Chapter 11
Apart from this, Gerald was extremely friendly to Ezet.
"At the Four Seasons Tower, we are already ready to start the major construction work. Thanks to the great achievements of the 8th Prince, there's no longer any fear of the gates being destroyed, so we'll work hard to restore and reorganize all the gates that have collapsed!"
"Then, the price of the hydrological stone will fluctuate."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The stone was immersed in the core of a monster. This stone was absolutely necessary to install the gate.
But most people couldn't hold this stone with their bare hands. Only those of fair-blood lineage could hold the stone without trouble.
"The Akir Imperial Palace's gates aren't broken thanks to the founder's great protective magic, but the gates of the capital are different. There's no place that's okay."
"All blocked roads will be cleared."
The emperor looked satisfied.
Only after several realistic discussions about how enthusiastic the Four Seasons Tower was, Gerald left the audience with the deputy finance minister.
In addition, the emperor, who had dismissed the nobles that were standing with him, opened his mouth.
"The Four Seasons Tower—I've never seen such a stiff bunch of people so excited. Ezet Asperk."
"Thank you very much, grandfather."
"I understand why the Duke of Concel is so anxious to see you."
"It's probably just a temporary interest."
"You're too humble."
The emperor sighed and stroked his chin.
"Yes, Concel's progenitor—he sent the fair blood to the Northern stone estate?"
(TL/N: When Diarin is described as a progenitor it means that she is a descendant of the Concel lineage, but not a direct descendant.)
"Yes."
"The power of Concel cannot be easily ignored."
As the Emperor said, the Dukes of Concel were a very old family.
Since it was a family known to have existed before the establishment of the Akir Empire, it must have been well over a thousand years.
Later, it is said that after Akir's progenitor summoned the winged divine beasts, Concel became subjects of the Empire. Naturally, the power and wealth that Concel had accumulated through his mistresses were great.
A few years ago, after his successor—his son—was killed in an accident, the Duke of Concel was temporarily absent, but that's all. Anyway, a persistent person doesn't easily disappear.
"Even though it's not easy, that doesn't mean you can't get over it. The Duke of Kelstudor has shown a lot of interest in you. Kelstudor's daughter is a good fit."
The emperor's heart was fifty-fifty. You don't need to pretend to align with Concel, so you'll either treat the engagement the same or take the many profits that Kelstudor has shaken and exercise the power of the Imperial Akir over the Duke of Concel.
Either way was fine.
"What are you going to do? I'll give you a choice."
"I'm fine, grandfather."
"Hmm? But that woman…"
"Miss Diarin Concel."
Ezet opened his mouth.
"Even though she is a progenitor, her guardian is the Duke of Concel and he is also the imprintee of the Black Swan. There is always a shortage of imprints in the Northern Stone Territory. Please reconsider, Grandfather."
He was emotionless, but what he said was true.
"Like you said, imprinters are valuable talents."
Especially if you're an imprintee in the floodgate. The mana emitted by the creatures gives humans instinctive anxiety. However, when imprints are nearby, such anxiety is significantly alleviated.
So the lords of all regions wanted to bring their imprints to their estates. One more person—it was like a kind of welfare.
Furthermore, the Northwestern Estate was far away, so there were not enough imprints there.
"Okay, that's not a bad reason, Ezet Asperk."
It's not like you're in a hurry to get married to Kelstudor right now.
The emperor brushed his beard as if convinced.
'Cold.'
Diarin shivered her shoulders.
'It's ridiculous that this is normal late autumn weather.'
Of course, it seemed that Diarin was the only one who was cold. People from the north were prosperous.
"It's a little chilly for autumn today!"
"Oh my god! You should just wear a coat!"
"But if autumn is cold, winter is warm."
'... Is that true?'
Thinking that it would be better, Diarin pulled off her cape. The lining of the cape was quilted with sheepskin and satin, but it was insufficient to properly block the northern cold.
Even though they hadn't arrived at the Northern Gate territory yet, it was already like this.
'But this is all I could buy in the capital.'
Akir's founder was able to maintain the great empire despite his illness, thanks to his powerful magic.
Many magical relics remain in the Empire's Imperial Palace. Each of them would be designated as national treasures in other kingdoms, but such things were said to overflow in the Akir imperial family.
In particular, some magical relics were said to keep the weather in the capital always mild and warm.
So spring, summer, warm autumn, and cozy winter came to the capital. They were truly blessed seasons, perfect times to enjoy a splendid social life.
Thanks to this, it was difficult to buy thicker clothes in the capital.
This coat was, of course, in stock. But Diarin was lucky to get a cape this size right away.
As she trembled, Diarin looked around.
It was noisy. The merchants and mercenaries were busy checking their luggage and headcounts. Among them were no coachmen or Limoud. They had taken a short break to buy a new horse and carriage.
Diarin broke the door of the carriage that Ezet had prepared.
Tattered.
Diarin didn't say a word, but everyone who saw the carriage said, "What? They can be so vulgar and violent! The power of monsters is truly beyond imagination!" They even shuddered.
At the top, they rented a carriage. They willingly lent it, but Limoud protested uncharacteristically. He strongly argued that the cheap carriage wouldn't protect them from the cold.
'You don't look cold at all.'
Both Limoud and the horseman were from the Northern Territory. The only person who felt the cold was Diarin, a native of the South.
'That's weird.'
Limoud suddenly seemed to be considerate of her.
Why?
'Is it because you can kill me?'
(TL/N: Referring back to Chapter 7, where Diarin's pledge stated to kill her if the engagement isn't broken like she promised.)
However, that's similar to Diarin's claim that she has nothing to do with Concel's dark heart, so it can't be that.
Excluding the most difficult point, Diarin was Ezet's fiancée. It was natural to be respected by his subordinate.
Diarin, convinced by her own reasoning, clasped her hands. If it got colder than this, wouldn't frost form on her fingertips? When Diarin first went to the Northwestern estate, she suffered from a severe flu.
Tuck.
Suddenly, her body felt warm and heavy from behind. Diarin looked back in surprise.
"Sir Limoud? What is it?"
Before she knew it, there was a thick fur cloak over her shoulders.
"I was lucky enough to find a quality fur cloak for sale. You should be fine if you wear something like this. The design is a bit rough because knights wear it, but please bear with it. I will bring you a luxurious cloak as soon as we arrive at the castle."
"Uh..., yes. Thank you for caring."
Limoud scratched his cheek slightly. Diarin admired how quickly her body warmed up.
"Wow, it's so warm."
She only wore a brown fur cloak, but the heat slowly seeped in. Limoud opened his mouth cautiously as Diarin fastened her brown fur cloak as if holding a lifeline.
"Young lady."
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
"My body? I'm fine. It's a little cold, though."
"... Are you just dealing with the cold?"
What does that mean?
Diarin looked at Limoud with a confused expression.
"You mean if I'm hungry?"
"Yes, well...."
"It's okay. I'm not sleepy either. If you're hungry, go ahead and eat."
A plain answer.
Limoud hesitated a bit, contrary to his brown bear-like impression.
He had no choice.
Young lady, did you not vomit blood?
I guess I should ask this.
Of course, he knew. He couldn't have asked such a question in the first place.
Judging from the fact that she didn't tell him first, she must have been hiding it. They weren't even close. Such a brutal relationship where it's okay to kill her if she doesn't keep her promise…
Meanwhile, he was asking about her physical condition?
'That's terrible.'
That was a really great excuse. Eventually, Limoud coughed.
"In two days, we will arrive at the Northwestern estate, my lady."
"Really?"
"Yes. It might be shorter because the coachman is good."
Diarin recalled a large castle in her memory—North Gate Castle. A castle built on stones shimmering in silver gray. From the outside, it was a beautiful building.
The outer walls were made of evenly stacked white stones, the roof painted in dark blue, and the round tower with elegant curved window frames.
'…And the inside.'
Diarin's room was warm with many stoves and braziers, but as soon as she stepped out the door, the cold slapped her on the cheek.
Even at noon in the hallway, breaths were visible. She had to hang thick tapestries on the walls to block the cold, but there wasn't enough budget to wrap the large castle.
And the windows too.
There was more broken glass than unbroken. The sound of the wind beating against the broken windows gave her goosebumps. Any other danger was a bonus. So, if possible, the broken glass was removed and the windows were covered with cloth and wood.
Diarin thought about the price of the dress and gold accessories she had stolen from Concel. Where was the best place to sell them? It might have fetched a better price selling directly to a merchant rather than a workshop or a pawn salon.
'How do I decorate?'