The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

Benjamin averted his eyes and eagerly tried to gauge Grace’s reaction.

He seemed like a mischievous puppy caught in the act, waiting for his owner’s scolding.

“Well, then what should we do now? With the arrival of the Saintess, it seems like the task will be completed quickly.’

“Well, in truth, there isn’t much for us to do.”

As he spoke, Benjamin rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“We just need to listen to the progress report and sign some documents. That’s why I was summoned here.”

In the first place, Benjamin didn’t have much knowledge or expertise in this field.

‘As expected, he was called here to act as a symbol.’

Benjamin was aware of this fact, but the reason for his presence was simple. In this particular task, the approval of the highest-ranking figure was necessary for things to progress smoothly.

However, since Benjamin’s role was essentially non-existent, he was unsure whether to prioritize his promise to Grace over his official duties.

Benjamin groaned slightly and rolled his eyes.

“…I didn’t want to show this side to My Lady.”

“This side?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean by ‘this side’?”

Grace inquired, puzzled by his response. Benjamin seemed hesitant, as if he didn’t want to reveal his thoughts, and felt embarrassed about it.

“If you don’t want to say, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that it seems childish for no reason. “

After clearing his throat, Benjamin finally confessed.

“Well, it’s, uh, a rather incompetent-looking side of me.”

“…Ah.”

As Benjamin uttered those words, his ears turned beet red.

“It’s not about being incompetent. Everyone knows some things and doesn’t know others… Well, I happen to have a lot of things I’m not good at.”

Grace tried to offer some encouragement, but Benjamin’s eyebrows furrowed downward.

He seemed like he wanted to say something, but hesitated. Wondering what he was about to say, Grace was curious, but she refrained from prying and changed the subject.

“…In any case, it might be better to look for the cause of the contamination, even though divine power was used.”

Even without Grace saying anything, everyone had their suspicions, and if the original storyline she knew hadn’t been altered, news of the western contamination would soon be revealed.

‘But other than this, there’s really nothing to talk about here. Better bring up the subject.’

When asked about the work, Benjamin behaved like an oblivious person.

“Well, there was a speculation about soil contamination, but during the last service, we had the soil investigated just in case.”

“So, the cause wasn’t determined back then.”

Benjamin nodded his head. His gaze was directed towards the canal.

From the worried expression in his eyes, it was evident that Benjamin genuinely cared about the situation.

“The fact that the purification work was completed back then, but problems have resurfaced recently, suggests that the problem may be more distant.”

Aria’s purification work extended not only within the island but also to the river outside.

For a while, the area where the blessing was bestowed would have been fine, but since the fundamental issue of contamination was in the West, it was only natural for problems to arise again as time passed.

Grace was the only one who knew that if there were issues, the West was the source.

‘Of course, if the situation continues, eventually, everyone will find out.’

Grace stole a glimpse of Benjamin’s reflection in the river.

The Rondel Canal was the most important river on the island. It not only flowed through the island but also extended to some territories beyond, branching off from the Rondel Canal.

The fact that it wasn’t a major concern at the moment was because people perceived it as a slight change in the taste of the water. As Grace pondered on this, an important thought came to her mind.

‘Right, there were also symptoms of poisoning caused by water contamination.’

Until now, she had only considered the deterioration of water due to western contamination, but suddenly her mind cleared, and she remembered the incident of poisoning.

The poisoning, along with the problems with the gate, had caused a stir in the empire across the island.

‘So, there were suggestions that the problem lies with the magical devices. The temple authorities stepped forward to clarify that it wasn’t the fault of the magical devices, but Benjamin faced criticism.’

In reality, Benjamin held a significant stake in the Mage Association, but he didn’t know much about their specific activities.

Since the mages were, in essence, wizards, it was necessary to respect their domain. However, limitations and interference could be imposed in other areas.

The privilege of Duke Felton being the first to use a new magical device was both a privilege and a way to check its practicality in everyday life.

“In fact, the reason everyone could use magical devices at an equal and affordable price was due to the regulations established by Duke Felton when he contributed to the establishment of the Mage Association.”

Yet, despite this, people were easily swayed by malicious intent created through manipulation rather than the goodwill they received. The context surrounding Benjamin’s criticism was also influenced by such factors.