"It's damage!"
Randall raised his voice and swung his sword, cutting off the head of one of the monsters.
Kiiik!
The snake-shaped monster let out a sharp scream and fell to the ground. According to Randall's words, the knights who had prepared for battle in advance calmly dealt with the monsters one by one. Fortunately, the one living in the forest was a lower-class monster than Pyrabat. However, because they were so prolific and their numbers were large, the sun had already set after the knights had gone through the forest and destroyed all the monsters' eggs.
“What about casualties?”
“Nothing except a few grazing bites.”
“Snake-type monsters usually have poison. Don’t ignore even small wounds, and be sure to see the doctor when you return to the castle.”
"All right."
The knight commander bowed his head deeply. Randall inspected the damaged barrier stone while the knights recovered the monster's body and delivered the news to Auston.
'The cross section is clean.'
The hexagonal pillar-shaped barrier stone was cut exactly in half. Randall traced the cross-section with his hand, noticed its smooth texture, and noted its dark face.
“What about casualties?”
“Nothing except a few grazing bites.”
“Snake-type monsters usually have poison. Don’t ignore even small wounds, and be sure to see the doctor when you return to the castle.”
"All right."
The knight commander bowed his head deeply. Randall inspected the damaged barrier stone while the knights recovered the monster's body and delivered the news to Auston.
'The cross section is clean.'
The hexagonal pillar-shaped barrier stone was cut exactly in half. Randall traced the cross-section with his hand, noticed its smooth texture, and noted its dark face.
Monsters have low intelligence. As they are low-level individuals who have not become demons, they are closer to uncontrolled beasts. If a monster destroyed the barrier stone, the cross section would not be this clean. However, if he were to ask whether it was the work of demons, there was a high possibility that it was not the case. There is no way the demons could have come here and not harmed humans. And in the first place, the causal relationship itself did not make sense.
Auston's barrier reacts to monsters and demons. If they had infiltrated this forest in any way and tried to destroy the barrier stone, the news would have reached the castle. Then...
“...It’s a dark bug.”
“...It’s a dark bug.”
At Randall's low muttered words, the knights momentarily stopped their movements with stern expressions on their faces. Demons are clearly the enemies of humans, but there are crazy people everywhere. Deceived believers who reverence the strength of demons and are caught up in the false belief that if they follow them, they too can become demons. They were the public ‘dark bugs’ of the kingdom.
“Contact your vassals. Upload all relevant information, including the recent entry list for each territory. We must find them before they harm the residents of the territory.”
Light green eyes turned their backs to the sun and sank eerily.
***
Meanwhile, after Sylvia breaks up with Randall, she is guide around the castle by Thelma.
“Originally, it was a much more underdeveloped castle than this. We were so busy fighting against demons that even doing the bare minimum of maintenance was difficult. However, thanks to the late King sending a large number of engineers for the Duke, who was his blood relative, it became somewhat habitable.”
Sylvia took a look around the castle while listening to Thelma's kind explanation. Perhaps because it had not been long since it had been extensively renovated, the castle overall looked neat and antique. Every time they passed by, the cleaning staff greeted them with embarrassed faces.
“This is the original banquet hall.”
Thelma smiled and gestured, and the maids who followed opened the door. It was dark inside, but when the maids pulled back the curtains covering the windows, the sunlight came through and it became somewhat brighter.
“I need to do some work here.”
Sylvia looked around the banquet hall and said.
'If my mother had seen it, she would have been shocked.'
This place was also clean thanks to the recent renovation. However, since the banquet hall is the main activity area for guests, a little more attention was needed. Thanks to her fashion-savvy Countess Florette, Sylvia knew that fresh yet elegant banquet hall interiors were recently popular.
“Originally, it was a much more underdeveloped castle than this. We were so busy fighting against demons that even doing the bare minimum of maintenance was difficult. However, thanks to the late King sending a large number of engineers for the Duke, who was his blood relative, it became somewhat habitable.”
Sylvia took a look around the castle while listening to Thelma's kind explanation. Perhaps because it had not been long since it had been extensively renovated, the castle overall looked neat and antique. Every time they passed by, the cleaning staff greeted them with embarrassed faces.
“This is the original banquet hall.”
Thelma smiled and gestured, and the maids who followed opened the door. It was dark inside, but when the maids pulled back the curtains covering the windows, the sunlight came through and it became somewhat brighter.
“I need to do some work here.”
Sylvia looked around the banquet hall and said.
'If my mother had seen it, she would have been shocked.'
This place was also clean thanks to the recent renovation. However, since the banquet hall is the main activity area for guests, a little more attention was needed. Thanks to her fashion-savvy Countess Florette, Sylvia knew that fresh yet elegant banquet hall interiors were recently popular.
When Sylvia looked back at Thelma, she arched her back as if waiting for her and she answered.
“I already called the person in charge at the top. They will arrive soon.”
"Alright."
After all, the experience of managing a castle for several decades does not go anywhere. Thelma was a competent head maid. Sylvia thought that her resting time would increase, and she went down to the drawing room with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Alright."
After all, the experience of managing a castle for several decades does not go anywhere. Thelma was a competent head maid. Sylvia thought that her resting time would increase, and she went down to the drawing room with a satisfied smile on her face.
As she was waiting for a while, drinking the tea the maids had brought, a short middle-aged man came into the living room. As soon as he saw Sylvia, his eyes widened as if surprised by her beauty.
“Hmm.”
As Thelma cleared her throat and rolled her eyes, the man who belatedly came to his senses quickly greeted her.
“Nice to meet you, Duchess of Belfort. My name is Chick Hetla, owner of Cherville.”
The man, Chick, smiled kindly. He scanned Sylvia, who was lazily reclining on the sofa, her eyes narrowed. Although he was surprised by Sylvia's beauty at first, he was a businessman to his core. To Chick, the beautiful-looking noblewoman who had just become a Duchess was nothing more than a luxury to be eaten.
'The rumor goes that she has never left the mansion since she was born, and just by looking at her, she is a noble lady who doesn't know anything about the world. I think I'll be able to get a good share of it this time too.'
Chick, who was smiling wickedly on the inside, pretended not to notice and opened the catalog with a smile on his face. Since the plan was to completely redecorate the banquet hall, various catalogs, including tiles and curtains, were placed side by side on the table. Since there were no special celebrations or banquets at Belfort Castle recently, the maids chattered excitedly over the catalog of new products they had not seen in quite some time.
“Ma’am, look at that! Isn’t that tile color so pretty?”
“It seems like many curtains are made of good material.”
“If not me, who else would bring these luxury items to the North? No one but me.”
Chick joked. Certainly, among the healthy merchants, the Cherville Merchant Marine was the only one who took the risk to come all the way to the barren north. Sylvia glanced through the catalog, listening to the sounds of her maids agreeing with him.
'The quality isn't bad.'
Of course, since he is a merchant, there may be some exaggeration, but the quality of the goods was not that bad. Sylvia winked at Thelma to indicate that she liked the item. Thelma, who understood what he meant, asked Chick.
“So, how much is it?”
As soon as those words came out, a subtle look of nervousness passed across the maids' faces. Chick took out an abacus and flicked it with an arrogant look on his face.
“Let’s see, you said you were going to completely renovate the banquet hall... Assuming we replace everything with these... It will be a total of 30 gold.”
“... !”
Thelma and the maids were silently shocked at those words. Sylvia sensed a strange atmosphere and whispered to Thelma.
“Why but?”
“...I’m sorry, but that amount is more than half of the Duke of Belfort’s monthly net income.”
Thelma answered in an embarrassed tone. Most of the income of the Duchy of Belfort is used to provide relief to those injured in battles with demons or those who lost their homes due to attacks by demons. The amount of money earned was not small as the territory was large, but the problem was that there were people desperately seeking relief throughout the large territory.
“Hmm.”
As Thelma cleared her throat and rolled her eyes, the man who belatedly came to his senses quickly greeted her.
“Nice to meet you, Duchess of Belfort. My name is Chick Hetla, owner of Cherville.”
The man, Chick, smiled kindly. He scanned Sylvia, who was lazily reclining on the sofa, her eyes narrowed. Although he was surprised by Sylvia's beauty at first, he was a businessman to his core. To Chick, the beautiful-looking noblewoman who had just become a Duchess was nothing more than a luxury to be eaten.
'The rumor goes that she has never left the mansion since she was born, and just by looking at her, she is a noble lady who doesn't know anything about the world. I think I'll be able to get a good share of it this time too.'
Chick, who was smiling wickedly on the inside, pretended not to notice and opened the catalog with a smile on his face. Since the plan was to completely redecorate the banquet hall, various catalogs, including tiles and curtains, were placed side by side on the table. Since there were no special celebrations or banquets at Belfort Castle recently, the maids chattered excitedly over the catalog of new products they had not seen in quite some time.
“Ma’am, look at that! Isn’t that tile color so pretty?”
“It seems like many curtains are made of good material.”
“If not me, who else would bring these luxury items to the North? No one but me.”
Chick joked. Certainly, among the healthy merchants, the Cherville Merchant Marine was the only one who took the risk to come all the way to the barren north. Sylvia glanced through the catalog, listening to the sounds of her maids agreeing with him.
'The quality isn't bad.'
Of course, since he is a merchant, there may be some exaggeration, but the quality of the goods was not that bad. Sylvia winked at Thelma to indicate that she liked the item. Thelma, who understood what he meant, asked Chick.
“So, how much is it?”
As soon as those words came out, a subtle look of nervousness passed across the maids' faces. Chick took out an abacus and flicked it with an arrogant look on his face.
“Let’s see, you said you were going to completely renovate the banquet hall... Assuming we replace everything with these... It will be a total of 30 gold.”
“... !”
Thelma and the maids were silently shocked at those words. Sylvia sensed a strange atmosphere and whispered to Thelma.
“Why but?”
“...I’m sorry, but that amount is more than half of the Duke of Belfort’s monthly net income.”
Thelma answered in an embarrassed tone. Most of the income of the Duchy of Belfort is used to provide relief to those injured in battles with demons or those who lost their homes due to attacks by demons. The amount of money earned was not small as the territory was large, but the problem was that there were people desperately seeking relief throughout the large territory.
30 gold was enough money for dozens of commoner households to live without worry for a month. It was a burden to spend all that money on rebuilding the banquet hall. However, Thelma was concerned that it would be Sylvia's first time as Duchess meeting her vassals, even if they had saved the money. In the end, Thelma put aside her pride and respect and spoke carefully.
“30 gold is not a small amount. We are in a situation where we both know each other’s circumstances, so if you can tone it down a little...”
“Ha, Thelma. How hard was it for me to get here? You know how dangerous the road north is. Because I know your situation, I am giving you almost nothing left.”
Chick cried and cut Thelma off. The only road leading to the north is often haunted by monsters. Even though there was Auston's barrier, it was a difficult path to tread carelessly unless accompanied by a skilled mercenary. So, large merchants did not come and go often in the north. Because the money spent on escorting almost exceeded the cost of the goods.
“30 gold is not a small amount. We are in a situation where we both know each other’s circumstances, so if you can tone it down a little...”
“Ha, Thelma. How hard was it for me to get here? You know how dangerous the road north is. Because I know your situation, I am giving you almost nothing left.”
Chick cried and cut Thelma off. The only road leading to the north is often haunted by monsters. Even though there was Auston's barrier, it was a difficult path to tread carelessly unless accompanied by a skilled mercenary. So, large merchants did not come and go often in the north. Because the money spent on escorting almost exceeded the cost of the goods.
Knowing that the Cherville Merchant Marine took extraordinary risks to come all the way to the north, the workers also expressed regret.
Finally, Thelma, who had made up her mind, swallowed her sigh and opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry. My thoughts were short. Then, in the direction of paying the price in installments...”
“Thelma.”
It was then. The moment she heard it, a voice so soft that it gave her goosebumps rang in her ears. When Thelma turned her head, Sylvia smiled and motioned for her to step aside. Feeling an inexplicable sense of intimidation, she hurriedly lowered her head and retreated behind her.
'W-what is it?'
Chick also tightened his mouth due to nervousness. The merchant's senses told him that something was off. Just a moment ago, the Duchess of Belfort was sitting softly on the sofa as if she had no interest in the world. But as she fixed her gaze on him now, her eyes were pale yellow, like those of an animal watching its prey.
'He's a common fraudster.'
Sylvia stretched the corners of her mouth as she watched Chick shrink his neck in fear at the sound of her own call. In fact, Sylvia was planning on leaving her employees alone no matter what they did. She thought it would be okay to leave it to everyone since everyone would be used to this to some extent anyway. But there were two things she didn't expect. One is that among the merchants currently interacting with the North, the Cherville Merchant Marine is the only one that can conduct transactions of this scale. And the second...
'...Why is everyone so soft-hearted?'
Perhaps because they resembled their owner, Randall, they were kind employees. In fact, the reason Sylvia came forward was not because of her displeasure with the rule, but because of the guilt-filled faces of the employees.
Perhaps because they resembled their owner, Randall, they were kind employees. In fact, the reason Sylvia came forward was not because of her displeasure with the rule, but because of the guilt-filled faces of the employees.
Sylvia knew Chick was a fraud from the moment he said the total was 30 gold. No matter how little she paid attention to her surroundings in this life, there was something called common sense that she had acquired in her past life. Even if you were to renovate the entire banquet hall with these items, 15 gold was enough.
As Chick said, if there was almost no profit other than travel expenses, it could be reduced to 10 gold. However, no one seemed to notice anything strange, perhaps because the northern part was an almost isolated region within the kingdom. Seeing as they quickly gave up on bargaining with an attitude of familiarity, she guessed the price was overly inflated every time.
'It's annoying...'
Sylvia was very annoyed by the employees who felt sincerely sorry for Chick's crying, not only because their own situation was not good. Why do all northerners not know how to be suspicious of others?
'It's annoying...'
Sylvia was very annoyed by the employees who felt sincerely sorry for Chick's crying, not only because their own situation was not good. Why do all northerners not know how to be suspicious of others?
Thelma and the maids are like that, and Randall is like that too. There is nothing more foolish than believing in the good intentions of humans.
Sylvia felt ‘annoyed’ for the first time in a very long time. It made her move. She leaned against the armrest, crossing her left leg over her right leg.
“Chick.”
“Oh, yes, yes!”
“This must have been something I saw a few months before I got married. Isn’t it possible to take things that are already out of fashion in the capital and no longer available for sale and sell them at exorbitant prices?”
"Yes? Well, that was..."
Chick was taken aback by the fact that, contrary to his expectations, Sylvia had an accurate understanding of the prices and trends of items. After stuttering for a moment, he belatedly made an excuse.
“Oh, no! When ordering, you clearly told me to bring something that fits the trend. It took a while to come to the Duchy, but they are definitely the latest trends in the capital!”
"Yes? Really?”
“Oh, of course it is! Who am I! Chick Hetla.”
To hide his embarrassment, Chick deliberately raised his voice and put pressure on his shoulders. But the next moment, he couldn't help but regret everything he said a moment ago.
“Then you also know that my name is Sylvia Florette Belfort.”
“...Yes, yes?”
“Think carefully, Chick. If anything you say here is false, you will be turning Florette and Belfort into enemies at the same time.”
Sylvia smiled softly, reciting as if singing a song. But he was even more scared because she laughed without a single thorn.
'I shouldn't do this?'
As the bright yellow eyes curved, a shiver ran down his spine. His years of experience with fraud were telling. If he don't give a good answer here, his head will fall off right away. However, even though Chick hesitated, he could not give up his regret.
"Still...”
“Well, if you had insulted me, you would have been punished for insulting the royal family, so I believe you wouldn’t have insulted me unless you went crazy. There must be trust in transactions.”
Sylvia smiled sweetly, repeating exactly what Chick had said. With a gesture of her hand, she called Thelma who was about to sign the bottom of the bill, which said '30 gold'. Chick, who saw this, finally cried out in surrender.
"For a moment! Please wait a moment!"
“Why?”
Sylvia looked back at Chick curiously. He closed his eyes tightly, unable to bear the harsh gazes of the employees who asked, 'Did you dare yell at Madam just now?' In the end, there was only one choice for Chick.
“For 15 gold... I will give it to you.”
Crying and feeling like eating mustard, Chick changed the price of the invoice to 15 gold, signed it, and handed over the item. But his misfortune did not end there.
“What is this?”
“This is a return request for transactions that have been excessively inflated in the North. The Lady said she would like it to be processed as soon as possible.”
The way out of Belfort Castle. When Chick looked at the documents handed to him by Wilcott, the castle's butler, he felt the sky turn yellow. Wilcott had a relieved look on his face as he drove away Chick, who was willing to bow at Sylvia's feet at any moment.
'It seemed like Madam had no intention of forgiving him anyway.'
And it was the same for him too. The experienced butler hummed his tune and entered the castle.
'I have more things to tell my master.'
“Chick.”
“Oh, yes, yes!”
“This must have been something I saw a few months before I got married. Isn’t it possible to take things that are already out of fashion in the capital and no longer available for sale and sell them at exorbitant prices?”
"Yes? Well, that was..."
Chick was taken aback by the fact that, contrary to his expectations, Sylvia had an accurate understanding of the prices and trends of items. After stuttering for a moment, he belatedly made an excuse.
“Oh, no! When ordering, you clearly told me to bring something that fits the trend. It took a while to come to the Duchy, but they are definitely the latest trends in the capital!”
"Yes? Really?”
“Oh, of course it is! Who am I! Chick Hetla.”
To hide his embarrassment, Chick deliberately raised his voice and put pressure on his shoulders. But the next moment, he couldn't help but regret everything he said a moment ago.
“Then you also know that my name is Sylvia Florette Belfort.”
“...Yes, yes?”
“Think carefully, Chick. If anything you say here is false, you will be turning Florette and Belfort into enemies at the same time.”
Sylvia smiled softly, reciting as if singing a song. But he was even more scared because she laughed without a single thorn.
'I shouldn't do this?'
As the bright yellow eyes curved, a shiver ran down his spine. His years of experience with fraud were telling. If he don't give a good answer here, his head will fall off right away. However, even though Chick hesitated, he could not give up his regret.
"Still...”
“Well, if you had insulted me, you would have been punished for insulting the royal family, so I believe you wouldn’t have insulted me unless you went crazy. There must be trust in transactions.”
Sylvia smiled sweetly, repeating exactly what Chick had said. With a gesture of her hand, she called Thelma who was about to sign the bottom of the bill, which said '30 gold'. Chick, who saw this, finally cried out in surrender.
"For a moment! Please wait a moment!"
“Why?”
Sylvia looked back at Chick curiously. He closed his eyes tightly, unable to bear the harsh gazes of the employees who asked, 'Did you dare yell at Madam just now?' In the end, there was only one choice for Chick.
“For 15 gold... I will give it to you.”
Crying and feeling like eating mustard, Chick changed the price of the invoice to 15 gold, signed it, and handed over the item. But his misfortune did not end there.
“What is this?”
“This is a return request for transactions that have been excessively inflated in the North. The Lady said she would like it to be processed as soon as possible.”
The way out of Belfort Castle. When Chick looked at the documents handed to him by Wilcott, the castle's butler, he felt the sky turn yellow. Wilcott had a relieved look on his face as he drove away Chick, who was willing to bow at Sylvia's feet at any moment.
'It seemed like Madam had no intention of forgiving him anyway.'
And it was the same for him too. The experienced butler hummed his tune and entered the castle.
'I have more things to tell my master.'
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