The Land Abandoned by God. Just hearing the name evokes a sense of ominous foreboding, but it carries a sort of mystical meaning. And a bit of wordplay too.
Seraphie muttered the name to herself. The Land Abandoned by God… It meant that God had once resided there.
According to legend, the god who loved flowers and plants would occasionally descend to earth to hide precious treasures. Some called it the ‘Mana Stone’. A gem filled with pure mana, it was the most coveted magical enhancer for magicians. It could easily solve even the most complex spells and difficult rituals. Others referred to it as the ‘Healing Stone’.
Pure mana was a manifestation of nature’s power, the very source of life. Old historical records mentioned that merely touching the Healing Stone could cure incurable diseases as if they had been washed away.
“The Land Abandoned by God…?”
“Does that mean she’s obtained the Mana Stone?”
“No, it’s the Healing Stone…”
“That’s not the point right now!”
The sharp voice was right.
“She has obtained the God’s Treasure!”
That was the truth.
But that’s not the important part. The crucial thing is that she’s obtained the ‘God’s Treasure’ hidden in the Land Abandoned by God.
Seraphie gladly accepted the stares and whispers directed at her.
Even the most recently discovered Land Abandoned by God was far older than 150 years ago when the last succession trial was held. The room was now abuzz with excitement, far beyond control.
The court officials shouted themselves hoarse, trying to restore order, but to no avail. The atmosphere was even more heated than when Seraphie tore her clothes to reveal her bruises.
“Silence.”
Finally, the emperor spoke, and only then did a semblance of silence return. But though they kept silent, the excitement of the people was still palpable. Even the emperor was no different.
“Is what you say true?”
The emperor asked as she slowly surveyed the now-quiet courtroom. Her voice held an unmistakable note of bewilderment.
“The Land Abandoned by the Gods, did you, Lady—no, the plaintiff, discover it…?”
The emperor, who had been making a series of verbal slips, paused and took a deep breath. She quickly regained composure, her brown eyes focused on Seraphie. There was a sharp glint on it.
“…Did you claim the Land Abandoned by the Gods?” The emperor commanded her to explain further.
Seraphie’s lips curled into a slight smile. It’s done…! The trial’s momentum had shifted into Seraphie’s hands, and even the emperor’s attention was now focused on her.
I can’t make any mistakes. Seraphie quietly exhaled a long breath, unnoticed by anyone. The nervous flutter in her chest gradually settled into a steady calm, and she was now composed enough to ignore the gazes upon her.
The outcome of this trial depends on this. To that very emperor.
“It is as I said, Your Majesty,” Seraphie spoke in a calmer yet still powerful voice. “With the money I won from the lottery and betting, the first thing I did was pay the overdue wages of the servants. Including the stableman who appeared as my father’s witness.”
The mentioned stableman’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“And on the day I was pondering how to use the remaining money…”
Seraphie paused briefly to collect herself once more. The tension in the room grew palpable.
“I had a dream.”
“Another dream?”
The emperor chuckled, more out of interest than mockery.
“How fascinating, really…”
The emperor, now muttering to herself, was clearly impressed. She hadn’t expected anything this interesting when she opened this forced succession trial.
“What kind of dream did you have?” The emperor asked.
“I saw a land where flowers bloomed and a rainbow arched. Even after waking, the dream was vivid in my mind.”
Seraphie proudly explained how she struggled to find that land while avoiding her father’s violence. When Count Vallidus tried to shout like a raging beast, the knight beside him quickly restrained him and issued a warning.
“God must truly favor you.”
The emperor could only utter words of admiration. There was no other way all of this could have been possible.
“But how did you confirm that the land was indeed the Land Abandoned by God?”
“It was Duke Felicia.”
The unexpected mention of a name caused another stir in the room.
“Father…?” Orkis hurriedly searched for his father.
Amidst the attention, Duke Felicia remained composed, casually raising his shoulders and slightly lifting the corners of his lips when he made eye contact with his son. But his focus had always been solely on one thing.
“I trusted in the dream I had.” Ignoring the intense scrutiny, Seraphie continued. “I was certain that the land I bought was extraordinary, so I contacted Duke Felicia to confirm it.”
“When…?” Orkis unconsciously began to mutter when…
Shh. Seraphie silenced him with a quiet look instead of answering.
“Duke Felicia is an outstanding magician.”
It was well-known that although Duke Felicia hadn’t pursued a path as a magician due to his duties as the head of his family, his talent was greater than that of his daughter, Peonia.
“The Duke confirmed that all the lands I purchased were indeed the Land Abandoned by God.”
“Lands…?”
Someone murmured.
Seraphie responded with a silent smile. That was all that was needed.
The courtroom was now silent in a different way. The lands Seraphie had acquired were not just one; she had obtained multiple.
Everything had turned upside down. The courtroom was no longer a courtroom, and Seraphie was no longer a mere ungrateful child accusing her father of abuse. She was no longer just an object of curiosity for the nobles.
From the moment Seraphie revealed that she owned the Land Abandoned by the God, she had practically declared war on everyone present, that she would claim that. That she would become an audacious noble, and no one would be able to stand in her way.
“Father!”
Peonia hurriedly searched for her father. It wasn’t difficult to find him since all eyes were focused on only two places. Seraphie, standing in the center of the courtroom, and Duke Felicia, seated in the gallery. Only those two remained unperturbed.
“He’s my husband, but he’s so annoying.” The Duchess beside her muttered grumpily.
“We’re going to start a joint project.”
“It’s a young lady from a certain family.”
“It’s a very rare opportunity.”
Peonia suddenly recalled the conversation they had over breakfast a few days ago.
“Haha…” Peonia let out a small, resigned laugh.
“Are you okay?” Lunie, beside her, asked with concern.
Peonia gave a small smile. “What could be wrong?”
“But you must have been surprised.”
“Of course, I was surprised.”
But it wasn’t the kind of surprise that would shake her.
As expected, she’s no ordinary person. A deep sense of affection and curiosity toward Seraphie blossomed within Peonia.
How had she endured so much with such a personality? Even the faint sympathy she had once felt for Seraphie now seemed wasted. To Seraphie, cheap sympathy would have been the height of rudeness.
So that’s why. That’s why her damned brother had grown close to Seraphie.
For once, Peonia had to acknowledge her brother’s keen eye for people. The same brother who usually distanced himself from others had been unusually friendly to Seraphie, even going so far as to drape his cloak over her torn clothes.
I guess she deserves that handkerchief.
Peonia had known all along that the handkerchief around Seraphie’s neck belonged to Orkis.
* * *
The Land Abandoned by God appeared in the original story around the middle. While the protagonist, Lillie, was on a journey with the crown prince that doubled as an inspection, their carriage passed through a wasteland near the capital.
The land, which had dried up long ago, could not be restored to its former greenness by any means. All that remained was a single, withered flower. Seeing this, Lillie stopped the carriage and breathed life into the poor flower with white magic. Immediately, a mysterious energy spread over the wasteland.
Lillie, astonished, told the crown prince about it, and they soon discovered that the wasteland was indeed the Land Abandoned by God. She became the owner of the land and joined a venture with the imperial family, amassing a vast fortune.
Anything profitable is mine! And so Seraphie, remembering the details from the original story, began purchasing land that she suspected to be the Land Abandoned by God.
In truth, over the past month, Seraphie had spent more time and effort searching for land than preparing for the trial. It was necessary both to win the trial and to secure her future, even if she lost.
The Land Abandoned by God had two characteristics. One, it was sold at a ridiculously low price, as it had strangely disappeared from people’s interest. The second was that there were a total of seven Lands Abandoned by God, and when connected, they formed the shape of the Big Dipper. Although it was a somewhat childish setting, thanks to it, Seraphie managed to purchase the places suspected to be the Land Abandoned by God.
Then, she sent a letter to Duke Felicia. At first, Seraphie intended to seek help from Carl’s family but decided that a duke would be more suitable than a marquis.
[I believe I’ve found the Land Abandoned by God. Would you care to verify it?]
Seraphie shamelessly wrote the letter, and the duke replied the next day.
[I look forward to it.]
And so, the two of them secretly headed to the wasteland outside the capital.
“…raphie! Seraphie!”
Just as Seraphie was recalling the moment she confirmed that the land purchased was indeed the Land Abandoned by God, a piercing shout brought her back to reality with a frown. The piercing shout snapped Seraphie back to reality with a frown. She turned to see Count Vallidus trembling like an aspen. He was furious.
“How could you do this to me?!” The Count shouted. “How could you deceive me and monopolize such a precious thing!”
“Ah, if only I could shove those lips up his nostrils…”
Ah. Seraphie unintentionally cursed under her breath and quickly coughed to cover it up, remembering the knights beside her.
That’s worth cursing about.
He deserved it.
Fortunately, Orkis and Carl, understanding Seraphie’s feelings, pretended not to have heard anything.
“Father.”
Seraphie called out to the Count in a sorrowful voice.
“Monopolize it? I bought it all with my own money.”
Her voice, as cold as her gaze, refuted the Count’s accusation.
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