Chapter 74
“It’s not there—this should be the place.”
“What? Not this house?”
When Shan pointed at the neighboring house, Lucy double-checked the address, then turned her head in the direction he indicated.
There stood a small, old, shabby-looking home.
As they opened the door and went inside, Bruno greeted them with a bright face.
“I was shocked when I heard you suddenly quit the Royal Academy.”
As soon as the greetings were over, Lucy asked about his recent activities. She was eager to hear about the new fabric materials.
“I sent you several letters, but there was never a reply. So once my resignation was approved, I moved here.”
“I was away on vacation for a bit. But why did you choose to set up your lab in Magnus? You could’ve come to the Duchy of Cretine where I live.”
“I would have liked that, but it’s much easier to get research materials here.”
Indeed, the capital was the best place for sourcing supplies. Thinking of it that way, this was certainly the most convenient place for Bruno to focus on his research.
“Ah! Here’s a report of what I’ve been working on lately. I wasn’t sure if any of it might interest you.”
Bruno’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he handed Lucy a thick report.
From the very first page, the report was filled with incomprehensible lists.
Among them were things Lucy had already seen through the information guild.
“A ship that flies with power, a cucumber–strawberry hybrid, an ostrich-language translator…”
As Lucy skimmed through the list, her eyes stopped at the word “hybrid.”
“So this is the breakthrough he achieved before beginning his research on the Grain of the Gods! But… cucumber and strawberry…?”
She couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would taste like.
No wonder people called him eccentric. She could only marvel at his unique imagination.
“Ostrich translator… Why would anyone even need something like this?”
Shan, who had been glancing at the report Lucy held, finally gave in to his curiosity and whispered the question to her.
“Good question… I’m wondering that too.”
Of all animals, why ostriches? As if sensing her curiosity, Bruno explained.
“Oh, that one? It was a commission, but apparently it isn’t needed anymore. The owner said he and his pet ostrich could understand each other just by eye contact now.”
Lucy’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“Even the people who commission Bruno are eccentrics.”
“I was so close to finishing it too. It’s a shame, really. Especially since the client was a really big shot—I wanted to succeed at least once for him.”
Bruno slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
“A big shot? Who in the world was it?”
“They said he runs the biggest information guild on the continent. Though calling it an information guild is misleading—it seems they’ll do anything if you pay enough.”
“Really? Whoever it is, I’d like to meet them someday.”
If what Bruno said was true, Lucy felt she definitely had to meet that person at some point.
“I’ll have to look into him later. If I can build a connection, he could be of great help to me.”
Lucy’s golden eyes glinted sharply, like a predator spotting prey.
“It was a long journey, but it was definitely worth meeting Bruno in person!”
Lucy’s steps were light with satisfaction as she headed back from her vacation.
The new fabric material, her original goal, seemed to her as good as complete.
Bruno insisted it needed more research, but Lucy was already thrilled at the thought of what she would create with it first.
But the real gain from this trip was something else entirely—
The research on the Grain of the Gods had already entered the success phase.
Lucy had even obtained seedling samples he had grown so she could try cultivating them herself.
“You look pleased.”
Shan remarked as he watched Lucy, who couldn’t stop smiling.
“Yes, I’m so happy! Things are going so smoothly it almost makes me nervous.”
Lucy beamed.
Even the walk to rent horses for their trip to the harbor felt effortless.
As Lucy was crossing the main road, passing the opera house, she heard commotion near the entrance and turned her head absentmindedly.
Armed knights were surrounding someone as they escorted them out of the theater.
“Quite the spectacle. Must be some high noble.”
Lucy stepped aside to let them pass.
“Just how important must they be to block off the streets like this…”
Curious, she narrowed her eyes to see the person being escorted—and her eyes widened.
The ones stepping out of the opera house under the knights’ protection were people she knew very well.
“Edwin!”
And the woman smiling radiantly by his side was Joanna.
Lucy froze, glaring at Edwin, forgetting for a moment that they might notice her.
“Someone you know?” Shan asked quietly, sensing her sudden foul mood.
“Know them? Oh, I know them very well.”
They were the protagonists of this world. The very ones who, according to the story, would someday put her on the execution platform.
Lucy ground her teeth unconsciously, standing rooted until they disappeared from sight.
Shan suddenly recalled the day Lucy had drunkenly cried, begging him to make a contract with her.
“If they’re under the protection of the Imperial Knights, then they must be royals. I remember thinking she seemed to have some complicated circumstances…”
He guessed her secret troubles had to do with them, but chose not to pry.
After seeing Edwin and Joanna’s blissful faces, Lucy grew quiet for a while. Shan, sensing her simmering rage, didn’t bother her with small talk.
She couldn’t sleep from the anger, nor feel the weariness of camping.
Her fury lasted until they reached the Rayford estate—but it only became fuel that drove her to grow stronger.
The moment she returned, she met with Lucas to seriously discuss how to process the new fabric material.
And in one corner of the Rayford estate’s garden, she planted the Grain of the Gods seedlings.
Crops that could be harvested three times a year.
But the real reason Lucy longed for them was this:
They could easily take root and flourish even in barren soil.
Day and night, Lucy visited the small field, observing and recording the growth of the Grain of the Gods.
When the first harvest was drawing near, the Earl of Rayford summoned her to his study.
“You want me… to serve as acting Count?”
Lucy blinked, not fully grasping his words.
“Yes. I believe you are ready. I’ve thought of this from the start—that when I found you, I would pass the headship of our family to you.”
“That’s impossible! Head of the house? But Harry—Harry’s already the rightful heir! You can’t ask me to act as Count. I can’t do it!”
Lucy shook her head vehemently.
“I’ve already spoken with Harry. From the beginning, all of this should have been yours. I’m merely restoring what’s rightfully yours.”
The Count’s decision was firm.
Lucy couldn’t understand the situation at all—she was only overwhelmed with confusion.
“…Then please… give me some time to think.”
Since returning from Urth village with Lucy, Lucas had been increasingly uneasy.
First, it was the mercenary of unknown origins. Now, it was the rough, delinquent-looking man constantly by her side.
“His name was Dino, wasn’t it?”
