Chapter 30

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Violent thunder and lightning struck beneath the storm clouds that had rolled in.

Marianne, who had been looking out at the sea through the government office’s full glass windows, hurriedly turned around.

“A medium magic stone? Are you sure?”

“We’re sure! A magic stone suddenly rose from the calm sea, and then the thunder and lightning……!”

Marianne’s complexion darkened.

She had spent her whole life in Waveril Townhouse, and it had only been six months since she had been appointed to Pearl City.

When she was first offered the post of governor of Pearl City, she hadn’t felt very motivated.

‘Marianne! Have you truly gone mad! Do you know what kind of position that is, for you to say you’ll refuse it?’

‘Mother, what kind of governor could I be? All I’ve ever done in my life is handle little bits of administrative work within the family.’

‘Then are you going to stay in your room forever? What do you think your sons will learn by watching you? Pull yourself together! You are now the only parent Raul and Enzo have!’

But the moment her sons’ names came up, she had come to her senses.

‘They’ve already lost the father they trusted and followed at such a sensitive age. At the very least, you must show Raul and Enzo what it looks like to stand firm!’

Raul and Enzo.

The twins born into the world on the same day and at the same time between her husband and herself.

When her husband was killed by a monster, the twins, who had been holy knights, resigned from the order.

Because of the guilt of not being able to protect their father even while serving in the same corps.

‘Because you keep staying locked in your room, Raul and Enzo are becoming more and more like that too. Raul seems to be hanging around with rough friends, and Enzo hasn’t eaten for three days! Are you really going to stay like this?’

In truth, it had been because of the twins that Marianne had effectively accepted the post of governor of Pearl City.

The imperial advisor’s advice that “it won’t be all that difficult a job” had also played a part.

‘There is little left to interfere with in Pearl City. Baroness, all you need to do is exchange regular reports with the imperial family.’

Even Marianne, who had never stepped into politics, knew very well what that meant.

‘So they want me to be a doll that keeps the seat warm. One that listens well.’

It was by no means a pleasant offer, but Marianne had no particular reason to refuse.

Because if she left the imperial capital and went to a quiet place, she thought her complicated heart might recover at least a little.

And she also thought life in Pearl City would be better for the twins than life in the townhouse.

[Marianne.

I smiled when I saw the photograph you sent. It is a relief that Raul and Enzo seem better than before.

The weather here has been very hot lately. Even so, I am doing all right somehow. I hope that you, too, are happy there.

My daughter, I believe in you.

– From Mother]

In fact, after coming to Pearl City, Raul and Enzo had begun talking more.

The two of them often went outside the government office to look around the bustling district, and they even resumed the sword training they’d let fall aside.

Most of all, they sometimes boarded boats at the dock and went out onto the sea……

Marianne froze.

“……Wait a moment.”

The conversation she had with the twins that morning flashed through her head.

‘Today too, Enzo and I are thinking of going out to sea.’

‘To sea?’

‘We’ve gotten acquainted with a few people at the dock. They’re all captains, so they know the good fishing spots.’

Marianne’s eyes slowly filled with terror.

“Your Excellency!”

The next moment, without even putting on a raincoat, she threw open the office door and ran outside.

The moment she stepped into the street, cold rain immediately lashed her face.

Pushing through the thick damp air, Marianne began to run.

Her shoes quickly grew heavy from absorbing water.

Before long, she saw a crowd gathered in front of the Red Glove Inn.

“If you’re saying no one will step up, then who in the world are we supposed to ask for help if not mercenaries?!”

An old man was sitting collapsed on the ground, shouting with reddened eyes.

Judging by the familiar face, he was the union leader of the Pearl City Shipowners’ Association.

“I told you, a magic stone has appeared in the sea in front of the dock! Once the sun goes down, monsters will come pouring out, and are you saying we should all die here together?!”

“Then what do you expect us to do? I’ve told you over and over, we’ve never seen or heard of a magic stone rising from the sea! We don’t even know what kind of monster will come out, so telling us to fight is the same as telling us to go out and die!”

Marianne stared blankly at those pointing at the association leader.

Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be mercenaries staying at the inn.

“Commander Doiji is right. It’s not as if we can throw everything else aside and help you, Association Leader……”

The Shipowners’ Association leader’s complexion turned deathly pale.

His hands shaking, he crawled over to Rudy, the owner of the Red Glove Inn.

“R-Rudy. Didn’t you say so a few days ago?! That members of ‘Trevaga’ were staying at your inn!”

Marianne’s eyes grew a little wider.

‘Trevaga.’

If it was Trevaga, that was the powerful and veteran mercenary company currently ranked first.

If it were them, then even in this unprecedented situation they might be able to save Pearl City.

But,

“That man left here last morning. Even if we send an urgent notice, it’ll still take a full day for him to come.”

“Then what are we supposed to do! We’re all going to die tonight! We can’t abandon our ships and homes and flee all over again!”

Right then, a massive bolt of lightning crashed into the middle of the sea with a crack.

Groaning, the association leader thumped his chest over and over.

“How, how is there not even one mercenary who says he’ll help the town? Can you still call yourselves mercenaries? If it’s like this, what’s the difference between you and the holy knights who abandoned us a hundred years ago!”

“Damn it, old man, you keep going on and on!”

At that moment, someone sprang out from among the gathered mercenaries.

A vicious-looking face, long hair hanging down wet.

“You can’t do a damn thing without our help in the first place. And instead of begging, what? You compare us to the holy knights?”

With that, the red-faced man swung his fist without mercy, and the association leader tumbled backward into the street, muddy water splashing up.

“Cough-! Wh-what are you doing right now!”

“I’ll make you pay for the insolence of talking back to this Lord Karl!”

He was Karl, the commander of Death Hound, who had just arrived in Pearl City after passing through the imperial capital.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

At the worsening situation, Marianne hurriedly stepped in between them.

At the sudden appearance of her, Karl flinched.

The association leader, who had been sprawled on the ground, also scrambled up in a panic.

“Y-Your Excellency?”

Rudy the innkeeper looked at her in surprise.

“The governor?”

“……That woman is Pearl City’s top ruler?”

Murmuring broke out even among the foreign mercenaries.

Marianne met their eyes head-on and tensed her body.

‘Raul, Enzo……’

Her mind was full of thoughts of the twins, but as governor she could not simply pass by this scene.

“To dare use violence. This man is the union leader of the Shipowners’ Association!”

The mercenary who had hit the association leader furrowed his brow.

Looking Marianne up and down, he said,

“What are you?”

“Insolent. Will you not show proper respect when speaking to me, the governor of Pearl City?”

For a moment, silence followed.

But Karl didn’t budge.

“The governor? Pu, puhahaha-! You?!”

Instead, with eyes full of mockery, he let his gaze crawl unpleasantly over Marianne’s body.

More precisely, over the lines of her body outlined by the rain-soaked clothes clinging to her.

“Dressed like that, I’d believe you were some governor’s mistress rather than the governor he……”

Thud-

But before the outrageous words even finished, a heavy sound rang out between them.

Karl, hit in the face by something, went stumbling backward and crashed down.

“Commander!”

“Karl!”

As his subordinates helped him up, Karl ground his teeth and threw up his head.

“Which bastard did that!”

But the moment he saw who it was, he stiffened.

“B-Basto?”

The giant standing right in front of him was Basto.

That same Basto whose identification number Karl himself had bribed the gate holy knights to erase.

And beside him,

“……Hurk.”

some child he had never seen before was staring straight up at him.

“So that’s Karl……”

With a look mixed half with curiosity and half with caution.

“He was reeally ugly……”