The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 92

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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 92

* * *

Duke Nogen’s Residence.

“What?”

Hilberry jumped up in surprise.

“Leo still hasn’t returned to the Grand Duke’s residence?”

He looked at the clock.

It was past 11 PM.

He had heard that Leo was coming to Duke Nogen’s residence but then headed to Sears Marquis Territory. But he thought Leo would be back before midnight.

So why on earth was he still not back yet?

You can’t use Warp unless you’re human.

‘Is he planning to run from the Central Region to the Western Region in his wolf-dog body?’

That would take a considerable amount of time!

And if he got hunted along the way…

Hilberry had no choice but to grab his coat.

“Oh, what a life I lead!”

As he stomped out of the room with his prosthetic leg clanking, the butler asked in surprise.

“Your Grace? Where are you going at this hour of the night…”

Hilberry answered with a sigh.

“Going to fetch a runaway dog!”

* * *

Harrison’s request was simple.

He wanted Alpheus to visit the Southern Region in person and discuss a solution with his Big Sister just once.

Since Warp doesn’t work in the Southern Region, we had no choice but to set out on the road.

“To the outside world, it’s known as just a disaster without reason, but in truth, it’s a phenomenon that occurred because of our Little Sister.”

Harrison trusted us siblings and revealed his family’s secret.

“They say if you enter that forest, you have fantastic dreams. Our sister appears and grants all your wishes.”

“How did you find that out? You said no one came out alive.”

“We tie a rope to people’s bodies and send them in. That way, even if they fall asleep, we can pull them out.”

It sounded like a reasonable explanation.

“Then there are people who have come out alive.”

“The funny thing is…”

As I said this with delight, Harrison chuckled.

“The people who were dragged out like that walked back into that forest on their own feet. Because they couldn’t forget that dream.”

Alpheus gaped and spoke as if it was absurd.

“No, what pathetic bastards would…”

“Including our parents.”

“…”

Alpheus immediately shut his mouth.

“Little Sister does come out of the forest sometimes. She hasn’t come out recently, but even a year ago she was well enough to come to my Academy graduation ceremony.”

“Then does she… have no memory of when she becomes a monster?”

“None at all.”

Harrison shook his head back and forth.

“But her 【Charm】 ability keeps getting stronger… These days when Little Sister cries and begs ‘I don’t know anything, don’t kill me,’ there’s no one who can kill her. She’s on a completely different level from us who can only slightly bewitch people.”

I recalled that Little Sister I had seen at the graduation ceremony.

It didn’t seem that bad then… but really, as Harrison said, both the curse and special ability seemed to be getting stronger over time.

Harrison looked at Alpheus carefully.

“But somehow I think Elder Brother Alpheus would be okay. Isn’t it worth trying? Besides, if our sister dies, the forest’s curse will be lifted, and that would also be the way to save the Second Prince.”

Alpheus had an expression of being caught in an unprecedented conflict.

“…Of course I want to grant your request. You granted our request too.”

He said gloomily.

“I naturally want to save the Second Prince too.”

However, Alpheus was too vulnerable to family narratives to follow only his own desires.

“But if that means killing your family, I can’t do that…”

This world’s protagonist suffered just from imagining it and couldn’t continue his words.

I quietly watched the conflicted Alpheus.

Actually, Harrison’s opinion was just a hypothesis. But according to the original story, Alpheus really wasn’t affected by 【Charm】.

Harrison wasn’t going as far as saying ‘please enter the cursed forest and kill Little Sister,’ but in fact, Alpheus had been fine even when he directly entered that forest in the original story.

‘He was so corrupted that he just went in saying he didn’t care if he fell asleep.’

But there was no effect from the curse, and there was just an episode where he came out even more corrupted.

While I was lost in thought, Alpheus spoke slowly.

“Harrison, I can’t promise to kill your sister. But if I can meet Lady Delmia, I’ll ask her to stop everything. Or at least knock her unconscious.”

Of course, that proposal had its own solution and logic.

“I told you I saw a strange monster in the Eastern Sea, right? That monster that sang strange songs and made people fall asleep.”

“Ah.”

I understood immediately.

“Did you happen to see what it looked like?”

“Actually, I saw it from far away.”

Alpheus narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“At first I thought it was a person. Um, I’m sure I saw silver hair flowing…”

Leopold and I exchanged surprised glances. Because that Second Son of Duke Dibostane’s House also had silver hair.

‘But if that monster really is the Second Son of Duke Dibostane’s House, why didn’t we fall asleep at the ducal house even though we heard strange sounds?’

I immediately had doubts but didn’t voice them. Since Harrison was there, I didn’t want to say more than necessary.

Meanwhile, Alpheus continued speaking while doing his best to recall the past.

“But then, looking more closely, it also seemed like fish scales… This sounds really strange, but, um, it seemed like half fish, half human, something like that.”

“Really?”

I tilted my head.

‘I can’t imagine that at all.’

So does that mean the right side is fish and the left side is human?

“It must look really bizarre.”

“Anyway, the important thing is, um, when I attacked that monster, it stopped singing, and, um, we all survived.”

Alpheus continued with a thoughtful expression.

“Could we, perhaps, temporarily draw Lady Delmia out of the forest?”

“I don’t know, but Big Sister might know a way. Little Sister would sometimes come out of the forest. We timed our request for you to kill her around those moments.”

“Then when Lady Delmia comes out of the forest… if I beat her up badly, um, this expression is a bit crude, but anyway, if I beat her unconscious or something, couldn’t we end that phenomenon? Just like how the monster in the Eastern Region stopped singing.”

“Wow.”

I clapped in admiration.

“Alpheus, congratulations. That was truly logical and excellent reasoning.”

And I seriously advised him.

“If you ever have to explain this in front of Marquis Naisar later, you need to speak calmly without mixing in ‘um’ in the middle. Then it’ll be perfect.”

“My goodness!”

Anyway, after hearing Alpheus’s explanation filled with ‘um’s, Harrison opened his eyes wide with emotion.

“So you’ll come with us? We’ll try together to find a way to stop this curse without killing Little Sister?”

I answered that.

“Of course we should.”

I had already reached the conclusion to head to the Southern Region. For very rational reasons.

First, Alpheus had already said something binding about ‘this favor’ and having to grant Harrison’s request.

‘Even if Harrison and Alpheus don’t care at all, I know about noble honor so I can’t just let it slide.’

Anyway, Alpheus had been fine entering that forest. There was no risk of him falling to the Curse of Sleep.

‘Well, according to Harrison’s hypothesis, I should be fine too.’

Second, I didn’t know if we could save the Second Prince, but if possible, it would be good to save him.

Since we’d made an enemy of the Dark Mage, having a capable royal on our side was definitely good.

Third, actually, one of the materials I’d been wanting for new Agricultural Methods was in the Southern Region.

It was something I’d been coveting for a while, wanting to obtain it.

“Let’s go, Alpheus.”

There were many variables, but at least there was nothing to lose.

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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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