Raising the Grand Duke of the North as a Farmer Behind Dad’s Back - Chapter 51

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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 51
What on earth was he talking about? His brow furrowed sharply.
“That’s not what I meant.”
He exhaled a long, weary breath.
“I don’t want to burden you with too much responsibility.”
“I don’t understand what you mean at all, sir.”
“……you little thing. Why didn’t you tell me you were in pain during the river expedition?”
“That was…….”
Haniel fidgeted with her fingers.
“The village was already in such a difficult situation, and if my condition ruined the plan, that would be terrible.”
“…….”
“I… I came along because I wanted to help, but if I just become an obstacle instead, that would be awful…….”
“What’s so terrible about that?”
Haniel didn’t answer directly. But it was clear she hadn’t changed her mind.
Basil swept his hair back roughly.
“I know you possess special strength. It’s true I’ve relied on you heavily because of it.”
“…….”
“But I have no desire to sacrifice you for the sake of developing this fiefdom. If this place is destined to fail, then let it fail.”
Basil meant every word.
A child burdened with too many expectations and too much responsibility was bound to break, one way or another.
Haniel possessed exceptional abilities. And she was intelligent.
Because of this, the child cared more for the fiefdom’s prosperity than for herself. She tried to shoulder every adult responsibility on her own small shoulders.
Basil had felt it acutely when Haniel collapsed.
If he didn’t set boundaries now, something truly terrible would happen.
She might find herself entangled in far worse than simply catching a cold and falling ill.
He hated even to imagine it, but if something like that were to befall her…….
It was unbearable.
He pressed his brow, troubled at the memory of how completely he’d lost his reason when she’d collapsed.
“But…… Holy Power, Pillar Purification—I’m the only one who can do those.”
“I’m working on finding a way. Wait for me. At least until I can confirm your safety myself.”
“I’m fine! Really, I am!”
“No. From now on, I’m only going to believe about half of your ‘I’m fines.'”
He was resolute.
“……I’m not going through that kind of experience ever again.”
Running while cradling a limp body.
Desperately guarding a breath that seemed about to stutter and fail.
He now truly understood what it meant for blood to run dry with fear.
What if this child were to die?
What if she never opened her eyes again?
……It would be unbearable. This small child’s presence had already grown far too large within him.
Haniel bit her lip hard.
“But…… how are you ever going to confirm that Pillar Purification is safe for me? How could you possibly—”
At that moment, Haniel’s eyes widened as she noticed papers scattered across the table.
“……!!”
The child grabbed at Basil’s sleeve urgently.
“Y-you’re not writing to the Holy Temple, are you?”
“I thought about it and realized it was simple enough.”
Basil spoke matter-of-factly.
“Now that we’ve earned money, if I make a donation, they should be willing to send a high-ranking priest or two.”
He gently patted Haniel, who was trembling.
“Don’t worry. I’m not sending you to the Holy Temple. I just want to see how those people use Holy Power properly. Then I’ll make my own judgment.”
“But… but the Duke hates the Holy Temple, doesn’t he?”
“What does my pride matter?”
He let out a soft, dismissive laugh.
“Compared to my little one, I can swallow that sort of thing easily enough.”
At his words, Haniel’s eyes went wide with surprise.
Seeing her rabbit-like expression, he wanted once more to hold the child close.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to say such a thing. Back then, he’d been bound tight by pride and inferiority.
Even now it wasn’t different, exactly, but it had become flexible enough to take on and remove as needed. And the reason for that—was this child before him.
He murmured softly.
“Well, I suppose I could refuse to release a senior priest. In that case, I’d send Dantelion that bastard a letter of surrender.”
“……!!”
“A monster appeared in the Western Region, so he’s likely off hunting it now. But the moment he hears there’s a problem with his Pillar, that control fanatic will come running and wring out whatever purification power he can, whether it exists or not…….”
“That won’t work!!!”
Haniel cried out loudly at that moment.
“I’ll purify it!”
“I said that’s not allowed.”
“Why not! Using my Holy Power is really fine! The pain was just because, well, I pushed myself too hard with the rye and all that stuff, and it all hit me at once!”
“And using Holy Power all this time hasn’t strained your body at all?”
“No, it hasn’t!”
“And how would you know that.”
“That’s……. But you don’t really know either!”
“Right, I don’t know. Which is exactly why we’re going with the safe method.”
“……!”
“We’ll either make a donation and request a purification from the Holy Temple, or find out exactly how purification affects a priest’s body.”
‘He really means it.’
Haniel dug her fingernails into her palm.
Basil’s expression was more resolute than ever. He showed no sign of bending to persuasion.
‘What do I do?’
There was no book that explained how to handle a situation like this.
The adults in her past life had only told her to endure pain quietly.
So she had endured.
‘I don’t see why I’m being punished for it!’
“I just don’t like it!!”
Haniel jumped down from the desk.
She bit her lip hard as she wrestled with the problem, then suddenly grabbed the letter and stuffed it into her pocket. She knew it was wrong, but backed into a corner, she had no other choice.
“Haniel.”
“If you keep writing letters like that……!”
She glanced back and forth between the desk and Basil, clenching her tiny fists tight. A flash of determination crossed her pink eyes.
“I’m…… I’m not living with you anymore!!”
“Ha.”
“I mean it! One hundred percent!!”
But Basil didn’t budge an inch.
“Hmph!”
Haniel stormed out.
Bang—the door slammed shut.
* * *
One hour into running away.
‘Is this what the boy who cried wolf felt like?’
This was so dreary…….
Peep-peep.
I stroked the yellow chick and buried my face in my knees.
‘Using Holy Power to purify the Pillar really is fine…… but he won’t believe me.’
True, the first time I performed a purification, I collapsed with blood streaming from my mouth and nose.
But that was the aftereffect of using Life Force.
Now that I’d gathered all the Holy Power I needed, it would be completely fine.
‘And yet he acts like I’m in pain for no reason…….’
The Duke seemed to have made up his mind completely.
I felt utterly dejected.
I’d never resented my weak, frail body so much.
‘What if he really does call in a proper priest? What if Father comes……?’
Suddenly, panic surged through me.
Shouldn’t I hide?
I clutched the baby pig waddling toward me and fell into thought.
When it pressed its weight against me and I plopped down on my behind, the bag beside me toppled over.
The Hippo Bag, bulging with everything packed inside.
My runaway bag.
“I’m…… I’m not living with you anymore!!”
Having declared that, I’d packed a bag and left.
……All the way to the Duke’s courtyard.
‘Wait, I don’t even have anywhere to go!’
The village was still busy with cleanup after the fire, and Slran and Noah’s cottage was already packed to the rafters.
“Ugh…….”
I had no idea what to do.
‘Should I just sweet-talk Ruden like I used to and head to the mountain where the flood dragon is?’
If I purified it and showed him it was safe, wouldn’t the Duke accept it then?
My eyes lit up with sudden brightness.
But the gleam fizzled just as quickly.
‘But…… it didn’t seem like he was angry just because of that.’
An adult’s heart was far too difficult to understand.
If I actually did that…….
This time, he might really kick me right out of the Northern Region.
A situation where I couldn’t do this or that.
I’d tried so hard not to be a burden this time…….
I looked down at the ground in dejection.
That was when it happened.
“Hmm? Haniel! Child, what are you doing in a place like this?”
A large shadow fell over me.
“Brad! You’ve returned from the Border Gate?”
“Yes. I caught some monsters.”
Behind his massive frame hung a large bundle of sacking.
M-monsters?
Gulp. My saliva went down hard.
“Hahahaha! Don’t be so frightened. They were a type I’d never seen before, but if something fell into the hands of an old fellow like me, they must’ve been small fry, no doubt about it.”
“O-oh…….”
There was no way those were anything but boss-class monsters…….
“So you were catching monsters out at the Border Gate…….”
“It’s the only thing an ordinary old man like me can do for our fiefdom.”
This “ordinary old man” swung a Steel Hammer in one hand without a hint of bashfulness…….
“But what do we do with all of this?”
“Separate and sell the Monster Byproducts, of course.”
“Oh!”
My eyes widened.
In fact, one of the Northern Region’s main sources of income had long been the sale of Monster Byproducts from hunting.
Brad smiled as he spoke.
“As it happens, a Monster Byproducts merchant from the Western Region is in Nostein village, or so I’ve heard. So I came to get permission to go out. Ruden is occupied with preparing autumn farming tools, yes?”
“……Ah, I see!”
“And while I’m at it, I’ll also pick up those Rye Seeds that Lord Rouwen sent.”
Nostein village.
Permission to go out.
Normally, I would never have ventured beyond the Northern Region, but…….
A wispy image formed in my mind—the Duke’s stubbornly rigid face, hard as stone.
‘Something feels so frustrating!’
Staying still seemed a hundred times worse than doing something, anything.
‘The Holy Temple’s Holy Knights are out hunting monsters in the Western Region anyway.’
Nothing bad would happen if I went out! Besides, it’s right in front of the Border Gate.
I raised my hand high.
“Can I come too!”
“Hmm?”
“Can I go with you?”
I needed a change of scenery.
‘Plus I ran away and have nowhere to go anyway.’
It worked out perfectly.
“Mm.”
Brad seemed to consider something for a moment, then nodded readily.
“Yes, let’s go together!”
“Yay!”
And so I set off for Nostein village with Brad, a large bag slung across my back.
……Never knowing who I would meet there.

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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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