Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Summer in Northsweden
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Northsweden rarely ever had a warm season.
The frigid north.
A place perpetually blanketed in snow.
A city where blizzards and biting cold winds were everyday occurrences.
That was the image of Northsweden.
But this year's summer was proving to be a string of genuinely summery days.
Even the snow that had seemed eternally frozen was melting into water, seeping into the ground, and people were wandering outside in nothing more than long sleeves instead of their thick fur coats.
Of course, compared to other regions, the temperatures were still low, but against last year's Northsweden, the sunlight felt downright balmy.
That was why Deia was hosting a night market festival to welcome summer.
Nights usually brought such fierce cold winds that venturing out felt burdensome, but now it was the perfect chill for strolling around with a hot cocoa in hand.
Noticing this, Deia had opened the night market, and she smiled contentedly at the sight of Northsweden's citizens laughing and enjoying themselves even at this late hour.
It was a good time, a good place.
She had long forgotten what she'd once said on a brief visit to the capital, Graypond—that she suited city life in the capital.
Deia Verdi was a northerner to her very bones, and she loved Northsweden.
The problem was...
"Wow, this is delicious."
"Sip, this is tricky."
The two uninvited guests who had shown up out of nowhere.
The first to arrive had been, surprisingly, Princess Elenoa Luden Griffin of the Griffin Kingdom.
She had already been living in Northsweden for about two weeks, hiding her identity and wandering around in a white beret and simple dress like an apprentice, always carrying paper and a pen.
She seemed to have a hobby of drawing, diligently capturing Northsweden's scenery in a way that made her look like a young artist.
Though they had occasionally spotted her sketching odd winged staffs or girls in flashy pink dresses.
In any case, Deia had gotten a rough sense of why Elenoa was there after a few conversations and kept her thoughts to herself.
She had wondered if that crazy brother of hers had finally shaped up, only for him to reel in a big catch like a princess from another nation.
With the same skills he'd used to woo prostitutes.
'Though it's someone else inside.'
It was Kim Shin-woo in there, but she still wanted to say something. Thanks to him, the family head Darius was living a life of constant vigilance.
Especially since the Scrap Merchants' members were awkwardly speaking the kingdom's language to hide their identities.
'It's all been exposed already.'
On the surface, she seemed innocent and girlish, but she possessed the insight of a ruler and had instantly seen through them.
Yet she didn't press the issue or invoke rules and principles, which could be seen as the magnanimity of a monarch.
And the other one.
"Ah, he should be arriving soon."
The long-haired girl of slightly small build who had openly declared she was waiting for Deus Verdi.
Aria Rias.
After hunting down two of Dante's black mages and parting with Erika, she had come straight to Northsweden.
She figured Deus would return around the end of break, so she had come ahead to wait.
Deia had been thinking something similar. She didn't particularly want to get involved with either of them, but still.
No matter how busy he was, she thought Deus would come back to Northsweden at least once.
The academy's second semester was about to start, after all, and they wouldn't see him for a while.
But what was this?
The academy break was ending soon. The two in front of her were disappointed but could reunite at the academy, so it was fine.
From Deia's perspective, though, it felt irritating. She didn't particularly want to see him, but the fact that he wasn't coming made her mood sour.
Maybe that was why.
Under the cold night air of the night market and the dim glow of shabby lanterns, she was writing a letter.
She had wanted to write it calmly in her office, but that wasn't possible.
"Hey, give me just one bite."
"What? If you're a princess, buy your own."
The two bickering made her too anxious to leave.
They were the type to cause trouble the moment they were out of sight, so Deia was keeping close tabs on them under the pretext of escorting.
Elenoa, being a princess, naturally needed to be attended.
Aria, having seen her skills in Graypond firsthand, was a key figure.
The eerie sight of her facing down the Magic Inquisitors alone was still vividly etched in Deia's mind.
Letting a monster like that roam free in Northsweden would be no different from leaving the tiger's cage door open.
Even Darius had challenged her to a spar on the first day, only to get utterly demolished, and afterward, he wouldn't even look at her.
'Well, at least it was a chance for him to grow.'
It had been a total instant knockout.
She had sent Darius flying with one blow, making it clear she had no time to waste.
"You're so petty."
"No, if you just go and say you're a princess, they'll hand it over. Why covet what I bought?"
"You ate mine last time too."
At a glance, they just seemed like kids.
No, maybe that was the problem—they were kids.
Deia let out a deep sigh and continued writing the letter.
- I know you're busy with your duties and responsibilities as a necromancer.
- But Northsweden's citizens are citizens of Griffin too.
- Just showing your face once would make the people of Northsweden so happy.
- I don't want to burden you, but I'd really appreciate it if you came. Once Robern Academy's second semester starts, it'll be hard again.
- The Scrap Merchants say they miss Pindenai too.
"Sip, maybe skip mentioning Pindenai?"
It felt like nagging him to come with all sorts of excuses.
No, it wasn't exactly demanding he come.
If he did, the Northsweden folk would rejoice at seeing their successful Deus, and the Verdi family's position would solidify.
Especially since the local nobles, though not saying it outright, looked down on them as a black mage family.
If he came in person and asserted some authority, it would neatly resolve things.
'I should add something about the nobles too.'
She didn't think he'd come just for a reply unless she framed it as for the greater good.
As she pondered the letter's contents, Elenoa and Aria suddenly poked in from both sides.
"Write that the princess 'happened to' visit."
"Happened my ass. If you say Professor's prized pupil Aria came, with gifts prepared, he'll rush right over."
"Haa, sorry, but could you all just back off a bit?"
She knew talking like that to a princess was incredibly rude. But after two weeks of looking after them, she had earned the right.
Plus, perhaps because she was Deus's sister, both subtly minded her.
Had he become even more popular than during his playboy days?
Deia felt a surge of irritation and gripped her pen hard, barely holding back.
She had nearly written something crude.
'They don't realize the current Deus and the past one are different people, do they?'
The current Deus was actually Kim Shin-woo—that was the truth. Deia felt a strange sensation thinking how they adored him without knowing.
As family, she had a slight edge in information.
Feeling oddly bold, she prodded in a way unlike herself.
"But you know Deus used to be a playboy, right?"
She asked casually, testing the waters.
A normal woman would flinch here, disappointed in Deus.
"Of course."
"You think I wouldn't know?"
"Eh?"
Their nonchalant responses left Deia stunned.
No woman in the world could hear that the man she liked had toyed with women in the past and shrug it off.
Were they just that bold, or as forgiving as saintesses?
Or did they love Deus enough to overlook it all?
Deia couldn't comprehend it at all. It was that Deus.
Even if his insides had changed, the outside was still filthy, sleazy Deus!
Even now, she occasionally overheard townsfolk talking about drinking and brawling with him, or prostitutes gossiping about his bedroom prowess.
'At least I can accept it because I know it's someone else inside.'
The real Deus was asleep, replaced by Kim Shin-woo, so Deia could somewhat stomach the repulsion...
'Wait a second.'
A shocking thought pierced her mind. Heart pounding with suspicion, Deia carefully opened her mouth.
"Kim Shin-woo."
The name slipped out like a secret code.
Elenoa and Aria's gazes snapped to her.
"Y-you know?"
"The professor's real name?"
Then, the two girls looked at each other.
"You too?"
"You too?"
No.
What was this situation?
She had assumed it was a total secret.
Logically, who would casually admit possessing someone else's body?
Even family head Darius didn't know yet.
She thought he'd only told her because she was trustworthy family, his little sister with a tight lip.
She thought it was a secret to take to the grave.
"Ha."
She let out a disbelieving laugh.
The three of them had been thinking exactly the same thing until now.
That they had the upper hand over other women because they knew Deus's truth—that Kim Shin-woo was his real name and true self.
But no.
They had all been looking at the same person.
Feeling the same sense of deprivation.
Scribble scribble.
Deia blacked out everything she'd written on the letter, then scrawled one big line.
- You bastard, get over here and explain.