Chapter 94
Chapter 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Rare Breed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“The Count of Cligrove is entering!”
As the Count, leaning on his cane and supported by maids, stepped into the banquet hall, the boisterous chatter of the nobles fell silent. Amidst them, the Count ascended the platform and unrolled a sheet of paper.
“There’s no day as joyful as this. Waking up alive is a miracle in itself, but for Cligrove to absorb the Sarisa Count’s territory instead...”
A long speech followed. At its conclusion, the Count formally announced to the nobles the contents of the letter he had sent to Kyle earlier—the engagement and the transfer of the family headship.
“Today marks my last day as family head. The next head will be my precious daughter and successor, Lenia.”
As Lenia stepped forward, the Count handed her the family seal along with the banner. To some, they might seem like mere objects, but to a noble house, they were the most treasured possessions.
“The proclamation to the territory’s people will likely come tomorrow. It’d be nice if I could live that long. Haha!”
“What are you saying? You look like you could live another twenty years, at least!”
“Longer than you, Sir.”
“What?”
The nobles burst into hearty laughter at his jest, chatting among themselves. In this warm and jovial atmosphere, the succession ceremony concluded, and the Count brought out what he had prepared next.
“Next... the matter of my daughter’s engagement. We’ll hold the engagement ceremony today.”
The sudden engagement announcement stunned everyone. Lenia had never shown interest in any man before, so the nobles who had been laughing and talking moments ago widened their eyes in shock.
And rightly so—how many nobles had approached her as the Count’s sole heir? The lady who had cut them all down without mercy? Those who knew her well began murmuring, speculating on her fiancé.
“Viscount Lucas, perhaps?”
“I’ve seen them together a lot lately...”
“If not him, maybe Viscount Edward...”
When Edward’s name came up, one noble said with a puzzled expression,
“Viscount Edward? She openly rejected him, didn’t she? Did something change while I was away?”
“I doubt it. Whether by power or looks, Viscount Lucas is the only one who fits. He even has his own territory, and he’s handsome, isn’t he?”
“He looks like a horse thief to me.”
But their guesses didn’t last long. The Count revealed the name of the fiancé himself.
“Viscount Lucas Kyle is Lenia’s fiancé. The young souls have found their match—please give them your blessings!”
Applause filled the banquet hall. It grew even louder as Lenia appeared, clutching Kyle’s hand tightly, her usual icy demeanor replaced by a shy, blushing woman full of bashfulness.
The engagement ceremony ended modestly. Noble engagements were often sealed with just a letter, so the other nobles didn’t complain about its simplicity.
“Lenia. Let’s embrace once more.”
Meanwhile, the Count sensed his end drawing near. He had barely held on until passing the family headship, but his fated conclusion was approaching.
He hadn’t shown it, but remnants of the curse continued to torment his body. His depleted vitality, unrelenting pain, and life force gnawed away by the curse—if he were an ordinary man, he would have given up long ago. But the reason he hadn’t was right here.
“Count...”
“Give me the medicine.”
After his final embrace with Lenia, he sat in a corner chair of the banquet hall and took the medicine prescribed by the doctor. He didn’t know its ingredients—only that it eased the pain. His gaze turned to his daughter.
The daughter he had brought in for her talent and adopted for her swordsmanship. But affection was inevitable for humans, so he had raised her dearly. He regretted burdening her with such a heavy responsibility at the end.
“The end is near.”
“Don’t speak so weakly. Hold on just a bit longer. Shouldn’t you see the lady get married?”
“But it seems heaven won’t grant my wish. Go. I want to be alone.”
The doctor obeyed with a heavy heart. Left alone, the Count’s eyes fell on Lenia, smiling radiantly.
A beautiful smile she rarely showed even him. No wonder people say raising daughters is pointless. Grumbling thus in his final moments, he slowly closed his eyes.
Dong! Dong!
Bell tolls echoed through the city. The Count’s sudden death. Or was it sudden? He’d looked half-dead from the first sight. Though we’d only seen each other for a day, he seemed to have completed all his roles before departing.
He passed the family headship to prevent the house from faltering and rushed through the engagement to ensure I, Lenia’s greatest supporter, wouldn’t defect.
It was astonishing that he planned and executed all this in just days after breaking the curse. The lack of opposition from the retainers showed just how immense his authority in Cligrove had been.
“Lord!”
“Oh no! Our lord! How long has it been since you rose from your seat!”
I’d once overheard that Cligrove’s current prosperity was largely due to him, and now I had to admit it. Without the curse, the Sarisa Count would have been crushed unilaterally.
“Today, the pillar of Cligrove, the man who led our city to glory, has gone to the gods’ side!”
The knights stood resolute by the coffin. Edward, with a somber expression rarely seen, continued his eulogy.
“The sun sets only so another may rise! Losing our great pillar today is to erect a new one! Lady of Cligrove! Step forward!”
The city was wrapped in such silence that even swallowing could be heard. Edward took the banner from a knight and presented it to her again.
“O gods! Bless Cligrove! A new pillar of the territory stands today! May this mark the beginning of great glory!”
“Long live Cligrove!”
The cheers started sparse but spread instantly. Thousands, tens of thousands of citizens shouting in unison sounded like a giant’s roar. The city bid farewell to its old master and welcomed the new.
“Long live Countess Lenia of Cligrove!”
Cheers from citizens filling streets and alleys alike grew ever louder. After the funeral and title conferral ended, Hilia visited me back at the mansion.
“What’s this? Packing up like that.”
“I’m leaving.”
“Returning to your family?”
“Yes.”
For some reason, she seemed set on going back. And without her usual dragging speech, her word choice had completely shifted.
Before, it mixed lower-class words awkwardly; now, she spoke pure upper-class dialect.
“Planning to go alone? I can send soldiers if needed...”
“It’s fine. I can manage alone.”
Her blue eyes gazed quietly at me. I didn’t know what had hurt her, but convincing someone with a firm resolve was pointless.
“Very well. Be careful on the road. Monsters are dangerous, but people are worse.”
Hilia left. I thought I’d feel relieved first when this high-maintenance lady departed, but worry came instead—perhaps affection had grown.
What if she got eaten by monsters or captured by bandits? Even without a band, a lone, armed woman was prime prey.
In the end, I secretly summoned five or six Landsknechts who’d guarded me and ordered them to tail her discreetly. Escort her safely to the capital.
I’d collect this debt from the duke later, with interest. Grumbling, I placed some gold coins in their hands. Travel to the capital cost plenty.
With Hilia’s matter settled, I spent leisurely time with Lenia before returning to my territory. Post-engagement, as if all restraints were gone, she kept grabbing my hand.
Though she’d slyly pull away and blush if others appeared. Finally, on the day of departure, even with nobles watching, Lenia held my hand, eyes wet, staring at me.
“......”
Lips pressed tight, her earnest feelings transmitted clearly. She didn’t want to let me go. After locking eyes for a long while, Lenia whispered in my ear.
“Even without me... don’t cheat.”
Warning bells blared wildly in my head, unheard even on battlefields. This terrifying girl already acting like the lady of the house. I laughed and hugged her.
“Whew! Did you see the lady countess’s face? Even from behind, I nearly pissed myself.”
“Lord! Be careful! I’ve met plenty of women, and...”
On the way back, the mercenaries who saw Lenia and me joked about nearly soiling themselves or what to do if the aura-using countess charged with a sword.
“Lord! You’ve returned!”
We took it slow, so it took three days to reach the territory. Not like the old marches—the Landsknechts handled everything, making it practically a tour.
Upon arrival, Oliver greeted me. Oddly, he was in a small village near the castle, not inside.
“Oliver? What are you doing here?”
“Haha! Remember the magic beast breeding experiment? It succeeded!”
I cheered inwardly. That experiment worked!
“Really? Then why here?”
But the beast pens were far from here? Puzzled, I asked, and Oliver pointed to the village center.
“We harvested the magic beasts’ hides, so we need a place to process them. The forest isn’t ideal... I was looking for a village suited for tanning. Preferably near a stream...”
In other words, he was scouting for a professional tanning spot.