The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 145
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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 145
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When sheep feel fear, they don’t run away or fight back. They simply huddle together toward the center of the flock.
I devised a strategy using that characteristic.
‘We do have an obedient wolf on our side, after all.’
When a wolf appears, sheep react by ‘freezing.’ They absolutely won’t run toward unfamiliar directions or open fields.
If a wolf charges at them, they panic and flee, but if the wolf just stands still and watches them…
‘They can’t make a judgment, so they stop and crouch down.’
That’s why Wolf-dog showed himself briefly to the sheep on the edge and then hid again.
Ordinary wolves can’t do this because they immediately try to eat the sheep, but Wolf-dog, who can understand words, was able to do it.
To ensure the Shepherd Dog and the new shepherd Usher wouldn’t notice, their dinner had already been laced with stomach medicine.
Having the Kitchen Maid secretly do that much was nothing for Isabela. Especially if Isabela revealed her identity.
“Put this medicine in Usher and the Shepherd Dog’s dinner.”
“Yes, yes! Yes, Young Lady!”
Paul, who had no connections, couldn’t replace all the servants.
So naturally, the maids loyal to Bakahun remained…
“Young Lady, but where have you been all this time, really where…”
“I had some business to attend to for a while. I’ll be back soon. Hasn’t Paul been acting suspicious?”
“Sometimes. He absolutely forbids anyone from entering the Reception Room and receives guests there.”
Just maintaining security alone couldn’t give him complete control over the Mansion.
Anyway, in that situation, the only thing that could make the sheep move was their owner’s command.
Sheep will move even in fear when their owner appears and gives commands.
Paul, a former shepherd, probably demonstrated to the sheep many times to teach Usher how to tend them.
In other words, I thought Paul would have no choice but to come out himself in this situation.
That’s why I contacted the Magic Tower to bring a Mage. Investigating and arresting matters related to Dark Magic is the Magic Tower’s job.
Coincidentally… the very same Mage I had encountered during hydroponic farming in the Western Region was dispatched. He said he volunteered as soon as he heard the name ‘Brisa Sears.’
To create this situation, Isabela, Borem, and Alpheus had been busy for the past few days. They traveled around the Northern Region revealing their identities, saying ‘We were alive and have returned.’
While doing so, they asked to ‘keep it secret for now and don’t hand over livestock to Paul.’ Except for one village that raised sheep in a specific area.
Of course, everyone knelt before Borem and Isabela with emotion.
“Duke! To think I would see you again…”
“The Princess is alive too! This is truly an honor. Heaven has not abandoned the Northern Region.”
They were arrogant toward Paul but loyal to Borem.
That’s how absolute the name of Bakahun’s direct line was in the Northern Region.
‘In the original story too, as soon as Isabela appeared, the Northern Region was immediately unified.’
“Well then, you must quickly reclaim the ducal title! But I’m not sure if that’s legally and administratively possible right away.”
“What does law and administration matter? The owner of the Northern Region is Bakahun! If that bastard Paul tries to sue, I’ll be the first to cut off his neck!”
The Lords of the Northern Region all showed tremendous loyalty.
It was even more so since Alpheus, the war hero who ended the civil war, was by their side.
Even Lords who had briefly harbored different thoughts immediately gave up their dreams of independence the moment they faced the war hero Alpheus. They all recalled Alpheus’s appearance as a monster of the Battlefield.
So they could immediately show the same unity as before.
“Wait a little. It seems… that bastard Paul is up to something. We need to catch him in the act.”
Driving Paul alone into a trap was too easy.
“I, I told you! I was just suddenly th, threatened! This just happened suddenly, and ultimately I have nothing to do with any crime!”
Of course, Paul screamed at the top of his lungs.
‘He’s trying to escape by saying he was threatened into handing over the sheep, but didn’t actually do anything yet.’
It seemed he planned to deny knowledge of the livestock that had been purchased and disappeared from the Duke’s Estate during this time.
“Ah, so this is something that just happened suddenly…”
I spoke deliberately slowly. Then I shook my head.
“To tell such an easily caught lie, you’re disqualified as a shepherd too. Since you’re not capable of being either a duke or a shepherd, look for another career path. For now… you’ll soon be thrown into the Dungeon of the Magic Tower, so why don’t you aim to be a model prisoner first?”
“Wh, what! Do you have proof that what I said is a lie? Huh?”
Paul stubbornly insisted to the end.
I shrugged once and slowly walked toward the flock of sheep.
And…
I picked out some wool from one sheep and triumphantly held up the evidence.
“Here, Pophoncel goblin grass.”
Sheep’s wool is curly and naturally picks up a lot of grass as they move around. In other words, they inevitably carry traces of areas they’ve been to in the past.
“Sheep are… not as clean as I thought?”
“Of course not. Who’s going to bathe their wool every day?
There was a reason the sheep’s wool looked somewhat dirty.
“As you know, Pophoncel goblin grass isn’t grass from this area’s Pastures. Sheep carrying this stuff around here… wow, there are so many of them?”
Then a Lord jumped out from the bushes. It was the Marquis of Pofontsel who had sold sheep to Paul a few days ago.
“My goodness, Pophoncel goblin grass only grows in Pophoncel! Those are definitely sheep from our region!”
I raised my eyebrows and added.
“Looking at how deeply tangled it is in the wool, it doesn’t seem like it got there suddenly.”
And I delivered the finishing blow while looking at Paul, who had turned pale.
“Sheep don’t mix well with flocks that smell different. But the fact that they’re mixed together and moving like one flock now means they’ve been mixed together since a few days ago…”
This meant there was no way for Paul to escape from this scene now.
“It doesn’t make sense to say you deliberately tamed sheep from other regions together and were only trying to hand over ‘sheep from the Marquis’ Mansion Pasture,’ does it?”
Of course, it was my instruction to sell sheep only to the Marquis of Pofontsel. Because I knew about the existence of Pophoncel goblin grass.
“Isn’t it obvious what you’ve done with the livestock you’ve been buying up all this time?”
Paul, who had nothing left to say, trembled his lips and caught his breath. Then…
“The Dark Mages are trying to use you to bring disaster to This Continent.”
He looked into my eyes and muttered ominously.
“If I kill you here, at least I’ll do one good thing for the world before I go. Those crazy bastards’ experiment will never succeed.”
Then he raised his staff and charged at me to strike me down.
The moment I unconsciously closed my eyes tight in fear.
“Grrrrrrrrr…”
Paul was knocked down by Wolf-dog.
Sharp claws scratched Paul’s body directly.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”
The Mage grabbed the collar of Paul, who had fainted while bleeding profusely.
The Mage raised his eyebrows and said.
“We’ll arrest him and interrogate him first. At the same time…”
His eyes were somewhat shocked and sunken.
“We’ll also investigate his remarks about you in as much detail as possible.”
I swallowed dry saliva and nodded.
My heart was pounding when Wolf-dog pressed his body against me.
I placed my trembling hand on Wolf-dog.
“Well then, shall we head to the Duke’s Estate!”
After the mage dragged Paul away, the Marquis of Pofontsel spoke.
“I can’t wait to see the Duke and Princess who have returned!”
Right now, the rest of our party had infiltrated the Duke’s Estate to arrest the dark mages. We were also planning to announce Borem and Isabela’s return there.
I calmed my churning stomach and nodded. Then I quickly followed the Marquis of Pofontsel toward the Duke’s Estate.
There, Alpheus, Harrison, and the major retainers of the Northern Region were waiting.
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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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