51st Episode: “But I Don’t Have Money?” (2)
Zvalter seemed absolutely determined not to meet his son’s eyes, fixated on the view outside with a stern and serious expression.
After clearing his throat, Zvalter finally spoke again.
“The weather is nice.”
“Yes.”
“It’s really nice out.”
“Yes, it’s lovely.”
Ghislaine finally dropped the serious atmosphere and responded with indifference.
An awkward silence started to fill the room.
While Zvalter stared out the window, he suddenly began to mumble to himself.
“It’s been quite a while since one side of the northern fortress collapsed; they say it will take about 5,000 gold to repair it… No, never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything…”
“…”
When Ghislaine didn’t respond, Zvalter closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
“Oh, where on earth can I get 5,000 gold in this situation? I have to go out soon to fend off the barbarians. Tsk tsk, all this is my fault, my lack of virtue. I never knew our territory had this little money.”
Ghislaine stared at his father with a look of disbelief.
It wasn’t like he was outright demanding money like Albert and Randolf, but didn’t it clearly scream for cash?
Suddenly, he remembered something his mother used to say when he was younger.
“Your father worries a lot and just suffers alone every day. Especially when it comes to money, he can’t talk straight. Some ‘manly pride’ or whatever that is? He always goes around in circles, and if I act oblivious on purpose, he sulks and pouts by himself. Isn’t that funny?”
“Wow, I thought it couldn’t be true, but it really is?”
While Ghislaine was flabbergasted into silence, Zvalter bit his lip and muttered inwardly.
“Can’t he just hint that I should throw a little in after talking so much? She’s just like her mother. How can she take after her like that?”
Still, the Countess had a strange knack for bringing in money and secretly slipping it to him.
Recalling old memories, Zvalter kept mumbling to himself endlessly.
“Oh… if someone would just donate something for the territory… What’s it called, a development fund or something.”
“…”
It seemed the fondness for development funds ran in the family.
Ghislaine briefly pondered what to do.
It looked like he would keep sighing and holding on until he got the money.
“Well, for the northern fortress, it should be okay to spend a bit. After all, I was planning to expand that anyway.”
He intended to conquer the north eventually, but until then, his father would need to manage it.
He was even considering providing some support, thinking it’d be fine to hand over the repair costs.
“If we sell the Runestone this time, I’ll send you 5,000 gold right away.”
When he said it decisively, Zvalter flinched for a moment and then shook his head.
He waved his hand dismissively.
“No, you said you had a plan too. There’s no need to put it off just because of ‘important matters for the territory.'”
“No, it’s fine. I just want to support you first, so it’s no problem.”
“I’m fine with it too. The northern fortress has held up well so far…”
“Doesn’t seem fine at all.”
“Ahem, I said it’s fine.”
“Oh, I’ll just give it to you. Just a little.”
“…Should I?”
Zvalter nodded and looked out the window again.
If he showed too much enthusiasm, he’d lose face, so he pretended to be indifferent.
“Well, if you really want to give it to me that much, I won’t stop you. Thanks to you, I can finally spruce up the northern fortress after a long time. Ha ha ha.”
“Then, I’ll get going. I have work to do.”
“Oh, right. I can’t keep holding a busy person back. Go on and take care of your business. You’re not going far.”
Zvalter felt really good. He felt a sense of pride in raising his son well.
‘Next time, I should just confidently ask for it. Surprisingly, he gives it willingly, huh? Sigh, he really takes after his mother in some ways.’
Leaving behind his satisfied father, Ghislaine let out a deep sigh as he exited the office.
“Phew, this is more exhausting.”
Dealing with people is far more tiring than fighting in the Forest of Monsters.
Even just sitting still makes him feel like all his mana is being drained.
“I need to start my next task right away.”
Staying in the territory would lead to endless suffering, so it was better to move quickly.
*
The Chief Officer Homern was taking a different approach than the other retainers.
“Ha ha, does he think I’ve only seen the Grand Duke for a day or two? He’s not the type to hand out money just because I nag him.”
Ghislaine had said he would use it for the territory, but no one knew how he would actually use it.
Having gone through the struggles in a tight territory, Homern had no intention of being naive enough to just trust sweet words.
He was determined to get money one way or another and use it himself.
“No matter how I think about it, there aren’t many places for the Grand Duke to spend money.”
Even if he builds up his troops, runestones aren’t cheap. Even a moderately sized territory would leave plenty of money after gathering and training soldiers.
Moreover, since he hadn’t even started recruiting troops yet, they’d be spending only on hiring mercenaries and laborers participating in the development.
If he happens to get lost in entertainment and waste money, it would be a huge loss.
In fact, the only one he couldn’t trust was Ghislaine.
“I need to get as much as I can before Albert and Randolf jump the gun.”
The two would definitely want to spend the money on what they deemed important first.
It’s not that their opinions were wrong; they were indeed important.
However, unlike those who were only thinking about their specific tasks, Homern had so much more to consider as the Chief Officer overseeing the territory.
From stockpiling food, repairing the castle walls, replenishing soldiers, paying overdue salaries, setting up relief measures for the territory residents, repaying debts to merchants, securing warhorses and equipment, maintaining fortresses, to managing and establishing public facilities within the territory…
There were simply too many places where money was needed in this territory.
He couldn’t just throw everything at once, so he had to address the most urgent matters one by one.
To do that, it would be best for someone who could oversee the entire territory to manage the money.
“Ha ha, if it’s hard to take down the target, start by breaking down its surroundings. Basic principles of military strategy.”
Instead of directly asking Ghislaine, Homern headed straight for Belinda.
She had been looking after Ghislaine since he was little, serving as a tutor.
No matter how much of a brat the Grand Duke was, he couldn’t just flatly refuse her requests.
Baron Homern secretly admired himself, claiming this was the essence of politics.
“Oh, Belinda. How’s your health?”
“Goodness, what brings you here, Baron?”
Belinda was taken aback by the unexpected guest.
Ever since Ghislaine became a troublemaker, Homern had been treating her like she didn’t exist.
Who would have thought someone like him would come visit her first?
“Ahem, I heard you weren’t feeling well, so I thought I’d check in.”
“Oh, I’m feeling much better now.”
“That’s good to hear. You need to take care of your health since you’ll be looking after the Grand Duke.”
Even though he treated her as if she didn’t exist, Belinda didn’t particularly resent or dislike Homern.
She figured it was understandable.
When Ghislaine was at his worst, nobody in the territory liked him.
Since she was his tutor, everyone blamed her for Ghislaine’s misbehavior.
As they exchanged pleasantries and the atmosphere became more relaxed, Homern slyly pulled something out and handed it to Belinda.
“Ahem, this… it’s nothing special, but please accept it.”
“Suddenly, what is this… Oh my!”
What Homern presented was a rose-shaped brooch made of gold and jewels.
As she examined the brooch, her eyes widened when she saw the small engraved logo.
“Is this… ‘Charnel’?”
“Oh, Belinda, you have quite the eye. It is indeed Charnel. Ho ho ho.”
Belinda inspected the brooch suspiciously.
‘Charnel’ was one of the few renowned artisans across the continent.
In the impoverished Perdium, it was a rare and expensive item, hard to even glimpse.
“Is this real?”
“Of course, of course. It’s the real deal. Do you think I’d carry a fake?”
“But why give this to me…?”
Belinda asked, her eyes shining with surprise despite her flustered demeanor.
Homern spoke with a meaningful smile.
“I have a bit of a favor to ask….”
At the word ‘favor,’ Belinda paused but nodded her head anyway.
“The Grand Duke has made quite a bit of money this time, hasn’t he? He says he’ll use it for the territory, but wouldn’t it be better if he just gave the money to me instead of using it himself?”
Homern continued, playfully waving his hands.
“It’s not that I don’t trust the Grand Duke! Even if it’s the same money, it should be spent more efficiently. Anyway, I’m responsible for the territory’s management. What do you think?”
Although he spoke at length, it boiled down to a request for money for himself.
Belinda pondered for a while before finally shaking her head.
With a sad look on her face, she extended the brooch back to Homern.
“I’m sorry. Please take this back. I can’t ask the Young Master for such a thing. The Young Master should spend his money as he sees fit.”
“Ahem, how can that not be arranged? It’s for the territory, after all. You just need to help a little.”
“I’m sorry. That won’t be possible.”
Despite Homern’s many attempts at persuasion, Belinda repeated her refusal.
Reluctantly, he thought he’d have to ask Elena for help instead, but when he tried to take the brooch back, it didn’t budge from Belinda’s grasp.
Homern was startled and pulled harder.
‘Huh? Why doesn’t it come off?’
Belinda wore a disappointed expression.
“Since I can’t accommodate your favor, it seems I must take this back…”
“Should I take this to the road…?”
I was being handed something, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull it out.
‘Oh man! Is this crazy or what?’
Baron Homern noticed a faint blue light surrounding the brooch.
Belinda was clinging to it, releasing her mana.
‘Wow, this is insane. I need to give this to Lady Elena and ask her for a favor. Look at her, clenching her teeth and even sweating.’
He thought about yelling at her but soon gave up.
There were other injured soldiers lying next to Belinda, and maids were busy bustling about.
It wouldn’t be worth the trouble to argue with someone in pain over a brooch; it would only ruin his social standing.
‘Now I understand why the Grand Duke turned out this way!’
If the tutor was like this, there was no way the student could be normal.
Homern decided to give up and turned away, savoring the thought of taking it back later when he had the opportunity.
Belinda looked at him curiously and asked, “Aren’t you taking this, Chief Officer?”
Who was the one who wouldn’t let him take it! Homern just turned his head and glared at Belinda.
“The young master and you are exactly the same!”
Exploding with frustration, Homern finally muttered something and stomped away.
Once he left, Belinda smiled contentedly, twirling the brooch around before snuggling under the covers.
Outside, Homern huffed and scratched his head.
“I can’t just go find the lady right away.”
The only item of value among his possessions was the brooch, and Belinda had forcibly taken it.
It was embarrassing to go and ask for a favor empty-handed.
After a long time of contemplation, a good idea suddenly popped into Homern’s head, and he brightened up.
“That’s right! The Guard Knight Fergus is here!”
Fergus, like Belinda, had followed Ghislaine since she was young.
Plus, being older than Belinda, if he asked, Ghislaine would be more likely to soften.
Homern decided to pursue that angle and urged his retainers to get him a Mandragora root.
Though it was dry and unremarkable, it was still a valuable medicine.
Recalling some memories, he headed toward Fergus’s quarters.
“Sir Fergus! Are you here?”
As he entered the lodging, Fergus was sitting on the bed, reading a book.
“Oh, it’s you, Chief Officer! What brings you here?”
Fergus was surprised but welcomed him warmly.
“It’s nothing important, I just wanted to give you something that would help your health…”
Just as he was about to pull out the Mandragora root he was carefully carrying, something caught Homern’s eye.
A mountain of Mandragora roots and various nutritional supplements piled up next to Fergus.
For a moment, Homern blinked, and with shaking hands, he pointed at them.
“What’s that? Why do you have so many of those precious things?”
Then Fergus smiled proudly.
“Ha-ha, the young master loaded me up before heading into the Forest of Monsters. Would you like some, Chief Officer?”
As soon as Ghislaine got money, she bought lots of healthy medicines for Fergus.
Homern alternated between the shabby Mandragora root in his hand and the robust ones next to Fergus, and his face grew gloomy.
“No, let’s leave it as it is.”
Putting the Mandragora root back in his arms, he left, looking particularly pathetic today.
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