episode_0109

“I’m back.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Si-an.”

When we returned to the luxury inn, Elsia welcomed us.

“Mr. Xi’an, who is that person?”

“My name is Gregor. From now on, you will be my knight.”

“You are Sir Gregor.”

“The title has been lost. You don’t need to call me by my honor, Countess.”

“I am also a concubine, not your wife. Feel free to talk to me.”

That’s how the two people introduced each other.

Then Ellen looked at my leg, pointed at the pink hair stuck to my leg with her finger, and asked.

“Brother Xi’an, who is that person?”

“This is not a person, it’s a cat. It’s a vicious, unscrupulous creature.”

“Nyaaang! I am a conscientious merchant.”

“Shut up.”

“Hnyaaa… ”

Blood that stuck to my leg like gum and wouldn’t fall off.

I had no intention of falling, as if my legs were tied with rope.

“Then, you’ve finished what you had to do.”

“Okay, let’s just buy the necessities tomorrow morning and leave.”

Elsia, who had vaguely heard the story of the village chief delivering the letter, thought for a moment, then looked at Nabira and asked.

“What the village chief wanted was for his daughter, Colin, to return home, right?”

“That’s right. You caught it well.”

“If it was a sudden letter to the daughter who took out the village, that’s all there was to it.”

Elsia looked at me this time and expressed her opinion.

“Sir, if possible, how about taking a woman named Colin with you?”

“That strange woman?”

“She may have personality problems, but she would be a great help if she came back to town.”

“Surely… ”

The biggest problem in the village of Lugeron right now is the lack of talent.

There was already a shortage of people, and there were few people with proper skills.

The only people who could read were the village chief and Tom, and Tom was a technician.

There was a village called Selnia that had a khan who could brew alcohol and had decent sewing skills, but it was only at the level of an ordinary village.

And the most needed talent in the village of Lugeron was a strong person with some degree of military power.

Carlson was there, but he was still a rookie who had barely reached the threshold of the fourth tier.

A strong force is needed, and in that sense, Colin, who is from the village of Lugeron, is the most suitable person at the moment.

‘If he is my father’s disciple, he will be good at hunting.’

The problem, however, is its damned nature.

Although we only met for a short time, it wasn’t for nothing that the Adventurer’s Guild gave him the nickname of Mad Dog.

Butterfly must have thought the same as me, and she opposed Elsia’s opinion.

“Elsia, I think it would be better for you to give up on your sister-in-law.”

“Why?”

“Because of past customs, the sister-in-law does not have a good relationship with her father-in-law.”

“Oh, that?”

Elsiado quickly grasped the situation, knowing something about the past evil practices of the village of Lugeron.

But she didn’t seem to care much, as her veins were made of gold instead of blood.

On the contrary, he tried to take advantage of it.

“You can buy it with money.”

“With money?”

“She asked for platinum at the request of the sage. Maybe she needs a lot of money.”

“I think I just said that to make Mr. Cian feel bad.”

“Navira, you may not know this, but there is nothing that money can’t solve. People instinctively want gold. She didn’t show it, but judging from the fact that she mentioned a large amount of money from the beginning, she subconsciously needs money, even though she doesn’t show it.”

“…..”

Butterfly was left speechless by the merchant’s daughter’s words of gold-belief.

“What do you think, Mr. Cyan?”

“How much does it usually cost to hire a 4th tier knight before that?”

Let’s ask Gregor.

Gregor was silent for a moment, then looked at me and answered.

“It varies depending on the noble they serve, but usually knights do not receive a salary, but are given a fief.”

“Is there a difference in skill level?”

“Yes, if you are a knight commander like me, you will receive a fertile territory.”

“Hmm… .”

Gregor seemed to have described Colin’s skills as being on a similar level to his own.

Certainly, judging from the force she briefly displayed, her skills were at a mature level among the 4th tier.

He’s not an S-class adventurer for nothing.

“At least three platinum coins must be paid per year.”

“Considering her personality, I think she’ll be more than a pear.”

It was a huge loss for me, whose entire fortune was only forty platinum pieces.

I thought there was no need to push myself too hard now, considering that Gregor deserved a decent salary.

So, Elsia advised me to postpone hiring her until later.

“Sian, I have a plan.”

“What is it?”

At times like this, I could only be grateful to Chloe, who insisted that I take Elsia as my concubine.

. . .

For the nobles, wealth was a luxury.

Those who were granted trash lands like Baron Hipro had to suffer from poverty, while Viscount Ishur, who had accumulated wealth through massive taxes in the geographically advantageous trading city of Lugardrian, was one of the wealthiest among the western nobles.

And like most wealthy nobles, Viscount Ishur loved to flaunt his wealth.

“Hahaha, this is the first time I’ve seen such a big warbear skin.”

“Yes, it was the largest warbear I’ve ever caught.”

“Then, that must have been the strongest prey you’ve ever faced!”

“That’s not it.”

Following Elsia’s advice, I went with Fores to find Count Ishur.

It wasn’t easy to meet the nobles in our current status, but we had the nymph Fores with us so we could easily find them.

In fact, it is considered an honor to be able to entertain nymphs who have come to visit among the nobles.

‘In a time like now when there are so many ominous rumors going around, you’d want to look good to the nymphs even more.’

There, the show-off Count Isur was showing interest in the byproducts of the monsters I had hunted and saved.

Of course, as expected of a wealthy nobleman, he bought it for a generous price.

‘It’s not something you’ll use very often, but it can be a decent money maker.’

However, this was not the only reason he had come to see the Count.

Fores, who had been concerned about the state of the city since his visit to Lugardrian, asked the lord, Viscount Ishur, a few questions about the current city problems.

“Are you talking about buying and selling Wisdom Tower soap at the market?”

“Yes, how much do you know about that, Count Ishur?”

Tower of Wisdom soap is different from regular soap.

Like basic soap, it can be used for facial cleansing, and can also sterilize and disinfect depending on the concentration.

It is a versatile soap that is responsible for public hygiene.

Naturally, Count Ishur was embarrassed by Fores’ question.

I didn’t want to look bad to the nymphs for no reason, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous when they pointed out the current problems in the city.

“We are not asking you to interrogate you. We are asking you to dig up those who are doing tricks behind your back. As you know, the reason why the Holy Kingdom sells the Tower of Wisdom soap at a low price is to protect the hygiene of the poor.”

“I know that too. But as you know, Lord Fores, what happens in the free market is beyond my jurisdiction as a noble. The moment I interfere, Lugardrian will lose its meaning as a trading city.”

Unable to ignore the aristocrats who survived in the trading city, Count Ishur avoided them like a loach.

Of course, I couldn’t ignore Fores, the 300-year-old nymph.

“That’s not all. The city’s waterways are also polluted beyond regulatory limits.

“I also feel ashamed. I am sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. Not everyone is as perfect as Emperor Astylen. But you should resolve the issue soon. Also, I will send the knights to the Holy Kingdom with the authority of the nymphs. I hope that Viscount Ishur will help them and fulfill his noble duty.”

“… Okay.”

Fores immediately began to move the disc above his head, making it glow.

The beautiful appearance and dazzling light created a realistic atmosphere.

“Huh?”

But suddenly, something felt off about the voice that was leaking steam.

“Sir, I think it would be best for us to return straight to Lugeron Village.”

“Why? Suddenly?”

In response to my question, Fores shared information he had just obtained via communication.

“I heard that Count Anitul’s forces have joined hands with Hadron’s forces. So the knights are gathering in the west.”

“Huh?”

I wasn’t the only one surprised by his words.

Viscount Ishur, who was part of Duke Sahard’s forces, also began to take on a serious expression at Fores’s words.

“This is the first time that the evil forces and the noble forces have colluded. There may be a war. Just in case, we must return to the village of Lugeron in a hurry.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

As Fores finished speaking, my head suddenly started to hurt.

Why is our life so difficult?