TMLOWM 44

Chapter 44

Listening to Hider and Count Zeck’s conversation, I couldn’t hide my dismay.

Where on earth did my boy learn all that?

I had wanted to ask him the whole way back to the estate, but I didn’t want to risk breaking his concentration and turning off his skill. Besides, Hider—who was still overwhelmed with shame from being carried “princess style”—didn’t look like he had the energy to answer anyway.

So, once we returned to the estate, I trailed after Hider as he headed to his room.

“…Um, young master?”

“Speak.”

“Where did you learn stuff like that?”

“Stuff like what?”

“Double bookkeeping. Tax evasion. Things like that.”

Learning that kind of thing at such a young age… Who the heck taught him that? Just say the name.
Don’t people know they shouldn’t even drink cold water in front of kids? How did he manage to absorb only the worst possible knowledge? I mean, sure, it’s helpful now, but still!

“…You mean the things I talked about with Count Zeck?”

“Yes!”

“The Duchess, the former head butler, and the head maid did it. They kept two sets of ledgers to deceive the Duchess.”

Of course. The environment was the issue.

“And the Duchess too. Whenever she does something bad, she never does it herself—she always makes someone else do it.”

Exactly! The Duchess was a terrible influence on a child’s upbringing. No wonder Carte turned out to be a clingy mama’s boy and Sorna became a completely self-centered kid!

I was trembling with barely-suppressed rage when Hider casually added one more thing.

“And I learned from Rani too.”

“…Huh? Me?”

“You said if you don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

Hider said it sweetly.

“If you don’t get caught, it’s all okay, right?”

I swallowed hard.
My heart dropped when I saw Hider’s innocent expression.
Yeah… I did say that, didn’t I?

This is why you really shouldn’t do anything careless in front of kids.
Still, I had to admit—his ability to apply what he learned was impressive.

But this… this wasn’t it.

It seemed I had unwittingly contributed to the male lead’s darkening.

What do you even do when the male lead is about to become the secret villain?

My inner turmoil aside, our herbs were growing splendidly.

And the one taking the greatest interest in that field was none other than Dania.
She was practically pouring her entire day into the field—saying she wasn’t just working there, but practically living there.

“Do you actually like farming?”

“Well, this thing apparently makes good money, right, Rani? I thought about it, and just one root of this stuff is worth more than my monthly salary.”

Ah. So she’s serious about the money.
It wasn’t that farming suited her—it’s that anything that pays suited her.

“When I think of it as this plant giving me my paycheck, I get all motivated.”

Dania grinned. Seeing her so enthusiastic, Lady Luella had handed over most of the fieldwork to her.

Thanks to that, Dania was excluded from the main duties at the ducal estate and focused on the field. The few remaining maids who took over her duties didn’t seem to mind much either.

I wished Dania could be even more efficient in her work.

I started fiddling with my skill I Am a Druid with a bit of longing.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could transfer skills?

And then, it happened.
My fairy. My genie. My status window lit up with a brand-new pop-up.

[Your affinity with Supporter: Dania has reached MAX. A new ability is unlocked.]

A new ability?
I glanced over at Dania, who was diligently tending the field, and tapped on her status window.

**[You may lend a skill to Dania.

Condition: The skill must be level 5 or higher.

You will be unable to use the skill while it is lent.]**

What the—!

My eyes nearly popped out.
Could it be… is the status window actually here to grant my wishes?

I gulped.

The supporter window had changed too—now there was an “Affinity” gauge bar under each name.

Currently, the highest affinity was with Dania and Tyburn.
In Tyburn’s case, the trust formed through repeated transactions must’ve been what raised the bar.

Tyburn’s condition still read: Fatigued, Starving, Critically Injured.

Still not recovered?

That alone made me uneasy.
If I could, I wanted to go find him.

Somehow… I felt like I could survive even if I did go.
If I unlocked a new skill, I might be able to pull off something incredible even in the middle of a war-torn northern battlefield.

Wouldn’t I become a hero or something?

But I couldn’t just go blindly—first, I had to know where Tyburn even was.
And what about Hider? Or this Kattieron estate?

You’re not supposed to steal the pillar that holds up someone else’s house.
And at this point, I was practically the main pillar holding this house up.

Anyway, when I poked around the supporter window, a new prompt popped up.

[Would you like to lend a skill to Supporter: Dania?]

Of course! I instantly selected the skill I Am a Druid.
Dania spent way more time in the field than I did—it was the obvious choice.

Wait… does that mean all the sub-skills attached to I Am a Druid get transferred too?

Like Plowing, Watering, and all the other farming-related skills?

I didn’t have to wonder for long—Dania herself gave me the answer.
Watching her working now, at an entirely different speed than before, I nodded in understanding.

Yup, they all transferred.

Should I just register everyone in this estate as supporters and start handing out skills?

I seriously started considering it.

But you know…

What if I didn’t have to go north at all?
If I could use the status window to send Tyburn a healing skill?

I rarely got tired. Most poisons didn’t affect me.
Several of the many skills listed under my name were for keeping me alive.

And this one, especially:

[Self-Healing V. MAX
Keeps your body in optimal condition at all times.]

It had a red label next to it—one of those skills that couldn’t be turned off.

If I could lend this to Tyburn…

Then I wouldn’t be putting my own life at risk, would I?
At least until he returned safely, I could lend it.

I spent most of my time in this estate anyway.

I hesitated, finger hovering over the skill.
My life would be so much easier if Tyburn just came back.

I thought of the people desperately waiting for Tyburn’s return.

Okay, not just them.
I was desperate too.

“What should I do…”
I murmured softly.

Hider’s innocent face flashed through my mind—asking me, with pure trust in his eyes,
“Grandfather will come back, right?”

Ugh.

I bit my lip.
I didn’t want to see that face crumple in disappointment.
I’d done everything to protect that smile.

Besides, wasn’t this status window basically made for Hider in the first place?
It existed to bind me to him, make me the ultimate maid, and give everything for his sake.

So lending out a skill…

Still hesitant, I tapped the screen.
Better to send it now than waste time overthinking.

Tyburn needed to return if I ever wanted my skill back.

And when he did return, I’d definitely make sure to brag about saving his life.
Tyburn was a generous guy—he might even reward me with more.

Alright.

[Would you like to transfer the skill?]

YESSSS…!

At that moment, far in the north — Tyburn.

Missing. Presumed dead.
Tyburn had sparked all sorts of wild rumors.

In truth, he had been dragged inside a contamination zone.
A place filled with ominous, foul, red viscous fluids.

White dust-like particles floated in the air.
Tree root-like structures wove across the ground.

The fact that one could even enter a contamination zone was shocking in itself—
But even more shocking was that they were connected.

Tyburn kept walking, ceaselessly.
He continued forward by slaying every monster in his path.

His body had long surpassed human limits.
Even with extreme hunger and exhaustion, he moved.