HPL 24

chapter 24

We first brought the girl to the baron’s annex.

After hearing her story, we learned her name was Nene. She had lived quite far from Jeil, but one day her village was attacked by a strange group, and all the villagers were captured.

“I was locked up in a place like an underground prison. At first, there were other people, but one by one… their ears were cut off, their tongues were cut off… screams… Eventually, no one came back. When it was finally my turn, I… I scratched at the loose parts of the floor and the iron bars…”

Tears welled up in Nene’s large eyes.

She didn’t finish her sentence, but I could guess how she escaped. She must have clawed at the weak spots until her nails nearly tore off and managed to get away.

Why did they capture her kind and cut off ears and tongues? Did they think of them as mere prey? No. If that were the case, they might as well hunt mindless monsters and brag about it.

“Do you know why they did it?” I asked cautiously.

Nene shook her head.

“I… I don’t know. They didn’t answer when I asked who they were. I was running so frantically, I don’t remember…”

Her hands trembled. Being trapped in the dark and hearing villagers die one by one would leave anyone too terrified to think clearly. It was understandable that she couldn’t recall the events properly.

The air felt heavy and stagnant.

Fortunately, since Nene had been last, there were no more victims. The red-haired gang had been caught, so they wouldn’t be hunting other non-human species for a while.

Gurgle.

Grumble.

Tom and Jack quickly wrapped their hands around their stomachs at the inappropriate sounds.

Gurgle.

This time, it came from Nene’s stomach. She looked down at her belly with a grimace—not from hunger or embarrassment, but from frustration that she felt hungry even in such a situation.

I jumped up from my seat, and the others’ gazes followed me.

“I’ll get something to eat.”

I left the room and passed through the dim hallway toward the kitchen. The maids there immediately busied themselves when they saw me.

My eyes landed on Judy, pretending to mop the floor. She still hadn’t found the connection to the countess.

After watching Judy for a moment, I turned toward the table. Dinner was already prepared there—enough for four people. But now with Wayne and Nene, six people would eat, so it wasn’t nearly enough.

“This isn’t enough.”

The maids cautiously turned their heads when I spoke.

“There’s not enough food. Bring more.”

“What? Not enough? Huh?”

Judy frowned and spoke, but an older maid quickly covered her mouth. Judy glanced at me, realizing she’d spoken out of turn.

I raised my eyebrow, and the older maid hurriedly spoke.

“I-I’ll prepare it right away! Judy, go to the storage and bring some vegetables for tomorrow!”

While Judy dashed out, the other maids quickly brought more food.

Once there was enough for six people, I picked up the tray and left the kitchen. But I returned shortly after.

The maids flinched at my sudden reappearance.

“Now that I think about it, I’d like something soft to eat—like soup or pudding.”

The maids’ expressions flickered with various emotions. Tommy, observing them, commented silently.

{She wants to stop eating so much. But why soft food? She used to devour anything greedily.}

Greedy? I prefer to say she ate deliciously. And why soft food? When both body and mind are exhausted, people often eat soft foods.

Those possessed by a spirit often remain rational at first but grow weak. In such times, people preferred soups or puddings.

It would probably be better for Nene too.

The maids prepared soup, and I returned to the room immediately.

Nene was frozen, like a mouse surrounded by cats. Only when I entered did her face show a hint of color.

I set the bowl of soup in front of her. When Nene blinked at the bowl, Roy spoke bluntly.

“Eat. You ran away because you didn’t want to die, right?”

Nene flinched. Wayne smiled gently and said,

“Roy’s words are kind, you see. Just ignore him and eat.”

Wayne’s kind tone made Nene even more frightened. As she shrank back, Wayne fiddled with his chin and muttered,

“How strange. Why are they scared of someone who seems gentle like me?”

“My, your smile is scary.”

Nene mumbled, shrinking further, making Tom and Jack snicker. Wayne then pointed at Roy, seemingly unwilling to face her alone.

“And this one?”

“He… he’s scary. He’s a scary person.”

Had Roy been cold and distant as usual, her reaction would make sense. But Roy wasn’t harsh to her. Still, Nene feared him more than Wayne.

Odd. Could it be the way he speaks?

“Then why follow your lady? You were the one who beat those guys the most.”

Jack pointed at me. Nene’s face brightened.

“Lady Daina has the widest and purest aura. I instinctively knew she is kind, caring, merciful, and someone I can rely on.”

Rely on her? Fine. But kind, caring, merciful? I’d never heard that in my life.

The others exchanged curious looks at Nene’s words.

{Non-humans have heightened senses. Even if they don’t know Lady Daina’s true identity, they may have subconsciously sensed divine energy.}

Tom’s theory seemed plausible.

I understood why Nene reacted this way, but the others’ expressions grew serious.

“Quick, eat the soup. You look drained.”

As Tom pushed the bowl toward Nene, others chimed in. They must think she hallucinated from fatigue.

From that day on, Nene stayed in the annex. She had nowhere else to go and was mentally unstable, so she stayed as long as she wanted.

Since Roy was already staying there, one more person didn’t change much.

Above all, no god would ignore the small hope nestled in her eyes, tangled with despair and sorrow. Even if not the best, at least maintain the average.

I moved my eyes from left to right. Roy silently ate fruit, Tom and Jack chatted boisterously, and Nene cautiously nibbled bread.

{The household is growing. The amount of food to prepare keeps increasing.}

As Tommy said, more food was needed from the kitchen—but that didn’t matter. The maids already thought I was a gluttonous woman.

Watching Nene reminded me of the group that chased her.

“So, what happened to them?”

When I asked, Jack and Tom, chatting loudly, froze and cautiously glanced at Nene.

Nene pricked her ear, curious about the black dog gang.

“They’re dead.”

Tom said cautiously, and Roy and I narrowed our eyes.

“Dead?”

“Killed?”

“Before the leader could interrogate them… a magical tool filled with poison had been embedded where their molars would be.”

Jack waved his hands while explaining.

Suicide? Was there really something to hide? Or were they afraid of interrogation by enemies? Either way, it was no ordinary matter.

Nene flinched at the word “suicide,” but her yellow eyes showed faint relief.

Tom and Jack, trying to lighten the heavy mood, began boasting about their leader.

“He’ll figure out what they were planning.”

“With the leader involved, they’ll find something out.”

That was a relief.

After lunch, Tom and Jack left, promising to return the next day.

Roy and Nene returned to their rooms, and I headed to the main entrance.

A carriage waited outside. Marc, sitting at the driver’s seat, greeted me warmly.

“Lady Daina, welcome. Lady Ariel is already in the carriage.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You’re going to the MacCullin estate today, right? The countess seems to favor you and invites you often.”

Marc smiled, and I replied ambiguously,

“Perhaps.”

Inside the carriage, Ariel was lavishly dressed, as if for a ball—though it was just a simple tea gathering.

Marc drove us to the MacCullin estate. In the indoor garden, the original members of the tea gathering were already assembled. Upon seeing me, Karin’s eyes flared sharply.

Ignoring her glare, I greeted Countess MacCullin warmly. She smiled brightly in return.

“What have you been doing, Lady Daina?”

“Lately, I’ve been reading scriptures. I finished the Reva scriptures and started the Creation God scriptures today. How have you been, Countess?”

“I’ve been busy with the guild, but I made time because I wanted to see you and the others. Ah, please take some tea.”

I pretended to accept the teacup, placing my fingers on hers to detect any magical items.

But Countess MacCullin didn’t have any magic tools today. Tch, where did she hide the slave-binding tools?

Unaware of our mutual testing, Karin bit her lip.

Ariel, equally clueless, eagerly tried to gain the countess’s attention.

“You’re amazing. You manage your estate and constantly develop new medicines. I heard the recently released tonic is very popular.”

“I’m not that great. It’s just a hobby.”

The countess blushed slightly. From her appearance alone, she didn’t seem capable of harming anyone.

Humans and gods have various natures. But gods rarely hide their true nature, making their secrecy all the more fascinating.

I observed the countess while sipping my tea. It was fresh and pleasantly tangy.

Seeing me interested in the orange liquid, she said,

“Do you like it? It’s made from cityron, a local specialty.”

{Cityron resembles a lemon but is orange. It’s difficult to sprout but long-lived and pest-resistant once rooted.}

Tom explained it to me. Oh, such a fruit exists.

I replied, referencing Tom’s info:

“Yes, it’s very tasty. I heard cityrons are hard to sprout. Are they abundant in the neighboring estate?”

“They originally grew in the western continent, but the neighboring lord brought them and cultivated them when young.”

“I know that story! The neighboring estate was originally poor, but Lord Cray revived it!”

Ariel enthusiastically chimed in.

“You know well, Ariel,” the countess praised, making Ariel blush.

Others, hoping to gain the countess’s attention, began fawning. I felt their gazes and turned my head.

Karin glared at me with raised eyes. Planning to pick another fight? You sure have nothing better to do.