Hiding the Fact That We Are Dating From the Amnesiac Villain - Chapter 29

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 29
I truly missed my home.
Even when I worked at Daisy Hall, it was never quite like this.
“Ah.”
Decklin withdrew his hand from the table and wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes.
“My apologies, Miss Freena. It’s been so long since I’ve laughed so heartily.”
Hmph.
I found it so absurd that I nearly clicked my tongue in frustration.
‘My rank is funny enough to make him cry?’
Well, the Caesar Grand Duke’s Residence was mostly staffed with 2nd and 3rd-rank Purifiers. This was probably his first time seeing a 7th-rank one.
His posture had tilted awkwardly.
Could it be that Decklin truly had great expectations of me?
‘Did he really figure something out?’
My heart suddenly raced wildly.
“To be honest, I thought you were hiding some terrifying power, Miss Freena.”
So why on earth did he think that?
“Enough to kill me.”
The smile that had been playing at Decklin’s lips vanished completely.
Did that even make sense?
‘How could I possibly kill you?’
I possessed no power whatsoever.
“Before, your purity seemed quite high.”
“Yes. Your purity is truly remarkable.”
“Is that so? How remarkable?”
The Priest, who had been momentarily silent, hastily responded.
“It is comparable to the Orbannon Family itself!”
Gulp.
Though it was merely a comparison, cold sweat began trickling down my back.
“Purity comparable to the Orbannon Family?”
Decklin’s interest was piqued once more.
“Yes, that is correct. Even I have never witnessed such a case before!”
The Priest exclaimed loudly.
Yet I remained silent, quietly observing Decklin.
‘Yes. This is for the best.’
While I had feared that a high purity measurement might draw suspicion, I had deliberately refrained from manipulating it further.
Excessive attention was certainly unwelcome, but… at present, I had reason to capture Decklin’s interest.
“Hmm. With purity so clear as that… you could purify even a mind corrupted by demonic energy, could you not?”
With vast sacred power, one could purify large quantities of demonic energy, but there was one thing that remained difficult.
Purifying a corrupted mind.
‘In highly concentrated demonic energy, the mind becomes corrupted.’
However, most lands with high mana concentrations had been designated as restricted zones. Most people had no reason to venture into them.
Thus, holy power was valued more by quantity, but purity wasn’t a condition demanded to such an extent.
But Declin was different.
He had received an order from the Emperor to uproot every trace of mana in this land.
‘…An impossible task.’
No one had succeeded in a thousand years.
The Emperor intended to check Declin’s power by forcing him to wander the outskirts eternally.
Yet Declin carried out the order without complaint, concealing his true intentions.
However, sacrifice followed in its wake. A considerable number of knights had their minds corrupted by mana.
“Would you ever consider working under me?”
That’s why he had blurted out such a proposal to Freena when they first met in the Black Forest.
‘…Even now, you’ll need me.’
That was the extent of my calculation.
But I couldn’t let Declin catch wind of such thoughts.
I listened quietly to the conversation between the Priest and Declin, feigning ignorance.
Soon the Priest left the room.
Declin still seemed absorbed in deep contemplation.
“Miss Freena.”
I watched him silently, waiting for him to continue.
“I believe I’ve suggested this before, but would you consider working under me?”
As expected.
Declin clearly needed me.
The reason I had followed Declin all the way here.
While avoiding suspicion played a part, it was primarily to hear this job offer.
And it had succeeded.
I concealed my true feelings perfectly, trembling my eyelashes delicately as if greatly surprised by his proposal.
‘If I answer immediately, he might find it suspicious.’
I should pretend to deliberate for a few days.
“I’ll pay you whatever you desire.”
This time my eyes genuinely widened in shock.
Honestly, wasn’t an immediate acceptance the natural response?
“That… how much would you offer…?”
“Hmm. Would five hundred gold suffice?”
…Five hundred gold?
My mind raced rapidly. My previous monthly salary at Daisy Hall had been forty gold.
Roughly four hundred eighty gold annually.
Wasn’t five hundred gold extraordinarily generous for the Caesar family?
“That… you mean annual salary, correct?”
Clearly, Declin was unfamiliar with common folk wages.
“Hmm? I meant monthly salary.”
A salary? A monthly salary?
My mind went blank. Understandably so.
‘Am I dreaming right now?’
Five hundred gold per month? That made no sense whatsoever.
Working for just one year would let me buy a house in the Capital Outskirts.
‘At this rate… I could move, buy clothes for my siblings, and what else could I get?’
Suddenly, it felt as though a halo was shining behind Decklin’s back.
“I would very much like to accept, Your Grace.”
I, who had intended to deliberate for four days, accepted the offer in less than four minutes.
Decklin’s lips curved upward with satisfaction.
“Earlier, you acted as though you wouldn’t do it for any amount of money.”
Was he reproaching me?
“Next time I want to tempt you, Miss Freena, I’ll have to lead with the compensation.”
The Grand Duke was indeed having a splendid thought.
“Do your best going forward, Miss Freena.”
I grasped the hand he extended.
The leather glove was cold.
For some reason, it felt like stepping into a monster’s mouth, but it was too late now.
There was nothing left but to see it through to the end.
* * *
The measurement was complete.
“Your Grace, I truly appreciate your attention to my registration.”
The woman speaking thus seemed to find Decklin’s attention extremely burdensome.
Decklin examined her face with a thin expression.
When their eyes met, her pink irises hurriedly averted his gaze.
‘She’s terrified.’
For that very reason, he had been doing his best to be considerate.
Yet the more he did so, the more frightened the woman seemed to become.
“Miss Freena.”
“…Y-yes, Your Grace.”
When he called, the woman’s expression became as though she might stop breathing.
This was problematic.
Her forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and strands of hair clung damply to her brow and cheeks, making her appearance rather disheveled.
Decklin was at a loss.
He had even provided her a comfortable carriage ride, yet why had she become so unkempt?
“You worked hard today.”
“No, Your Grace. I was truly honored to be in your presence…”
Speaking with a face as though she were dying.
Decklin considered removing the strand of hair clinging to her cheek, then withdrew his hand.
The memory of how sharply she had pushed him away moments before came to mind.
‘Seventh rank.’
The woman was truly harmless.
Laughably so.
She possessed no remarkable sanctity. Her purity was high, but not enough to pose any threat to him.
How could such a woman be his weakness?
Why?
Decklin couldn’t comprehend it at all.
It was almost absurd—he was beginning to doubt the verification abilities of Seiton’s Sacred Artifact itself.
Freena walked ahead of Decklin and pulled at the Measurement Chamber door. Since it was an old door that wouldn’t open easily, the woman grunted with effort.
Or rather, it seemed she was so exhausted she lacked the strength to even wrench open a single door.
So what exactly had she done to become this drained?
The verification did consume some of her sacred power, but surely not enough to exhaust her like this. It was strange.
Decklin reached past her and grasped the door handle to open it himself.
And in that very moment!
Crack.
Ah, I’ve done it again.
When emotions spiral beyond control, this happens sometimes.
Decklin stared at Freena, holding the broken door handle.
Her eyes blinked wide with fear and shock written across her face.
“Y-Your Excellency… I don’t know about anything else, but the entire Temple is a cultural heritage site, so the repair costs are astronomical…”
Ah, so that was the problem?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————