A Different Kind of Clatter

The carriage wheels clattered over every uneven patch of road, jolting my vision into a dizzy blur. Sunlight slipping through the window scattered gently across Elina’s face like a soft veil.

“Lua, not there.”

A fluffy white bundle of fur had wormed its way into the gap of Elina’s leather breastplate and was busily gnawing on the restraint straps. Not long ago, this same woman had glared at me with bestial killing intent, her bare skin visible through the rags she wore. The Elina before me now was someone else entirely. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes clear and gentle as she cautiously stroked the little creature’s belly, and the corners of her mouth curved in a tender smile.

It struck me how cruelly life had treated her. To meet me on the threshold of death, become a slave, and then disarm so easily at a touch that had never been particularly kind.

The carriage came to a stop in the Arzen ducal house’s training grounds. The moment the door opened, the acrid smell of dust and the rough shouts of knights training poured in. The knight commander who had come out to greet us brightened and strode forward.

“You’ve arrived! I’ve been waiting. So, did you have a productive talk with Her Grace about the new training system?”

“Not yet.”

Even my curt reply didn’t dampen his spirits. He glanced toward the training field and let out a sigh heavy with expectation.

“Just look at them. The boys are burning with determination. They’re skipping breaks to swing their swords, yet their efficiency in real combat is abysmal. It’s driving me insane.”

On the training grounds, the knights were hurling themselves at each other with wooden swords until they nearly passed out. To my eyes, it was nothing but foolish attrition. Their muscles screamed under overload, and their sword paths carried more frenzied power than precision.

“Their passion is admirable,” I said calmly. “But passion without the right method is poison. That kind of reckless drive is the fastest way to shorten their lifespans.”

The knight commander scratched his brow at the obvious point.

“…And that’s exactly why I’m hanging on your every word. When you meet Her Grace, please consider our circumstances. Don’t demand too steep a price.”

“I have no intention of running a loss-making business.”

The commander shook his head, clearly aware he couldn’t win a war of words, then jogged back into the clamor-filled training grounds. I walked with measured steps toward Vivian’s office, Elina and Lua following.

Guided by the steward, we reached the door. When it opened, Vivian de Arzen looked up. Her complexion was noticeably better than last time. The mountain of work must have been cleared away; the emerald eyes that had once glittered with anxiety now held a measure of calm.

“Welcome, Lord Victor. And Miss Elina as well.”

Vivian greeted us, then spotted Lua and her eyes widened.

“Oh my… even Fenrir came along? How adorable!”

Lua flattened her ears against the unfamiliar surroundings and burrowed into my chest, but the appreciative gaze must have pleased her; her tail began to wag gently. Vivian asked carefully.

“Goodness… is this the Lua you mentioned? She’s truly precious! Um… may I hold her once?”

“By all means. Her name is Lua.”

At my easy permission, Vivian accepted the pup with careful hands. Lua seemed awkward in the stranger’s arms at first, ears still lowered, but soon licked the tip of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Vivian’s chin and began acting spoiled.

“Lua! What a lovely name. Lord Victor, this name… it wouldn’t happen to be connected to the ‘Lua’ of the Valois family that once dominated the western empire, would it?”

The unexpected question drew a indifferent reply from me.

“Who knows. I named her without much thought. There’s no particular connection.”

Vivian laughed. “Ah, I see. I must have overthought it.”

Elina was the last survivor of the Valois family. Even as her ancestral name passed through the conversation, she didn’t stir. That perfect stillness, not a single flicker in her eyes, felt more like excruciating endurance.

Soon the knight commander, having wrapped up training, joined us in the office. Once the atmosphere settled, I looked directly at Vivian and brought up the main topic.

“The knight commander wishes to adopt my training system for the Arzen knights.”

Vivian held Lua close to her chest, her expression shifting from the earlier innocence to a serious gaze as she studied me.

“I’ve heard about it. Everyone says it’s an exceptionally systematic and outstanding method.”

“However, I cannot remain here to oversee it personally. In the end, the experienced combat slaves I’ve trained will have to serve as ‘instructors’ and direct the knights. I doubt the Arzen knights will easily accept commands from slaves.”

Behind me, the knight commander’s smiling face froze in sudden realization. Vivian’s expression grew grave as well. A slave teaching knights touched the most sensitive nerve of pride in the empire’s class-based society.

Vivian stroked Lua’s back with slower, heavier movements, as if expressing her complicated feelings. Her intelligent eyes sparkled beneath faint dark circles as she considered the situation. Though her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, the words that left her lips were sharp.

“The knights’ pride can be broken by superior skill. The Arzen knight order worships strength, after all. If the instructors prove overwhelmingly stronger than the knights, they will accept the teachings not as commands from inferiors, but from the strong. I will arrange an official sparring match for that demonstration. Commander, what do you think?”

Vivian turned to look at the knight commander. Caught off guard by the sudden question, he stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.

“…A reasonable suggestion. However, Your Grace, no matter how skilled they are, the knights won’t be favorably disposed to receiving orders from slaves right away. An army runs on trust and hierarchy.”

“That is precisely why this is the only way, Commander.” Vivian countered firmly. “The current foolish training that grinds their bodies to dust doesn’t build trust; it only breeds stubbornness. Once they experience Lord Victor’s training methods, they will have no choice but to acknowledge it.”

Faced with Vivian’s bold yet logical argument, the knight commander finally lowered his head.

“If that is Your Grace’s will… I will prepare accordingly.”

With the matter settled, Vivian turned her gaze to me. Remembering how persistently she had demanded discounts during the previous slave purchase, she offered a deliberately mischievous smile.

“Lord Victor, about the slave purchase cost you mentioned last time. The Arzen budget is rather tight, and now we’re entering a new contract. Could you perhaps reduce the price a little more?”

“Your Grace, as a merchant I must decline. Instead, I would like to offer an alternative proposal. If outright purchase is burdensome, how about utilizing a ‘lease’ system?”

“A lease…?”

Vivian’s eyes narrowed. It was a concept unfamiliar anywhere in the empire. I explained the efficiency of leasing to the flustered duchess—the ability to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deploy personnel only when needed, with the company bearing maintenance costs and mortality risk.

Vivian stopped fidgeting with her fingers and struck at the weakness with precision.

“But what about security? Once the lease period ends and they return to your company, there is no guarantee that our family’s tactics or internal affairs won’t be leaked.”

Anticipating her sharp observation, I unfolded the thick parchment I had prepared in advance.

Vivian’s emerald eyes, which had been meticulously scanning the clauses, stopped at the fourth item. Her cheeks tightened slightly as she tapped the lease fee section with the tip of her quill.

“Ten gold coins per week… Lord Victor, no matter how skilled the instructors are, isn’t this rather expensive?”

I answered without batting an eye.

“It may seem expensive, but it is the cheapest investment. With my five instructors deployed, the entire knight order will completely master the training system in three to four months at most. If you document those guidelines for future reference, you won’t need the instructors anymore.”

I looked straight into Vivian’s eyes and drove the point home.

“Rather than hiring mediocre instructors elsewhere and wasting effort for an entire year, you understand better than anyone that rapidly multiplying the knights’ capabilities in a short period is far more beneficial.”

Vivian stopped her fidgeting fingers and looked down at the contract again. The scales in her mind quickly weighed the long-term efficiency gained through short-term intensive investment. Soon a faint smile of surrender ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spread across her lips.

“It’s an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unprecedented approach, but reasonable. Very well, I’ll sign.”

When she signed with elegant strokes, the magical seal glowed and resonated. Vivian set down the pen with a sigh of relief.

“Thanks to you, Lord Victor, the magic stone mine has returned to normal operation. That alone has lifted a great burden from my shoulders. The empire’s political situation has been so unstable lately that I’ve been quite worried.”

“The sparks of war spread without warning. It’s wise to prepare on multiple fronts.”

As I listened to her voice filled with relief, I smiled bitterly inside. The lease system was not mere convenience. By routing everything—from personnel supply to management and replacement—through my hands, it was a gradual process of subordinating the Arzen family’s internal ecosystem to my company. The more she relied on me in different areas, the more the Arzen ducal house would become a dependent entity that could not function even a single day without my will.

If there was a way to seize the reins, there was no reason to refrain from taking them.

Once the official discussion concluded, the rational tension that had filled the office subtly loosened. Vivian’s gaze shifted to Elina, who had been standing behind me like a shadow. A faint blush colored her pale cheeks as she spoke, emerald eyes sparkling with a hint of shyness.

“B-by the way, Lady Elina, your complexion has improved greatly since last time.”

Even as she offered the compliment, Vivian lowered her gaze to her toes in embarrassment, fingers fidgeting. Elina took a graceful step forward and bowed elegantly.

“You flatter me, Your Grace. It is all thanks to my master keeping me by his side day and night, tending to me with meticulous care. Because of my inadequacies, he has gone through so much trouble personally seeing to everything from the smallest detail.”

Elina’s voice was soft, yet sharp thorns clearly protruded from its end. At the phrase “day and night,” Vivian’s shoulders visibly flinched. Flustered, her cheeks grew even redder, but she refused to yield. She met Elina’s eyes and continued.

“My, Lord Victor is… that attentive? It’s rather different from the image I had of him… I’m almost jealous. It would be wonderful if he would show me such careful attention as well.”

Vivian’s voice trailed off as she glanced at me, then quickly lowered her head. Though shyness made her words nearly inaudible, they carried a strange mix of resentment and expectation directed at me.

Elina seemed intrigued by Vivian’s reaction. She stepped closer to my side, accepting the gaze. The young duchess of the Arzen family and the eldest daughter of a ruined house—two women’s eyes clashed in midair, sparking invisible flames.

What broke the suffocating battle of wills was Lua. As if finding the cold atmosphere between the two women amusing, the pup slipped from Vivian’s arms, rolled across the floor, then began spinning energetically around them both, tail wagging furiously as though declaring she would side with whoever won.

I rose from my seat, leaving the bizarre commotion behind.

“Then I will send the instructors in one week.”