Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 29 | Climate, Slave (2)

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[ Mercenary ] “Sang Putri go.”

[ Black ] “What?”

[ Phermos ] “Where does he go?”

Black and Phermos both raised their heads at the same time, the two of them were currently filled with work and a hectic schedule.

It's not just one thing to take care of. First and foremost they need to figure out how they are going to structure the finances of the royal family, as well as take the size of the current debt.

It doesn't seem like much at first, but it's years of finance that they have to deal with.

Then there was how they would recover the steps of the Temple, find out who killed the High Priest, and watch over the Kleinfelder— familyall of which could not be ignored in the slightest.

All the time, Phermos thought he would cry, saying his time on the battlefield was much easier than this.

But now there's another unpleasant thing they have to deal with.

[ Mercenary ] “When I wondered, they said he would help distribute the rations near the Temple.”

[Phermos ] “It was a dedication from him. Did anyone go with him?”

[ Mercenary ] “The guards said he brought one of them with him.”

Ferros clamped the base of his nose.

[Fermos ] “What…. Just one guard? And you let him go just like that?”

After coming to report the situation, the mercenary chose his words carefully after making eye contact with Black.

[ Mercenary ] “What else can I do? I couldn't really suppress him and prevent him from going by force. God ordered us to be nice to him.”

[ Phermos ] “You should have sent someone with him.”

[ Mercenary ] “There's already one person. Should I send more? ”

[ Phermos ] “One will not be enough. I knew something like this would happen, I'd—“

Suddenly, Black's body jolted, Phermos' command instantly came to a halt.

[ Black ] “I go.”

[ Phermos ] “…..What, now? You don't have to do that, do you?”

[Black ] “This job bored me.”

Black threw the document marked with the royal seal he saw earlier onto the table.

[Black ] “Solve this when I go.”

[ Fermos ] “Wait ..... what?”

While Phermos' eyes were wide in disbelief, Black was already gone before he could ask his question.

[ Phermos ] “Wait, wait...”.

[ Mercenary ] “Then I will go with you to look around.”

And just like that, Fermos was left alone with a mountain of documents. He returned to his chair and rubbed the back of his head.

[ Phermos ] “This is very much….. I can't do this..”.

Ever since they first tried to handle all this work, Phermos thought it was too much to do. Yesterday, Black had left him alone and now he was doing it again, this time leaving Phermos with a pile of work to do.

[ Phermos ] “I don't think His Majesty will do this ....”

This change is becoming too much to handle.

[Phermos ] “I never thought he would take a woman at all, let alone marry………..At this rate, I'll be alone.”

For some reason, Fermos felt betrayed and a little depressed.

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[ Rienne ] “Please, wait here.”

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the Temple, Rienne had to separate herself from the captain of the guards she was carrying.

[Captain ] “Are you going to give it to him, Princess? Please, it would be better if you leave it to me. I'll do it.”

[ Rienne ] “No, I want to do it myself.”

What Rienne needed to ask the old man was something that no one else knew.

[ Rienne ] “I want you to take a look at the area and see if anything interesting happens. And be careful if you meet the army of Kleinfelder.”

[Captain ] “So…..All right then.”

After that, Rienne entered a nearby alley where she saw an old beggar sitting with his hands leaning against a stick.

Even though it was an alley, it was still connected to the main road, so the captain could still easily see it there. After the Kleinfelder family tried the forced marriage, Rienne became more cautious about these kinds of things. (1)

[ Rienne ] “Halo..”.

As she whispered her regards, Rienne stopped walking.

There was someone with the beggar.

He wore a thick robe that reached his ankles, tied with a rope around his waist, not a belt. That meant he was someone from the Temple, but the cloth was different from ordinary priests.

He must be a servant.

The old man looked up and looked at the waiter casually. But regardless of the gaze the old man gave, the waiter placed a piece of bread onto his lap.

What happened next is beyond belief.

Throw down!

The old man took the bread in his trembling hand and threw it into the street.

[ Rienne ] “....?”

Then he lifted his stick and started hitting it.

Big punch! Big punch!

Seeing how crooked the old man's face was, it was clear he used all his strength to hit the servant. With such effort, no matter how weak and frail the old man was. It would be painful for anyone to be beaten with such a wooden stick.

[ Rienne ] “Stop!”

But the waiter did not respond or ask why this happened. He just took the hit.

Rienne quickly placed her body between the servant and the old man.

[ Rienne ] “What do you do?”

[ Server ] “.....!”

When the maid saw Rienne, everything above the tip of her nose was covered by the hood of her robe, only revealing her slightly opened lips in surprise to see her.

[ Rienne ] “Why did you allow yourself to be beaten like this? Did something happen between you two?”

[ Server ]”. .”

Rienne and the servant's eyes met for a moment before the maid's mouth suddenly tightened, and she turned to leave.

[ Rienne ] “Don't go! That's a command.”

[ Server ]”. .”

Her footsteps stopped and Rienne also stopped. But then he shook his head and tried to move again.

[ Rienne ] “Are you ignoring my order?”

Rienne did not hesitate to extend a hand and grab the cloth of her robe. His grip on loose clothing caused him to lean back, revealing his blood-stained shirt and injured forehead.

 

[ Rienne ] “Ah…. You're hurt!”

Both the maid who was caught and the woman who saw her injuries were stunned in surprise. Meanwhile, the old man frowned from behind them.

Too much blood coming out of the stick.

[ Rienne ] “How can this happen?”

He was silent for a moment before finally answering.

[ Servant ] “…….I'm praying for redemption.”

[ Rienne ] “Peace? What kind of atonement makes you bleed like this?”

[ Servant ] “This is a prayer that needs blood.”

Rienne did not know this, but there was a time, a long time ago when eager priests whipped themselves in the name of prayer. But today such a prayer is not used by any priest, let alone by a servant.

[ Rienne ] “What kind of god would want their children to bleed?”

[ Server ]”. .”

The waiter said nothing more.

[ Rienne ] “Are you treated well?”

[ Server ]”. .”

[ Rienne ] “I'll think of it as no.”

Rienne withheld******* with a troubled expression on her face.

It was normal for the royal family to turn a blind eye to the affairs of the Shrines, but after seeing something like this, it made it hard to ignore.

[ Rienne ] “Make sure you get the right treatment. I will make a visit to the Temple soon, so please do before that. What's your name?”

The waiter bit his lip for a long time. Finally, he finally answered slowly, a little confused.

[Clime ] “…….Klimah.”

[ Rienne ] “Then, Mr. Klimah. I'm not saying this just as a pretense, so please take care of the wound. Otherwise, I will talk to the Temple official myself if need be.”

Klimah nodded with his shoulder.

[ Rienne ] “You're free to go now. As a member of the royal family, I will always do what I can to help the life of someone who serves Nauk as a servant of Dewa.”

Hesitating, Klimah stood there for a while before lowering his head, immediately disappearing into the alley.

[ Rienne ] “As for you.”

Rienne turned to the old man. He remained silent the entire time, his body stiff as a huge rock.

[ Rienne ] “First, I want to know why you hit that waitress. Do you know him well?”

The face of the old beggar was just an unkempt beard.

[Rienne ] “You should know I've prepared myself to get all the answers I need today. I'm encouraging you to talk freely now, unless you'd rather talk to me from a jail cell.”

[Beggar ]”. .”

[ Rienne ] “If you don't want to talk about waiters, then let's talk about something else only.”

[Beggar ]”. .”

[ Rienne ] “Who is Lord Trying to get revenge?”

[Beggar ] “Princess Arsak..”.

Just when the old man tried to talk—

[Captain ] “Princess!”

The guard captain of Nauk Castle called Rienne.

[Captain ] “Leader Tiwakan is on the way.”

[ Rienne ] “What?”

Following the captain's hand gesture, Rienne turned her head.

Just by looking at the gigantic figure walking towards him, it was clear that the person at the end of the main road could not be anyone else other than Black.

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It's unfortunate, but getting answers should wait.

It would be too dangerous to let Black know the identity of the old man. Until the moment he reveals his reason for being Nauk to her alone, he will likely not tolerate other beings who know.

[ Rienne ] “Please, take her away. Somewhere he can't be found.”

Rienne handed the basket of food she brought to the old man and left it in the care of the captain. Then, they left the alley without wasting a breath.

[ Rienne ] “Master Tiwakan.”

Calling Black, Rienne made eye contact with him. Unlike the cold air of the season, the sun felt stinging on his skin, so scorching.

Under that searing sunlight, everything felt like it was being revealed. Black is no exception.

….He looks like a statue.

He doesn't seem like a real person. More like a work of art made just to be seen.

Rienne wasn't the only one who thought that way.

Even the people passing by on the street could not help but glance at him as they walked. They would stare as if they could not take their eyes off before quickly lowering their heads as if they saw nothing.

As Black's eyes met with Rienne, he stood still like a statue, not blinking at all.

Rienne felt like she was blinded by it. Is it because of the sun or is he just that bright? Either way, he looked extremely brilliant in his eyes.

Blinking a few times quickly, Black took a step forward and approached Rienne.

[Black ] “I think I'm wrong.”

[ Rienne ] “Excuse me?”

[Black ] “You don't look like a princess.”

[ Rienne ] “.....Really?”

Rienne immediately looked down at herself.

[ Rienne ] “It makes no difference to my usual appearance.”

Maybe he meant he didn't recognize her because she was dressed so simply.

Although Rienne was a noble, she did not look so different from ordinary people. Her clothes do not have a luxurious setting and are designed for simplicity.

Even if the most common hair color on Nauk is brown while Rienne is more golden, she doesn't think it's anything special.

[Black ] “You like a statue.”

[ Rienne ] “Ah..

He said the same thing he thought about her. Thats odd. It was such a strange thing to hear so loud that Rienne felt her heart had just stopped.

Why are you saying this to me?

This man had no reason to say such a good thing to her.

Why are you doing this to me?

[ Rienne ] “……..That's overrated.”

Rienne did her best to brush off Black's words, trying not to linger on it.

There must be a reason. The reason why he was being so sweet to her.

[Black ] “Even if you say that, it does not change the truth of what I say.”

[ Rienne ] “........Why did you come here?”

Being uncomfortable with her kindness, Rienne quickly changed the subject.

[Black ] “I heard you left, so I came to pick you up. Is your business done?”

[ Rienne ] “Ya.”

Said he came just to see it too well.

Even after the mysterious old man told him that Black was just trying to get revenge on him, he was shocked by his own belief that his actions were good.

Do I like this guy?

Is that why he wants to believe beyond all belief that he has no other idea in him?

…..Why am I like this?

[ Rienne ] “We have to go back to the castle. I leave all the seams to Mrs Flambard, so she must be tired of working without me.”

Rienne again changed the subject and turned around.

Without a word, Black extended his hand towards him. After becoming a little used to walking with him, he placed his hand on his strong arm.

[Black ] “Is it normal for you to go alone?”

In no hurry, the two of them walked together.

When Black first arrived, he was riding a horse. The mercenaries who followed them had two horses behind them, yet no one came up with the idea of actually riding them when they returned to the castle.

The pair attracted a lot of attention, everyone looked back as they walked, hand in hand.

Walking together like that, they look like a matching pair– both share the thought that the other one is very pretty, it is enough to make their eyes dizzy.

[ Rienne ] “I'm not alone. The captain of the guard is with me.”

[Black ] “One person is not enough.”

[ Rienne ] “No longer needed. Nauk is not too big, so a companion party is not needed.”

[Black ] “I disagree.”

Her feelings were understandable when she considered what happened with Kleinfelder not too long ago.

Rienne tried to swallow her embarrassment.

[Rienne ] “You may be hard to believe, but that's how Nauk.” is

[Black ] “Call me from now.”

[ Rienne ] “Excuse me?”

Rienne whispered her question.

[ Rienne ] “I can't do that. You have too many things to handle, Mr. Tiwakan.”

[Black ] “My job is to accompany you, Princess.”

[ Rienne ]”. .”

……This is the kindness that Rienne thought of. That's not necessary at all.

Feeling her heart ache in her chest, Rienne turned her head and looked into the distance.

[ Rienne ] “When construction of the Temple stairs will begin?”

[Black ] “We will start after the new High Priest has been decided.”

[ Rienne ] “Oh….. Is a new High Priest needed for construction?”

[Black ] “Maybe not, but it would be difficult to do anything without someone to negotiate.”

[ Rienne ] “Ah.”

The restoration of the Temple was promised as part of the guarantee of the wedding ceremony from the beginning. He would pay for the construction only after he got a definitive answer that the wedding would be held safely.

He's very thorough.

Whoever the next High Priest will get their job to deal with this man.

Of course the new High Priest was someone from Kleinfelder's pocket, but somehow Rienne wasn't worried. He could not imagine Black ever being tossed around by a High Priest or anyone for that matter.

If this man is just an ordinary fiancee, get engaged to normal circumstances…….

If he was by her side, without question…..

Then I'll be very grateful.

[ Black ] “.....?”

Thinking that, Rienne subconsciously tightened her grip on Black's arm.

[Black ] “Is there something you want to say?”

Black stopped and looked at Rienne.

Meeting his gaze, he felt himself stiffening. Rienne blinked, thinking the sun reflected from her was too bright.

[ Rienne ] “No, nothing special....”.

Back then—

Amidst the countless crowds of people coming and going on the main road, someone dragging a strange wooden barrel on the old wagon stopped right behind Black.

[ Mercenary ] “Master, be careful!”

The Tiwakan mercenaries who were following them from afar shouted, but not before Black reacted first.

Yoke, Tuk!

Bumped!

The rope holding the container broke, and the wooden barrel fell from the wagon towards Black and Rienne.