HRMF 23

Episode 23

How to Replace Dad

“…That’s enough. I understand you have no attachment to the treasure vault.”

The Duke let out a hollow laugh.

He looked utterly incredulous.

But soon, his eyebrows twitched upwards, and he stared intently into my eyes.

“Why are you telling me this information instead of using it yourself?”

“Because just knowing the information is meaningless.”

“Meaningless?”

“I need allies who can get past the guards, crack the codes, and carry out mountains of treasure. I also need the power to not have it snatched away once it’s in my hands.”

Besides, the moment anyone touches that place, my family would know it was me and kill me.

But the Duke is different.

I met the Duke’s gaze without flinching and continued.

“It holds no value for me, but it does for you, Your Grace. And I know more things like that.”

So please, don’t cast me out. Please.

I pressed my trembling hands firmly against the floor.

And bowed my head deeply.

“Please let me live in San Miguel.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll work hard at anyth…”

“Very well.”

‘…Huh?’

Just like that? So readily?

Wondering what was going on, I lifted my head. The Duke’s face was impassive.

“Information disruption, illegal fishing, extortion and threats, usury, nursing enemy stragglers… and numerous others.”

He listed off everything I had done since being driven out of Andres.

The Duke let out a short laugh and said,

“Had your father intended to take you back into Andres, he wouldn’t have created a flaw like having you work for a criminal organization.”

“…”

“Do not touch the camellias.”

“…”

With those final words, the Duke left his seat.

But I remained frozen in my kneeling position.

It wasn’t out of relief.

‘It was out of fear.’

He knew everything, even the things I hadn’t disclosed.

Even nursing enemy stragglers, which I had only done for a mere four days.

My whole body throbbed as if my heart had spread throughout it.
His epithet came to mind.

‘The Conqueror of the North.’

He was a fearsome man.

‘But I have to do it.’

That was the first thought I had after working all day and returning to the attendants’ quarters.

Being able to run away because you’re scared is a luxury for those who have a place to run to.

“Yeah. Let’s work hard.”

And when it comes to work, thorough preparation is essential.

So, I will be thorough…!

‘I need to make snacks.’

I planned to make candied fruit using Marguest herbs.

In this world, Marguest was almost as popular among the elderly as red ginseng.

It was said to improve blood circulation, strengthen bones, aid muscle growth, boost immunity, increase energy, benefit the liver and lungs, reduce wrinkles… basically, it was good for everything, one way or another.

Of course, it was a placebo effect.

In reality, it wasn’t such a panacea.

Anyway, no noble old person disliked being given Marguest candied fruit.
It was good for health and paired well with tea, which nobles enjoyed as if they were office workers getting a caffeine transfusion.

‘I need to dry the Marguest.’

Marguest had to be dried in the shade to prevent cell damage.

I searched for a dark, quiet place where people didn’t often go.

That’s how I found a warehouse deep within the residential quarters…

“Sister, don’t you understand? This is the only way for us.”

A whispering voice came from inside the warehouse.

‘Huh? This voice…’

As I tilted my head in confusion, the other party replied coldly.

“You’re insane. The you I knew is no longer in this world.”

“Sister…!”

A sound of struggling ensued, and soon familiar faces burst out of the warehouse.

‘As I thought, Ayabel and Asta.’

The two halted abruptly upon seeing me standing blankly outside the warehouse.

Ayabel’s face turned cold.

The kind expression she had when we first met was nowhere to be seen.

“What did you eavesdrop on, you little rat?”

I had guessed from her harsh tone, but it seemed this was very important content.

“I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was also on my way to this warehouse.”

“A mere attendant has no reason to come to a shabby warehouse like this!”

Just as Ayabel raised her voice.

“Enough.”

Asta intervened.

Asta turned her back to me, blocking Ayabel.

“It’s our fault for having an important conversation in a shared residence, not Lady Eusteia’s fault.”

“You believe that?”

“Let’s go, Lady Eusteia.”

“Sister!”

Asta grabbed my wrist and strode away quickly.

Ayabel’s gaze towards me was icy.

But something else was more important to me.

‘I need to dry the Marguest…!’

Asta was too stiff to find a moment to speak to her.

In the end, I was dragged along by her with a sad face.

Ayabel returned to the attendants’ quarters.

The moment she entered the central courtyard of the residence building, other attendants rushed towards her.

“That wench was with Lady Asta behind the quarters.”
“Can we just leave her be? She’s getting more and more presumptuous.”

The attendant girls all looked furious.

Among the girls of Esgaroth, there was no one who didn’t know Asta.

It wasn’t just because she was the only daughter of the Shintes family, the most prestigious house in Esgaroth.

Her tall stature and beautiful appearance.
Her martial prowess, ranked among the top of her peers, regardless of gender.
Her bold personality.
Even her excellent sense of style—anything she wore would sell out like hotcakes in the market the very next day.

In summary, Asta Shintes was a popular figure with followers not only in Esgaroth but also in the capital.

“Let’s go and intervene. What does that low-class San Miguel wench think she’s doing? Would she even listen to Lady Ayabel, her sworn sister?”
One of the attendant girls clung to Ayabel’s arm, making a fuss.

But at that moment.

Ayabel shook off her hand with a sharp, friction-filled motion.

“A-ayabel…?”

It was unbelievable that this was the always-gentle Ayabel.

As the girls froze in bewilderment, Ayabel spoke, her tone devoid of its usual grace.

“I’m tired. Leave me.”

“Yes…”

The girls retreated, watching their step.

Afterwards, Ayabel returned to her room.

Since it was the room she shared with Eusteia, the opposite bed was piled high with that girl’s belongings.

They were shabby things one couldn’t imagine belonging to a noble girl.
A completely worn-out handkerchief.
A broken pen holder, and a fountain pen crudely repaired by wrapping it with cloth.
Mysterious jars, all smudged with fingerprints, whose purpose was unknown.

‘That little…’

That’s all she amounted to.

“Compared to that, you all are disappointing.”

The words she heard from the retainer echoed in her mind.

Outside the window, she could see Asta and Eusteia sitting side-by-side on a bench.

Asta was looking at Eusteia, who wore a sad expression, with an affectionate gaze.

…Just like Luciano had looked at Eusteia during teatime.

Ayabel muttered as if chewing on the words.

“Not yours…”
Everything that should have rightfully been hers.

Behind the attendants’ quarters.

Sitting next to Asta, I stared into the air and thought.

‘This is troublesome…’

Why does she keep staring?
Her persistent gaze was quite burdensome.

‘I just answered Asta’s questions, that’s all.’

When we arrived behind the quarters, Asta had said:

“I wonder what I should have done…”
“…?”
“She wasn’t always like that. Ayabel, I mean. She was a lovely child. Perhaps if I had been wiser, she wouldn’t have gone astray.”
“…??”
“I was her sworn sister. I failed in my role as the older sister. It’s pathetic, isn’t it? What must you think of me, Lady Eusteia?”
“Well, how should I put it… An excess of self-consciousness?”

If someone only avoids going astray if their sworn sister does well, then weren’t they problematic from the start?
Thinking of that as one’s own fault is strange.

Asta flinched at the term “excess of self-consciousness” and was silent for a while.
Then, after a moment, she suddenly burst into laughter.

“I’ve never met anyone who gives comfort by saying ‘it’s not your fault’ like this.”

It wasn’t comfort, it was an answer…

“I’ll invite you to my flower garden. Come anytime.”

More than seeing the flower garden, I’d rather dry my Marguest.
And I wish those attendants glued to the window, glaring at me, would just go away.

“Flower garden? Did Lady Asta just say flower garden?”
“Why that little…!”

The flower garden seemed to be an incredible place, as the attendants looked ready to chew their handkerchiefs in frustration.

Asta must have heard them, but she paid no attention, just smiled brightly and looked at me.

I subtly averted my gaze.

“Um, I have things to do…”
“Really? Shall I help?”
“No, it’s work that dirties your hands…”
“If it’s work done with a friend, how much does it matter if your hands get a little dirty?”
“Friend…?”
“You didn’t know? I’m in the process of making a move because I want to be friends.”
“…?”
“It wouldn’t be bad. I’m very good to my friends.”

Then she finally looked towards the window.
And stared at the attendants with cold eyes.

“I get angry if something unfair happens to my friend. Very angry.”
“…!”

The attendants flinched and lowered their heads.
They began to retreat stealthily, and before I knew it, they had left the window.

Asta grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

“That’s how I feel.”
“Well, I’d prefer to do the work alone…”
“Then there’s no help for it. But will you use this at least?”

Asta pressed a pair of gloves into my hand.
They looked outrageously expensive at first glance.
They seemed to be custom-made, as her name was embroidered on the wrist.

Asbelalta Shintes

“Asbelalta…?”
“That’s my true name. Asta is the short form. If you like them, you can keep these gloves.”

Asta got up from her seat.
And left breezily, while I remained sitting there as if nailed to the spot.

It wasn’t because I got expensive gloves.

Asbelalta.

‘That’s a name mentioned in the game.’

Originally, it was Nicola who came to Esgaroth Castle to carry out the Danju’s mission.
Nicola fails in his mission.
Because he is poisoned and dies in Esgaroth Castle.
And the person who confessed to poisoning him was…

‘Asbelalta.’

It was her.

The next dawn.

Walking the corridor of the main administration building, I was lost in thought.

‘But why would Asta poison Nicola?’

The game didn’t mention the reason, you see.
It only mentioned that Asbelalta confessed.

“Hmm. Should I just not care? As long as it’s not me…”
“What is?”
“Yikes!”

Startled by the sudden voice, I looked ahead.
Somehow, Ein and Luciano were right in front of me.

I flinched in surprise and asked.
“What brings you here?”

Then, Ein answered with a yawn.
“We were on our way out of the castle.”
“Why are you leaving the castle?”
“To check on Yeppi; they said her condition is strange.”

Yeppi was the death servant Ein had created as a tracking device to find the Saintess.

“Is Yeppi unwell somewhere?”
“She’s not moving around the castle grounds, you see. They even said she’s burrowing into the ground, trying to get inside the castle.”
“Inside the castle…?”

I flinched.
If she was trying to get in that desperately, it was clear Yeppi had sensed me, her target.

Ein retorted with a sharp expression.
“Yeah, it seems inside the castle…”
“I-inside the castle?”
“…She must be coming to mate.”
“…”
“Damn mating season.”

Now that I think about it, they said death servants guard the underground prison in Esgaroth.
I guess that death servant is male.
It’s a good thing Yeppi is in her mating season.

I inwardly smoothed over my pounding heart.

Just as Ein muttered, “I even let her meet males before coming to the castle. Stupid beast,” Luciano spoke.
“And where are you off to from dawn?”
“Not off to, but just came back from. I went to make Marguest candied fruit.”

When I showed him the box containing the candied fruit, Ein shrugged.
“You’re full of surprises even at dawn. Anyway, good work.”

With that, Ein passed by me.
But Luciano didn’t move from in front of me.

‘Huh?’

Wondering if he had something to say, I looked at him, and he suddenly placed his hand on my forehead.
I froze, wondering what he was doing, and he narrowed his eyes and said.
“You have a fever.”
“Huh?”
“See a doctor. Your condition seems very poor.”

Only after saying that did Luciano move on.

‘Do I look that bad?’

Well, my physical condition wasn’t normal.
If it were usual, there’s no way I wouldn’t have sensed others approaching.
I’d become a pro at detecting presences while doing all sorts of jobs.

But when the Duke appeared yesterday, and when I encountered the princes today, I didn’t sense their presence.

I must be tired from all the various events. The burden of the mission too.

‘I should finish my chores in the morning and rest a bit.’

Having decided that, I promptly set off to work.
Thanks to my thorough work yesterday, most tasks were finished before sunrise.

‘Moreover, the problem with the garden stones has been resolved, unlike yesterday.’

I guess the gardeners scrambled into action because the Duke came and went yesterday.
They had laid large pebbles across the ground to prevent dust from rising even in strong winds.
They had even replaced any plant with even a slightly damaged leaf.

“And yet, they left this camellia as is.”

The wilted camellia the Duke had told them to leave alone.
Why did he tell them not to touch only this camellia?

As I pondered this and touched the camellia’s trunk, it happened.

Fizz—!

A pale light spread from my fingertips where they touched the camellia.
Simultaneously, my head spun.
I staggered, clutching my forehead.

‘What is this?’

My body felt like wet cotton, limp and heavy.
My condition deteriorated rapidly.
It felt like…

‘Like the mana depletion phenomenon I read about in books.’

Is it because I’m the ‘Purifier’ that I’m purifying the camellia’s disease?
But would my mana deplete this much just from curing a plant’s disease?
I absorbed so much of the Danju’s mana not long ago.

‘It can’t be.’

I hurriedly crouched down and dug into the ground with my bare hands.
The soil gave way easily, even without a pickaxe.
Someone had dug here before me.

Digging into the ground with conviction for a while.
I found a pouch in the soil.
The pouch was soaked in a turquoise liquid, as if something inside had melted and disappeared.
Although I hadn’t seen the contents with my own eyes, I could guess what it was.

Ingu
Forbidden Poison.
Leaves a turquoise liquid after infecting an object and then disappears.
The poisoned object must be burned immediately. Exposure occurs upon contact. (See More)

It was an item I saw in the game.

‘This is bad.’

The camellia poisoned with Ingu is the tree the Duke cherishes.
Then that means…

‘The Duke must have been poisoned.’

I groaned and buried my face in my knees.

‘I’m doomed.’

If the Duke dies like this, the Duchess’s son will inherit the dukedom, and the Danju will become a sitting duck.
Fortunately, since I’m the Purifier, I can purify the Duke’s poison… but to do that, I need to meet the Duke.
The Duke isn’t someone I can meet just because I want to.

‘Then there’s no other way.’

I let out a deep sigh and got up from the spot.

That night.

At the Irregulars’ hideout within the Esgaroth direct territory.

A member of the Irregulars hurriedly brought a communication orb to the Danju, Aslan.

“Urgent contact from the main base.”

Aslan connected the communication.

Then.

[Young Master, no, Eusteia, no, no, the Young Lady…!]
[Move aside!]
[Danju-nim! The Young Lady!]

The Vice-Danju and Antonio were shouting noisily.

Aslan’s eyebrow twitched.

“What is going on.”

Perhaps the Vice-Danju had pushed Antonio aside; after a thud, the Vice-Danju’s voice came through.

[The Young Lady is in the underground prison.]

“Are you saying she was captured?”

Just as Aslan spoke in a cold voice, Antonio spoke again.

[No! She went to the underground prison!]

“So you’re saying she was captured.”

[No, no, not captured, she just went!]
[Yes. That’s correct, Danju!]

The Vice-Danju joined in.

The Danju furrowed his brow.

“…What?”

At that, the Vice-Danju shouted.

[They say she ruined the Duke’s camellia and went on her own, offering her hands to be taken away!]

“…?”