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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 83
Returning to the Cascadia territory felt strangely nostalgic, as if I had wandered far away for a long time and was finally coming home.
A lot had happened in a short time, and the people of the territory were all busy with their daily lives.
Even though this was a remote area and hadn’t developed much, once the mines were fully operational, it had the potential to grow into a thriving mining town.
Unlike in my past life, in this one, the presence of a mine was a catalyst for commercial growth.
Without a word, we headed back to the estate and made our first stop at a cemetery not far from the mansion.
There were several tombstones there, but among them was one that shouldn’t have existed in this timeline.
A tombstone that had been erected far too soon.
The gravestones of the previous Count and Countess of Cascadia, along with that of my youngest sibling, Arsha.
“……”
In truth, the coffins beneath those tombstones were empty.
They contained only mementos of the three, not their bodies.
Misha, the head maid, excused herself, saying she would inspect the layout and structure of the cemetery.
Luna, meanwhile, wandered around with her hands behind her back, casually reading the inscriptions on the tombstones.
"Do you remember? You were completely against putting up these gravestones at first."
"I was. Even now, I still feel like tearing them down."
I understood Melissa’s feelings.
On that day, we found debris from the wrecked ship, but not a single body.
The search team had said that recovering the bodies was nearly impossible, yet Melissa had refused to accept it.
She had insisted that there was no reason to be so hasty when we weren’t even certain they were dead.
Of course, deep down, she must have known.
The chances that all three had somehow survived and drifted ashore were close to zero.
Even the odds of just one of them making it were practically nonexistent.
I had tried to accept reality, while Melissa had continued pouring money into hiring search parties, unwilling to give up.
She probably knew better than anyone that such spending was unwise, but at the time, it had been the only way for her to cope.
"Honestly, back then, I had the same thought. I wished that, just once, you’d be proven right—that we’d hear news of them being alive."
Melissa didn’t respond.
Instead, she silently placed a Kraken core in front of the gravestone.
She should have been at the academy, continuing her studies.
But now, she had to lead the family.
Of course, I could protect her, but our father had wanted her to succeed him.
Even though the situation had changed, she had decided to carry on his legacy.
After all, she had spent her entire life preparing to inherit the title of Count.
"It’s all in the past now. It’s time to let go."
Speaking calmly, she sank down in front of the gravestone.
"Mother, Father, and our youngest, Arsha."
Her voice trembled slightly.
Memory is a fickle thing.
No matter how painful a farewell, as the days and weeks pass, people bury the pain just to keep living.
Some cry so much that they eventually run out of tears, unable to weep anymore.
Or perhaps the pain becomes so overwhelming that their senses grow numb.
"I’m here. I’m a bit late this time, aren’t I?"
She let out a faint, bitter smile.
"Do you know what this is? It’s a Kraken core."
Melissa muttered incoherently, as if unsure of what she was saying.
"That damned octopus… It’s because of that thing that we had to part ways like this. I’m sorry it took me so long to bring it back."
Of course, it was a meaningless gesture.
Defeating the Kraken wouldn’t bring back our parents.
Revenge had its own significance, but placing the Kraken’s core on their graves wouldn’t change anything.
The dead do not speak.
In the end, it was just self-satisfaction.
"Brother was the one who brought it down. Can you believe it? I never imagined he’d become so strong. It’s like he changed overnight. He must have worked really hard. Give him some praise, at least."
Normally, her pride would have kept her from saying something like that.
Melissa’s voice trembled.
"Why aren’t you saying anything? Why aren’t you scolding me for being late?"
“……”
"You promised me. You said you’d come back. You said you’d watch over my swordsmanship when you returned."
Her voice cracked as tears welled up.
Melissa had always avoided coming here.
Because every time she did, she ended up crying.
"If it weren’t for that Kraken… if it weren’t for that damn thing…!"
I silently moved closer, crouched beside her, and pulled her into my embrace.
The moment I did, her sobs grew louder.
"Are you resting in peace over there?"
Now that I thought about it, it had been a long time since I’d visited this place.
Melissa had refused to come, saying she wasn’t convinced they were dead.
And I had my own reasons for staying away.
To her, only about half a year had passed.
But for me, it had been an immeasurable amount of time before I found my way back here.
I remembered everything, yet my emotions felt strangely dulled.
Was I becoming numb?
If I had gained power just a little earlier, I wouldn’t have lost them so easily.
Even though I knew such thoughts were meaningless, I couldn’t help but resent it.
If only I had been dragged into Labyrinthos just one year earlier.
I was certain—damn that Kraken—my family wouldn’t have been taken from me.
"I’m sorry I was too late. And… Melissa, my sister. She’s now the rightful ruler of the frontier, recognized by the royal family. She drove out that bastard uncle, Tyvel, and became the true Margrave."
Just as she had spoken about me, I spoke about her.
"I’ve grown stronger than before. So don’t worry. I’ll protect her, as Father would have wanted."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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As I spoke, Melissa’s sobs grew heavier.
The more she cried, the tighter I held her.
"So please, rest in peace."
That was all I could say.
Melissa and I stayed there for a long time in silence.
That day, we finally began to accept their deaths.
That didn’t mean we would give up searching for their bodies.
We had more than enough money now.
* * *
"Hah…! My goodness, it’s so beautiful…!"
After regaining some composure and returning to the mansion, Melissa gasped and nearly choked at the sight of the massive fortune before her—something she had never expected to lay hands on in her life.
It was only natural.
The money from selling The Queen’s Twilight, along with the money yet to come, was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop.
The fact that The Queen’s Twilight had been purchased by an organization rather than an individual made the difference even more striking.
Hearing about it was one thing.
But seeing it with her own eyes?
It was enough to take her breath away.
“Hey, hey. Breathe, breathe.”
“Cough. Ahem! Yeah, I lost my composure for a second…”
“For a second?”
“My conscience just died.”
As Luna and I responded in unison, Melissa grabbed the things in her hands and hurled them at us.
“Leon is always like that, but you shouldn't be!!”
“But I was just stating the truth.”
I skillfully dodged the objects she threw at me and took a seat. Luna sat down beside me.
Melissa let out a sigh.
“In any case, I’m really relieved that The Queen’s Twilight was successfully dealt with. Now I can focus entirely on the mine.”
She immediately pulled out a map.
“While you were away in the Pascalia Empire, I did some exploration of the mine. Since the knights couldn’t be dispatched because of the magic-infested areas, I hired mercenaries instead.”
It was a mine that had already seen some development.
The tunnels had been dug quite deep.
But since it had been abandoned for a long time, they needed to check if anything had taken up residence inside.
“According to Master Verus, there shouldn’t be any risk of tunnel collapses…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major. It just looks like there’s a hidden tunnel inside. It’s not particularly important, so I just had the mercenaries conduct an initial survey. If monsters have settled in there, an accident could happen in the blink of an eye.”
That was pretty common—abandoned mines being home to monsters.
It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“Other than that?”
“Nothing. The skeletons you created are doing a surprisingly good job. The actual excavation should begin soon.”
Mines had always been a symbol of wealth.
There was a saying that if you discovered a rich vein of ore in your territory, you could become a millionaire overnight.
Since there were no major issues, it would sort itself out.
After fighting the Kraken, I had no desire to do anything for a while.
“Just keep me posted. And Luna.”
“Yes?”
“A promise is a promise, so I’ll buy you a personal refrigerator. A merchant caravan is scheduled to visit the territory soon, anyway.”
“As expected, the Count of Cascadia bestows divine grace. Leon, repent.”
What a shameless little angel.
The first thing Luna Basilin did after receiving a snack refrigerator from Melissa was barge into my room without hesitation.
She had tied the refrigerator with a rope and dragged it inside, then plopped it down and shoved a gemstone in my face.
“If you obediently fill it with snacks, no bloodshed will occur.”
“And you’re sure you can cause bloodshed?”
At my question, she pouted.
“Fine. If you win at rock-paper-scissors, I’ll fill it for you.”
Feeling mischievous, I held out my fist.
She nodded.
And so, we played rock-paper-scissors.
I picked rock.
She picked scissors.
“Looks like I won.”
I was going to fill it for her anyway, but she didn’t seem to accept the result.
Then, with her index and middle fingers still forming scissors, she wrapped them around my fist.
Wait.
What is she—
Crack.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing?!”
“My scissors can break rocks.”
I had underestimated her.
Compared to Isna Mielephon, Luna seemed much more well-behaved—or so I had thought.
But now that she had gained strength, she was starting to act out.
“Hurry up and fill it!!”
She pressed the gemstone against my cheek again, demanding compliance.
Now that I thought about it, she had a rather childlike side to her.
When she wanted something but wasn’t getting it, she threw everything she had at the problem.
To her, gemstones must be a means of persuasion.
Seeing her strong opinions on likes and dislikes, and her somewhat stubborn, childish nature, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Are all angels like this?
“Sigh… Fine. Wait a moment. I already made some snacks in advance, anyway.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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