The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 53

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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 53

 

The exact location where the ‘Oath of the First Five Families’ took place was unknown.

 

The Seldoche Plains was one of many candidates.

 

Since the content was what mattered and the location wasn’t particularly significant, each region was insisting it happened in their territory.

 

The Central Region also had a hill that was supposedly where the ‘Oath of the First Five Families’ took place.

 

Probably the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Regions each had one too. But in the Western Region, it seemed to be the Seldoche Plains.

 

“The oath that has continued for so long was broken… so the land was damaged… starting three months ago when Monster Waves began appearing, and when an impurity mixed with commoner blood appeared in Sears…”

 

Impurity? Was he referring to Alpheus like that?

 

The atmosphere suddenly grew cold as if someone had poured ice water over it.

 

This wasn’t a story from the original work.

 

The problems with the Western Region’s land were Sears’ fault? This was truly an outrageous situation.

 

‘Even if the Western and Northern Regions have nothing to do with each other, even if he hasn’t received official recognition from the Imperial Family yet, Alpheus is still the hero who ended the civil war, and this is how he’s treated…’

 

The manager bowed his head and prostrated himself.

 

“I’m sorry! I got carried away while relaying the message! I’m sorry!”

 

I quietly raised my head and looked at Alpheus.

 

Alpheus’s face, which had been cheerful all along, was frozen stiff.

 

‘Right. This is normal.’

 

Being ignored by Gillab could be dismissed as ‘it’s okay because he’s just a kid,’ but this was clear malice.

 

Even collective malice.

 

When Alpheus had done nothing wrong at all.

 

But it was really strange.

 

Seeing Alpheus, who always smiled cheerfully and only shouted ‘Sounds good!’, making such an expression felt a bit odd.

 

In the original work, it said that Alpheus, having lost everything, would face such gazes and gradually turn dark.

 

Since he wasn’t turning dark, he was still suffering from protagonist syndrome, but seeing him start to turn dark…

 

I quietly watched him, then firmly grasped his hand.

 

Alpheus looked down at me in surprise.

 

I tightly gripped his large hand with my small one, then looked at the manager.

 

“So? Tell me more.”

 

“If, if Nogen acknowledges the impurity mixed into Sears like this, the curse will spread throughout the entire Western Region… that’s the rumor going around.”

 

“I see.”

 

I said calmly.

 

“Starting from today, right?”

 

“That, that’s right! Coincidentally, the Magic Tower announced today that the land can’t function properly…”

 

“Yes, and even though it’s quite far from Seldoche to here. How very organized.”

 

At my words, Leopold promised with blazing eyes.

 

“Go to the Grand Duke’s Residence first, Brisa. I’ll track this incident to the very end. You’re right that everything is strange. It’s difficult for rumors to spread this quickly in just one day. I swear that I’ll crack down so this never happens again in the Western Region…”

 

“No.”

 

I shook my head.

 

“Leopold, you can control actions but not hearts. You know that too. If we resolve it this way, it’ll come back as a bigger problem when something unavoidable happens later.”

 

Then, holding Alpheus’s hand, she made a suggestion.

 

“If it’s alright, I’d like to go to the Seldoche Plains and see the condition myself.”

 

Actually, after learning that the western lands would become unusable in the original story, she had thought of a method. That was also part of why she had suggested coming here.

 

But she had only kept the possibility open; originally, she hadn’t planned to meddle in someone else’s territory.

 

However, now that we were involved in this matter, she absolutely had to step forward.

 

Then Baron Forman, who had been maintaining a serious silence, spoke up.

 

“Young Lady, I have long recognized your knowledge and abilities. In fact, I wasn’t even surprised when I saw you active in the eastern tomato fields.”

 

Baron Forman spoke eloquently.

 

“I simply thought my judgment was correct, that even though I’ve aged, I haven’t lost the sharp discernment I once had, and my self-esteem rose, making me quite proud.”

 

Is this praise for me, or praise for himself?

 

While I was momentarily confused, gentle words continued.

 

“But this matter is different in nature.”

 

He spoke with eyes full of warmth yet concern.

 

“The land cannot function as land. Since the Magic Tower has already been here, it’s probably not simply a matter of magic stones being buried, and knowledge cannot solve such problems.”

 

That was true.

 

The western lands, whose productivity had greatly declined, could only be restored by the female protagonist.

 

Though I hadn’t seen her face yet, the female protagonist was born with ‘Purification,’ the Northern Ability.

 

She was probably the same age as Alpheus.

 

The Northern Ability was known to have died out. But the female protagonist would manifest it through a chance encounter.

 

‘Finding the female protagonist would be the fundamental solution, but… I need to know where she is at this point in time.’

 

In the original story, Alpheus and the female protagonist met at the Second Prince’s funeral. But the Second Prince had returned alive and well, so that funeral never took place.

 

Now things had become too different from the original flow, so ultimately, I couldn’t keep relying only on the female protagonist.

 

“I know too. That I can’t restore the land to how it was before.”

 

I spoke calmly.

 

“But there’s only one answer. We have no choice but to break through head-on and solve this.”

 

As Baron Forman said, I didn’t have special abilities, but I had knowledge.

 

Public opinion that had already spread was difficult to change.

 

Now the land would gradually become more ruined.

 

If this wasn’t resolved now, it could strike Sears as an even greater disaster.

 

‘Then I’d be in danger too.’

 

Sebon was already targeting my life.

 

On top of that, I couldn’t let hostility toward Sears be directed at me as well.

 

Some unexpected anonymous person might even say ‘Everyone with the Sears name must be eliminated’ and obediently hand me over to Sebon. All while claiming to do it for the continent’s sake.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Alpheus spoke up seriously.

 

“Brisa, I understand what you’re saying. But you should go to the Grand Duke’s Residence first.”

 

He continued while holding my hand tightly.

 

“I know we need to break through head-on with problems like this. But the person who’s the problem here is me. Not you. So I’ll go and do my absolute best to solve it somehow.”

 

Even with his wounded expression, his voice was firm.

 

“No matter how smart you are, I’m the one directly involved. I can’t just hand everything over to you and stand back with my arms folded, watching.”

 

“That’s only natural.”

 

I couldn’t stand those words.

 

“You weren’t actually planning to stand back and just watch, were you? Absolutely not.”

 

According to my plan, Alpheus had to work. His tremendous work ability was an essential element in this matter.

 

A single master craftsman can determine the outcome of a battlefield. A natural-born worker was essentially no different. I had already experienced this in the Sears Marquis Territory.

 

“Remember. I use my brain and you use your body.”

 

We siblings had to solve problems together. Just as we had done until now.

 

“For now, let’s go to the Grand Duke’s Residence.”

 

Baron Forman spoke with a stern expression.

 

“Actually, I had an ulterior motive.”

 

It was a belated confession.

 

“I wanted to show you to His Grace the Grand Duke as well.”

 

At those words, both Leopold and I looked at Baron Forman in surprise.

 

There was no reason or occasion for Hilberry to specifically meet a girl from Sears.

 

“I just wanted to boast about Young Lady Brisa. That’s just how I felt.”

 

Baron Forman said, dropping his shoulders dejectedly.

 

“I felt like Young Lady would surely accomplish great things in the Western Region, and for that to happen, she needed to catch His Grace the Grand Duke’s attention, not just mine… But I never imagined something like this would happen. I’m sorry.”

 

Then Alpheus jumped up.

 

“No! You did that because you think well of Brisa! Besides, it’s not your fault, Baron! Don’t say such things!”

 

I had somehow felt like he was deliberately dragging us to the Grand Duke’s Residence.

 

It seemed he wanted to show us directly while reporting on the resolution of the tomato field incident.

 

Seeing the hardworking old man looking so dejected made me feel bad again. As Alpheus said, the one spreading bad rumors was someone else entirely.

 

And… I had a rough idea of who it was. Though I had no physical evidence.

 

“That filthy blood mixed into that proud family head will become unbearable. Soon. Very soon.”

 

Gillab was the type who understood one thing when taught one thing, but he wasn’t a child who made things up.

 

He had clearly used the expression “soon” because he knew this kind of talk about Alpheus would spread.

 

‘It’s the Eastern Region’s doing.’

 

I bit my lower lip.

 

They probably sent their people to the luggage cart warp. To spread rumors disparaging nobles of commoner origin…

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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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