MCFPM 05

chapter 05

Eonian asked in disbelief.

• “Do you expect me to marry that damn lion?”

“…Hey, think sensibly. It doesn’t matter who you marry or don’t marry. But who in their right mind would blindly sign a contract like that?”

• “Guess you wouldn’t get scammed anywhere.”

Muttering to himself, Eonian asked:

• “So, why are you trying to postpone it? Were the conditions insufficient?”

She almost replied instinctively, “No, it’s not that,” but stopped herself, narrowing her eyes.

The man had abandoned her at her lowest moment. She had no idea how much more he was hiding, and perhaps marrying him itself could be like drinking from a poisoned chalice.

Cherylotte scanned the documents Eonian had given her with suspicious eyes.

“And to think the conditions are this good from the start… something’s off.”

The “assignor” on the documents Eonian gave her did not include the name of the Grand Duke of Vaskalia. Perhaps the document itself was fake.

“I need to be careful, Cheryl. If I mess up, Chartreuse might get taken.”

Cherylotte lowered her voice and nodded.

“Yeah, the deal doesn’t add up.”

• “How do you expect me to accept it? Want more money?”

“No, let’s just be honest. You’re being chased by your uncle, right?”

Cherylotte asked suddenly.

Eonian didn’t answer, but his silence said enough. She sighed, touching her forehead as if realizing the headache this situation had become.

“Don’t think about dodging it. Word is that the law king is making a fuss because of your runaway. If we marry, not only Leonat but the temple will give me trouble too. Being involved with you is dangerous.”

• “…I’ll stop it.”

“You think you’re that great?”

• “Yes.”

Eonian’s confidence left Cherylotte momentarily speechless. After a pause, she snapped.

“How am I supposed to trust you! Anyway, money alone isn’t enough.”

• “…Then what else do you want?”

Cherylotte swallowed hard at Eonian’s calm question.

Good, he’s hooked. She slowly continued.

“…News spreads slowly in the north. People are leaving in droves.”

• “So?”

“Fifteen days.”

Cherylotte’s gaze turned to the calendar on the wall.

“I’ll hide you temporarily for fifteen days so you can prove your worth first.”

“May I ask why you’ve come to His Majesty’s office?”

Cherylotte glared at the priest blocking her path.

After her quarrel with Eonian, she had come to the temple to get a legitimate reason to return north.

If the temple provides a proper reason for my trip north, Odeli won’t have much to say.

Moreover, after finishing her conversation with Eonian, Cherylotte was in a hurry.

• “Understood. I’ll prove it. But you go north first. Don’t arrive after me, or you’ll be in trouble.”

Though she wasn’t particularly worried about being scolded… she didn’t want to arrive in her hometown later than him.

The first to step on the frost fields of the north had to be her. Cherylotte added quickly:

“I wish to meet His Majesty. Is he inside?”

“Are you aware that you need an appointment to see him?”

Ah, I knew this would happen.

This cheeky little face is the problem. Without the dignity of a northern duke, these guys are bound to look down on you.

Cherylotte eventually pulled a blood-red letter from her bosom.

“I have information about a disaster in the north. Please guide me.”

It was what the apprentice knight had shown her that morning.

The priest’s expression softened slightly. As he stepped aside, a junior priest knocked and opened the office.

Soon, a young—or at least youthful-looking—man with violet eyes came into view.

The law king.

Quite a haggard face. Must be upset that his nephew ran away.

Cherylotte inwardly smirked and saluted calmly.

“I am Chartreuse, here to meet the foremost servant of the Lord who protects humanity.”

“…Yes, Duke. It’s been a while. I’m busy and can’t talk long. Has there been an issue in the north?”

As the law king asked, the junior priest handed Cherylotte’s red letter to him.

[A tsunami swept through the coast of Maison. The cause is said to be a sea dragon.]

Cherylotte had exaggerated and modified the letter herself.

…Wouldn’t he notice?

No, he wouldn’t.

Fortunately, the knights stationed along the coast had sent a report via typewriter. Since the report followed the same format as northern documents, modifying it wasn’t difficult.

I copied the wax seal from the original.

Cherylotte was a magical tool artisan. The delicate lines on the wax were actually tree rings. The north was so poor they even used wood for seals, but carving one wasn’t difficult at all.

And, a bit bitterly…

The law king has no reason to worry about some unremarkable coastline.

Seeing him skim the contents, Cherylotte got straight to the point.

“Yes, as you can see, a great tsunami occurred in the north due to a magical beast. I, Duke Chartreuse, will personally go to handle this issue.”

“…Personally?”

The law king raised his eyes, suspicion in his pupils.

“Duke, you’re not a combat mage, are you? You’re an artisan, right? How do you plan to deal with a sea dragon causing tsunamis?”

A fair point. Historically, northern dukes were all powerful in battle. They had to protect the borders from magical beasts.

But Cherylotte, only a supporting mage, couldn’t fight alone, so she offered a more plausible reason.

“Strictly speaking, I’m not going to slay the sea dragon. I just need to repair the breakwaters.”

“Magical breakwaters?”

Cherylotte nodded.

“M-Magical breakwaters… What is that?”

When she asked the apprentice knight about the breakwaters, he had no clue. No barriers, no magic waves to disrupt the beasts remained.

“I intend to repair the breakwaters to prevent the tsunamis caused by the sea dragon and others. If there are other weak points, I will repair those too.”

“…It’s like fixing the stable after the horses have been stolen. Could take years…”

The law king muttered disapprovingly.

He must have realized her aim—to take a legitimate reason from the temple to head north. He wouldn’t enjoy being used.

But Cherylotte saw through the situation. She knew the law king’s real intentions after Eonian’s bombshell.

He had three main desires.

The first: secure Eonian. But Cherylotte thought selling someone, no matter how disliked, wasn’t right. So she focused on the other two.

Those two were:

Foil Freyu and Leonat’s attempts to extort alimony from the law king, and preserve the temple’s pride as its leader.

Cherylotte considered how to handle this while preserving the law king’s dignity.

Show that Duke Chartreuse’s expedition north is for the temple’s common good. That keeps the law king’s image intact and gives Freyu a setback.

Cherylotte spoke:

“Your Majesty, as the weather warms, the sea dragons’ prey moves south.”

The law king’s eyes widened slightly.

“If whales move south without breakwaters, the sea dragons will move too. And if the sea dragons move…”

“…The entire continent’s waters will be at risk.”

Cherylotte naturally continued:

“Yes, I intend to prevent that risk in advance, for the continent’s peace.”

“….”

“So, I request your blessing before my expedition.”

Cherylotte slightly bowed. A pale yellow light descended upon her.

“Very well.”

Done.

With the blessing received, Cherylotte looked up to see the law king’s face, now brighter than before, smiling.

“Good luck, Duke.”

Time passed, and it was time to return north.

Cherylotte mounted the horse brought by the vice-commander of the northern knights, surveying the procession.

For a duke guarding the borders, the appearance was modest. Even the knights’ coats bore no emblem of Chartreuse.

I wanted to leave proudly, but I guess I have to hurry like a thief.

If she delayed even a little, her aunt might chase after her. Cherylotte gritted her teeth.

Next time she returned to the capital, everyone would enter proudly. Determined, she took the lead and rode forward.

The family was nearly ruined. Many problems awaited the Chartreuse dukedom.

First, I need to check the current state of my lands, see if the Lavre volcano is stable, and inspect the breakwater debris…

Lost in thought, Cherylotte’s attention returned when she saw a river covered in thin ice ahead.

She scanned the frost-covered road.

So the cold is really getting worse.

After her parents disappeared, the north gradually became abnormal. One of the changes was extreme weather.

Cherylotte asked the vice-commander behind her:

“Sir Liam, exactly when did the permafrost start forming in the north?”

The vice-commander, a rather taciturn middle-aged bear beastman, paused slightly at being asked instead of the commander. Then he quietly spoke:

“…The terrain must have been slippery for you to have trouble riding. I’ll prepare a carriage for you.”

Cherylotte raised an eyebrow.

What nonsense is this?