My Youngest Keeps Bringing Home Male Leads - Chapter 44

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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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Chapter 44
“The garden has become quite beautiful.”
“Hasn’t it? I think the garden is nearly finished now.”
“It seems the newly hired gardener has done his part well.”
“That’s right. It’s all thanks to the Duke and Silmare.”
“Speaking of which, where has Silmare gone? He hasn’t returned since then?”
“No. The last time he stopped by was at dawn before you arrived that previous time, sir. Since then, he’s only sent letters.”
Now that she mentioned it, Agnes found herself wondering what had happened in the Celesta Territory back then, and whether he had been injured.
Agnes gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her expression clouding as she opened her mouth.
“I’ve been very worried since you left last time.”
“Were you referring to me? I told you I was fine, yet you didn’t believe me.”
Kesenor replied with a faint smile, and Agnes shook her head.
“No. But if you truly were fine, it wouldn’t have taken this long.”
“As you can see, I am unharmed—not injured anywhere.”
“But Aser seemed so concerned as well. He left in such haste. It seemed as though he was worried about the Territory.”
“You speak of Aser?”
“Yes. He said a Crack had appeared, and I’ve heard rumors that it was quite large in scale. There were also rumors that there were more casualties than expected, so I wondered if that’s why you were delayed.”
“Ah, so it wasn’t me you were curious about, but the Territory.”
“That’s not true! I was curious about both.”
Kesenor laughed and spread both arms wide again, as if inviting her to see for herself.
It was as if he were proving that he truly was fine, and Agnes let out a sigh before breaking into a small laugh.
Soon after, Kesenor began to speak of more serious matters.
“The truth is, I was delayed because of having to report to the Imperial Palace.”
One year ago.
Cracks appeared simultaneously across the entire continent.
The strange events that occurred that day filled people with terror, but fortunately, after that, Cracks only manifested in the northern part of the continent—the realm of Monsters, near the ice mountains.
For ordinary people, it was a stroke of relative fortune.
Five Mage Towers were positioned there, constructing powerful defense lines to counter Monsters.
Thanks to them, even when creatures escaped from the Cracks, they could be repelled just as they had been fighting Monsters all along.
But soon, a problem arose.
The Cracks, which had only appeared in the north, began to gradually spread southward.
Moreover, both the number and the strength of the creatures that crossed over were increasing.
In particular, this latest Crack was of unprecedented scale.
“That said, it hasn’t been overwhelming. Whereas in the past we could repel them with ease, this time it’s something we need to pay attention to, that’s all.”
“But what if we exceed our limits?”
“Then the Imperial Capital will have to step in. The common people are already becoming uneasy and migrating southward, and I can’t understand what the Imperial Capital is doing about it.”
The criticism of the Imperial Family was so direct that Agnes could not reply and simply laughed.
But she understood his meaning well enough.
The Crown Prince, who ruled the Empire in place of the Emperor currently bedridden, was said to be quite capable, though he had a violent and oppressive side.
“Thanks to this situation, I’ve gained a pretext to stay here, but I was actually worried because the Imperial Palace seemed to keep suspecting me.”
“Ah, it’s probably because someone of your standing has been staying in such a rural place as ours for too long, isn’t it?”
“Well, you could say it’s something like that. But I can’t very well tell them that there’s something called the World Tree, can I?”
Fair point. To anyone looking at it, it would seem suspicious.
A Duke settling in a small rural Territory, with people of different races gathering there besides.
Crossing the border without prior notice and violating the Non-Aggression Pact was an extremely rare occurrence.
Kesenor studied Agnes’s reaction, gazing quietly into her eyes, then let out a soft cough.
“Actually, that’s why I used Amy as an excuse.”
“What?”
“She was the first survivor to escape from a Crack.”
He was explaining that the reason the people of the other race had crossed the border was to investigate the Crack and confirm survivors.
With an unprecedented Crack having occurred at just the right moment, it had become a justification for staying in the Laberose Territory without raising suspicion from the Imperial Family.
“I’ve told the Imperial Palace that everyone here is waiting for Amy to return. Research regarding Cracks is an urgent matter for all people living on the continent.”
“Could Amy be in danger?”
Kesenor gave a heavy laugh, as if to soothe Agnes, whose expression had darkened immediately.
“Don’t you know who these people are? I am the Mage Tower Master of Celestial, and Silmare is a prince of the Fairy Realm. I haven’t had a proper conversation with Ignitan, so I’m not certain, but he is certainly no ordinary person either.”
Agnes, who had been listening intently to Kesenor’s words, suddenly raised her head in surprise.
As if she had heard something almost impossible to believe, Agnes’s mouth fell slightly open before she finally exhaled.
“Silmare is, ……a prince of the Fairy Realm, you say?”
“Ah, you didn’t know?”
“No! This is the first I’m hearing of it!”
Now that she thought about it carefully, it seemed he had never actually said any such thing.
“It’s not really my place to mention, but in any case, that’s what I understood to be the case.”
“Good heavens…….”
She had thought him handsome enough to resemble a prince, but to learn he actually was one.
‘What on earth was I asking of someone like that……?’
And worse still, he was currently wandering about tracking down a criminal.
Indifferent to Agnes’s shock, Kesenor continued matter-of-factly.
“In any case, you needn’t worry about Amy. It’s not just us—Rupert is there as well.”
“Rupert?”
The unexpected name caught her off guard, and she echoed it blankly. Kesenor tilted his head with a subtle smile.
“You haven’t forgotten, I hope. Rupert and I defeated a Dragon together—a creature so legendary its very existence was uncertain, the very pinnacle of monsters, and yet we slew it.”
“Ah…….”
Though she already knew this fact, it drifted through her mind like scattered puzzle pieces.
To Agnes, Rupert was a childhood friend she’d grown up with, a brother-like figure who had always stayed at her side and offered his help.
All she could recall was his lanky frame and how he’d shot up in height—a sight so pitiful it was almost painful to behold.
The fact that such a Rupert had defeated a being from myth and legend simply didn’t feel real.
“Above all, we shall merely leak the research materials we’ve gathered to the Imperial Palace bit by bit. So even when Amy returns, you needn’t behave any differently than usual.”
“Is that truly possible? I’ve been worried about it constantly, to be honest.”
“Has something happened?”
“Yes. Word has spread that we accumulated considerable wealth from the Cracks, and apparently there are now people saying they’ll throw themselves into a Crack if one appears.”
“How mad.”
She watched him click his tongue in disbelief, and Agnes finally drew out the anxiety that had been weighing on her heart.
“When Amy returns, I’m afraid people blinded by greed might come looking for us, threatening to extract the method from us.”
“Should such a thing truly occur, you could simply leave for elsewhere until their interest fades.”
“Elsewhere?”
“Would you care to visit Celestial? Amy has already made an unauthorized visit once before, so it shouldn’t feel entirely unfamiliar to her.”
Agnes immediately recognized that the proposal, wrapped in his teasing tone, was an act of consideration.
It was his way of offering her a shelter—a promise to hold open a refuge for her, trembling as she was with vague dread.
And so Agnes smiled and nodded her agreement.
“Thank you so much. I would very much like to go if you’ll have me. And I’d love to see Aser again.”
“Aser, you say?”
The name seemed unexpected; Kesenor drew in a sharp breath.
“Yes! Aser is well, isn’t she?”
As she asked after her, Kesenor slowly drew his hand along his firm, smooth jawline before steering the conversation.
“You speak of Aser quite familiarly. Did she perform the task I gave her well?”
“Of course! She was so kind, and taught me so much.”
“……Aser, you say?”
“Yes, indeed! Though there was one difficult thing she said to me…….”
As Agnes recalled the moment when Aser had confided in her about the suffering she endured because of Kesenor, she found herself thinking back to her encounter with the Countess.
It was nothing difficult to speak of, yet for some reason her tongue had grown heavy before the Countess.
‘After all, Aser’s superior is the Duke, so…….’
Above all, she didn’t want to harbor any awkward suspicion of Kesenor, who was all but her benefactor.
“I’d like to say that what I’m about to tell you comes from my own judgment alone, and has nothing whatsoever to do with Aser’s honor.”
Her posture stiffened, her eyes hardened.
Not knowing quite what she meant to say, Kesenor pressed his lips together firmly.
To any observer, it would have looked as though she were about to denounce someone attempting Kesenor’s life.
‘What exactly is she about to say…….’
Even Kesenor’s lips parted with tension.
The moment Agnes fell silent stretched out like an eternity. At last, she spoke, each syllable heavy with weight.
“Aser actually confided in me.”
“Confided?”
“That you treated her with undue harshness.”
“To whom did she say this?”
“To you, sir—to Aser.”
“To me?”
Kesenor asked back as though astounded.
‘Is that not it?’
Agnes could only feel confusion in turn.
It was as if…….
‘Isn’t it quite the opposite?’
That was because it seemed like he was asking a counter-question.
Agnes found herself asking back in a daze.
“Isn’t it?”
“Sigh…….”
Watching Kesenor press his fingers to his temple and exhale heavily, Agnes sensed at once that she had made a mistake.
Just as she was about to apologize quickly, Kesenor tilted his head slightly and smiled.
“You’ve grown quite close to Aser, it seems.”

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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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