sat down and began writing a letter to send to Arenheit.

He had no doubt that Arenheit, upon receiving the letter, would provide a clever solution.

At that time,

Yu Yesung, inhabiting Arenheit's body, had arrived at an unfamiliar city after fleeing, and then fleeing again, from the forest of Dreamland.