I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 99

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[099] A Suspicious Request
I recalled the message from when I received a Quest from the Death Knight Orgillian.
｢The legendary knight of the Teuton Knights Order, Orgillian, was ambushed by a Lich during an expedition to subjugate heretics on the Iberian Peninsula and became undead.｣
｢To resolve his lingering attachments, please deliver a letter to his former wife in the Royal Capital.｣
｢Reward: ???｣
[Difficulty A]
‘So Orgillian belonged to the Teuton Knights Order.’
Because he had been an exceptionally powerful knight in life, he was able to become a Death Knight, and I had previously leveraged this fact to steer our conversation favorably when escaping the Ghost Ship.
However, what I knew about Orgillian’s past amounted to little more than this.
That’s why I had planned to visit the Teuton Knights Order in the Royal Capital to gather information about his former wife.
Yet I never expected to encounter her in such an unexpected place.
When I asked carefully, Lady Renar fell into contemplative silence, lost in memories.
“Orgillian… what a cherished name. I never thought I would hear my late husband’s name from you. How do you know my husband?”
‘As I suspected…!’
No wonder Orgillian’s conduct seemed extraordinary for a mere knight—he must have married into the Kelenor Family as a son-in-law.
I took a sip of tea, paused for a moment, and then recounted a slightly embellished version of events.
From drifting at sea and encountering the Ghost Ship, to confronting Orgillian there.
After hearing my account, Lady Renar gazed at me with eyes filled with mixed emotions and asked.
“…I see. Is he doing well?”
“The last time I saw him, he was commanding the sea with noble bearing, keeping his longing for you buried deep in his heart. Here is the letter he asked me to deliver to you.”
I handed the letter I had been carrying with me since arriving in the Royal Capital to Lady Renar.
After reading through the letter and maintaining a long silence, Lady Renar wiped her eyes with her fingertips and spoke.
“Even as a Death Knight, he hasn’t forgotten me… It’s sorrowful that he became undead, but if he’s living peacefully, that’s enough for me.”
“…I’m not sure what words of comfort I should offer.”
“Thank you so much for bringing me this news. Now I can finally let him go with peace of mind. …If it’s not too much trouble, would you be able to help me organize his belongings tomorrow?”
Ding─!
｢Lady Renar of the Kelenor Family periodically organizes the belongings of her late husband!｣
｢If you help with this task, you will be able to earn her considerable favor.｣
｢Reward: ???｣
[Difficulty A]
‘This much is nothing….’
Having already received an expensive jeweled ring, it felt wrong to simply accept it and withdraw.
Besides, the Quest hadn’t ended yet.
‘But… why is this a Difficulty A Quest in the first place?’
Was it because the process of earning the Death Knight’s favor and finding the lady in the Royal Capital to deliver the letter was so arduous?
Wondering if there was something hidden, I checked the [Chaos] skill, but Lady Renar’s expression and the log window showed no change.
“Then… I shall visit you tomorrow.”
“Yes, please come to the address written here.”
Lady Renar smiled enigmatically and handed me a note.
* * *
The next day, I left the temple where Radi had been idling and headed toward the location Lady Renar had indicated.
As our carriage passed through the city gate, Radi tilted his head in confusion.
“Wait? I thought you said we were going to help a nobleman with his affairs?”
“I found out later too—it seems the location is outside the city wall.”
After passing through quiet farmland and narrow paths, we arrived at the place marked on the note, and Radi whispered while glancing around nervously.
“Is this really the place that noblewoman designated?”
“Apparently so….”
I too surveyed my surroundings with a bewildered expression.
「You have arrived at Renar Ranch!」
「A place that combines ranching and farming, notable for its pastoral scenery and pumpkin vines covering the fences!」
Even compared to typical ranches, this was a modest operation.
Beyond the livestock pens, a few sheep grazed indifferently on grass, while weathered farming tools leaned neatly against the warehouse walls.
I had imagined something like a treasure vault, given that it was supposedly a family heirloom….
As I was observing the livestock wandering about leisurely, Lady Renar appeared from somewhere and greeted me warmly.
“Welcome. Thank you for coming such a long way. Oh? And who might this person beside you be….”
“A colleague of mine. …Should I have come alone?”
“No, not at all.”
「???: That wretched woman….」
「[Chaos] skill detected displeasure rippling from the target’s inner self! Intelligence increases by 1!」
‘Huh, what…?’
Lady Renar was smiling gently, yet she remained within the perception of [Chaos].
As my stats grew, all skills were enhanced accordingly, allowing me to detect emotional shifts far more acutely than usual.
‘Is she displeased because I brought someone unrelated to Orgillian without warning?’
I cleared my throat and spoke as if I hadn’t noticed Lady Renar’s displeasure at all.
“Ahem… Anyway, are you certain that Orgillian’s heirlooms are truly in a place like this?”
“Actually, this entire ranch is his legacy.”
“This ranch?”
“Yes. This is where he and I first met—a place filled with precious memories. While I could entrust it to servants, I wanted to ask someone who could truly cherish his memory to help organize it.”
“I see… What would you like us to do?”
“Simply walk around the ranch, care for the livestock, and make minor repairs to the worn facilities. Of course, I’ll compensate you generously for your efforts.”
After Lady Renar left, Radi and I divided the tasks between us.
Radi headed toward the chicken coop to feed the birds, while I filled the feeding troughs with fodder and tended to the livestock.
I replaced the straw in the stables, groomed the animals’ coats, filled the water troughs, and more.
I also fixed creaking doors, patched the collapsed roof of the cattle shed with wooden planks, and drove in loose stakes here and there.
Before I knew it, lost in tending to the ranch, the afternoon had arrived.
I leaned against the fence for a moment, catching my breath as I gazed across the open expanse of the ranch.
Beneath the blue sky, livestock grazed leisurely, and fluffy clouds drifted beyond distant mountains.
With each passing breeze, the scent of grass carried on the wind.
‘Being here like this feels like I’ve stepped into some gentle dream….’
Just days ago, I had destroyed a merchant house, been caught up in terrorism, and demolished the Count’s Family, yet now I was helping with ranch work amid pastoral scenery.
Perhaps later, when I have more leisure and am freed from Belheim’s great calamities, living a quiet life farming in some remote rural village might not be so bad.
But Radi, who was milking beside me, twitched his nose.
“Hmm? Wait…?”
“What is it? Something wrong?”
“No, there’s just a strange smell. At first I thought I was imagining it… but there’s this sweet floral scent coming from the entire farm…”
Radi tilted his head in confusion, dipped his finger into the milk to taste it, and furrowed his brow.
“…You should try it too, Doran.”
I took a small sip of the milk as Radi suggested.
This was…
“…far too sweet, isn’t it?”
A taste like honey mixed with pollen.
Rather than delicious, it was simply unpleasant with its jarring unfamiliarity.
“And looking more carefully… the cow itself seems unnatural. Strangely light, isn’t it?”
When Radi grabbed the cow’s back and lifted, the massive creature rose with surprising ease.
Just as I was beginning to grasp the strangeness of it all, I heard footsteps behind us.
“You’ve worked hard. It must have been quite exhausting?”
“It’s nothing. …Is this about finished?”
“All you need to do is organize the luggage stored in the warehouse one last time. It’s a bit too heavy for me to manage alone…”
The Noblewoman handed me the warehouse key and pointed inside.
Work of this caliber would not be difficult.
‘Finish quickly and get out of here.’
‘Yes, something feels off about this place.’
Reluctant to refuse the request of such a distinguished Noblewoman, Radi and I exchanged glances before entering the warehouse and beginning our task.
The interior of the warehouse, stacked high with wooden crates, was thick with the smell of dust.
Among them were ranch tools like rakes and scythes, mixed with old weapons that Orgillian must have used during his human years.
“A ceremonial sword of the Teuton Knights Order! Though old and rusted, it should suffice for slaughtering chickens!”
“A spear untouched for ages! The master’s traces remain perfectly preserved on the handle!
“Ancient ceremonial gloves. They’re so decayed that they’ll crumble if touched!”
“There are more items than I expected,” Radi murmured as he dragged down one of the boxes.
While we were sorting through the items, one particularly light box caught my attention.
Curious about its contents, what emerged was—
“Portraits?”
Paintings depicting Orgillian’s appearance in life.
Radi coughed through the acrid dust, then examined the portraits with admiration.
“Though somewhat idealized… he was quite handsome. Is this the Orgillian you mentioned, Doran?”
“Hmm… probably so? I’ve never seen his living form, so I can’t say for certain.”
I dismissed it casually.
But while rummaging through the boxes for organization, an unusually large painting came into view.
A portrait depicting him sitting affectionately with his wife.
A portrait depicting him sitting affectionately with his wife.
I brushed away the dusty haze with my palm and examined the portrait—immediately, something felt terribly wrong.
‘…Lady Renar’s appearance is so different from now.’
Even accounting for the ravages of time, the discrepancy was far too pronounced.
Lady Renar’s eyes and hair were brown, yet the woman in the portrait had golden hair.
Beyond that, everything differed—her height, her build, the placement of her beauty marks.
Could this truly be Lady Renar?
My blood ran cold in an instant, and a sharp alarm bell tolled in my mind.
Seized by a sudden premonition that made my skin crawl, I quickly flipped the frame over.
On the back of the frame, faded handwriting in a crude masculine script was inscribed.
[To my beloved Estella. May you remain in good health. ─ Orgillian]
‘Estella.’
Lady Renar’s name was not Estella.
Then who in the world—
Who was this woman?
Radi and I set down the frame and turned around.
Lady Renar stood at the warehouse entrance, gazing toward us.
Her expression was as gentle as before.
Yet that smile was not human.
“You’ve fallen into the trap, mortal.”
As Lady Renar’s mouth twisted grotesquely, the warehouse door sealed shut.
｢[Antagon’s Rune] has detected anomalous power in the vicinity!｣
｢Escape this place at once!｣

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