Chapter 29
On the carriage ride back to the estate, Jerlach received an endless stream of work-related reports.
The moment he got into the carriage, his aide shoved a mountain of paperwork at him.
Then he began listing things, some of which didn’t even seem remotely relevant.
“Omeron’s progress is a bit slow. Rumor has it they haven’t even started the ice statue yet.”
“Send someone to verify.”
“Yes, sir. And weren’t we supposed to create a new map of the Ernberg Peninsula this year? Well…”
Jerlach looked extremely busy.
Understandable, since next week was Saint Obenri’s Day.
This day commemorated Saint Obenri’s defense of the Ernberg Peninsula from a demon, and the festival lasted three full days.
During those three days, the celebration was nothing short of grand.
People exchanged holy relics with loved ones, and consecration priests would perform blessings to pray for peace.
But for me, it was a day of bad memories.
I died on that day every time, though the cause of death varied.
A true tragedy.
Still, now the day could be my opportunity.
Of course, only if I handled it well.
As I thought about that, I glanced over at Jerlach.
‘He looks worse than he did at the bookstore.’
He was listening to the aide’s report with a tired, expressionless face. Whether it was the rain or the heavy workload, he looked completely worn out.
“Your Grace, some vendors are charging outrageous prices for holy relics.”
Just hearing the conversation was exhausting.
“They’re charging too much?”
“Yes, it seems like they’re trying to cash in on the special occasion.”
“Hmph.”
“People feel like they have to give gifts, so they pay even if they think the prices are ridiculous.”
“Compile a list of the offenders and bring it to me by this afternoon.”
“Yes, understood. Also…”
I had wanted to talk during the ride.
But my turn never seemed to come.
And it didn’t seem like it would.
All I could do was sit quietly and wait.
I wondered if I’d even get a chance to talk before we got home.
Plus, with that aide stuck like glue to Jerlach’s side, there was no way I could bring up anything sensitive.
Sigh… I made a mistake.
Just then—
“Sorry.”
Through the sound of the rain, Jerlach’s low voice reached me.
He was looking straight at me.
“No, not at all. You don’t need to apologize. I had a lot on my mind too. Uh… I mean…”
I furrowed my brow and looked out the window.
I tapped the glass with my fingers like someone deep in thought. Jerlach’s lips curled subtly at the corners.
“Are you worried about something?”
“Oh, of course. Who doesn’t have worries?”
“Tell me.”
“…What?”
“I’ll fix it for you.”
Whoa. Why does that sound so terrifying?
“A-Ah, no, really. It’s just a small, personal matter.”
I waved both hands frantically, but Jerlach’s gaze didn’t budge from me.
And then—
“Orier.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Wrap it up. I’ll handle the rest after we return.”
“…But—”
Poor Sir Orier murmured in protest like a mosquito, but still closed the thick booklet in front of him.
He must’ve known that once the Duke gave an order, there was no going back.
Sorry, Sir Aide.
I swallowed nervously, feeling guilty under his gaze.
Still—hey—I did save your job a while back, didn’t I? So let this one slide, please?
“You always seemed like someone burdened with worries.”
“……”
“And today, I really want to know what they are.”
My heartbeat quickened at Jerlach’s words.
I wanted to say everything I’d prepared right then and there, but seeing Orier sitting there with a stiff expression made me clamp my mouth shut.
I couldn’t very well tell Jerlach I wasn’t interested in him and wanted to stop seeing him—not in front of his aide.
He was a duke, after all. I couldn’t humiliate him in front of a subordinate.
“It’s… just a bunch of trivial thoughts. Nothing important.”
Judging by Jerlach’s eyes, he didn’t fully believe me.
“I-I’ll tell you next time.”
“Next time?”
“Yes.”
I subtly glanced toward where Sir Orier was sitting.
“Ah, I see.”
Only then did Jerlach seem to catch on and nodded.
And then—
“Can I tell you one of my worries?”
“Your worry?”
Caught off guard, I looked at him.
“I heard you stirred things up in high society recently. Impressive.”
“……”
“So I thought maybe you’d have a clever idea for this situation too. I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
I gave a weak smile, unsure how to react.
Honestly, I had no idea what to make of this.
“But don’t expect much help from me. That just kind of happened—I didn’t plan for it.”
I said honestly, but Jerlach didn’t seem convinced.
Sigh. No point saying anything more.
“So what is your worry?”
“About exchanging holy relics.”
On Saint Obenri’s Day, close acquaintances exchanged holy relics and wished blessings upon each other.
Consecration priests also offered blessings for peace—a long-standing tradition.
“Isn’t exchanging holy relics a good thing? What’s the issue?”
“Fake relics without any blessing are being sold at high prices by scammers. And greedy merchants see it as a chance to make a killing.”
“Oh.”
I frowned at that.
“My god. How could people do that?”
For most people, Saint Obenri’s Day was a joyful, happy festival—though for me, it was always the worst.
Three hundred years ago, demons had once seized the Recton region and spread a plague. A third of the population died, and most suffered terrifying hallucinations. It was total chaos.
At the time, Obenri, then just a low-ranking consecration priest, awakened his powers and defeated the demons, becoming a hero of humanity.
Saint Obenri’s Day was meant to remember and honor that day.
Yeah, well… important for you people.
Just thinking of the day made my skin crawl, but I did my best to keep a calm expression.
“Can’t you just ban it?”
Dying multiple times on that day was bad enough—and now gifts too?
Forget it! No gifts! Ban them all!
I blurted it out, and Jerlach’s eyebrow twitched.
“Ban it?”
“Yes. Just declare that from now on, all relic trading without authorization is banned. Then, hire consecration priests directly and pay them a salary from the Empire. During the festival, they can perform blessings as part of their job—no extra fees. Wouldn’t that stop people from overcharging?”
I was just spitballing.
“Oh, my goodness.”
Sir Orier stared at me and let out a dazed sigh, like he was under a spell.
W-what’s with that look?
“Your Grace, why didn’t we think of that? If we manage the consecration priests ourselves, it’ll put an end to price gouging and excessive fees.”
Orier immediately pulled out a pen and began scribbling furiously.
“R-Really? I just said the first thing that came to mind…”
Their reactions were so intense it made me feel a little embarrassed. Heh.
Then Jerlach narrowed his eyes and said to me—
“You really are…”
“……”
“Driving me insane.”
