HRNGDS 78

~Chapter 78~

Before going to the Duke of Fuat’s estate, Delphina contacted the Saintess. She wanted to ask if the food she made truly had the power to repel evil.

The Saintess was currently being trained by the High Priest in the temple.

She’s one of the few people who can at least explain my power.

Even if the Saintess didn’t know much, the High Priest might know something.

Above all, Delphina wanted to have some certainty—about the effect her cooking had against evil.

Before she left for the Duke of Fuat’s estate, a reply came from the Saintess.

[Hello, Lady Delphina. This is Sestia. I’m studying hard because I want to be a proper Saintess the next time we meet.

Sorry for the late reply. I was a little delayed because I wanted to find an exact answer to your question. The High Priest had to work quite a few late nights because of it, but I think it’s his own fault—he’s had plenty of time to rest until now, so he should work!

Thanks to that, I can answer your question!

Evil things often react to the power of the god Frad. Your food is definitely special. I also felt holiness when I ate it. It was possible because Frad’s blessing was in your cooking.

I think your food could remove an evil curse.

That’s something even the temple priests can’t do. Your cooking seems to have Frad’s direct blessing. If combined with strong divine power, the effect will be doubled.]

The long letter didn’t end there. When Delphina looked at the next page, there was a question from the High Priest.

[Lady Delphina, this is the High Priest. While looking for the answer to your question, I found something strange. Divine power and a god’s blessing are completely different. But for the god Frad to intervene in the human world, a proper price must be paid. There must be causality for a god to interfere in the mortal world. How is the god handling that causality in your case?]

From the High Priest’s question, Delphina realized one thing.

It’s the quests.

The god Frad was intervening in her life through the form of quests—giving her proper missions, and rewarding her when she completed them.

You won’t tell me the details, will you, my god?

The system window popped up with a ping.

<The god Frad nods with a regretful expression.>

It wasn’t a direct answer, but she could tell one thing—they wanted the same things.

Delphina’s trip to the Duke of Fuat’s estate wasn’t difficult.

When two families were directly connected by marriage, visiting was common.

And Delphina knew the Duke of Fuat wouldn’t refuse her visit.

No matter that Kassen is the heir, the Duke cared for Jerian.

He wouldn’t reject Jerian’s request to see her.

He must also feel sorry toward me.

Unlike Kassen, the Duke and Duchess had a sense of propriety.

If I hadn’t left for the North right away, they would have apologized to me.

And they would have tried to compensate her somehow. But since she had left, she never received that apology.

Delphina looked at Elcayan as he came to her. For some reason, he was dressed more neatly than usual—perhaps even more than at the banquet.

Am I imagining it, or did he put in more effort this time?

She frowned slightly, because looking at him was strangely exhausting.

Is it because I’ve been making him too much chicken lately? His charm stat keeps going up.

It was odd. While other people’s strength or agility stats might rise quickly, Elcayan’s charm stat increased unusually fast.

Without noticing her thoughts, Elcayan stepped closer.

As his face came near, Delphina was startled and stepped back.

“Delphina, the Duke and Duchess of Fuat have given permission for the visit.”

“I-I see.”

“Are you feeling unwell? Your face is very red.”

“N-no, I’m not sick at all.”

She absolutely couldn’t say it was because she blushed when looking at him.

Without suspecting anything, Elcayan offered his arm.

“If you feel unwell, please tell me. For now, I’ll support you.”

Delphina’s hand touched his arm, and her face turned even redder.

My cooking really is effective…

His arm was thicker than before. Without thinking, she poked it with her finger.

Elcayan’s body flinched, and the tips of his ears turned red.

“Elcayan, are you sure you’re not the one who’s sick? Your face is really red now. If you’re not feeling well, you don’t have to come—it’s just visiting a friend.”

“No, I want to come with you.”

His tone was firm.

“I want to meet your friend.”

“Ah, right. I think you two might get along.”

“…Yes. Maybe so.”

Elcayan escorted her into the carriage. Delphina deliberately looked away from him.

This is no time to be distracted by Elcayan. I need to think about Jerian.

She didn’t expect her cooking to completely heal him.

But… what if Jerian was also harmed by evil?

If that were true, things would be different—her cooking, blessed by Frad, worked extremely well against evil.

From past experiences, she had confirmed its effect.

If it’s a curse, the important thing is to figure out who cursed him—and who benefited from his suffering.

The evil that had entered the empire—whose side was it for? Looking at past victims made the answer clear.

Those hostile to the Second Prince.

Then she could guess who was moving the evil.

Second Prince Piaje.

To him, Jerian would have been a thorn in the side. Even though Jerian was from the Duke of Fuat’s family, he was close to Johannes.

If Jerian became Duke of Fuat, there were even rumors he might side with First Prince Johannes along with the Grand Duke of Rohime.

From the Second Prince’s point of view, Kassen had to become Duke.

But unfortunately, Kassen’s talent was far below Jerian’s.

By both character and skill, the Duke saw Jerian as the rightful heir.

In the empire, it was common for a talented second son to inherit the family. When she was first engaged to Kassen, he knew he would not inherit.

But at some point, he started saying with confidence that he would.

Delphina remembered what Kassen had once told her:

“Delphina, there’s no point hanging around Jerian. I’ll be the heir anyway.”

Back then, she hadn’t thought much of it. But now, it was strange.

Why was Kassen so sure he’d be the heir?

God Frad, was Jerian attacked by evil?

<The god Frad is silent at a question he cannot answer.>

Delphina’s eyes widened. Sometimes, silence was the clearest answer.

The god never gave a clear answer when it came to evil.

If Jerian was sick from a normal illness, Frad would have told me.

Her heart began to race. She had always known Kassen was trash, but the more she uncovered, the more endless his wrongdoings seemed—and it made her dizzy.