HSFCWH 61

Chapter 61 

He had no intention of revealing the ruins for free.

Once the inspection was done, he planned to make a grand announcement about discovering the Hero’s Ruins and charge admission.

“It’ll be easier to manipulate a young upstart than the Tower Lord.”

With a smooth smile, Elliott extended his hand.

“Thank you for the welcome. I’ll just set up the garden quickly and be on my way.”

Contrary to his inner thoughts, Raven’s remark — that it would be best for both sides — made the Duke and Duchess twitch at the corners of their mouths.

In their eyes, as they exchanged glances, was a scheming glint — wondering how to best make use of the high-class worker sent by the Tower Lord.

Providing top-tier labor at a cheap price? There was no reason to refuse.

“We’d be grateful for any help. Please make yourself comfortable while you’re here.”

A satisfied smile once again flickered across Elliott’s lips.

“They’re clearly up to something.”

Raven raised his eyebrows slightly as he noticed the gleam in the Duke and Duchess’s eyes when they looked at him.

He wasn’t surprised about the Duke, but Evelyn’s reaction caught him off guard — or rather, it shouldn’t have.

Evelyn was always the type to use what she needed without hesitation. Having not seen her in a while, Raven almost romanticized his memories of his friend.

“So, what do we start with?”

“The garden, I suppose?”

At his curt question, Evelyn tilted her head and replied.

“What, you really didn’t do anything?”

Raven burst into laughter at the idea that they hadn’t even tilled the land yet.

“It’s not quite that bad. Let’s head inside and finish the discussion.”

Elliott led the two of them into the mansion.

Meanwhile, in the bath…

“Are you really that happy that Raven came?”

Tinya asked with a smile while assisting Evelyn in her bath.

She had been so eager to build a garden — but in the end, it seemed she was just happy her friend had come to the north.

“Well, I can’t just use him for the garden. Might as well repair the servants’ quarters and fix the old magic circles in the ducal castle too.”

“Do you think he’ll do it willingly?”

Tinya stifled a laugh at Evelyn’s blatant scheming. It felt like the ducal castle would be in chaos thanks to the two of them.

“There are ways.”

With a solid bait in hand, Evelyn was brimming with confidence.

At that moment, Raven was sitting alone in the parlor, waiting for Evelyn.

Knock knock.

“The Duke is here.”

Lifting his head at the knock, he saw Elliott enter — already ready.

“Evelyn says she’ll take a bit longer.”

“I’m used to waiting.”

Raven replied indifferently and studied the Duke. So this was the man who snagged Evelyn because she was a Hero?

Last time, Evelyn had been too focused on being a Hero to even consider marriage.

Realistically, there was no reason for the northern Duke to propose to someone living in the capital — unless she was a Hero.

“You don’t love Evelyn, do you?”

“……”

As expected, he didn’t answer. That silence confirmed for Raven that this wasn’t a marriage born of love.

A smile curled on Raven’s lips.

“You were the first to claim the Hero. Impressive.”

Elliott flinched slightly at the implication that the magician knew the truth.

Knowing he was Evelyn’s only friend, it made sense she would’ve confided in him.

And according to the Tower Lord, Raven was a genius. Elliott quietly suppressed the irritation rising within him.

“Taking something valuable first is a right of the one who discovers it.”

Elliott was proud. The Graham Ducal House had long protected the Empire due to their lineage as descendants of Heroes.

Securing the new Hero to maintain peace was only natural.

Besides, she had asked for his help — so what did it matter? But the magician’s oddly pleased expression was grating.

“Will you divorce her after defeating the Evil God?”

“And why would you ask that?”

“Because I plan to marry her then.”

Marry her? Ha.

Elliott chuckled softly.

“Marry who?”

“Evelyn. She may be married now out of necessity, but once the Evil God is gone, there’s no need for it.”

Raven sounded completely sincere. Elliott was momentarily speechless.

“If that’s what she wants, then yes.”

He had no choice but to say it would only happen if Evelyn wanted it — like it wasn’t his decision.

“Then there’s no need to worry.”

Raven’s response made it clear he believed the divorce was a given.

“Why do you think our divorce is inevitable?”

“Because Evelyn promised to marry me if I still hadn’t found someone by then.”

“What does your lack of marriage have to do with her?”

Elliott’s brows furrowed at the shameless answer.

“Aren’t you too old to believe in those kinds of promises between friends?”

“She always keeps her word.”

Raven smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, and Elliott clenched his fists.

He had only just stopped being annoyed over Evelyn being trapped for months in the Hero’s Ruins — and now this irritating magician appeared.

He wanted to get rid of him immediately for dragging out some childish promise.

“We’ll see about that—”

Bang!

Before Elliott could finish puffing up his pride, Evelyn burst into the room.

“Raven! Oh, Elliott, you’re here too?”

She had rushed over to put Raven to work but paused when she saw the two of them facing off.

Why’s the air so tense?

Wait… don’t tell me—

“No matter what you’re imagining, it’s not that.”

Raven shook his head quickly at Evelyn’s narrowing, suspicious eyes.

“You think I’d sneak around with the Duke? That’s disgusting.”

“What’s so disgusting about me?”

As Raven recoiled, Elliott chuckled.

“What were you two talking about?”

“We were discussing how to restore the garden.”

Elliott answered smoothly, giving Raven a side glance — which Raven ignored.

“I heard it needs to be completely redone. They say the grounds haven’t been maintained since you took over.”

“That’s right. Even the magic circle hasn’t been activated, so not a single plant has survived.”

According to the last remaining gardener, the ground was so frozen solid they’d need to start by thawing it.

“Do you have seeds to plant?”

“Yes. I already bought everything.”

Since they’d have to tear up the soil to fix the magic circles anyway, Evelyn had bought all new plants.

“We’ll fix the magic circle and rebuild the layout from scratch.”

The current design was based on the former Duchess’s tastes — it needed a full makeover.

“I’m not planning to use plants that require excessive magestone. I’ll use hardy species from the north or east where the climate’s colder.”

Evelyn’s comment made Elliott’s brow twitch.

“Is there a reason to conserve magestone?”

“If war breaks out, we don’t know how it’ll be used. It’s best to save what we can.”

Since the north both produced the most magestone and would likely be the first battleground, Evelyn wanted to conserve resources.

“I’m also planning to reduce magestone exports soon — I can’t afford to waste it. Besides, I already bought the plants.”

She intended to design a practical garden using cheap plants that wouldn’t be a loss if monsters trampled them.

Rather than flashy, she aimed for a neat, tidy aesthetic — something that didn’t require extravagant spending.

“There’s more than enough magestone to cover the garden.”

Elliott shook his head.

Preparing for war was fine — but clearing Evelyn’s “cursed” reputation came first.

They would soon be inviting nobles to visit. They couldn’t afford to look lacking.

He had promised to protect her by marrying her — and didn’t want to see her worrying over such small things.

“It’s fine. Do as you wish. Just remember our purpose.”

“You heard him? I’ll maximize mana efficiency. If I build a magic circle that makes one magestone last a long time, that’s good enough, right?”

Raven chimed in, unwilling to be outdone by Elliott.

“The ducal house isn’t lacking in garden funds, is it?”

“Of course not. I always allocate more than enough for the lady of the house.”

Elliott nodded at Raven’s question.

“So, don’t worry about magestone or budget. Just make the garden however you want.”

“But bright, flashy flowers don’t suit the ducal castle.”

“……”

The castle was made of massive stone to withstand the harsh cold year-round. This time, even Elliott was at a loss for words.