The Baroness of Tygon
The situation finally ended after the nobles, Isabella, and Vera’s older sister Vesna joined us at the villa.
“How horrible.”
“To think a witch was living this close by.”
The white-haired girl examined the marionettes and traces of sorcery left behind in the villa, uncovering evidence one piece at a time that proved the girl had been a witch.
“There was no owner in Tygon Territory, so it’s not surprising someone claimed a spot for themselves.”
Farm Village Kron. Forest Village Cashew. I had heard from Syucali that every village and region deeper inside was collectively known as Tygon Territory.
Just as Isabella had said, Tygon Territory was land without a master—ground nobles had no interest in—so beings like witches had taken root here.
“But that’s no longer the case, is it?”
“Exactly. That’s why what comes next is what matters.”
While the corpses from the villa were being cleaned up, I watched Isabella steel her resolve.
“There’s going to be a mountain of work to do now that I’ve received this barony from the count.”
Isabella had built up wealth and prestige through years of running her trading company, and she had used both to strike a deal with the Kidichi lord. What she had wanted was noble status, and it appeared she had succeeded in obtaining it by aiding the count while he was locked in a territorial war.
I straightened my clothes in the corner before naturally joining Isabella and Paula.
“Lady Isabella, does this mean you’ve become the lord of Tygon Territory?”
“Yes. They handed me this monster-infested patch of abandoned land.”
Isabella had become a noble and been granted the deserted Tygon Territory. She would never have accepted it thoughtlessly. It was clear she already had countless plans now that she held the barony.
“The Kidichi Count abandoned this land, but it’s also the territory where I first built my trading company.”
Confidence rang in Isabella’s voice.
“One day, I’ll make it even greater than the Kidichi domain itself.”
She was not the kind of woman who would stop simply because she had obtained noble rank. She already had ties to many aristocrats and was steadily building her own faction by gathering talent. The trading company had merely been the foundation. For Isabella, everything was only just beginning.
“Since the count has abandoned the territory and is busy with the war, he won’t have time to pay attention to it.”
“Hehe.”
Isabella smiled, confirming my words were correct.
“At least this farm village near Kidichi Hill might prove useful, but it’s still far beneath the level of the Kidichi domain.”
“And yet you believe it’s possible?”
Paula gazed at Isabella with worried eyes.
“Others may call it abandoned, but to me this place is like a hometown. I know exactly what’s here, where everything is, and what can make money.”
The merchant Isabella seemed to have anticipated receiving Tygon Territory from the start; she already appeared to have mapped out every resource the land could yield.
“We’ll need a lot of people.”
“Which brings me to my point.”
Isabella added one more sentence while looking straight at me.
“Kang Seo-ja, I need you.”
“……”
There was a reason she smiled while saying it. She needed someone who would work beneath her.
Paula must have helped set the mood from the side.
Isabella had been aiming to secure me from the very beginning. Otherwise she would never have come here accompanied by Vesna, Vera’s older sister and a high-ranking knight.
“I have no objection. An adventurer moves when the compensation is satisfactory.”
“Exactly. Nothing is more trustworthy than money.”
Isabella gave a pleased laugh and stroked my backside with a playful pat.
“However, if you’re a noble close to the royal family, associating with black hair brings nothing good.”
I spoke to her coldly. Black hair was a remnant of the fallen royal family from the past. Any white-haired royal who witnessed this scene would surely frown. Employing me carried that much risk.
“Shall we continue this conversation somewhere else?”
“Understood.”
Isabella clearly wanted to leave the villa before giving a direct answer. She probably wished to avoid prying eyes and speak freely when only the two of us were present.
We left the villa and headed for the village inn. Isabella had rented the entire building.
“This is the best inn the village has to offer.”
Although the farm village had grown, its development revolved around adventurers, so there was no proper mansion suitable for a noble. Isabella simply rented the finest inn outright and used it like her own estate.
Afterward I was invited to the room where Isabella waited.
-Knock, knock, knock.
“Come in.”
When I opened the door, only Isabella and Paula were inside. Food and wine had been elegantly arranged on the table.
“Sit down.”
As I had heard back at the villa, Isabella needed many people. The reason she had invited me here and prepared a luxurious dinner was obvious.
“This is far too extravagant.”
“I think it’s still lacking. After all, you’re the one who made my beginning possible.”
“I merely did my best as someone in your employ.”
“Exactly. That sense of responsibility is what I want in a person.”
I sat openly in the chair and placed a piece of perfectly grilled meat into my mouth. Isabella watched me and emptied her glass.
-Glug, glug…
I stood, refilled her glass, then returned to eating.
“As I said before, hiring me will be dangerous.”
“But the returns will be just as great, won’t they?”
“That’s still a gamble.”
“A master merchant must not fear failure. Besides, I’ve already seen the results.”
-Glug…
Isabella filled my glass in turn.
“Why did you bring me along on the supply request?”
It didn’t seem like she had hired me simply because I had once passed her information about Margaret, who had been preparing an act of terror.
“You were perfect for it. Like you said, nobles despise black hair. Neither the Kidichi nor the Poila family would have hired you. That meant I would be the only one employing you, so you wouldn’t betray me. I decided you were the safest choice.”
Isabella had used the psychology of the nobility to hire a black-haired man. In the context of that supply request, I had literally been someone she could trust one hundred percent.
“But you turned out to be an even bigger jackpot than I imagined.”
“I was simply lucky.”
“Hehe. While I do look at a person’s ability, I believe luck is something even more important that can never be ignored.”
“……”
“You showed me so much. You managed the morale of the hired hands, uncovered the traitor among us, got the carriages moving again, and even stopped a mage. Because of you, I’ve become a noble.”
There was something in Isabella’s eyes that resembled a witch’s obsession. She was clearly fixated on me.
“Hoo… I even dragged a witch into this. Are you sure you can handle it?”
“Even the sharpest blade changes depending on who wields it. As long as I employ you without giving you any important post connected to the nobility, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“Someday that problem will catch you by the ankle.”
The larger my reputation grew, the more dangerous people would come looking. It remained to be seen whether a newly minted baroness could withstand that pressure.
“Don’t underestimate me too much. Hehe.”
“After this supply request, I feel like I’ve seen everything…”
“Aah~ This feels so good.”
“What does?”
“The feeling of being protected by a man, of course.”
“You’re going a bit far with the topic.”
“No, it really does feel wonderful.”
Isabella tilted her glass and gazed at me with intoxicated, heated eyes.
“I’ve climbed this far by trusting my instincts. So if I let you slip away now, I know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Even though it’s dangerous?”
“Even if it’s dangerous, I don’t think I’ll have any regrets.”
“You’re a fool.” I lifted my glass. “Gulp… gulp…”
“Pfft, pfft.”
Paula laughed softly beside us. She must have felt the same way while watching Isabella all this time.
“Very well. I will help you, Lady Isabella.”
“Thank you.”
“However, I won’t be able to assist you often. I have my own tasks to handle.”
“If I called you too frequently it would draw attention anyway. I’ll only summon you when it’s truly dangerous and important.”
“Understood.”
I clinked my glass against Isabella’s and drank.
“Then shall we draw up the contract now?”
“You’re preparing the contract already?”
“Of course. I can’t let anyone steal you away.”
After the meal, Isabella rose from her seat and approached me. She gently cupped my face and pressed her lips to mine.
“Chu… chu… lick…”
I had thought “contract” meant writing a formal document, but that wasn’t it at all.
“Let’s write the contract properly at night, slowly and thoroughly.”
“It’s the same as during the supply request.”
“Exactly. A succubus-style contract, isn’t it, Paula?”
Paula, standing nearby, began removing her armor as well.
Even after becoming a noble, Isabella remained unchanged. She had simply seized even the poison known as black hair in order to fulfill her ambitions.
“Chu… chu… hauup…”
We moved naturally to the bed. Isabella licked and sucked my cock while Paula held my face and continued a deep, passionate kiss. The two of them were seducing me to secure my employment. Since they had already formed a contract with me once before, their movements were smooth and familiar.
-Gluck, gluck, gluck!
I came heavily across Isabella’s face. Even as her features were dirtied, she tasted the semen with an even more seductive expression. She ran her tongue along my balls, licking up every drop that had spilled down, pleasing me thoroughly.
“It seems ninety percent of your reason for hiring me is for night service.”
“Hehe… That’s not entirely wrong.”
“A capable man who’s also skilled in bed is worth risking danger for.”
Both Isabella and Paula worked hard to capture the heart of such a man.
“Do I still look more beautiful to you than jewels or dresses?”
Isabella held my shaft and rubbed its tip against the entrance of her pussy as she asked.
“If you weren’t beautiful, I wouldn’t be here with you.”
“Hehe… So I’m still valid as a woman.”
-Squelch…!
I thrust into the tight gap of Isabella’s folds until I was buried to the hilt.
“Haaaa…♡”
Isabella shuddered in delight.
“What exactly will my duties be?”
“For now, let’s head to Cashew Village together~”
“I was planning to collect my rewards and return anyway.”
“Huuung~ What rewards~?”
“The artifact I’m supposed to receive from The Ear, and the E-rank adventurer badge from the guild.”
“Those people can be rather difficult~”
“Will you help me?”
“Hng~ Hng~”
Isabella rocked her hips atop me, swallowing and releasing my cock in a steady rhythm.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for one of my own people.”
“Thank you.”
Just as Isabella was using me, I was also making use of a noble’s influence. It wasn’t a bad arrangement. Tasks that would have taken an F-rank adventurer like me days or even months to resolve alone could be handled quickly with Baroness Isabella’s help.
Besides, spending time with a beautiful female noble wasn’t a relationship formed for money alone.
“From now on, I will serve you properly.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Last time I collapsed without accomplishing anything, but this time will be different.”
I changed positions and began another round of night service with Isabella and Paula lying on the bed before me.