Build-Up to True Madness
Mirinda was staying in one of the most luxurious rooms in the mansion.
Her expression was far from pleasant.
“My son, ahhh, my son!”
She regretted it for a moment.
Had she unnecessarily provoked Queen, that crazy bitch?
But the regret quickly twisted into hatred.
“Because of that rootless fucking bitch… Priest. How is our son?”
Her tear-streaked face turned vicious.
After examining Jerome’s condition for a long while, the priest shook his head.
Even though he was a renowned physician from the capital, Jerome’s state looked grim.
“It’s too late to intervene. His spine is already severely fractured, and he won’t feel anything below the neck.”
“You fucking half-baked healer! Fixing him is your damn job!”
“I’m sorry, but only someone on the level of the High Priest could manage it. And please mind your language, Lady Mirinda.”
“What? Call the High Priest right now! Do you even know who I am—?”
“The High Priest is not so idle as to spare time for a minor noble like you. The Saintess is the same.”
“Hah, you rootless bastard… You eat well off the taxes I pay—”
“Enough nonsense. If you truly wish for your son’s recovery, you would do well to compose yourself first.”
Even the priest had put her in her place.
Once he left, Mirinda collapsed to the floor and wailed.
“Aaaaaah! Queen, you fucking bitch! I won’t let you get away with this!”
The next day, morning arrived.
As always, I hoped Winz would bring my meal.
Tick… tock…
The clock’s minute hand crawled forward while my stomach clock spun wildly out of control.
Roughly an hour passed that way.
The door opened and Winz stepped inside.
Knock knock. Click. Creak.
“I’m sorry, my lady. Lady Mirinda has placed me under watch, so I won’t be able to bring meals anymore…”
Winz wasn’t carrying the usual tray today.
Instead, she had secretly brought a single baguette.
‘Why is the end all wet? Sweat, maybe?’
I sighed and shook my head. With that apologetic look on her face, how could I complain?
Still, I was curious what kind of expression she was making right now. Heh.
Anyway, Mirinda was really getting on my nerves.
‘So this is how you’re going to take revenge for your son? Cute. I’ll have to show you even more.’
I shook my head to reassure Winz. It wasn’t her fault.
“Did you forget I’m a noble? I’ll just buy something to eat.”
I stood up. As I left the room, I reminded myself of Queen’s character.
‘Known as the family’s worthless trash, and the territory residents don’t think much better of her. My face has even been sold off. I wonder if I’m infamous enough to get cursed at just for walking down the street.’
A powerless noble might earn some pity, but that was wishful thinking.
Think of how school bullying victims get treated. It wouldn’t be much different.
As I tried to leave the mansion, Winz suddenly grabbed my right arm.
Her overwhelming volume pressed softly against me.
“Are you really going out to eat?”
“What choice do I have? Are there any servants here who actually listen to me?”
I was satisfied with the wary glances people gave me.
Winz clutched the hem of her skirt, hesitated, then lifted her head.
“Then I’ll go with you…!”
“No. You’re not even my bodyguard. I can’t drag you into this.”
Truthfully, I had already tested the waters. Without Alonso around, I basically had to go everywhere alone.
I wanted to know how much Winz cared about me. She seemed to value me somewhat, but I needed to figure out exactly who was friend and who was foe.
Winz shook her head. Her steady gaze pierced straight into my chest.
“I felt heartbroken after Alonso ended up like that.”
“Why?”
“Because you… became alone. So even if I’m lacking, I want to stay by your side.”
“You must be busy as head maid.”
“Huhu, the head maid isn’t actually that busy! If you just order the other servants around, that’s all it takes!”
Winz laughed brightly. She really was a woman full of different charms.
She could feel like a mother silently supporting me from behind, yet also like a same-age friend who was both friendly and adorable.
I agreed without hesitation.
“Yeah, sounds good!”
Winz-mom, I like you way too much.
We left together. Winz suddenly grabbed my clothes and tore them.
Riiip! Tear!
“H-huh? Winz?!”
What the hell was she doing? I was supposed to be the crazy bitch of this area.
But Winz’s outfit quickly transformed into a stylish outing dress based on her maid uniform.
“My lady, why?”
“Ah, no. I just think you look pretty no matter what you wear.”
I gave her a compliment, caught off guard by how naturally it came out. But it was sincere. She really was beautiful.
Her cheeks flushed red.
“Oh my, the best compliment ever! My heart is trembling…?”
“Enough joking around.”
We left the mansion in a warm atmosphere. Winz kept subtly rubbing against me as we walked.
“So, what are we buying first?”
“I’m hungry, so let’s grab some snacks. I also want to buy basic equipment.”
“Basic equipment…?”
I figured I had to tell Winz everything. Even if something happened, she could probably handle it.
I explained it all. After all, the family head—my father—already knew.
Winz’s eyes went wide.
“My lady, are you serious?!”
“Yeah. Honestly, aren’t you excited too, Winz? How high this former idiot is going to fly.”
“That may be true, but… the world isn’t an easy place!”
“What’s with you all of a sudden? Do you still not trust me?”
Frustrated, I smacked my own chest while asking. Of course, she immediately thrust her face right up to mine.
Wow. Up close, she was ridiculously pretty.
“It’s not that—take me with you too! My place is by your side!”
Ah, this was real skill.
Even while holding the position of head maid, Winz declared that her true place was beside me. Really, you are…
‘Honestly, I’m touched. Has anyone ever gone this far for me before? Probably not.’
She wore a stubborn expression, refusing to back down.
Though “stubborn” mostly meant her eyes were cutely wide and her cheeks were puffed out.
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
Just one short approval.
Winz looked like she could fly from joy.
We arrived at the territory’s bustling district. Since buying expensive gear right away would be risky, we decided to start with something reasonable.
What if I bought pricey stuff and never used it?
Adventuring was full of unpredictable events.
As we crossed the street, criticisms already tickled my ears.
“Oh dear, isn’t that her? They say her head never developed as much as her body.”
“Queen, was it? Why’d she come out?”
“I heard she doesn’t even count as a noble, pfft.”
“Don’t make eye contact. She’ll bring bad luck.”
That was why image mattered so much. Even a scumbag could win over the masses if he maintained a good public image.
Yet here I was, getting insulted simply for being incompetent, without ever harming anyone.
Winz trembled with anger as if it were her own problem.
I stopped her.
“Ah, look at these sweet praises. Is there anyone more famous than me?”
“But my lady…!”
“It’s fine. They’re just passing noise. How could they possibly judge our lives? Let’s just focus on our own business.”
I couldn’t afford to care about every little thing. Reality was just like the internet.
People who wanted to hate would hate.
Why would someone with a good personality like Sonny or Pewdiepie still get hated despite zero controversies?
And yet, why did they remain so unshakable?
First, we headed to the blacksmith.
‘One expensive item and several ordinary ones. Consumables would be ideal.’
We arrived at the blacksmith shop. As I browsed the items, Winz suddenly laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”
“No reason. You just look cute when you’re concentrating, my lady.”
She was really pushing the line. I was still a noble, after all.
Well, whatever. Treat me casually if you want.
Of course, even I was a complete beginner at adventuring. I might make mistakes, but that was my burden to carry.
Besides, copying the original protagonist wouldn’t work—our characters were completely different.
I spotted a pair of boots I liked and placed them on the display stand.
A blacksmith glanced at me and approached.
He had a lean, muscular build.
Still sweaty from work, with soot smeared across his face.
The moment he saw me, he scratched his head.
“Sigh… Can you actually afford anything?”
“Huh?”
“If you’re just here to mess with commoners, leave. I won’t bother filing a complaint to the lord.”
As expected, total disregard. My shoulders shook with laughter.
How could I not laugh at this situation?
The blacksmith twirled his finger beside his head.
“Looks like you’ve lost it. Get lost.”
“I should teach you some manners.”
“…What did you just say?”
“You see that scrap-iron display stand? From the first item to the last, I’ll buy them all.”
Whoosh—thud!
I casually tossed a money pouch after speaking.
A commoner’s monthly living expenses were roughly 30 gold, so this pouch held more than ten times that amount.
Hence the weight and heft.
The blacksmith peeked inside and swallowed hard.
“Kuh… W-what? Really?!”
“Why? Should I just buy the entire shop? How much?”
“N-no! I was rude! I’m sorry!”
“What are you waiting for? Bring out everything worth that money. And…”
I pointed at the boots I had placed earlier and tossed two enhancement stones as well.
“Even an outskirt blacksmith should know what these are. I’ll have you enhance them with these, so do it properly.”
“Huk, two Ringudites…!”
“I gave you two, not one. You won’t disappoint me, right?”
“T-that’s…!”
Ringudite.
A rare metal with water-absorbing properties.
Its transparent color was distinctive, and its durability depended on the smelting method.
In other words, I didn’t know this blacksmith’s skill level, but handling it wouldn’t be easy.
There was at least an 80% chance of failure.
If that happened, I could hold him responsible.
In the end, whether in novels or reality, money ruled everything.
At that moment, a shadow fell over us, and a veteran blacksmith appeared with a pipe in his mouth.
Rock-like muscles, a thick ashen beard, and red eyes hotter than the forge flames.
“It seems my apprentice was rude. I apologize.”
“Then how about cutting off one of his arms?”
“…I admit he made a serious mistake. But he’s my only apprentice, so please…”
“It was a joke. Why so tense? I was aiming for that reaction, though. Hehe.”
The seemingly stubborn blacksmith looked flustered. Ah, that expression was nice too.
Doing things I could never do in reality gave me a strange sense of pleasure.
He quickly regained his composure.
“You’ve made a purchase and requested enhancement. You chose well. I’ll handle it right away.”
“How long will it take?”
“Could you wait about five minutes?”
“Just do it properly.”
One money pouch really did change everything. I turned to Winz.
“Let’s wait outside for a bit, Winz.”
“Y-yes…! My lady.”
As we left the shop, Winz puffed out her chest.
“Whew, that felt so refreshing! The territory residents badmouth you all the time, you know.”
“It’s fine. Now it’s just a matter of time before they start recognizing my true worth one by one.”
We walked through the shopping district, a place especially crowded with people.
‘First, I need to change my image here. Being acknowledged only by the family feels too petty and boring.’
I casually touched my waist.
Several thick money pouches rested there.
I had brought quite a bit of my previously detained assets precisely for moments like this.
I approached the nearby merchants one by one, greeting them with a smile and buying their goods.
It didn’t matter how many.
The merchants looked at me in a daze at first, but when I bought large quantities of expensive fruits useful for potions or dieting, their expressions changed instantly.
Eventually we reached a general store run by a frail-looking woman.
While browsing, I noticed her sighing.
More than that, I was surprised to see her face.
Huh? Why was this character here?
‘That fiery red hair, light freckles, scar on the forehead… Isn’t she the daughter of a famous merchant group?’
“Do you have any worries?”
“…If it’s not rude, may I speak? Do you know about the people who’ve been stirring up trouble in our territory lately?”
“Stirring up trouble? Are they connected to our family?”
“No. They’re underworld thugs…”
Underworld thugs?
Our territory’s security shouldn’t have deteriorated enough for thugs to run wild.
An unpleasant feeling crept over me.