Chapter 49
“…A subjugation battle, huh.”
After finally pulling myself together, I sat down at my desk for the first time in a while and took out paper and a pen.
Then I compared what I knew with the novel How to Save the Abandoned World.
Whether it was because the author got lazy or just wanted to simplify things for readability, there were quite a lot of differences between the novel’s setting and reality.
“Good thing I asked the butler, just in case.”
The upcoming episode—Equinis Island—was also closely related to something not mentioned in the novel: the “Gate Wave.”
Apparently, during a total lunar eclipse, the barrier around the Gate Wave weakens, allowing high-level monsters to emerge.
“This is insane… In the novel, it was just about hunting monsters hiding in the deep sea!”
That meant the “subjugation battle” held at midnight on the first day of the festival wasn’t just some entertainment event—it was practically a necessary annual operation.
Frowning, I recalled how the subjugation battle was described in the novel.
“The subjugation battle gathers outstanding Awakeners from each noble family, competing to see who can hunt the highest-ranked and greatest number of monsters.
The winner receives gold, a title, and a wish ticket.
Each year, it’s customary for the winner to use the wish ticket to court the woman they love.
The chosen woman is called ‘The Flower of Equinis.’”
It was, truly, a very “romance novel” kind of setup.
But the more ridiculous part was that in this year’s battle, all four male leads tied for first place, rendering the wish tickets useless.
Instead, they each presented the most valuable parts of the monsters they hunted to the heroine as tokens of affection.
“Wasn’t it things like hearts, horns, or something…?”
Surprisingly, in this world, parts of high-level monsters—difficult to obtain—were used as currency, jewels, or medicinal ingredients.
It made sense, considering many monsters resembled mythical creatures or legendary beasts.
“Well… that explains why that guy Serje brought me something like that as ‘medicine’…”
Anyway, thanks to that, the heroine ended up sitting on a pile of wealth and promised to purify all four male leads equally.
And then…
“…If I remember right, she chose Dylan.”
It wasn’t for any particularly special reason.
Llewellyn had already rejected Dylan’s proposal once before and had kept her distance from him for a while.
But she was moved by the fact that he continued to love her unwaveringly.
Thus, the two became the most beautiful couple at the banquet—and spent their first night together.
“Ugh!”
Thud!
I grimaced and threw my pen down before finishing the thought.
It hadn’t bothered me when I was just reading it, but now that I’d actually met them face-to-face…
I really didn’t want to know about the characters’ sex lives.
“Ha… Anyway, the important thing is—Llewellyn isn’t at this festival.”
That was all that mattered.
There would be no heroine to purify the male leads after they returned from the subjugation.
Maybe because they hadn’t seen her in a while, the condition of the male leads hadn’t looked great lately.
“Weren’t they all around 70–80% already?”
Right after a subjugation battle—when they pushed their powers to the limit—those levels made it entirely possible for someone to lose control.
Thinking about it, I suddenly shook my head.
“…Wait. Why should I care if they go berserk or not?”
Rather than worrying about that, it would be wiser to find the heroine as soon as possible.
And if that failed, I could just avoid going to Equinis Island altogether.
“…Yeah. Let’s try finding the heroine first.”
Thankfully, the novel wasn’t completely useless.
Jingle, jingle.
I rang the bell on my desk.
After a moment, Nancy entered with a knock.
“My lady, did you call?”
“Nancy, could you bring Eston? I have something confidential to discuss—just between women.”
If I wanted to find the heroine, I needed an ally first.
The next day.
From early morning, I was busy preparing to go out.
Nancy and several maids helped me get ready.
“Just keep it simple.”
“But still, it’s been a while since you’ve gone shopping…”
“No matter what I wear, I’ll look pretty.”
“Of course, you’d look beautiful even in rags, my lady…”
Nancy seemed unusually excited about the outing.
For me, who wasn’t actually going shopping, the whole process was tedious.
Soon, with my hair braided to one side, I put on a simple dark navy dress without any accessories.
It was more suitable for indoors—loose and comfortable to move in.
The maids looked puzzled.
“My lady, it’s such a bright day. Wouldn’t you prefer something more lively?”
“And perhaps some accessories…”
“I like this.”
At my firm answer, the maids fell silent and stepped back.
I’d heard from Nancy that rumors were spreading among the servants that I had changed.
But I didn’t care much. Just the opinions of extras.
“If anything, the Duke seems to like the change.”
With a slight smirk, I spoke to Nancy.
“Let’s go.”
We had just reached the first floor.
“Edith.”
“Father?”
I widened my eyes at the sight of the Duke standing in the lobby with the butler.
“What brings you here?”
“Well, ahem! I’ll be heading out soon myself, so I came out for a moment.”
“Ah… I see.”
He was dressed rather casually for someone supposedly going out, but I didn’t point it out.
After a few awkward coughs, he suddenly asked,
“…How is your body?”
I flinched.
I hadn’t expected him to still be thinking about yesterday.
“…I’m fine. I took some medicine right away.”
“Is that so? That’s good, then… tch. But what’s with that outfit?”
“What about it?”
“You should dress more brightly for your age! What, are you already tired of all those fancy clothes?”
“I’m going to buy new ones anyway. Wearing something hard to take off would just be inconvenient.”
Since this wasn’t the first time he’d nitpicked, I answered casually.
He fell silent.
“What, did he come out just to criticize my outfit?”
He’s like a nagging mother-in-law.
I pouted slightly and bowed.
“Then I’ll be—”
“Here. Take this.”
Suddenly, the Duke pulled something from behind his back and handed it to me.
It was a fairly heavy pouch.
“What is this…?”
“If you don’t want it, forget it!”
He shook it as if to take it back.
Clink, clink!
A clear, metallic sound rang out from inside.
“Money?!”
I instantly recognized that sound and quickly grabbed the pouch.
When I untied it—
“Gasp…!”
It was filled with dozens of gold coins.
Even without knowing the currency value, it was obviously a huge amount.
“F-Father… why…?”
“It’s been a while since you’ve gone out. Buy whatever you want.”
“But… it’s too much. You’re already buying me a dress…”
“Since when did you start worrying about things like—”
He stopped mid-sentence, likely remembering that his daughter had lost her memory.
“Well… you are the Duke’s daughter. You can’t go around looking shabby. Don’t shrink back just because you’re not awakened! Dress as splendidly as possible and aim to become the Flower of Equinis!”
He suddenly lowered his voice.
“I didn’t tell your brother, so keep it quiet.”
Seeing his oddly warm demeanor made my chest tighten.
“Has he… always taken care of Edith like this?”
I looked at him for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“…Thank you.”
“Wherever you go, behave properly. Don’t be careless and drop things—leave them with your maids in advance. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“If you run out of money, just put it on my tab. Though I’m sure you’ll manage.”
“….”
“Go on. I’ll head back in.”
Having accomplished his purpose, the Duke turned away.
Watching him walk off, my throat tightened.
I looked down at the pouch in my hands.
A swirl of indescribable emotions rose within me.
Hesitation—whether I deserved this.
Resentment—why hadn’t he treated Edith like this before she died?
And a quiet misery—that maybe this was all I had ever wanted.
All of it mixed together, making me want to cry.
But then—
“Waaah…! Seeing you two getting closer like this, I can die happy now! Sniff!”
The butler, already dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief, ruined the mood completely.
“…Butler.”
“Yes?”
“You told Father yesterday that things between me and the Grand Duke looked warm and friendly, right? Are your eyes already going bad?!
