Chapter 127: Making the Rounds
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Making the Rounds
I couldn't tear my eyes from the face of the statue, revealed under the sun. It was because it looked exactly like Aenya, as if the sculptor had used her as a model.
‘Is it a coincidence?’
It wasn't entirely incomprehensible. If the statue’s creator had been trying to embody ideal beauty, it would inevitably resemble Aenya. After all, wasn't Aenya a fatal beauty who had reached the pinnacle of aesthetics?
Even so, the fact that they looked perfectly identical bothered me.
Still, the possibility of it being a coincidence was probably greater than the assumption that Aenya was a time traveler who had existed in the distant past.
In any case, it was a question without an answer. Instead, I focused on the level I had gained after so long.
‘I don't know how long it's been.’
If the level difference is too great, you don't get any experience points. Even killing a renowned knight like Sir Gale, who had been a court knight, only raised it by a fingernail's breadth, so the stagnation was bound to last a long time.
Conversely, it also meant that the Yeti, buffed by the Old God, was that strong of an opponent.
‘Right, I should probably increase my strength.’
Even against the Yeti, whose agility stat was quite high, my eyes had done their job. Stamina, which rarely increased whenever I had relations with a woman, was not even a consideration in the first place. The only thing left was strength.
After closing the status window and climbing down from the pile of rubble, Archbishop Raceni suddenly grabbed my hand.
“This was all the Lord's providence!”
“What do you mean?”
“Don't you see? From the king's false confession to this very moment, everything was arranged by the Lord for this instant! It was to have you, a powerful knight and baron, defeat the devil's followers and purify this hall of demons!”
Just as the Yeti had said, it was common for religious people to blame bad things on a lack of prayer and credit good things to God's help, but to say all of this was God's providence? It was absurd.
The archbishop didn't even wait for my reply and began to pray again, clasping his hands.
“Holy Lord. Your humble servant misunderstood and misinterpreted Your will. Now that I know Your providence, I shall serve according to Your will.”
His eyes, looking up at the sky, flashed with a strange fervor. The archbishop was serious.
I quickly wiped the hesitant expression from my face. Then I subtly knelt beside the archbishop.
“If all of this is the Lord's providence, then perhaps my joining the expedition to the Northern Continent is also His will?”
The original plan was to prove my piety by killing the Yeti in the temple of the Old God, but if this was how it turned out, wasn't it even better?
Gulp.
“Did you… receive a revelation?”
At the archbishop's expectant gaze, the corners of my mouth trembled. I forcefully suppressed the smile that threatened to break out and spoke firmly.
“Is a revelation even necessary for this? Even a three-year-old child knows that the church's corruption has reached its peak. They say the Pope, the guardian of the faith, has so many illegitimate children you can't count them on ten fingers. In a situation like this, could there be any other reason for the Lord to send me to the Northern Continent?”
I watched the archbishop's reaction, mindful of the fact that he was quite close to the Pope.
“Hah… I thought His Holiness the Pope had merely lost his way for a moment. I thought that if given a small opportunity, he would return to his former self, but you're saying that's not the case?”
The archbishop sighed deeply. It was a completely different reaction from what I had expected; I thought he would defend the Pope as he had always done.
Perhaps he needed a powerful excuse to set aside his friendship with the Pope.
The justification of it being God's will—an excuse more powerful than any other for a religious man. I gave him the push he needed to betray the Pope.
“Perhaps this providence was arranged to rebuke an archbishop who hesitates, even knowing what the right course of action is.”
“Oh, Lord…”
The archbishop made the sign of the cross and shed tears of repentance. The scales had already tipped heavily in my favor. All that was left was the final blow. I drove the nail in.
“I will follow the Lord's will, go to the Northern Continent, and re-establish the wavering faith upon a rock! Archbishop. What will you do?”
“When I was ordained, I offered my body and soul to the Lord. How could I defy His command! I will help you, Baron, and set the faith right!”
It was the moment I seized a powerful justification. A justification in the name of God's will.
*
Returning to the shifting cultivators' village, I immediately sent a messenger to Polton to summon Muel.
A manager was needed to oversee the village and mobilize the villagers for labor in the construction of the capital city.
I thought Zaenbold was a more suitable person, but I had promised him a vacation, so I had no choice.
Still, Muel was one of the knights who used his head, so it wouldn't be a major problem.
“This is the construction of a new city that will become the center of the South. I need not speak of its importance. Muel. I'm counting on you.”
The location of the shifting cultivators' village was at the very edge of my domain, but in the context of the entire South, it was right in the center. In other words, it was a planned city, conceived with the future in mind, even after swallowing up Dresden.
“I will stake my life on completing it!”
As if sensing the hidden meaning in my words, Muel's voice rose with emotion.
Being entrusted with an important role meant getting closer to the core of power.
I gave a casual wave and left the shifting cultivators' village behind. It had been exactly one week.
“We'll skip Polton.”
The original schedule was to go to Quaran via Polton, but since we spent an unplanned week in the shifting cultivators' village, time was tight.
Besides, the mother and daughter of the Rasino family would still be in Roxwood, so there would be no one to welcome us anyway.
“We're stopping by the house, right?”
The house Aenya was talking about was the Tobalts family mansion where we grew up.
“Come to think of it, it's been a really long time.”
I remembered passing by it a few times. The first was when I heard Aenya was in danger and rushed to Quaran. The second was when I heard news of the baron's assassination and returned to Polton.
Both times, the situation was so urgent that I didn't have the luxury of stopping by. It wasn't much different after that either.
“One day should be fine.”
Still, it was the place where my father received his knighthood and our family was officially recognized. I turned my horse, reflecting on my past indifference.
Even though its master had been away for a long time, the Tobalts estate was being run without any major issues. The mansion's garden was also neatly kept.
Perhaps that was why I felt as if I had returned home after just a day or two.
“My lady! The master has returned!”
A servant whose name I couldn't recall spotted us while sweeping the yard and raised his voice.
“My lady?”
“What? You have another woman?”
Aenya's eyes went wide as she looked back at me. Piole glared at me with disgust.
“It must be Mari.”
“Ah, the head maid…”
“What? Who is she?”
Before I could explain, the sound of shoes approached. The interval between the steps was short, as if someone was hurrying. Then, the sound stopped just beyond the door.
“Huu…”
The footsteps stopped as if they had never been hurried. I could faintly hear a deep breath being taken.
Immediately after, the main door of the mansion opened, and Mari appeared in a simple dress. She approached me leisurely, as if she hadn't been running at all. But she couldn't hide the beads of sweat on her forehead.
“Mari. It's been a long time.”
She was the first woman I had relations with after gaining the memories of a modern person. No, she was a woman I had taken.
“Welcome home, Master.”
After curtsying like a noblewoman by slightly lifting the hem of her dress, Mari immediately prostrated herself. Then she kissed my shoes, which were covered in dirt from the long journey.
The inside of the mansion also showed signs of meticulous care. When the master is away for a long time, the servants tend to slack off, but there was no trace of that.
“I knew you would return someday. This is your home, Master.”
“Even though you didn't know when that would be?”
“I was confident enough to wait.”
She was a woman I had a casual relationship with to satisfy my desires. It had been a long time since I'd seen her face, and the beginning of our relationship wasn't exactly pleasant. So I was prepared to understand if she found another man.
As if mocking such thoughts, Mari had diligently managed the mansion and the estate, waiting for me without any promise of when I would return.
Her beauty certainly paled in comparison to the other women, but her loveliness was no different.
“Thank you. I mean it.”
Mari, smiling shyly, gazed at me with eyes shimmering with heat.
“Then may I look forward to a reward tonight?”
“I'll be waiting.”
Mari bowed her head and turned away. That was the last time she acted like my mistress. Returning to her role as head maid, she devotedly served my guests and fulfilled her duties.
She was showing through her actions that she was content with her current position. That was probably why Aenya and Piole didn't say anything.
She was a wise woman.
*
By the time we finished the meal Mari had prepared, it was late afternoon. The archbishop, upon hearing there was no resident priest, headed to the estate's only church, and Piole, claiming to be tired, shut herself in a guest room.
There was still quite some time until my evening appointment with Mari, so I left the mansion. Aenya followed me as if she had been waiting.
“Going to the grave?”
My mother's grave was on the hill behind the mansion. The single apple tree that served as an umbrella for the grave and the surrounding grass were neat.
Not a speck of dust came off the headstone. It seemed Mari had paid quite a bit of attention to this place as well.
“You only like Mother. You even made Father's grave in Polton, not here.”
“It's just the price of his favoritism.”
“Is that your revenge?”
Just then, a strong wind blew. The branches and leaves of the apple tree rustled against each other, making a soothing sound. Aenya's bright blonde hair fluttered along with it. It was an idyllic scene.
It was in that moment that I saw an image of my mother superimposed on Aenya. The warm sun, the gentle touch of the wind, and the sight of her hair, as if spun from gold, fluttering. The memories came flooding back.
Before this place became a grave, it was also my playground, where I used to run around with my mother.
“Revenge. I won't say it's not. However, greed is probably the biggest reason.”
“Greed?”
“Yes. The greedy desire to have Mother remain only as my mother, not as someone's wife.”
Aenya looked disgusted.
“Brother. You were a spoiled brat, weren't you?”
“I don't think that's something a daddy's girl should say. Just as you monopolized Father's love, Mother's love for me was just as great.”
There were two reasons I hated Aenya. One was Father's favoritism, and the other was that I thought she had killed our mother, who had given me such devoted love.
Aenya tilted her head.
“Hmm. That's a little different from what Father said. He said Mother hated you.”
“He told me the same thing. It was a lie he told hoping I wouldn't hate you.”
If Mother's love was a lie, then I wouldn't hate you or be mean to you.
“What if it was the truth?”
“How could it be the truth? I remember Mother's cozy embrace. Her warm body temperature and even her scent, which soothed the heart.”
“What about Mother's face? She didn't even leave behind a single portrait.”
Mother died while giving birth to Aenya. She didn't leave behind a single portrait, so Aenya had never seen her face.
“She's the one who gave birth to you and me. We clearly take after our mother's side, so how could she not be beautiful?”
“How exactly do we resemble her?”
“That is…?”
The words wouldn't come out easily. I thought I knew, but when I tried to describe my mother's face, I couldn't recall what she looked like.
The only thing I remembered was the area around her mouth. Bright red lips and a neurotic smile that didn't match the benevolent and warm atmosphere of the mother in my memories.
That memory didn't last long either.
Szzzt.
For a moment, static filled my memory, and then it slowly faded away as if erased by an eraser.
‘What in the…’
My instincts screamed a warning. Something was wrong. A question that I should have pondered, but had casually dismissed, reared its head.
How did Aenya become a witch?
And why am I immune to a witch's powers?
What are the chances of siblings simultaneously acquiring unique abilities? Unless the abilities are passed down by blood, the probability would be lower than being struck by lightning.
It was highly likely that our maternal bloodline was the cause. Our family only produced a knight in my father's generation, but the family line itself started with my great-great-grandfather.
If it were inherited through the paternal line, it would have manifested in my grandfather and father.
‘Why haven't I thought of this until now?’
I knew nothing about my mother. Only the vague impression that she was beautiful enough to give birth to Aenya, a fatal beauty, and me, who was considered handsome.
Five years old.
I had spent five years with her, yet I knew nothing about my mother. Even if time had blurred my memories, that was strange.