Chapter 12
“Oh my, you’re leaving already?”
“What will we do without Aksion’s mom around? We’re going to miss you so much.”
“Seriously, this is so sad.”
All the moms from the farming club (the local “Mom Café”) clutched their hoes tightly and teared up.
One of the older, usually blunt members stared off into the distance and asked,
“… Are you going far?”
Someone usually so curt showing regret made everyone even more emotional.
Sniff, sniff.
The tears flowed harder.
I tried to soothe them.
“Mm, it’s not that far. Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon! Oh, and you heard the news, right? The Evanroar household expanded the communal fields.”
The group’s designated mood-maker perked up instantly.
“Oh my, of course! Our lady is just SO kind-hearted! Who knew she was like this?”
“Ahem. Indeed. I thought she only cared about her farming obsession and didn’t care for us at all. And I heard she’s leaving the estate too?”
“Imagine, both the young lady and Aksion’s mom leaving at the same time. How sad! Especially when the fields just expanded and we could’ve taken home more crops. Ugh.”
I scratched the back of my head.
“It’s fine. It’s just me and the baby anyway. We don’t eat much.”
“But still, you could’ve sold the leftovers.”
“Haha…”
Surrounded by the cheerful, lively mom group, I focused on pulling weeds.
Since I had agreed to move into the Siastor Duchy, I needed to head there right away.
I needed to prepare land for rice farming.
I had to set up irrigation, prepare the soil, and spread fertilizer.
…And before that, I had to make the fertilizer.
‘So much to do.’
If I wanted to successfully grow rice by the deadline Dazhar set—next year—and also teach the imperial workers who would be sent for rice-farming lessons…
I would need ten bodies to get everything done.
‘Still… this is the farming-obsessed life I chose.’
I could farm as much as I wanted and earn money.
Then I could use that money to educate Aksion…
And best of all—Vanilla, the future heroine, would be living right next door.
They could grow up together.
Childhood friends → first love → destined couple!!
Hehehe.
So, I decided to temporarily move into the Siastor estate with Aksion and Carl.
“Alright, I’ll get going now!”
“Awww, thank you for all your hard work! Come back here when you return!”
“I will~!”
After saying a tearful goodbye, I returned to the viscount’s estate.
A few days later, I shipped off the luggage I needed and left the Evanroar residence.
In my hand was a slip of paper from Deputy Butler Hyle.
“Have a safe trip, my lady.”
Surprisingly, Deputy Butler Hyle was someone even the original Cillia barely remembered.
‘Wait—grandpa, we have a deputy butler?’
Cough cough.
‘He’s shy and doesn’t show himself often, but he handles his duties perfectly.’
‘…What is he, some kind of shadow ninja?’
At least his presence allowed Carl to leave the estate too.
Carl mainly followed me for Aksion’s sake, of course.
‘Hopefully Silvestine won’t chew me out for this.’
My older brother Silvestine might complain, but considering all the weird things this body did before…
He probably wouldn’t be shocked that I was disappearing for a while.
‘I left a contact channel anyway.’
I’d set up a communication method with Deputy Butler Hyle. Everything would be fine.
Feeling relieved, I hurried out of the estate.
***
Siastor Estate
After being shown the room I’d be staying in, I carried Aksion and went to meet Dazhar.
Their first meeting had been a disaster, but he was still my future father-in-law… so I should at least introduce them.
I walked toward the place the servant had indicated.
“Oh, saves me the trouble of having to call you.”
Unlike last time, Dazhar was in the open training grounds behind the estate.
The setting sun painted the whole place red.
He was crouched down, drawing something on the ground.
When he saw me, he got up.
“Telepathy, maybe?”
“As if.”
“So cold.”
His hands shoved casually into his pockets, shirt unbuttoned, hair messy in the wind, golden eyes with a dangerous glint—
No one would ever guess this rude delinquent was the “refined and elegant Duke Siastor.”
“You needed me?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’ve got something to take care of. That.”
He pointed at Aksion with his long index finger.
I rotated my body to hide Aksion slightly and narrowed my eyes.
“‘That’? He’s a precious baby, not an object. Hmph. What about him?”
“Abooo.”
Aksion recognized his name and smacked his chubby hand onto my cheek.
While I cuddled the little cheek attacker, Dazhar crooked a smile.
“That. The thing in his heart.”
“…The Dragon Heart?”
Dazhar nodded.
“Elstern blurred the aura with magic, but magic and demonic energy share roots, so it can’t hide everything. Divine barriers won’t be fooled.”
“…?”
Wait. Was he saying he was going to put a divine barrier on Aksion’s heart?
He jerked his chin, signaling me to follow.
I walked after him.
The head of the Siastor family—guardians of demon rifts for generations—was going to personally cast a barrier for Aksion?
As I stepped onto the complex diagram he had drawn, he spoke in a low voice:
“A human child with a dragon heart embedded in him. Normally, he’s top priority for extermination.”
“!”
My eyes widened.
Extermination target?!
A chill ran down my spine.
I hugged Aksion tight, ready to sprint at any moment.
Then he pulled his hands out of his pockets.
“Relax. I’m not planning to kill him.”
I didn’t drop my guard.
“…Why?”
He paused, eyes shifting.
“Because it’s fun.”
“…What?”
What was wrong with this man?
“It’s fascinating. A human whose life has been extended by a dragon’s heart. Never heard of anything like it.”
“…”
Was this man’s life mission simply to seek entertainment?
It seemed that way—
But there was something else in his eyes.
Like he had another, deeper reason.
“Well, unfortunately, the other transcendents won’t think like me. If you stay in the ducal estate long enough, you’ll eventually cross paths with them. I’d better take precautions.”
“Ah…”
Then he bit down on his thumb.
Blood dripped onto the ground.
The magic circle immediately began to glow.
“Bind.”
With a bloodied finger, he drew a small sigil in the air.
Silver light rose from the diagram and drifted toward Aksion’s chest.
“Uwaa?”
Aksion tried reaching for the glowing threads, but they passed right through his fingers.
The gathered light turned bright white and sank into his body.
He blinked in confusion but didn’t cry—it didn’t seem painful.
Dazhar approached, licking the blood off his thumb.
“Done.”
“Uh… th-thank you?”
I guess I should thank him.
If what he said was true, other transcendents might have killed Aksion without hesitation.
‘Right… In the original story, Aksion almost died several times as a child.’
The novel only briefly mentioned it, but I guess it was because of the transcendents.
‘And in the original… Aksion hated transcendents.’
Dazhar watched my face, then suddenly said:
“Oh, and that white stuff you made the other day—”
“Yes?”
His golden eyes narrowed slightly, then returned to normal.
He hesitated.
Thought.
Looked away.
“…Never mind.”
“…?”
Why did that annoy me?
Because he was teasing me on purpose?
Or because this psycho future in-law was just naturally annoying?
I debated snapping back… But since he’d just helped Aksion, I let it go.
“You said you needed workers?”
“Oh—yes.”
He brushed dirt over the diagram, stood, and jerked his chin toward a large building across the training grounds.
Marked with a crest of a black hawk spreading its wings.
“Go there. I already told them.”
That crest… I remembered it.
It was the emblem of Siastor’s elite knights—the ones feared across the Empire.
The Black Hawks.
“Workers…?”
Aksion slapped my cheek lightly as if telling me to focus.
“Abuu!”
