Chapter 108

“….”

A long sigh escaped his lips.

Even though it wasn’t directed at him, Diello could see Krua hesitate at the edge of his vision.

‘Ah…’

Yesterday, in this very office chair, he had been cherishing Krua for a long time, but the one who felt his heart burn even more was him. Perhaps Krua sensed it, for she pulled him into an embrace, her breath coming out in short gasps.

‘…You seem troubled, Diello.’

Her expression was a little confused.

Krua was already the Ferro of Diello Argenta. However, what about the Ferro of Krua Alors, who had become the head?

What if it wasn’t Diello Argenta?

Thud.

Diello had already broken several quills.

‘… You’re right, Krua. I think I’m going crazy.’

He thought he was going crazy because she might leave. Now that he thought he had her, the thought of another man appearing made him want to rampage. He had to suppress the urge to lash out ferociously.

No matter how much they said not to hide it, it wasn’t as if he could swallow her in one bite, was it?

Above all.

‘!’

When he unknowingly delved deeper, he felt her flinch.

That was why he backed away from her for a while. He realized deeply that Krua was still confused. Even though she knew she was a Ferro. Even though she knew there was no reason for her to push him away now. Her heart only needed to open.

Was he still lacking?

Lost in such deep thought, he had to endure the night alone without being able to lay a single finger on his wife, who had fallen asleep as if nothing was wrong.

‘I guess I overdid it after awakening.’

It was only natural for her body to seek rest after the period of overflowing power after awakening ended. That was why he was going crazy next to her sleeping wife. Even though his body was burning up and the lilies were tormenting him like a vise, he couldn’t leave her side.

Her lilies, glowing white, captivated his gaze as if he would bite them off at any moment. He had the urge to erase them, so he even went to the trouble of putting a pillow between them.

Even with her hidden like that, he could feel her.

The refreshing energy that he could feel even with his eyes closed stole his reason.

“….”

The lilies, which weren’t revealed all at once but gradually, seemed to know it as well. This extraordinary situation where the head became the Ferro. It was a stark contrast to how Diello had a perfect lily at once during the wedding ceremony.

It was a welcome development for him, though it was only a temporary reprieve. He knew that a head who didn’t have a Ferro would definitely get a Ferro once that lily appeared.

Diello’s dark gaze turned towards Krua.

“Let’s put this aside for now…”

Krua was now working in their office as if nothing had happened. No, fortunately, she was only a little conscious of him, judging by the fact that she couldn’t look at the place where they had touched that day…

‘… I’m canceling what I said about not being able to have a skinship.’

That night, when he assessed her like that, his wife said so.

‘I’m still busy. But we’ll look into it after the aftermath is dealt with, somehow.’

She spoke calmly, to the point of being annoying.

‘After I find out if I’m your real Ferro.’

…What should she do about the lilies?

She said that with her ears burning red.

He almost blurted it out to her. Let’s try erasing them. She could try erasing his lilies. Then, if he got stronger, she was his Ferro. Or, even if she wasn’t, that’s fine. She wouldn’t be able to leave him.

As much as it would drive him crazy when she pushed him away.

His throat was parched.

He could see her lilies formed day by day, and there was no telling who those lilies would be directed at. Just like he had been in a dangerous situation with fire when he was young, hadn’t there been a crisis in Krua’s past as well?

…With someone other than him.

The thought made him want to turn around and run. The rabbit he thought he had caught was trying to escape back into the mountains… What should he do?

He clenched his fists, thinking of his younger self.

 

* * *

 

‘What does this mean?’

The hand that had been skimming through the documents paused. Diello’s clear voice wouldn’t leave my head.

‘….!’

The vivid congestion I felt along his fingertips, no, on his name. It was no longer congestion… but a sign of me being his Ferro.

However…

‘I guess it’s only natural that the congestion wouldn’t recover properly. It would be strange if it suddenly appeared now.’

Since when have I been his Ferro?

The question was soon answered.

…When I was summoned to the Alors ducal family.

The congestion that had been unusually persistent wasn’t because I wasn’t in good condition but because the signs of being his Ferro had already begun to appear gradually. Of course, I was summoned to the Alors ducal family before Venia died.

That secret was also revealed soon.

[ The pearl-shaped crystal that Venia Karta was carrying is believed to be an object created in a way similar to the ‘calamity’ that was used in Cartiel in the past. It sucks the life out of the holder… ]

After reading the intelligence department’s report, I was convinced.

Since Venia had been carrying the pearl-shaped object called ‘calamity’ when she came to Argenta, she must have started losing her life force a long time ago. That was why the signs of being a Ferro, which should have appeared all at once, appeared gradually in my body…

“These are the documents I brought from Alors.”

At that moment, I came to my senses at Nira’s words.

“…Ah.”

Nira had a slightly lighter face after returning.

‘I have eliminated all those who objected the head.’

‘Are you hurt anywhere?’

He widened his eyes a little at my question, then smiled confidently.

‘No!’

Faith shone in his eyes.

It was a similar look to the one Rick sometimes gave Diello, and I wondered if something had happened to Rick, who had gone on the expedition with him.

…Was Nira going to walk around with his face like that later as well?

“And this is the information about the local retainers of Alors that you mentioned earlier.”

Nira continued. I shook my head and came to my senses.

This was really important information.

“Ah, thank you. You should rest too, Sir Nira.”

“Yes, thank you, Mistress.”

Nira, who had become even more respectful, stepped back from me only after my order was given. It seemed like he would have stayed if I hadn’t said anything.

“And congratulations again on your awakening.”

He said to me before leaving the office.

I opened my mouth slightly at his words, then nodded.

“Yeah.”

My face flushed red. It meant that I had become Diello’s Ferro at the same time as the head’s awakening.

Yesterday’s memories slowly crept back into my mind.

‘It means you have no reason to push me away.’

I… am Diello’s Ferro.

Diello was happy after that was revealed.

I was surprised as well. Naturally, a smile spread across my face next. It wasn’t just Diello who was happy that I didn’t have to leave this place. If I was his Ferro, I could stay here as much as I wanted. Besides, if my existence could help him awaken…

I blushed at the thought.

My face… felt like it was burning.

‘…I have to erase this.’

His husky voice, as he said that, seemed to echo in my ears again. I had to erase the lilies that Diello, who said that, had.

The thought made it hard to control my flushed face.

However.

Was it because I was thinking about being a Ferro? The lilies that had begun to appear below my collarbone emitted a strange vibration.

I narrowed my eyes.

I couldn’t be sure that Diello… was my Ferro. Since we had already faced a crisis together when we fell into the sea last time, the chances of him being my Ferro were high. However, what if he had already experienced a crisis with someone else in the past that I didn’t know about?

My head became complicated in an instant.

Thud.

At that moment, I came to my senses at the sound of something breaking. When I turned to look at Diello, he was taking out a new quill with a troubled expression.

He smiled faintly when our eyes met.

“It seems that Krua is a strong Ferro.”

I blinked at the unexpected words, and he held up the quill.

“It seems that I can’t control my strength.”

…It was said that a strong Ferro would increase the head’s power even before the lily was erased.

It was then that I saw him. Diello pointed at my documents.

“Is that about the Alors territory?”

“Ah, yes.”

I lowered my eyes to the documents again.

Duke Alors and his loyal followers had all been dealt with. The problem was the people of Alors… they were innocent. Originally, the number of troops guarding Alors’s ‘endless forest’ varied depending on the whims of the Duke. It was said that the surrounding people were sometimes harmed because of this.

However, there would be no such thing now that I had become the head of Alors. I was planning to deploy troops with a suitable system near the forest for that purpose. But for that, I need to… No, wait a minute.

I widened my eyes.

“Diello.”

“Yes.”

Diello responded a beat late as if pondering something.

His gaze slowly reached my fingertips before returning to my eyes.

“You mean the endless forest of Alors? Would it be possible to use Argenta’s forces to defend it?”

Although I didn’t know the exact contents of the ancient imperial family’s contract, the territories currently being defended by each family were not particularly advantageous to their attributes.

If only I could change this on this occasion.

If Alors’s forces could defend Argenta’s sea, and Argenta’s forces could defend Alors’ forest.

What could be more efficient than this?

“That’s…”

However, Diello’s expression clouded slightly at my words.

He tilted his head slightly and said, “It would be impossible under the contract with the imperial family. The ancient contract, designed to keep us in check, stipulates that only ‘those who have received the power of the house’ can guard the respective territories.”

In short, those who guard Argenta must be those who have received the power of the Argenta family.

It was a pity.

It would be perfect to stop the monsters of the immortal forest with fire and the monsters of the sea with water.

“…What happens if we break it?”

Diello replied simply to my question.

“You will lose your elemental control.”

It was said to be a contract inscribed in the bloodline of the three ducal families.

The descendants of the imperial family, who were descendants of dragons, learned that wielding great power would strain their bodies. Instead of giving the three families the ability to hunt monsters, they placed each family in a location that conflicted with their abilities to prevent them from betraying them.

Moreover, they made this contract to prevent the families from joining forces to defeat the monsters and then turn their attention to the imperial family.

“So….”

I rubbed my forehead at Diello’s explanation.

“In the end, only those with the power of the family can protect the land….”

Repeating his words, I suddenly felt something strange.

“If it’s someone who has received the power of the ‘family,’ does it matter?”

“Yes, that―”

Diello’s reply stopped abruptly.

Our eyes met.

My lips curled up slightly, and Diello’s eyes widened before he let out a short breath and laughed almost simultaneously.

“It means that those who have received the power of Krua Alors, the wife of Diello Argenta and a member of the family, can also protect Argenta, doesn’t it?”

“…That would be the case.”

Diello’s face brightened a little. Until now, it had been unimaginable, as no head had ever married another head.

But we could.

“Then, as the head of the Argenta family, we can send the Alors forces, who have received the power of Krua Alors, to the endless sea.”

Diello took my words.

“And as the husband of the head of Alors, we can also send the Argenta forces, who have received the power of Diello Argenta, to the forest, right?”

This would make troop management much easier.

I looked through the documents with a brighter face. Now that the biggest issue was resolved, it was time to select Alors’s talents.

That was why I had instructed Nira to bring me information on the maintenance of Alors’s territory. I was going to remove the corrupt officials of Alors that I had seen in the original story and try to employ some of the names I remembered.

I didn’t remember everything, but unfortunately or fortunately, those who held high positions in Alors were only concerned with their own interests.

In the original story, the names of those who, unlike them, worked hard for the people of their territory were mentioned a few times.

Now, it was time to put my brain to full use.

 

 

[ Caren ]

[ Cape ]

[ Paslot ]

 

 

Familiar-looking names passed by.

“Let’s exclude these people for now….”

That was the moment I reached out my hand to the side. Before I knew it, a powerful hand rested on the documents I had put down. The moment I thought a shadow had fallen slightly on the table, I looked up and saw Diello.

“May I help you?”

Smiling gently as he spoke, he pointed to the documents.

“If you are selecting those who will manage the troops, I might be able to help.”

He continued smoothly.

“There may be corrupt people that are not listed in the documents, so why don’t you use Argenta’s intelligence department?”

They were also her limbs.

I nodded at Diello’s soft words.

“I think that would be good.”

Then, let’s start with the names that have been lingering in my mind.

I took out a few documents and placed them elsewhere.

Diello’s gaze went back and forth between the documents he had his hand on and the ones I had selected separately. He then took his hand off and looked at the documents I had selected.

“Caren, Cape, Paslot. These guys.”

Diello’s gaze quickly scanned the documents before reaching me.

“Do you know them?”

His voice, which said so, suddenly felt cold, and I looked up at him again.

 

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