日本二区高清三区高清不卡

Chapter 74 – Asven (5)

I lay in bed, resting for a complete recovery, while Diana goes shopping for groceries and prepares meals.

Life continued in a tedious routine that was almost boring enough to make me yawn.

But I didn’t particularly dislike it.

After all, it was the first time in a long while since my transmigration that I experienced such peace.

One day, I woke up to find Diana was not there.

She probably stepped out to replenish the supplies we ran out of yesterday.

I looked down at my body, inspecting myself thoroughly.

I was filthy from not having bathed for quite some time.

The fact that I couldn’t take a proper bath inside the house was an unexpected reality of this harsh medieval world.

“……”

I squinted up at the glaring sunlight.

The village looked surprisingly normal.

Lines of laundry hung in the yards of every house, and children in shabby clothes were running around, shouting.

In the distance, I could hear the sounds of livestock, and the streets were lined with stalls.

It matched the typical image of a ‘medieval’ village exactly.

‘I never thought I’d actually see this place in person.’

The Kingdom of Asven.

A kingdom located at the eastern edge of the continent and the poorest nation across the land.

I knew its name.

It was briefly mentioned in the official setting book.

However, this was my first time actually visiting this place.

Which made it all the more surprising.

The image I had of Asven’s territory was very different.

I imagined the worst public security, a closed-off atmosphere, and completely unmaintained roads.

I expected the streets to be filthy, the whole village to reek, and people to look at each other with distrust…

‘The streets… are clean?’

What?

Is this really the Asven I knew?

Of course, I had never seen the Kingdom of Asven with my own eyes before.

But it’s not like I knew nothing about it.

Most importantly, this place is…

‘Derek’s hometown.’

Asven was the hometown of Derek, the protagonist of the original story, so I knew quite a bit about it indirectly.

Although since I fell into this cursed world, I hadn’t met Derek even once.

Not in the previous timeline, nor in this one.

I don’t know if it’s because of causality or the system’s machinations, but I don’t know the exact reason.

Whatever the case, the protagonist’s existence wasn’t important to me since my only goal was to escape this world.

I wasn’t here to become the protagonist and complete the scenario, but to live and die as a villain.

I looked around absently.

And then.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Ah, damn!

A voice whispered so close to my ear that I jumped back in surprise.

“Are you feeling better? You seem to have recovered quickly.”

A woman with a fresh, lively appearance tilted her head and looked at me.

Of course, she was a woman I had never seen before in my life.

Before I could say anything, she continued.

“They said you had an accident on your way here? You looked like a dead man when I first saw you… It’s a relief you look better now!”

Who is this woman acting so familiar with me?

I looked her up and down cautiously and asked.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

“Oh, I’m Shizuki. You’re Mr. Birken, right?”

Birken… That was my name.

As I slowly nodded, she clapped her hands and made a fuss.

“My goodness, I’m not exaggerating when I say you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. Even your voice is beautiful.”

“……”

“Um, have you… had breakfast yet? The villagers were also curious about you.”

What the hell?

Why are the villagers curious about me?

Shizuki blushed and stammered shyly, avoiding my gaze with a coy smile.

I barely swallowed the laugh rising in my throat and tried to keep my voice calm.

“I’m sorry. I already had breakfast.”

“Oh… I see…”

Shizuki lowered her head in disappointment but kept glancing at me.

“Could you step aside for a moment?”

“O-Of course! Are you planning to go somewhere?”

What should I say?

After a moment of thought, I asked her.

“Have you seen Minette by any chance?”

“Mi… nette…?”

Shizuki tilted her head and then clapped her hands again.

And she said shyly.

“Oh, you mean your wife, Mr. Birken!”

What? Wife?

Who?

“Please, follow me!”

****

I was completely caught off guard.

I never expected the ‘wife’ she mentioned to be Diana.

But I couldn’t argue.

The reason Diana gave was quite valid.

“To avoid suspicion.”

To avoid suspicion.

It’s natural that a foreign man and woman settling in a remote area would draw suspicion unless they were a couple.

I sighed.

Until I could come up with a clear plan, I had to pretend to be Diana’s husband.

It wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was still embarrassing.

And then.

“I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

Diana lowered her head with a somewhat sullen expression.

I laughed softly and replied.

“It’s okay.”

Diana slowly raised her head.

Seeing her cautiously watching my reaction made me smile.

“……”

Diana also smiled gently and spoke in a careful voice.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“About what?”

“Isabel Yustia.”

A familiar name popped out, causing my brow to furrow.

I looked at Diana, waiting for her to continue.

And then she said,

“They say she jumped from the mansion.”

“…Jumped?”

Jumped? Does that mean Isabel threw herself from the mansion?

“It seems she couldn’t overcome her guilt and made an extreme choice.”

Jumped.

The heavy word echoed in my ears.

The unexpected news left me momentarily speechless.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

Diana nodded silently.

I couldn’t ask anything more.

It didn’t make me feel triumphant, nor did it bring a smile to my face.

I still loathed Isabel, had cursed her countless times.

Yet, I couldn’t find peace in the news of her suicide.

After all, I had taken my own life right in front of her.

Out of hatred, out of spite, out of sheer resentment.

To make her suffer the same agony as I did.

“Is she dead?”

“I haven’t heard any further news.”

The room’s temperature seemed to drop with each passing second.

Neither Diana nor I could say anything.

I lowered my gaze.

My reflection on the smooth floor grew darker.

I didn’t feel entirely sad, or sorry, nor was I in pain.

I just felt a heavy weight in my chest.

And then,

“It’s not your fault, master.”

Diana’s calm reassurance made me smile faintly.

I slowly stroked Diana’s head and murmured.

“I know.”

“That’s a relief.”

Silver hair, a finely sculpted nose, and then I met her blue eyes.

Silence ensued, creating a peculiar atmosphere.

Diana swallowed deeply.

And at that moment,

Creak—

The door opened.

“Miss Minette, I heard your husband has arrived?”

“Oh, Chief.”

The village chief?

That woman?

Diana greeted the woman entering the room with a sociable smile.

“This is your husband?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The woman looked me up and down with a curious gaze.

Then she murmured with a hint of admiration.

“He’s really handsome. You’re lucky, Miss Minette.”

“Thank you.”

“How’s the village? Are you settling in well?”

“Yes, thanks to your care, we’re getting by without any trouble.”

Was Diana always this sociable?

The unexpected warmth in her demeanor made the village chief smile in satisfaction.

“How did you and your husband meet?”

“……”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Diana froze.

I quickly intercepted.

“We met at an inn in Dakar.”

“At an inn?”

“That’s right.”

The village chief turned her gaze to me, scrutinizing me from head to toe.

“You’re a noble, aren’t you?”

“……”

“Given that you’ve fled here, you must be a fallen noble from Dakar.”

She said this with a smug smile.

Her face was calm, but her eyes were quite sharp.

“No need to worry. The people here don’t care about your identity.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, and you don’t need to worry about me either. I won’t tell anyone.”

Her confident assertion, based on an unfounded assumption, was astounding.

As I held my tongue, the woman beamed at Diana and me.

“Anyway, welcome. If you need anything, just come to me.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure, and it would be good if you could introduce yourselves to the villagers when you have time.”

The woman chuckled and stroked her chin, her gaze still fixed on me, especially my face.

“Hmm~”

Just as her eyes started to make me uncomfortable, Diana stepped in to block her view.

“My husband is a bit shy with strangers.”

Diana looked at the village chief seriously.

The chief widened her eyes and then burst into laughter.

After a moment,

“Oh, this is amusing.”

“……”

“Alright, I’ll stop staring at your husband. Happy now?”

“Thank you.”

The chief laughed for a while before standing up.

As she opened the door to leave, she suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh.”

She muttered as if something had just come to mind.

“I almost forgot to tell you.”

Then she looked at Diana.

“The Papal See will be visiting Asven soon.”

“…The Papal See?”

“Yes. They talk about providing humanitarian aid and spreading faith to save people from the Black Mist, but essentially, it’s just a business based on faith.”

The woman chuckled cynically.

“Anyway, just making sure you know about it.”

“……”

“Don’t think of skipping it. At least for the first day’s ceremony, everyone in the village must attend.”

I barely managed to keep my face from contorting at the unexpected news.

Regardless, the chief added one last thing.

“They say the Great Saintess will be coming too.”

The Saintess?

Wait, could it be…!

“I’m really looking forward to it.”