Chapter 55
Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Secret Garden
“...So.”
About ten minutes after the great catastrophe where Kkaekkaengi swallowed the vial containing Uriel sis's hair.
“The mess happened because that familiar's pup swallowed the vial I gifted you, right?”
I knelt on the floor, looking up at Kkaekkaengi—no, Uriel sis—who sat on the desk with a cold expression, and anxiously opened my mouth.
“I'm sorry!”
True to her reputation as a genius of the century, Uriel sis had adapted to the baby wolf's vocal cords and mannerisms in just ten minutes. With a icy look, she began interrogating me.
“Heh, I don't think a simple 'sorry' will cut it.”
I felt a bit wronged, but honestly, it was mostly my fault, so I quietly lowered my gaze and spoke.
“W-What should I do then?”
“Hmm, what to do...”
If I'd known things would turn out like this, I should've looked into second sis's Unique Ability more thoroughly.
But second sis's Unique Ability was something everyone seemed to understand differently.
This might even be a chance to learn more about that ability, which even Mother might only vaguely grasp.
“I was just going to adopt you as my cute little brother.”
“......”
“But after this humiliation, maybe I should just eliminate you.”
Such thoughts were fleeting. When Uriel sis muttered in a chilling tone, I paled and desperately spoke up.
“I-I'll make it up to you from now on.”
“...?”
“I-I'm actually pretty good at taking care of others.”
Of course, I'd never taken care of anyone in my life. But right now, survival was the priority, wasn't it?
“I'll brush your fur every day, feed you on time, take you for walks...”
“Sorry, but I have no intention of staying in this body forever.”
But Uriel cut me off mid-sentence, then opened her mouth with her characteristic half-lidded eyes in the baby wolf's body.
“If it's not too much trouble, could you find my original body?”
“Pardon?”
“Once you do, I'll tell you how to reverse the possession.”
Aha, luckily there was a way back to her original body.
Of course, since she'd planned to do this to my body originally, she must have prepared a way back.
“Uh, where is it?”
“...In the Belverk Secret Garden.”
“Huh?”
Yet the location of Uriel's original body was a place even I, who was starting to get familiar with Belverk, had never heard of.
“Please don't ask why I was there.”
“......”
“Then I'll overlook this incident.”
Something told me it wasn't a place to enter lightly...
“Contract established!”
But in this situation where my life could end any moment, I jumped to my feet and accepted her proposal before she could change her mind.
“Then, see you la—”
“Wait.”
“Huh?”
As I turned to dash out to the garden, Uriel sis suddenly called me back.
“You have to take me with you.”
“...?”
“You don't even know where it is, do you?”
True, I had no idea how to get to the Secret Garden.
“And to undo the possession, I need to be there.”
From what she said, taking Uriel there wasn't optional—it was mandatory.
“Of course, keep my appearance hidden. I don't want anyone seeing me like this.”
“Th-Then how do I get you there?”
“That's for you to figure out now.”
The problem was transporting her to the Secret Garden without anyone noticing...
“Oh, and no pet bags or leashes for dogs.”
“......”
“The moment you subject me to more humiliation, I'll kill you in the most gruesome way I can imagine.”
I'd let my guard down for a second, but Belverk really was a place where death lurked around every corner.
“Now, move.”
Would I survive this crisis unscathed...?
- Screeech...
Meanwhile, at that very moment, at the entrance to the Belverk territory.
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
“Wha?”
The people who stepped down from three halted carriages nearby began frowning and eyeing each other.
“What's this? Who are you?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“...What in the world is going on?”
They were clearly the heads of the meritorious houses who had supposedly been too busy to attend the daughters' birthday party and passed the opportunity to their children.
“Don't tell me you officially said you were too busy to attend but snuck in hiding in carriages?”
“I just had business with Astridje...”
“M-Me too!”
“Sigh, have some shame. Astridje might take issue with this.”
Marquis Sharhen, who had been scowling fiercely, eyed the house heads suspiciously and began scolding them.
“...Marquis Sharhen. Is that something you should say?”
If he hadn't been holding armfuls of birthday cone hats and gift bundles he'd personally prepared, his words might have carried some weight.
“Grandpa, this is embarrassing.”
“Aigoo, why are you like this, my granddaughter?”
“...Sigh.”
Marquis Sharhen's expression softened at the irritated voice from the carriage, and he began placating his granddaughter.
“Don't treat me like a kid.”
But his granddaughter deftly avoided his embrace, stepped out of the carriage, and strode forward, her long silver hair flowing.
“So this is Belverk.”
Meanwhile, a blue-haired girl quietly emerged from Count Harkfried of the Borderlands' carriage.
“This isn't the North. Don't use your ability recklessly.”
“...My apologies.”
“You must also hone your control over that vast power.”
Count Harkfried of the Borderlands warned in a low voice as he glanced at the ground that froze the moment her foot touched it. She flinched and bowed her head in apology.
“I-It'th th-the real Belvewk! The pwace that hasn't opened to outthiders in ovew 300 yeaws, with the cwan's twue natuwe thhrouded in mythtewy...”
And finally, the gloomy purple-haired girl clinging to Marquis Magnaris trembled as she muttered and stepped down from the carriage.
“And the wumors thay a wegion of bwack magic uthting maidth guawdth it... Ehehe.”
Thus, the three young ladies who had recently stirred up the imperial social scene were all gathered in one place.
“Ahem, before we enter, let me give you some precautions.”
Marquis Sharhen, who had been silently watching them, subtly shoved his gift bundles into the carriage, cleared his throat, and spoke with a serious expression.
“For the next week, the Belverk where you'll be staying is extraterritorial—no imperial law applies there.”
At his words, the children of the meritorious houses, who had been curiously surveying the unique Belverk territory, perked up their ears.
“...Your status as heirs of the four great meritorious houses means nothing inside there.”
“Unless you're the head of a meritorious house, value your life in Belverk!”
Even Count Harkfried of the Borderlands and Marquis Magnaris joined in with the warnings.
“I know the rumors about Belverk well.”
“...Lilien's in there too, huh?”
“Eek, the one who tore elder nobles apart alive in the palace with her sisters and mother?”
Of course, Belverk's infamous reputation in the Shinehart Empire was often used to quiet crying children, so the young ladies nodded gravely, not dismissing the house heads' words.
“And... I hear the empire's youngest Imperial Princess will arrive in Belverk soon. At the invitation of the youngest prince, apparently.”
“We lack information on her. Please be cautious in every action.”
“Don't even talk to her! The youngest princess is the black sheep of the imperial family!”
But at the mention of the youngest princess, the girls looked somewhat flustered.
“...Talking to her might be rude in itself.”
“She does public activities?”
“I thought she wath a thtotal wwecluthe...”
In the somewhat chaotic atmosphere, Count Harkfried of the Borderlands quietly spoke up.
“...However, it might change depending on how Belverk's youngest prince acts toward the youngest princess at this party.”
The atmosphere at the territory entrance fell silent for a moment.
“You haven't forgotten why we sent you there specifically, have you?”
“Investigate Belverk's internal dynamics and their ties to the youngest princess. That intel could shift the empire's future.”
In that mood, as the house heads issued secretive orders, Marquis Sharhen's granddaughter, arms crossed and pouting, voiced what she'd been holding back.
“It's not just for marriage prospects?”
“Aigoo! What are you saying, granddaughter!”
Marquis Sharhen's eyes widened, and he jumped up, raising his voice.
“Marquis Sharhen may be a stubborn old codger, but he's no Opstein. Granddaughter.”
“But if eyes meet by chance, even we can't help it!”
“...Hey, quiet down, all of you!”
Marquis Sharhen frantically turned to his granddaughter, rebuking the other heads who were defending him or spilling their true thoughts awkwardly.
“...Then, excuse us.”
“No great expectations for Belverk's youngest anyway. Probably arrogant or cruel.”
“Y-Yeah, thcary...”
But the three young ladies had already turned and headed into Belverk territory.
“We'd love to go too, but...”
“No entry to Belverk without permission.”
“Pray they get permission!”
The three house heads watched wistfully, waving them off.
“Welcome, guests after 300 years.”
Waiting for the young ladies at the entrance were the Belverk maids, led by Schwarz.
“We'll escort you inside.”
“...Surprisingly nice?”
“Eek, don't thay thuch thignificant thingth!”
Fortunately, whether Schwarz's ideological training had succeeded, no bloodshed erupted from the start like the incident 300 years ago.
“Sigh, they reek of class.”
“Don't wanna take 'em to the young master...”
“Can't we toss 'em in the maze and find 'em in a week?”
...Probably.
“Wow, so pretty...”
Despite the somewhat one-sided discord from the maids, the three young ladies entered Belverk and passed through the long garden without much issue.
“Belverk's garden is huge.”
“A rare sight outside the North.”
Then, Count Harkfried's eldest daughter paused, crouched down curiously at a beautifully blooming rose.
“It's been ages since I saw such pretty flowers...”
She hesitated a bit before gently stroking the flower.
“...Ah.”
But when the rose froze solid at her touch, she blankly stared for a moment, glanced around, then quietly moved on with a slightly teary expression.
“Everything's nice, but too many bees.”
Meanwhile, Marquis Sharhen's granddaughter frowned quietly at the bees buzzing around, her hand caressing the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“...Better now.”
A silver flash swirled around, and in an instant, the bees that had clung to her had their stingers neatly severed and fled into the sky.
“Maids... Black magic-using maids...”
“...?”
“Ehehe... Dying here would be fine...”
Amid that, Marquis Magnaris's prized disciple trailed behind the maids, muttering gloomily.
“Hey, something's off, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“What the heck is this?”
Even so, the maids, maintaining professionalism by ignoring her, suddenly frowned and scanned the surroundings.
“Blue flowers...?”
The garden's air flow had subtly changed, unveiling a new scene.
“This... something's wrong.”
“...A sight that shouldn't exist in Belverk.”
The maids broke into cold sweats upon seeing blue flowers blooming everywhere—flowers that absolutely should not exist in Belverk since the incident ten years ago.
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, well...”
As Schwarz coldly stared at the situation and turned to answer the young ladies' question from behind—
- Rustle...
The bush slightly away from them suddenly shook.
“Who's there.”
Spotting the anomaly, Schwarz adopted a murderous expression, entered combat stance, and growled lowly.
“Show yourself.”
But as if sensing her presence, the bush fell silent.
“Wh-Wh-Why are you doing that?”
“Ah, it's nothing.”
As the maids with cold expressions slowly surrounded the bush, Marquis Magnaris's disciple, following behind, stammered a question.
“Sometimes strange phenomena occur in Belverk's garden.”
“...Eeeeeek! Sowwy! I don't wanna die yet!”
“Don't worry. We'll handle it.”
Reassuring her as much as possible, Schwarz slowly approached the bush.
“I don't know who you are, but you'd better show yourself quickly.”
By now, everyone's eyes in the garden were fixed on the bush she approached.
“Th-This is bad...”
I never imagined it would come to this.
- Lick...
I mean, hiding in the Secret Garden's bushes, suddenly getting pounced and relentlessly licked by Uriel sis's original body, my arm pinned so I couldn't move...
'I didn't know Kkaekkaengi had entered Uriel sis's original body!'
To make matters worse, in this situation, the Kkaekkaengi that Uriel sis had possessed—which had been in my pocket—had long since bolted away.
“...Kkaekkaeng, no!”
Completely out of countermeasures, I pleaded desperately, whimpering at the one licking me—Uriel sis's original body, or rather Kkaekkaengi.
“Kyeng!”
But Uriel sis's original body, gazing down at me with half-lidded eyes, only responded with an innocent expression.
“Stop licking!”
This was surely beyond what Uriel sis's patience—threatening to kill me if I embarrassed her once more—could tolerate.
“Come out now, and there won't be any bloodshed.”
But the biggest problem remained.
“Is this normal in Belverk?”
“Just horny servants hiding?”
“N-No! Thewe'th def thomthting monthtrouth...!”
The guests, led by Schwarz, approaching from beyond were about to witness this utterly inexplicable scene.