Chapter 178: The Queen Dowager’s Secret
Celestine had gone out of her way to visit the Development Village, but of course, she did not stay in the cottage where Rest and the others lived. It seemed she had rented another cottage, spending a night there before attending to a few matters and then returning to the Royal Capital.
If she were a free-spirited girl like Yuri, it might have been different, but for a typical noble lady, such a decision was only natural. A duchess, the epitome of grace, would never engage in such unbecoming behavior as staying at the home of a young man.
(That aside… I can’t help but be curious about what Celestine mentioned…)
Sanada Shoko. That was the alias the Queen Dowager had used in a certain land. The name was unmistakably Japanese, one that could only belong to someone from Japan.
(Could it be? I thought it was just a slim chance, but… the Queen Dowager is also one of us…!)
Rest had been pondering this for some time. He had wondered whether he was the only special person in this world or if there were others like him—Reincarnators. He did not overestimate himself to the point of believing he was the sole chosen one. If there were other Reincarnators, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.
(The Queen Dowager was skilled at manipulating people’s hearts… Chosen as the tyrant’s wife, she managed to win over numerous influential figures… Unlike me, who possesses Infinite Magical Power, perhaps she had abilities related to charm or mental manipulation?)
The Queen Dowager was already deceased, leaving no way to confirm his suspicions. Still, if there was anything he could do, it would be to investigate the land where she spent her later years. The land that Rest had inherited from the Queen Dowager. The fact that she had chosen to use a name like “Sanada Shoko” indicated that it must have held special significance for her.
If he were to investigate that place, surely he would uncover some clues.
(That said… I can’t act immediately. I’m in the midst of development right now… I can’t just move on my own accord.)
While he was intrigued by the Queen Dowager, Rest was now a Count. Gaining such a title came with responsibilities. He had been granted territory as a Count, and it was his duty to develop and manage it. That was the obligation of a noble. If he were to leave, it would only cause trouble for someone else. He couldn’t afford to act selfishly.
(Though I can’t act right now… I must find out why the Queen Dowager spoiled Rodel. I need to know the reason…!)
At this point, whether the Queen Dowager was a Reincarnator or not was secondary. While it was undoubtedly important, what he truly wanted to understand was why she had coddled Rodel and twisted his personality.
Rodel was not inherently a rotten person. This was something Rest could assert, having faced him directly. Those who had suffered at Rodel’s hands—like a classmate who had been burned alive while trying to protect his girlfriend—would likely see him as a born devil. Celestine, who had endured years of trouble as his fiancée, surely harbored a deep dislike for him.
Yet, Rest still thought: If only Rodel had been raised a little more properly… If he had been someone capable of viewing himself objectively, perhaps they could have been friends.
(Well, I suppose this is one of those things… the more you dislike someone, the more you miss them when they’re gone…)
He understood this well. Rodel was indeed a villain; that was undeniable. It was absurd to expect a person who only acted good in movies to be anything but a nuisance in reality. For someone who lived honestly, it was simply unreasonable to see a delinquent praised for doing good deeds once in a while.
Regardless, Rest decided to investigate the Queen Dowager once more. Once the development reached a certain point, he intended to visit the land he had inherited—the place the Queen Dowager had used as a retreat.
To do that, he needed to stabilize the development first. In the area he was responsible for—the Center of the Plain—he needed to have a barrier set up.
(Once the barrier is in place and the magical power in the Center of the Plain is diminished, it will be safe. The Master of the Demon Realm won’t be born. The barrier will also repel monsters… That way, I can go investigate the land owned by the Queen Dowager.)
And soon, a court magician skilled in setting up barriers would be arriving. Rest had heard this from Andrew.
“So… what are you doing here?”
Andrew’s words were spot on. Less than a week after receiving Celestine’s report, the court magician had arrived.
“Honorary Viscount Lucas Evern… I never expected to meet you here.”
“Ugh…”
As Rest instinctively narrowed his eyes in a glare, the court magician he faced wore an awkward expression.
The man’s name was Lucas Evern. To Rest, he was his blood-related father, the very one who had abandoned his mother and subjected him to abuse.