episode_0095

‘I can take the first step with this.’

Just like when I escaped from that house, I definitely need funds to become independent. Either way, there is no answer other than taking care of food, clothing, and shelter, and the money you need to secure for that is common in any world.

Therefore, the first step to escape from the Bagland duchy is also the same.

Even in this place where it was nothing more than a game of tskur, money was seen as essential to make Karsein independent. In fact, even when I was playing the game, I couldn’t see any future without winning money.

So how do you get money here?

It starts based on none other than the Rusmire territory.

Build intimacy above a certain level.

We performed some sub-episodes from Young Ji-min to build credibility.

Only after raising your awareness to a reputation level and accumulating a certain level of rank can you truly remain as a lord to them.

When Karsein, who became a lord, was able to collect taxes from them, private wealth was finally created. That was the way I discovered raising money.

The required rank for orders issued as a lord is C. It is possible to raise it from the lowest rank, F, to at least C, but my current rank has reached B by completing this episode. It is a rank that is sufficient for action.

First of all, I handed the money I stole from Hemnon to Barak.

“Use all of this money within today. You must purchase all food materials, daily necessities, and even repair materials to deal with demon beasts from other territories.”

“All of this… in one day?”

“Yes. Even if you have to bring all of Young Jimin with you, you must purchase them all.”

“Is it okay if I ask for some reason? This is money that can last for a few months if used sparingly…”

Barak is no fool either.

How long has this estate been taken care of? If he were someone who couldn’t even do simple calculations like this, he wouldn’t have been able to sit in the village chief’s seat.

No, to be precise, the territory may have been maintained because of this man.

But now it’s a different story.

“Probably, the moment this news comes to other territories, they will try to completely isolate Ruthmire once again.”

“…Yes?!”

“If it becomes known that you have money in hand, the market price will change quickly. Then this money is just like being scattered in the air.”

Even Ruthmayer is in Eul’s position, having to purchase items from other territories. Forcibly changing the market price would cause damage to all nearby fiefdoms, but since they are nobles, there is a high possibility of controlling public sentiment by returning the money back.

If this is the case, Ruthmeyer is once again the only sandfish.

“The only way to prevent that situation is to blow it all up in one day. The same goes for after paying the toll. Let go of the idea that you can buy it at the original price at the same place.”

“That’s not possible… We are a territory where it is difficult to sustain ourselves. There must be enough trade…”

“So, we need to make contact with the new village.”

“A new town?”

I pointed the direction with my finger to Barak, who was confused.

“Over there.”

“Isn’t that just Mount Waglu? It looks like there’s nothing there…”

“You sure don’t mean to contact other villages behind that mountain, right?”

“Why are you asking when you know so well?”

Then the residents of the territory expressed their disapproval.

“Lord. It’s impossible to go back up that mountain. It’s far from where the demonic beasts appear, but I still can’t go over that rugged mountain and get the goods.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to collect tolls to solve the problem, even if it means using a dump?”

“In any case, isn’t there a way to raise the toll fee?”

On the surface, this is not wrong.

However, if you respond like that, it will actually be a thank you because there will be no hesitation on the other side. Compared to the nobles, who only need to secure passage, the more isolated they are, the more difficult it becomes.

If it goes to the extreme, there will even be calls to cut off all business with Ruthmire.

So there is only one answer.

“In the past, you were a village of engravers, right?”

“How could you do that…?”

Tick.

I pointed at Camilla with my chin.

“I see. Camilla… But what does that mean? We can’t carve anymore.”

All the residents of the territory have gloomy expressions. Barak, the chief of Lemten Village, continued speaking with difficulty.

“Aren’t you busy trying to make a living? Regardless of size or shape, from simple items to those located in building interiors, the consumers are mainly nobles. However, all statues are now operated mainly by brands owned by nobles. Besides…”

Barak took a deep breath and spoke again.

“Even sculpture is a work of art, so it follows trends, so from Ruthmeier’s point of view, his job disappeared overnight, so he had no choice but to let go.”

“Well. What if even this was what the nobles intended?”

“…Yes?”

“Rusmeyer has a long history and tradition, and it has been said that it surpasses the art of the nobility. How do you think the nobles would feel, seeing such outstanding people selling their pieces at such low prices?”

Of course, those arrogant bastards are bound to make everyone feel bad.

Just the fact that he is using something that is equal to those far below him is enough to make him feel embarrassed.

“That’s why the nobles tried to completely eliminate you from this land. The history and traditions of this territory. They were trying to cover up the fact that there was a sculpture here.”

“That can’t be possible…”

“I’m sure it’s not just that. Even I knew about Ruthmeyer’s statue, so I can’t rule out the possibility that he did it to cover up the feeling of being left behind.”

“…”

Beneath the quiet silence, the residents of the territory were immersed in anger.

The fact that they said that it was not just a job, but a technology with a long history, was covered up for that very reason.

I suggested one new possibility to the residents of Ruthmeyer Territory.

“That mountain is a stone mountain made up of a single large bedrock. So, ────.”

The residents of the territory were astonished when they heard that.

Some people might have felt like they had heard something absurd, and others might have clicked their tongues, wondering if it made any sense. I might have rebelled and been told that I was just as crazy.

But not one of them opened their mouths to me.

All that came out of their mouths after a quick discussion.

“…It seems like a very possible story.”

The answer was that it could be done.

***

That night, instead of returning to the Duke’s house, I stayed at Ruthmeyer.

If you deal with the demon beasts and put pressure on the nobles, the Shaking Hands episode will be cleared.

However, what needs to be considered again and again is that the timing of this game is focused solely on Karssein and that there may be other variables as this episode is brought forward.

Since I needed to keep an eye on it more, I wanted to choose to return in the morning rather than at night.

After watching closely, there were no major problems.

Due to his B-rank reputation, no one was seen complaining about the instructions, and he saw with his own eyes that Barak was persuading the residents to purchase as many items as possible from other territories.

Even the nobles showed a displeased look at the toll, but after it became known that it was Karssein’s territory, they could not treat it carelessly, and although they saw demonic beasts attack once, they successfully blocked it. This time, I packed up all the loot.

The security side is a bit uneasy, but if you’re feeling uneasy, you can just send in a few of the duke’s knights.

Either way, it ended on a happy note.

It was resolved in a much better way than the original route, and this episode won’t be resolved in a short period of time anyway.

As it was time to return to the Duke’s house, I was able to return with peace of mind.

However, there was one question that could not be escaped.

Snowflake Festival.

I had a ring that I got back then. This is a ring from the Kingdom of Wederos worn as a token to clearly prove that she and Harnier are lovers.

I thought no one would be interested.

I thought this territory wouldn’t pay any attention to that kind of thing.

However, contrary to my expectations, there was an old man who spoke as if he knew about this ring.

When I cleaned up my room and came out, saying I had to leave.

An old man came to visit.

-My lord. By any chance, that ring… can I have a look at it for a moment?

I told him to look as much as he wanted.

And the old man was astonished.

-This is from the Kingdom of Wederos…! My lord, did you get any rejection after wearing this?

-hmm? There was nothing like that?

-It wasn’t there…?!

The old man is shocked again.

Before I could ask why, he asked me to wait for a while, and after rushing off somewhere, he brought Delfina with him.

-Delfina can use discrimination magic. Please extend your hand and wait like this for a moment.

The old man handed Delphina a scroll with a discrimination spell engraved on it, and Delphina used the magic as the old man told her.

As the discrimination magic circle was engraved, the ring began to shine brightly.

Soon, a pattern was engraved in the air.

The old man looked blankly at the pattern and muttered.

-This is… the real, real Kingdom of Wederos…!

After that, I just kept saying, “How could something like this happen?” and “What nonsense is this?” I couldn’t ask any more. The old man, who was muttering as if he had lost his soul, soon trembled and fainted.

I was supposed to get the answer that it was just because I was so shocked… but it bothers me.

Since the word “real” is mentioned, is there a fake ring from Wederos Kingdom that I got as a prize?

Besides, what does rejection mean?

I still don’t know.

◆Ring from the Kingdom of Wederos

To me, it just looks like an item with no explanatory text.

-Tiring!

▶A late return event will occur!◀

Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the Duke’s residence.

As soon as I got off the carriage, the status window popped up, and the familiar event occurrence text appeared.

Anyway, this is an event that normally occurs. Every time I found and cleared an episode of Chapter 2, I had to deal with the fact that I ended up coming home late or staying out.

So the question is who came out to meet me.

“You’re coming back in the morning? Hey, where did you go and are you back now? Even if you say you’re going to stay out, you have to say that you’re going to stay out. What are you doing to make your family worry?”

I see the second child with his arms crossed and a mischievous look in his eyes.

Of course, it’s Claire again when she’s staying out.

Bad luck too.

In the case of staying out, Claire is presented with a difficult choice, eroding the most intimacy.

The only consolation is that intimacy is high. Why not take a cut?

“Who cares where I am and what I do.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“That’s what I have to say. I didn’t pay any attention in the past, but I don’t know why I’ve become so nosy these days?”

The greater the intensity of the options, the more the intimacy is reduced. However, this was better because Karssein’s action, stamina, and time were reduced less.

Well… it’s not a game here, so you have to be prepared to get punched by Claire.

As I expected, the second one approached me with a fiercely distorted expression.

“Carsein. Are you trying to hide your words? Is that meddling when I’m worried about my family?”

“It’s true, right? Because it’s just pointless meddling. Oh, or is it because you wanted to say something about this?”

“This! All of a sudden, in one day, you went outside without saying a word and came out like that?”

-Tiring!

“You really don’t see us as family at all?”

“Think whatever you like.”

I said that and walked past Claire.

Well, the status window that just popped up probably shows that Claire’s intimacy level is low anyway. There won’t be anything to check.

***

Since all the unpleasant things that happened in the duchy were all orchestrated by Flora, Claire, who had scolded Carcein for yelling at her, was not very at ease.

It is natural to hit Flora.

However, this feeling nestled in a corner of Claire’s heart could not be easily relieved. This is because she also could not come up with an answer to Flora’s question about what to do.

Meanwhile, I heard that Karssein had gone out.

The timing is really bad too.

I tried to meet him and talk about it more, but he just happened to leave.

I’ll be back soon though.

I’ll be back at the duke’s residence as time goes by, so I wanted to talk about it then.

okay. Meal time.

That would be the best time.

I’m sure I’ll be hungry when I get back, so I order food in advance and prepare it. As the Eastern Noble Council was just around the corner, there was something to say about the Chatelaine estate.

‘The money that is being withdrawn from the Chatrene estate every month… I guess I should tell them not to repay it.’

Claire was sending private funds to the parties involved in the incident called Shame of Chatlaine to resolve the matter.

Since Karssein was likely to get criticized every time the slightest mention of the territory came up, this time, I was planning on telling him to stick close to him at the Eastern Noble Meeting.

Also, if Flora says she regrets her mistakes, she will be fully accepted. Because Karsein has also changed a lot.

With a slightly heavy heart, but also with a feeling of letting go.

So Claire waited for Karssein.

However, as time passed, Karsein did not return.

For some reason, they didn’t arrive until dawn. The servants did not hear any report, and the butler also shook his head.

Only the head maid, Tasha, had any clue about Karssein. The only thing I heard was that the stay-out was confirmed because he had gone off to do important work with his dedicated maid, Camilla.

I don’t know how many times I asked Tasha if she was sure after hearing that. Claire was able to sleep only after Tasha told her several times that she could rest assured, and even after that, she had a bit of trouble sleeping.

Morning has arrived.

Karssein got off the carriage with a purring sound.

Claire opened her mouth as if she had been waiting.

“You’re coming back in the morning? Hey, where did you go and are you back now? Even if you say you’re going to stay out, you have to say that you’re going to stay out. What are you doing to make your family worry?”

I thought I should start nagging him first. They made people worry by not revealing their destination or informing the family.

Still, the nagging ends here.

I don’t know what I was doing, but I wasn’t just trying to nag.

however.

“Who cares where I am and what I do.”

At that one word from Karsein, the warmth was covered with cold cold.

Immediately, heat rose inside me.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“That’s what I have to say. I didn’t pay any attention in the past, but I don’t know why I’ve become so nosy these days?”

The meddling has gotten worse?

As soon as I heard those words, I suddenly became angry with Karsein.

“Carsein. Are you trying to hide your words? Is that meddling when I’m worried about my family?”

“It’s true, right? Because it’s just pointless meddling. Oh, or is it because you wanted to say something about this?”

Once I started getting angry, there was no going back from then on.

Just like always. I was getting irritated again.

“This! All of a sudden, in one day, you went outside without saying a word and came out like that?”

Let problems arise as they are.

Leave your worries behind.

I hated the idea of dismissing my family’s worries as useless interference.

So, I ended up yelling again.

“You really don’t see us as family at all?”

When I asked that while grinning. Claire instantly felt as if the air froze.

It was a mistake.

It was a word that should not be said carelessly.

Immediately, immediately withdraw…!

“Think whatever you like.”

Let Karsein answer like nothing is wrong.

-Suddenly.

At that moment, it felt like something broke inside Claire’s mind.

The anger fades away.

It feels like a cold chill is covering me.

That one word that tells you to think whatever you want without making any facial expressions.

Claire stood there blankly, just watching Karssein pass by.

Didn’t catch it.

no. I couldn’t hold on to it.

I didn’t even think about scolding or hitting him like I did.

I felt like my heart was being shrunk by this unpleasant yet strange feeling that came out of nowhere.

‘What on earth does this feel like…?’

-Tiring!

[Claire Bagland]

[Intimacy: 47%]