Chapter 241 After the Rain (9)

A knock sounded and a voice calling ‘Princess Consort’ followed.

It was Ritlen’s voice.

‘Looks like they’re ready.’

Aristine straightened her expression, which was relaxed.

“Come in.”

Once she gave her permission, Ritlen and Asena walked inside.

“How ready is the barrier?”

“It is ready to be used right away, as Your Highness asked.”

“And the data?”

“Here it is.”

Aristine nodded and opened the data file.

She liked this aspect of working with Ritlen. Thanks to his meticulous and intricate nature, he reported things to her first and she didn’t need to ask twice.

“I plan to set up a barrier in the Demon Beast Plain right now.”

There was a map of the Demon Beast Plain in the data Ritlen brought.

It was a map that showed the best candidate locations to install the barrier for testing.

Aristine pointed to one part of the map without missing a beat.

“Here.”

Doubt flashed in Ritlen’s eyes.

The place that Aristine was pointing too, had never been considered a candidate for experimenting because it was slightly far from the border.

However, he nodded without asking why.

He figured that if the Princess Consort chose there, she must have a reason for doing so.

“Yes, understood.”

However, Asena was different. Her face paled as she looked at the location again.

“Princess Consort! This is…!”

“Yes, you’re right. It is the territory of the great demonic beast.”

Ritlen, who had nodded quietly, and the court ladies, who had retreated to the side, were stunned, and turned to Aristine.

“But we must install it here immediately.”

Aristine looked at the two of them. Her gaze was firm and unshakeable.

“…I understand.”

“Ritlen!”

When Ritlen lowered his head in agreement, Asena was shocked and exclaimed.

“Thank you. Asena, I do not mean to force you to go somewhere dangerous. Stay in the palace.”

Asena opened her mouth.

The safety of herself and the guild ‘Fractal’ that she led was the most important thing for her. So as long as Aristine said that she could stay back, there was no reason for her to object.

After all, when she first opened her mouth, she had wanted to say ‘we can’t go to such a dangerous place!’.

“The construction is all built-in, so it’s not like we need magicians to set it up anyway, right? I’ll let you know the results when we come back.”

However, why did Aristine’s words make her feel angry?

She wasn’t even saying that she was going to exclude the magicians from this work; she was even going to show them the results.

Asena clenched her fists tightly and bowed her head. “Yes, Princess Consort.”

But upon hearing this, Ritlen frowned.

“By come back, does that mean that Your Highness will go personally?”

“Mhm.”

“Absolutely not!”

“You cannot, Your Princess Consort!”

Ritlen and her court ladies exclaimed at the same time.

Aristine put down the documents with a clack and looked at them.

“What’s wrong with me going?”

“You can’t possibly not know. Even warriors must prepare for death before entering the domain of a Great Demonic Beast.”

“Even then, I have to go.”

Only Aristine knew what action Tarkan would take.

“Even then, you say…”

Their perplexed gazes fell on Aristine.

Aristine tried to estimate the time. She didn’t have time to waste convincing people here.

Aristine rose to her feet.

“I won’t change my mind. So get ready.”

All that was left, was to get permission from Nephther to use the portal to get to the border area.

* * *

“Did you say the barriers would be installed in the spring? Yet this sudden change of plans?”

Nephther asked and Aristine smiled.

“I don’t see any particular reason to wait until then. The warriors have gone into the plains to clear out the demonic beasts, so the outer border is actually rather safe.”

Nephther stroked his chin and gazed at Aristine without saying a word.

‘I’m certain there’s a motive here that she’s not telling me…’

As that thought crossed his mind, he chuckled.

‘Should I fall for it?’

He was curious as to how she would surprise him this time and he was also looking forward to it.

In reality, Aristine was planning something that would certainly surprise Nephther.

The problem was that, it was a plan that would do more than surprise him till he was speechless.

If he knew that the barrier would be installed in the territory of a great demonic beast, and that Aristine would go there herself, he would have never given permission.

The experimental candidates in the data that Aristine brought were all in safe locations. So Nephther could have never imagined that she was going to the domain of the great demonic beast.

“Alright. Do as you please. Regardless, anything can happen, so take some of the border troops as your escorts. I’ll leave a contact with myself.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty Royal Father. I shall take my leave.”

Aristine bowed deeply, then turned around and left the room before Nephther could hold her back.

Nephther watched her departing back with a little disappointment.

‘I was going to serve some refreshments at least…’

What was so urgent to make his daughter-in-law leave without even a sip of tea?