I’m in the Arms of the Cursed Grand Duke - Chapter 51
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 51
They moved for another long while.
When they got hungry, they ate the potatoes they had brought and moved again.
They had started moving from when the sun began to rise, and before they knew it, the sun was slowly setting.
Night comes quickly in the mountains.
Even if they went down now, it would be a mountain trek in darkness.
“We need to go down.”
“No! We haven’t found it yet!”
“Night is dangerous. All the nocturnal monsters will come charging out drooling!”
“Take Rossia down.”
“Clemente! What are you saying! It’s dangerous. We should go together!”
Rossia grabbed Clemente’s arm in alarm.
“The Innkeeper even drew his blood for us. We don’t have much time either. I’m going to finish this today before leaving.”
Clemente bit her lips tightly and stubbornly insisted. She was like this no matter how many times they tried to dissuade her.
“You two go. I’ve been to the mountain at night many times. Don’t worry.”
“Fine. If we don’t want to worry, we’ll have to stay together. Going down without Clemente seems more dangerous. At least if we go together, we won’t freeze to death.”
There was nothing advantageous about dragging out time. It was better to keep searching during this time.
“Sigh. I’ll just follow along.”
Just as they received Gwen’s surrender.
Suddenly, vibrations arose from beneath their feet.
They could also hear the sound of wood snapping.
Following the source of the sound with their gaze, they saw some huge boulder rolling toward them, gaining momentum from the steep mountain path.
“What is this…”
It was a scene she had seen somewhere. What was it called in the Imperial language? She couldn’t say it out loud because the word suddenly wouldn’t come to mind, but it was definitely something she had experienced. Anyway, it was good news.
“When I first came to the Northern Region, rocks welcomed me too! And now again! It must be around here!”
“Stop saying strange things and hurry over! If you don’t want to get crushed!”
Just as Gwen was about to hold Rossia with one arm and lift Clemente with the other.
“What are you doing, you’re too slow!”
Clemente moved ahead of Gwen. She wasn’t moving with difficulty, yet she was quite fast. Even though Gwen was carrying a person, she was moving at a similar speed to Gwen, who was a knight.
Rumble!
Just as the two barely got out of the path, the boulder brushed past them as it rolled down.
“Huff, it won’t go all the way to the village, will it?”
“The village below that path is empty. Very fortunately.”
“Really fortunate…”
The two who let out sighs of relief calmed their pounding hearts and looked for Clemente. Clemente’s mysteriously glowing golden eyes were directed toward one place.
“As expected! I found it right away.”
As soon as she answered, thick white fog filled the space between them.
Rossia swallowed and grabbed Clemente’s hand.
“I’m not sure if it’s right, but I’ll try first. You said blood was needed, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then Gwen.”
She called Gwen and extended her hand. A thin, well-sharpened dagger was placed in Rossia’s hand.
“I’ve sharpened the blade well, so you need to cut gently.”
“Yes.”
It was the moment when Rossia squeezed her eyes shut and was about to move the dagger.
“Wait!”
“Eek! Why, why?”
Clemente raised her voice. She almost stabbed somewhere other than her finger.
“The fog… is disappearing, Lady Rossia.”
It was exactly as she said.
The fog that had turned their vision white was gradually diminishing.
“What’s suddenly happening… I haven’t drawn blood yet? Clemente?”
It was a question asking if she had sprinkled Zephyrus’s blood. Clemente shook her head and took out the glass bottle containing Zephyrus’s blood to show her.
“Me neither.”
She looked at the disappearing fog with a meaningful expression.
It didn’t make sense that the fog had remained beside her in the first place.
Clemente had never once been enveloped in fog. When she passed by, the fog nearby would disappear like snow.
But this fog was different. As if testing the waters, it enveloped her and then slowly disappeared. This fog was definitely something magical.
And fog that was somehow related to her.
Everyone seemed too surprised to notice, but this fog was thinning with her at the center. As if welcoming her entry inside.
She didn’t know how the secret place passed down through generations to the Northern Region’s Duke was connected to her in some way, but it was worth investigating once.
If things went well, she might be able to get clues about why Zephyrus’s constitution had suddenly changed.
**
The fog that had been so thick cleared away in an instant.
They found themselves positioned in quite a wide plain at some point. They had no idea where the densely packed trees had disappeared to.
“Wow…”
That question was momentary. The three people opened their mouths at a sight they never thought they would see in the Northern Region.
“What is that?”
Colorful flower beds with bees and butterflies flying between them. Trees full of fruit surrounded a hot spring in a circle.
What was most mystical was that snow covered that land.
Snow piled on green vegetation. In the middle of it, one steaming hot spring.
It was a dreamlike place.
“What is this…”
Beads of sweat formed on Rossia and Gwen’s foreheads.
Somehow they felt suffocated.
Clemente looked at the two and moved slightly away as she spoke.
“Let’s think about our purpose for now. We need to find something that restores vitality.”
“For vitality recovery, it would be a hot spring.”
Rossia recalled the hot spring she had once visited in the Imperial Court.
“Ah, right. Should we try getting into the hot spring?”
While Rossia and Gwen were pondering, Clemente approached the hot spring, knelt down, and smelled it.
“It feels more like just hot spring water rather than a hot spring.”
“What?”
While Rossia was asking back, Clemente scooped up water and drank it.
“Clemente!”
“Oh. This is delicious.”
“What if you drink hot spring water- What?”
“Rossia, try drinking some too. It’s really delicious, you know?”
Rossia, who had been looking back and forth between the water and Clemente with suspicious eyes, pushed Gwen’s back.
“…Should I drink it?”
“She says it’s delicious. Gwen worked the hardest finding the way. I’ll give you the chance to taste it first.”
“Lady Rossia worked harder…”
“What? What did you say?”
Gwen shook her head while looking at Rossia’s bright smile and approached the hot spring.
“Nothing will go wrong, right?”
“Clemente is fine. Don’t tell me you’re scared?”
“How could that be! Who do you think I am!”
“Right?”
Rossia smiled brightly.
This time, Gwen put the hot spring water in her mouth without hesitation and opened her eyes wide.
“It’s really delicious. So sweet that it feels like all my fatigue is disappearing…”
As he described the taste, sweat began pouring down his entire body like a waterfall.
“It’s not hot though. Huh?”
Clemente’s body remained the same as before. Not a single drop of sweat.
To find out more accurately, there was only one answer.
As everyone’s gaze focused on her, Rossia gulped and nodded resolutely.
“Alright. I’ll try drinking it.”
Soon sweat began flowing down her body as well. It was even more than Gwen’s.
When so much flowed that her clothes got wet, Rossia panicked and pulled at her clothes, but it was useless. Clemente’s outer garment came over the clinging wet clothes.
“You can’t catch a cold. Rossia has a lot of work to do too.”
Clemente, wearing only a thin garment, placed one arm on her waist and looked into the distance.
The end of Icetas came into view.
“Let me know how your body feels later. I’ll go all the way to the end.”
It seemed like secrets related to her constitution might be hidden somewhere in this place too.
Rossia was startled by Clemente’s announcement.
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Who knows what might be there!”
Clemente smiled, narrowing her eyes.
“It’s okay.”
“Please. This isn’t an unavoidable situation right now. You’re just sweating, not sick or anything.”
“But Rossia.”
Clemente looked at Rossia’s ankles. They had been hiking almost all day. From her feet to her calves were swollen tight, and blisters had formed on the soles of her feet. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn’t conceal the pained steps that betrayed her agony.
“Then Gwen should go with you too.”
“When something happens, I can run away. What about Rossia?”
Rossia unconsciously looked down at her own feet. She couldn’t readily say it was possible. While Rossia hesitated, Clemente added:
“The entire desert was my home. This place doesn’t seem more dangerous than the desert… They say those who survive in the desert are strong.”
“That’s right. Clemente will be fine. Let’s watch and see if Rossia’s body gets better.”
Even Gwen sided with Clemente.
Clemente began walking, carrying Rossia’s worried gaze with her.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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