ALL NOVEL Ch. 31
The duke’s rose garden was a place of such beauty that it was renowned throughout the country.
From the story that Duke Levadine created it to propose to his now-deceased wife, to the fact that the flowers never stopped blooming all year round, and even the price of each individual rose—these tales still circulated as topics of conversation in high society.
It was a garden so lush and magnificent that today, it was receiving a very special guest.
“I think this is the first time I’ve been here since I was ten. Even though it’s in my own house.”
Agnes said with a gentle smile.
She was seated in a wheelchair, as it was still difficult for her to come down from the third floor of the mansion to this place.
Duke Levadine patted Agnes on the shoulder, his face filled with emotion.
“Do you remember? When Leah was alive, the three of us used to have tea here.”
“Of course. I still remember the taste of the cookies we had back then.”
“Agnes…!”
The duke’s eyes welled up with tears.
Deltain felt an indescribable sense of dissonance at the sight.
Meanwhile, Cargo, with an anxious expression, spoke to Deltain.
“Sir, Count… it’s about time.”
“I know.”
Snap.
When Deltain snapped his fingers, the nature of the surrounding mana changed.
What he conjured was a wide-area regeneration spell. Deltain planned to combine this magic with Cargo’s divine power to rapidly tear and heal Agnes’s muscle fibers.
There would be no side effects, of course. After all, that was the reason he was here in the first place—to ensure everything was under control.
“Let’s begin.”
At Deltain’s words, Duke Levadine nodded and stepped back.
Agnes reached out to Deltain.
“Help me up.”
“Slowly, now.”
Deltain supported Agnes’ hand and waist as he helped her stand. His careful movements were enough to make Cargo feel uneasy.
‘… that Count?’
Considerate? Towards a person?
Cargo began to wonder if he was dreaming. Glancing over, he saw Duke Levadine watching the two with a pleased expression.
The way he looked at Deltain was almost like that of a father-in-law looking at his son-in-law.
Cargo gulped nervously.
As a devout priest, he wanted to prevent such a beautiful woman from being tied to a villain like Deltain. After all, he was certain that Deltain would be an abusive, violent husband who thought nothing of domestic violence.
Just as Cargo, driven by a sense of justice that seemed to come from nowhere, was about to speak, Deltain called out to him.
“Pig.”
“I—I wasn’t thinking of anything!”
Cargo flinched, causing his belly and chest to jiggle.
“Whoa, your chest is bigger than mine.”
Agnes whispered softly enough for only Deltain to hear.
Deltain suppressed a laugh.
“… he’s a cardinal.”
“It’s not fair that you’re mean to him but not to me.”
“He is my friend.”
Agnes looked back and forth between Deltain and Cargo.
‘Friend?’
Well, it seemed like only one of them thought so.
Agnes pondered this for a moment before brushing it off. Whatever it was, it wasn’t her concern.
Just then, Deltain spoke.
“Let’s start.”
“Ah, understood!”
Despite the warm day, Cargo was sweating profusely as he nodded.
He raised his arms.
“Praise Lastria!”
Swoosh!
As he chanted, a golden holy light overlapped with Deltain’s magic.
Agnes felt an extraordinary sensation.
“… whoa.”
Her breathing became easier.
Though she had already regained her vitality from the healing of her heart, the energy now surging through her body was something Agnes had never experienced before.
“Does everyone else live in this state? That’s so unfair.”
In the end, tears streamed down the duke’s face.
Deltain, unfazed by this, spoke.
“Save your strength. This spell doesn’t last long, so you need to move as much as you can.”
Deltain was still holding Agnes’ waist and hand.
“Walk with me.”
He then began to step backward.
Agnes slowly followed Deltain’s steps, moving one step at a time.
She was barefoot. There was no particular reason for it, but at the duke’s suggestion to try feeling the earth beneath her feet, she had decided to do so.
As her soles pressed into the soil, a cool sensation spread through her. At the same time, the earth tickled between her toes, bringing a refreshing feeling that began to fill her entire being.
Until she had taken exactly ten steps.
“Hoo….”
Agnes was exhausted after just ten steps. Although her breathing and heartbeat were fine, her muscles were the problem.
“Stop. We’ll do the first round of treatment here.”
As Deltain gestured with his chin, Cargo surrounded Agnes with holy light. Lastria’s divine power was one of healing. The torn muscle fibers were swiftly restored as if nothing had happened.
“Move again. You need to digest everything you ate today within thirty minutes.”
Agnes’ meal today had been the highest-calorie diet she had ever consumed in her life.
While divine power could heal muscle fibers, it couldn’t replenish nutrition.
Deltain had planned for Agnes to repeat the process of walking for thirty minutes and eating for ten minutes four times over two hours and forty minutes.
‘I can take care of the metabolic adjustments myself.’
The mana extending from his hands was now circulating within Agnes’ body, fine-tuning any abnormal reactions one by one.
“Let’s walk again.”
“Okay.”
Rehabilitation continued.
*
A successful rehabilitation.
That was how Deltain described today’s events.
Of course, considering that Agnes, who had been bedridden and unable to move at all, was now able to walk halfway around the garden, what else could one call it but a success?
Cargo had rushed off to the diocese as soon as the garden work was done.
Deltain spoke in the bedroom where only he and Agnes were left.
“Don’t move a single step today. Just rest. Even though we used both magic and divine power, you’ll still have some fatigue left.”
“There’s a banquet tomorrow.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to rest.”
“But I need to choose a dress.”
“Do it while lying down. Just have them bring the clothes here.”
“What kind of dress do you like?”
Agnes asked in a playful voice.
Deltain answered indifferently.
“Why do you want to know my taste?”
“Because I want to look good for you.”
“That’s getting old.”
“But I’m serious, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Deltain’s fingertips trembled slightly.
Agnes laughed gleefully at his reaction.
“Even if your mouth says that your body is honest, huh?”
“… shut up.”
“So, what’s your preference? If you don’t tell me, I’ll run down the hallway as soon as you leave.”
It was annoying how she showed her true nature as soon as the duke disappeared. With that thought, Deltain glared at Agnes and said.
“… as I always say, I don’t like vulgar clothes. I prefer neat and dignified uniforms.”
“Low-cut outfits are in fashion these days, they say.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. At least in the banquets I’ve been to, there’s been no such trend.”
“What a shame.”
Agnes pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.
“I wanted to wear something that plunges from the chest to the navel.”
“Even the prostitutes in the red-light district don’t dress like that.”
“But it’s easier to take off, isn’t it? So, you can use it whenever you get excited.”
“…”
Deltain’s expression became blank. Agnes’s eyes curved sweetly.
“Is it up?”
“It’s not up.”
“But it’s bulging.”
Deltain looked down at his groin. Immediately, his expression twisted into one of frustration.
“… stop it.”
He realized he had been tricked too late.
Deltain briefly regretted it. Perhaps the problem was that she was healthier now, as Agnes’ pranks had become quite bold today.
“If I knew it would be like this, I would have let you stay bedridden.”
“You know I’m just kidding. I won’t do anything to embarrass you in front of others.”
For some reason, Agnes’ smile was brimming with vitality. Or rather, it would be strange if it weren’t. With her heart functioning better, her complexion had improved compared to before.
In other words, Agnes had become even more beautiful.
“Look forward to it. I’ll come out looking beautiful to match you.”
For a moment, Deltain felt a stir in his chest at her smile. Biting his lip was an act born of dissatisfaction with himself.
“… I’ve finished what I needed to do, so I’m leaving.”
Deltain stood up and left without looking back.
Even then, Agnes giggled and waved at him.
*
The next day at the Count of Hebron’s estate.
Deltain was pulling out clothes he might wear once or twice a year, floating them in the air.
His expression was quite serious. He also seemed somewhat resentful.
The reason for this conflicting attitude was one thing.
He didn’t like that he was being so careful in choosing his banquet attire.
‘Why am I…’
Even as he thought that Deltain couldn’t shake off the words Agnes had said the day before.
-Look forward to it. I’ll come out looking beautiful to match you.
‘… nonsense.’
Deltain furrowed his brow and ruffled his hair.
The hair he had spent thirty minutes styling returned to its usual disheveled state in that moment.
Deltain decided to stop thinking about it.
‘Why should I even bother with this tailcoat?’
It was ridiculous.
Yes, it was likely just a fleeting sense of guilt that had shaken him.
He had briefly considered showing some
But that was unlike him as well.
Deltain simply grabbed the first black tailcoat he saw and threw it on.
“Boss!”
It was at that moment that Kaltara entered.
Deltain looked at her through the mirror.
The confident expression, disheveled gray hair, and towering height of well over two meters were the same as always, but her outfit was different.
“What, are you going to the banquet too?”
“That’s right!”
Kaltara gave a thumbs up, wearing a dress.
It was a horrifically mismatched pink dress.
The bursting pectoral and serratus muscles seemed to make the dress cry out in pain. The bulging arm muscles emphasized the horror even more. The short skirt revealed her vein-popping feet and log-like ankles.
Deltain said to Kaltara with a blank face.
“Don’t even try to talk to me.”
“Got it!”
He couldn’t care less about whatever bizarre behavior Kaltara was up to.
‘Oh, come to think of it.’
He seemed to remember hearing that Cargo would be at the banquet too.
‘… they’ll handle it.’
Deltain shook his head sharply, clearing his thoughts.
After all, this wasn’t some demon realm with no one to satisfy her lust, so there was no reason for Kaltara to bother Cargo.
Deltain simply adjusted his appearance and left the room.
“Gerhart.”
“Yes.”
“Head to the duke’s residence.”
Sitting in the sedan, Deltain closed his eyes.
He intentionally cleared his mind of the unusual thoughts that had been surfacing.
He filled his mind with the usual plan, to just sip some wine and leave.
His attempt was successful.
At least until he met Agnes.