Chapter 3: The Sisters of the Duke’s House
The territory of the Kingdom of Canaria is less than a third the size of its eastern neighbor, the Adastera Empire. Although smaller in size, the kingdom has several magical area that become monster habitats like the Tittis Forest, Skim Mountain and Catalan Desert. While not as powerful as the empire, Canaria’s national strength has endured. In other words, Canaria can’t be considered a small country that is easily disregarded.
Many visit Canaria’s very lively capital, Horus. In the Kingdom of Canaria, commercial activities flourished, and the wealth it generated greatly enriched the treasury of the kingdom.
Why is small Canaria so economically active?
As mentioned above, the Kingdom of Canaria has numerous magical areas within its borders. While there have always been bad consequences, there have also been benefits. That’s why there is a great wealth that can saturate the treasury.
This wealth comes from monster materials.
The skins, bones, claws and fangs of monsters can be used to make powerful weapons. Over time, the people of Canaria have come to realise the commercial value of the monsters in their territory, including their meat, blood, fur and organs. Even the inedible flesh of orcs was used to feed livestock.
The cumulative effort created an enormous economic base.
While monster attack isn’t constant, it is limited to the outskirts of the city. Frontline bases such as Ishka and Belca minimise incursions. Inside the walls, there are no monsters.
Even a travelling merchant, as long as he sticks to the regular roads, knows it’s not too dangerous, so he won’t lose his spirits.
Bordered by the Tittis Forest to the north and the Catalan Desert to the west, the Kingdom of Canaria’s only neighbours are the Empire of Adastera and the Holy Kingdom to the south. Relations between the two countries have been good in recent years, and there is no danger of other countries invading.
As a result, the royal capital of Horus is thriving.
But where there’s light, there’s shadow. In prosperous Horus, dark shadows crawl, like in Duke Dragnote’s household in the centre of the capital.
The Dragnote family is a prestigious family that has existed since the foundation of Canaria and is the largest aristocracy in the kingdom. It can be said that there is no one living in the Kingdom of Canaria who doesn’t know the name Dragnote.
Pascal, the current head of the family, is particularly famous, and the name “Ray”, who led the Dragon Knights, has spread to other countries.
And Pascal has two daughters. The eldest daughter is called Astrid and the younger daughter Claudia.
The eldest daughter, Astrid, shows great talent as a Dragon Knight and is the vice-captain of the Dragon Knights.
Taking over her father’s duties, which have been moved to the royal palace, Astrid has recently been given the name “Ray”.
And that Astrid looked around at the entrance to the Duke’s mansion with a heavy expression on her face.
After a while, a carriage stopped at the outer gate. Her father Pascal was returning from the royal palace.
Astrid ran to her father. When she saw his face, she took a deep breath.
“Father, is it as expected?”
“Yes, His Majesty said directly. The engagement between His Highness Hazardrd and Clau must end.”
“Finally, severing ties with that poison! If we had more time, surely!”
“I said the same. But we’ve waited a year; we can’t wait longer.”
“But,”
“Moreover, even without the poison concern, they couldn’t conceive a child until the curse is lifted…”
“That’s…”
Astrid’s fists clenched at her father’s words.
Claudia Dragnote, her younger sister and Prince Hazardrd’s former fiancée, was now under an unexplained curse.
This curse inflicted excruciating pain throughout her body, regardless of time or location.
It was a merciless curse that defied magic, miracles, antidotes, potions, and even carefully crafted elixirs.
—No, to be precise, it’s not that they had no effect. The pain could be temporarily alleviated.
But over time, the curse reactivated. Many times, dozens of times.
Claudia was a cheerful girl with a strong spirit, despite her young age. Even after her mother’s passing, she smiled and held back her tears, not wanting to worry those around her.
Initially, she resisted the curse, assuring her father and sister that it meant nothing to her.
However, the curse grew stronger, mocking Claudia’s resolve.
For every pain she endured, two more would follow. And if she withstood those two, three more would come. The curse relentlessly escalated, showing no mercy as Claudia’s screams echoed through her suffering.
Witnessing Claudia’s heartbreak and her plea for death, her father and sister faced a difficult decision.
To alleviate Claudia’s pain, they resorted to using analgesics made from Tanasia herbs.
These analgesics were potent but placed a tremendous burden on the body.
They were typically reserved for severely injured or terminally ill patients who had no hope of recovery. It was never meant to be used on a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, even if unintentionally.
But for Claudia, when all other medicines ceased to work, she would have been in a frenzied state of pain if left alone. There was no other option.
As a result, Claudia barely managed to survive.
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However, even the Tanasia pain medicine couldn’t completely eliminate the pain of the curse, and Claudia was forced to live in fear of a possible wave of pain at any moment.
Furthermore, while taking the Tanasia analgesics, the toxins it contained settled in Claudia’s body, and the girl’s body weakened every day and every minute.
Pascal and Astrid tirelessly sought a solution to help Claudia, but renowned pharmacists and high priests couldn’t save her.
In that desperate moment, Pascal, known as the Lightning, and Astrid were on the verge of despair.
A robust slave trader from Ishka arrived at Duke Dragnote’s mansion, presenting an unknown fruit called Jiraiya Oaks.
The fruit in question is called Jiraiya Oaks, according to Fiodor, the self-introduced slave trader. He claimed it had powerful detoxifying properties capable of neutralizing even Basilisk venom.
Astrid and Pascal, however, didn’t immediately believe Fiodor’s words. They had doubts about his credibility.
But the desperate situation of the Dragnote father and daughter worked in Fiodor’s favor. After confirming the authenticity of the fruit, they gave it to Claudia with great hope.
The effect was remarkable.
The visible effects of the venom and curse tormenting Claudia diminished. Needless to say, Astrid and Pascal were overjoyed. Although the underlying issue remained unresolved, they saw it as a step forward in a situation where no effective solutions were available. This was a significant change for the people of the Duke’s household.
The Jiraiya Oaks fruit could minimize the risks associated with the Tanasia herb. It allowed them to shift their focus to uncovering the cause of the curse, ultimately freeing Claudia from her pain. Astrid firmly believed in this possibility.
However, intertwined with this belief was the cancellation of Claudia’s engagement to the prince.
It was the king’s duty to ensure the continuation of the royal lineage. With Claudia’s inability to bear children and no prospects of her health improving, it was undeniable that she couldn’t be welcomed as the prince’s wife.
Even more so if the curse that suffocated Claudia could reach the prince.
Furthermore, there were other motivations behind ending the engagement.
“The imperial faction has initiated an engagement between Prince Hazardrd and Princess Sakuya as a replacement for Claudia. They’ve reportedly been discussing it for some time, and Princess Sakuya is expected to arrive in the capital in about two months, with plans accelerated.”
Undoubtedly, the king and those around him had intended to cancel the prince’s engagement with Claudia.
Astrid, bitter in her thoughts, echoed her father’s sentiments.
“Princess Sakuya, the third princess of Adastera? An engagement with that country is akin to inviting an invader. Why can’t those from the empire understand?”
“Well, maybe they don’t understand, or if they do understand, they might be proceeding accordingly…” Pascal’s voice still carried bitterness.
Pascal’s dignified position as a recognized figure in Dragnote and the king’s strong trust in him wanting his daughter to be the future queen naturally caused others to feel jealous. Some courtiers from the imperial faction were attempting to counterbalance the support the Duke of Dragnote received from the Adastera Empire.
The cancellation of the engagement was undoubtedly the result of pressure exerted by the imperial faction on the king.
In that case, suspicion would be cast on the empire’s involvement in Claudia’s curse, but no matter how much they investigated, nothing was found.
With a heavy sigh, Duke Dragnote spoke.
“In any case, we have to be prepared for the imperial faction. I won’t be able to leave the royal palace for a while, so I’m entrusting the household to you. Meanwhile, securing those Jiraiya Oaks fruits is essential. Leaving everything to the slave traders is like having Claudia’s life in their hands.”
The Duke expressed his desire to avoid such a scenario, and Astrid nodded in agreement.
As members of the Duke’s household, they were well aware of the necessity of slaves and the importance of slave traders, but they couldn’t completely trust them.
“According to Fiodor, the slave trader, he claimed that the rumored lone dragon knight found the Jiraiya Oaks fruit. It’s hard to believe that a simple adventurer could possess an Indigo Wyvern, but…”
Seeing her father muttering with doubt, Astrid corrected her expression.
“That’s true. I witnessed it with my own eyes. It was indeed an Indigo Wyvern.”
At that moment, during Astrid’s visit to Ishka to verify the extent of the rotten decaying sea and the conditions of the Kale River, she decided to see the alleged Indigo Wyvern at least once and headed to the stable.
It was somewhat ironic for Astrid, who had casually told the rider she met by chance, “I hope we meet again very soon.”
With her own power, she had reached a position equivalent to that of a dragon knight, the epitome of strength in the Kingdom of Canaria. It was impossible to overlook. Upon returning to the royal capital, Astrid had advised her father, considering inviting that young man named Sora to the Duke’s house and indirectly conveying her thoughts.
Although it looked much different from what was originally anticipated, it seemed that they would have the opportunity to meet again.
As Astrid remembered Sora’s mysterious face when he said, “I hope we meet again,” she gently narrowed her eyes, and her father’s somewhat anxious voice reached her ears.
“To be honest, I still find it hard to believe. Taming an Indigo Wyvern, something I couldn’t accomplish no matter how much effort I put in. How did he do it? If possible, I would like to learn the secret. It’s an opportunity to fulfill my thirty years of longing. Perhaps even forty…”
Seeing her father’s heavy gaze transform into enthusiasm, Astrid smiled cheerfully.
However, no matter which way she looked, there were only difficulties. Yet, her father, as the head of the Duke’s household, must have been under even greater pressure than she was. At this moment, Astrid realized that even if she were to forget about the difficulties and solely focus on her hobbies, she wouldn’t achieve anything.
Provoking that kind of reaction from her father was worth talking to that young man. With that thought in mind, Astrid smiled once again.
“…How dull,” I murmured inside the carriage heading to the royal capital. The carriage wasn’t very spacious, so I suppose everyone could hear my voice. As proof of that, Luna María, who was sitting in front of me, opened her mouth with a somewhat complicated expression.
“It hasn’t even been an hour since we left Ishka. It will be a long journey to reach the royal capital.”
“I know… but once you get used to traveling on a Wyvern, it feels strange to travel on land. And, how should I put it, this carriage is strangely uncomfortable…”
Perhaps it’s because of the feathers stuck together, the seats are very soft. Since a carriage experiences constant jolts, it’s best to have something soft. However, this squishy sensation on my backside doesn’t put me at ease.
Next to me, Seal, who was sitting next to Luna María, agreed, twitching her lynx ears on her head.
“I understand. It doesn’t feel very comfortable. Is this a type of poverty or something? What do you think, Suzume-chan?”
“Well… I, well… I’m not used to carriages in general…”
The kijin girl, Suzume, sitting next to me looked somewhat anxious as she glanced around the carriage. Her hand firmly held onto the sleeve of my clothes.
According to Luna María and Seal, who told me secretly, Suzume was very anxious while I was in the village of Melte.
Suzume is usually cautious around others, but she is relatively open-minded with me. Perhaps it’s because I saved her from the Lord of Flies and the Basilisk.
I left Suzume behind and traveled to the village of Melte, entrusting Luna María and Seal with her care in my absence. However, I couldn’t avoid feeling blamed for my lack of consideration.
While contemplating this, Suzume asked me with a worried expression,
“Um, is the royal capital bigger than Ishka?”
“Yes, it’s about three times the size of Ishka.”
“I… I can’t even imagine that. Then, how does the royal palace compare to your house, Sora-san?”
“Let’s see. It’s like comparing a lizard to a Wyvern.”
“…Um, do we really have to go there?”
“Yes, I believe it’s for the best considering the future. After all, Fiodor-dono went through the trouble of arranging it.”
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