Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Expanding the Garden
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Chapter 171
Expanding the Garden
The stimulation from groping her breasts must have been too intense, as Brigitte slumped limply onto the bed.
“Ow, ngh, ahh…!”
She twitched in short spasms, writhing uncontrollably in a way that looked deeply unsettling. Her breathing was ragged, her focus shattered—she seemed to be in excruciating pain.
*Knock, knock.*
“Miss, are you all right?”
The ruthless maid must have been worried about Brigitte’s scream, because she knocked on the door from outside.
“Hey, Miss Brigitte, someone’s calling from outside, so at least respond…”
That’s when I reached out my palm to calm the baron’s daughter.
*Shhh.*
Something black and watery oozed from her body.
It was like black paint smeared on her skin being washed away by rain. Even her hair gradually shed its dark tint, revealing a blue sheen.
What the hell is going on?
My mind reeled in shock.
Then, with a *crash*, the door behind me splintered apart.
“Miss, no response, so I came in to check.”
It was Sydney.
Sydney had smashed through what looked like a sturdy door.
Who knew that grim reaper of a maid had the strength to break down a door? I jumped like I’d been caught red-handed at a crime scene. And honestly, it wasn’t far off.
Sydney, stepping in through the broken door, scanned the room, trying to piece together what was happening.
Her eyes landed on the pulled-down dress, the slightly exposed breasts, and Brigitte panting with ink-like stains.
“Healer, what exactly is going on here…?”
“…Well, there are some circumstances here.”
“Are you saying you had relations with our miss right now?”
“No, not that kind of circumstances. It’s a bit complicated in various ways…”
“So you’ve gone all the way with the miss?”
I shut my mouth. No matter what I said in my flustered state, it’d just drag me deeper like a butterfly in a web.
“Sister… Sister…?”
Right then, Brigitte, collapsed and gasping on the floor, seemed to regain her senses and took a deep breath.
“Miss, are you okay?”
Sydney, who’d been ready to blow my head off moments ago, hurried to the bed to check on Brigitte.
The maid supported the noble lady without a care for the damp, black ink soaking the bedsheets.
As expected of a noble’s servant—true professionalism.
“Miss, your eyes…”
“My eyes? My eyes feel so refreshed. The healer pressed on them. They feel clear now…”
“No, your eyes are… blue.”
“My eyes are blue…?”
Brigitte rubbed her eye area, baffled. Sydney pulled a small hand mirror from beneath her black maid uniform.
She held it up close to her mistress’s face.
Brigitte took the little mirror and peered in, her eyes widening hugely.
“W-what? My eye color… My hair’s turned blue too…? Why…?”
She gaped, unable to believe the change, staring this way and that in the mirror. Eventually, those eyes turned toward my mask.
Those blue irises seemed to ask, *What’s going on here?* Probably exactly that.
But how would I know?
I couldn’t even wrap my head around human hair being blue to begin with. Yet in this world, blue hair, pink hair—it all existed.
Something about mana, I guess.
“Miss, any injuries? Did this healer do anything harmful?”
Sydney’s question made me tense up. Brigitte touched her clothes and chest, furrowing her brow slightly.
“…Not really?”
“I see.”
*Phew*, close call.
* * *
The grand villa’s first-floor lobby parlor.
Baron Fleur sat silently on the plush sofa.
His face and body were shrouded in black veils and cloth, making his expression impossible to read.
But one thing was clear: he was deep in serious thought.
This silence and awkwardness were killing me. He’d called me here saying he had something to say, but no words came.
Forget the gold bar—I just wanted to go home.
My legs wanted to jitter from anxiety and tension, but I held back, not wanting to give myself away. Finally, Fleur sighed deeply and spoke.
“My daughter’s hair was black.”
“Yes.”
“But now it’s blue.”
“…That’s how it turned out.”
*Swish.*
Baron Fleur removed his wide-brimmed hat, like those worn by Mexican mariachis. Even so, his face remained wrapped in black bandages, unrecognizable.
I tensed slightly.
The baron asked me,
“Is my daughter Brigitte’s eyes truly blue now?”
“Well, they did turn that way…”
“So her eyes take after mine.”
*Rustle, rustle.*
Baron Fleur slowly unwound the bandages around his face. The cloth over his eyes fell away, revealing piercing blue eyes to the world.
Or rather, blue glows.
“Tell me, do my daughter’s eyes resemble mine?”
“Uh, well, I don’t know how to put it. It’s like…”
I struggled to answer.
And no wonder—Fleur’s fully uncovered face wasn’t really a face at all.
A skull with flickering blue glows.
That was Baron Fleur’s true form.
This man was undead.
A revenant.
A monster that craved life and hated the living. Holy shit, the baron was undead.
Suddenly, it made sense why he wrapped himself in black cloth and why the villa had blackout curtains everywhere.
Revenants instinctively hated sunlight, right?
“Your karma must be fluctuating. Surprising, isn’t it? I’m startled every time I see myself in a mirror. That’s why I got rid of them all.”
But this baron differed from the undead I knew. He seemed fully conscious, even spoke in refined tones. Who knew if he was truly undead?
Not that I had the guts to ask.
“Anyway, do her eyes truly resemble mine? Does my daughter Brigitte take after me?”
This damn creepy skull baron kept asking if his daughter’s eyes matched his.
I swallowed my fear and stared at the skull’s face.
If he was asking about the blue glows, then yeah, they matched. But these weren’t eyes—they were glows.
Still, this was a loaded question with an obvious right answer. So I gave the baron the response that’d satisfy him.
“…Yes, they do resemble yours a bit. But she takes after her mother more.”
“I see. Brigitte’s looks are very much like Clara’s, aside from the hair and eye color. Anyway, you’ve worked hard. This is my thanks.”
*Rustle.*
The skull baron pulled a gold bar from his voluminous sleeve and offered it to me. My eyes bulged at the gleaming gold.
The promised reward gold bar. Holy shit, those things actually existed. My heart pounded wildly, impossible to calm.
On one hand, I wondered if Brigitte’s chest ailment was truly cured, if I deserved this.
But the skull baron didn’t seem to care about that.
Of course—a man owning two massive villas like this could toss out gold bars for a few sweet words.
Now I understood why high-status people had flatterers around.
Flattery paid well.
I racked my brain for more words to please him further, but nothing came. Worse, I risked losing the gold if I slipped up. So I kept quiet.
Anyway, gold bar.
Holy shit, gold bar.
Fucking awesome.
The gold bar in my hand was heavier than expected. Heavy, hard, shiny—utterly badass. I got why people slaved for gold.
As I admired it, the baron said,
“Even with the mask, I can tell. You love gold.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“Of course. But yours feels different. You’re definitely a follower of Pluto. His followers generally love gold.”
“I-is that so?”
*Swish.*
The baron donned his tall hat again, hiding his face. A relief not to face that horrifying skull.
He said,
“I, Fleur, was once a professor at the Ivory Tower. I pride myself on knowing more about necromancy and infernal magic than anyone. You remind me of the cultist leader I met in this little Sodomora long ago.”
“The cultist leader?”
“Not much is known, but he was the one they called their captain. It’s thanks to him I’m in this state—and my daughter lives.”
Captain.
Captain, huh.
Something flickered in my mind but slipped away.
Thinking back, at that cultist gathering, there was a guy in the shadowy corner, arms crossed, posing cool.
Was he the captain?
Holy shit, not all the infiltrators in Sodomora were purged. The big boss had stayed.
*Clink.*
But then he pulled another gold bar from his sleeve, and I stopped caring.
“Here, this has nothing to do with thanks—it’s a token of my sincerity. Tell your captain I haven’t forgotten our old promise.”
No idea what promise, but no reason to refuse. I pocketed it.
Gold bars were colder and heavier than I thought.
A solid weight.
Felt good.
* * *
“Hassan, where’ve you been? Just getting back now?”
By the time Luna’s hut came into view, the sun was dipping low, painting the sky in sunset hues.
Seeing that fun pink hair finally made it sink in—I’d escaped the noble mansion and returned to normal life.
Relief washed over me. My body felt limp too.
“Hassan, you look off. Something happen?”
Luna circled me, sniffing as usual.
“You’re all sweaty!”
“It’s hot out.”
“Yeah, super hot today. So I made this for when you got back. Ta-da!”
She pulled a leather flask from her waist and handed it over. Water? Potion? Thirsty anyway, I took it.
“Whoa.”
The flask was shockingly cold—ice water cold inside.
I chugged it without thinking. The texture was like konnyaku or jelly, bland but refreshing.
“What is this? So cool and good.”
“Wildling potion! Nice, right? I worked hard on it, saving the first for you!”
“Cool.”
I knew she’d been busy making potions lately. Didn’t expect something this chilled.
“Bet this’d sell well.”
“Nope, not for sale. Just for us. Got three flasks from one batch, so we’ll have a cool summer!”
“Got it.”
Surviving summer here without fans or AC took smarts. Luna planned to beat the heat using wildlings from underground.
“If we plant some trees nearby and grow veggies, the shade’ll keep it cool.”
Luna glanced around, smacking her lips in regret. Making a yard around the hut was her current goal; she often brought it up.
That’s when I felt the heavy gold bars hidden in my pocket again.
Tomorrow, sell the gold and expand the land.
[Author's Note]
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