TMLHGCFTV 34

Chapter 34

Once all the extract had been collected, it was time to burn the eggs.

Before another terrible disaster could hatch from them.

We poured oil over them and set them alight. Flames spread in a long line along the riverbank, while the jelly-like masses shriveled and burned, filling the air with a horrible stench.

Just as the flames were beginning to die down, I saw people coming down from the hill.

At the highest point inside the village stood an old stone building. Apparently, it was the lord’s castle.

I’d heard that the lord had spent the entire night running around outside, desperately trying to take care of the villagers. Meanwhile, the lord’s castle, where Mirelle was staying, had remained tightly shut all night, with barely a light burning inside.

But now, its doors were wide open.

There was a woman in the middle of the group coming down the hill.

Her light brown hair was neatly curled, and there wasn’t a single speck of mud on her clothes.

She seemed to be the only person in the entire village wearing completely dry clothes.

They’d spent the same night in the same village, so how could two people look this different?

She must be the lord’s daughter.

You could tell at a glance that she’d been raised like a precious flower in a greenhouse.

I watched as the woman approached the lord.

The expression on his face as he looked at his daughter was ice-cold.

It didn’t seem like they had a very good relationship.

“Father, I heard His Highness the Crown Prince is here?”

Her bright, clear voice carried all the way to the riverbank.

“Mirelle.”

“Father, why didn’t you tell me?”

Before the lord could say anything else, the woman named Mirelle walked straight past him and headed toward Kael, who was giving orders near the blocked waterway.

She grasped the hem of her skirt and lowered herself gracefully.

She looked exactly like the young noblewomen I’d seen in the capital’s social circles.

A greenhouse flower through and through.

I checked where Seraphine was.

It looked like something had just gotten between Seraphine and Kael.

What was I supposed to do about this?

I scratched my head.

This was a character who had never appeared in the original story.

“I am Mirelle, daughter of the lord who governs Saltvale. I never imagined I’d have the honor of meeting Your Highness in a place like this. It is truly an honor to meet you.”

I saw Kael give Mirelle a brief glance.

My eyes widened.

What if Mirelle started throwing a wrench into things between Kael and Seraphine?

What if she interfered with the original storyline?

And what if that ended up ruining my happy ending…?

No.

Absolutely not.

I quietly moved a little closer to Kael and Mirelle.

When I listened carefully, I could hear their conversation.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

After answering her, Kael began walking again.

Mirelle immediately followed after him.

“I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I heard horrible noises coming from outside my window. I was so frightened, but His Highness the Crown Prince came and saved me.”

“My lady.”

Vanessa poked me in the side.

“Who is that?”

“She’s the lord’s daughter.”

“…Wow. She only came outside now? Even though she’s the lord’s daughter?”

There was a sharp edge to Vanessa’s words, as if she couldn’t believe the woman hadn’t done anything until now.

Vanessa looked the woman up and down.

“She doesn’t look like she could walk for more than ten minutes.”

Vanessa spoke while standing with one leg cocked to the side.

“And that dress looks so uncomfortable. Good grief, how much are all those jewels worth?”

Vanessa had apparently already forgotten what she herself had been like in the past.

The lord once again urged Kael to stay at his castle, but Kael refused.

The place where we were staying was perfectly adequate, and it was actually more convenient for him to operate from there than from the lord’s castle.

Kael was discussing a much more practical problem with Register.

“We should be able to purchase up to ten sacks of flour. Anything more than that needs to be left behind so the village can survive the winter.”

“Does the lord have nothing left in his own granary?”

“Apparently, he’s already distributed everything.”

Kael sighed.

From what I’d heard, the lord seemed to care about his people more than I’d initially thought.

He had emptied his granary without even keeping a share for himself.

“What about oil?”

“Two barrels. He said we could have them without even charging us. We’ve also obtained three bolts of tent cloth. It’s enough to patch up the torn sections.”

Kael’s eyes moved down to the next line.

Not a single item they needed could be considered unnecessary, and none of them were cheap.

“So how much are we short?”

Register took a moment to catch his breath.

“…If we buy everything, we’ll need three times our current budget.”

Three times.

Our budget had already been running dangerously low since Willow.

Whenever there was a shortfall, Kael had covered it with his own money.

The financial support promised by the Imperial Family had never arrived, and it wasn’t going to arrive in the future either.

Even if they knew which pockets the relief funds that had been paid in tribute had disappeared into, there was nothing they could do about it right now.

“What do we have that we can sell?”

“Apparently, there’s a black market tonight. We have around forty shells left. We shouldn’t have any trouble disposing of all of them.”

After a moment, Millers carefully spoke up.

“Your Highness. The expedition has the authority to requisition supplies. This expedition concerns the survival of the Empire itself. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of considering the circumstances of every individual village.”

In other words, there would be no legal problem even if they requisitioned every possession in the village.

If they placed Saltvale and the Empire on opposite sides of a scale, there was no question which way it would tip.

That was how heavy the Empire’s burden was.

But wasn’t Saltvale also part of that Empire?

The villagers were Kael’s responsibility too.

They were another weight he had to carry.

He was always weighing things against each other, making choices, and then shouldering responsibility for the consequences of those choices.

As the Crown Prince of the Empire.

As the heir to the bloodline of its rulers.

He had been carrying the burdens his father continued to ignore all by himself.

Kael tightened his grip on the edge of the table.

Last night, his subordinates had risked their lives to protect the lord and the village.

Four of them had suffered serious injuries.

If they couldn’t even secure enough food to get those people through the winter, then what would the blood they’d shed last night have meant?

“There will be no forced requisition.”

Kael closed the ledger.

“End that discussion here.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

“Purchase all ten sacks of flour. Pay for the oil as well, and buy all three bolts of cloth.”

Register looked troubled.

“Your Highness, if we do that, the remaining military funds won’t be enough…”

“I know.”

Kael cut him off.

“I’ll cover the shortfall with my personal funds.”

“But you’ve already spent a considerable amount of your own money on the expedition.”

“I still have some left, don’t I?”

Register fell silent at his calm response.

“Purchase all the supplies we need. We’ll discuss the remaining expenses after we sell the shells at the black market.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Kael dismissed all of his subordinates except Millers.

Then he gave Millers a discreet order.

It was an order to purchase the mines.

At the same time, I was taking a walk around the village.

As I walked, I noticed something strange about the place.

There were so many abandoned houses, yet the warehouses standing between them were all large and sturdy.

It looked strangely out of place.

A perfectly intact warehouse standing beside a house whose roof had collapsed.

I happened to glance inside one warehouse whose door was half open.

Then I stopped.

“…What is all this?”

Sacks were piled up like mountains.

All the way to the ceiling.

I opened one.

White crystals spilled out.

I touched the tip of my tongue to one.

I immediately recognized it.

Salt.

I opened the sack beside it, and this time, a sharp, fragrant smell rushed out.

Dried spices.

The warehouse was packed with salt and spices.

“What are you doing there?”

I spun around in surprise.

An old man was standing behind me, a ring of keys hanging from his waist.

“I’m sorry for coming in without permission. My name is Rosana. I’m with the expedition. I was taking a walk when I noticed the door was open. But why are all these goods piled up here?”

“…Because there’s nowhere to sell them.”

The warehouse keeper sighed as he walked inside.

There was a deep sense of regret in the way his hand gently patted the sacks.