Chapter: 240
[Strange Happenings in the Burrow Ducal Family]
[It seems something bizarre is occurring in the Burrow Ducal Family.]
[Verify the reality of this matter.]
[Reward: ???]
[Failure: GAME OVER]
[Time Limit: Before the end of the academy’s second semester]
The moment I read the quest handed out by Sloppy God, what came to my mind was a story I heard in the past when I spoke privately with the Duke of the Partlan family.
A desperate salvation request had come from the Burrow Ducal Family, but when I rushed to their aid, I found no problems whatsoever.
When I heard that story from the Duke, I didn’t give it much thought. After all, he was the Great Wizard, the pride of the kingdom, boasting the highest abilities.
If there was a significant problem, he would have surely noticed, so I figured it was just some kind of error and moved on.
That was a mistake. He was a definite variable.
Did anything happen in the Burrow family during the first semester break?
Were there any explanations or background stories provided at any time?
None.
No such thing happened.
While there might be a major issue in one of the territories managed by the Burrow family, that would be two years after the game started.
At least it’s said that something would happen only after I became a third-year student.
So, the current Burrow family should naturally be peaceful, despite the various noises, yet a problem has arisen.
A variable has appeared.
Back then, I didn’t deeply consider the implications of this variable. I didn’t want to think about it.
What a foolish girl.
After the incident at the Duke’s house, I might have been tired, but I should have checked again after resting. If I had, by now…
Hah.
Gritting my teeth in frustration, I realized that lamenting wouldn’t change anything and brushed my hair back.
Calm down. First, I need to hear about any issues with Karia.
‘What’s going on?’
“Hey, spinster auntie, stop chatting and just explain. What’s happened?”
“I hear the Duke of Burrow has fallen seriously ill. That’s why the Second Queen has gone there as well.”
The Duke of Burrow is gravely ill.
He cannot rise from his bed.
It seems his condition is so serious that others are not even allowed to visit him.
Currently, the family doctor is treating him in the mansion, but things don’t seem to be improving much.
“The Duke’s son is also staying there to care for his father.”
As I listened to Karia, I tapped my chin.
Is there any reason for the Duke of Burrow’s health to be poor?
If we exclude the mental distress caused by his son’s sudden death years ago, he has no issues whatsoever.
Naturally, in the game’s story, there were no health-related issues with the Duke of Burrow.
How could a man who personally leads and trains his family’s knights have health problems?
So, this situation is far beyond what I know.
Let me think. What’s the likelihood that Duke Burrow has become so ill he can’t get out of bed?
First off, if something changes, the Duke really falls ill.
In that case, there would be no problem at all.
I could just grab a miracle cure or bring someone called a God.
But if that’s not the case, what if he has fallen ill due to someone else’s scheme or is faking it himself?
Either way, it’s necessary to verify.
Having concluded that, I looked up, and Karia was smiling.
“You mean you want to verify?”
‘Yes.’
“Is the number of wrinkles proportional to one’s intuition? You’re quite perceptive.”
“Where do you see any wrinkles on my face!… Hah. Seriously. I’ll look into it, but it’s going to take time.”
‘Will it take long?’
“What? Are your legs weak due to aging? Why would it take so long?”
“This is a really complicated job, Employer.”
Karia explained that many people want to find out about the internal affairs of the Burrow Ducal Family, but meaningful information isn’t circulating.
Since the Burrow family is keeping a tight lid on things, it won’t be easy to gather information, and that means it will take a long time, which I found troubling.
Given Karia’s capabilities, I don’t think “long” means it will take months. The time limit is still sufficient, so waiting that long is doable.
Still, my gut wasn’t feeling good.
Look at the case of Menestel. The time limit given by Sloppy God was a countdown to when a disaster would strike.
If the problem in the Burrow family is something similar, I need to find a solution as quickly as possible.
The longer I delay, the closer we get to disaster, and worst-case, it could be impossible to resolve once we reach that point.
“It must be quite urgent then.”
Karia, as usual, read my expression, paused for a moment, and continued.
“I’ll do my best, but don’t expect too much. My connections are pretty much gone, and I’ve lost most of my strength, so I have limitations.”
‘…Is that so.’
“Ha. Don’t worry. What could you possibly expect from an incompetent spinster aunt?”
“So, if things are getting urgent, you should use your connections. If you ask people around you, you could achieve most of the tasks.”
*
The word “connections” was something very far from me.
In my previous life, I didn’t even have parents, and since coming to this world, I fought everyone due to past karma without ever gaining anything through connections.
At least I received help when the issue in the Partlan Ducal family arose, but that wasn’t because I asked for help, was it?
Given the situation, even though I was told to utilize connections, my mind became cluttered.
I had no idea how to leverage them.
[What are you talking about? When you conquered the Menestel dungeon, you skillfully drew in your acquaintances.]
‘That’s a dungeon, though.’
The issue regarding Menestel was dungeon-related.
As the rotten element of the Soul Academy, I’m quite adept at solving dungeon-related problems.
So I’m the most knowledgeable about how to lead things in that area.
But now things are different.
The matters regarding the Burrow Ducal family have no relationship with dungeons whatsoever.
It’s not my area of confidence. I can see why I wouldn’t know how to unravel this.
After saying that, Grandpa scoffed.
[Ha. What nonsense. Then think about it in reverse. What if the Burrow family is a dungeon, and you are trying to get inside that dungeon.]
‘What are you saying?’
[Just think. What you need to do now is to verify the anomalies in the Burrow Ducal family.]
‘Right?’
[The easiest way to do that is to gather information, but from what Karia said, it seems hard to gather information from others, and even if you did, it's uncertain if you could trust it.]
Grandpa’s words were correct. If there were ways to gather information, Karia wouldn’t have mentioned it would take so long.
So it means the information circulating right now is not trustworthy.
[Then what should you do? You must confirm the Burrow Ducal family with your own eyes.]
‘…With my eyes?’
[Yes. If you can’t trust others' eyes, you have no choice but to look with your own.]
I’ll go to the Burrow Ducal family myself to check the anomalies.
[So, let’s think this way. The Burrow Ducal family is a dungeon, and you are racking your brains to open the door to that dungeon.]
Define the Burrow family as a dungeon and figure out how to enter that dungeon.
The moment I shifted my goal that way, my brain, which I thought was overloaded, began to work again.
First, I need to consider if I can confirm the problems piled up there when I head to the Burrow family.
If I cannot ascertain the anomalies, I won’t be able to see the proper gimmicks by entering that dungeon.
There was no need to worry about this. I am the rotten element of the Soul Academy. If there’s something off, I will definitely notice it.
Especially if it’s related to dungeons.
Now the next problem is whether I can actually visit the Burrow family.
Can I meet the conditions for entering the dungeon?
Karia mentioned that the Burrow Ducal family is refusing all visitors due to the Duke’s illness.
If I express my intention to visit, it won’t matter. Would a Sloppy Young Lady with no connection care about checking on them?
So, what if instead of me, someone else made a request to visit, and I tagged along?
If I were with someone in a position where it would be difficult for the Burrow family to reject the visit?
Arthur? No, too weak. A prince without any connection to the succession line can’t put pressure on the Burrow family.
Phoebe? There’s a possibility, but if I ask for her help, the church would get involved. That would complicate matters.
Benedict? I need to investigate this. It’s unclear if Benedict is related to the Burrow Ducal family.
And. And.
Oh.
Right.
As I pondered deeply, the reward that the Duke of Partlan had once offered me came to mind.
At that time, I thought I had nothing to gain, so I received the right to ask Benedict for something in the future.
If I can use him…
If I could sneak in with Benedict to visit the Burrow Ducal family, and if I could meet the Duke in person…
Actually, there’s no need to even meet the Duke.
As long as I could get inside the Burrow Ducal family, verifying the anomalies wouldn’t be hard.
[Did something come to mind?]
‘Yes.’
[Then act on it. If you have anything to report or get advice on, let me know.]
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