The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 99

Chapter 99: The Tale of Development and Monsters

Alexis, who had previously visited on horseback from summer to early winter, was now arriving in a proper carriage, as expected for this season.

“Welcome, Your Grace. We are pleased to hear of your safe arrival.”

“It is good to see you in good health as well.”

When receiving someone of higher status or an official visitor, it is a common practice for the host and all the servants to greet them at the main gate. However, since there are only four servants at the lord’s residence, the reception was somewhat lonely.

There was no specialized division of labor such as a butler managing the house or attendants carrying guests’ luggage in the current lord’s residence.

Since they had never properly hosted or received guests before, there was no sense of needing to arrange such formalities.

In the townhouse where they had grown up, such formalities were often omitted, and since they had informed Serleine in advance that the format would be simplified when he was received, it was not a method that Melfina was accustomed to either.

“It must have been cold outside. Please, come in.”

It can be troublesome to deal with sudden guests who arrive unexpectedly and cause trouble, but arranging a welcome after setting up a visit in advance is also a hassle. The servants had been busy with cleaning and preparations for the reception since yesterday, and perhaps it was conveyed, as Felice was also anxiously running around inside the lord’s residence.

They guided Alexis to the reception room and first offered him drinks and light refreshments. Melfina sat on the sofa facing Alexis across the table, with Marie beside her. Behind each of them stood their respective guards.

“I heard that there has been more damage from monsters this year than usual. Thank you for your efforts in dealing with it.”

“Thank you. It makes me uneasy when you treat me so politely.”

“This is a properly scheduled visit this time.”

As Melfina responded calmly while drinking her tea, she heard Alexis let out a faint sigh. When she looked up from her cup, he still wore his usual expressionless face, which made it hard to tell what he was thinking.
…Did he just smile?

Alexis’s expressions of emotion were very faint, occasionally showing a hint of exasperation or confusion. At least, that was what Melfina had seen directly up to now.

In the game, he also had many expressions of suppressed emotion and was more popular for his looks than for his personality. Even with Maria, the first time he showed affection was near the end of the game’s story, when Maria dispelled a famine, and they both gazed at the beautiful starry sky by Lake Moltre.

“You don’t need to be so concerned about me. You’re not really the type for that either.”

“I am quite polite. You might not know that.”

Melfina’s way was to respond to politeness with politeness.

At least as long as she wasn’t subjected to unreasonable behavior right after a wedding or faced with an unexpected visit.

“You seem to be getting into the swing of things.”

“I’ve heard there have been many monster appearances this winter. Will such things continue for a while?”

“No, winter is coming to an end. The snowmelt is approaching, so such incidents will almost cease from now on.”

“Do monsters in the northern regions basically only appear in winter?”

“They are more common in winter, but there are monsters that appear throughout the year. Those tend to be intelligent and avoid interacting with humans, so they rarely need to be hunted. On the other hand, those that only appear in winter have lower intelligence and attack both livestock and humans indiscriminately, so early extermination becomes necessary.”

I’ve heard that monsters in the southern regions also concentrate in summer, and it’s probably similar in the eastern and western regions as well.

…Could it be that they are influenced by the four-star monsters?

In the south, there are fire monsters that appear in summer, in the east during spring, in the west during autumn, and in the north, the Pluina appears in winter.

… It feels somewhat contrived that strong monsters appear neatly in spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
If this were a story in a game, it might not have needed much thought as it was set up to be straightforward. However, from the perspective of actually living in this world, it seems too perfectly arranged, making me think otherwise.

“I’ve heard there have been monsters here as well, but it’s good to know there was no major trouble.”

“Yes, and since we borrowed soldiers from the duke’s house without permission, I would like to apologize for that as well.”

“Don’t worry about it. I had expected that such things might happen.”

“？ What do you mean?”

When she asked out of curiosity, Alexis looked slightly surprised and widened his eyes a bit.

“You know that monsters become more likely to appear as populations increase and settlements like villages and towns develop, right?”

“…No, I just learned about it now. Ah, so that’s why Soarasonne is a fortified city.”

Her slight question about why fortifications and city gates were necessary in a world without wars was resolved.

In the capital, for example, the palace is at the center, surrounded by districts with noble townhouses and districts where knight families live, with the outer areas being where common citizens reside.

The city has enormous gates, and people cannot enter or exit without passing through them. Even for managing city taxes and smuggling, it seemed like a very elaborate way of structuring the city, which she had vaguely thought about since regaining her memories.

“You are still quick-witted as ever.”

“Is the correlation between development and monster appearances a well-known fact?”

“At least for lords and officials, it’s common knowledge. It’s said that places where four-star monsters appear were once major cities in the past. Although, this is such an old story that it’s more like a fairy tale.”

“I see…”

As Melfina, who was destined to marry into high nobility, had acquired not only manners but also various knowledge and education, she couldn’t recall learning this particular information, no matter how hard she tried.

Though no one in her family imagined that Melfina would become a ruler, even a small one, it was related to territory management, so it shouldn’t have been surprising if she had the opportunity to touch on such topics.

She wondered if it had been intentionally withheld, but there seemed to be no reason for that.

Ultimately, while Melfina received the education and refinement she desired, it seemed she wasn’t given the opportunity to learn about other important matters.

Now, with her memories of her previous life restored, she could think this way, but she still felt somewhat disheartened by the peculiarities of her own family.

“This area had long been considered unlikely to develop, so monster damage was not a major issue. However, the current development of the Enkar region is remarkable. I didn’t think the likelihood of monsters appearing in the first winter after your visit would be very high, but it was a precautionary measure.”

“I see. —Thank you.”

“I didn’t think you lacked this knowledge. I just thought you might have some other plans in mind.”

Although Alexis’s voice held no hint of sarcasm, Melfina placed her cup down and clenched her fist tightly.

… Not knowing is not an excuse.

If Serleine hadn’t been staying at the lord’s residence and if the duke’s soldiers hadn’t been stationed there, the confusion would have been much greater.

There might have been more damage to livestock, and villagers working in the fields or children freely playing outside could have suffered harm as well.

“Normally, these are issues to consider when a town or small city begins to develop. I don’t believe you made any oversight.”

“No, it’s true that your guidance saved us. It was my inadequacy that nearly caused harm to the people of the territory.”

“Lady Melfina, I should have conveyed this to you. I, too, assumed that you knew about it and neglected to give you advice. I am at fault.”

“Marie… No, there was plenty of time. I should have realized sooner my ignorance about monsters.”

If she had lived in the territory, she might have naturally heard about such matters. At the very least, she would have had an opportunity to develop interest or curiosity.

Melfina was born and raised in the heavily guarded townhouse in the capital. She didn’t intend to neglect her learning, but it was clear she was lacking in knowledge about local lords.

In the game, diseases, excessive magical power, and monsters were merely settings to enhance Maria’s prestige. In Light Mode, even four-star monsters would disintegrate into dust merely by Maria casting a divine spell.

In her previous life, there were no creatures called monsters.

Despite having the combined knowledge of her current life and her previous life’s game memories, there were still gaps in her understanding.

… I need to learn more.

The path chosen by the lord is the path that the people of the territory will follow. Whether they are farmers or soldiers, they have no choice but to obey if Melfina instructs them to do so.

This significantly influences their lives and even their very existence.

After giving wrong instructions, saying “I didn’t know” is not an excuse.

… It’s a heavy burden.

The lord of the Enkar region, which consists of only a small village and a few small settlements. The 600 or so people in her care, supported by Melfina’s own hands.

Even that alone feels so heavy.

Yet, it’s clear that she cannot abandon it now. That much is certain.