Chapter 95 - Power and Love (1)
Power and Love (1)
Translator: XZY
Chapter 95: Power and Love (1)
***
“This is troublesome…”
The noble young ladies who had visited the Ravencrow baronial mansion must have initially set out with a light heart.
They seemed to think, how many people would really drive a carriage all the way to a place like the Rodelen region, which was considered a place of exile among titled nobles.
However, the advantage of being able to receive instruction at once from the most renowned magic teacher in Ebelstein and the young lady who boasted the most noble demeanor in the Rosea Salon had captivated more families than expected.
As a result, the Ravencrow baronial mansion became so full of honored guests that there was not even a place to park a carriage… at this point, one could not help but feel a sense of crisis.
A small baronial mansion that was not even the size of a typical ducal house’s annex.
If lessons were to be held in a place like this, the number of students that could be accommodated would be limited. No matter how many they accepted, a dozen or so would be the limit.
However, including those who arrived in the afternoon, the total number of young ladies from noble houses who had visited the Ravencrow baronial mansion was thirty-one.
The honored guests, whose numbers had increased since the morning, were sitting in their respectively assigned spaces with the servants, swallowing dry gulps of saliva.
It was obvious at a glance that the spots were limited. In that case… it meant that at least more than half of the young ladies would be turned away from here.
The young ladies, who were suddenly faced with an admissions competition, could not help but be flustered, but in any case, the ones who were quick-witted were the ones who would survive.
There were those who were contemplating how to introduce themselves when the master of this baronial mansion appeared, those who were tidying their attire and posture, and even those who were contemplating whether they should just slip him a bribe.
It was around the time when such time had passed, and a subtle air of competition was drifting through the Ravencrow baronial mansion.
“Unless we expand the building, fifteen is the limit. The rest must be sent back.”
Head Butler Delbritten spoke firmly.
Aiseline and Derek, who were sitting on the sofa in a corner of the office, both wore troubled expressions.
It wasn't a meeting of the Rosea Salon, and the fact that over thirty young ladies had visited a baronial house in a remote region was ridiculous enough, but now they were in a situation where they had to turn away half of them.
They might have flocked here all at once, but the young ladies gathered in this place were all individuals who were treated like precious gems back in their home territories.
If they were to be treated rudely and carelessly, there was no telling what kind of repercussions would follow. With so many such individuals gathered, did they really have to declare to their faces that they wouldn't be accepted and should go back?
Just thinking about it felt like a headache was coming on, and Derek could not help but press his brow firmly.
“At times like these, it’s important to present a clear standard. If we vaguely divide them, accepting some and sending others back, there will surely be gossip later…. It seems better to just line them up in order of their main family’s title or status and cut them in half.”
“I think so too, Lord Baron. It seems best to eliminate any room for future repercussions.”
“My thoughts are different!”
When Derek turned to look at Aiseline, sweating, Aiseline had her arms crossed, wearing a short-brimmed hat that he had no idea where she had picked up.
Judging by the peacock feather stuck on one side, it was an item mainly used by merchants in the commercial district. It was as if gold coins were pouring out of her vibrant and brilliant eyes.
“They came all this way just by hearing our names… to think we have to send them back. That’s too regrettable an affair, isn’t it!”
“…Are you really thinking that way?”
“Each of them will pay more than ten Ropellon gold coins… how can we send them all back…!”
“…”
Aiseline took out something like a huge ledger from one side of the table and, grunting, spread it open and began to write with a quill pen.
“If we don’t have enough buildings, we can just expand, can’t we? Even if we have to pay extra to bring in currently available personnel, it’s a profitable business. If we mobilize a skilled architect and as many workers as possible, we can raise a new dormitory building in about a month.”
“…No, d-do we have to go that far?”
“Derek-ssi… you haven’t forgotten that some people came all the way from the southeastern part of the continent, have you? To have made such a long journey… how great would their sense of loss be if they had to return empty-handed…!”
Aiseline was making all the estimates, moving her quill pen at a speed as if she were possessed.
‘…I don’t think she was this excited even when she learned 2-Star magic…’
Derek fell silent as he looked at the endlessly excited Aiseline.
“Now, look. The Ravencrow Barony still has a lot of cash on hand, doesn’t it? If you look at the asset status here, most of them are assets that can be liquidated in the short term.”
“…”
“We haven’t collected the first year’s land tax and poll tax yet, and we haven’t settled the merchant caravan passage fees or the support funds from the Rochest ducal house, have we? If we use this as collateral, we can borrow a considerable amount of money from the merchants in Ebelstein. Of course, there will be interest expenses, but it’s all at a manageable level.”
Derek held his breath for a moment as he watched Aiseline underlining things.
“Wh-what is this? Did you prepare our mansion’s ledger yourself?”
“I’ve been self-studying the accounting and commerce techniques of the Logten Society recently. The Ravencrow Barony is small, so it was good for practice. It helps with the mansion’s work too, so isn’t it good?”
“You learned double-entry bookkeeping and ledger accounting in just a month?”
“Derek-ssi. I’m a fallen lady, aren’t I? Academics, philosophy, and aesthetics are all good… but wouldn’t I be unable to survive if I don’t also learn practical studies?!”
Aiseline laughed with an ‘ehem’ and continued.
Being a fallen lady didn’t seem like a status to be spoken of so proudly, but Aiseline looked as if it were nothing.
It might be a strange thing to say, but Aiseline certainly had the disposition of a fallen lady.
“Besides that, I’m also self-studying alchemy, astrology, herbology, runology, metallurgy, basic architecture, and metrology. The progress is a bit slow, but…”
“…”
“A-anyway, what I’m saying is let’s do this. For now, we send back all the young ladies who have come, and in a month or two… after late spring has passed and it’s around early summer, we ask them to visit again.”
Aiseline flipped the page of the ledger.
It was filled with all sorts of scribbles and what looked like blueprints. In that short amount of time, she had racked her brain and examined all sorts of possibilities.
“In the meantime, we’ll build a dormitory building, and if we have spare funds, a classroom building too… since time is tight, a grand building might be a bit difficult… but after preparing the rough conditions, we’ll conduct the lessons properly. What do you think, Derek-ssi?!”
She looked at Derek with stars pouring out of her eyes. Her sparkling eyes were so brilliant that they had the force to bury the opponent just by looking at them.
Derek pressed his temples once and then sent his gaze toward Delbritten.
“Is it possible?”
“Procuring the personnel itself is possible. However, we will have to increase not only the construction personnel but also the internal management personnel of the mansion by at least three times. It’s not that we can’t find people… the problem, as expected, is money.”
Noble young ladies casually handed over dozens of gold coins.
Once the training center started running, the cash flow itself wouldn't be much of a problem.
Derek clasped his hands and placed them on his lap, falling into thought for a moment.
“Hmm—.”
In the end, whatever was to be done at this Ravencrow baronial mansion required the judgment of Derek, the master of the mansion.
No matter how much she was the eldest daughter of the Duplein ducal house, when in Rome, one had to follow the laws of Rome.
While the final decision-maker, Derek, was briefly lost in thought, Aiseline swallowed a dry gulp of saliva.
“…”
Derek, who had been contemplating for a long while, finally lifted his head.
<><><>
“Have you heard about the new training center opening in the Ravencrow Barony? I heard that Baron Derek Ridolf Ravencrow, the magic teacher who was making a name for himself in Ebelstein, and Lady Aiseline Eleanor Duplein of the Duplein family have joined hands.”
“…”
The Rosea Salon in late spring.
As always, a high-ranking noble approached Elente, who was sitting in a teahouse outside Elfontaine Hall reading a newsletter, and struck up a pleasant conversation.
Elente could not help but perk up her ears at the recent news shared in the process.
“…So it’s been established after all.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, no. It seems Lady Rona has also heard the news.”
“It’s a frequently heard piece of news recently. Since Lady Elente was personally taught magic by Baron Derek, you must feel quite special.”
Elente felt it was less special and more significant.
‘No matter how I think about it, Derek’s influence seems to be growing larger than I had anticipated…’
While having Lady Siern of the Rochest ducal house and Lady Aiseline of the Duplein ducal house at his baronial mansion, was he even thinking of setting up something like a training center to take in lower-ranking nobles as his disciples?
Derek was a person with no desire for power, but at that point, he would have no choice but to gain influence whether he liked it or not.
Elente, looking at such a Derek, gave him a round of applause in celebration, while on the other hand… she was feeling a strange sense of loss.
It was a feeling similar to when a painter or musician one had known exclusively suddenly became famous and received recognition from everyone.
In fact, considering Derek’s qualities, it wouldn't have been strange for him to suddenly become famous one day. It was just that the promised day had arrived.
‘It will be difficult to see him often now. Well, I’m not in a leisurely position either, so it can’t be helped.’
Elente closed the newsletter, put it down, and fell into thought for a moment with her chin propped on her hand.
‘By the way, the way Lady Aiseline looks at Derek is indeed unusual… I wonder if she has really developed private feelings for him…’
If one looked through fairy tales or legends, there were many who made foolish choices, blinded by love.
She didn't think Aiseline was such a person, but it wasn't as if she wasn't worried.
Of course, to worry any more than this would be nothing but meddling.
No matter what great upheaval was happening in the Ravencrow Barony, Elente herself had to do her own work.
In the morning, she attended the Rosea Salon and social gatherings, in the afternoon, she received education as the heir to the head of the house, and in the evening, she trained in magic while indulging in philosophy books or classical literature.
The reason she could steadfastly maintain her stamina amidst such a tight schedule was because she was a steadfast person.
As such, Elente briefly looked out the window on her way back to the mansion in a carriage.
The splendid scenery of the Ebelstein noble district filled her view.
This noble world, filled with leisurely and wealthy people throughout the four seasons, made it seem as if all the world’s affairs were peaceful when one just walked through it.
In reality, Elente’s life was not quite like that.
It was not easy to live while doing one’s part between a lazy and insolent older brother and a sinister and hypocritical younger brother.
In the end, the reason she became the rightful heir of the Belmeade family was, in a way, because Elente herself was the only one who was soundly doing one person’s share.
The Countess of Belmeade.
When she thought that the day she would be called that would come, even her current hardships felt sweet.
She had no intention of denying it. Elente was a girl in love with power.
She had never loved anything other than power.
However, she only sought to achieve it by walking the right path, without relying on intrigue. She had learned the value of nobility through the lofty girl named Aiseline.
‘I must become a person worthy of the title.’
Elente smiled softly and leaned her head against the window. The movement of the carriage, advancing with a clatter, felt like a gently rocking cradle.
‘Come to think of it… I heard that a necromancer who was active on Rodentz Island had hidden in the Ebelstein area.’
It was news she had heard through Lady Trisha.
As Elente had been on the scene during the Duplein ducal residence’s tragedy, she knew better than anyone how terrible and frightening necromancy was.
If she were to get entangled, she must not show any mercy.
“It’s been a while, noonim.”
“…Leonard?”
When Elente returned to the County of Belmeade, Leonard, who had been on a pilgrimage for a long time, revealed himself at the mansion.
It had been so long since she had seen the boy drinking tea in a corner of the reception room that she could barely even remember his face.
Leonard, who would have lived a life with no connection to the Belmeade family for several years. Elente did not show much surprise at the return of such a boy.
However, his impression had changed so much.
Leonard was a boy who, like all the people of the Belmeade family, had long, red hair.
However, Leonard’s hair, seen after several years, had turned white. His appearance was also more haggard than expected, to the point where she almost failed to recognize him.
She knew that a pilgrimage was arduous, but she was curious as to what he had gone through for his impression to have changed so much.
“…”
Elente found it difficult to judge whether she should be happy about her brother’s return or be displeased.
As if he had fully expected Elente’s reaction, Leonard let out a sly smile and leaned back on the guest sofa.
“It is truly comforting to return to the main house after a long time. The Belmeade family has also changed a lot while I was away.”
“…Yes. It has changed a lot.”
“I truly believed that Linus Hyung-nim would never step down from his position as the influential heir. But when I returned after a few years, I found that Elente-noonim had become the rightful heir of this Belmeade family… I was so surprised, I asked the servant several times.”
Elente glared at Leonard with eyes full of caution.
The Leonard she remembered was a person with a strong desire for power and was skilled in intrigue. The reason he had left on a pilgrimage as soon as he was completely pushed out of the heir competition with Linus was to devote himself to religion, secure a benevolent image, and bide his time for the future.
“So?”
Elente sat down in the seat opposite Leonard with a relaxed look.
And then, she struck a vital point with a sudden question.
“Do you want to push me out?”
At those words, Leonard’s eyes widened as if surprised, and then he replied coyly.
“Of course not. With what face would I, who has been away from the family, claim to be the heir?”
“…”
“I just wanted to greet you because I was happy to see you. No matter what anyone says, the rightful heir of this Belmeade is Elente-noonim, so please don’t worry too much.”
Although he was reassuring Elente with a bright smile, Elente could not bring herself to trust such a Leonard.
This was because from her brother, whom she had met after a long time, an indescribable demonic aura was flowing.
<><><>
Thump! Thump—!
Creeeeak—!
"Lord Baron. A letter has arrived."
"Hmm?"
The next day, a letter flew into the Ravencrow Barony, which was filled with construction sites.
Derek, who was watching the construction site with a complex expression, received the letter handed to him by Delbritten.
The seal of the County of Belmeade was stamped on the lavishly decorated envelope.