This Emperor Is Running a Marriage Scam - Chapter 179

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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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Chapter 179

Boooooo—
The moment I settled into my cabin, a long ship’s horn sounded, announcing our departure.
“Phew.”
Grrrrrowwwl—
As I caught my breath while seated, my stomach growled loudly in response.
From the moment I left the Count’s Estate until I boarded the ship bound for Utra Territory, I had been rushing about in such haste that I hadn’t even managed a single sip of water.
I made my way to the ship’s restaurant to have dinner, and as the meal arrived, I gazed upon the deepening hues of the sunset and reflected on all that had transpired before boarding.
.
.
.
After concluding my conversation with Lord Roelden, I sought out the Doctor I had encountered on the path to the annex and inquired about the name of a burn treatment specialist.
Unfortunately, the Doctor was not acquainted with the specialist’s name. The only lead was that Utra Marquis’s Wife knew of him.
‘Then I shall journey to Utra Territory and pursue the Doctor’s reputation. A physician of such renown would surely be well-known throughout the Domain.’
I immediately made my way to the Port and searched for a ship bound for Utra Territory. By remarkable fortune, there was a direct passage departing at once, and I could use my round-trip passage voucher.
Though I had to rush frantically since the ship was leaving so soon.
.
.
.
‘I should arrive at Utra Territory around one o’clock tomorrow afternoon, and Baron leaves the Dormitory at five o’clock the day after tomorrow, as he mentioned.’
The ship from Utra Territory to Snorilo departs the morning after tomorrow. If I board that vessel and the weather cooperates, I should arrive in Snorilo around four o’clock in the afternoon.
‘In other words, I must find that Doctor and convince him to treat Lord Roelden before then.’
I had only tomorrow afternoon to work with, so my schedule was exceedingly tight.
But I had to manage it. Otherwise, I would be unable to greet our Baron when he leaves the Dormitory.
‘It’s his first time leaving the Dormitory after adjusting to school—if I’m not there to meet him, he’ll surely feel disappointed.’
I would send a telegram to Raven just in case, but I needed to resolve everything within the timeframe and return.
I steeled my resolve and thrust the final piece of meat onto my fork with determination, bringing it to my lips.
That was when it happened.
Flutterflutter.
A single raven suddenly descended upon the nearby railing.
“Caw.”
The raven, uttering a hoarse cry, tilted its head left and right as if conducting a reconnaissance. The people around me gradually began to murmur.
“What… what is that?”
“It looks like a raven?”
“That’s a raven?”
The people’s reactions were understandable. The raven was far larger than the common variety, and moreover, it was semi-transparent, with black smoke undulating around its form.
‘It’s like a phantom.’
“Caw, screech!”
Raven must have noticed everyone’s wariness, for the bird released an otherworldly cry and soared directly to the highest mast, perching at its tip.
After glancing around, Raven suddenly fixed her gaze on something and began shrieking and cawing with tremendous vigor.
“Caw-caw! Kraak! Caw-caw!”
“What, what is it? Why is she acting like that?”
Everyone stood bewildered by Raven’s behavior, but only for a moment.
“M-Monsters! Monsters are flying toward us!”
A sailor in the crow’s nest pointed skyward and bellowed the alarm.
True to his words, two enormous monsters were bearing down on us from the distance above.
“Ahhh!”
“Good heavens!”
Chaos erupted instantly. The crew scrambled about, shouting orders.
“All passengers must proceed immediately to your cabins! Follow the crew’s guidance!”
I moved to comply and head toward the cabin. That was when it happened.
“Screee!”
Raven launched herself from the mast with a piercing cry, streaking across the sky like an arrow.
Crack!
A deafening explosion split the air, and one monster was cleaved in half, plummeting into the sea. In the blink of an eye, Raven returned to her perch on the mast.
“What, what was that?”
The sailors and passengers froze mid-evacuation, staring up at Raven in disbelief.
“Screee!”
Raven tilted her head and launched herself once more, streaking across the sky. The second monster met the same fate, its body split cleanly in two as it plunged into the sea.
Raven returned and landed on the railing near me, her head held high with unmistakable pride.
“Ahem.”
I stood transfixed, watching her preen with such arrogance, when she suddenly vanished from sight.
I looked around frantically and pinched my own cheek.
‘Was that a dream?’

* * *

The peculiar raven that had dispatched those two monsters was no dream—I had seen it again during the descent.
Even as I traversed the city of Utra Territory, the raven continued to bound across rooftops in pursuit of me.
Though I pretended not to notice, it was becoming clear that this raven meant no harm and had a master of its own.
It was likely Bloden.
He must have sent the raven after learning I had left Mistril Territory.
Bloden had explicitly warned me not to venture into alleys because they were dangerous, yet I had nearly fallen into peril anyway—perhaps he felt like a parent watching over a careless child.
Or perhaps he wanted to follow me but couldn’t because of business with Count Enox.
I recalled the image of him reaching out to catch me as I nearly tumbled from the carriage.
‘He still seems to care for me, doesn’t he?’
The thought made my cheeks burn, and I rubbed my face absently.
Either way, it felt overprotective.
Yet strangely, I didn’t dislike it, and I couldn’t complain—thanks to him, everyone aboard yesterday’s ship to Utra Territory had escaped danger.
Even now, having taken a wrong turn, the same held true.
“Caw! Caw!”
“Ahhhhh!”
“A m-monster!”
Two young men who had been pestering me in the alley, asking where I was rushing off to, had just fled in terror from the raven’s threat.
At this point, I could no longer deny the truth.
“Thank you for yesterday too, and for saving me just now. Raven, you really are fast.”
“Ahem.”
At first, the raven had seemed eerie and frightening, but it appeared to understand human speech. Watching it puff out its chest proudly, raising its beak as if demanding more praise, I found it had become rather endearing.
“Do you have a name?”
“Ahem.”
…
Its name couldn’t possibly be “ahem”—it seemed to have only a few words in its vocabulary.
“The Emperor sent you, didn’t he?”
“No. Caw.”
Seeing it shake its head made me laugh despite myself.
A ghostly raven that wasn’t a monster—what else could it be but one of Bloden’s familiars?
Moreover, it had shaken its head as if it had prepared that answer in advance.
“Fine, I’ll accept that. But you’re going to keep following me?”
The raven answered by flying up onto a nearby rooftop.
With the raven as my escort, I made my way to what was said to be the oldest-running herb shop in this territory. I thought the proprietor would have dealings with most physicians worth their salt.
“An authority on burn treatment? Ah, are you looking for Bernard?”
As I purchased herbs reputed to be good for burns and asked the shop owner, the name came out immediately. But the information that followed was rather disheartening.
“He is indeed a renowned physician, so you’ve come to the right place, but I’m not sure if he’ll see patients. He lives in the forest behind the Duchess’s manor…”
The shop owner hesitated before mentioning that he had stopped seeing patients entirely for some time.
Though the owner didn’t state the reason, the timing seemed connected to the incident involving the Duchess of Borderland’s confinement.
‘I should at least try to visit.’
After thanking the herb merchant, I boarded a hired carriage and headed toward the forest behind the Duchess’s manor.
.
.
.
Finding the log cabin standing alone at the forest’s entrance proved effortless. When I knocked on the door, a neatly dressed man who appeared to be in his late forties emerged.
“I am Bernard.”
“Good day, sir. I am Hailey, and I reside in Snorril Domain. I’ve come because….”
Bernard glanced furtively around, his eyes darting about before he gestured for me to enter.
“Please, come inside.”
I followed his invitation and settled onto the sofa in the reception room across from him. Then I calmly explained the situation and requested his treatment of Lord Roelden.
“I will pay whatever cost the treatment requires. Please, I beg you to treat Margie Loweldern.”
Bernard nodded once he heard that Count Enox had sent a letter to the Duchess of Borderland.
“Indeed, I received that letter. Count Enox wrote that a burn patient would be staying at his estate and requested my treatment. Given the unfortunate circumstances, Duke Utra himself urged me to go there at once.”
It was welcome news. Yet Bernard’s expression twisted into a bitter smile.
“However, I cannot go.”
“What? Why not?”
“I am the Duchess of Borderland’s personal physician.”
At the same moment, Bernard’s gaze flickered toward the window outside.
‘Is someone out there?’
“In any case, I cannot leave.”
As if speaking for someone’s benefit, he emphasized his words, then retrieved several sheets of paper and two pens, distributing them to me.
“I must monitor the Duchess of Borderland’s health every single day.”
What followed was a written message.

[Thank you for coming. Please return to Count Enox at once and inform him that the Duchess of Borderland is in danger. The day I leave this place or the day a child from the Frediki Family is brought here is the day the Duchess of Borderland will be reported to have ended her life by her own 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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