I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 21

Chapter 21

They had gathered their courage and come all this way, but now that they were actually standing before the Grand Duke, they couldn’t help trembling.

A Level-0 Dangerous Individual designated by the Temple.

The sword demon who had slain the Mad Dragon.

The Grand Duke of the North, living in seclusion on contaminated land.

His history alone was terrifying enough.

But Basil himself……

simply gave off an extraordinary aura.

Pitch-black hair.

Red eyes like pools of blood.

A strikingly handsome face carved in strong, clean lines.

And that characteristic sharp yet languid expression.

Wow, just look at those thick arm muscles……

Clearly the kind of muscles developed by beating things up whenever his temper got the better of him.

Terrifying.

Absolutely terrifying.

“Yes! Of course you can live here!”

……Except for the child sitting on his shoulder.

“There are thirty houses here! And the land is suuuuper huge! Congratulations, everyone! You’ve won the first-come, first-served housing lottery~! Applause!”

“So she says.”

The Grand Duke spoke in a low voice.

“Applause.”

Clap, clap, clap.

“……?”

The people were a little confused.

Is he…… being controlled?

The suddenly approachable Grand Duke smiled generously.

“Welcome, everyone. Since you’re the first settlers, make sure you work your asses off from now on.”

Come to think of it, he was holding an enormous shovel in his other hand.

At his waist were the hoe he had confiscated from Haniel and a pouch full of mushrooms.

Behind him stretched a wide expanse of cultivated land……

The newcomers blinked slowly.

The Grand Duke of the North I’d heard about……

Is this really him?

[Reputation Is My Strength! Greet Your New Neighbors (+16)! (8/16)]

[Reward: 50 Pure, Pollution-Free Divine Power Stickers]

We gained more residents!

Mister Paul, you’re the best! The best!

Four members of the newly returned Brad’s Team—

and twelve people who had migrated in from outside.

That was a huge gain.

Because land reclamation could finally move at a proper pace!

“Good grief, you don’t even have oxen yet? Then with this number of people, it’ll be most efficient to cultivate only up to that point this year. We’re not as strong as the knights!”

“Come on, everyone. Make whatever tools you know how to make and use them.”

“We should repair the abandoned houses.”

“Where are we drawing water from? There’s a stream over there! Hey! Let’s talk about this!”

All of them were seasoned wanderers who had done all kinds of work while moving from place to place.

Compared to me, who had mostly read books in bed in my previous life, or the Grand Duke and the other knights, who had spent their whole lives killing monsters—

they were on another level.

Clatter, clatter—

As the population grew, the village became noticeably livelier.

People reclaimed farmland, repaired houses whenever they had time, built fences, and fixed roads.

Mister Paul was overflowing with motivation too.

He picked out a decent little cottage, cleaned it thoroughly, and repaired the holes in the roof and walls.

Then he held out his hand and asked me to live with him.

I immediately took it.

Just like we had promised on the way north.

Adults said a six-year-old absolutely cannot live alone.

But……

Hmm.

In the end, I was still permanently stuck at the Grand Duke’s residence.

Because Mister Paul hadn’t just made friends outside……

apparently, he had also found himself a new lover.

“Mister Pauuuuuul! I’m he—”

Bang!

The instant I opened the door—

“Oh, Helen, darling. Aren’t you glad you followed me here?”

“Paaaul~”

Mwaaaaaah.

“Gasp!”

I saw something I was never meant to see.

“Ah! My eyes!”

“H-Hani!”

“Oh my goodness!”

“My six-year-old eyes!”

I scrubbed my eyes furiously at the well, only to be picked up by Grand Duke Basil again.

The tragedy occurred only six hours after I moved.

Anyway……

At this rate, we can plant barley in March!

It was currently the end of February.

Spring.

The North, now that its dragon vein had reopened, actually had four distinct seasons.

Spring comes a little earlier than in other places, while winter is short but harsh. Summer doesn’t get unbearably hot either.

In other words—

it had excellent farming weather.

Early spring in particular was a huge advantage.

We could sow seeds earlier than other territories.

And shortening the fallow period meant that, if we rotated the land properly, overall productivity would rise too!

I’m even more excited for next year!

Grinning, I opened my Sticker Book.

“Yap!”

[Haniel’s Sticker Book (For Children)]

Divine Power Stickers in Storage: 302

I collected so many!

It was the result of gathering mushrooms and faithfully completing everyday errands whenever I had time.

So this morning—

I pestered the Grand Duke until he took me back up to the mountainside where the Mad Dragon’s corpse lay.

[Your stored divine power has exceeded 300. The new Detection function has been unlocked!]

[Divine Power required for Detection: 1]

As the amount of divine power I possessed increased, I had gained the ability to calculate how much purification a contaminated area required.

I immediately stuck one Divine Power Sticker onto myself.

Then I stared at one of the sealing pillars.

[Massive Contamination Detected!]

[Location: Ahead]

[Calculating required purification amount…… Complete!]

[Required Divine Power: 1,000]

One thousand stickers? Hmm, that’s a lot, but…… that’s actually less than I expected!

I rubbed beneath my nose smugly.

At this rate, maybe I’ll just purify all the pillars with my incredible ability!

Then I looked at another pillar—

[Required Divine Power: 200,000]

[Required Divine Power: 66,666,666]

“Wha?”

My pride instantly became very humble.

I still couldn’t forget the strange look Grand Duke Basil had given me.

Anyway…… the other pillars are completely out of reach, but the one connected to the Veil River region is possible. It only needs 1,000 divine power!

The long river that cut cleanly through the North.

Right now, it was contaminated, with slabs of ice floating across its surface.

If we restore the river, another village could form along its banks.

Then we could expand into a new region.

And at the same time—

I’d probably get tons of new opportunities to earn divine power!

Oh, right. I also need to figure out how to send half of my divine power to Dad.

My eyes sparkled.

To make all of this go smoothly……

“I really need to become friends with them!”

The knights who returned today.

In other words—

the people from Brad’s Team!

I’ve been really looking forward to this!

Sir Brad!

I dashed off.

“Is this seriously…… real?”

Aisha muttered.

Felix looked equally entranced.

“How did it get this warm? Am I dreaming right now…… Aagh!”

“Since that hurt, I guess you’re not dreaming……”

Felix twisted around like a grilled squid.

“Hey! Damn it, why’d you hit my back?!”

“Would you rather I hit my own?”

“You’re all too loud. His Grace is coming, so quiet down.”

In the end, Camilla had to step in.

The reception room of Basil’s manor.

The northern knights had gathered in one place.

The elite of the elite, all of whom had been together since their mercenary days.

In the past, each of them had commanded dozens or even hundreds of soldiers.

Now, all those soldiers were gone.

“But Sir Luden…… and the rest of the supply team too. Why do you all look like that?”

Felix slowly sidled up to Luden.

“Cough, cough!”

“I heard you caused some trouble…… but wow. Just how badly were you punished?”

“Coughcoughcough—it wasn’t His Grace, cough! It was the baby, coughcough!”

“What did you say? His Grace is a baby? Sir Luden!! Even for you, that’s going too far! How can you call His Grace a damn brat?!”

“Thanks.”

“Eek!”

A pair of blood-red eyes appeared behind Felix.

“The damn brat has arrived.”

“Your Graaaaace~!”

Felix immediately dropped into a deep bow.

“It’s been a long time! Hahaha!”

Basil gave a rough snort and dropped sideways into a chair.

“Good work, everyone. And as you can see……”

His smooth jaw tilted vaguely toward the window.

“That happened.”

They had already heard a rough explanation from Camilla.

Even so—

the changes in the North were astonishing.

And……

His Grace seems a little different too.

How to put it?

His presence felt softer.

The dangerous, ominous aura he always carried, as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, seemed to have been rounded off slightly.

“So…… since things have turned out this way, I’m thinking of opening the North again.”

Basil spoke lightly, as always—

but his gaze was heavy.

“We’ll actively accept settlers, starting with the people who arrived this time, and somehow turn this place into land people can actually live on.”

“……”

The knights remembered Basil the mercenary.

The man who had charged toward his goals like a war chariot, never knowing how to give up.

That brilliance had drawn them here.

On the battlefield, he had practically been a god of war.

But the war ended.

And at the same time, it had looked as though something in Basil’s life had ended forever too.

Passion.

Will.

The desire to live.

But perhaps they had been wrong.

Had he found something new—

something capable of setting him ablaze again?

If so, I’m glad.

Felix clenched his fist, suddenly emotional.

But, Your Grace……

The thing that reignited your passion……

It’s farming, right?

You’re not talking about raising a child, are you?

Felix swallowed nervously.

What the hell was that?

His eyes trembled violently.

That ridiculously cute little brat who had been sitting on the Grand Duke’s neck this entire time, staring around with sparkling eyes……

What was she?

Both tiny fists were tightly clutching Basil’s black hair.

Was she controlling him with it?

Was that what this was?

“We’ll…… do our best……!”

“We’ll give…… our lives for this!”

<Loyalty.>

Thud! Thud!

The knights dropped solemnly to their knees.

Wait, am I the only one who thinks this is weird?!

Why is everyone else pretending not to see it?

Am I seriously the only one who thinks that brat is suspicious?!