Rolling in Bed with the Male Lead

"Hahaha. That's a bit difficult."

Zahir raised both hands as if to say, "Look at me."

Should I just yank it out?

For some reason, Richard felt a surge of anger, but in the end, he had no choice but to release his collar.

Zahir was someone who would become troublesome if offended.

"So why can't you get it?"

No matter how rare the fruit was, it seemed odd. The Transen Merchant Guild was quite large, ranking among the top five. Surely they could procure it...

"Ah, it isn't currently the procurement period for Northern goods. We don't have the manpower."

Zahir offered his excuse with a beaming smile.

"When is the procurement period?"

"Hmm. I think it would be sometime around summer."

He added that in the middle of winter, everyone was reluctant to go North, so securing the necessary manpower was out of the question.

"..."

Richard clenched his molars.

The situation was no different from being swindled, which infuriated him, but since Zahir's explanation wasn't exactly false, he couldn't press the matter any further.

Then...

"Then I'll take this back."

Snatch.

Richard retrieved the wine bottle containing the blood he had just drawn from himself.

"Huh?"

Zahir's dark eyes widened.

"If you can't provide the goods, it's only natural that I shouldn't give you the payment, right?"

Richard raised one corner of his mouth in a sly smile.

"Wait a moment."

Zahir reached out and grabbed Richard's wrist.

"It'll be troublesome if you behave like that, Richard."

He shook his head with a cold smile. A dangerous aura flickered in the depths of his dark eyes.

If things went wrong, he would probably just try to kill Richard.

"..."

Richard silently furrowed his brow.

Perhaps sensing his displeasure, Zahir softened his expression slightly.

"Sorry, Richard."

"..."

Richard swallowed a sigh.

There was no clever solution. In truth, he desperately needed the "Potion that changes one's appearance," and waiting for Zahir to procure the Basvalrica fruit wasn't an option when the Emperor's Birthday Commemorative Banquet was only a month away.

"Then how about this, Richard?"

Zahir clapped his hands as though he had just come up with a good idea.

"If you go and get the Basvalrica fruit yourself, I'll make the potion for you right away. I feel bad about this, so I'll even throw in a bonus."

His proposal was simple.

Go and get the Basvalrica fruit.

"..."

It wasn't a particularly appealing offer, but there was no other way.

Richard eventually nodded dejectedly and said,

"You'll give me a good bonus, right?"

"Of course!"

And so, as soon as Richard returned to the mansion, he began preparing to depart for the North.

First, thick clothes that can withstand the cold...

In the dead of winter, the cold in the North was brutal.

The thin garments suitable for a banquet hall would be perfect for freezing to death before he could even move.

I need to gather a few more necessities and leave for the North immediately.

Choosing the thickest cloak he owned, Richard's gaze turned cold and resolute.

One month remained until the Emperor's Birthday Commemorative Banquet.

It took a little over ten days to travel from the capital to the North. Only by departing immediately could he avoid being late for the banquet.

Just as he was about to step out the door—

"Where do you think you're going?"

Enoch, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, spoke up.

Perhaps because he had been struck on the back of the neck a few hours earlier, he did not look pleased.

Come to think of it.

Enoch was here. Richard's gaze turned cold and hard.

Even so, Enoch stubbornly persisted, apparently unwilling to give up.

"I'm really making my final offer. I'll take you with me. It's a rare opportunity. This is the first time I've ever made such an offer to someone first."

"..."

Richard sighed without a word. What on earth am I supposed to do with him?

Enoch still did not seem to have any intention of returning to his kingdom, and no proper solution came to mind...

"Ha, are you sighing? Because of me?"

Enoch had somehow approached him and was repeatedly poking his collarbone.

Come to think of it... Isn't Enoch currently staying in the Empire without even being an Imperial citizen?

If I reported him as an illegal resident, couldn't he be deported back to his kingdom?

"Ignoring me again. What are you thinking so hard about?"

No. Even I think that's ridiculous.

Still, he was royalty. He probably wouldn't be immediately thrown out merely for residing in the Empire illegally.

On the contrary, if he attracted public attention, the likelihood of him becoming entangled with Daphne would only increase.

So, for now...

"I'll be going to the North for a while."

Thwack!

Just as before, Richard swiftly struck Enoch on the back of the neck.

Thud. Enoch's body crumpled to the floor.

It was somehow a familiar situation.

Richard moved Enoch's unconscious body onto the bed, then set out for the North.

"It's been reported that Richard Friedrich has departed for the North."

Cailus's knight, Senin, relayed the report written on the parchment.

"The North?"

The space between Cailus's brows narrowed. After a brief, contemplative silence, he spoke.

"His purpose?"

"Unknown. The report came from the maid planted at the Marquisate."

Senin added that Richard had finished his preparations and departed for the North immediately after visiting the Transen Merchant Guild's district.

"..."

Cailus's expression turned cold.

"It's highly suspicious, Your Highness."

Senin clenched his fist tightly.

"He's a man who pretends to love Your Highness despite having no interest in men. What sinister purpose could he have..."

He bit his lower lip hard.

"And... I must also report that he has taken in a male slave."

"A male slave?"

Cailus turned toward Senin.

His red eyes flashed sharply for a moment.

"The male slave is the fourth prince of the Eloise Kingdom. According to information from the maid we planted, he was attempting to establish a physical relationship with him."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Your Highness?"

"How interesting."

The corners of Cailus's mouth twisted coldly.

"At any rate, he has already departed for the North... Should we send men to follow him?"

Senin asked, carefully gauging his reaction.

"No."

Cailus answered after a brief silence.

"Your Highness?"

Senin's eyes widened slightly.

"I'll track him myself. Summon the guard knights."

Cailus rose from his seat, his blood-red eyes turning cold.

"We've arrived. The snow is too deep for the carriage to go any farther."

In the Empire's North, where a blizzard raged, the coachman shook his head and stopped the carriage.

The carriage door opened beneath his hand.

"Ah."

Everything was pure white. Richard, taking in the snowy landscape beyond the open door with his own eyes, rose from the seat.

"It can't be helped. Thank you."

Richard pulled a leather pouch from inside his thick cloak and held the jingling pouch out to the coachman.

"I plan to return here, so may I ask for your services again when it's time for me to go back?"

The coachman accepted the leather pouch with an indifferent expression.

"!"

However, the moment he opened it, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. A brilliant golden light gleamed in his dark brown irises.

"This much?... Of course!"

His face flushing, the coachman nodded rapidly.

"Thank you. Until we meet again."

Richard flashed the coachman a grin and stepped down from the carriage.

Plop. His foot sank deep into the thick snow.

It's cold, as expected.

A knife-like wind that seemed capable of slicing through skin blew past him.

Richard pulled his cloak tightly around himself and took another step.

The North.

What kind of land was it?

The most severe and barren region in the Empire.

A land teeming with merciless blizzards and all manner of monsters—this was that very place.

An endless snowy plain stretched before him. Clenching his teeth against the blade-like wind, Richard trudged onward.

I need to get the Basvalrica fruit.

Repeating his objective to himself, he walked and walked.

Huh, Richard? What does the Basvalrica fruit look like? It's shaped like a grape, but it has a mysterious silvery glow.

According to Zahir, the Basvalrica fruit resembled a silvery grape.

Ah, you want me to tell you where to find it too? From what I've heard, it's found only rarely in the Karheim mountain range in the North.

The Karheim mountain range.

That place, the only location where Basvalrica fruit grew, was Richard's destination.

Across the desolate snowy plain, where there was nothing but driving snow and wind, a solitary trail of footprints gradually lengthened.

How long had he been walking like that?

"Haa..."

Breathing out a cloud of icy air, Richard raised his head.

He had finally found it.

The Karheim mountain range.

The imposing mountain range, which seemed thousands of times taller than he was, stood majestically before him, blocking the way ahead.

"..."

His face reddened by the bitter cold, Richard took his first step onto the mountain path.

"I'll kill... ha... Zahir!..."

Why on earth did he have to suffer like this?

That damned con artist bastard!...

Although he had resolved to humbly accept his fate, after spending hours out in the cold, resentment suddenly began to well up within him.

Richard ground his molars as he trudged through the white snow, step after step.

With every step he took up the terrifyingly snow-covered slope, his feet sank deep into the snow.

Let's head for the summit first.

He had no idea exactly where in this mountain range the Basvalrica fruit grew. Zahir had said that he didn't know either.

For now, the best course of action was to climb toward the summit of the snowy mountain while searching for the Basvalrica fruit.

Imagining himself punching Zahir in the face again, Richard took another step.

Still, it's relatively peaceful for now.

Richard looked around at the snow-covered trees and rugged mountain path.

Perhaps because he had not been climbing for long, this level of danger was still manageable.

Could this truly be his first time in the North after regressing forty-nine times?

He had visited the North many times before.

That was why he knew all too well how terrifying the North could be.

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