STGB Episode 448

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Tap, tap.

Our steps echoed through the empty library.

“Hey, woman. What’s your name?”

“…Harin Savy.”

“Your name is as unusual as your looks, huh?”

Come to think of it, what I just said was pretty racist.

Of course, that would only be true if I were human as well.

This is why being a Barbarian is nice.

I’m a member of the Barbarians—a group that holds a sort of immunity when it comes to discrimination.

Harin didn’t seem offended and responded,

“It’s only natural that it feels unusual. There aren’t many families in this city that still carry Eastern Continent blood as strongly as I do.”

“Was your ancestor from the Eastern Continent?”

“Yes. My merchant ancestor happened to be in this city when the calamity struck, allowing him to survive and escape the disaster.”

“…I see.”

A straightforward explanation that left nothing more to ask.

Surprisingly, I was the one left feeling bewildered.

Typical evil spirits wouldn’t know so much about their own lineage…

‘Maybe it’s different because she is Hyun-byeol.’

Still not letting go of my doubts, I moved on to my next question.

“What’s your relationship with Countess Phefroc?”

“By good fortune, I’ve been serving by her side for a little while now.”

So, it hasn’t been long.

My suspicions were starting to grow stronger. But—

Click.

Before I could interrogate her further, we arrived at our destination.

“I’ll be off, then.”

“Yes, Harin. Thanks, as always.”

With that, she politely left.

 I set my suspicions about her identity on hold and focused on the present.

“…….”

Blue eyes, blue hair.

Perhaps it was the way she had tied up her hair, exposing her neckline, that made her seem more noble than before.

But…

“It’s been a while, Bjorn Jandel.”

Her tone was the same.

I only felt awkward for a moment at her unfamiliar appearance, but soon enough, I soon felt a sense of warmth.

“Yes, it has been a while. Ragna. Or should I call you Countess Phefroc now?”

“Your sense of humor is the same.”

It was more of a verification than humor.

Well, from the fact that she didn’t address me as a noble, I could somewhat guess the kind of relationship she preferred.

“It seems you’ve changed a bit.”

“Do you think so…?”

Was it because of her hair?

Ragna spoke in a mumble as she fiddled with her hair.

Even taking her changed hairstyle and outfit out of consideration, she still had a more mature vibe about her than before.

“More than I ever imagined, Jandel. I never thought you’d be alive.”

“Neither did I. I knew there was a story, but I never thought you’d be the Marquis’ daughter.”

“…Excuse me?”

“…What?”

At my casual remark, Ragna stiffened for a moment and frowned.

“…What do you mean? That I’m the Marquis’s daughter?”

“…You’re not?”

“I’m not! Although… if that were true, it would sort of explain a few things I’ve wondered about…”

What in the world is going on here?

***

“Let’s clarify this first. Jandel, where did you hear that I’m the daughter of the Marquis?”

“Uh…”

“If it’s too difficult to tell me your source, at least let me know how reliable it is. Please.”

“I thought it was reliable information—at least until I met you now.”

“So that means it came from someone you trust… I see.”

Hmm, is that how she sees it?

But I don’t even know the face or name of deer horns.

As I tried to maintain composure amidst the sudden turn of events, I asked,

“Maybe… Could you share your story? It might help me advise you on this issue.”

After a moment of hesitation, Ragna cautiously began,

“…Alright. It’s not something I can hide forever.”

“…”

“Besides, it’s not something that necessarily needs to be hidden.”

I could feel Ragna’s transformation through her words.

 In the past, no matter how much I tried to inquire, she would just look sad and refuse to answer.

The source of her matured demeanor was internal.

While I admired this internally, Ragna began her story.

“When I was a child, the nanny who raised me on her own would always say: ‘Ragna, you must live quietly without drawing attention. That’s the only way you can repay him.’”

“……”

“As you know, I’m not actually a member of House Phefroc. My father borrowed the name of a ruined noble house to give me an environment where I could live safely.”

“I see…”

“I don’t know who my father is, but my nanny always told me he was a nobleman of extremely high status, and that if my existence were discovered, it would cause huge problems. She also said he loves me and is always watching over me—he just can’t meet me in person due to certain circumstances.”

“……”

“I loved my nanny, but I never believed her words that my father loved me. Still, I did as she asked. I kept my head down and lived quietly. I even quit learning magic, which was my only hobby. Although it was just something I enjoyed doing, for some reason, I kept attracting attention.”

So that’s why a mage who was at least rank 5 at such a young age was working as a librarian.

“Again, I loved my nanny. Enough to give up that small desire.”

“Was your nanny’s name Litaniel, by any chance?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

No wonder the records only listed the name ‘Countess Ragna Phefroc’—it turns out that wasn’t her true full name.

“What about your mother? Do you know what happened to her?”

“I was told she passed away on the day I was born.”

“I see…”

Listening to Ragnar’s calmly told story answered most of my lingering questions.

But the real question was now.

“So what happened after that?”

What had happened to Ragna while I was away in the past, turning someone who wished to live quietly into a countess suddenly?

“Shortly after the royal family declared you an evil spirit, Jandel, Marquis Tercerion came to me with a proposal.”

“…The Marquis did?”

“Yes. He offered to restore the fallen House Phefroc if I would work under him. I accepted.”

The tale she revealed is something I could never have predicted.

“But why? You didn’t know at the time that he was your father, right?”

“Well, precisely because of that, I refused him at first. My nanny was already gone, and I’d lived my entire life in hiding, so it felt awkward to step forward. But… after hearing what the Marquis expected of me, I changed my mind.

“Will you tell me?”

“The marquis wanted me to help integrate evil spirits into the city as its citizens.”

“…”

That’s why Ragna had brought up the subject of evil spirit integration at the royal council.

Yet, there were still things I couldn’t understand.

A very fundamental question that runs through this story.

Why did the marquis make such a proposal, and…

“Why did you change your mind after hearing his proposal?”

What motivated Ragna to hope for the integration of evil spirits?

She then spoke,

“Because I know.”

The answer was profoundly simple.

“There are good people among evil spirits.”

“…”

“So… I just… I didn’t want my friend to be remembered as another one of those monsters.”

I couldn’t say a word in response, and Ragna avoided my gaze, adding in a small voice,

“Is it… strange? That I’m doing it for that reason?”

I let out a sigh I’d been holding.

“Yeah, it’s strange.”

Frankly, Ragna and I weren’t that close. Or more precisely, that’s how I viewed our relationship.

Somewhere between friends and acquaintances.

Pleasant to meet, but naturally drifting apart if contact was lost.

Yes, that should have been it…

“Ah, um, so that means it is—”

Before she could get the wrong idea, I quickly opened my mouth.

“But.”

“…?”

“Thank you, Ragna. From the bottom of my heart.”

I didn’t know what else to say.

***

“…….”

“…….”

How long had this awkward silence filled the library?

Eventually, I was the one who broke it.

“The letter you sent, it didn’t have a time written on it.”

“Ah… that’s because I wrote it in a hurry and forgot.”

I thought that might be the case.

I chuckled and asked again,

“It seemed like you had been waiting here for a while, how long have you been here?”

“…It hasn’t been that long, don’t worry.”

Well, if that’s the case, then all right.

Anyway, from there, the conversation naturally shifted to the matter of the library being closed for our meeting.

I was a bit surprised myself.

Being a countess, renting out the library for a day wouldn’t be impossible, but…

“I didn’t expect you would do that.”

“It’s better not to attract any public attention, after all.”

“Hmm, you could have just suggested meeting somewhere else, couldn’t you?”

“That’s true, but… I thought it would be nice to meet here again.”

I felt similarly, actually.

But…

“So you decided to use your power?”

I teased her playfully.

Initially taken aback, Ragna boldly retorted,

“Yes. Is there a problem? Isn’t it alright to be selfish once in a while…?”

“Ah, well, um…”

I really had nothing to say to that.

After that, I tried making some small talk to lighten the mood.

Talking about the recent happenings of Shabin Emure, a member of our circle of friends, among other things.

There were a few moments that brought laughter.

But, I slowly steered the conversation back to the main topic.

“Ragnar, there’s something I need to tell you.”

It was different from what I had planned to discuss today.

My plan had been to subtly gather information on the Marquis’s family, and if it seemed feasible, recruit her to my side.

But…

“Have you considered stepping down from your position as the countess?”

After hearing her story, I realized I couldn’t go through with that plan. She’d already helped me, so all I really wanted now was for her to get out of this whole power struggle.

Of course, my hopes were quickly dashed.

“I’m not sure why you’re asking me that, but no, I have no intention of giving up my position.”

“And why is that? Because the Marquis might be your father?”

“That has nothing to do with it. Regardless of the truth, I’ll remain a stranger to that man for the rest of my life.”

“Then why keep holding on to your title as countess? I’m back, and all the misunderstandings have been cleared up, so you don’t need to stay in that position anymore, right?”

“Because it’s the most meaningful thing I can do—out of all the things I’m capable of.”

“…I don’t follow.”

“Over time, I’ve come across and analyzed various cases to push this agenda through. To prove that not all spirits are evil.”

“…So you ended up feeling genuinely committed to the cause, completely independent of me?”

“Yes. To put it simply, that’s right.”

It didn’t sound like empty words at all.

Right now, Ragna is sincere.

“Huh…”

I shifted my approach to persuasion.

“Then how about stepping away from working under the marquis? It doesn’t seem like he plans to push through with the agenda anyway.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I heard that during the last royal council meeting, when you first brought up the issue, he was one of the most vehemently opposed.”

“That’s… something I found strange too. However, the marquis explained that he stepped in first because the evidence I brought to support the policy was weak, preventing other nobles from attacking it.”

“…What?”

“He said that if I bring a more reinforced policy that could convince other nobles, he would support it fully then.”

“You actually believe that?”

“Why shouldn’t I? After all, the reason the Marquis called me in the first place was for that.”

“Well…”

Yes, on the surface that does seem to be the case.

Although I tried to sow discord, I still don’t really know what the Marquis is thinking.

Why did he bring in Ragna, who was living well, and why did he propose the ethnic integration bill to such a person first—

“Jandel, it seems like you dislike the Marquis.”

That’s when Ragna asked me.

Her voice was a bit sharper than before.

‘Is that because he might be her father?’

Blood ties aren’t so easily severed, after all.

Tsk, things have gotten a bit complicated.

“It’s not that I dislike the Marquis. It’s just… I find the intentions behind his approach to you a bit suspicious.”

I hurriedly spat out a clarification before things could get worse between Ragna and me.

Fortunately, Ragna seemed to believe me.

“I see. Jandel, I understand what you’re worried about. But… don’t worry too much. I can take care of myself now.”

Those were truly enviable words.

‘Taking care of oneself…’

That’s something I’m still not very good at.

***

By the time I left the library after parting ways with Ragna, it was just about noon. We had been chatting away when she suddenly received a summon.

“Harin, the Marquis has summoned me…?”

“Yes. He said he will discuss the details when you meet.”

“Why does he want to see me? Well, it’s no bother. I was getting hungry and was about to leave anyway.”

“I will contact you later.”

“Right, as I asked earlier, don’t tell the Marquis that we met.”

“Of course. I also don’t want the Marquis to use our relationship for political gain. Ah, Harin is also tight-lipped, so don’t worry.”

With that, Ragna left with Harin, a secretary whose ancestor hailed from the eastern continent, and I watched them go for a long while.

‘Harin…’

While chatting with Ragna, I had gathered quite a bit of information about Harin.

The two had met about a year ago, at the very library I’d just been in.

Even after quitting her job as a librarian, Ragna often came here to do research for her integration policy, and that’s where she met and befriended Harin.

And then…

‘Harin is a woman I like, and her abilities turned out to be better than I thought, so I recently revealed my identity and recruited her as a secretary and advisor.’

That’s all that happened between them.

‘Harin… just as I suspected, she must be Hyun-byeol.’

It’s almost certain Harin is Hyun-byeol. Given the circumstances, there’s really no one else she could be.

After all, there is no one else around Ragna who could be considered her retainer except for Harin.

However, the issue is…

‘If it’s Hyun-byeol, she must have known from Ragna’s outfit that she is a noble. She must have deliberately approached to build rapport and become close.’

Now that I understood the entire situation, one thing worried me.

[I recently caught the ear of a very high-ranking person.]

That ‘high-ranking person’ Hyun-byeol mentioned.

[I’ll use that power to push you forward.]

Was it really Ragna she was referring to?

Thunk, thunk.

‘…No. When I asked who she was working under, she didn’t seem like she was lying.’

I shook my head.

I consider myself to know Hyun-byeol pretty well. It’s more likely she didn’t lie to me, and the more reasonable interpretation was this: 

‘Ragna Litaniel Phefroc has a secret.’

Something huge that I still don’t know about.