Chapter 70

# 70

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How much time had passed?

Knock knock.

"Miss Nafia?"

As Schleman called out the name of the small figure visible beyond the canopy, Nafia's eyelids twitched, and she slowly woke from her sleep.

"…Lord Schleman."

"Oh, I woke you up. It's fine if you want to sleep more. I'll come back later."

Nafia blinked her long lashes, forcing herself to wake up.

"No, I'm awake."

Schleman approached the bed with a troubled expression. He felt ashamed for disturbing the sleep of a sick child.

"Are you really okay?"

He looked at Nafia, whose eyes were still a bit drowsy, with a guilty expression and helped her sit up properly.

"Your clothes and shoes will arrive by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you."

"Not at all. I owe you a lot, so this is the least I can do."

Nafia smiled briefly and then spoke.

"Everything I mentioned seems to have happened."

'She's really perceptive.'

Schleman thought he couldn't deceive this child even if he tried and clicked his tongue.

"Yes. Just as you said, Theorban sent a letter."

He told Nafia everything that had happened at the palace.

In fact, this was something he should report to the head of the house and discuss, but he felt awkward consulting a girl who was only staying temporarily.

'But I think it's accurate to consult with Nafia.'

The lord would surely not care.

Nafia nodded after hearing the story.

"The compensation is quite generous. When will it be sent?"

"They said they will send a carriage with gold coins and mana stones within two days."

"I see."

'With this amount of compensation, I can start implementing the things I've been thinking about quickly.'

At least, she could create a promising business before the end of winter.

At that moment, a loud voice came from outside the window.

"I'm a messenger from Agnes! Is anyone there?"

Nafia looked at the window in surprise.

'Did they use an amplification spell?'

Schleman approached the window and looked down.

"I'll check what's going on and come back."

He rode the wind down to the first floor.

Nafia also slowly approached the window to see what was happening.

Schleman approached the messenger.

"I am Schleman Jeneger, the advisor to Duke Esselred. What is it?"

"It's Lord Jeneger. The Duke of Agnes has sent me to deliver an urgent letter to Miss Nafia."

"No news until now, and suddenly a letter?"

Schleman thought Nikan's sudden change in attitude was shamelessly hypocritical and extended his hand.

"Give it to me. I'll deliver it."

The messenger replied politely.

"Additionally, I was ordered to check on Miss Nafia's condition. After all, it's a matter concerning a child."

A child's matter? Schleman almost laughed out loud.

'If he truly considered her a child, he wouldn't have spouted such nonsense about immediate punishment in front of me.'

Schleman pointed upwards with an annoyed expression.

The messenger's gaze followed his finger and saw a silver-haired girl looking out the window.

Her silver hair was so distinctive that it was immediately clear it was Nafia.

"I apologize for the intrusion. Please accept this letter."

The messenger handed over the letter, which Schleman took and looked at him intently.

It was a clear dismissal.

The messenger quickly understood and bowed before mounting his horse and leaving the estate.

Schleman rode the wind back to Nafia's room.

Thud.

He stepped aside and handed the letter to Nafia.

"It's a letter from the Duke of Agnes. Do you want to read it?"

Nafia unfolded the letter in her hand.

'It's probably full of excuses, even without reading it.'

The letter was concise.

It contained all sorts of excuses for Udo's actions and a request to please behave well with Duke Esselred since he couldn't come to fetch her immediately.

The content was exactly as expected, and Nafia couldn't help but smile.

"What does it say?"

Nafia handed the letter to Schleman without further comment.

Schleman read it and sighed in disbelief.

"His audacity is beyond words."

Nikan must have thought that if he took these measures, Nafia would wait for him indefinitely, believing she was still under his control.

Nafia twisted her lips.

"At least it means he saw potential in me, which is a good sign. This will likely spark a serious power struggle between Agnes and the royal court."

At this, Schleman frowned in displeasure.

The struggle was ultimately about who would swallow Esselred whole.

Theorban, Agnes, and the royal court.

'They are no match for the lord if he gets involved.'

Schleman slowly knelt on one knee, bringing his eye level to Nafia's.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

"Please speak."

"Do you have the key to saving this place?"

"…"

Nafia didn't answer.

But that was an answer in itself.

"Help Esselred."

Schleman never expected to say such words to someone. It wasn't about pride.

It was about hope.

Nafia's judgment was accurate, and her instructions were excellent.

Schleman no longer thought of Nafia as just a child.

Her judgment was trustworthy and worth following.

It might have been a hasty decision.

But the intuition of someone who had lived a long life was fully at play.

He would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't listen to this girl.

"Please help this place."

Nafia definitely had a way to help Esselred overcome its economic difficulties.

Then Schleman added,

"But if it becomes too much for you, you can leave."

…You can abandon it?

Nafia blinked in surprise, and Schleman smiled kindly.

"This old man has lived long enough to understand such things."

Schleman was clearly desperate.

The world he knew was collapsing at a rapid pace.

The lord didn't say it, but Schleman had a vague sense.

Ah, there's not much time left.

Lark doesn't believe in eternity, perfection, or perfection.

It wasn't because he was cold and barren.

It was because he had no eternity, no perfection, and no perfection to believe in.

Time was running out.

Schleman felt this acutely.

The lord had given the girl one year.

Schleman thought about it.

'Why one year?'

And he soon understood.

One year was the most meaningless time for Lark. That's why he could give it, and that's why he could discard it.

'One year.'

It's too short.

A hopelessly short time.

What could be done in that time?

Schleman's face remained calm as he gradually crumbled.

The castle was already abandoned.

The family's glory had faded.

The only thing he held onto, a thread of connection, was barely keeping him going.

Even that was reaching its limit.

But. Even if he was desperate, he couldn't burden this young girl with the tragic downfall of the Esselred family.

The child was intelligent and mysterious.

She gave him hope that she could accomplish something.

'She's still a child.'

She had the right to be protected and to run away if the burden became too heavy.

He himself had no sense of shame. That's why he wouldn't blame her if she left.

But all of this was new to Nafia.

Nafia felt the deep sincerity in every word he spoke.

Each word was filled with precious sincerity and earnestness.

Yet, she spoke as if she were the one in control of the relationship.

Nafia had no choice but to come to Esselred.

But Schleman was telling her she had a choice.

Listening to his words, she felt like she had wings and could fly anywhere.

"…So you're saying you're willing to take the risk of betrayal and work with me?"

Nafia understood the weight of betrayal. She had experienced it countless times.

Schleman, though not to the same extent as Nafia, had likely experienced betrayal in his life.

But to accept the possibility of betrayal?

Nafia had never learned such a concept.

"You must strike those who might betray you before they do."

Nikan always said that.

Schleman said,

"I think life is like wandering through a forest. The forest is so vast that if you look at the whole, it becomes overwhelming, and you can't do anything."

Then he suddenly changed his perspective.

Instead of looking at the forest, he looked at a single tree within it.

A tree with rough, reddish bark, its roots extending deep into the ground.

"Sometimes, you might not even know much about that one tree as you flow through life. But you can stop and look at it for a moment."

How old is it? Has it been eaten by bugs?

"What if that tree isn't mine?"

In the forest, you can see other trees.

"My world is a forest made up of all these individual trees."

So there's no need to feel great disappointment in a tree that isn't yours.

"To form your forest, you must examine each tree one by one."

'My forest. My tree.'

"I planted a tree called Nafia in my forest. If that tree doesn't take root in my soil, I will blame myself."

It was an overly sentimental story.

She had entered someone else's forest.

And a tree had entered her forest.

She would need to enrich the soil, bring rain, and provide sunlight for the tree to grow.

Thinking about it, it felt so strange and unfamiliar.

'Can I do that?'

Can I have my own forest? Can I have my own tree? This place was strange. It kept making her think about things she had never considered