I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“What about the money left over after buying those cheap goods?”

I puffed out my cheeks and swallowed dramatically.

“Gulp?”

At some point, the tension drained from the hand he had wrapped around his sword sheath.

Watching that reaction—which was practically a confession in itself—I smiled.

When I toured the village earlier, there were barely any residents left. So the amount of supplies he needed to procure couldn’t have been that large.

Which meant that if he had been trying to embezzle something, he probably hadn’t been aiming for the relatively small amount spent on the goods themselves.

More likely, he had something planned involving the Crystal Portal Passes, each worth roughly half a year’s budget for a small territory.

And the money he skimmed off was probably used for……

Hmm.

I could more or less guess.

Strictly speaking, maybe it wasn’t even embezzlement.

I definitely can’t let you go, Sir Luden!

I threw both arms around his arm.

“What do you think?”

“……”

“If you form an alliance with me, then I’ll keep your secret, of course. And I think I can also help you properly deal with those ‘things’ you secretly bought……”

Behind his glasses, his gaze shook violently.

“Be on my side!”

He already looked halfway convinced.

But just in case—

cling, cling, cling!

“Pleeeease, Sir Ludeeeeen!”

After that, everything moved quickly.

“What I want is super simple! Give me a ride on your horse to the northern mountain! And send one letter by messenger bird!”

“Hah. You really think I’m just going to obediently—”

Of course, forming an alliance with a little kid like me seemed to wound his pride a little……

“……Then should I leave?”

“I-I’m not just going to obediently—”

“I’m going to His Grace now, okay? Look, I took one step. Huh? I’m taking another one? Hyup—”

“Ahem! Our alliance agreement was so loud that I couldn’t hear what you were saying!”

So naturally, through a threatening method—

Hmm?

No.

Through a peaceful and cooperative method, we resolved everything!

I enthusiastically shook Sir Luden’s hand. Somehow, he looked as though he had lost all fighting spirit.

And that was how our alliance was sealed.

And how we ended up at the northern mountain.

At the guard post just below the slope where the Mad Dragon’s corpse lay.

“You’re really saying…… the thing you lost is somewhere near this post?”

“Yes! Butler Camilla brought me here this morning! Um, she said this was the best place to view the scenery of the North!”

“……Was she trying to scare you into leaving……? Anyway, find it quickly! Once the sun fully sets, monsters may appear.”

“Yes, sir!”

I gave him a vague answer while waiting for a chance to shake him off.

Then, when he briefly stepped away to inspect the monster traps—

I successfully approached the area containing the Mad Dragon.

More precisely, I reached one of the pillars surrounding the corpse.

But even from there, the silhouette of the gigantic fallen dragon was clearly visible in the distance.

My first impression upon seeing the Mad Dragon was……

“Super black! Super huge! Super ominous!”

The corpse was nothing more than an enormous, grotesque mass radiating an incredibly sinister presence.

Maybe that was why—

the white pillars surrounding it looked even more beautiful and majestic.

“Wow……”

I bounced up and down.

“Dad’s traces!”

Six sealing pillars surrounded the enormous corpse.

Chains much thicker than my entire torso extended from each one.

A total of six massive chains wrapped around different parts of the Mad Dragon’s corpse and bound the evil energy leaking from it to the pillars.

In other words, if one pillar breaks? One-sixth of the Mad Dragon’s magical power comes bursting out.

The North had been under the Mad Dragon’s influence for the past five hundred years.

During that time, it had apparently displayed its dominance by spreading its immense magical power through the earth.

Books called those pathways “dragon veins.”

In other words, beneath the land of the North existed special channels through which the Mad Dragon’s power flowed.

Like a spiderweb, they spread densely in every direction.

Through those veins, the dragon had warmed the North, raised its monster armies nice and strong, occasionally produced offspring, and spread curses and poisons.

Then, shortly before Basil killed it—

ROAAAAAR! I curse you, human!

The dragon had truly gone mad and used the dragon veins to spread poisonous energy throughout the entire North.

That’s the true identity of the contamination still lingering all over the territory.

On top of that, the Mad Dragon itself became a contaminated body that constantly emitted evil energy.

Basically, it had cursed the land with—

If I’m dying, then all of you can die too!

It had been a disaster in the truest sense.

And Dad’s pillars were what had stopped it.

Normally, purifying contamination is the work of high-ranking priests, not ordinary holy knights……

But for some reason, the Temple and the imperial family had refused to send any priests.

In the end, Dad, who happened to be nearby, had to step in.

There hadn’t been enough time for proper purification, so he chose sealing instead.

Honestly, sealing all of this by himself in a single night was already incredible.

It must have been even harder with his divine power already corrupted……

My eyebrows drooped.

And immediately afterward, the Emperor appointed mercenary Basil as Grand Duke of the North…… and dumped him straight into the contaminated land of Vertus.

It was practically nothing more than an imperial scheme to isolate Basil.

But because they didn’t want people accusing them of being heartless, they sent over a tiny number of trainee priests.

Just enough to purify Bethel Village and a few roads so everyone could barely survive for a few years.

“Haaah!”

Adults!

That was when the long winter of Vertus began.

With all of the Mad Dragon’s scorching magical power flowing through the dragon veins sealed away, it was inevitable.

Anyway—

that was all the information I remembered from my previous life!

I don’t remember all ninety-nine lives, but I remember important things like this pretty well!

It was the result of combining what I had read in books with stories from Dad, the estate servants, and Grandfather.

“Still~ it’s a good thiiing~”

I set my bread-filled bag beneath a tree and began rolling up my sleeves.

“Because I’m a child who can earn divine poweeer~”

[Haniel’s Sticker Book (For Children)]

Divine Power Stickers in Storage: 16

Time to purify!

I would purify the corpse, remove the evil energy, and extract only the hot magical power!

But…… are sixteen stickers enough?

I tilted my head back and stared up at the enormous corpse.

Before coming here, I had actually had the grand ambition of purifying the entire Mad Dragon corpse.

Afterward, I planned to draw its blood or cut the corpse into pieces and scatter them throughout the North, allowing the heat-infused magical power to spread across the entire territory.

“But……”

Yeah.

That was clearly impossible.

I stared at the unimaginably huge corpse, then lowered my eyes to my own hands.

Tiny.

Insignificant.

Hands that had never been able to do anything.

“No.”

It wasn’t about whether I could.

I had to.

For Dad!

I decided I’d live here and earn lots and lots of divine power!

I snorted with determination and marched forward.

“I’m going to be useful too!”

Haniel, who had tormented Dad across the previous ninety-nine lives, had been useless and bad.

I didn’t need that Haniel anymore.

In this life, I would never become someone’s burden or obstacle.

I had decided to become a capable person who could solve difficult things all by herself!

“Okay.”

If purifying everything at once was impossible, then I could do it little by little.

The Mad Dragon’s power had already been divided into six parts by the six pillars.

Maybe that was actually convenient.

Because if it’s just one pillar, I think I can manage it with my own strength!

First—

pillar number one!

Step, step, step.

I walked forward and stretched a hand into the air.

Pop!

White letters immediately burst into view.

Basil raised his head.

“Camilla.”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t it feel……”

His brow furrowed.

“……too quiet?”

“It’s always excessively quiet here.”

Camilla looked at the Grand Duke as though it were no big deal.

Basil, who had been talking with her about Luden, tapped his index finger against the table.

Luden at the warehouse, acting strangely.

The southern goods he had procured.

Warehouse……

Luden……

Food……

Bread……

The brat.

“That brat.”

Basil abruptly stood up.

“What is the brat doing right now?”

His blood-red eyes widened.

[If you would like to use multiple stickers at once, try the [Fusion] function!]

“Hm?”

There’s a function like that?

I answered, “Yeees!”

With a burst of bright light, a single enormous thumbs-up sticker dropped into my hands.

[Sticker condensed with divine power from the Divine Realm (x16)]

• Big. Cute. Size M.

• Easy to attach, but highly noticeable!

• Press the corners down firmly so it doesn’t peel off.

• (Sticker shape is random!)

“Awesome!”

I drew in one big breath—

then slapped the giant sticker onto my stomach.

Chap!

It was a little too large for my forehead or the back of my hand.

Saaaaaaaah—!

Wow.

Maybe because sixteen stickers had been compressed into one, a wave of pure divine power surged through my body all at once.

But the divine power couldn’t settle anywhere inside me.

Instead, it was pushed back out.

Pop!

[Haniel, Slightly Flowing with Divine Power (x16)]

• Divine power flows around your body for a limited time. (15:00)

• The halo effect makes you look slightly more omnipotent for some reason.

• Purification strength can be adjusted.

• Contamination, move aside!

[Bonus] Sticker effect increases cuteness by 20%. (Children only.)

I blinked blankly.

This actually works!

When I had been kidnapped by that bird monster at the northern gate—

I had stuck a Divine Power Sticker on my forehead to escape.

“Save me! Please save me!”

“SKREEEEEE—!”

At the time, I had done it without thinking……

but because of that, I learned something.

If I attached a Divine Power Sticker to myself, I could temporarily wear divine power around my body like clothing!

And if I can wear it……

Purification strength can be adjusted.

Then I can control the divine power’s purification ability however I want! Just like priests do!

Of course, there was a time limit.

But fifteen minutes was more than enough.

“Great!”

All I had to do now was approach the pillar and pour divine power into it!

I marched forward like a victorious hero—

Hmm?

“Huh?”

Was it my imagination?

Why did it feel like my feet hadn’t been moving forward for a while?

Ah, don’t tell me Sir Luden already caught me?

No!

“S-Sir Luden? Please let me go.”

My body slowly rose into the air.

I flailed my arms and legs.

“I’m a little busy right now, so—hey, Sir Ludeeen……”

Unable to take it anymore, I twisted my head sharply backward.

And met—

red eyes.

The fierce eyes suddenly widened.

“You know something?”

At the low voice, every tiny hair on my body stood upright.

“W-what?”

“When kids suddenly go quiet, there’s a one-hundred-percent chance they’re getting into trouble.”

“U-unfortunately, I’ve never raised a child before, so……”

“Yeah. Neither had I.”

My body lifted higher.

Then—

Thump.

I landed directly against a thick arm.

“But I learned that today.”