Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Cake Stand Crisis
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Amid the chaos engulfing the entire nation with all sorts of terrorism and war, there was one group uniquely unaffected by the grim atmosphere.
"Hey, what're you doing for break?"
"Gonna hit the beach and chill."
"Ooh, nice. Wanna go together? My family's got a villa right on the shore—"
These were the ones who saw only classes and friends as their whole world. The academy students.
To them, getting swept up in political strife that toppled two territories and elevated a duke's house was no concern. What mattered to them was things like a girlfriend not letting them do something, or agonizing over a boyfriend from a lowly house but well-endowed down there, or getting invited to a new friend's family home.
Those primal, carefree worries unique to vibrant youth—those were their problems. Ignoring what came after.
And here.
"...What do I do."
"Lady Urara?"
There was a busybody who couldn't help meddling in others' affairs, or it'd feel like thorns sprouting in her feet. A picture-perfect human retriever.
Cordelia approached a lady huddled in the corner, mumbling to herself while gnawing on her fingers, her face etched with worry.
If any other lady wore that expression, they'd call it fake and gossip behind her back. But no one dared with Cordelia. Not because some had been punished by the prince for badmouthing her. It was just that even brief interactions revealed her exterior matched her true nature.
She had no divide between outside and inside. Worries showed on her face, emotions played across her features. An irregular unfit for noble society, where one hid thoughts and spoke diplomatically.
A jagged stone might get hammered down, but if the prince picked it up, it became a one-of-a-kind gem. Cordelia was that gem. And gems soothed the heart just by being seen.
"Is something wrong?"
"...Lady Cordelia."
"I might not be able to help much, but I can at least listen."
Sharing worries was better than bottling them up. That was Cordelia's creed.
A pretty basic creed, like two heads being better than one, but anyway.
Combine that with her retriever instincts, and she became the academy's go-to consultant, friends with nearly everyone.
"...Well, it's like."
"Yes! I'm listening!"
However.
The reason she wasn't called a human fixer but something like human retriever...
"My father's passed away."
"Ah..."
Was that she couldn't offer more than panting excitedly at one's side and wagging her tail.
Not when the family died in political strife, the title stripped, no tuition for next term—not even sure if she'd qualify anymore.
Even Cordelia was powerless there.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to dump something heavy. Won't see you next term anyway, right?"
"N-no, it's not that...!"
"Oh right, I should use formal speech. My apologies, Lady of Piesita Barony."
Seeing her friend sunk in despair, Cordelia desperately wanted to fix it. But no solution came to mind.
Ask her father? No, even if their house prospered from her inventions, they wouldn't shell out hefty tuition for a disgraced noble out of义气.
The prince was the same. Unless Urara had some special talent... she was just a lucky-born noblewoman type A, right?
Cordelia couldn't stake her life on others' whims. She could end up cut off like this someday.
"...Let's do it."
"Huh?"
"Business! Let's do business!"
After agonizing, Cordelia hit on a way for Urara to solve it herself.
"Earn your tuition by selling yourself!"
"B-business? Suddenly? I've never..."
"It's fine! Lady Urara!"
Cordelia grabbed Urara's hands, eyes sparkling.
"I'll help you!"
Of course, house issues, dead father, even continuing at the academy—all piled up like mountains.
But this was her best shot.
And.
Utterly protagonist-like.
"K-Knight! Is it really okay to take this?"
"It's a gift from Lady Claudia of the Duke's house for you all. Receive it gratefully."
"Th-thank you! Please convey our deepest gratitude to Lady Claudia of the Duke's house...!"
Tears pooling in his eyes, the old man shoveled the received food into his mouth frantically. Not choking himself in the process.
The nearby soldiers eyed him worriedly, but Enri paid it no mind. Not because he didn't care if the old man died, but because he perfectly understood the desperation behind it.
'Gotta clean up the back alleys sometime.'
Enri hailed from the back-alley slums. Well, he'd opened his eyes there, so "hailing from" was iffy, but anyway. He knew intimately how hard it was for a powerless orphan to survive in civilization's wilds.
"Next."
"Y-you're really just giving it away?"
"Yes. We'll distribute food like this through the week. Starting next, job placements too. If you want out of places like this, come find us—"
Enri was handing out food in Sorren Barony. It looked like more than just food—plenty to handle—but... the Lady sending him here showed how much she valued this territory.
A bridge between kingdom and duchy. A strategic choke point between them.
Block it, and at least the kingdom's army couldn't rush the duchy in one go. Worst case, flee with the duke to barbarian lands or across the sea to Bark Duchy.
Rumors said countries existed beyond the sea... Thinking about this world's nature, probably not nonsense.
"Next."
"I-I have kids. Could I get three portions...?"
"Bring the kids. If no one to watch them, we've got a temporary daycare here. Volunteer while leaving them, get extra food. Think it over."
In that sense.
The Lady scattering food to aid the poor wasn't odd. Whether modern Earth or this romance-fantasy medieval, most commoners wanted simple things.
A full belly and good life.
Modern folk griped endlessly—needed houses, cars, jobs to satisfy—but in this Haber-Bosch-less medieval where starvation was daily, food alone bought endless goodwill.
"Long live Lady Claudia of the Duke's house!"
"Long live!"
The poor praised her on their own after receiving food. The wave spread naturally, etching into minds. Starting from the bottom, it'd soon swallow the city. The Lady had innate talent for winning hearts.
After distributing all food and tidying the station, Enri headed to lodging but halted at a distant woman's scream.
-Kyaaack!?
Law and morals were a million light-years from modern common sense in this medieval. Assaults happened like meals; screams or terrified groans were commonplace.
If not for recognizing that voice, he wouldn't have stopped.
"—Go on ahead."
"Yes, sir, Knight."
Enri bolted toward the scream. Soon, he spotted Cordelia, wrist grabbed by a thug.
"L-let go!"
"Who gave you permission to peddle here...?"
"What's wrong with us working our own stall—"
Either not getting through or just thugs, one raised his hand. Foolish. She reeked of noble upbringing. Touch one, and it'd be capital punishment.
They did thug stuff because they couldn't think that basic.
Enri approached silently, swung his sheathed sword. The wrist-hit thug rolled screaming.
"Gaaah! M-my hand! My haand—!"
"Quit whining. Hit with the scabbard."
"Wh-who—"
Their faces paled turning to him. The ornate uniform, crest, drawn sword—told exactly who.
Knight.
Quasi-noble otherwise.
"Who am I?"
"A-ah—no, that's not—"
"Not just dumb heads, blind eyes too... Don't worry."
Enri sheathed his sword, raised a fist.
"This fixes everything."
Also called the cure-all.
Terror-struck thugs couldn't even flee, meekly accepting fate.
"So."
After handing the thugs to guards.
Enri turned to Cordelia gazing at him with sparkling eyes.
"What are you doing here, Lady Cordelia."
"Selling stuff!"
"...Selling?"
Cordelia nodded vigorously, hair whipping, then promoted their wares.
"Cakes I made myself!"
"Oh, I see."
"Cheap! Considering ingredients... about 400 el?"
Hearing the price, Enri was speechless, mouth agape.
She planned to charge a decent commoner's three months' salary for one cake scrap.
In this dingy alley connected to the slums, no less.