I Proposed to My Childhood Friend After Regressing - Chapter 25

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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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After Returning, When I Proposed to My Childhood Friend
Chapter 25
‘Insane—it’s Clyde!’
At the voice from behind, Beatrice turned with a glad expression, and there stood a face she was particularly happy to see today.
Sharon, the adjutant who entered the Conference Room following him, quickly assessed Beatrice.
“Are you unharmed? You haven’t suffered any terrible ordeal or anything like that…?”
“Oh, no. Nothing happened! I ate well and slept well!”
Beatrice showed the pillow marks still lingering on her cheeks as proof of her deep sleep, then asked what had transpired.
“When things suddenly grew loud outside, I went to the room looking for you, but Lia wasn’t there.”
“Ah.”
“I was gathering the attendants and trying to understand the situation when Dalton informed me of what was happening. He happened to be investigating outside the Inn and was able to grasp it quickly.”
As Astrid, true to her capable adjutant nature, cleanly shared the current status, Clyde stepped forward.
“Marquis Downer, Grand Duke Crawford. I am Clyde Dalton, attached to the Crown Prince’s Knight Order. It is an honor to meet you.”
The Grand Duke Alec was the first to answer Clyde’s greeting.
“Ah, Dalton. I received word that His Highness heard reports about the Western Border Region and came directly to offer support.”
“Yes, we also received word left by Your Highness at the Gate, but the situation seemed more grave than anticipated, so His Highness dispatched us first to assess and provide aid.”
“His Highness has always been a thoughtful man. Thank you for coming so far.”
“You are too kind.”
“His Highness’s matter is important, but if you would not mind, could you wait a moment? Marquis Downer and I are in the midst of a serious interrogation.”
“Hmm… Very well. It’s irregular, I grant you, but wait just a moment. Once the interrogation is finished, I shall properly greet you as the master of this place. It won’t take long.”
Even as the Marquis gestured after drinking cold water to calm his anger, Clyde remained still.
He sent a glance to the Marquis’s adjutant who came to show him his seat, asking him to wait a moment, then drew a soft smile at his lips.
“I appreciate your consideration, but the reason I hurried to find you both is because of that interrogation.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because the person the guards arrested as the culprit—Lia Kruger—is one of our people.”
Clyde’s expression remained consistently gentle and gentlemanly, but his voice showed no sign of yielding.
Seeming to demand a more detailed explanation, the two men’s expressions prompted Clyde to continue calmly.
“Lia Kruger is an attendant dispatched with us to the Marquis Territory as part of His Highness’s entourage, and has been vouched for by Nao Alminson, our head chambermaid.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I am emphasizing that what she said is not an excuse, but the truth.”
……
“From what I understand, the culprit has been continuously defacing dolls throughout the territory. However, we arrived at the Marquis Territory on the very day Miss Kruger was arrested. Realistically, she cannot be the culprit.”
“That is…”
The Marquis, who had been tapping his fingers on the armrest with narrow eyes, rubbed his beard and answered.
“If you can prove that this woman is truly a member of the entourage, then you have a point.”
“There should be a record of our passage at the Gate. You could also confirm with the residents of Brelin Village.”
“Hmm… So you’re confident to that degree? The Crown Prince’s entourage has no reason to lie…”
After alternating suspicious glares between Clyde and Beatrice for a moment, the Marquis let out a snort and spoke.
“It seems I have misidentified the culprit. Lia Kruger, was it? I apologize to you.”
“Ah…”
True to the owner of a practical and orderly establishment, the Marquis readily admitted his misjudgment.
He bowed deeply and offered his apology to Beatrice, and the moment he straightened, he poured his grievances directly at her.
“But why on earth were you wandering the Forest Path in the middle of the night? How suspicious!”
“Well, I came out because I wanted to investigate the dolls set up in the village…”
“You should have done that during the bright day, or at least brought a friend along! Didn’t the villagers tell you the rules? The rules? I posted them all over the territory and told everyone to follow them!”
Ah, so that ridiculous rule was his doing…
“And besides, a ruffian threw a Tool at you? What if he had come at you to kill? Are you secretly a fighter despite appearances? Good grief!”
‘… What is this? The Marquis Downer, despite his intimidating appearance, is kind of like our grandfather.’
It was then that Beatrice recalled the Earl Hartwell, who showered her with complaints every time she visited the Hartwell estate.
Having said all he needed to say, the Marquis let out a loud breath and clicked his tongue as if troubled.
“Now catching the culprit is back to square one. Time is limited, and this is a predicament.”
“If it is a difficult situation, we would also like to lend our strength.”
“You will?”
The Marquis, who remained silent for a moment while grooming his beard, spoke again.
“Now that you mention it, His Highness sent you to understand the situation in the Marquis Territory and provide support if necessary, did he not?”
“Yes, that is correct. So if possible, I would like to hear more detailed information about the situation in the Marquis Territory—the reason for the sudden Lockdown, and about those dolls you mentioned.”
“Ah, that is…”
“It would be faster if I explained it.”
As Clyde spoke on Beatrice’s behalf, the Grand Duke, who had been silently observing the situation, naturally joined the conversation.
“After receiving punishment from His Majesty, I traveled through the Western Border Region with the Nuns to which my daughter belongs. I inspected what was needed in each area and handled supplies and combat support. I came thus far to the Marquis Territory, but…”
The Grand Duke paused for a moment. It was out of consideration for Downer, the master of the territory.
True to the rumor that no one understood how such a reckless rogue as Baloa Crawford had emerged from under this father, he conducted himself with deliberation.
“Do not worry yourself—we should not pretend what happened did not happen.”
Hearing the Marquis’s reply not to worry, the Grand Duke smiled ruefully and spoke again.
“When I arrived, the state of the Marquis Territory was deteriorating rapidly. The frequency of Monster attacks was abnormally high, and the territory was plagued by strange occurrences without end.”
People convulsing while staring into empty space, injured people, and illnesses of unknown cause.
“We had to devise a method as soon as possible.”
And the method they found was dolls infused with Orhalcon.
“After testing it, we confirmed that the number of injured people decreased significantly. Once the Marquis and I confirmed the actual effects, we decided to take the next step.”
“That’s right! That’s why we’re so desperate to find that cursed culprit. We have to catch him so we can complete Purification and lift the Lockdown as soon as possible!”
“Ah, of course. Purification!”
“What?”
Beatrice, who had been quietly listening to the conversation behind Clyde, involuntarily cried out at the Marquis’s words.
Immediately after opening her mouth, it occurred to her that in the presence of both Clyde and the Grand Duke, she should exercise restraint, but it was too late.
‘… Ugh, forget it!’
Deciding to reflect on acting foolishly later, Beatrice scrunched her nose bridge and voiced her thought.
“Those dolls you mentioned as Purification tools—was that also something the person who devised the initial method said?”
“What? What does that matter now?”
“It’s that… the dolls, or more precisely the Orhalcon at their core, possess no Purification function. Rather, because Orhalcon is receptive to Magical Power, it has the property of condensing and gathering the Aura dispersed in its surroundings. So…”
“What is it? Why do you look like that?”
The Marquis spoke as Beatrice’s expression changed progressively, but she could not answer.
As she explained that Purification was impossible, she had realized something terrifying.
‘The Grand Duke said Monster attacks increased abnormally in the Marquis Territory. And the existence of Monsters necessarily spreads Miasma in the surroundings.’
In the process of disposing of the attacking Monsters, blood and corpses accumulated far beyond the usual amount, so that Aura would have spread more intensely into the land and air.
It was highly likely that the near-catastrophic collision of Magical Power harmed people because the imbalanced Aura clashed violently.
And if this Aura mixed with Miasma continued to gather and accumulate in the Orhalcon, exceeding its limit and shattering…
“… We would all die.”
The Marquis Territory was doomed.

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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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