I Proposed to My Childhood Friend After Regressing - Chapter 54

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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 My Regression, I Proposed to My Childhood Friend
Chapter 54
Beatrice couldn’t bring herself to refuse the genuine hearts of those who had turned to her, even as she floundered for words.
In truth, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t refuse them.
Follow-up research of this sort became more stable the more people participated, and all Beatrice could do was meet them halfway.
“A-ah, th-thank you so much. I, I’ll definitely try to create something that might help…!”
“Really?”
Awkward though it was, she offered her thanks to them with genuine warmth.
“Yes! The key to the follow-up research is how sensitized your bodies become to Holy Magic! Now that I think about it, if I could just harness the properties of Orharkon correctly, I might even be able to create some kind of defensive gear that weakens Holy Magic. I’d need to run experiments to know for sure, but precisely speaking, Orharkon has a nature that accumulates energy, so if I use that as a base and then add safety mechanisms to prevent it from rupturing…!”
“Miss, that’s too long and I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
All she could do was try her best.
Patients with eyes grown half-dim nodded and gestured toward the space behind them.
In the direction they indicated, those who hadn’t yet fully recovered were waving their hands slowly.
They seemed to lack strength still, and yet their eyes held something distinctly different from before.
Relief, hope that recovery was possible, and gratitude—all of it shone through.
Watching Beatrice wave back in silence, one of the patients hesitantly spoke up.
“The mood in the Marquis Territory has gotten so much better lately, haven’t you noticed?”
“Oh, well, yes? Is it?”
“Yes! I thought it was just my imagination at first, but my family in the Defense Corps told me about it. Suddenly, far fewer people are getting injured in bizarre accidents, and the Monster attacks seem to be clearing up.”
Beatrice recalled what the Crown Prince had said when Clyde had regained consciousness—that matters were nearly resolved.
Clyde, who had immersed himself in the covert investigation of the mountain range while requesting to handle the Cult’s affairs himself.
‘Beatrice, do you have a moment?’
‘Hm? Why?’
‘I thought it’d be good if you knew what happened in the Darkness Mountain Range too.’
With those words, Clyde had handed her a report crammed with dense writing and summarized the contents briefly.
‘The Cult was trying to build some kind of secret space inside the Darkness Mountain Range. The reason Monsters poured down from the mountain in unusual numbers was because they were violently stimulated by the sacred power that went into constructing this space.’
‘No, really? Then the puppet containing Orharkon and the spread of that mysterious illness to curse the Marquis Territory into ruin—that was all of it…?’
‘Right, just as we suspected—they wanted to seize the Marquis Territory and conduct some kind of research in an undisturbed environment. But now that we’ve interfered, all their plans have fallen through and they’ve given up.’
‘Those Cult people joined hands with the Empress? They’ve lost their minds, haven’t they? How can people who believe in God do something like that? And there are so many people living in the Marquis Territory…’
‘I know. Anyway, there’s nothing to worry about anymore. Now that we’ve eliminated the source of the disturbance, all the problems that arose from the Darkness Mountain Range will disappear.’
It seemed Clyde’s words from that time had been well-organized.
A strange sense of pride welling up in her, Beatrice grinned and waved the notebook she’d been holding.
“Then all I need to do is finish my part well!”
“Oh, and there’s actually something I wanted to ask…!”
“Yes?”
At Beatrice’s tilted-head inquiry, the patient hesitated for a moment before asking her carefully.
“Um, miss, once you finish the follow-up research, will you be returning to the Capital?”
“Oh, yes, I suppose so?”
Beatrice nodded, looking puzzled as to why such a question would even be asked.
What else would she be doing here, after all?
“Once I get the follow-up research off the ground, I think I’ll hand over the practical work to the Marquis family’s physician and the directors of the main treatment facilities, and we’ll exchange letters from there.”
“Really? Is that so…?”
At the sudden confusion in the patient’s voice, another person abruptly chimed in.
“Ah, well, of course! Surely, nobles have so much to settle in their families. The young master must be heading up to the Capital too, yes?”
“Ah, is that so?”
“This is embarrassing, so just stay quiet and pretend you don’t know!”
Beatrice found their conversation utterly incomprehensible. What was she supposed to settle, and why on earth would Cassian be going up to the Capital?
‘Ah, I suppose he could come once. He’d need to report to His Majesty, after all.’
But surely that wasn’t really her concern, was it? Before Beatrice could even part her lips to ask for more details—
“Oh!”
“I told you!”
“Um, Beatrice, we’ll see you later!”
The two patients, giggling like schoolgirls at something, hurried away from their seats.
Curious about what had happened, Beatrice turned toward the doorway and spotted Cassian standing there, laden with odds and ends.
“Oh, Cassian? Hello!”
“Yes. Good day to you, Miss Crüger. Do you have a moment to spare?”
“A moment?”
Beatrice glanced at the speed at which the medicine was extracting, nodded, and approached him.
“Yes, I’m fine right now! Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Ah, it’s not that—I came to give you something, but…”
Cassian trailed off briefly, his silver-gray eyes sweeping across the room once.
He offered a strained smile before continuing.
“If you have the time, would you perhaps consider moving elsewhere for a moment?”
“Oh? Well, I suppose it’s fine, but…”
Beatrice tilted her head questioningly.
‘Why?’
Wondering if she was missing something, she looked around following his gaze, but spotted nothing particularly unusual.
The patients and attendants were glancing over this way, but that hardly counted as strange.
‘After all, Cassian is a young master well-beloved by the Marquis family!’
Weren’t they simply watching for a chance to exchange even a few words with him?
At her lukewarm response, Cassian smiled gently and grasped her collar lightly.
“The sunlight is particularly lovely today, I’ve noticed.”
“Ah…”
“Days as bright as this are rare in the Marquis Territory. Since the weather is finally fine, I’d like to take a walk—would you mind accompanying me for a little while?”
“Oh.”
Now that he mentioned it, it really was true.
The Marquis Territory had more overcast days than the Hartwell Estate or the Capital, and even when it was clear, Beatrice had always been too busy.
‘These past few days I’ve been shut up in the Separate Building wrestling with research—I haven’t even gotten proper sunlight.’
Perhaps this was Cassian showing consideration for his guest in his capacity as the master of the house.
‘The heir really does have something different about him.’
Silently admiring his thoughtfulness, Beatrice nodded with a bright expression.
“I’d love to!”
And so the two of them left the Separate Building and walked through the small garden connecting it to the main house.
The gardeners, seizing their chance, had brought out all the flowers and watered them, leaving the garden in full, radiant bloom.
Walking in step with Beatrice amid this rare moment of peace, Cassian suddenly spoke.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, and I apologize for it.”
“Yes? What?”
Caught entirely off guard by his apology, Beatrice adjusted her glasses and opened her eyes wide.
At her expression of surprise, he paused briefly before continuing in measured tones.
“Lately, there have been many people in the Marquis Territory taking an interest in you. Especially when you’re with me.”
“Ah.”
“I was concerned it might be a burden for you.”
Beatrice understood what he was saying at last.
It was true—lately, wherever she went in the Marquis household, she’d noticed more eyes on her.
She could guess the reason well enough.
‘It’s because the Marquis family keeps calling me the primary architect of solving Lumen Root Erosion Syndrome!’
People would naturally want to see the face of someone they’d heard so much about, and if our young master was there beside her too…
‘I’d look too. I’d even check every day to see if they weren’t together.’

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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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