The Obsessive Maniac Is Trying To Confine Me Chapter 219 - Side Story Chapter 9

“Which lunatic is impersonating…!”

The gatekeeper shouted angrily.

If the young lord of the Hertas family were planning to visit this place, orders would have come down from above.

Besides, why would such a famous noble secretly visit a fortress like this?

“If this is a forged identity—”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

A chilling presence sliced through the air and surged forward in an instant.

It was an overwhelming killing intent. An invisible pressure crushed his entire body.

His legs went numb, and his feet felt glued to the ground. Even breathing became difficult.

“H-huff…!”

This wasn’t human strength.

…W-what is this?!

Inside the black robe, bright crimson eyes flashed.

The light was far too vivid to belong to a human gaze.

When that gaze brushed past the gatekeeper, it felt as though it was peeling through his flesh.

“If you want to live… you’d better watch your mouth.”

A quiet warning fell from above his head.

The man simply swept past the gate, his black robe fluttering behind him.

Yurtha Hertas had entered Piet Territory.

 

 

****

 

 

 

After Richard left, another problem appeared.

Pshh—pffss—

Huh…?

This time, the heating artifact broke.

“W-wait, this can’t be happening…”

I tried adjusting the artifact again.

It made sputtering noises, turning on and off repeatedly.

It looked like it would completely break down soon.

This is bad.

Potatoes like cool climates, but they cannot survive freezing temperatures.

Especially in the Cursed Land, where the weather changed drastically like a desert.

During the day it was warm, but at night it could instantly become the middle of winter.

If this happens, my potatoes…!

They would die before even being born.

N-no!

I thought hard.

Should I ask Richard to buy a heating artifact too…?

But then the potatoes would be neglected for too long…

You can buy heating artifacts in Piet Territory.

Farming was done there too.

Except for certain years when corruption spread from the Cursed Land, they had harvested crops regularly.

I looked up at the dim sky where time itself was hard to judge.

It was early morning, but the sun was nowhere to be seen.

I should… go, right?

That long distance.

For the sake of my potatoes…

The decision didn’t take long.

Actually, it took quite long.

Let’s go…

That’s life, I guess.

First, I went inside the cabin and informed Richard through the artifact.

[This is my fault. I should have checked earlier…]

Richard blamed himself and sounded genuinely sorry.

So I comforted him.

“It’s okay, Richard. I was planning to go buy a heating artifact anyway.”

[What did you say?]

Suddenly, a sharp response came back.

He sounded somewhat shocked.

Why?

[Are you saying you’re going to Piet Territory alone right now?]

“Yes. They sell heating artifacts in Piet Territory.”

[No, Rose. It’s dangerous for you to go alone.]

Richard hurriedly tried to stop me.

“But the potatoes will die.”

[Those damn potatoes…]

Crunch.

I could hear teeth grinding through the artifact, mixed with a terrifying mutter.

“It’s okay, Richard. I’ll come back safely.”

[…You? The person who got exhausted five minutes after starting exercise?]

“…That was strength training.”

Walking was fine.

[Then… I’ll return immediately. If I leave now, two days—no, even one day might be enough—]

“You don’t need to push yourself like that.”

[It’s not difficult. Or… I’ll buy you a potato field. No, when I return I’ll immediately acquire farmland in the southern agricultural region—]

The scale of his plans kept getting bigger.

I was honestly getting scared that Richard might return after buying entire lands.

“…First of all, Richard, even if you buy that much land, I can’t manage it all alone.”

[You can hire people.]

“And potatoes grown with love are different from potatoes grown by hired workers.”

[…You’ve never once told me you love me.]

…Wait, how did the conversation turn into that?!

[Rose, please don’t go…]

Seeing that I had no intention of changing my mind, Richard seemed to change tactics.

He begged me not to go.

Not to leave the cabin.

Unlike before, seeing him beg like that made my heart waver.

But…

I had potatoes that depended on me.

I had to stay strong.

[…When I return, I should just dry out those damn potatoes and kill them.]

It was the most chilling thing I had heard from him.

Seriously, isn’t it time for him to graduate from the obsessive villain role…!

“I’m sorry, Richard…”

I steeled my heart and refused him.

I had already decided to leave the cabin.

But I should have listened to Richard…

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Something I never could have imagined was waiting for me in Piet Territory.

Huff…

Just as Richard said, traveling alone from the Cursed Land to Piet Territory was insane.

I knew the distance was far.

But going alone made it so much harder.

Why… why am I so exhausted today?

How had I even managed to get to Piet Territory before…?

Thinking about it carefully, I had walked half the way myself.

And for the other half, Richard had carried me.

…Now I understood why Richard tried to stop me.

After staring death in the face several times, I finally arrived at Piet Territory.

“Haa…”

I would never come here alone again.

Dragging my uncooperative feet, I finally reached the checkpoint.

That’s not the same gatekeeper as last time?

I thought the same one would be on duty since I arrived around a similar time.

“Laurel Priam, you may pass.”

Fortunately, this gatekeeper didn’t ask for money.

Relieved, I entered Piet Territory.

Like last time, I saw soldiers of the Evantes family.

…Let’s return quietly.

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to obtain a heating artifact.

I managed to get one quickly.

It would have been nice if I could return immediately…

But the long walk had completely drained my stamina.

Should I stop by Marta’s restaurant?

Come to think of it, it should be dinner time now.

There should be many customers.

I could eat there before leaving.

With that thought, I headed toward Marta’s restaurant.

But something felt strange.

The area in front of the restaurant was quiet.

The entire street felt eerily silent.

I carefully opened the door.

And inside the restaurant, there was no one.

What?

I felt confused.

If no one was here, why wasn’t the door even properly locked?

“Marta…?”

I cautiously called her name.

My voice echoed inside the unnervingly quiet restaurant.

Then—

Clunk.

A sound.

It came from the storage room in the back of the restaurant.

And there…

“Laurel?”

There was a group of women who were close to Marta.

“Laurel, what are you doing here…?”

“Why are you all inside an empty restaurant?”

My voice echoed sharply in the silence.

Something was very strange.

At a time when the restaurant should have been full of customers, the owner wasn’t here and only her friends were.

And their expressions were dark.

The women exchanged glances, as if debating something.

Then, as if they had made a decision, one of them spoke.

“Laurel, Marta…”

The next words were shocking.

“The Evantes knights took her away.”

What?