Chapter 15
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Dieting Makes Money (2)
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Dominic grew anxious at the more dramatic reactions from the noble ladies than he'd expected.
"Looks like I need to head back to Evergreen right after the party ends today."
"...So you're giving up your position as the lady's diet manager? Just yesterday you were jumping for joy over that weekly gold coin."
Ian eyed him suspiciously.
"I can manage the lady's diet the same way I did for the Old Lord—send weekly letters. Sure, the pay might get cut a bit, but with money raining down on me right now, that's nothing!"
"No idea what you're talking about."
"I'm not asking you to understand. But do you know any noble ladies, by chance?"
"...No."
"Tch. With a face like that, no girlfriend? If you're not using it, give it to me—I could put it to good use."
"Tsk-!"
He'd hoped for an easy connection, but Ian was no help at all, as usual.
"Whatever. On second thought, rumors might make it even more credible. Okay, I'm busy, so I'm off!"
Dominic bolted from the temple—still in the midst of the ceremony—and raced toward the lord's castle.
He had to write a resignation letter, give gifts to the maids he'd gotten friendly with and ask a few favors, and leave a note for the lady...
He wouldn't have enough hands even if he had ten bodies.
That night.
The blessing for the newborn's arrival at the temple had evolved into a grand party in the main hall of the lord's castle.
The countess's party, held after such a long time, was dazzling everywhere you looked—enough to steal anyone's breath away.
But the attention of certain noble ladies was focused elsewhere.
"Did you look into it?"
"Yes. Apparently, they assigned someone who specializes in managing food."
"Managing food? Like a cook?"
"Not a cook. They said it's someone who provides customized diets that actually work for the countess. What was it... a nutritionist?"
"What's that? Never mind the name. Anyway, can we bring that person here?"
"I asked around, and they said the person finished up during the morning ceremony and headed back to their village."
"Darn it!"
Viscountess Noella had sent her trusted maid to dig up the countess's postpartum care secrets. She figured the staff would know if there was anything special about it. And she was right.
A few castle workers had spilled the beans about Dominic.
"Did you find out where they're from?"
"Yes. But there's a problem."
"A problem?"
"That person's the village chief of a small village inside the count's territory."
"Hmm..."
The viscountess let out a low, gloomy sigh.
If he were just a freeman—or even a regular commoner—she could've easily brought him to Viscount Noella's territory. But a village chief? That changed things.
The village chief was the root of the administrative chain, compiling village matters and sending them up to the lord's castle.
Collect data from the villages, and you could see right through the territory's state.
"It'd be tough to poach them, right?"
"If the Sinclair count family complains, we could face backlash."
One wrong move, and it could turn into accusations of starting a territory war. Of course, if the Sinclairs let it slide without a word, no issue—but the workers all agreed the person was tied to the countess and even the Old Lord.
Snatching someone like that without permission wouldn't go quietly.
'If I stir up needless trouble, I'll end up at the center of more rumors.'
Viscountess Noella had zero desire to be tagged with something like, "Stole a village chief from another noble's land just to lose weight!"
But she couldn't give up either.
'If it's that person, they could definitely fix my figure too.'
Could she really let go of someone who might solve her long-standing complex? She hesitated amid the lavish banquet hall.
And unbeknownst to her, others were thinking the same thing in various corners.
**
"Dominic!"
The night before, Dominic had returned to his tiny shack-like home for the first time in ages and planned to sleep in. But someone interrupted him at the crack of dawn.
It was Kallon.
"Uncle? What's up so early?"
"Lighten up that scowl. Is it such a bad thing? Haha!"
He pounded on the window like he was trying to break it—no way to stay asleep.
Dominic rubbed his sleepy eyes, hadn't even washed his face, and opened the door. Kallon plopped down in a chair at the table as if it were his own and grinned nonstop.
"Not curious what happened in the village while you were gone for a month?"
"Hmm. You said you'd send letters if anything came up, and I got nothing. Water? Or tea?"
"Beer's better."
"Beer in the morning? Water it is."
Dominic set down the glass, yawned hugely, and got to the point.
"So, what happened? If you're here this early, it must be big, right?"
He made no secret of his annoyance, but Kallon wasn't fazed.
"Big it is! Haha!"
Clink-.
Kallon pulled a small pouch from his pocket and tossed it over.
"...What's this?"
"What else?"
"Whoa! Money's here?"
"Yep! Haha! Payment for the seaweed. From Anton Merchant Group a few days ago. This is your share. Check it. I counted a bunch of times, but better safe."
"It's probably right. But Anton Merchant Group? Did Anton split from his grandpa?"
"Yeah. Trading partners grew faster than expected, so he decided to go independent. Kid still looks young, but decisive, huh? You too—the young ones these days are bold! Haha!"
Dominic chuckled and peeked into the pouch.
"...!"
"Heh, more than you thought? While you were at the castle, the fishing cooperative worked hard too."
"Whew-."
"Everyone's thrilled. Way more than from fishing—enough for meat parties in every house. All thanks to your knowledge."
"That's why I get paid just to advise without lifting a finger."
"Haha!"
The seaweed supply deal with young merchant Anton was between the Evergreen Fishing Cooperative—not Dominic personally. At Dominic's insistence.
[How could I harvest, clean, dry, and pack seaweed every day alone? The cooperative has to lead this. Not me. Profits go to them. I'll sign a technical consulting contract with the co-op and get paid separately that way.]
The unfamiliar "technical consulting contract" had Kallon, Anton, and even his veteran grandpa scratching their heads. Dominic pushed hard to make it happen.
'To protect my future work, I need precedents.'
This world barely grasped the idea of paying for invisible "knowledge." Anton argued it was no different from hiring the person, so Dominic struggled to explain: 'It's about using my knowledge, not me laboring forever.'
But it went smoother than expected.
[Like contracts for mages using original spells!]
That's when Dominic realized knowledge workers existed here too.
He vowed to cite mages as examples from then on.
'Thanks to that, my deal with the lady was solid. Heh.'
No way a lord would cheat him out of a few gold, but having the contract? Peace of mind.
"Thanks, Dominic."
Kallon thanked him sincerely. His eyes even seemed a bit misty.
"When I disbanded the mercenary band, bought this land, and built the village, I promised everyone we'd never starve without swords again. But it wasn't easy."
Today, Kallon's wrinkles stood out more than his ballooned muscles.
"Just when we'd scrape by, that monster turtle showed up. We'd burn through our savings holding out till it left—then hustle for years, spend it all... Rinse and repeat. But you broke the cycle. Thanks, Dominic."
Dominic fumbled for words amid the rough but heartfelt speech.
But said nothing in the end.
He hadn't planned that far. It started as a casual thought: 'Seaweed's right there—maybe make some soup.'
'I need to think bigger.'
These Evergreen villagers were the first in this life to share food freely and offer a hand.
Village chief by accident or not, he wanted them never hungry again—eating all the meat they craved.
After Kallon left for work, Dominic pondered at the table till noon, then stepped out.
"Dominic! Doing well?"
"Yeah, ma'am, hi! Seen the fishing co-op folks?"
"Probably at the coast by now. Time to harvest seaweed?"
"Thanks!"
Dominic quickened his pace.
Ian, strolling the village and spotting him, fell in step.
"Huh? Still here? Thought you'd left when I didn't see you this morning."
"Got some business."
"Ah, okay."
Normally they'd banter, but Dominic was too pressed—no time to waste. He wanted to flesh out his morning idea ASAP.
"Hey!"
"Uncle!"
He practically ran to the co-op men, caught his breath, and blurted to Kallon:
"We need to build something!"
"What? Outta nowhere—what building? New house?"
The co-op were pros at construction too.
Evergreen started with ex-mercenaries and runaway craftsmen fleeing noble tyranny—tools in hand, they'd shaped a village from barren land.
"Not for me. Here!"
He showed Kallon his rough sketch. Kallon studied it long, face turning serious.
"Everyone, take a look!"
A few gathered around the drawing.
"...Pretty big."
"Not a castle or mansion... Training ground? Nah, open space is too small."
"What is it, Dominic? What're we building?"
They didn't get the purpose, but it wasn't a joke. The sketch was crude, no real architecture know-how, but the earnestness shone through.
"If this works, no one in the village worries about food ever again."
Dominic thumped his chest and grinned at the curious faces.
"Believe me?"
...It sounded a bit like a cult leader.