Nurturing the Dragon
I never imagined that simply listening to someone talk could drain my mental energy so completely.
Roselyn was chattering away excitedly. This much, at least, I had expected.
My Charm stat was more than up to the task. I had successfully dismantled her defenses. Roselyn babbled on as if she were catching up with an old friend, having completely let her guard down.
Besides, she wasn't particularly guarded to begin with. Though her Intelligence stat was high, she possessed virtually no knowledge of schemes, politics, tactics, or human relationships.
No matter how brilliant her mind was, when it came to interpersonal relations, she was naive to a fault, far beyond what her age would suggest.
"So, to tell you how we first stumbled upon that grand discovery..."
Furthermore, considering the predicament she was in, my presence must have felt all the more special and significant to her.
Unless she was lucky enough to find a lord willing to pour massive resources into her work without asking questions, it was painfully obvious how she would be treated elsewhere.
She would be viewed as a nuisance, a money pit, a bizarre luxury that brought no real happiness to whoever owned it. She would have spent her days fretting over a dwindling research budget.
And honestly, one couldn't blame the lords for treating her that way. It wasn't an entirely unreasonable or unfair reaction.
Producing tangible results with 'Roselyn's research team' was no easy feat. Cleaning up the messes they left behind and funding the construction of their magic tower would seem like an exercise in futility to most.
A person like Eleonor, who lived for the people, would have rejected them, thinking, How many hungry mouths could I feed with that kind of money?
A man like Valerian, with his cold, calculating intellect and thirst for power, would have dismissed them instantly: Why on earth should I waste my fortune on something so utterly useless?
"So, strictly speaking, this principle utilizes the repulsive force generated when a holy relic infused with divine power repels mana..."
Frankly, even a typical player wouldn't have acted any differently.
But I was in a position to take a high-probability gamble. If it succeeded, the returns would be astronomical. Even if it failed, I could still find a decent use for her.
"It has been a truly fascinating tale. However, I fear the hour has grown quite late."
A noble or a lord who would listen to her theories with genuine interest was someone Roselyn had likely never encountered before.
To reach her heart, to persuade and recruit her, I needed to make her believe that we shared the same passions.
"Thank you. I believe your research is highly valuable. And because of that, there is something I wish to propose."
"...Pardon?"
Roselyn flinched in surprise. She looked like someone who had never expected me—who had done nothing but listen silently until now—to turn the conversation back on her.
While her habit of monopolizing the conversation was far from mature, she possessed an overwhelming talent that more than made up for her shortcomings.
"Would you consider joining my fiefdom?"
"...What?"
She tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes.
"Ah, no. I am truly, truly grateful, but... there is still work I have left unfinished in my current territory. I must do something to be of help to them first."
Roselyn wasn't the type to harbor fierce loyalty toward her lord. She wasn't someone who would lay down her life to protect them, nor would she seek vengeance if her lord fell to a rival.
However, she was far too soft-hearted to be a typical mage or noble. Because of her gentle nature, she simply couldn't bear the thought of leaving without repaying the lord who had taken her in.
"You must prioritize your research."
"I-I know Arcteria is a grand territory, but... we consume a massive amount of research funds. It will surely be a burden to you..."
"Do not worry. We have money. A great, great deal of it."
Arcteria was, by default, a heavyweight territory. Its economic structure was reasonably solid, and its agricultural lands were quite fertile.
Furthermore, Wilhelm, the lord who should have been directing those overflowing gold coins toward 'safe investments,' was currently bedridden. He was in a state where he could decide nothing and judge nothing.
Of course, the tasks ahead of me were numerous, and the costs would not be cheap.
Even so, at this very moment, Arcteria's vaults were piled high with enough gold to make any other lord green with envy.
"T-That can't be..."
"Trust us. Arcteria is fully prepared to provide ample support for a passionate mage like yourself, Lady Roselyn."
Naturally, just because there was no one to make decisions didn't mean those riches automatically flowed into our pockets.
The absence of a commander also meant there was no one to monitor the flow of wealth.
Irene was there, but she had been unable to completely suppress the vassal faction before I woke up.
Without the documents I provided, the forged will we put together, and the agreement with the rightful heir and future lord, Edrin Silverline, her political influence alone would never have been enough to keep the vassals in check.
A sickening level of corruption had been running rampant through Arcteria. The corrupt vassals had lined their own pockets by meddling in the territory's businesses at every opportunity.
Yes, they had filled their vaults.
With the lord, Wilhelm, bedridden and Irene searching for any excuse to crush them, the vassals couldn't easily throw lavish banquets or parties. Instead, they bided their time, quietly hoarding wealth in their private storehouses.
And Irene, who had cleaned up the territory in my absence, had swept up all those hoarded riches in one clean sweep.
"I-I couldn't do it. I failed in my previous territory, and I doubt I can do it here either. Making something... useful, I mean."
Her words were a bit disjointed, but I had more than enough information about her to understand exactly what she meant.
She meant that while she could formulate theories, she had failed to translate them into practical magic tools or spells.
"It matters not. I believe your research is valuable in its own right. Even if it ends in failure."
Of course, I didn't actually believe that. With war killing people and monsters running rampant, the noble pursuit of 'uncovering the truths of magic' felt like a distant luxury to me.
I simply knew the statistical probability of turning a profit from her research in the long run.
"Arcteria has a magic tower, but it is currently semi-abandoned. Before you and your team arrive, I will expand the facilities to make it a place worthy of the empire's greatest mages."
"I-I am not such a person... I actually have very little talent for casting practical magic..."
"That does not matter."
At this juncture, I must not prematurely instill a sense of confidence in her.
She had received immense support from her previous territory and felt a strong obligation to repay it.
If she gained true confidence, she would try to stay there to fulfill her duty, regardless of whether she was actually capable of doing so.
Therefore, I had to persuade her using a different angle.
"Do you truly believe you can achieve results by remaining there, Lady Roselyn?"
Roselyn was lingering on regrets. She felt guilty.
She remembered the funds she and her magic tower had received. She could not let go of that past.
The moment she perceived my recruitment as an act of betrayal that would harm her former territory, she would reject my offer.
"T-They are all good people. I cannot just abandon them..."
"Of course. You do not wish to abandon them, and they do not wish to cast you out either. That is only natural. You are all far too kind for this world."
The lord of Roselyn's original territory was the epitome of a 'good-natured but incompetent' man.
Though he might have grumbled while cutting her budget, tried to hoard resources, or scrambled to find some practical use for her, those were merely desperate attempts to mitigate the astronomical costs she incurred.
Unless his territory was conquered or some equivalent disaster struck, he would never abandon Roselyn. And she would never abandon him.
"However, that is precisely why there are times when you must let each other go."
"..."
"Imagine a farmer trying to raise a dragon hatchling. No matter how kind-hearted that farmer is, is such a thing even possible?"
A simple farmer's income could never hope to satisfy the sheer volume of meat a growing beast required.
"It is not because the farmer is stingy, nor because the dragon is greedy. It is simply because the two cannot coexist without bringing ruin upon themselves."
She must not view accepting my offer as a betrayal.
She had to see it as a choice made for their mutual benefit—a stepping stone toward a better future.
"But the support I received from him was already more than enough—"
"Do not lie to yourself."
Now, it was time to prick her pride.
"It is a bizarre anomaly that a mage of your caliber has yet to shake the world."
Since the age of six, Roselyn had been hailed as the future of the magical world.
She knew it too. She knew exactly how brilliant she was, and what she could achieve if only she were granted unlimited resources.
"Your previous lord surely did his best, but his best was not enough. It was sorely lacking. You deserve far better treatment."
Though she might look like a timid researcher right now, Roselyn was a dragon. Both she and I knew this truth.
"Come with us."
I extended my hand to her. After a long moment of hesitation, Roselyn gently took it.
She was persuaded.