I’m in the Arms of the Cursed Grand Duke - Chapter 52

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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 52

Even if what they were looking for was indeed hot spring water, they needed to examine the surroundings.

The most important thing for her survival had always been information.

Clemente’s eyes, leisurely yet sharply gleaming, absorbed all kinds of information.

The grass, flowers, and trees near the hot spring. The air, wind, and soil. And even the boundaries of the place.

‘I can’t get out.’

There seemed to be only one entrance—the way they had come in.

Clemente climbed up a tree that had taken root at the boundary.

A sweet scent came from the bright red fruit.

Looking down, she saw seeds with flesh still clinging to them scattered on the ground.

‘There are living creatures here.’

Clemente jumped down to the ground and bit into a fruit. It was sweet and delicious, just like the hot spring water.

After munching and finishing it all, Clemente looked up again.

‘Should I pick more?’

Her contemplation was long, but her action was swift. She picked all but a few fruits, put them in her bag, and resumed her exploration.

She wanted to find a connection between House Pruina’s bloodline and Icetas, or a connection with herself, but failed.

Inside this place, only beautiful nature existed. She had hoped there might be something else with special abilities like that hot spring water, but couldn’t find any.

Instead of being disappointed, she picked up a stone. Among countless stones, it was the prettiest and most appealing one.

‘If I study it, something might come of it.’

Crunch. She took out another fruit to eat and returned to Rossia and Gwen.

The remaining place was the entrance. Since they’d have to pass through it to leave anyway, it seemed efficient to examine it together.

The effects of the hot spring water in the center should have manifested by now.

“I’m back~”

“Clemente! Come here, quickly! Quickly!”

Rossia gestured urgently toward Clemente with an excited face.

“Why?”

“Look at this. The blisters are still there, but my legs have returned to normal.”

“My body feels a bit lighter too. I’d say the fatigue has diminished somewhat.”

“I wasn’t even cold when Clemente went far away! Even though we were separated for quite a while!”

“The circulation of mana seems easier too. But Lady Rossia, did you always smell this much of sweat?”

While they were talking about the effects of the hot spring water, Gwen suddenly poked Rossia hard.

Rossia’s face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

“Gwen!”

“Oh my, why are you shouting?”

Gwen continued with a giggle.

“Putting everything together, the hot spring water’s effect seems to be expelling all the waste from the body.”

If the accumulated waste in the body is properly expelled, the body would naturally become healthier.

“Then you must be hungry. Eat this.”

“This is…?”

“It’s delicious.”

Clemente giggled, boasting that she had already eaten two of them.

The two people ate the fruit with ambiguous expressions of uncertainty, then soon showed blissful faces.

“It would be good to take these too.”

At Rossia’s murmur, both Clemente and Gwen secretly nodded.

“Now then, shall we discuss how to supply this water?”

Rossia changed the topic.

A meeting taking place in a surreal space.

“We each only had a sip, but our bodies became comfortable. The vassals will be the same.”

“If we have each knight carry a bucket, they could take care of one village.”

“The Knight Order has 30 members total. That would work.”

“Is it possible?”

“If His Highness gives the order, we’ll manage somehow.”

“Are there other methods? Clemente, what do you think?”

“What would happen if this hot spring water mixed with other water?”

The question was answered with another question. Rossia jumped up.

“That would be convenient! If the effect is maintained even when mixed with the river that flows through the Northern Region. It doesn’t have to be this strong. Even if it had half the effect…!”

Rossia muttered while pacing around. Clemente said it was chaotic and made her sit down.

“We have to experiment to know anyway. We have to stay here until sunrise, so let’s try mixing it in that time.”

“There’s no water here. How would we do it?”

“Water is scattered everywhere around us.”

Clemente winked and pointed at the ground.

“Snow. Wouldn’t it be usable if we melt it?”

Rossia excitedly began experimenting with melted snow.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Clemente examined the entrance.

“The master’s book said exactly the same thing—that only those with Pruina blood can enter.”

“Didn’t we enter because Lady Rossia was here?”

Sprinkling blood was a method that relied entirely on Zephyrus’s memory, so that could be the case.

It would be better to confirm the exact details by going back and forth directly, but…

Clemente peered around and stretched her arm toward the entrance again. Unlike the other boundaries, it extended out easily.

‘Can I go out and come back in?’

With light curiosity, she boldly stepped outside.

Swoosh— The sound of trees swaying in the wind could be heard.

“Eek! What?”

“Why suddenly!”

“Huh?”

The other two also came outside as if expelled. They steadied themselves against the swirling wind and approached Clemente.

Clemente was looking at them with a bewildered face.

“Why did you come out?”

“That’s what I want to ask! What happened? My experiment!”

“The space disappeared as soon as Clemente left. Is it structured to end when one person leaves? Then how do we get back in?”

While Gwen and Rossia were looking for a way, Clemente’s bag trembled. It was the stone she had picked up earlier. As she blinked, she realized the same vibration could be felt from the ground.

Clemente, who had been looking around, found a stone emitting white smoke from the ground and picked it up. The mist stopped and the hot spring appeared before their eyes again.

“Oh.”

“Huh? What on earth is this…?”

Rossia seemed to have her mind freeze as incomprehensible events continued.

Gwen noticed the stone Clemente was holding. Even the pattern carved on its surface.

“Wait. Could you let me see that stone?”

“Yes.”

Gwen took the stone. At that moment, they were outside again.

“Huh.”

“Wow. Give it back to me, Gwen.”

When Clemente held the stone again, the hot spring appeared.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know for sure, but Clemente is definitely the key.”

“That’s right…”

“Aah! Clemente! Gwen! What have you done?”

Rossia’s eyes were filled with confusion. Clemente gently embraced Rossia from the side and put both stones in her bag.

Since she wasn’t holding them in her hands, the hot spring disappeared again.

“It’s okay. It might actually be better?”

“What do you mean?”

Just then, sunlight fell upon Rossia and Clemente’s faces. When they looked up, the sun quickly hid behind dark clouds again.

“It’s gotten a bit brighter. Shall we head down now?”

“Clemente, please tell me something.”

“I’m not certain yet. There’s a lot I need to confirm. It would be better for Gwen to carry you on the way down.”

“I can walk on my own feet!”

“Your soles still hurt. And you’ve become a bit sensitive, Rossia. You need to rest.”

“Yes, Lady Rossia. This Gwen will carry you comfortably.”

Eventually, Rossia, carried on Gwen’s back, grumbled into his ear. When Gwen gave a half-hearted response, irritated sounds immediately followed.

Clemente giggled. Gwen looked at her and asked.

“Clemente certainly has good stamina.”

“Of course. Stamina is essential for survival.”

Gwen roughly knew that Clemente’s life hadn’t been easy.

So he tried to imagine that Clemente had endured every hardship he could think of.

“Even considering that, it’s impressive.”

“Is that so?”

Clemente tilted her head and smiled.

Watching Clemente brush off his admiration with laughter, Gwen let out a small sigh.

Not just her stamina, but her constitution that was immune to His Highness’s curse, and now this incident with Icetas.

‘His Highness’s curse aside… Clemente’s secrets seem quite significant too.’

She herself seemed carefree, but it was certain.

What connection could a woman from the desert have with the Northern Region?

He became very curious.

In the Frozen Mountains where snow was deeply piled and frozen solid.

A brief tremor occurred within that place.

“Ahhhhh! No!”

A sound in a frequency range too high for humans to hear echoed through the Northern Region.

The monsters living in the Northern Region cowered in fear or screamed, crushed by terror.

“That thing must not leave its place!”

The Snow Woman disheveled her hair made of snow.

Each time she did so, snow fragments crumbled and then returned to form her hair again.

After causing a commotion for a while, the Snow Woman soon sighed and restored her damaged space.

She waved her hand, and the snow and ice that had melted into water returned.

“It’s already difficult maintaining this current state…”

Right now she was stuck here because of someone. He ran away alone and now gives her this trial?

The woman muttered and cursed someone.

“This won’t do. Since it’s come to this anyway. I have no choice but to execute the final plan.”

The ice crystals embedded in the woman’s eyes gleamed with a chilling light.

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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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