Chapter 187

It was not just a number that could be counted by the naked eye. There were overlapping red lines, making it difficult to gauge just how many black stones were buried beneath. And it wasn’t just a few spots.

Raygrain glanced at the chaotic patterns before casually asking Leilda, 

“When will you be able to move over there? ”

“Gathering everyone from the magic tower isn’t hard. The real problem is on your side, Duke,” Leilda replied.

They were calculating the amount of black stones to be used by the extermination team, the number of mages that would be sent from the magic tower, the possible composition of the extermination team, and the schedule without needing to be prompted.

“It’s inherently more challenging to deal with monsters, so it’d be wise to plan with a bit more leeway than usual,” Leilda suggested.

“The Palace.” Raygrain crossed his arms, tapping his index finger thoughtfully for a moment. After some time, he turned toward Sevi, who was lounging lazily on the armrest of a single sofa, humming a tune.

“Will you be staying in Blenga the whole time, High Priest? ”

“Are you telling me to go somewhere in the north, where the monsters are swarming and the red alert is on? ”Sevi quickly retorted, pointing at the rotating black stones.

Raygrain didn’t need to hear more. He replied to Leilda, 

“The knights inside will defend, so let’s increase the number of extermination team members.”

“Look at that; even a bug is useful for once,” Leilda scoffed, glaring at Sevi as if she wanted to kill him.

Meanwhile, Scheuer stared blankly at the situation unfolding before her. Having been on extermination missions throughout her life, it was natural for her to feel familiar. However, for some reason, the current situation wasn’t fully registering in her mind.

“Scheuer.”

“Yes, yes! ”

Startled, she snapped back to attention at Raygrain’s call. As she responded, the intense, serious gazes of both Leilda and Raygrain focused on her. Only then did the sensation that what was happening in front of her was reality slowly creep up her body.

“Scheuer, can I ask you to prepare flowers for the expedition? ”

Despite the warm air filling the space, she felt a chill. The fact that she was standing in the north also hit her hard. Scheuer knew all too well where this unease was coming from.

“How long… how long do you plan to be gone? ”

“The schedule is about a month; it would be nice if we could finish quickly, but I won’t exceed two months.”

“I don’t want that.”

She replied firmly. Leilda’s narrowed eyes widen in surprise. Raygrain seemed equally shocked, turning to look at her instead of Leilda. Scheuer met his blue eyes directly and answered again, firmly.

“I don’t want that.”

Leilda clicked his tongue and pointed an accusing finger at Raygrain.

“So you’re only giving what the Grand Duke will use, huh?”

“No. I mean, I truly don’t want to.”

“What?”

Leilda tilted his head in disbelief, unable to accept her words. Scheuer understood this unease. This was the moment she had hoped would never come.

The time when the monsters had crossed over into the center and the North was being held accountable. In the original story, Raygrain led the expedition and never returned.

Although the North had broken the agreement and Central was not holding them accountable, the situation of the monsters overflowing and Raygrain going on an expedition coincided perfectly. Scheuer urgently grabbed Raygrain’s arm and said,

“Please don’t go? ”

“What are you saying? Did I misdiagnose something? Is there poison spreading in your brain? ”

Leilda scolded from the front, but Scheuer’s gaze was fixed sharply on his profile. Raygrain’s narrowed eyes scrutinized her, trying to gauge her sincerity. Scheuer tightened her grip on his arm with both hands and said,

“I’m not saying you should never go, but can’t you wait a year, or even three years? By then, I can prepare plenty of flowers or whatever you need.”

“Hey, I’m coming down now! Even if Central is busy with their own issues, what about here? Are we just going to play with monsters and bomb flowers in the garden?”

Leilda explained, slapping the table with his palm in disbelief. High Priest Sevi, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, sat up to try to persuade her.

“Anyone who’s not useful can step aside.”

“Even if I help, you’ll just complain about it, won’t you? What am I, your father? ”

“Wow, seriously. Be grateful I brought the knights with me.”

Leilda’s exasperation fell on deaf ears for Scheuer. She clung to Raygrain’s arm, squeezing it tightly. His keen blue eyes quickly read her expression.

Raygrain took off the jacket he was wearing and draped it over Scheuer’s shoulders. 

“For now, let’s end it here. Leilda, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Do as you please.”

With a shrug, Leilda kicked High Priest Sevi, who had fallen back down, urging him to leave. As the two bickered, Scheuer stayed close to Raygrain, almost clinging to him. It was hard to tell whether she was holding on or being supported, but she remained almost suspended beside him, babbling.

“Your Grace, I have an amazing flower, you know? It’s a daisy… it can explode artistically! ”

He continued walking silently without responding.

Scheuer swiftly followed, not allowing even a slight gap to form between them, adding incessantly, 

“Or how about Lord Jesus and Lord Naveed? I know they both have considerable extermination experience! If it’s those two, surely it would be fine for you not to go?”

“The amount in the mine is substantial, and the number of monsters fed on black stones is also expected to be considerable. It would be overwhelming for the two of them.”

“But in a month, the amount of your divine power consumed will also be significant!”

“With you around, it regenerates quickly.”

His large, rough hand wrapped around her back as if to reassure her not to worry. Scheuer said firmly,

“If you leave me behind, you won’t make it ten miles before you… you can’t get sick! ”

Even amidst this chaos, she couldn’t bring herself to suggest that he might fall ill. She triumphantly lifted the jacket draped over her shoulders with both hands, a wicked grin spreading across her face. 

“If you go, I’ll be smelling this!”

“Didn’t I say to come to me directly if you wanted something? ”

“Then I’ll just take all the clothes in Your Grace’s dressing room! ”

“I guess I’ll have to buy new ones.”

“I’m taking the sword with me! ”

“That’s a bit troublesome. Instead, I’ll have a similar one made for you. Since it’s sharp, I’ll teach you how to handle it later.”

“I’m taking Your Grace’s bed too! ”

“I thought you had already taken that.”

“Your… underwear…”

“…”

“Let’s pretend I didn’t say that.”

No matter what she said, Raygrain responded with an impassive demeanor, as if nothing could deter him. He leaned down to meet her gaze, eyes intense. His rough hand lightly brushed her cheek as he asked,

“You need to let me go to stay safe.”

His tone was soothing, which made it even more unpleasant for her. If he had insisted on leaving, she would have clung to his legs stubbornly, but his gentle approach made her feel more childish and unreasonable. Raygrain carefully draped the coat he had lifted back over her shoulders, wrapping her up snugly.

“Go back to your room and rest a bit. We’ll talk again later.”

He gently led her, trying to quicken his pace.

“Raygrain.”

The voice that came from Scheuer was unfamiliar and hard to believe. As she calmly called his name, he stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he lowered his head to look at Scheuer. She smiled brightly and grabbed his sleeves.

“Please don’t go.”

Her hand gripping his arm trembled slightly. She had rarely called his name before, perhaps only once. It was always a struggle for Scheuer to find her voice, even when he offered her everything she desired. Yet here she was, voluntarily uttering his name to stop him from going on a hunt.

Hadn’t she done this before, trying to dissuade him from leaving? He had seen him off on several occasions, even on the day they first arrived in the North.

Had she begged me not to go then?

But at that time, Jess had been desperately trying to talk him out of it too. That had been a moment when he believed he had exhausted all his emotions. He knew she was not particularly enthusiastic about his hunts; it was common for the Blenga duchesses.

The heads of the Blenga family often returned from hunts, their bodies unrecognizable, torn apart by monsters.

But that was when the sword energy had been lost. Raygrain wasn’t at the point where he needed to worry about exhausting his energy now.

Knock. A soft sound tapped on the door of his office.

“Your Grace, it’s Peyton.”

With a click, the door opened, and the head butler, Peyton, entered.

Blenga was currently in a chaotic atmosphere, preparing for the hunt. With the organization of the hunting party, the distribution of equipment, weapons, and magic stones, as well as the knights who came with High Priest Sevi, many people were still awake late into the night.

Peyton bowed his head respectfully and asked, 

“I heard you are going on a hunt.”

“Correct.”

“Um, if I may be so bold…”

Normally confident, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Given that there is currently no heir…”

“Smile Love”