Raising the Grand Duke of the North as a Farmer Behind Dad’s Back - Chapter 17

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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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Episode 17
“……Straw…… No, barley stalks?”
“Yes!”
Those plump little grains I’d found clinging to Ludan’s pants leg in the storehouse.
I broke into a wide smile.
“Nutritious barley harvest—!”
Ch. 4 Breaking Ground
A few days later.
Whirrrrrrrr.
I glanced up, timing myself.
‘……Three, two, one…….’
Whirrrrr.
“Pshhhhh!”
I spat out the toothpaste water.
Then—pop!
[Quest Complete! (Requester: Goddess of Destiny)]
[Brush teeth for 3 minutes daily – Morning (1/1)]
[Reward: 1 Pure, Pollution-Free Sacred Power Sticker]
I clasped my hands together respectfully, and a glossy sticker dropped into my palms.
“Yahoo!”
Sacred Power earned!
The sticker vanished with a pop and slipped into my Sticker Book.
[Haniel’s Sticker Book (Children’s Edition)]
Sacred Power Stickers in Collection: 206
“Hehehehe.”
Ever since opening the Ley Line in Bedel Village.
Quests came flooding in as if they’d been waiting.
Not just farm-related Quests, either.
[A Quest from the God of Propriety has arrived!]
[Reputation is My Strength! Greet Your Neighbors (3/6)]
[“Hello there, little one. :-] This is our first meeting. I’m so very pleased to make your acquaintance. I am the God of Propriety, overseeing etiquette, relationships, order, rules, contracts, and judgment in the human realm. The reason I’m reaching out today is……(Message exceeds character limit due to excessive formalities. Content omitted.)”]
[Reward: 20 Pure, Pollution-Free Sacred Power Stickers]
[A Quest from the Goddess of Destiny has arrived!]
[Brush teeth 3 times daily for 3 minutes each! (0/3)]
[“Rotting teeth bring pain and a destiny of doom.”]
[‘Save my child’s teeth!’]
[Reward: 3 Pure, Pollution-Free Sacred Power Stickers]
From daily-life Quests like these……
[A Quest from the God of Rivers and Seas has arrived!]
[Catch the Blue Spined Fish~ (0/3)]
[“I wonder if you can~?”]
[Reward: 300 Pure, Pollution-Free Sacred Power Stickers]
[A Quest from the God of ㅁㅁ has arrived!]
[Visit the Afterlife]
[“Come along now.”]
[Reward: 66666666666666]
[A Quest from the God of Forests has arrived!]
[Gather Pig Nose Mushrooms (0/5)]
[“……I’ll give you something nice……”]
[Reward: 50 Pure, Pollution-Free Sacred Power Stickers]
To gathering Quests like those!
‘Hmm.’
Though somewhere in the middle there was something that made a strange crackling sound.
When I blinked, it was gone. I must have misread something.
Anyway, in any case!
I was incredibly busy.
‘Independent living sure is demanding~’
Brushing teeth, putting on socks, getting dressed, eating bread from the table, packing my own bag—I had to do it all myself.
It was a very self-sufficient life, but sadly I was still mooching off the Grand Duke’s household.
‘They said the village improvements won’t be done for a while, so there’s no helping it.’
But regardless, I had a home of my own now!
Bang!
I thrust the door open and left the bedroom.
“Oh? Haniel, you’re already up? I was planning to have breakfast with you and wash you~”
I spotted familiar knight faces.
Members of the Supply Corps whom I’d come to know over the past few days.
Perfect timing.
I placed my hands on my belly and bowed ninety degrees.
“Good morning! I’m Haniel!”
“…… Oh, we know, we know.”
The knights laughed, adjusting my appearance as my tangled hair naturally fell into place.
“Ha ha. Little one, why the sudden formal bow today?”
“Think she’s telling us to get to work? Sure, sure~ Aunts and uncles are heading out, okay~”
The knights ruffled my hair and shouldered their tools.
“Should we repair the access roads today?”
“Repair roads when there’s no one around? Let’s just dig for now.”
“No one? But there were a few residents before…… Did they all run off?”
“Looks like it.”
“Say, Lord Ludan left early this morning~ Come on, let’s go~”
The voices faded as they drifted away.
For the record, only the Grand Duke, Camilla, and Lord Ludan knew I could use Sacred Power.
Keeping me here meant violating Imperial Law, so it seemed best not to let others find out.
That’s why the Pillar’s purification was…
“Ah, I was bored, so I went exploring the underground of the Grand Duke’s Castle and found what looked like a Sacred Object?”
…… or so Grand Duke Basil had vaguely explained.
“What? There’s a Sacred Object in the Grand Duke’s Castle underground?”
“There was.”
“But isn’t the Grand Duke’s Castle full of Contamination……?”
“It was fine.”
“Goodness! So you went again and obtained another Sacred Object……!”
The Grand Duke’s crimson eyes glanced at me.
“Can’t do it twice.”
It was terribly vague, but given his nature, everyone just let it slide.
I stepped outside.
‘Hmm, the Grand Duke’s Castle……’
I gazed at the massive fortress visible in the distance.
The black castle stood on slightly elevated ground to the west of the Corpse of the Great Dragon, overlooking Bedel Village.
The path up to the castle was choked with thorns and brambles.
‘I heard it was built by ancestors five hundred years ago.’
But then the Great Dragon appeared right at that moment and swallowed the castle whole.
In other words, it was built by humans but had never once been inhabited by them.
‘Who knows what the Great Dragon hoarded there for five hundred years, and native Contamination still lingers, making it difficult for people to even approach.’
That’s why the Grand Duke’s excuse worked.
‘Could I even live in that castle?’
Aside from Contamination Purification, it would require an enormous amount of labor to rebuild.
The scale was immense!
‘The village would need at least several hundred residents……’
In other words, the Domain needed to become wealthier, and the population would need to swell.
‘Hmm, but wait.’
If the north developed too much…… wouldn’t that actually become a problem for me?
I fidgeted with my fingertips.
‘Because if the north draws attention, Father might come visit. And I’ve already touched the Pillar……’
The reason I’d come to this place was that Bertus was the only location offering me a free home and land.
The atmosphere was insular, and above all, it was where Grand Duke Basil—whom Father despised—lived, making it the perfect place to live a small, quiet life away from Father’s eyes.
But what if…… my changes caused Father to take an interest in the north?
‘Shouldn’t I stop doing anything at all?’
There were five Pillars still in need of purification.
If the north were divided into six regions, the other five areas besides this Bedel zone would remain cold, dark lands of Contamination.
‘Maybe I really shouldn’t purify the other Pillars……’
Just then, white letters appeared before my eyes with a pop!
[Quest completed!]
[Fame is my strength! Greeting the neighbors! (6/6)]
[Will you accept the reward?]
“Oh! Y-yes……!”
With my greeting to the knights just now, it seemed the greeting quest had finally come to an end.
A neat scale-shaped sticker fell from my hand with a soft tap, then dissolved away.
[Haniel’s Sticker Book (Children’s Edition)]
Sacred Power Stickers in storage: 226
Reading those words, my mind snapped to attention.
‘No. I can’t just do nothing.’
I shook my head vigorously.
‘If I sit idle, Sacred Power won’t accumulate!’
If I purified the pillars and moved to other regions, the chances to earn Sacred Power could multiply even further.
‘Last time, the moment I opened the ley line in Bedel Village, quests came pouring in!’
And besides…….
[Catch Blue Spined Fish (0/3)]
[“I wonder if I can catch them~?”]
[Reward: 300 Pure, Pollution-Free Sacred Power Stickers]
This kind of quest obviously meant I should reclaim the Veil River region in the north, didn’t it?
‘Mm. What to do.’
I wandered forward, lost in thought.
As I passed through the village and descended an untended path, a vast wilderness came into view.
Thud! Thud! The sound of shoveling echoed across the land.
Among the strapping workers, Basil stood out unmistakably.
I stopped abruptly.
‘……Now that I think about it.’
I stared blankly at his broad back.
‘He thanked me yesterday.’
Last night, Basil had come to find me and awkwardly ruffled my hair as he spoke.
“Little one, I’m saying this now, but… thank you. Honestly…… I owe my life to you.”
And not long ago, Ludan as well.
“Haniel, I apologize to you formally once more. For how I treated you when we first met. And…… I offer my gratitude.”
“…….”
“Thank you for working hard for the north. By the name of Ludan Fraise, I swear I shall repay this debt one day.”
‘I’d helped them.’
They’d called me their benefactor, their savior.
‘This is new.’
Hearing words like that.
Being strength rather than a burden to someone—all of it was new.
I gripped my skirt tightly.
‘……Right, I really shouldn’t do nothing after all.’
If I want to gather Sacred Power, I’ll need to farm diligently and keep purifying pillars anyway.
So there’s no reason to be afraid.
Honestly, it’s not even confirmed that Father will come right away, and if he does, I can just hide somewhere!
‘If it comes to that, I’ll beg Basil to hide me!’
Though it’s uncertain whether he’d actually protect me…… What if he got tired and annoyed and abandoned me partway through?

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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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