BL999DP

Chapter 43

It was then.

"Well, I don't think so, and I think you're only going to get better."

Chase, with dirt on his face and a seedling shovel in his hand, joined the conversation.

He was a knight by trade, but now he seemed to be nothing but a good farmer.

She didn't  know about the others, but he was unpaid.

There was no need to work this hard, but for some reason it ended up that way, he continued.

"You possess remarkable talent, wealth, status, and a loyal following. You seem to have it all, so I'm puzzled by your anxiety."

She even had a decent relationship with the Duke of the North, so there was no threat to her safety.

That is, until the newest saint in town levels up to 1,000.

'Huh? Wait.'

Reina paused, struck by a sudden, unexpected idea.

'If her leveling up is the issue, why not prevent her from doing so altogether?'

Rather than meddling with the narrative, why not disrupt the very mechanism enabling her to level up?

'For instance, the dungeons of the western desert or the labyrinths of the north.'

This was especially true of the Northern Labyrinth, which she broke with the Duke of the North because she couldn't even get into it, even though she had leveled up considerably.

'Shouldn't I just break it?'

It was a good idea. She was a little scared to do it alone, so maybe she could do it with the Grand Duke of the North.

Of course, the problem was that she hadn't even met the High Duke of the North yet.

'I'll have to make a good impression on the Duke in the future,' Reina decided, smiling wryly.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop worrying about that. Oh, by the way. And the salary-"

"Do you mind if I manage that, Princess?"

She was about to ask how much, but Veronica quickly interrupted Reina.

Given her behavior so far, she was afraid she'd give her another ridiculously large sum.

But she didn't want to rip off the people who had come to help her. She wanted to be generous, but within the bounds of common sense. Please.

Even if she didn't, Reina, who had thought that she had been paying them too much when she saw the gold coins that Rostin had exchanged for them this time, nodded in understanding.

"Okay, fine. Veronica will be in charge of the greenhouse from now on."

***

It had been quite some time since the Saint had the opportunity to speak with the High Priest alone, a testament to her dedication to learning and mastering her magic.

After a rigorous day of training in the underground chambers, she took the time to freshen up, don her attire, and make her way to the dining hall.

To her surprise, the High Priest was already present when she arrived. Filled with remorse for potentially inconveniencing him, she bowed deeply, almost touching her forehead to the ground, and offered her apologies profusely.

"I deeply apologize for my tardiness, High Priest. I'm truly sorry...! I'm so, so sorry!"

"It's quite alright. I just arrived as well; there's no need for such excessive apologies."