Chapter 85
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Omen
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‘What a truly paltry domain, indeed.’
A girl with purple twintails, clad in a straitjacket with a chain locked around her neck.
The Vault Keeper’s first impression of the Wyvern’s Roost was, to put it simply, one of disappointment.
No matter how pristine the building was.
It was still just a manor, consisting of a single mansion.
Worse, it lacked any attached farmland or pastures, boasting only a garden that doubled as a vegetable patch.
To the Vault Keeper, who knew the vast kingdom of the King of the Dark Grotto, it couldn't help but seem inadequate.
‘A proper domain should have at least a few villages, bountiful wheat fields, dense forests, and wide pastures, I tell you.’
…Of course, even in the era of the old kingdoms, domains that met her exacting standards were hardly common.
The Vault Keeper reluctantly suppressed her dissatisfaction.
She knew how rare domains had become in this day and age.
‘It is fortunate that the subjects are of high quality, at least.’
What did satisfy the Vault Keeper, to some extent, were the Dark Elves filling the Wyvern’s Roost.
Though they may have fallen into decline in the current era.
The elves were an inherently noble race.
They were a people who bowed not even to kings, let alone lords.
The sight of hundreds of such elves kneeling to welcome Dion was, even by the Vault Keeper’s standards, an impressive spectacle.
The only unfortunate fact was that the number of subjects was far too small…
‘Whether it’s the subjects or the domain, it’s just a matter of increasing them, you see.’
The Vault Keeper scoffed.
Though it might be meager for now.
Having inherited the power of the King of the Dark Grotto, Dion’s rise to the pinnacle of this world was a foregone conclusion.
Therefore, her greatest concern lay elsewhere.
‘Rather, it is the Master’s retainers that worry me, indeed.’
The Dark Elf maid.
The Dark Elf chieftain.
The woman of the witch tribe.
The girl of the Hunter tribe.
The boy of the Rabbitfoot tribe.
The man and woman of the Kobold Leader tribe, and so on.
The Vault Keeper’s eyes narrowed as she observed the key figures of the Wyvern’s Roost gathered in the meeting room.
There was Parsha, whose competence had been proven throughout their journey together.
And Arsha, who had flaunted her relationship with Dion from their first meeting, receiving his effusive affection.
She could accept the elves, acknowledging them as a lover and retainer befitting her master, but…
“Hara-ajeossi, ajumma. Do you know anything about the Rogue Nobles?”
“Regrettably, we have nothing to report regarding the Rogue Nobles.”
“Our father, the previous lord, kept his distance from the bandit nobles, for better or for worse.”
Leah Hara.
Chavera Hara.
A retainer’s duty was to find an answer for their lord, even if one didn't exist.
Yet these two vassals seemed to be actively avoiding the question, as if the very mention of the Rogue Nobles unsettled them.
“Pandora, did the Orc-ajeossi say anything else?”
“He offered no particular words, sire.”
“Still, if he’s been investigating the Rogue Nobles for some time, he must have found out something.”
“I apologize, but the investigation into the Rogue Nobles is a top-secret matter within the family, so I too know little.”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s why he asked me to investigate as well.”
The Calamity Princess, Pandora.
A witch, an ominous tribe to begin with.
Moreover, her inscrutable nature made her all the more unsettling…
A fiancée candidate, though not yet betrothed, whose unnecessarily prominent curves were particularly noticeable.
*Tilt.*
“This is something you don’t need to know, Furball. Here, have some of this.”
*Nod, nod.*
Orr Kai.
A mute girl of the Hunter tribe, who nuzzled her cheek against Dion’s before happily accepting a snack, her tail wagging.
She seemed less like a vassal and more like a pet…
A slave who was already pulling her weight simply by being a precious Driver.
“I have no choice, Bluffer.”
“…What do you mean, you have no choice?”
“I’m saying that while you’re not the most reliable, I’ll have to entrust the investigation to you, Bluffer.”
“Is that any way to talk to someone you’re assigning a task to…?”
“And yet, isn’t it rare for a job I’ve given you to be handled properly?”
“I did a great job spreading those rumors last time!”
“Right, after you ran away by yourself while we were fighting for our lives, only to slink back later.”
“I’m a low-rank Awakened, you know? If I hadn’t run, I would’ve been dead and turned into rabbit stew by now!”
And then there was Naru.
A pipsqueak who was supposedly an envoy for some low-life organization called the Guild.
Frankly, among all those gathered here, the Vault Keeper found this Rabbitfoot boy the most disagreeable.
Both for the fact that, aside from the Guild’s power, he seemed like an ordinary low-rank Awakened.
And because, unlike the others who had sworn loyalty to Dion or were close relatives, he was merely a collaborator.
In many ways, Naru was an ambiguous figure.
That was why.
The Vault Keeper interjected.
“There is no need for that, you see. I have an excellent idea.”
“You do, Shuttie?”
“Indeed, I do.”
“Hmm, what is it?”
Not only Arsha and the Hara clan, who still didn't know her well.
But also Parsha and Naru, who were all too familiar with her lack of common sense, looked at her with skeptical eyes.
Only Dion watched her with an expectant expression.
The Vault Keeper declared triumphantly.
“Whether they’re Rogue Nobles or rogue wenches, isn’t it a problem that can be solved by simply beating down anyone we see?”
“…Are you suggesting we just fight them?”
“Indeed, I am.”
“With the Rogue Nobles, whom even the Lord of Nakrang Fortress has been unable to touch…?”
“Even if that Orc cannot do it, the Master can, you see.”
“We could end up making enemies of every bandit… no, every noble in the Deformed City.”
“Then the Master can just take over the Deformed City while we’re at it, can he not?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The Vault Keeper answered confidently, as if wondering why they were agonizing over such a simple problem.
Only Parsha maintained her expressionless face.
While Arsha and the vassals of the 괴목장 (Goemokjang) fell silent, having now gotten a better sense of her,
Dion nodded his head in admiration.
“To so easily conceive of a method no one else could even imagine, Shuttie, you’re truly amazing.”
“Hehehe, but of course, I am.”
“In that spirit, Bluffer, I’m counting on you.”
“…Yes. I will be sure to uncover information on the Rogue Nobles.”
“What was that?!?!”
She had proposed such a brilliant plan.
Why was Naru making a resolute face, as if he were on a bomb disposal squad?
And why was Dion chuckling at her, looking at her as if she were a truly cute blockhead?
Unable to comprehend the situation, the Vault Keeper could do nothing but shriek.
* * *
In conclusion.
That day’s meeting ended there.
Ultimately, the investigation into the Rogue Nobles was left entirely to Naru.
There was no one else suited for the job besides Naru, the envoy of the Guild.
Not even Dion.
Even though he knew the future of the first timeline.
And possessed the memories of the second.
The Rogue Nobles were an organization that had collapsed before the previous timeline had even begun.
Dion might know the general reasons for their fall, but he was ignorant of the finer details, including their members.
That was why.
Despite having begun to probe the secrets of the fearsome organization known as the Rogue Nobles, the atmosphere at the Wyvern’s Roost became even more placid and peaceful than before.
On the surface, nothing had changed.
And for the common subjects, the mere fact that their lord had returned to the domain was a source of great reassurance.
But amidst it all, there was one person who had become busier…
“Increase our food stockpiles as much as possible. Focus especially on foodstuffs that can be preserved for a long time.”
“Concentrate labor on the production and storage of supplies, including weapons and armor.”
“As for ore, purchase as much as you can afford, but do so discreetly.”
The steward of the Wyvern’s Roost.
The chieftain of the Dark Elf tribe.
And the acknowledged concubine of Dion Unlight.
Arsha was spending her days more busily than ever.
From necessary supplies to preparations, many things differed between times of war and peace.
With the conflict between Nakrang Fortress and the Rogue Nobles now a certainty, the things she could and had to do were endless.
Yet, even as she toiled alone under this heavy workload.
Arsha was not distressed. Rather, she threw herself into her work with more vigor than anyone else in the domain.
It was not merely due to a sense of duty to her tribe.
It was the joy of managing and developing the Wyvern’s Roost as the steward of a domain.
And above all…
‘…After my daughter and my husband endured such hardships, I cannot allow myself to rest.’
A long journey away.
At the end of a perilous path.
The boy who had returned safely.
Remembering the faint scars that could be glimpsed all over his body, she felt it.
The regret of being able to do nothing but trivial tasks in the safety of the domain while the boy and her daughter faced such trials and injuries.
The relief that they had returned safely.
And…
…The utterly hot and warm sensation she felt when that boy had pressed a kiss to her ear as soon as he returned.
As she recalled it once more.
Arsha was touching her slightly flushed ear when it happened.
*Bang!*
“Why is this domain in such a state!”
“Is there something you are dissatisfied with?”
Utterly without warning.
A girl with purple twintails burst through the door of her office.
Even at the visit from Shuttie… no, the Vault Keeper, Arsha remained unperturbed.
Like the elf she was, having wandered Odobaekryeong for over a hundred years, she calmly inquired as to the reason for her visit.
“Of course, I am dissatisfied! Is it even conceivable for a domain to use its wine cellar as a vegetable pantry?”
“…And what is the problem with that?”
“You truly see no problem with that?!”
“I believe it is a matter of course…?”
“Is that what the steward managing the Master’s domain ought to say?!”
Wine was the mark of a noble’s dignity.
If there was no water, one should drink wine, and it was a disgrace not to be able to serve wine to a guest.
How could a domain possibly not have wine?
As she calmly dealt with the girl spouting such strange notions, Arsha thought.
‘As expected of someone from the old kingdoms, her common sense seems to differ from ours.’
While a noble who wasn’t offered purified water might draw their sword, one who quibbled over the absence of wine was rare indeed.
It was an act so nonsensical it was almost comical, but Arsha listened to the Vault Keeper’s story earnestly.
It wasn't just because she had heard of her prowess, how she had toyed with even the Soma Knight Order, though she might be weakened now.
It was because, whether as the steward of the Wyvern’s Roost.
Or as Dion’s concubine.
She had come to realize that there was some merit to the Vault Keeper’s指摘.
As a direct descendant of a Magus Noble House, Dion’s status was a cut above other nobles.
To uphold that dignity, a different kind of common sense was needed, one unlike that of the lowly elves.
From that perspective.
The Vault Keeper was a valuable existence.
Just by teaching her the etiquette of the nobility, which would be difficult to learn even with vast sums of money, she was worth more than most scholars.
Thus, Arsha calmly accepted the Vault Keeper’s words.
Or rather, she tried to.
“I’ve felt it ever since he accepted a traitor as his vassal, even if they are an elf, but the Master is far too unpretentious, you see.”
“…What did you just say?”
“Are you referring to the vassal? That is indeed another point of dissatisfaction.”
“Not that. I am talking about the traitor.”
“…?”
“As the steward entrusted with the management of this estate by my husband… no, by my lord, I ask you.”
Utterly bewildered.
Why was Arsha, who had been so calm just a moment ago, now exuding an aura so cool it was chilling?
To the baffled Vault Keeper.
Arsha, her usual elegance replaced by a face as cold as frost, asked.
“—Tell me everything about this elven traitor, from beginning to end. And be precise.”