Chapter 69

“…….”

There was nothing to be surprised about.

He had expected this much.

The Parakai Church worshipped the three goddesses of the Trinity.

And Muriel was a Purifier blessed with the special favor of those three.

How could the Temple possibly defy the will of such a Purifier?

So no, it wasn’t unexpected in the least.

And yet…

“…….”

Why did he feel like this?

Irritated. Stifled. Something coiling unpleasantly in his chest.

‘…Don’t tell me I’m actually disappointed.’

What nonsense.

Raul let out a hollow laugh.

Wasn’t the divorce what he had wanted as well?

‘Get a grip, Raul Winterberg.’

The nightmares that tormented him—the visions—they weren’t real.

Sometimes he became so immersed they felt real enough to touch, but in the end…

“…!”

That was when—

Muriel’s apparition appeared again.

As if mocking his attempt to separate nightmare from reality.

Raul’s eyes flew wide, and he went rigid, frozen like a statue.

Whenever the vision began to move before him, he found himself unable to so much as twitch a finger.

Thud. Thud—

His heart pounded violently, ready to burst, and a high, piercing ringing shrieked through his ears.

“My lord…?”

The butler called to him, voice tight with worry, but Raul gave no response.

Like a man under a curse.

Like someone possessed by a malevolent spirit.

His bloodshot eyes darted frantically, chasing the phantom.

“M-My lord….”

The butler felt a chill crawl up his spine at the sight of his master, who looked completely unhinged.

Muriel’s translucent ghost danced and sang merrily—then, in the next instant, blood gushed from her as she collapsed, dead.

Forgetting that it was only an illusion, Raul lunged forward in panic, trying to gather her into his arms.

But the afterimage of Muriel scattered like dust the moment his hands reached her.

“…….”

A long while passed before Raul, kneeling on the floor, finally came back to himself.

As he slowly rose to his feet, a suffocating gloom clung to him like a shroud.

He dragged both palms down his face once, then turned to the butler, who was trembling in the corner.

“Bring Michelle.”

“Ah… Y-Yes, sir…!”

Six hours later.

An investigative team personally led by Michelle Holton departed in secret for the Tierney family’s territory, Lapienne.

To verify the truth of what Muriel had exposed.

---

The day had finally come.

I hadn’t even done anything since coming back to the farm, and my Fame had risen on its own!

It seemed my name was spreading far and wide.

‘Word must’ve gotten out that I saved Raul.’

I let out a long sigh and muttered,

“At this rate, I really might end up becoming a lord….”

“Y-Yes…? A lord…?”

The voice that cut in belonged to none other than Camilla.

Ever since she’d heard about my past, she’d grown noticeably gentler with me.

Not in a cheap, pitying way.

More like… she’d consciously decided, I should be good to this person.

I gave an awkward laugh.

“Haha, it was nothing…. Just talking to myself. I feel like I’ve been getting too famous lately….”

Camilla’s black eyes sparkled as she nodded fervently.

“It’s only natural for Lady Muriel to become famous…! If possible, I think it would be wonderful for you to receive a title from His Majesty and become a lord…! Anyone who dares block your path, Lady Muriel—I’ll chop them all to pieces with my axe….”

“Th-Thank you, Camilla.”

I appreciated the sentiment, but that was terrifying. And with Camilla, it didn’t sound like an empty threat….

Just then, another voice joined in.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Oh, Lycian! Perfect timing.”

Fresh back from the forest, Lycian lowered the mountain of firewood he’d been carrying beside the barn.

Come to think of it, the barn was getting cramped. One rabbit and two horses had already eaten up most of the space.

‘If I upgrade the house, the barn will probably get bigger too, right? And I’ve purified enough land in the meantime, so space shouldn’t be an issue.’

Grabbing a towel and a water bottle, I hurried over to Lycian. Ninabel, by the way, had gone to the spring. She’d declared she was going to train hard and grow stronger or something.

‘Though how much stronger a sprinkler can really get….’

Still, Ninabel was our farm’s one and only sprinkler. Go, Nini!

“Hot, right? The weather’s really warmed up. It’s almost May already—time flies.”

As I handed him the bottle, Lycian smiled softly.

He drained half of it in one go, then lifted his face toward me, clearly asking to be wiped down.

I let out a quiet snort of laughter and briskly toweled his damp hair, his face, even the back of his neck.

“Hungry? Anything you’re craving?”

“Anything you make is fine with me.”

“Hmm…. We still have some eggs and chicken from the city…. Plenty of sausage, too. What should I make?”

While I pondered, Lycian watched me with warm, affectionate eyes.

Whenever he looked at me like that, it felt like being wrapped in a blanket of soft air.

And without fail, I’d grow shy and avert my gaze.

Just like now. My cheeks heated up for no reason, and my eyes slid away on their own.

When that happened, Lycian would deliberately follow my gaze and try to meet it. And then I’d feel like a pebble tossed onto a blazing grill.

“C-Could you not look at me like that….”

“Hm? How am I looking at you?”

“D-Don’t pretend you don’t know. You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“I really don’t. It’s not like there’s a mirror in front of me…. Ah—would this help?”

Lycian stepped closer, bringing his face right up to mine, as if trying to see his reflection in my eyes.

“…!”

Our breaths brushed against each other’s skin at a distance so close our lips might touch. I jolted back as if an earthquake had struck.

But in an instant, Lycian’s arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close again.

“Muriel, you know the more you run, the more I want to chase you, right?”

“I-I wasn’t running!”

My conscience pricked, but I denied it anyway. Lycian let out a low chuckle, tilting his head as he stared at me.

“Well, that’s fine. We’ve got plenty of time…. I can just take it slow and eat you up one bite at a time.”

“What kind of insane thing is that to say…?”

Whether I sputtered or not, Lycian simply smiled—bright and clear as a summer sky.

Then he lowered his lips gently onto the back of my hand.

“By the way, Muriel.”

“Y-Yeah…?”

“The bird beastkin has been staring at us for a while now.”

“…!”

Only then did I remember Camilla existed. My eyes flew wide, and I froze stiff as a board.

A beat later, the thought caught up with me.

‘Oh my god…. This is mortifying!’

I wanted to crawl into a mouse hole. Burying my face in my hands, I heard Camilla’s dreamy voice drift over.

“You two… always look like newlyweds…. It’s very lovely to see…. Not that it makes me want to date anyone myself… but… how should I put it…? It makes me think, ah, so this is what real love looks like…. If it’s not this kind of love, then maybe it’s better not to start at all…?”

…Camilla, I’m dying of embarrassment, so please stop.

A little later, I stepped out of the barn with the rabbit in my arms. Lycian and Camilla each led out one of the horses.

‘No telling what’ll happen when the barn expands. Better to move the animals somewhere safe.’

That’s right. It was time to upgrade the house.

I’d already explained everything to Camilla and Lycian, and Ninabel… well, she’d be in for a surprise when she got back.

‘Status window.’

At my mental call, a bluish screen shimmered into existence in midair.

It was starting to feel like some kind of AI.

Anyway, I stated my request inwardly.

‘I want to upgrade the house.’

The system responded at lightning speed.

Expanding my house with just Fame? How convenient.

This Fame system… I’d found it a little uncomfortable at first.

‘But I’ll admit—it’s useful.’

I pressed the ‘YES’ button.

At once, ribbons of opalescent light wrapped around the building.

Clink-clank♪♬ Clink-clank♪♬

A cheerful hammering sound effect rang out—

Then—

Fwaaash!

A dazzling burst of light flared, and the new house slowly revealed itself.