I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 41

Chapter 41

My trembling gaze turned toward the scarf.

Saaaah—!

[Scarf Infused with Haniel’s Purification Power (x1,000)]

It worked……!

Another goal I had for the eastern incident.

Deliver half of the divine power I earned to Dad!

I finally……

did it!

Combining 1,000 stickers made the sticker XL-sized, so that was a little troublesome……

After thinking about it, I placed the XL sticker on my own body.

Just like when I purified the pillar.

Then I poured all the purification power of those 1,000 stickers, which had been circling around me, into the scarf.

While thinking desperately of Dad.

And just like that, the effect seemed to take shape exactly the way I wanted.

Dad……

I bit my lip tightly.

My throat burned, and something heavy and indescribable surged upward, but I barely swallowed it back down.

Honestly, this plan had been half a gamble.

There had been no guarantee Duke Rowain would specifically choose Dantelion as the holy knight.

Of course, if things hadn’t gone according to plan, I had intended to pretend I had changed my mind and ask him to deliver something else instead.

But according to my memories from my previous life, Dad should be in the East around this time investigating the crop disease…… and more importantly—

I glanced at the distinguished gentleman in front of me.

I knew Dad was the person from the Temple whom Duke Rowain trusted most.

I had once heard that Dad had saved Duke Rowain from being killed by monsters.

That was how their connection had begun.

And right now, Duke Rowain had a huge amount of goodwill toward me.

So if I made a request like this, there was a high chance he would choose the holy knight with the greatest reputation among those he personally knew.

And just as I expected—

he chose Dad.

The treatment really made everything go smoothly!

Of course, even without the treatment, I had planned to create some kind of connection with Duke Rowain eventually.

Because I know a few things that will happen to House Rowain later!

That was supposed to be something for much later, though.

Things had simply moved forward sooner than expected.

……Thank goodness.

I clasped my trembling hands tightly behind my back.

Thank goodness. Really, really thank goodness……!

This autumn—

the fruits of my very first harvest.

At last—

I had delivered them to Dad too.

A few days later—

wagons began arriving without end.

“Your Grace, the money……”

“The money bags……!”

The knights didn’t know what to do with themselves.

“They’re being sucked into our treasury!!!”

It was the payment sent by Duke Rowain.

And the construction materials arrived right alongside it, one after another.

“Wooooooow!”

Dance, dance.

Haniel danced in place.

“Your Grace! We’re rich!”

“Ahem. That’s not how you say it.”

“……?”

“You should say we’re filthy rich—no, ahem, absurdly rich.”

“We’re absurdly filthy rich! Yahoo, yahoo!”

“……”

Camilla glared at them, clearly telling them to watch their mouths……

“But that’s quite a lot of material.”

“Ah. I heard he’s also having a small library built for our little one.”

“What?”

At Camilla’s words, Basil slowly looked down at Haniel standing beside him.

Just how many people was this kid planning to wrap around her finger?

“You. Who do you like more, me or Duke Rowain?”

“Huh? What’d you say?”

Basil’s expression dropped.

“You’re not answering immediately……?”

“Ahem!”

She even pretended not to hear him!

Anyway, the rewards didn’t stop there.

Quack, quack. Oink, oink. Moooooo~

Chickens, cattle, pigs, and goats were arriving on wagons, blinking around curiously.

Two oxen and two cows.

Five sheep.

Twelve chickens.

About four pigs.

Since the village was still small, it wasn’t a huge number.

Especially with winter coming, they had no intention of increasing their livestock unnecessarily.

The cattle will be useful immediately.

They needed to turn over the harvested fields.

Once they had oxen, their labor efficiency would increase nearly tenfold.

Basil, the human ox, began dreaming excitedly of retirement.

As for additional livestock, they agreed to receive more in stages next spring, and then again the following spring, once the village had developed further.

“Animals! Animal friends!”

Dance, dance.

Haniel danced again.

She seems happy.

Of course, Basil understood why.

They had sold the treatment successfully, and now she could finally raise the animals she had wanted so badly.

But……

Isn’t she a little too excited?

Basil chuckled and lifted Haniel into his arms.

The child naturally curled into his embrace while staring ahead with sparkling eyes.

A strange wave of emotion washed over him.

……A few months ago, I never could’ve imagined this.

Because of this kid.

Because of this tiny little brat.

The North……

his entire life……

had changed completely.

“Brat.”

Basil called softly.

“Yees?”

At that moment, Haniel’s eyes widened.

Something had slipped around her neck.

“This is……!”

“You said you lost yours.”

It was a tiny red scarf knitted in a child’s size.

The moment Basil heard Haniel had lost the scarf she received before, he had gone directly to Helen and specially commissioned another one.

Along the hem were embroidered little pictures of a thumbs-up, a tree, a footprint, and a sprout.

It looked almost as if colorful children’s stickers had been attached to it.

“You said giving someone something red with your first earnings makes you even richer, right?”

“……!”

“I paid Helen for it, so it’s yours. Make me richer.”

“Woooow……!”

More opportunities for wealth to the giver.

Luck and happiness to the receiver.

Haniel, wearing the red scarf, looked genuinely moved.

“I’m so happy. I’ll really, really treasure it!”

“Do what you want.”

Basil chuckled.

“More importantly…… thanks, brat.”

Haniel’s pink eyes widened slightly.

Basil looked somewhat awkward, but his voice was clear.

“For everything.”

Haniel froze for a moment.

Then she smiled softly.

And threw her arms around his neck.

Basil rested his cheek against her beloved little head and gladly accepted the warmth radiating from her.

Even now—

he still didn’t really understand what people meant when they talked about family.

A father-and-daughter relationship?

That was even more unfamiliar.

He didn’t know whether something like that could truly exist between them.

But suddenly……

he wondered if maybe family wasn’t anything grand.

Maybe it was simply—

eating together.

Getting through hardship together.

Becoming happy together.

Caring for each other.

Crying.

Laughing.

Fighting……

Sharing an ordinary life like that.

Wasn’t that what family was?

Well, of course, I don’t think I’ll ever fight with this ball of fluff.

He patted the child’s back.

He knew Haniel still couldn’t accept him as real family.

But that was fine.

They had plenty of time.

And what mattered most probably wasn’t a title or outward appearance anyway.

……Small and ridiculously weak.

And yet—

a child who had somehow become irreplaceably precious.

My child.

My……

family.

His chest tightened.

Even Basil himself couldn’t guess how far he would go for this child.

As usual, he kneaded Haniel’s soft cheeks and teased her about something.

Naturally, Haniel fought right back.

Peaceful white clouds drifted leisurely overhead.

It was the height of a bountiful autumn.

Long fingers clicked open the box.

“This is……”

Dantelion tilted his chin slightly.

“I received it while I was out on inspection.”

Duke Rowain smiled broadly.

“From a very devout believer. They asked that a renowned holy knight offer it at the altar while praying for a good harvest next year.”

A red scarf knitted from inexpensive yarn.

And one small barley stalk.

Dantelion carefully picked up the barley stalk.

“It has been quite some time since I’ve seen a crop in such healthy condition.”

“A rural village on the far edge of the East was fortunate enough to produce a small amount of barley and wheat. Only enough for the village to sustain itself, however.”

“I see.”

Dantelion turned the barley stalk over in his fingers for a long time.

Priests and holy knights had been dispatched throughout the East to purify the contaminated land.

And Dantelion was their overall commander.

Hmm. That said, the Holy Knight Commander looks strangely unwell.

Duke Rowain lifted his teacup and discreetly observed the beautiful holy knight sitting across from him.

His austere clothing and perfectly upright posture were the same as ever.

But somehow—

his complexion looked unusually poor.

To Be Continued…