TDPMVI 22

Chapter : 22

Even though I said all that, the Duke was likely weighing things in his mind right now.
Whether my words were trustworthy—or not.
“But it’s probably not a bad proposal.”
If he suspected me as a spy, it would be better for him to keep me close and watch.
The Duke sought information. I sought safety.
In the end, it wasn’t a bad proposal for either of us.
And if trust gradually built up, the Duke might even lift his suspicion of me—and if things went well, he might even sign the adoption papers.

With that thought sparkling in my eyes, I spoke to the Duke again.
“I’ll be your living eyes, Duke. Eyes that move swiftly wherever you need, like Agnito steel eyes.”
“…….”
“How does that sound?”

The Duke didn’t answer at first. He seemed deep in thought, then slowly spoke.
“Eyes are already alive.”

For someone a little tense, it was a rather playful answer.
But I wasn’t one to back down.
“Then what about walking eyes?”
“Disgusting. I don’t like it.”
“Then calm eyes!”
“Even answering like this isn’t calm. Rejected.”

Although he spoke firmly, the Duke chuckled faintly, as if it wasn’t that bad.
“Well, I’ll admit it. Your idea for bullets wasn’t bad either.”
“Hehe. Don’t I seem a bit of a genius too?”
“As my daughter, you should be. But you still have a long way to go.”

The Duke nodded.
“One week.”
“Pardon?”
“Within a week, find something I haven’t seen. If you can.”

Wait… that means I’m allowed to do it, right?
My eyes widened involuntarily, and my heart thumped.
“Yes! I’ll work hard!”

When I answered enthusiastically, the Duke laughed, saying my ears would fall off from shouting.
Just then, a voice called him from behind.
“Go now. My daughter has the temperament of a sparrow.”

The Duke gave a perfunctory reply and put me down. As he turned away, I called out.
“Um, Duke?”
“Now what?”
“I’m sorry for handling the gun recklessly.”

The Duke turned back to me.
He had been concerned about it from earlier—after all, he had told me never to touch a gun.
“Of course. Since I, being from Agnito, handled a gun recklessly, he probably feared I might cause an accident.”

“Magic is sensitive to the flow of nature. I wondered if it would be affected when it rained. I didn’t mean anything else.”
“…….”
“I won’t do anything that would bother you. I’m sorry, and thank you.”

Though he couldn’t see, I even bowed slightly and turned away.
As I went to take the hands of the other blacksmiths waiting for me, a voice stopped me.
“My daughter—”

I froze and looked back.
Even though a cloth blocked his gaze, it was clear his eyes were fixed on me.
“I won’t let my daughter use guns. I’ll make sure nothing like that happens in the first place.”
“……”
“I’ll raise her cherished like a princess, comparable to the royal family. If anyone harms my daughter, I’d gladly start a rebellion.”

A faint smile showed a dimple, but his voice was resolute.
It meant he had no intention of making me his daughter.
“Looks like I really lost points.”

Still, he hadn’t retracted the offer to let me be his “eyes.”
“Mistakes can be made up for.”

“Yes, understood! No shooting guns, become a proper princess! I’ll remember that!”

I answered boldly, and the Duke, who had seemed slightly stiff, let out an incredulous chuckle.
He waved his hand as if signaling he was done.
I bowed again and took the hands of the other blacksmiths waiting, leaving the place.

The sound of footsteps on snow gradually faded.
Pater listened quietly in the direction of the sound.
His reason for waking early wasn’t just the weapons; half of it was because of Hanisha.
He was curious what she would do with the money and adoption papers he had given her.
Would she go to get the adoption consents from the main retainers, just as he might have done?
Or would she flee, thinking the money alone was enough?

Hanisha chose the former.

“The young lady handled things quite well.”
“The horses are moving faster now, thanks to Miss Hanisha.”
“She’s extremely clever. She even looks like a young Maltese puppy…”
“And that curly hair—how cute it is…!”

Was it because a small child had entered the gloomy Duke’s manor, or because of the child’s exceptional ability?
The staff quickly took to her. Even the blacksmiths, who had spent long hours with me, handed over guns.
“Is this the child’s ability?”
It wasn’t a wrong thought.

When Hanisha revealed she was from Agnito, Pater immediately ordered an investigation into her family.
Nobility registers were freely accessible.
Yet in all Agnito records, Hanisha’s name could not be found.

It meant her claims were false.
She had lied boldly, so the emotions he had felt toward her were likely a practiced deception.
And yet this child had dared to handle guns without fear.
Moreover, she openly suggested she was a spy and declared she would become his “eyes.”
He had only listened to see how far she would go—he could have dismissed her immediately.

“‘I won’t do anything that bothers you. I’m sorry, and thank you.’”

Why did those words stick in his mind?
Why did his body feel so light? Why did the soft roundness of her cheeks seem to leave an impression?

“Duke?”
“…….”
“Um… Duke?”
“Ah… this is bothering me, really.”
“Eh? Did I make a mistake…?”
“Let’s talk about the bullets again.”
“Ah, bullets… yes, understood.”

He probably intended to scold what had just happened.
The blacksmiths slumped their shoulders, looking remorseful.

Unaware of this, Pater muttered to himself.
“…I guess being a father isn’t my thing. Being alone is easier.”

The period given: one week.
There was no way the child could uncover anything in such a short time.
Thus, the proposal was clearly in his favor.

Even so, Pater somehow continued to listen until the very end for the fading sound of her footsteps.
Only after confirming that her steps crunched in snow rather than shattered glass did he turn away.

Somewhere, in a workshop emitting dark smoke, the sound of hammering echoed:
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The blows of hammers rang out from all directions.

“How is it, Snowflake? Too noisy?”
“No-o-o!”

Trying not to be buried by the sound, I raised my voice.
My ears and eyes throbbed a little, but it wasn’t unbearable.

This place, where I had been brought holding the hands of other blacksmiths, was none other than Stukkia’s forge.

Before returning, I had seen Agnito Duke’s weapons workshop by chance.
Artisans in proper attire developed their specialties and held discussions. Behind them, completed works were displayed like art pieces—fragile, precious, not to be touched casually.

Perhaps that’s why…

“We need to tighten this part a bit more. You can’t leave it like this.”
“This is my area. Doing it this way is more reliable. Didn’t you forget when Lehman moved wrong and almost got hurt?”
“Oh, right. I did forget that.”
“Haha! You always lost the bets and even washed my socks. Did you forget the crafting method too?”

Compared to the Agnito artisans, who debated seriously about how to make weapons more lethal, the Stukkia people seemed gentler.
At least the start of their weapon-making was likely to protect themselves and their families from monsters.
Of course, the world didn’t know this, and Stukkia would never be free from criticism.

“I need to find that person quickly, before that happens.”

As I thought this, a man, nodding in satisfaction, suddenly looked over.
“Hey, youngest! Come over here!”

A boy of about my age appeared nearby, wrists wrapped in bandages.
“Did you call? You’re early today! I thought you’d be later… I should have gone to meet you in advance…”

“Yeah, yeah.” The man pressed the boy’s head down as if to hush him. His red hair was flattened under the large hand.
“While you’re energetic, show this little lady around.”
“Little lady?”

The boy raised his head slightly at that.
I was still dangling from the men’s arms. Then the boy spoke warmly.
“Ah, so you’re the granddaughter you mentioned before! Nice to meet you! Though your skin, hair, and eyes are different, genetics can explain that…”
“No, not a granddaughter.”
“Eh?”
“She’s a new recruit. Now one of our team.”