The Final Task of the Forsaken Saint: A Command to Marry the Barbarian Count - Chapter 17

Another day passed, and I found myself having lunch once again with Dirk. Ever since arriving in Rostock, we had shared every meal together.

It all started with his suggestion, “To truly get to know each other, we should start by spending time together.” And so, this became our routine.

Despite his clearly busy schedule, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was too much for him. But I didn’t mind—there was so much to learn about the food and the magical beasts in the area, and I looked forward to these meals.

As soon as Dirk understood how much I could eat, the portions were adjusted to soldier-level servings instead of noblewoman-sized ones. And I was thrilled.

As I ate my fill of delicious meat dishes and vegetable sides, Dirk suddenly spoke.

“How have you been, Lebel?”

I paused mid-bite, wondering how to answer. Dirk had told me I was free to do as I pleased in Neige Castle, and he had kept his word. To my surprise, I had been living quite comfortably. There was no trace of the fear I had been anticipating.

In fact, more than just Sariel, other attendants had started to come in and out to take care of me. Sariel had shrugged when I mentioned it, saying, “It’s better to be remembered fondly, of course.”

Though I wasn’t used to being taken care of, I didn’t mind it at all.

Smiling, I finished swallowing before answering.

“Everyone has been so kind. Cook always gives me snacks whenever I visit, and Mike taught me how to disassemble magical beasts yesterday! Marc also told me about the local specialties of Rostock.”

“Marc, too?” Dirk squinted slightly. For some reason, Marc seemed to shiver, but I ignored it.

Dirk’s expression softened as he asked, “Has the uphill climb in the castle been too much for you? It’s built on a mountain after all.”

“Hm? Not at all. It’s actually good exercise.”

As I continued to speak, I realized something and hesitated.
Dirk immediately noticed my pause.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well… I’ve been eating so well, and I’m starting to notice I’ve gained some weight.”

I mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. Dirk looked at me, wide-eyed.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m just surprised to hear you talk like an ordinary woman. I didn’t expect that.”

Marc, who had been standing nearby, panicked. I, on the other hand, blinked in surprise.

“That’s the first time anyone’s said something like that. My master used to tell me, ‘Don’t treat yourself like a normal girl, or people will misunderstand you!’ It’s nice to know I have some normal girl qualities after all!”

Dirk seemed taken aback by my words, and I waved him off with a smile.

“I see,” he said, before continuing with a slight blush on his face. “I apologize for my words. That was inappropriate.”

“No, I’m actually kind of happy to hear it. So even regular girls care about their figures, huh?”

“Yes, we tend to worry about fitting into dresses and controlling our portions…”

“Yeah, you can’t fly with too much weight, right?”

“Huh?”

Dirk blinked, confused, as he looked at me.

“Fly?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

“Yes, well, I can fly on my own, but my weight affects my speed. If I had more help from the spirits, I could fly faster, but this time, I could only walk.”

Dirk looked confused for a moment, then seemed to realize something.

“You were floating with the wyvern the other day, weren’t you? You couldn’t fly with the wyvern itself, but the restriction must be due to your magical power. It could be your ability to control magic, right?”

“I’m not very good at controlling magic, though… Dirk, you really know a lot,” I said, impressed.

When it comes to flying with magic, most people would dismiss it as just a trick, but Dirk seemed genuinely interested in the mechanics behind it. I didn’t expect him to analyze it this way.
As I stared at him in surprise, he looked a bit awkward as he took a sip from his cup.

“Well… now I understand why you flew out of the balcony the other day but had to walk back,” he said, looking at me as if he just figured something out.

I quickly looked away, embarrassed.

“Yeah, when I fly with my own magic, I can only carry my staff. If the spirits helped more, I could have flown with my head held up, but this time, I had no choice but to walk back. I won’t fly out the window again, I promise.”

I still felt guilty for causing the guards to get reprimanded because they hadn’t noticed me sneaking out. I just wanted a good rest, but I ended up feeling bad for them.

Noticing my mood shift, Dirk’s expression softened.

“Don’t worry, it was actually a good thing. You pointed out a gap in the castle’s security. You should know, the guards’ punishment was just a written warning, not a pay cut.”

I felt relieved. So they weren’t fired. That was a relief. As my mood lightened, Dirk smiled slightly.

“Sometimes, feel free to fly out and give the guards some training. It’ll help them.”

He sounded almost mischievous, and I chuckled nervously.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Dirk?”

He blinked, slightly surprised at my question, but then his face tightened.

I worried that I had upset him, but then I noticed a faint blush on his pale cheeks.

“You can tell?” he asked, almost shyly.

“Just a little, I guess.”

Realizing he had been caught, Dirk’s expression softened again. It was amusing to see this side of him, and I felt my own cheeks heat up.

“So, do you have anything you want to do?” he asked suddenly, breaking the awkward silence.

Thinking about it, the first thing that came to mind was visiting the Calbruncs territory. Even though I had entrusted the management to Dirk, I wanted to see it for myself. He had promised me a house there, after all, and it could be a potential place to move after the wedding.

But I wasn’t in a rush to do it. I liked being here in Neige Castle, and it felt so comfortable. So, after a moment of thought, I came up with something else.

“Oh! Could I join the knights’ training?”

“Training?”

“Yes, I’ve been relaxing for over a week now, and I feel like I need some physical activity.”

Dirk seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying.

“I’d actually welcome your participation in the training. But there’s one thing I need to ask you to do first…”

His sudden request caught me by surprise. What could it be?