Chapter 171

171th Episode

Expanding the Garden

Episode 171 – Expanding the Garden #1

Perhaps the stimulation of having her chest touched was too intense, as Brigitte collapsed limply onto the bed.

“Ahh, ungh, aah…!”

She twitched briefly, repeatedly, her body seemingly unable to find stability, which looked quite unsettling. Her breathing was irregular, her focus greatly shaken, making her appear as though she were in severe pain.

Knock, knock-

Young Lady, are you all right?

Brigitte’s scream had clearly worried the stern maid outside, who was now knocking on the door.

“Hey, Miss Brigitte, someone is calling you from outside, so could you please respond…?”

At that moment, when I extended my palm toward Baron’s daughter Brigitte to calm her down,

Swoosh.

A black, ink-like substance flowed out from her body.

As though black paint smeared on her had been washed away by the rain, Brigitte’s hair gradually faded from its dark hue and began to show blue undertones.

What’s suddenly happening?

While I was slightly disoriented by this sudden turn of events, the door behind me shattered with a loud bang.

“Miss, as there was no response, I’ve come to check.”

It was Sydney.

Sydney broke through the rather sturdy door and entered.

I didn’t expect this maid, who seemed like a harbinger of d*ath, to have the strength to break a door. I couldn’t help but be startled, as if I had been caught at a crime scene. In truth, it wasn’t far from one.

Even Sydney, who had broken through the door, appeared to be trying to gauge the situation by shifting her eyes.

Her gaze landed on the disheveled dress, slightly exposed breast, and Brigitte, who was heaving as if soaked in ink.

“Healer, what exactly is going on here?”

“Uh… well, there are some circumstances…”

“Are you saying you had circumstances with our Miss?”

“No, not those circumstances. There’s a rather complex relationship involved…”

“Are you implying that you’ve had relations with our Miss?”

I closed my mouth. Whatever I said, trying to explain while flustered, it felt like I would only get tangled up further, much like a butterfly trapped in a web.

“Sis…Sis…?”

At that moment, Brigitte, who had been lying on the floor gasping for air, seemed to regain consciousness and began breathing heavily.

“Miss, are you alright?”

Sydney, who just a moment ago had been interrogating me as if she would tear my head off, approached the bed to check on Brigitte.

The maid supporting the young noblewoman didn’t seem to even notice the damp black ink that soaked the bedsheet.

Indeed, she’s quite professional, worthy of being a servant of a noble.

“Miss, your eyes…”

“My eyes? I feel so refreshed. The healer pressed on them. They feel much clearer…”

“That’s not what I mean; your eyes have turned blue…”

“My eyes are blue…?”

Brigitte touched her eyes as though unable to comprehend, and from beneath her dark maid’s uniform, Sydney pulled out a small hand mirror.

She extended it toward her mistress Brigitte.

Upon receiving the small mirror, Brigitte opened her eyes wide as she peered into it.

“What, what is this? The color of my eyes… My hair has also turned blue… Why…?”

She opened her mouth in disbelief, her eyes darting around the mirror. Eventually, those eyes turned toward my mask.

Her bright blue irises seemed to silently ask, “What has happened?”

And indeed, she was practically doing just that.

But how could I possibly know the reason?

I don’t even understand how someone’s hair turns blue. Yet, in this world, there’s blue hair and even pink hair.

It must have something to do with mana, or something.

“Miss, have you been injured anywhere? Did this healer harm you in any way?”

At Sydney’s sudden question, I stiffened immediately. In response, Brigitte placed her hands on her clothes and chest, furrowing her brows slightly.

“…Not really?”

“I see.”

Phew, I’ve escaped.

In the spacious mansion of the estate, in the reception room on the first floor lobby.

Baron Fleur sat silently on a plush sofa.

His face and body were entirely covered with black veils and cloth, leaving no hint of his expression.

But one thing was clear: Baron Fleur was deeply engrossed in serious, important thoughts.

The silence and awkwardness of the situation were making me increasingly uncomfortable. If he had something to say, why didn’t he just say it?

I wanted to go home, gold bar or not.

As I was trembling, trying not to expose my inner turmoil, Baron Fleur finally spoke, sighing deeply.

“My daughter’s hair used to be black.”

“That’s right.”

“But now it’s blue.”

“…That’s correct.”

Swoosh.

Baron Fleur took off his wide-brimmed hat, similar to those worn by Mexican musicians. Still, his face remained obscured by layers of black bandages.

In a moment of slight tension,

Baron asked me.

“Is it true that my daughter Brigitte’s eyes have turned blue?”

“Well, that is indeed the case…”

“Do her eyes resemble mine, then?”

Slick, slick.

Baron Fleur slowly unwrapped the bandages covering his face. As the cloth fell away from his eyes, his blue irises were finally revealed.

More precisely, it wasn’t so much blue eyes as an eerie blue glow.

“Tell me, do my daughter’s eyes resemble mine?”

“Uh… I’m not sure how to put it. What is this…?”

I hesitated to answer.

After all, the face revealed beneath the unwrapped bandages was hardly what one would call a face.

A glowing blue skull.

This was the true form of Baron Fleur.

The man was undead.

A revenant.

A creature that craves life and hates the living. Who would have thought the baron was an undead?

Now, I understood why his body was wrapped in black cloth, and why the estate had heavy blackout curtains everywhere.

Apparently, the undead instinctively detest sunlight.

“So, you’ve been troubled by your karma, I see. You must be shocked. I am shocked every time I look in the mirror, which is why I’ve gotten rid of all mirrors.”

The undead I knew and this baron had some differences. For one, he appeared fully conscious and used a rather archaic and formal way of speaking. I wasn’t even sure if he was really undead.

But I didn’t have the courage to ask.

“Anyway, do my eyes resemble hers? Is Brigitte similar to me?”

But this guy, this eerie blue-eyed skeletal baron, kept asking if his daughter’s eyes resembled his.

Summoning my courage despite the fear, I looked at the skeletal face.

If he’s asking if the blue eyes resemble his, well, they do seem somewhat alike. But this is glow, not irises.

Still, it was clear he had a preconceived answer in mind. So, I decided to give him an answer that would satisfy him.

“…Yes, they are somewhat similar, but I think she looks more like her mother.”

“That is true. Without considering hair color and eye color, Brigitte’s appearance is actually quite similar to Clara’s. Thank you for your hard work. This is in return.”

Slick.

The skeletal baron pulled out a gold bar from the folds of his long sleeve and extended it to me. The sight of the shining gold bar made my eyes widen considerably.

The promised gold bar. d*mn, I never imagined something like that really existed. My heart was thumping wildly, making it hard to calm down.

On one hand, I wondered if it was right to accept this reward when I wasn’t sure if Brigitte’s condition would improve.

But obviously, the skeletal baron didn’t care about such trivialities.

After all, a man who owns not one, but two colossal mansions, could easily part with a gold bar in exchange for some flattery.

I was beginning to understand why sycophants always surrounded those in power.

It’s a profitable job.

I briefly contemplated if there was anything I could say that would make the baron happier.

There didn’t seem to be anything obvious, and I was afraid that saying the wrong thing might get me stripped of the gold bar I had already received, so I decided to remain silent.

Anyway, the gold bar.

d*mn, the gold bar.

It’s truly impressive.

The gold bar in my hand was heavier than I expected. It was heavy, solid, gleaming—truly impressive. Now, I understood why people toil so hard to acquire gold.

As I was inspecting the gold bar, the baron spoke.

“Even though you’re wearing a mask, I can see the greed in your eyes.”

“Is there anyone who dislikes gold?”

“Of course not. However, in your case, it feels a bit different. It’s clear you’re indeed a follower of Pluto. Followers of Pluto generally have an affinity for gold.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Slick.

The baron put his tall hat back on, covering his terrifying skeletal face again, which relieved me.

The baron continued speaking.

“I, Fleur, have served as a professor at the Ivory Tower, an expert in necromancy and infernal magic. You bear a resemblance to the leader of the cultists I encountered back in Sodomora.”

“Leader of the cultists?”

“There isn’t much known about him, but he was called the boss by the cultists. The fact that I am like this now, and that my daughter Brigitte is still alive, is all thanks to that man.”

The boss.

The boss, huh.

Something seemed to be tugging at the back of my mind, but it wasn’t fully forming yet.

Reflecting now, when I first went to the cultists’ gathering venue, I vaguely remember seeing a guy sitting with his arms crossed in a shadowy corner.

Could this guy have been the boss?

d*mn, it seemed all the cultists in Sodomora weren’t completely expelled after all; their key leader had remained.

Clack.

But as another gold bar was extended toward me from his sleeve, suddenly none of those matters seemed to matter anymore.

Whatever this ‘promise’ he was talking about meant,

I had no reason to refuse the extended gold bar, so I tucked the second one away in my pocket.

Once again, the gold bar was heavier and colder than expected.

The weight was satisfying.

And that felt good.

“Hassan, where have you been?”

By the time Luna’s cottage came into view, the sun had already started to set, casting its orange hues across the sky.

It wasn’t until I saw that interesting pink hair that I finally realized I’d truly returned to normal life after leaving the noble’s estate.

I felt relieved and my body seemed much more relaxed.

“Hassan, you don’t look well. Did something happen?”

Luna, who was circling around me as usual, sniffed nearby with her typical ‘hmm-hmm’ sound.

“You seem to have been sweating a lot!”

“It’s hot outside.”

“That’s true, it was extremely hot today. So, I was planning to give you this when you came. Tada!”

Luna reached into her waist pouch and handed me a leather flask. Whatever it was—water? potion?—my throat was dry, so I took it without much thought.

“Wow.”

I was genuinely surprised by the extreme coldness of the leather flask. It felt like it was filled with ice water, it was that refreshing.

Without hesitation, I started gulping it down. The texture was gelatinous, smooth like jelly or konjac, but its refreshing and cool sensation was delicious.

“What is this? It’s really good.”

“Wildling potion! What do you think? It’s great, right? I worked hard on it, and I’m giving it to Hassan first!”

“That’s impressive.”

I knew Luna had been busy for a few days making potions, and somehow, she managed to create something this refreshing.

“Could it fetch a good price if sold?”

“This isn’t for selling. It’s for the two of us to enjoy. I made about three bottles from one wildling, so we should have a pretty cool summer this year!”

“That’s good.”

In a world without fans or air conditioners, surviving the summer required creativity. It seemed that this year, Luna planned to beat the heat with the help of subterranean wildlings.

“Near here, if we plant some trees and grow vegetables, we could create some shade and keep it cool.”

Luna, who finally looked around and seemed regretful for the lack of a garden, licked her lips thoughtfully. Creating a garden around this cottage was her immediate goal, as she often reminded me when we talked.

At that moment, I felt once again the heaviness of the gold bars hidden in my pocket.

I’ll have to sell the gold tomorrow to expand the land.

[Afterword]

Mr. Boninstinct! Mr. Aslejf! Mr. KuancIceCream! Mr. Potatoeserver! I deeply thank you for your support coupons…!!! To those who sent me anonymous manuscript fee coupons, my gratitude goes out to you as well…

May my expressions of thankfulness reach you all sincerely…

I always find joy in reading your comments and recommendations… Thank you so much!

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