ㅤChapter 7
ㅤTen days had passed since Ruby had taken Aquamarine’s place as a bride.
ㅤDuring this time, Theodore had not once visited his wife, or rather, Ruby. She was completely ignored.
ㅤ『The fake princess has incurred the Emperor’s wrath』 was the common understanding within the castle, but Ruby herself wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest.
ㅤToday, as always, a cheerful voice echoed through the detached palace.
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ㅤ”Good morning, Emma! It’s nicely cloudy today, making it quite comfortable. Thank you for preparing breakfast.”
ㅤ”Good morning, Ruby-sama. I have also prepared meals for Poison Rat-sama and Blackie-sama.”
ㅤ”You didn’t have to do that for me! But thank you. I appreciate it!”
ㅤ”No…… I am already being allowed to dine with you. I can only repay you through my work.”
ㅤ”You’re so serious, Emma.”
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ㅤOn the dining table were meals for Ruby and Emma. On the floor, meals were prepared for their familiars. Today’s menu was the same as always in Langley: bread, potatoes, and soup.
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ㅤ”Coo-eeeen……”
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ㅤIt was Blackie who let out a thin cry upon seeing the meal. He didn’t touch it, instead hanging his long neck and drooping his head.
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ㅤ”What’s wrong, Blackie? Don’t you have an appetite? Are you feeling unwell?”
ㅤ”Coo-oon”
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ㅤBlackie shook his head sideways.
ㅤMichael, who was munching on his meal beside him, noticed his strange behavior and started talking to him.
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ㅤ”……Cheep. Cheep, Cheep-eep!”
ㅤ”Eh? You’re tired of eating the same meal every day? You don’t want to eat potatoes anymore?”
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ㅤWith Michael’s interpretation, Ruby understood Blackie’s complaint.
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ㅤ”You mustn’t be so picky. We’re living here as guests. We should be grateful that we have enough to eat and that it’s nutritious. We can’t ask for anything more.”
ㅤ”Coo. Coo-oon……”
ㅤ”Chee-ee, Cheep-cheep. Chee-ee”
ㅤ”Blackie, you’ve been eating fruits and meat until now? You don’t have the habit of eating potatoes, so you don’t have an appetite?”
ㅤ
ㅤAfter listening carefully, it seemed that Blackie wasn’t simply being spoiled, but rather, he didn’t have an appetite because he was being served food he wasn’t used to.
ㅤThat made it a bit of a sad story. Certainly, one doesn’t often imagine a bird eating potatoes.
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ㅤ”Hey, Emma. Would it be possible to get some fruits and meat for Blackie, even just a small amount?”
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ㅤWhen asked, Emma apologetically lowered her eyebrows.
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ㅤ”I apologize. I used to work around the kitchen, so I understand the situation. Fruits and meat are extremely expensive in Langley. It’s difficult even for commoners to eat them, so I think it would be difficult to obtain them for Blackie-sama.”
ㅤ”Is that so…… I’m sorry for making such a selfish request. I forgot that agricultural crops don’t grow well in Langley.”
ㅤ”Yes. They are affected by the miasma flowing from the Underworld, so the soil quality is poor. It’s not that livestock can’t be raised, but since the grass they feed on is also expensive, production is limited……”
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ㅤ――『Miasma』. A word she had heard countless times since coming to this country.
ㅤWhen Ruby asked Emma, she was told that the cloudy and dark sky was due to the miasma, and that the monsters surging from the Underworld were also strengthened by the miasma.
ㅤAs for crops, only Hoffen potatoes and the less flavorful but cheaper Byfen potatoes could grow properly, so most food had to be imported.
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ㅤ”I hear that the small amount of vegetables in this soup costs half a year’s salary for a commoner. Ordinary citizens can usually only afford to eat Byfen potatoes.”
ㅤ”I had no idea the situation was so severe. I apologize for making such a carefree request.”
ㅤ”No…… I am the one who overstepped. I apologize.”
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ㅤAfter finishing breakfast with a more solemn feeling than usual, Ruby immediately went outside the detached palace.
ㅤLooking up at the sky, it was indeed chaotic and cloudy again today.
ㅤPerhaps because she had been confined for so long, this dim and cloudy air felt comfortable to her, but it seemed that others didn’t feel the same way.
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ㅤ”I have to solve Blackie’s food problem. Since it’s difficult to obtain it, it would be great if I could grow it myself……”
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ㅤThe key was to somehow improve the soil quality. If it could also be protected from the miasma, it should be able to grow and bear fruit.
ㅤLost in thought, Ruby casually touched the ground.
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ㅤ”……! This soil contains a slight amount of poison.”
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ㅤAn instinctive sensation from her palm told her so.
ㅤSharpening her senses further, she realized that the source of the poison seemed to be permeating the entire atmosphere.
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ㅤ”Could it be that this miasma is something like poisonous gas? Is that why the land is barren because it’s soaked in it?”
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ㅤNo contradictions came to mind.
ㅤIf this theory was correct, then maybe I, a Poison User, could do something about it……?
ㅤShe had purified the pond in the forest the other day, so it was worth a try, Ruby decided.
ㅤClosing her eyes tightly, she clasped her hands together and offered a prayer.
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ㅤ（I want to help this poisoned land. Please……!）
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ㅤThen, just like that day, an incantation surfaced in her mind. Ruby uttered the words as if savoring them.
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ㅤ”By the name of Ruby ・Rose・ Delphire, I command: Oh pitiful earth, cleanse your impurity with my deadly poison.”
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ㅤSimultaneously with the incantation, a black haze rose from Ruby’s body. It quickly covered the courtyard of the detached palace and then ascended towards the sky like a tornado.
ㅤThe ground left behind after the wind looked the same, but when Ruby touched it, it was completely detoxified.
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ㅤ”I did it! It worked! It seems like the miasma in this entire area has cleared up. The air tastes the same as in the Belheim Kingdom.”
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ㅤChecking with a cheerful heart, the grounds of the detached palace where Ruby lived were completely normalized. The soil was rich in nutrients, and the air was fresh and delicious.
ㅤShe had never paid attention to the taste of the air before, but now that she was conscious of it, the absence of poison made a significant difference.
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ㅤ”But still, what does that 『with my deadly poison～』 part in the incantation mean? I think the same wording was there when I purified the pond.”
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ㅤShe thought it was strange that the word “deadly poison” appeared when the result was the elimination of poison.
ㅤShe thought about it for a bit but couldn’t figure it out, so Ruby returned her thoughts to Blackie’s food problem.
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ㅤ”Let’s make a vegetable garden in the yard! I wonder if I should just till the soil and plant the seeds? I don’t know how to do it, so I’ll have to ask Emma to teach me!”
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ㅤRuby immediately asked Emma to arrange for seeds and to teach her how to farm.
ㅤEmma, who said, “Even if you do that, it won’t grow because the soil is bad,” didn’t believe Ruby no matter how many times she said, “It’s alright because I removed the poison!” She ignored her, thinking that the eccentric fake princess was saying strange things again.
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ㅤTherefore, a week after sowing the seeds ―― when vibrant green sprouts emerged from the tilled earth, Emma doubted her own eyes.