Chapter 5: Even More Beautiful than the Mayor's Wife

The name written with black ink glowed with a purple light as the contract magic took effect.

If either party violates the terms, they can directly report it to the town hall, and the knights' order will oversee the subsequent actions.

"Talia," Romon called out.

"Yes, Lord Romon."

"Come with me. Let's move quickly."

Romon was not the type of noble who lived off his family's wealth. He had always wanted to restore his family's former glory. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so focused on fixing the mess from the moment he took over.

The money they were dealing with today would open a new opportunity for the stagnant Thune territory. He had to buy the large forest next door before the neighboring lord found out.

Otherwise, once the lord knew about the magic crystal mines, he would never let go of the opportunity. He might even send people to guard the borders and cut off their mining efforts.

Talia picked up the contract paper from the table, grabbed her silver staff, and hurried after Romon.

In the lobby of the merchants' guild on the first floor.

She needed to submit the contract for review at the counter. Once reviewed, the 35 gold coins collected by the guild would be handed to her, though, of course, they would deduct a portion for their intermediary fee.

The intermediary takes money from both sides.

Romon was not charged because he was a major client, but Talia would definitely be charged.

Romon, meanwhile, called ten burly men outside.

"Remember this place," he said in a low voice, trying to ensure no one else overheard. "Starting tomorrow, you ten will each bring a small bag of ore here every day to sell. Keep track of today's process and the unit price."

This was why Romon had brought them here himself.

Just sending them to run errands wouldn't earn them even 40 silver coins per order. Having never dealt with magic crystals before, these men might be easily tricked into parting with their goods after just a few exchanges.

Romon didn't have time to make this trip every day. His staff was too short-handed, so he had to train some useful people.

"Understood, Lord." The men noticed Romon's lowered voice and quietly responded in kind.

"That's all for today. You can head back on the ox cart. I'll catch up with you shortly."

Once he had the money, Romon had a long list of things he wanted to buy.

But the most urgent was a noble carriage. It was essential for negotiations with other lords. Nobles valued their dignity, and if he showed up to talks looking disheveled, he might not even be received.

The ten burly men, feeling proud of their lord's trust, puffed out their chests as they mounted the ox cart, as if they were preparing for a royal procession.

At that moment...

Talia had finished the paperwork and stuffed 33 gold coins and a number of silver coins into her little white pouch. She walked out with a disgruntled expression.

No one could be happy after so much of their earnings were taken as intermediary fees.

"Lord Romon, sorry to keep you waiting!" Talia looked at Romon's back, her determination to earn more money solidifying. She was determined to perform well.

The old clerk of the guild came out as well. The guild president, partially disabled, had asked him to see the lord off on his behalf.

"Milord, do you have any further instructions?" the old clerk asked, noticing Romon's gaze fall upon him.

"Bring out your most elegant carriage," Romon replied.

…

At dusk.

Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, two white horses pulled a richly decorated four-wheeled carriage, slowly entering the territory of Thune.

The wheels were wrapped in durable magic beast hide to reduce jolting and noise. The golden trim outlined the contours of the carriage body, while the walnut-wood door bore the carved crest of House Thune.

The interior was lined with white velvet—soft, smooth, and slightly suggestive.

It was Talia's first time riding in such a luxurious carriage. Her bare knees, exposed beneath her robe, stayed tightly pressed together. Scars marred her skin here and there, a sign that she was no stranger to beatings in her daily life.

"Sigh, these roads are still a disaster," Romon muttered.

Despite the carriage's high-end design, the bumpy, uneven road made for a terrible ride.

Especially since his castle sat halfway up the mountain, and the path leading there had been eroded by years of rain. Two or three narrow trenches now wound across the main road. Just one glance told him the carriage wouldn't make it up.

"Whoa there."

Romon pulled back on both reins. The two white horses immediately slowed down and eventually stopped at the edge of the village.

Talia didn't know how to drive a carriage, so she'd just ridden along the entire way. Letting the boss chauffeur her on the first day of work left her feeling extremely uneasy.

As soon as the carriage stopped, she jumped down with her wooden footstool in her arms and quickly placed it by Romon's side.

"Please watch your step, Milord."

"Hmm." Romon nodded, clearly pleased with the girl's attentiveness. "Unload the goods from the carriage. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."

To improve living conditions—and also for the bonfire party planned for tonight—Romon had bought a great number of supplies from Stone Town.

Talia, being a mage, had a fragile frame and little physical strength, so she had to rely on small spells for manual tasks.

She retrieved her silver staff from the broom rack on the side of the carriage, then chanted a soft incantation. A gentle breeze rose and began levitating the cargo.

Beef, lamb, fruits, vegetables, wine, daily necessities, bedding—everything floated smoothly behind her.

"That's quite a useful spell you've got there."

"Eh?! R-Really?!" Talia was stunned. Her little spell had always been the target of mockery—nothing more than a childish parlor trick in most people's eyes. She never expected to be praised by a lord.

Just as she was about to thank him, a voice called out from the distance.

"Lord Romon!"

A beautiful blonde woman in a Victorian maid outfit came running toward them, clutching her skirt with pale, delicate hands. As Talia caught sight of the bouncing waves on her chest, her sense of inferiority overwhelmed her, and she quickly lowered her head.

"Lord Romon, thank the heavens you're finally back. I was worried sick," Lornis cooed. "Next time, you must take me with you."

"Lornis, let me introduce you," Romon said. "This is Talia—a rather unconventional mage. From today onward, she'll serve as the guardian of our territory."

Under Romon's introduction, Lornis took a careful look at Talia.

Without her wizard's hat, Talia only reached up to Lornis's shoulder. Her attire was the typical style of an adventurer, but aside from the staff in her hand, the rest of her gear looked patched together and quite worn, giving off a sense of poverty—both in her wallet and in her appearance.

"Welcome to the Thune territory, Lady Talia," Lornis greeted her. "I am Romon's maid, Lornis."

Lornis didn't forget her duties as a maid. Even though the other woman had been invited as a bodyguard, she was still required to show respect.

"he…hello, Lady Lornis," Talia stammered, tightening her grip on her silver staff, worried that if she got too nervous, the floating cargo might all spill onto the ground.

Lornis was the most beautiful woman Talia had ever seen.

Even more so than the older sisters in town, and certainly more stunning than the mayor's wife.

Her golden hair shimmered like actual gold in the last rays of the setting sun, and her pale, flawless skin rivaled the snow on a winter's day.

It was hard to imagine such a beautiful woman treading through the dirt and living among ordinary people.

"Forgive me, Lady Talia. Please do not address me as 'Lady.' I am only Romon's maid," Lornis said.

"Ah? Oh, okay, Lornis-sister," Talia replied.

"Thank you for your understanding."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Romon inquired, "How's the progress on the mining?"

"My lord, we can't measure it precisely, but we've piled up a heap of ore as large as three mine entrances," Lornis reported.

"That much?"

Romon was considering a "mine more, sell slowly" strategy. After his conversation with the guild president in Stone Town today, he planned to secure a shipment of ore.

It seemed he would need to establish a warehouse as soon as possible.

"Lornis, take these two horses back and get them settled. Talia, come with me. After you've unloaded the cargo, come find me."

With that. 

Romon headed toward the mine.

With magic crystal ore, no one could say for sure how much had been stored.

But just looking at the piles of ore already gathered on the surface, Romon knew that the money for redeeming the lost land would be more than enough.

At the height of the Thune family's glory, the large forest ahead had been a property that could be disposed of at will. But because of their power, they had attracted the king's attention, who deliberately gave the then Lord of Thune a "privilege"—the right to mortgage and trade their territory.

As a result, the territory didn't expand by a single inch. Instead, within just two decades, it had been entirely squandered.

It was part of a king-backed scheme, where the surrounding lords conspired to take back land from the Thune lord.

Though it seemed like the neighboring lords had grown stronger, in reality, a third party had divided their territory.

However, no matter how things turned out, the land of those lords now far surpassed the Thune family's territory.