“Mr. Boritz. Are you being modest, or incompetent?”

The red lips moved slightly.

Perhaps it was due to the cold gaze dripping with iciness.

Not only Boritz, but Susan and Franz as well froze in place.

“Why did a mere insignificant farmer like you take on so much debt?”

“H-How did you know that…!”

“This farm is practically owned by loan sharks now, isn’t it? How long were you planning to hide it?”

Boritz had spared no expense in researching famine relief crops.

I wasn’t the only one who had taken notice of Boritz’s efforts.

The naive Boritz must have been appetizing prey for some.

“I thought it was strange. How did those thugs know Borman had stolen expensive herbs? Isn’t it too perfect to be a coincidence?”

“Are you saying someone told them?”

“I looked into the owner of the only herb shop you dealt with. Not only does he handle illegal goods, he’s also very close with underworld figures.”

“That person truly understands me.”

Boritz replied with a groan.

I couldn’t help but frown.

“You’re turning a blind eye to reality right now.”

“It’s true. He’s the only one who listened to what I had to say.”

“He was just flattering you. To buy premium herbs at dirt-cheap prices.”

“What?”

“You bought all the agricultural books, foreign seeds and seedlings through him too, right? Without realizing he was grossly overcharging you.”

“That, that can’t be…”

Boritz took a step back.

As if afraid to open the lid of truth and realize the deception and foolishness contained within.

“While growing the finest crops, you became poorer and poorer. So much that you couldn’t even buy paints for your younger sibling.”

“It’s because I’m incompetent…”

“That’s right. Mr. Boritz, you are incompetent.”

“!”

“And foolish and irresponsible too.”

Boritz’s legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.

Unable to watch any longer, Susan grabbed my collar and shook it.

“Poor Boritz. He was just taken advantage of by bad people.”

“That’s why I’m saying he’s foolish.”

“Elder sister Elizabeth.”

“He can’t even be suspicious of shady things, and he’s about to lose everything, right? He knew nothing. He’s an innocent victim. Who would help someone like that?”

“…”

“It’s irresponsible to be trapped in your own world and only see what you want to see. Pretending to be noble and keeping your principles will only make you prey for others.”

Boritz had no reply.

He just stared blankly at the withering purple flower.

“You still don’t understand? What’s important isn’t saving this flower.”

I lifted up the flower pot in front of Boritz.

And threw it forcefully to the ground.

– Crash.

The pot shattered with a loud noise.

Soil and pot shards flew everywhere.

As the flower’s white roots were exposed, Susan and Franz turned to look at me with a start.

“Oh no…!”

Thick tears fell from beneath Boritz’s black hood.

I spoke to him as he moved the flower with trembling hands.

“You cry over one flower dying. How long will you ignore people starving to death?”

“You’re right! I’m incompetent. I don’t have the ability to help people yet!”

For the first time, Boritz shouted, as if in defiance or desperation.

“Then, will that ability suddenly appear if you stay like this?”

“What can I do when nothing works no matter how hard I try? I’ve done my best. There’s no such thing as a cheap, easy-to-grow, filling crop!”

“You’ve been working day and night, haven’t you? Trying to create something that doesn’t exist in this world.”

“Maybe it was an impossible goal from the start. If famous scholars couldn’t do it, how could a poor farmer like me…”

“Stop whining!”

I harshly rebuked Boritz.

What Boritz needed now was not a carrot, but a whip.

A fierce whip to break his shabby shell and make him be reborn anew.

“If you can’t do it, then give up cleanly. If you can’t give up, then keep at it until you succeed. How long are you going to cry like a child?”

“!”

“I said I’d help you. You’ve kicked away every opportunity trying to preserve your pride, and now what? You say you did your best?”

For a moment, heavy silence fell.

Even Boritz’s whimpering shoulders stopped moving.

“You’re right. I’m lazy. I’m a stupid person, blinded by my own stubbornness.”

Boritz muttered, holding the purple flower.

But he didn’t stammer like before.

His tone, enunciating each word, was full of determination.

He abruptly pulled off the hood that had been covering even his face.

“But I won’t give up! I will definitely succeed!”

For the first time, I saw Boritz’s bare face.

I was speechless for a moment.

He had a face so beautiful it was hard to believe.

‘What? Is a man allowed to be this pretty? Was Boritz designed like this? He’s not a farmer, he’s like a fairy of farming.’

Even though it was a mess from crying, his beauty was not diminished at all.

Rather, his wet eyelashes and reddened eyes added a dizzying allure.

I thought I had gotten used to handsome men thanks to Nikolai and Douglas.

But Boritz was a completely different type of handsome man.

Olive green hair falling to his shoulders.

Skin so white it was hard to believe he was a farmer.

A thin frame that looked like it might blow away in the wind.

Susan and Franz were also captivated by Boritz’s beauty.

Belatedly noticing our gazes, he lowered his head again.

“I’m sorry for getting excited. In front of such noble people…”

Boritz mumbled as he tried to pull his hood back on.

I grabbed his wrist.

“If you have something to say, show your face and say it clearly.”

“I, I can’t.”

“You just haven’t tried. Take it slow and give it a try. I’ll help you.”

“You, Lady Elizabeth?”

“Yes. I, Elizabeth Amster, will help you, Mr. Boritz.”

“Why… why are you trying to help me this much?”

Boritz made a frightened expression.

Even that look was as lovely as a daffodil.

“Because you’re a hero.”

“Th-That’s impossible…”

“Wanting to feed the poor. I think someone with a heart like that is a true hero.”

“…”

“So let’s do this together. As comrades who trust and protect each other.”

I held out my hand.

After hesitating, Boritz took my hand.

Unlike his delicate appearance, his hand was thick and rough like tree bark.

[This is the timeline separator]

Nikolai did not like priests.

They seemed like con artists extorting money in the name of god.

The people of the Hartmann Empire worshipped various gods.

Farmers worshipped the god of agriculture, fishermen the god of the sea.

The goddess of healing, Morasinsia, was popular among all.

Priests in white robes sprinkled a few drops of water on the old and sick and took offerings.

He thought Cardinal Arkanso was one of those priests.

Until he met the man with a white silk band covering his eyes.

“May the grace of Morasinsia fill Your Majesty’s breath.”

The tall priest leaning on a staff knelt down.

Nikolai, sitting on the imperial throne, frowned.

“Rise, priest.”

“I am honored.”

“How did you come alone?”

“In exchange for offering my human eyes, I received the eyes of the soul.”

“I dislike talk of castles in the air. Speak plainly.”

“I lost my sight, but I perceive objects with other senses. Please do not worry, as I have no problem moving.”

He was a man with a soft and calm voice.

Silver hair falling to his waist.

Pristine white priestly robes without a speck of dust.

Perhaps because of the band covering his eyes.

A strange holiness and mysteriousness flowed from his robust body.

‘They said he was appointed as the youngest cardinal. The only one who hears oracles. Why would he train his body?’

Though hidden by the priestly robes, Arkanso had a well-toned physique from consistent training.

His flawless, upright posture was something even first-class swordsmen could not easily achieve.

“I heard you are researching the Netherflower. It’s been years since the Netherflower was eradicated. What is your reason?”

“Forgive me for saying so, but the Netherflower is a plague that cannot be eradicated.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because there are too many evil people who want the plague horse to run wild.”

A chilling smile spread across the priest’s lips.

Though there was no killing intent, his fighting spirit that weighed down the air was intense.

Nikolai felt curious about this priest who didn’t seem like a priest.

“Have you received an oracle?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“Please understand that I cannot convey the words of God to Your Majesty, who is not a believer.”

“The previous emperor offered 100 days of rituals to the goddess Morasinsia.”

“It was merely a means to suppress the plague, not worship of the god. The same goes for Your Majesty.”

“You priests are also my people. The temples are on my land as well.”

“My only master is God. God’s servants do not value their lives highly.”

“Are you saying you are prepared even for death?”

“I apologize.”

Arkanso’s expression did not look apologetic at all.

Nikolai twisted the corners of his mouth upwards.

“Why did you enter the palace? You could have just holed up in the temple and protested.”

“There are words I must deliver to the one who is qualified.”

“You would deliver an oracle to someone other than the emperor?”

“A servant only follows the master’s orders.”

“That too must be an oracle.”

“Thank you for understanding, Your Majesty.”

Arkanso put his hands together and bowed.

It was uncomfortable how he invoked God at the end of every sentence.

“Who has that qualification?”

“The one who possesses the divine object of the goddess.”

“Divine object?”

“The divine object acts on behalf of the goddess’s authority. Only one chosen by the goddess Morasinsia can possess the divine object.”

‘There is no divine object of Morasinsia in the imperial treasury. Yet he came here, does that mean the owner of the divine object is in the palace?’

Suddenly, a scene came to mind.

Douglas, holding out his family heirloom, asking to send Elizabeth out of the palace.

Elizabeth, demanding the old, worn-out copper monocle.

He already knew she wasn’t a medium.

‘Could the monocle have been the divine object? Is that how she figured out Pinch was poisoned?’

Nikolai had tried on the monocle too.

But nothing happened.

Does that mean only a specific person can exercise its power?

What does it mean that Elizabeth possesses it?

The smile of the woman he had tried so hard to forget constricted Nikolai’s heart.

“Please allow me to meet Lady Elizabeth. There is an oracle I must deliver to her.”

[This is the timeline separator]

I had gained Boritz.

I could be certain even without a contract.

“I will unconditionally follow Miss Elizabeth’s will. Please take good care of me from now on.”

Boritz was shyer than a new bride on her wedding night.

If I shared the original story information, Boritz would soon develop a famine relief crop that would go down in continental history.

Of course, it would be my job and that of the Amster trading company to mass-produce the crop and spread the cultivation method widely.

Money and fame had rolled in, along with a flower boy to boot.

‘Let’s buy land first. It would be good to create a charity organization too. My life will bloom along with Boritz!’

I thought everything would go well, but…

My life never goes smoothly.

“Don’t move! You’ll die if you move!”