The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 8

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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 8.

I bolted upright and surveyed my surroundings. The purified soil was unmistakable—clean earth stretched across the land.
“…It worked.”
It worked! Hurrah!
Though I hadn’t fully restored the distant reaches, the horizon that had vanished beneath the pollution was now visible again.
It’s a shame I couldn’t regenerate everything, but that much should be manageable for the knights.
Growl.
My stomach rumbled again.
I’m losing my mind.
“I’m starving….”
I turned my head and scanned the cluster of people nearby. An older woman caught my eye, clutching a basket of oranges.
I dusted the dirt from my dress and approached, whereupon they flinched, their shoulders trembling.
“Ugh.”
“No, no, don’t come any closer…!”
These people were all a head taller than me, yet they were terrified. What cowards.
I wedged my way through the gap and plucked a single orange from the basket.
“I’m just going to eat this one.”
“Oh, oh no. What? But…!”
“Just wait a moment, and I’ll return it twofold. Don’t worry.”
I’m too hungry to spare any more magic right now.
I peeled the orange hastily and popped it into my mouth, then turned away.
The regenerated earth had taken on a completely different hue. The land that had sunk like a swamp now supported my weight with solid firmness.
“Let’s see—would this spot be good?”
Ignoring the people who still stared at me with blank expressions, I selected a suitable patch of ground.
Hmm.
Ground’s level.
Soil smells lovely.
After finishing the remaining oranges, I left only the seeds, which I buried in the earth.
If purifying the just-polluted land had been the domain of Black Magic, then coaxing plants to grow and infusing them with vitality belonged to White Magic.
Thank goodness I’m a genius, Charlotte.
I can actually blend both magics together.
Hum—
A blue light wrapped around the earth. Before long, a sprout poked its head through the soil. It grew steadily, and in the blink of an eye, it had become a tree.
“A, a tree grew!”
“Good heavens….”
I poured a little more mana into it.
Then plump, ripe oranges began to pop, pop, pop into existence on the branches.
“Oranges are growing…?”
“Am, am I dreaming?”
Perfect.
This should be enough, don’t you think?
I dismissed the Magic Circle and plucked a nearby orange, popping it straight into my mouth. Sweet-tart juice flooded my palate.
Oh no.
This is delicious.
“You there, farmer.”
“Y, yes?”
“You definitely said earlier that once I restored this land, I could eat all the fruit it produced, right?”
“Yes? Ah, y, yes…!”
“Excellent.”
Then it’s all mine.
I picked every orange hanging from the tree and packed them neatly into the basket.
“Oh, and ma’am—this is payment for those oranges you gave me. I promised to return double, so here are two for you.”
I pressed two oranges firmly into the hands of the woman, whose jaw hung slack with shock.
“You should be able to use this land now. I’ve just regenerated it, so it’ll be overflowing with nutrients—if you have any crops you want to plant, do it quickly.”
That way I’ll have an excuse to come back for more snacks.
From now on, every fruit on this land is mine. Ha ha.
I passed by the people who had lost themselves in astonishment and hurried off with the basket of oranges.
This is exhilarating.
I’ll just head back and stockpile them for later.
The climb up had felt endless on an empty stomach, but the walk back proved surprisingly short — each orange I plucked from my pocket made the distance melt away. Before long, the Main Castle’s spires gleamed on the horizon.
“…Miss Charlotte Schmidt?”
An unfamiliar voice cut through the quiet.
I turned to find a man standing not far off.
His face stirred something in my memory.
Dark brown hair, green eyes, white uniform trimmed with gold braid.
“…Basel?”
“You know me?”
“Oh.”
The word escaped before I could catch it.
I bit back an awkward smile, heat rising in my chest.
Basel Lion.
Caius’s right hand.
Officially, he held the title of Commander of the Lucifenia House Knight Order, but in truth, he was Caius’s fixer — the one who handled all manner of delicate, shadowy work.
He’d served as Caius’s aide since his days as a prince, and when Caius had renounced the throne and taken the dukedom instead, Basel had sworn absolute loyalty, staking his life on it.
No doubt Basel saw me as a thorn in Caius’s side — high odds he’d already dug into my background. That was the kind of men they were.
“I’ve heard the name around. You’re quite renowned, Lord Basel.”
“I see…”
Again. Again.
His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Caius and Basel competed in their capacity for doubt. The master and his servant — cut from the same cloth.
Basel’s gaze had been sweeping over me when it locked onto the basket in my hands.
“What is that?”
“Ah, this…”
How was I supposed to explain this?
I was still calculating my words when Basel closed the distance with long, purposeful strides.
Instinct screamed warning.
I yanked the basket behind my back.
“I didn’t steal this. I traded for it fair and square.”
“…Traded, you say?”
His expression darkened further.
All signs pointed to him believing I was somewhere between a common thief and a brigand.
“Miss Charlotte Schmidt, extorting crops from farmers constitutes a serious crime. More so, given that you remain here in criminal status, do you not? This will require discussion of enhanced penalties.”
I saw this coming.
“I really didn’t take them. These are my oranges.”
Basel’s eyes narrowed to slits.
The look of a man asking where exactly my share of these lands might be.
“…Perhaps you should show me this Orchard.”
I reluctantly pointed back the way I’d come.
Still, Basel made no move to lower his guard.
“Let’s go together.”
“I’m rather busy at the moment.”
“I trust you would prefer I not have to place you under arrest personally.”
Threatening me. Openly.
If I’d truly been Charlotte, he’d have eaten a fist.
But his posture made clear he’d drag me there by force if I refused, so I trudged along at his side with no choice in the matter.
What good was a fight?
All it would do was drain me.
I’d barely eaten three oranges, and now I’d burn through them just walking.
When we arrived at the Orchard, Basel stopped dead in his tracks.
“The land has been restored!”
“Hurrah!”
What greeted him was a crowd of farmers whooping and dancing with unbridled joy.
They’d gathered beneath the orange trees I’d grown, lost in celebration.
“Look there! It’s Miss Charlotte!”
“She’s the mage!”
“Mage, over here!”
Just moments ago they’d called me a witch.
When they’d been shoving pickaxes in my face.
A laugh escaped me at the sight of the farmers waving their hands excitedly as they spotted me.
Basel, meanwhile, wore an expression of utter bewilderment.
“…What is this?”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
His gaze lingered on the farmers before shifting to the earth on the right side of the wooden stake.
“The ground…”
“Yes, that’s right. I did it.”
Basel spun to face me abruptly, his stolid features blooming with question marks.
See that, you fool.
This is who Charlotte Schmidt is.
Instead of answering, I shrugged and held up the basket of oranges.
“So this belongs to me.”
Try to take it and you’ll regret it.
Basel’s mouth opened and closed like a man caught in a stutter loop, falling silent again and again. He was utterly at a loss.
I smiled meaningfully and gave his shoulder a couple of playful pats.
“Tell your master well, will you? Say I’m not a bad person—that he shouldn’t think about killing me.”
Really, please. I’m begging you.
“Well then, that’s my cue.”

***

Charlotte, basket of oranges in hand, bounced away into the distance. Her skirt hem, caked with dust, and her snow-white hair fluttered in every direction.
Basel’s enigmatic gaze remained fixed on her retreating figure.
“Ah, right.”
After she’d gone perhaps ten paces, Charlotte suddenly whirled around and came skipping back toward him.
She drew a perfectly ripe orange from the basket and pressed it firmly into his palm.
“This is a bribe.”
She lifted her head and smiled brightly. Her pale silver-grey eyes narrowed into gentle crescents.
“You will tell him properly, won’t you? You trust me?”
With that earnest plea, Charlotte backed away slowly, then turned and ran off at a pace faster than before.
……
Basel stood motionless in that spot for a long time, the orange still clasped in his hand.

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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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