BOPE 96

Chapter 96 …

Meanwhile, Baron Patrasche was pacing furiously inside his office, unable to contain his frustration at the news delivered by carrier pigeon. Eileen, watching her father’s agitation, shook her head in exasperation.

“Batr disappeared?”

At Patrasche’s sharp question, the servant who had gone to gather information bowed his head low.

“Yes, his whereabouts are unknown.”

“And his subordinates?”

“They say they also lost contact with Batr and are flustered. They claim this is the first time something like this has ever happened.”

“And the job I gave him?”

At Patrasche’s question, the servant glanced nervously around the empty room before stepping closer and whispering.

“Lord Chloe Grace hasn’t suffered a single scratch.”

“Damn it!”

Bang!

Patrasche slammed his desk with such force that the servant, standing nearby to give his report, flinched in terror.

He had spent a fortune to hire mercenaries, and yet all he had done was bolster Chloe’s prestige.

That wasn’t all. Rumor had it that Morta and Enol had already shed their former poverty, and Kondal, located within the walls, was steadily being restored to its original state.

Once Pig Dogs were cleared from Idor and the town, like the others, began to recover, Chloe’s standing in the Grace Territory would be stronger than ever.

The support of mere commoners was trivial—but Chloe’s rising reputation was a serious problem. It would weaken Patrasche’s justification for seizing the remaining lands.

Eileen, who had been quietly observing her father and the servant, suddenly smiled sweetly.

“Father, instead of being upset, why don’t we invite Chloe to our territory?”

“After the way we parted last time, do you really think she’d come just because we invite her?”

“I’ll handle that. My birthday party is coming up soon, after all. I’ll tell her I made a mistake before, that I’m sorry, and that I want us to get along from now on. If I coax her well, she’ll definitely come. Chloe is soft-hearted, so she won’t refuse. No matter how much a person changes, their true nature is hard to alter.”

Patrasche considered his daughter’s words carefully before nodding with a serious expression.

“You’re right. The first step is to lure her out of Grace.”

“Then I’ll send Chloe an invitation. A beautifully written one, brimming with sincerity, and I’ll include a gift.”

Eileen spoke with confidence, smiling brightly. Compared to the days right after returning from Grace, when she had locked herself in her room for days on end crying, this was far more like the old Eileen—bold and self-assured.

Relieved to see his daughter’s confidence restored, Patrasche nodded approvingly.

Yes, no matter how much she’s changed, Chloe is still Chloe in the end.

The next day, Bake and Kevin arrived at the castle and, guided by Handsome, were assigned their quarters for the next few days.

Bake, fully expecting to be placed in the servants’ wing, froze in disbelief outside the room Handsome brought them to.

“Steward, th-this room isn’t meant for people like us.”

Bake couldn’t even bring herself to step inside, but Handsome only smiled kindly in response.

“This is the right room. The lord specifically ordered that you be made comfortable in fine chambers. He said Kevin’s mother is a master of Dural bread, making you a treasure of our territory.”

“Oh my goodness…”

Bake covered her mouth with both hands, speechless.

Never in her life had she been praised like this—let alone by the lord himself, and honored with such treatment. Her hands trembled with overwhelming emotion.

“Wow, Mom! This place is amazing! The bed’s huge, the windows are massive, and the room’s enormous!”

While Bake stood dazed in the doorway, Kevin was already inside, exploring with glee. He peered out the window at the scenery, poked curiously at the furniture, then stopped beside the spacious bed that could easily fit two people.

Bake half-expected him to start bouncing on it at once, but instead he quietly ran his palm over the blanket.

“Mom, this blanket is so soft. Just like your belly—it’s all squishy!”

“K-Kevin!”

Her son’s blunt comparison made Bake flush bright red as she hurried into the room.

Handsome, watching the mother and son with warmth, bowed politely before leaving. From behind the closed door came peals of laughter, ringing out joyfully.

Handsome had recently learned that even just hearing other people’s laughter could make one feel happy.

If I get addicted to this happiness, maybe someday I can become like the lord himself, he thought vaguely as he headed back to the office where his master awaited. His steps were noticeably lighter.

For the first time in a while, Donghee finally had some time alone in the office. He slowly recorded everything he had accomplished in various villages, what tasks remained, and what future projects he needed to push forward.

“What have I missed…? Is there anything I left undone?”

He carefully reviewed the quests from his status window, making sure he hadn’t overlooked anything. So much had been happening that he’d lost all sense of time.

Afraid he might forget or make mistakes if he rushed through quests, he had begun writing everything down. That list had now grown to over five pages, filled edge to edge not only with quests but also with the issues that arose from them and the tasks they spawned.

For a while, the only sound in the office was the scratch of his quill against parchment.

Though it had felt awkward at first, Donghee had grown accustomed to using a quill. And somehow, writing with it made him feel like he truly belonged in this world.

Then suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Chloe smacked the desk.

“Oh! The nado persimmon tree!”

He had completely forgotten about it, distracted by so many other matters. Quickly, he summoned the status window.

“Status window, what was the mission related to the nado persimmon tree again?”

– Quest: Use the bark of the nado persimmon tree to create a new product that will bring prosperity to the territory. An incredible reward awaits you! Of course, it won’t be easy!

The status window displayed the mission, word for word—including the cheeky last line that seemed deliberately teasing.

“Right, that was it. And there was also something about being able to eat the fruit…”

Donghee recalled the agricultural advice he had once received.

– Agricultural Notes –

1. Best land for farming: Near the Grace lord’s castle. (Hint: What looks best is not always the best.)

2. Edible fruit: Orange, fist-sized, bitter. Must be cooked. Nado persimmon fruit should be blanched in boiling water to remove astringency, then roasted for the best flavor.

3. Good fertilizer recipe: Grind dried Dural leaves, ferment with Moh moss for one week, then mix into soil.

“I’ve already completed steps 1 and 3. Now I just need to make the fruit edible and turn the bark into soap.”

He wrote down the fruit processing method and then ordered Handsome to summon the head chef.

Soon, Handsome arrived with the chef in tow. Unlike in the kitchen, the man’s face looked tense with nerves.

Though he had sometimes been forced to yield the kitchen to the lord’s odd experiments, this was the first time he had ever been called into the office.

Donghee suddenly realized he didn’t even know the chef’s name. They had interacted plenty of times, yet it struck him that the chef might be hurt if the lord still didn’t know such a basic thing.

As he was wondering how to ask, Handsome solved the problem neatly.

“Cooker, step closer to the lord. It seems he has something important to tell you.”

Handsome, always dependable—and apparently the chef’s name was literally “Cooker.”

Blushing like a young maiden at a blind date, Cooker approached the desk hesitantly.

Donghee, relieved, greeted him with ease.

“Cooker, I’ve called you because I have an important request.”

“Yes, my lord. Please tell me.”

Cooker was so thrilled at being given a special task by the lord that he nearly shouted for joy. Lately, it seemed everyone else—Handsome, the treasurer, Delma, the tailors—had been entrusted with unique missions, while he repeated the same kitchen duties.

Smiling, Donghee handed him a piece of paper.

“What is this?”

Cooker blinked at the notes on the page.

“It’s a method for preparing nado persimmon fruit. I’d like you to work out the precise details—like how long to blanch it, how long to dry it.”

“Nado…persimmon? But that fruit is so astringent, it can’t be eaten.”

The nado tree grew readily even in poor soil, so there were plenty around Grace’s walls. But aside from its bark, it had no use. Its bright orange fruit looked attractive but tasted awful. Even during famine, no one touched it—and not even birds pecked at it.

“If you follow those instructions, it should be edible. The fruit is abundant, so you’ll have plenty to experiment with. That’s all I know, so I’m leaving it to you to perfect the method. Can you do it?”

Since the fruit was so worthless, it was plentiful. Cooker hugged the paper to his chest as if it were treasure, nodding enthusiastically.

“I’ll definitely succeed and—win a prize! I mean, make you proud, my lord!”

“Good. And yes, do win that prize too, alright?”

“Yes, my lord!”

Beaming, the chef rushed out.

Immediately afterward, Red Bear entered.

“The wagon carrying the prisoners has just arrived.”

It was the cart holding Rose and the Pig Dogs.