CHGD 24

Chapter 24

‘Besides, there’s another wish.’

I recalled her offer to make my reincarnation never have happened.

What I experienced in that black-and-white world was a horrific nightmare, but her proposal was a sweet fruit I couldn’t forget even if I tried.

“And Deliana is my wife and my proxy, so they won’t easily defy you either.”

“A proxy?”

“Yes, if necessary, I’ll grant you command authority. Though military orders are off limits…”

At this unexpected consideration, my eyes widened involuntarily.

‘He’s giving me command authority?’

A mistress exercising command authority over vassals—that was unheard of.

In this era, determining a family’s affairs was strictly a man’s domain.

Having such precious command authority fall into my hands was an unprecedented event, enough to make even someone uninterested in power feel greedy.

Furthermore, what I would be commanding with this authority wasn’t humans, but monsters.

If I gained the authority to command monsters, there would be much more I could do than now.

‘…And if I could bring in monsters like Ikavel, who could be used, or like Loaz, who holds a grudge against the Count.’

It seemed I could get a decent amount of power and subordinates into my hands.

Noticing the rosy future I was envisioning in my head, Loaz chuckled and muttered.

[She’s scheming again. Are you sure you’re not human? Or are you some kind of scheming demon?]

There was no need to listen to that cute fool who didn’t even realize he was being used by me.

“Of course, since Deliana is tender-hearted, you might find it difficult to wield command authority… but I’ll help you.”

And I wish my husband, who whitewashes my dark intentions, would also be quiet.

Even without you saying so, I was already planning to abuse that command authority as much as I wanted.

‘…No, wait.’

For a moment, I was almost intoxicated by power and almost forgot an important question. Pulling myself together, I directed a question at the Count.

“If these convenient restrictions exist, why are you entrusting this to me instead of doing it yourself?”

The Count answered with a complicated expression.

“I’ve already failed once. Even if I tried again, I’m not sure I would succeed. That’s why I need Deliana’s strength.”

“Failure?”

This time, too, it was Loaz who answered my question.

[Ah—I see what this is about. So the reason this castle is such a mess is because of Haster?]

‘What do you mean by that?’

Seeming pleased to be badmouthing the Count, Loaz explained in a cheerful voice.

[You probably don’t know, but the ecosystem around here is more complicated than you think. Fights break out often, and some areas are sealed off… That happened because of Haster’s orders.]

Loaz let out a snort and continued.

[He shoved people into a doghouse because there weren’t enough rooms. Do you think he’d succeed if he tried again?]

‘The Count made a mistake like that?’

From what I’d seen, the Count didn’t seem like someone who made work-related errors.

Loaz answered in a mocking tone.

[In that guy’s eyes, the beings gathered in the castle and mortals are all on the same level. In the first place, if it weren’t for your words, he wouldn’t have even thought it was a problem.]

Loaz was certain that the Count thought small and large misfortunes were simply things that had to be endured for the sake of protecting him and the castle.

Prejudice doesn’t disappear easily, and he was clearly likely to repeat the same mistake, hence the need for a proxy to put forward.

It was hard to imagine that someone so kind could have been so cold to the residents.

[No, believe me. Haster is that kind of being. You shouldn’t trust him.]

Loaz’s low, confident voice burrowed into my mind.

Slowly, the suspicion that it might be true began to rise. His opinion felt more persuasive than ever.

‘Right, the Count is also a monster, so I shouldn’t trust him too much. Loaz is right.’

Thanks to him, I gathered my resolve, straightened my posture, and posed another question.

“I understand that you need me. But is this work something that… well, that we, as a couple, actually need to do?”

Aside from what I could do, the issue was what benefits would come from carrying it out.

In truth, my mother-in-law’s reward awaited me, but I used the word ‘request’ rather than ‘deal.’ On the surface, it meant there was no real need for me to get involved.

The Count answered in a calm voice.

“Previously, I judged that things could stay as they were. But after seeing my mother appear, I felt we needed to strengthen the castle’s security.”

I wondered what security had to do with the unity of the castle’s family members, but Loaz provided a supplementary explanation.

[That’s because the more the beings in the castle cooperate with Haster, the stronger Acheim Castle’s barrier becomes. It’s like mental unity, or maybe a process of transforming it into a Dreamland.]

‘So in short, making friends means getting safer?’

[In a nutshell, yes.]

Strengthening the castle’s defenses was something I also desired. Divorce aside, if I were kidnapped twice by a monster like her, my mind probably wouldn’t hold up.

This work would allow me to learn information about the monsters, form alliances or gain subordinates, strengthen the castle’s defenses, and expect a reward from the mother.

‘It’s best to accept it.’

The conclusion was already set.

“Alright, if the Count says so… I’ll help.”

I spoke with a condescending tone, as if granting a favor, but the Count smiled and nodded.

“Thank you, Deliana. I’m truly happy to have a bride like you.”

Seeing his dazzlingly harmless smile, I felt a pang of guilt. I wondered if it was okay to do this to such a handsome man.

[Ugh, disgusting.]

‘Shut up.’

At least Loaz’s interference helped me keep my mind straight.

—

And so began the project of helping the residents of Acheim Castle.

Strike while the iron is hot—as soon as I received the Count’s permission, I headed out to the garden to find the first resident.

The Count tried to dissuade me, saying I should rest more, but there was no point in delaying.

‘Besides, if I drag my feet, that mother-in-law might show up and complain.’

Recalling her unpredictable personality, it seemed entirely possible.

And her complaints would be extremely fatal to humans. To prevent that, I needed to move quickly and show my sincerity.

“So… this is where the residents live?”

The place we arrived at was the lake in the garden—the very spot where I had shared breakfast with the Count the day after arriving at Acheim Castle. It was still a vast and beautiful lake, but Ikavel, who had followed me, pointed to one side of the lake with his chin, showing no interest in the scenery.

“Over there.”

Having been severely scolded by the Count, Ikavel’s face looked thinner than before.

Yet he still hadn’t corrected his arrogant attitude—whether that spoke to his stubbornness or that he hadn’t been scolded enough.

We headed to a corner of the lake, a place hidden by trees.

Ikavel, apparently under orders to guide me properly, explained the resident we were about to meet in a matter-of-fact voice.

“The first residents are those who manage Acheim Castle’s water source. Originally, they lived in the lake, but currently, they live in the swamp next to it.”

“Huh? Did they move?”

“They were driven out.”

“…For what reason?”

“For the sake of a clean lake, Lord Haster personally relocated them to the swamp.”

“……”

The conditions for the first resident were already ominous.

Loaz’s mocking laughter—about the Count being incapable of understanding the residents’ feelings—came to mind anew.

“A clean lake… Don’t tell me, was it because I like the lake?”

Come to think of it, the Count did know that I liked lakes.

I asked with a hint of doubt, but Ikavel remained silent. Silence equaling affirmation was an unspoken rule between us.

As I was pondering how to appease them, we arrived at the swamp where the residents lived.

The swamp, hidden among the thickets, was about the size of a small playground, with several wooden houses standing in its center, on the verge of collapse.

‘Right, I saw wooden planks floating near the lake before… Those were remnants of these houses.’

It felt like pieces of a puzzle were falling into place. I suppressed a sigh and stepped into the center of the swamp. Fortunately, the broken planks served as a makeshift path.

At the entrance of the village, about ten or so residents were waiting for us.

Or rather, I couldn’t say they were waiting.

“Hey, Ikavel. The people look really angry.”

They were all glaring at us with furious expressions. The intensity was so great that just their stares made my face feel hot.

“Hmph, those fish have some nerve… It doesn’t matter. What can they possibly do?”

Ikavel snorted, as if their anger meant nothing to him.

Then, leaving me hesitating behind, he walked toward the village.

“Wait, Ikavel!”

“I’ll bring their representative. It’s muddy in there, so don’t follow.”

“That’s not it, we should start by greeting them amicably… Oh, never mind.”

He didn’t listen to me and walked away quickly.