—Tritan Empire, Imperial Palace Central Council Chamber.
This hall, which rarely opened unless the matter was of the highest importance, was packed to capacity today.
Members of the imperial family, nobles, and even high-ranking clergy had gathered. No matter their rank, every face wore the same subtle expression of confusion.
A moment later, the doors to the chamber swung open, and the emperor entered with a grave expression.
“Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire.”
“Be seated.”
His low voice echoed through the room as everyone bowed their heads. He appeared to be in his early fifties, streaks of gray scattered through his hair. After surveying the gathering for a moment, he continued.
“First, I would like to thank you all for coming on such short notice. Especially you, High Priest.”
At the emperor’s summons, an elderly man dressed in pure white priestly robes stepped forward through the crowd.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I know everyone is aware of how busy the temple is at the moment. I am especially grateful that you came.”
“It is only my duty to serve the people of the Empire, Your Majesty.”
After the brief exchange, silence settled over the chamber.
It was the weary-looking emperor who finally broke it.
“So… is it true that we received word from the Duchy of Belmond?”
Another man answered before anyone else could.
“To be precise, it came from the Luden Trading Company located within the Belmond Duchy. The message was received by our Tirnel Merchant Guild’s imperial capital branch.”
Count Verdant Tirnel, head of the Tirnel Merchant Guild.
The emperor gave him a small nod, signaling for him to continue.
“At first, I thought it was nothing more than a cruel prank. However, the order form bore an official seal, and magical verification confirmed it was genuine. So… we ultimately reported it to the temple.”
The entire council chamber erupted into murmurs.
“H-How could that be…?”
“So the rumors were true.”
“Could Count Tirnel have been possessed by a demon?”
Hearing the whispers, the count shot to his feet in outrage.
“What nonsense are you people spouting?! I’m a devoted believer who never misses weekly services at the temple!”
No one knew better than he did that after that incident in Belmond, a wave of fanatic hunts for heretics had swept across the Empire.
Fearing he would be hastily branded one himself, the count raised his voice.
“Besides, the High Priest personally confirmed that there was nothing suspicious about my guild. Please refrain from making such irresponsible accusations.”
“…Count Tirnel is correct. Upon hearing the report, we dispatched priests to examine both the order form and the trading company. We found no trace of any corrupt or evil influence.”
There was only one implication.
The emperor pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered quietly,
“…So it’s real.”
Belmond’s place within the Empire carried a significance unlike any other.
To ordinary people, it had become little more than an old ghost story passed down through generations.
But most nobles and senior clergy knew the truth.
The place had truly existed.
And strange, unnatural events had truly occurred there.
“Could this be a request for rescue?”
One noble voiced the question, but Count Tirnel shook his head.
“It wasn’t. In fact… it was an entirely ordinary purchase order.”
“A… purchase order?”
“And the advance payment that arrived with it consisted of old coins that had been taken out of circulation long ago. Even the listed prices bore no resemblance to today’s market.”
“Hmph. What you’re suggesting sounds as though people from hundreds of years ago sent that order. How could that possibly make sense? Belmond Duchy was sealed away and declared a forbidden land because of the severe corruption there.”
Count Tirnel nodded vigorously, looking as though that was exactly the point he had been trying to make.
“As a precaution, the temple also dispatched Holy Knights to the outskirts of Belmond. However, the black mist surrounding the castle remains unchanged. The duchy is still completely isolated.”
It was a situation that defied common sense.
Lost in thought, the emperor cautiously proposed a theory.
“…Could it be that an order sent centuries ago somehow failed to arrive until now?”
“We have confirmed that this is impossible. Although the order itself bore no date, magical examination verified that the seal was stamped only recently.”
“…Good heavens.”
No matter what theory they proposed, the mystery only deepened.
The only undeniable fact was this:
A perfectly ordinary order form had arrived from the cursed Belmond Duchy.
“So… how should we handle this matter?”
Unable to reach a conclusion, the emperor turned toward the High Priest.
“…For now, I believe we should fulfill the order. If we can confirm there are survivors, we should then investigate what changes have occurred within Belmond Castle.”
“That is the temple’s official position. But what is your personal opinion, High Priest?”
The white-haired High Priest paused before answering slowly.
“To be honest… the cardinals and I have arrived at a certain hypothesis.”
Though his voice was quiet, every eye in the room turned toward him.
“In places where the Goddess’s blessing is especially strong, time itself occasionally flows differently. Conversely, the Duchy of Belmond is steeped in the curse of the Demon God. If that is true, then it is possible the duchy also exists on a timeline separate from the outside world.”
Though still only a hypothesis, it had gradually become the prevailing theory.
“Furthermore, based on the testimony of that individual currently under the temple’s protection…”
He never spoke the person’s name, but the emperor simply nodded without asking.
“…I believe there is a strong possibility that the cursed Duke of Belmond is still alive.”
Those words sent a silent wave of shock through the council chamber.
***
In the end, after failing to find any Golden Carrots in the cash shop, I racked my brain trying to figure out what to do.
Then suddenly, inspiration struck.
“Monter Village!”
I had already planned to check whether the supplies I’d ordered had arrived, so I got ready first thing the next morning.
As I headed for the door, the head maid followed me with a worried look.
“You’ll be back before the end of the day, won’t you?”
“Of course! I’ll be back before it gets late!”
My original plan had been to ride a horse comfortably, but since I still couldn’t ride one on my own—and couldn’t even get close to Goldie—I had no choice but to make my way through the forest on foot again.
Of course, to avoid another encounter like last time, I sprinted through it at full speed.
By the time I reached the village, it felt far livelier than during my previous visit.
“Hello!”
Cheerfully greeting the villagers who recognized me, I headed straight for the Luden Trading Company.
Carol, whose body had fully recovered except for her face, was watching the counter in place of Mr. Scrooge.
“Oh! Miss Windsor!”
“Hi, Carol! Am I too late?”
“Not at all. Father just received word today through the cargo teleportation circle. Before that, we hadn’t heard anything from the other side, so we were worried we wouldn’t be able to get the things you requested…”
“Well, communication problems happen sometimes. Haha!”
Even lightning-fast delivery services back in Korea occasionally got delayed.
As Carol and I chatted, Mr. Scrooge emerged from the warehouse.
“Oh, Miss Windsor. You’re here.”
“Yes. Carol filled me in.”
“Fortunately, everything arrived safely. You can take it all with you.”
Just before entering the warehouse, I pulled a small bundle from my bag.
[Happy Plant Four Seasons Seed Set]
It looked like nothing more than a tiny packet of seeds, but thanks to some kind of magic, it contained far more seeds than should have fit inside.
“This is…”
After taking the bundle and looking inside, Mr. Scrooge was speechless for a long moment.
“They’re seeds. I don’t think I’ll have enough time to hand them out myself, so could you distribute them to the villagers for me?”
“…With these, the village will be able to grow its own crops. They’ll finally become self-sufficient.”
“Haha. Yep, that’s the idea.”
Hearing the emotion in his voice, I smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
And there was one more thing.
I hadn’t mentioned it, but just in case the soil was contaminated, I’d also blessed the seeds with purification magic.
Even if the land wasn’t in great condition, these seeds should still be able to grow.
“Thank you, Miss Windsor.”
Mr. Scrooge’s large frame bent forward.
Whoa, you don’t have to bow too!
Feeling awkward as he expressed his gratitude with his whole body, I quickly changed the subject.
“Oh, right. There’s actually one more favor I’d like to ask.”
“Please, go ahead.”
His tone had become noticeably more respectful.
Leaning in slightly, I asked in a quieter voice,
“Have you ever heard of… a Golden Carrot?”
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