Chapter 40
‘Did they… spread it on purpose?’
If someone didn’t know whether the transformation would succeed or fail, they’d want as many people as possible to take the drug.
If it failed, the person would die, leaving no evidence. If it succeeded, the transformed subject would have no choice but to obey their master.
Either way, it was a win.
‘But who could have done this?’
Suddenly, a conversation with Lahad about the recipe for Vektol powder flashed through her mind.
“But Master, how did you even know something like this?”
“Just… I stumbled across it.”
“It’s an extremely complicated recipe. Whoever made it must’ve been a genius worthy of history.”
“Well, yeah.”
“I’d love to see the original recipe sometime. Though, I’m sure it was written in magical code.”
Her fingers, which had been tapping the desk, came to a halt.
The mastermind had used the Evil Dragon’s recipe.
The Evil Dragon had been a legendary mage. He’d written his recipes in special magical code.
And the only ones who could perfectly decipher it were the Evil Dragon himself—and her, who bore his branded mark.
She had seen the recipe, but she hadn’t used it.
Instead…
‘I gave it to Regan.’
A chill ran down her spine.
“This is seriously dangerous magic. Don’t worry—I’ll destroy it myself.”
That’s what Regan had said when she handed it over.
“He said he’d burn it, but… what if he didn’t?”
The mastermind had enough wealth to place forbidden spells even on low-level pawns like Dumdy.
‘If it’s Regan, the head of the Papacy, then it’s entirely possible.’
Her head felt tangled with thoughts.
If Regan was the culprit—why would he do something like this?
‘I need to visit the Evil Dragon’s lab.’
If the mastermind had obtained anything, it likely came from there.
After the Evil Dragon’s death, the Papacy had tried to shut down the lab, but they couldn’t penetrate the strong magic surrounding it.
Still, paladins from the Papacy continued to guard the place.
‘I need to get stronger.’
Looking down, she saw her small, delicate hands.
She still lacked both magic and physical strength. She couldn’t demonstrate her full power yet.
‘For now, I’ll start with what I can do.’
She grabbed her sword and went outside.
It was time to train.
After returning from the capital, time flew by and winter came.
‘It’s almost been a year since I came to the Duke’s estate.’
“Good morning, my lady!”
“Good morning.”
She’d gotten used to the knights’ loud greetings.
After finishing her morning classes and returning to her room, she found two letters waiting.
One was from the merchant group, reporting that the business was going well.
They had also looked into the mastermind at her request, but hadn’t found any trace.
‘If it really is Regan, it’s no wonder nothing turned up.’
She wrote back, asking them to continue the investigation.
The other letter was—
“The Third Prince?”
The envelope was so thick it seemed like he’d written a whole book.
She didn’t particularly want to open it.
But she couldn’t ignore it either, so she cautiously broke the seal.
‘Hi, Lady. Are you doing well?’
It began with a typical greeting, then briefly recapped what he’d been up to since leaving for the East.
‘I’m fighting monsters out here and learning magic at the same time. Maybe because it’s all real combat—or because if I don’t kill them, I die—I’ve been improving fast. One of them I thought was dead suddenly jumped back up, and I thought I was done for. But I survived. You told me to come back alive, so I have to.’
He was probably going through hell, but his tone was cheerful.
‘Oh, and I met this old guy who runs the eastern Magic Tower. He says he wants to take me on as a disciple. Seems like the Empress hasn’t made a move yet. Maybe she thinks I’ll die on my own. Or maybe she’s too busy fighting the Second Prince to bother with me. Either way, it works in my favor.’
Then followed several casual details about his life in the East.
‘Oh, and I found something.’
Something fell out of the envelope.
A ginseng root, still covered in dirt. Just one look and she could tell—it was big, fresh, and probably over 100 years old.
‘I came across it by chance, but they say it’s really good for the body, right? Thought you could use it. Eat it and enjoy.’
She was speechless.
It was an incredibly rare treasure—priceless, really. It would boost her vitality and even slightly enhance her magical power.
And he had just… stuffed it in a letter and sent it.
‘Well, this is the guy who once sent me land deeds in a letter…’
A terrible thought crossed her mind.
‘Wait… did he send this because I haven’t replied yet?’
Knowing him, it wasn’t far-fetched.
Instead of saving it for himself to survive monster-infested territory, he sent it to her.
Still, she was touched by the sentiment.
She quickly ate the ginseng before anyone could see.
A cool sensation swept through her body, and she felt her mana grow just a bit.
Then she took out a fresh sheet of stationery and began to write her reply.
‘I received it well. But please, Your Highness, take care of your own health first…’
After writing a long reply to Saren, she stepped out of her room.
Something felt unusually lively in the estate.
“What’s going on?”
She asked Mary, who responded with a beaming smile.
“Oh, miss! The Countess of Fremeng is here! She’s been recovering down south, but now she’s finally returned. His Grace said you should come too.”
The Countess of Fremeng was the Duke’s cousin.
Her family had been wiped out by monsters. To the Duke—whose own sister had also died—she was one of his few remaining blood relatives.
He had given her a house for free, helped her restart her business, and even named her son.
When she entered the Duke’s office, she saw him sitting with a woman of striking appearance—and a boy.
“Oh, brother. Is that the girl you adopted?”
“Yes.”
She quietly went to sit beside the Duke.
“Hello, Ariel. Just call me Aunt. And this is my son, Wizen. He’s two years older than you, so call him ‘oppa.’”
“Hi.”
Wizen held out his hand to greet her.
“Hello.”
She bowed politely.
The Countess clapped and laughed.
“Oh my, what a shy little thing. That must make you worry, brother.”
“She’s not really that shy. She speaks her mind when she needs to.”
The Duke’s face noticeably softened. He really did seem fond of the Countess.
“Well, it’s better to be calm. My Wizen is so energetic, he’s always dragging other kids into mischief. At least I won’t have to worry about Ariel like that.”
Though she said “worry,” her expression was full of pride—practically shouting “my son is such a bold leader!”
“Ariel causes plenty of trouble too. Even when we tell her to stay back, she charges at monsters on her own. Said she didn’t want others to get hurt. Luckily she caught it. Could’ve been bad.”
The Duke countered with “our Ariel is brave and skilled enough to take down monsters alone, and kind enough to protect others.”
The Countess’s smile twitched.
She clearly hadn’t expected him to speak so fondly, like a doting father.
The Countess of Fremeng sipped her tea nervously.
While recovering, she’d heard rumors that the Duke had taken in an heir.
She had dismissed it as a whim.
She knew her brother—he was erratic, and had even once joked with her about adopting a random child or marrying a woman who already had one.
‘The Senate Chair is power-hungry. He’ll get rid of her soon enough.’
But the Senate Chair had died. And Ariel had stayed with the Duke for nearly a year.
They’d even thrown a party when she won a swordsmanship competition recently.
As if he really cherished the girl.
‘No way. He told me himself he didn’t care if she lived or died.’
She had always believed she was his closest family.
If he died without an heir, all his title and wealth would go to her son, Wizen.
‘And now that girl just appears out of nowhere…’
She glanced at Ariel.
Her posture was perfect and polite, but she lacked the charm of a child.
Kids should smile more.
She wasn’t acting cute at all.
Was she just showing her roots—someone raised without proper refinement, stuffing her face with sweets?
And yet the Duke, smiling fondly, kept pushing more snacks toward her.
Then Wizen spoke.
“Uncle, can I go play with her outside?”
Technically, the Duke wasn’t Wizen’s uncle, but he allowed the title, which showed how fond he was of the boy and his mother.
“Sure. It’s better for kids to play together.”
As soon as permission was given, Wizen took Ariel’s hand and led her out.
Once they were gone, the Countess turned to the Duke.
“Brother… are you really going to make her your heir?”
“I brought her here to be my heir. And she already is.”
“But she’s so timid. Wouldn’t that make it hard for her to run the duchy? And being a girl, she’ll be physically weaker as she grows…”
Clink.
The sound of the Duke setting his teacup down made her flinch.
