I Raised the Northern Grand Duke as a Farmer Behind My Father’s Back Chapter 43

Chapter 43

I wanted to hurry over to Basil and discuss our next plan.

But first……

“One more bread pleeease!!”

Today, I was going to indulge!

“Of course, of course~ Give our baby another butter bread~!”

“Isn’t she…… going a little too hard today?”

“Hahaha! She’s already run around the square half the night, Your Grace. Let her run through a few more breads too~”

“No, what I mean is, if she wakes up with a stomachache at dawn, who do you think is going to suffer……?”

Basil frowned, but didn’t actually stop me.

He only added that someone should bring more soup so I could eat something easier on the stomach.

People with flushed faces from drinking beer danced near the central bonfire.

“Hey~ Make sure you keep an eye on those embers! If the grain warehouse catches fire, we’ll be sucking our fingers all winter!”

“Of course, of course!”

“Good grief, the warehouse is ages away from here!”

<Anyone want to make a wager with a magician?>

“Anyone wanna dance with me?!”

“Meee!”

The simple but noisy festival atmosphere grew hotter and hotter.

Dad must be feeling better now too, right?

His divine-power corruption should have improved!

As a reward to herself, Haniel decided that just for today, she would let herself think about Dad as much as she wanted.

It was a wonderful harvest-festival evening!

Chapter 9 — Why the Child Decided to Run Away

Perhaps it was because he had been raised from childhood as God’s sword and shield.

Dantelion was not a man of many expressions.

He had never really understood the concept of emotional agitation.

What moved him were obligations—

law and doctrine, loyalty and faith.

Ironically, people loved him for it.

His beautiful appearance.

His upright character.

His overwhelming divine power.

But their love was closer to the admiration one might feel for a work of art.

Like gazing upon something awe-inspiring.

Like looking at an untouchable being from myth.

Well……

it didn’t matter.

Dantelion simply fulfilled his duties.

Sharing emotions with others was outside the scope of his interest.

After learning that smiles, frowns, and similar expressions could function as a kind of social language, he deliberately practiced making them.

Because he had confirmed that people felt reassured by the image of a gentle yet powerful holy knight—

and that their faith in God grew stronger because of it.

Everything according to God’s will.

Not once had Dantelion ever strayed from the path God had laid out for his life.

……Except, perhaps, in the first life he could no longer even remember.

“……”

He reached out.

Slowly, he began lifting the pile of clothes stacked in front of him.

One layer at a time.

Each time he removed another piece of colorful fabric, laughter gathered in his violet eyes.

“Found you.”

At last, a round silver head appeared.

His beautiful eyes curved softly.

His lips lifted into a gentle smile.

“There you are, my princess!”

“Kyah!”

“Up we go!”

He deliberately made a little noise as he lifted the child.

“But I was hiding suuuper well!”

Haniel, who had been covering her mouth with both tiny hands, burst into bright laughter.

Dantelion made an unusually mischievous face and tickled her.

“Why does my princess love hiding so much? Hmm?”

“Hehehehe! Tickles! I surrender, I surrender! Hani surrenders!”

Haniel laughed so hard she nearly collapsed.

Dantelion carefully stored that laughter away in his heart as he pulled her into his arms.

“So now you’ll go on a picnic with Dad, right?”

“Hmm…… What should I dooo?”

Haniel rolled her eyes dramatically.

“I guess I have no choice! If Dad really wants it, then maybe just for today……!”

“Haha. I’m honored.”

Today was the first time Dantelion had returned home in several months.

For some reason, every time he came home, the child always hid from him like this.

“Dad! Hurry, hurry!”

Dantelion watched Haniel hop down from his arms and bounce impatiently.

At some point, she had strapped a stuffed-rabbit backpack onto her back.

Adorable.

He slowly followed behind her.

They headed toward the small forest attached to the ducal estate.

A picnic after a long time apart.

Of course……

he would have to leave again before sunset.

In this life, using information gathered from previous regressions, he needed to obtain a rare medicinal herb that only grew in an ancient monster habitat.

It might become an elixir capable of healing the child.

“Lady Haniel spends most of her time in the library!”

“More than anything, her memory seems almost unnaturally good……”

“Former Duke Yulios has been teaching her theology lately.”

Even while away from the estate, Dantelion received regular reports about the child.

He personally selected every servant assigned to care for her.

Using information verified through dozens of regressions, he chose only those he believed could be trusted with Haniel.

Of course—

the most important thing was Haniel’s own evaluation.

“Hani, want to trade secrets with Dad?”

In front of a blue lake.

Just the two of them.

Dantelion carefully gathered her soft silver hair and tied it back as he whispered.

“Gasp. Yes!!!”

“This is a secret, but Dad argued with Uncle Marc recently. Things weren’t going the way we wanted, so we both got upset.”

Haniel’s expression immediately became serious.

“Dad…… you have to get along with your friends. Did you do a reconciliation hug? Did you?”

Dantelion laughed.

“Yes. We made up. But this is a secret from everyone else, all right?”

“Why? Because you’re embarrassed that you’re a grown-up who fought with your friend?”

“Yes.”

“Okay! I’ll keep it secret!”

“More importantly…… what about my daughter?”

“Me?”

“Have you ever felt unhappy while playing with the maids or attendants?”

“Hmm……”

“It’s a secret, so tell only Dad.”

Haniel seemed to think very seriously.

Her little chin wrinkled like a walnut.

Soon, her brows drooped.

“Hng. Sorry, Dad…… Hani has never been unhappy.”

“Really?”

“Because everyone’s so nice, and I can eat as much bread as I want whenever I want, and the library is fun, and I like books too!”

Fortunately, the child seemed to be doing well at the estate.

Dantelion knew she was safe because Yulios was there.

But unless he heard it directly from Haniel, he couldn’t truly relax.

Then Haniel suddenly jumped to her feet.

“Oh! Right! You know, you know! A few days ago, I secretly planted clover seeds in the backyard!”

“You did?”

“Yes! Dad, you can’t tell anyone, okay? Because…… most clovers have three leaves, but sometimes one grows with four! And they say if you find a four-leaf clover, good luck comes to you!”

Her cheeks had grown adorably plump.

Dantelion couldn’t resist and lightly kissed one.

“If we find one with four leaves, should Dad make it into a bookmark for our princess?”

“No! I’m giving it to Dad!”

Haniel smiled softly.

“Because I want Dad to have lots and lots of good luck! And for Dad’s work to go well! So…… sooooo…… um.”

Haniel hesitated.

“So Dad will come see Hani more often!!”

“……”

Dantelion was left speechless.

Come to think of it…… it’s been far too long since I last saw her.

There was something he realized with every regression.

The world was vast.

Information was infinite.

No matter how many times he regressed, he could never uncover the entire world.

He could never obtain every piece of information.

The phrase physical limitations always left him feeling helpless.

This child would die at sixteen.

Dantelion knew all too well just how fleeting that amount of time was.

That was why he was always doing everything he could to find a way to save her.

And yet……

perhaps he had neglected the child herself.

“I’m sorry, baby. Dad’s always too busy, isn’t he?”

“No! Dad is a super cool and suuuper strong holy knight, so of course you’re busy!”

“……My princess, want to play with Dad until tomorrow?”

“……!!”

Her pink eyes widened instantly.

“Really? Reallyyyy?”

“Yes. And show Dad where you planted those clovers.”

“Okay! Okay!!! I’ll show you everything! You know, it’s over……!”

Chatter, chatter.

Dantelion listened to the child’s excited voice.

Then, without thinking, his gaze shifted.

In the distance, he saw his lieutenant running toward him with an urgent expression.

We found it.

“……!”

Reading the words from his lips made all the blood drain from Dantelion’s body.

An ancient monster habitat he had failed to locate in his previous life.

The medicinal herb growing there might possibly become an elixir capable of forming a core inside Haniel’s empty body.

His heart grew urgent.

Some time passed.

Before he knew it, Dantelion was carrying the sleeping child away from the lake.

He handed her to the servants and began preparing to leave.

The memory of her excited eyes, thrilled at the thought of spending time with him, weighed heavily on his mind.

But there was no choice.

“Are you truly leaving like this?”

“There’s no time.”

“When she wakes…… she’ll probably be gloomy for several days. And you need more rest too, Master.”

“……Tell her I’m sorry.”

Dantelion clenched his fist.

No one here wanted less to leave the child’s side than he did.

Then one of the maids stepped forward.

“Um, Master. Lady Haniel seems to want to go outside. Would it be all right if we took her as far as the Klein shopping district……?”

At that moment, Dantelion’s expression changed completely.

“The child is absolutely forbidden from going outside.”

“……!”

A terrifying aura poured from him—

one no one would ever associate with a sacred holy knight.

“I will never allow it.”

The maid immediately fell silent at the icy tone.

The first regression.

He remembered Haniel going to the shopping district and suffering a serious injury.

And again in the thirteenth.

The twentieth.

The fifty-second.

Whenever he weakened before the child’s pleas and allowed her to go outside—

something terrible always happened.

He never wanted to experience that again.

Dantelion walked away, his white cloak fluttering behind him.

Once that dreamlike time ended—

he forgot emotion again.

When had he last prayed to God?

He had destroyed his prayer pendant with his own hands after the child died for the fourth time.

Having turned his back on God……

what exactly was he now?

Could he still call himself a holy knight serving the Goddess?

Would he eventually become a monster?

If I can save Haniel.

Then honestly—

he didn’t care if he became a monster.

The wind blew.

Suddenly, he thought that if the child ever became healthy, he should take her traveling.

To the East.

The West.

The South.

Or perhaps to some distant foreign country.

Throwing away all these obligations and responsibilities—

and going somewhere far, far away.

The world was so vast that it constantly drove him into despair.

But somehow—

if he could see that vast world together with the child, perhaps its size would finally have meaning.

When she becomes healthy.

When she no longer dies.

Let’s travel together with Dad, baby.

My precious little princess.

This time, Dad will definitely save you.

I will never let you die alone—

“Urgh……!”

A violent pain tore through his chest.

Dantelion woke with a start, clutching at his clothes.

To Be Continued…