Chapter: 163
The faces of those at the Duke’s House, initially colored by surprise, soon turned serious.
“Duke, this seems to be…”
“Yeah, my suspicions were correct.”
There are no results without reason in this world. The landscape unfolding before their eyes surely didn’t come about for no reason. Didn’t they have a hunch about one possible reason?
‘If it’s those enemies who were targeting us, then it makes sense they could pull off something like this.’
The Duke silently pressed his lips together, thinking of the doppelgänger who resembled his daughter.
‘Even if it’s not them, another ‘enemy’ could have appeared.’
Not knowing what sort of scenario might unfold, the Duke heightened his vigilance and dismounted from his horse.
As knights in shiny armor, a sight that was rarely seen, approached on their robust steeds, the villagers might lock their doors in fear or even provoke a fight due to the village’s closed-off nature. Therefore, the Duke proceeded to the village with only a handful of knights.
It was a protective measure stemming from the confidence that they could survive any ambush.
Upon arriving in the village, the Duke exchanged a few words with the villagers and soon sent one of the knights who accompanied him to inform the village to welcome them inside.
Lian, gazing out the carriage window at the vibrant land and lively village, thought to himself.
‘This feels weird…’
Most people would furrow their brows upon seeing someone standing by the roadside with an inexplicable bright smile, and that was the atmosphere of this village.
A peace that lacked obvious reason, and people who looked curiously happy, all seemed to contribute to the surreal village scenery that shouted ‘peaceful.’
It was a bizarre perfection that existed.
*
The villagers warmly welcomed the Duke’s party, even offering them a large house to stay in. Such kindness only heightened their anxiety.
‘In a village this hospitable, I might end up taking a sleeping pill, fainting, and when I wake up… I’d find myself having signed a black company contract or a body waiver.’
As he pictured a comedic turn of events, he slightly tilted his head and closed his eyes.
‘This is a Dark Fantasy World, so I could end up asleep, being robbed by village bandits or offered as a sacrifice.’
Fortunately, the Duke’s party were seasoned veterans who had lived for an extended period in this Dark Fantasy World. Lian began anticipating and preparing for not just situations he expected but even worse ones.
While admiring the countless traps and magic being set up inside the pristine mansion, the Duke approached Lian and spoke.
“Could you spare a moment?”
“Oh, anytime.”
As the Duke drew near, Iris hesitated and hid behind Lian. She felt an impulse to block their conversation, but her mind was swirling with confusion, and all she could do was hide her trembling gaze.
Gently, she held tightly to Lian’s hand and buried her face into his back. Lian comforted her with a light pat on her hand.
“Iris, just wait here for a bit, okay? I’ll be back soon.”
“…If it’s a problem, we can talk later.”
Iris shook her head like a stubborn child, but at the sound of the Duke’s voice, she flinched and shivered. She had quickly sensed that when the Duke said “later,” he meant the time when she would be asleep.
Iris took a peek at her mother—no, the Duke’s face. Even though she had seen it through the portraits hung in the Duke’s House, besides the color, she felt it bore little resemblance to her own. But there was one thing she was sure of.
‘So beautiful…’
Iris had come across many people who were merely beautiful, but the Duke before her possessed a maturity and elegant charm like none she had ever seen before. The fierce air about her radiated an unmatchable predator’s charisma.
‘Meeting him alone at night is a no-go.’
She didn’t want to let beautiful Duke and Lian meet when she was asleep.
“I’ll go with you too.”
With a trembling voice, Iris squeezed the words out, catching Lian’s attention as he turned abruptly to look into her eyes. Startled by his sudden motion, Iris froze.
“I’ll be right back by your side, so can you wait patiently?”
“…Okay.”
With her cheeks flushed, Lian paused for a moment but then smiled in relief as he watched Iris shuffle towards the sofa he pointed out.
‘That’s right, Iris is such a good girl.’
What Lian perceived as a brother earnestly convincing his kind sister was seen differently by the Duke observing from the side.
“You seem rather skilled at handling women, don’t you?”
Lian’s gentle coaxing of Iris made him appear like a seasoned flirt. Of course, the Duke didn’t say this on a whim; he had solid reasoning.
Lian was always surrounded by a breathtakingly beautiful Beastman and for some reason, a lovely girl who dressed as a boy (the Duke was far too observant). They often looked at Lian with a wistful gaze.
All three possessed exquisite looks that could amaze even nobility, coupled with impressive skills. In a world where strength equaled law, handling three beauties boasting both looks and abilities simultaneously seemed nearly impossible.
If Lian had promised a future with one of them, their relationships would make sense. But that didn’t seem to be the case.
As a result, Lian appeared to be a legendary flirt who had simultaneously captivated three stunning beauties with no conflict in sight, maintaining a harem.
“Really? Hahaha! It’s not like that!”
“Oh… besides Iris, there’s that red-haired Beastman or…”
“The companions I’m with right now are all like family. It’s more about caring for the children rather than being skilled with women! Hahaha!”
Lian rushed to clarify the Duke’s misunderstanding, pouring out explanations.
‘Phew… I was seriously almost done for.’
Hearing the Duke ask, “You’re good at handling women?” when conversing with someone who adored his daughter was akin to a death sentence in Lian’s eyes.
‘Gotta be careful to avoid getting locked up before I can escape.’
He couldn’t imagine the Duke would mistreat someone who had saved his life, but the other party was Iris. Even a mere suspicion of playing with the one she treasured more than her life could lead to a prison sentence—the best outcome, or so Lian thought.
While Lian scribbled down new survival rules in his mind, the Duke had somewhat different thoughts.
‘It doesn’t sound like a lie… Hmm. A son-in-law wouldn’t be a bad idea.’
Having gone through passionate love before, the Duke had noticed the feelings Iris harbored for Lian.
‘He wouldn’t make a bad gift.’
The Duke realized that Lian would serve perfectly as a gift to open his daughter’s heart. Greed settled in her eyes, reminiscent of a blacksmith finding a fine sword, causing Lian to shiver involuntarily.
‘W-What? I have this unsettling feeling that I’m gonna be captured by a collector with bizarre tastes and end up displayed in a museum…’
Just as Lian’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake was going on, the Duke soothingly spoke.
“Sorry for the misunderstanding. Now, please follow me for a moment.”
“Ah, yes!”
Relieved that things seemed to have wrapped up nicely, Lian followed the Duke, and his earlier anxiety faded away.
The mansion’s interior had no safe spots for conversation due to all the traps, so they exited and moved to the side. Next to the mansion they were staying in was another similar-looking house, which was also designated for guests.
The fact that there were several guest houses in such a small village felt suspicious.
After the Duke used some magic to confirm the other building was empty, they entered an alleyway situated between the two buildings.
Talking inside an empty house wouldn’t have been bad, but opening locked doors would be cumbersome, and hiding in the adjacent building could draw attention from the villagers, so they chose to speak in the stillness of the alley.
Lian waited for the Duke to finish speaking, his eyes widening at the unexpected words.
“A Priest, you say?”
“Yeah.”
According to the common tales of the villagers, the one who created this paradise called himself a ‘Priest.’ Initially, he healed the sick, then dispelled the raging blizzards, and ultimately purified the fierce monsters, erasing them completely.
“Are Priests usually that powerful?”
“…I’ve never seen a Priest with that level of power. Except for one.”
“So there really is a strong Priest out there.”
Nodding, he thought the world was wide, and many skilled individuals existed, but then he tilted his head.
‘If there’s such a strong one, he must have at least been mentioned in the original story…’
As questions started to rise, Lian locked eyes with the Duke.
“Isn’t he right here? A Priest of that caliber.”
“What?!”
“The one who can heal the wounded, effortlessly slice through blizzards, and wipe out monsters in one go?”
“But he couldn’t create such fertile land!”
The Duke nodded in acknowledgment, but his expression seemed to signal, ‘I’ll let that slide since you said it.’ Before any misunderstanding could spiral out of control, Lian accumulated Divine Power in his palm and dropped it onto the ground.
“See! Nothing…”
Boom!
Seedlings, which had been lying dormant in the soil, began sprouting weeds, flowers, and all sorts of plants peeking out.
“…”
“…”
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