Chapter 2: The Hidden Boss Becomes a County Owner
The morning of the second day after Patrick had convinced me to journey home by carriage and had made the subsequent arrangements, the two of us set out for Dolkness County. We were seen off by the mansion’s servants and Eleanora, who’d come by for some inexplicable reason.
I’d ridden with Patrick and Rita for the first portion of the journey, while Rita’s younger sister, Sara, had ridden in the carriage that had followed behind us, which was packed with our belongings.
We’d taken a break for lunch a few hours into our travels, and had only just started traveling again when a wave of sleepiness washed over me. My consciousness began to fade in and out, but just as I was about to drift away entirely, I was shocked awake by the carriage rocking violently.
What’s with this road? I thought, disgruntled. Is it made out of gravel or something?
I yawned, turning to Patrick. “Isn’t the carriage rocking a bit too much?”
“The roads must be bad,” Patrick said, a look of displeasure coming over his face that made me think he wasn’t too fond of the rocking either. “This is what happens when the owner slacks off.”
Whoever’s in charge of maintenance here must really not get it, I thought with an inward sigh. I don’t know if they’re just cheap or what, but anyone with a brain knows that if the roads are bad then the transportation of goods will stagnate, which will result in the number of people who visit your domain decreasing. If that happens, your economy can’t grow, and tax revenue will decrease.
I grew more and more irritated as time went on—I could stand the slow speed of the carriage, but I couldn’t tolerate the incessant rocking.
I’d like to have a word with whoever’s in charge if I ever meet them, I thought darkly.
“Seriously, what could these people be thinking?” I complained aloud. “Do you know the name of the territory we’re in?”
“I’ve memorized the map, but since it’s my first time actually visiting, I’m not sure,” Patrick admitted.
Guess we’ll just have to ask some locals, I decided.
Just then, Rita, who was sitting across from us, gave us a hesitant look and said, “Um... We entered Dolkness County a few moments ago.”
“I...see...” I said.
Forgive me, it seems my own county is the source of the issue.
I turned toward Patrick, hoping he would save me from the intense urge I was currently feeling to run screaming from the situation, but he just awkwardly looked away.
“Th-There’s good things about Dolkness County too though!” Rita burst out. “Like...thieves don’t really come here!”
“Right. Thanks...” I said numbly.
Even though I’d thanked her, I wasn’t really sure her words had done much for me. I mean, sure, the world of LMH was dangerous, but I’d never heard of anyone encountering thieves.
I just don’t think thieving’s really “in” right now, you know?
Still, there was no use in being upset. I needed to get the lay of the land first—and judging by these roads, the state of the county was even worse than I’d thought. And that was before we turned down a new road, which stretched between two barley fields. I’d always associated barley with a golden, yellowish hue, but the stalks in the fields in front of me were completely green. The grains hadn’t even grown in.
“These aren’t growing well at all,” Patrick muttered, eyes gloomily staring out over the lush—but green—barley fields.
You can’t be serious! I moaned internally. The roads are bumpy, the fields are in shambles... I’m scared to even ask how the people are doing.
Honestly, I didn’t even have to go and check—people living in such a run-down county definitely wouldn’t be bopping around, full of life.
“If only I’d known it was this bad sooner...” I said softly.
But, in the end, I knew I was just feeling sorry for myself. If I’d visited home even a single time while I was attending the Academy, I would have realized what was going on. Still... I sighed. I guess there’s no use crying over spilled milk.
I drooped into my seat, reflecting on how silly I’d been to be satisfied with just seeing a bunch of positive numbers on a balance sheet.
“There’s no need to be so down,” Patrick said, doing his best to comfort me. “Your studies at the Academy are going to prove vital in managing the county now.”
“Thank you,” I told him, but my voice was weak.
“Also... I’m not trying to put the blame on you or anything, but how did you not notice how bad things were back when you lived here?”
“Back when...I was living here?” I said slowly.
Oh, right. I was living in a mansion in Dolkness County until three years ago, when I entered the Academy.
The truth was, back then I’d spent most of my days traveling back and forth between my family’s mansion and the dungeon that was located nearby. I hadn’t had a clue what a horrible situation the county was in.
“I...don’t remember going anywhere beyond the dungeon and home,” I finally replied. “I didn’t talk to anyone here back then either.”
“I’m sorry...” Patrick said, a sad look coming over his face. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
All at once, the atmosphere in the carriage became incredibly awkward. I didn’t think I’d been particularly unfortunate—after all, I’d gotten to grind experience as much as I’d wanted—but it was clear from the pitying looks on Patrick and Rita’s faces that they didn’t agree.
◆◆◆
After spending over half a day rocking in a carriage, we finally reached our destination—Dolkness Village. By then the sun was setting and golden light was washing over the town, which had no rampart to cast it into shadow.
Dolkness Village was the largest town in the county, and sat almost exactly in the middle of my family’s territory. As such, it was only natural that this was the town in which the county owner’s mansion was located.
As I took in the place where I’d spent my childhood, I realized it felt quite slow in comparison to the Royal Capital.
I guess that’s just what the countryside is like, even if you are in the most prominent city in the county, I thought.
“Their economy seems to be in pretty bad shape...” Patrick murmured.
He’d told me just moments ago that, compared to other provincial towns of a similar scale, Dolkness Village was seriously lacking in the energy and vigor departments. The main road alone was enough to make one realize how bad off the town was—it was made of cobblestone that seemed to have been put in just for the sake of it, and which hadn’t been maintained at all, just like the roads leading into the county. The uneven surface made our carriage wheels jump and clatter loudly with every turn.
As our carriage moved further into town, memories of my old home started trickling into my mind. Now that I think of it, that mansion I was living in must be quite old by now, I realized.
I opened a window and stuck my head out just in time for the mansion to come into view. It had only been three years, but I still felt nostalgic seeing it again.
Just moments later, the carriage slid to a stop in front of the old mansion, and the horrific sounds the wheels had been making were cut off completely. Servants came pouring outside in a continuous stream, as if our arrival had been heralded by all the noise. They lined up in front of the mansion by the dozen.
I did send them a letter informing them of the approximate date and time of our visit, I thought. They certainly seem to have prepared.
Patrick stood up, then turned to face me before stepping out of the carriage. “I said it before, but I’ll say it again: first impressions are important. Please remember to be as gentle as you can.”
I nodded. “Got it! All I need to do is make sure they aren’t scared of me.”
Patrick silently inclined his head to my response, then climbed out of the carriage.
All right, time to get my friendliness on!
It had only been three years since I’d seen the staff that worked at the mansion, but things were completely different now—I was no longer the little girl they hadn’t known how to deal with and had left to her own devices—I was the head of the family. As such, it was completely understandable for them to fear that I would want to get revenge on them for some perceived childhood slight.
I just need to make it clear from the get-go that I have no intention of doing that, I decided.
I exited the carriage after Patrick, and tried to send them all an endearing smile, but...well, that was impossible for me, so I ended up maintaining my usual expressionless look.
“Hello,” I said to all of them. “It’s been a while. I haven’t forgotten the fun days I spent here; I would love to give back to all of you for taking care of me.”
All right, we’re starting off strong! I thought, internally pumping a fist. All I’ve got to do now is drive home the fact that I’m a peaceful, mature person. I should probably try and give off a dependable vibe too.
Determined to do it right, I continued, “As you all know, I’m level 99... You understand what that means, yes?”
Ah, it feels good to let them know that I can secure their safety no matter what, I thought with a happy little inward sigh.
Honestly, I was feeling pretty proud of myself with that last line—I’d sounded like a total badass. Everyone else, however...well, they weren’t giving me much of a reaction. The older men and women were all frozen, public servants and maids alike.
I turned to Patrick to ask him what was wrong, only to find him holding his head in his hands. He let out a deep, weary sigh.
Ah, come on! I thought, disappointed. Can someone respond to me, at the very least?
I swept my eyes across the group in front of me, and they all bowed deeply before daring to make eye contact with me.
Are they scared of me after all? I worried. I really am no good at building interpersonal relationships...
I hadn’t minded being alone back at the Academy, but this was different—I was going to be working with them all from now on! I couldn’t run from this. And so, I decided to properly face them.
“Remember, you can’t run, even if you want to,” I mumbled to myself. I’d meant the words just for me, but my words resonated more than I expected, ricocheting throughout the silent area.
“Eek!” one of the maids screamed, falling to the ground.
Multiple other servants collapsed after her, strewing the ground with limp bodies. I reached out to one of the people that had passed out, intending on helping them since no one had made any other such moves, when Patrick grabbed my arm and pulled me to a halt.
“Hey, why are you stopping me?” I demanded, confused. “My magic would be useful here.”
Patrick stared at me blankly for a moment, then understanding settled on his face. “Oh, you mean your recovery magic.”
“What else would I be talking about?” I asked.
I should be able to take care of everyone at once...and if I spread my recovery magic over this whole area, I can heal their old wounds as well.
I raised my arms up toward everyone, preparing to cast my spell, but then froze when Patrick bonked me on the head.
“Are you trying to scare them even more?!” he demanded, clearly exasperated with me. “Just stay still and don’t say anything.”
I was a bit intimidated by the force of his words, so I stayed quiet. I wasn’t happy about it, though.
Now that he’d gotten me out of the equation, Patrick began to speak, his voice strong and resonant. “I apologize for Yumiella scaring everyone,” he began. “I’m Patrick Ashbatten, and I’ve come here to support her in managing the county. She’s often misunderstood, but Yumiella is a good...” Patrick paused. “A good...”
Don’t hesitate there!
Patrick cleared his throat. “Well, she’s not a bad person, so you can relax.”
Hearing Patrick’s words, the servants looked at each other and then back at us, as if surveying the situation.
Ah, I get it now, I thought to myself, nodding. I just need to tell a totally sick joke and blow away everyone’s concerns!
Just as I was settling in to wait until the perfect moment to attack came along, Patrick turned to face me. “Like I said earlier, don’t say anything,” he said firmly.
I silently nodded. Looks like this isn’t the right time.
All of a sudden, something came to me. I desperately wanted to tell Patrick, but I wasn’t supposed to talk, so I decided to try and convey my message to him through charades. I pointed to the sky and flapped my arms like wings.
He should totally get that! I thought confidently. We’re practically telepathically connected as it is.
“Now what?” Patrick said with a sigh. “You can speak—just tell me.”
He didn’t understand... Well, it doesn’t matter now; he’ll probably notice himself.
Still, I felt like I should tell him. “Ryuu’s here.”
“What?!” Patrick’s face blanched. “Wait, Ryuu should come as slowly as possible—”
I shook my head. Even if Patrick wanted Ryuu to take his time before getting here, that just wasn’t going to happen. I hadn’t used magic to signal our location, but Ryuu was already in the sky above us—that meant he’d been following our carriage from the air, which indicated that he’d been worried that we might get separated during the move.
Before Patrick could protest any further, my endlessly clingy dragon came soaring down at us at full speed. There was a thunderous boom when he landed, and the ground shook with the force of his impact, sending a dust cloud puffing into the air. Eventually though, it faded, and my jet-black dragon emerged from within the debris. He let out a long growl, as if to say, “Nice to meet you.”
“Everyone, this is Ryuu, my dragon. He just said it’s a pleasure to meet everyone.”
A few more people collapsed, and Patrick let out a sigh.
Huh, I thought, weird. I thought the atmosphere around here would soften with the addition of a mascot-like presence.
Among all this commotion, a middle-aged man stepped forward, bowing slightly. “Welcome home, master,” he said respectfully. “I am Daemon, the acting deputy of this county.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Daemon,” I replied.
I gave the man an appraising look. So, that tired-looking man is the deputy suspected of cooking our books, huh? I feel like I may or may not have seen him around while I lived here.
The deputy flushed. “There’s no need to be so formal with a servant, master! Please simply refer to me as Daemon.”
I knew better, I really did. Speaking so formally was just a reflex from my past life, when I’d had to speak politely with everyone I had a business relationship with, regardless of hierarchy. I thought I’d gotten over that, what with how much of aristocratic society I’d been exposed to while at the Academy, but it seemed I hadn’t quite been able to let it go.
I’m just going to cause him trouble, acting this way, I decided. I need to focus and change my tone of speech with him. Still, even so, him calling me “master” felt like a bit much. I guess “miss,” “mister,” and “mistress,” would all be wrong, so that’s what he landed on.
Finally, I replied, “Thank you, Daemon. But, um...I would like it if you wouldn’t call me master.”
He nodded. “Understood, Lady Yumiella. You must be tired from your long trip; we’ve already prepared your room, so please rest. We’ll begin preparing a room for Sir Patrick right away as well. All that’s left is...” Daemon looked up at Ryuu and fell silent.
He must not know how to handle a dragon.
Deciding to help him out, I asked, “As far as Ryuu is concerned...do we have some space in the yard?”
A look of relief came over the deputy’s face. “If that is where you’d prefer he stay, there is an open field located at the far end of the mansion. The only problem is that he’ll end up outside of the mansion’s walls.”
Daemon explained that Ryuu would be exposed to rain for a while, but I knew my boy would sleep like a log even in an unroofed area in the middle of a downpour, so I figured he’d probably be fine for now.
If it comes to it, I’ll sleep outside with him. I can sleep like a log in the middle of a downpour too!
“I appreciate your help, Daemon,” I told the deputy, turning toward my dragon. “Did you hear that, Ryuu? You get the open area behind the house. Mommy’s got to do some work now, so you’re free to do as you like.”
After letting out a growl of affirmation, Ryuu flapped his wings and flew up into the sky, his figure soon receding into the distance.
He’s probably curious about his new home’s surroundings and went off to explore, I thought. I just hope he doesn’t bring me home a monster as a gift.
Daemon relaxed a little and released a sigh now that Ryuu was gone, but quickly reassumed his dignified air. “My apologies. Well then, let me show you to your room.”
I paused, looking over the servants who’d come to greet me on the lawn. Half of them seemed to be knocked out.
“Um, are you sure these people going to be all right?” I asked. It didn’t seem right to just leave them and head inside.
Patrick, however, had no such qualms. He gave me a push from behind, urging me inside the mansion.
“Hey!” I said, narrowing my eyes at him over my shoulder.
“It’s better for their health that you’re not around,” Patrick said bluntly.
I drooped a little, giving into Patrick’s strength. Is my mere presence really that much of a health hazard? Should I...be regulated by law...?
I couldn’t be sure on that, but I could be sure that my meeting with the servants of the mansion had been a disastrous event.
◆◆◆
After that, Daemon took control, leading us through the halls of the mansion.
I was feeling a bit distracted though, since I was worried over leaving Rita behind. I hope she’s all right, I thought with an inward sigh.
“Daemon,” I called out to the man walking in front of us, “I’m not too tired, so I’d love it if you’d show me the office before anything else.”
After a short pause, Daemon responded, “Yes, as you wish.”
The time it took for him to answer made Patrick and I give each other silent looks—both of our faces seemed to say, “Yep, he was cooking the books and embezzling funds after all.”
I mean, it was obvious that something nefarious was happening.
As we continued to walk, I decided to casually ask Daemon some questions. “So, how long have you been working as the deputy, Daemon?” I inquired.
“I believe it’s been around twenty years,” he said after a moment’s debate.
So he started before I was born, I mused. That’s quite a long time.
“I see...” I said slowly. “My parents currently reside in the Royal Capital; would you prefer to serve them?”
The deputy shook his head. “My loyalty lies with the Dolkness family and Dolkness County. I am meant to serve the county owner.”
I didn’t know quite how to take that—I’d asked the question to try and get a gauge on how he felt about the commotion I’d caused in my family, but he’d given me such an innocuous answer that I hadn’t gleaned a thing. Daemon might look like a worn-out old man, but it was clear he was quite the tough cookie.
Before I could continue my interrogation, Daemon paused outside of a door. “This here is the office,” he said.
I peeked inside—it was so organized that it didn’t even feel like a workspace.
They must have hurried and cleaned everything up a week ago when they found out I was coming, I decided.
I went ahead and asked to see the ledgers for the past few years, and was handed the same documents that Ronald had shown me in the Royal Capital. Just like then, the tax revenue was shown to grow slightly every year, which was highly unnatural for a county whose commerce revolved around farming. And now that I’d seen the terrible state the county’s economy seemed to be in, I was absolutely certain something problematic was going on.
“Daemon, has our tax revenue always increased in this manner?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s been that way since I’ve taken this position,” he agreed. It was a nonchalant reply, but I didn’t miss the bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
I turned to Patrick, who had been silently looking through the statements, and he shook his head. It appeared that he had no idea what had been changed, or even how it had been done. I sank into deep thought, which seemed to spur Daemon onward.
“The tax revenue will continue to increase as long as you leave everything to me,” he swore, his voice panicky. “You can just leisurely enjoy your days off, and not worry about the county, Lady Yumiella...”
I gave him a dubious look. “From the look of the various things I saw on my way here, the county seems to be in a pretty bad state...”
“It’s fine, Lady Yumiella, I assure you! Profits will increase next year, and the year after that, and they’ll go entirely to you.”
He doesn’t sound like he wants me to butt in on the management of the county, I mused. He’s definitely guilty. But if that’s true, why does our tax revenue continually increase? It should be decreasing if he’s been lining his own pockets. I guess it would be an issue for him if his abilities came into question as a result, but farming is heavily dependent on weather, and farming makes up most of our tax revenue. It’s only natural that there would be some decreases. The only people who wouldn’t understand something like that are... Oh.
Now that a proper explanation had come to mind, I turned to Patrick to confirm my suspicions. “Patrick,” I said, “if we take into account the scale of Dolkness County, is our tax revenue high or low?”
“It’s definitely high,” Patrick said as he put away the documents he had finished reading. He was likely thinking the same thing as me.
I turned to my deputy, who had intense dark circles beneath his eyes. Time to throw some questions at him so we can get a real answer.
“Hey, Daemon,” I asked casually, “why did your predecessor leave this job?”
“They were fired, due to a decrease in profits...” he said slowly.
Oh god, it’s just as I thought, I realized, barely holding myself back from slapping a hand to my forehead. My theory was spot on.
When I’d been thinking Daemon’s actions through, I’d come to the conclusion that Dolkness County had likely just been a mechanism to generate money for my father. The only way a deputy would have been able to keep his job under a man like that was to make sure the county’s revenue increased every year—if he failed and it decreased, my father would just fire them.
Plus, if tax revenue didn’t increase even after changing deputies, my father would have likely been unreasonable and decided to crank up the tax rate. In order to avoid that issue, Daemon had apparently made sure to always present paperwork which stated that tax revenue was increasing at a constant rate.
Fraud was fraud, but if I was right, this fraud was a result of Daemon doing what was best for the people of Dolkness County.
Now, what to do. We can’t avoid him being punished since he’s falsified the documents that are submitted to the kingdom... But, wait, would I also be responsible as his supervisor? I grinned internally. Then I shall act like a proper aristocrat for once and give self-preservation my best shot!
“Hey, Patrick, was there anything strange about the documents?” I asked in a contrived tone.
He shook his head. “Nope, there wasn’t a single thing wrong. Those documents looked perfect to me.”
“Then...it would be fine to say that Daemon is a deputy who worked with integrity, yes?”
“Yeah, you can do as you please,” Patrick said with a kind smile, clearly catching on to where I was going with this.
Since there was no evidence, and the fraud hadn’t been carried out due to greed, my plan was to act like we hadn’t seen or noticed a thing. Still, despite that, I truly did want to thank him for all of his hard work up till now.
“Daemon, I apologize for all the hardship I’ve caused you this past year,” I apologized sincerely. “Thank you for continuing to support Dolkness County.” Daemon stood there, frozen in shock, as I continued, “This was work that someone of the Dolkness family should have been doing, so I hope you’ll continue to assist us now that I’ll be...‘adjusting’ your duties.”
I bowed to him, and Daemon pressed his fingers against his eyes. “I-I... Um...” he stammered, choking on his words.
Wait, are you crying?
“I falsified documents... I hid the profits from years we had crops and applied it to the years with no yields.”
I held up a hand. “Hey, you shouldn’t be admitting to this.”
The older man let out a sniffle. “The county’s problems were beyond my reach, and now its financial state is in shambles. I haven’t been able to work on any of the public works projects in ages.”
“Well, the county’s finances are in shambles because most of the money was being sent to my parents in the Royal Capital, right?” I pointed out.
As far as I saw it, if Daemon hadn’t been here, the county could have ended up being in an even worse state than it was now.
My commendable deputy looked straight into my eyes and said, “Yes, but it’s true that I falsified documents.”
It’s like he’s prepared to be punished, I thought.
“Even so,” I replied, “I would like you to continue to support Dolkness County moving forward. Is that all right with you? Oh, but if you don’t want to be associated with this county anymore, I have an invitation for you from someone in a high position in the Royal Capital...” I pulled out the referral from Ronald and handed it to Daemon, but he immediately refused it.
“I, Daemon, vow to do everything in my power for this county and for you, Lady Yumiella,” he said, bowing to me out of respect.
All of a sudden I felt a bit strange. Um, isn’t this the same thing that happened with Rita...?
Still, I felt deeply reassured that Daemon, who had worked hard as the county’s deputy for years, had promised to continue to work along with me.
“I truly apologize for misunderstanding you, Lady Yumiella,” he said, bowing again.
“No, I apologize,” I told him. “I should have come by before now. I’m sure you thought I was just after money, like my parents.”
“Oh, well, that was part of it...”
“Part of it”?! What else could he have thought about me?
Before I could ask, Patrick’s hand gently plopping onto my head stopped me. “It’s good that you were able to clear things up,” he said, smiling gently at me.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Even though people were passing out earlier, after this I think things will be all right.”
Thinking of how I might be able to build good relationships with all of the servants, most of which had been knocked out by the entryway, made me feel deeply moved. At least, until Patrick burst my bubble.
“There’s no way things will be fine just because of this,” Patrick cruelly proclaimed. “Those people are probably more scared of you than people were at the Academy!”
But people were really terrified of me at the Academy... I thought reluctantly. Does Patrick honestly think it’ll be worse than that here? That’s not true, is it...?
I looked over at Daemon to get some reassurance that wasn’t the case, but he evaded addressing my fears by changing the subject.
“I-I meant to ask earlier,” he stammered, “but am I correct to assume that Sir Patrick is your caretak—... I mean, fiancé?”
Did he almost call Patrick my caretaker? And then...call him my fiancé instead? He’s not, at least not yet. Plus, even if he was, I could never introduce Patrick to people as my fiancé. That’s way too embarrassing.
My brain stopped functioning properly due to the embarrassment, so I tried to put things into simple terms. “Patrick is, um, you know... He just kinda tagged along.”
“He ‘kinda tagged along’?” Daemon said, repeating my words with a blank expression.
Hearing it come from someone else’s mouth made me sound heartless. I turned to look at Patrick to apologize, but he looked completely dead inside.
“‘Kinda tagged along...’” he quietly mumbled to himself.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” I said hurriedly. “I’m really grateful that you came with me to Dolkness County, but our relationship isn’t like that of an engaged couple, where it’s natural to be together. If you were to put it into extreme terms, we’re kind of like strangers in some ways.”
I paused, growing more embarrassed by the moment. The more I talked, the worse I seemed to be making things for myself. And for Patrick, judging by the heaviness of the air around him.
“U-Um, but if I had to pick whether I liked you or didn’t like you, I don’t not like you! And, if I had to pick whether I was happy or unhappy you came, I’m not unhappy, so...”
Internally, I screamed in agony. Why can’t I just honestly say, “I’m happy you came because I like you”?!
As I stood there at my wit’s end, Patrick let out a sigh and gave me a slight smile.
“Oh, I think I understand,” Daemon said to himself.
◆◆◆
I wanted to speak more about how we would run the county from now on with Daemon, but the three of us decided to rest for the day and have a proper meeting tomorrow.
The room the staff had prepared for me was the same room I had lived in before; it was on the second floor. It had taken me a bit to realize it was the same room, as there wasn’t a single item inside that was a personal belonging of mine, and the layout of the mansion was unclear to me. But once I looked out the window, I knew exactly where I was. I’d used to jump right out this very window into the tree just outside, and I’d used its branches to climb over the mansion’s protective walls.
“How nostalgic...” I sighed. “Now I could get over the walls in a single jump, so I wouldn’t need that tree anymore.”
“Please don’t leave from the window,” Rita said from behind me, shoving me from my daydreaming.
She was apparently assigned to me once again.
“Do you think you’ll get along with everyone here, Rita?”
She nodded cheerfully. “Yes, they have been treating Sara and I very kindly. They also let me be the one in charge of looking after you.”
You sound like you’re boasting, Rita, but I think they just forced a job they didn’t want onto you... I gave an inward shrug. As long as she’s happy about it, I guess it’s fine.
“However,” Rita said, her expression twisting with displeasure, “I cannot accept their attitude toward you, Lady Yumiella. No matter how much I tell them about your benevolence, they won’t believe me.”
I sighed. Rita was probably having the opposite effect on my reputation the more she spoke.
Back when I’d attended the entrance ceremony at the Academy, the same thing had happened—I always seemed to stumble at the first step of building relationships with people. If I could figure out what I was doing wrong, I would have done my best to fix it, but try as I might, I couldn’t think of any aspect of myself that needed improvement.
“I wonder if I just have a terrifying atmosphere to me,” I said with a sigh.
“I don’t think you do,” Rita responded after a moment.
I narrowed my eyes. What was that pause for?
“Doing something bizarre and being misunderstood by those around you is just another one of your characteristics, Lady Yumiella,” Rita continued, shooting me a smile to cheer me up. “I revere that part of you as well.”
“Still...I’d like to fix those parts of myself.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Rita said seriously.
Do you have to rain on my parade right away?! I moaned internally. Could you try and encourage me at least a little?
I blew out a breath, trying to reassure myself that everything would be fine.
I’ll just slowly get to know them all over time. We’ll have plenty of chances to get friendly, even if nothing changed during my three years at the Academy... I sighed. I think that’s enough for the day. I’ll start the real work tomorrow.
“I’m going to head to bed now,” I told Rita.
She nodded. “Understood, have a good night.”
“Wait! Don’t leave me alone!”
Rita paused, giving me a strange look over her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Until that moment, I’d completely forgotten that right now, Patrick was also in this mansion. He hadn’t shown his true colors at the mansion in the Royal Capital, but that didn’t mean he would continue to be a gentleman here.
There’s no doubt about it, he’s after me!
“What should I do if Patrick comes here?” I babbled in a panic. “Will I be all right if I lock the door? Can I fight him off if he comes in?”
“Just do whatever you’d like...” Rita said with a curtness that was unlike her.
Before I could say anything else, she’d quickly left my room.
I’ve...been abandoned.
◆◆◆
The next day, Patrick, Daemon, and I gathered in the county owner’s office to have our kick-off meeting regarding how we would manage Dolkness County. Unfortunately, even though it was an important meeting, the first between all three of us, I was sleep deprived.
“What’s wrong? Were you unable to sleep in a new room?” Patrick asked, concerned.
I shook my head. “I can sleep anywhere... Wait, didn’t we just have this conversation?”
Although I’d been braced for something to happen last night, Patrick had never shown up.
Now that I think about it, someone who just tagged along to visit another person’s home wouldn’t come to their bedroom, I thought with a sigh. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if Patrick and I are really a couple after all.
But regardless of my nighttime woes, today was about how we would be running the county. We jumped right into the discussion, with Daemon explaining the details about the Dolkness County’s current state.
“The main industry in Dolkness County is farming, with a majority of fields growing barley. There are other crops and some livestock farming as well, but those are in the minority...”
After that, Daemon continued to give us a general overview of the county. There was a lot I was already aware of, but I listened intently to make sure I had the right information. His explanation covered a wide range of topics, from major towns and small villages scattered across the county, geographical information like what rivers flowed through the area, and the age demographics of its residents.
“I think that will cover the basics,” Daemon said when he was done. “I have more detailed information about the county for you if you are interested, so please let me know if you have any questions.”
“Thank you. From what you told us, the county’s...kind of normal?”
Honestly, that was all I had to say after hearing his explanation of the county—it was normal. Whether you counted it as a good thing or not, Dolkness County had no particular features. The only reason it was in such a bad state was because of human interference.
“As for the problems in the county,” Daemon continued, “we are in a great deal of debt, and the maintenance of the roads has fallen by the wayside. In addition, there are some areas that require the construction of flood-control structures.”
Hearing Daemon’s explanation made me feel like there was a whole mountain full of problems to solve. And, as far as I could tell, each and every problem had been caused by the county’s lack of funds. The highest expense on the books was the sum sent to my parents, so our financial problems would surely improve somewhat moving forward, but there were a few other things I was still concerned about.
“Are there any issues like starvation in our county?” I asked Daemon.
“We haven’t had any deaths due to starvation yet, but it’s been a close thing,” he admitted. “Every single one of the villages is in a tough situation.”
I nodded. “All right then. Let’s not collect any taxes this year.”
“P-Pardon?” Daemon stuttered, absolutely shocked.
It wasn’t like I planned to exempt the people from taxes every year—it was just a special treat for this year in particular, to help the people and to show off what a good county owner I was.
Bribing people to gain favor is a basic move, I thought, pleased with my decision.
On top of that, I also decided to move forward on various public works projects.
“First, we’ll fix up the roads, and then we’ll work on the flood control that’s been held off for decades,” I said slowly. “We can take care of the debt last, right?”
“Um, Lady Yumiella, that’s...” The more I spoke, the paler Daemon grew.
Oh, he might be thinking that I’m an idealist who doesn’t understand the reality of the situation we’re in, I realized. The person in charge butting in on management without understanding how to actually run things is what Daemon’s been avoiding most for all this time.
It was then that Patrick, who had been listening silently until now with his arms folded, spoke up. “You’re smart at the very least, so you must have some idea for how you’re going to fund all that, right?”
I nodded. That’s right! I had good grades at the Academy, and I am pretty smart. Though adding on “at the very least,” makes it sound like the rest of me isn’t so great.
Daemon seemed to be confused by the same phrase and repeated it back to Patrick. “‘At the very least...’?”
“Yup, Yumiella’s sharp. She’s just also crazy.”
“I see,” Daemon responded.
I stared at the two of them, mildly offended. Hey, Patrick, meet me out in the back later! Also, why are you just satisfied with that explanation, Daemon?!
I cleared my throat, then dived into an explanation of how I was planning on funding the county’s large-scale renovations. “There’s only one place to go if we need money,” I said lightly.
Patrick nodded. “I guess that’s our only option. I’m sure with your reputation it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Well, yeah, with me it should be fine.”
“We’ll just have to find somewhere with low interest rates,” Patrick mused. “You might not like it, but if we ask the royal family, we may be able to get away with no interest at all...”
Well, at least I’ve got Patrick on board! Though, what was he talking about at the end there...?
Daemon seemed to have caught on to what we were talking about as well, but he didn’t seem as into the idea as we were.
I guess it’s only fair he wouldn’t like it, I supposed.
“Are you sure we should do that?” Daemon asked. “It’ll take decades to pay off.”
Patrick shrugged. “It’s an investment we would be making sooner or later. In that case, the sooner we invest the better.”
“Wait, what are you two talking about?” I said, interrupting them as the conversation started to go in a direction I didn’t understand.
They both looked at me, baffled, and I decided to clearly explain my intentions before things got too out of hand.
“I’m going dungeon crawling,” I told them.
“What?!”
“You’re going to a dungeon?”
I gave them both confused looks. Hold on, did they not get what I was talking about?
“Yeah,” I said slowly. “You see, the thing with money is...you can earn an infinite amount if you dungeon crawl.”
For someone at max level like me, dungeons were money factories. There were valuable magical instruments lying in the depths of dungeons, and though I didn’t understand how it worked, treasure chests would reappear each time you entered. And, of course, the monsters that appeared would drop magic stones.
Obviously, the amount of capital in Valschein and the world outside was limited, so there would surely be a limit to how far I could take things—but for now, dungeon crawling could make ends meet for the county.
“I hate that I can’t deny that it’s a good idea...” Patrick said with a sour face.
He could surely understand my thought process, having entered dungeons on numerous occasions to grind levels—dungeons were profitable with no risk and required no seed money.
“I don’t know much about dungeons, but if something were to happen to you, Lady Yumiella, as the head of the family...” Daemon trailed off, his tone worried.
I doubt he’s ever stepped foot in a dungeon before, I thought. But...what does he think could happen to me?
I tilted my head and thought about it, but I couldn’t come up with an answer.
“You don’t have to worry about this one,” Patrick said with the same sour look. “There’s no point in it. It’s a waste of time.”
“Is that so...?”
I wasn’t sure what Patrick meant, but I could tell that he was saying something horrible about me. Whatever, I thought. As long as everyone’s satisfied with my idea, we’re fine. Though, since I’m going to be digging in the gold mines known as dungeons, maybe they should change my title from county owner to miner...
As I mused over new monikers, Patrick went on to explain to Daemon how much money could be made in a day of dungeon crawling.
“Dungeons are that profitable?!” Daemon exclaimed, his eyes widening with shock.
Patrick shrugged. “Well, that was an estimate based on Yumiella and my own levels.”
“I see, so the profitability is due to your high levels.” Daemon gave us both looks of respect.
I felt a bit shy, getting a look like that from him—I was used to being praised for my high level, but it was nice to actually be useful for once.
“Maybe I grinded all this time in preparation for this day,” I said, a slight smile coming to my face.
All of a sudden, I felt like I understood the meaning of life, and the meaning behind all the grinding I’d done up till now. I’ll leave my own mark on history!
“I thought grinding was just your hobby,” Patrick said coldly. “That, or it’s just in your nature.”
I sighed—he’d ruined my profound moment. I chose to be the bigger person, though, and turned my attention back to Daemon. I had a question on my mind.
“So, Daemon, have there been any issues with monsters attacking? With the current financial state, I’d imagine you couldn’t get around to culling.”
Monsters generally didn’t leave their habitats. Of course, there were exceptions, such as an overpopulation of monsters leading to an invasion of human settlements. Because of that, culling needed to be done to thin out the population of monsters in areas with the possibility of overpopulation. Most places that required this were mountains and forests near villages. Secluded regions which people couldn’t get into were fine to ignore as monsters wouldn’t leave those habitats. With Dolkness County having had to severely cut corners on public works projects like road maintenance, it wouldn’t be surprising for there to be an increase of monster attacks.
“Currently, there aren’t very many monster attacks in Dolkness County,” Daemon answered with a slightly troubled look. “There are some areas that we’d like to focus on and decrease the attacks, but there haven’t been any serious cases.”
“Oh? That’s surprising.”
“The attacks greatly dropped around ten years ago. According to the villagers in that area, there’s some sort of mountain god.”
“A god?” I asked, intrigued.
There were various myths and faiths in the world of LMH, but all the stories about gods appearing were pretty unlikely tales. I didn’t really like the sound of my county getting help from such an uncertain entity.
“It’s just a rumor, but there were also some who say they saw a little girl with black hair in the mountains... Oh.” Daemon’s voice squeaked on the last word, as if a realization had surprised his voice into a higher pitch.
I shivered. A little girl alone in the mountains sounds like a horror story. I don’t like that.
“I think it sounds pretty suspicious,” I mused. “I used to sneak out and visit the mountains and dungeon when I lived here, but I never saw anything like that.”
“Oh, so, the god truly is...”
“Yup, definitely.” Patrick turned to Daemon, and they nodded in agreement.
They left me in the dark at that moment, but I was destined to soon learn the identity of the god I’d heretofore been unaware of.
◆◆◆
It had been almost two weeks now since we’d first come to Dolkness County, and I was spending the majority of my time flying around the territory, exterminating monsters with Ryuu. I’d felt bad leaving the maintenance of the roads to Daemon, but when I’d told him that he’d just laughed and said that everyone had been assigned the jobs that most suited them.
Does that mean he thinks I’m best suited for monster extermination? I wondered. If so, I can totally get behind that.
Other than that, we’d been focused on executing expensive charitable policies, one of which was opening our food reserves to areas that were running low on supply. I mean, if they couldn’t eat bread, why not let them eat cake? Okay, we weren’t actually feeding them cake, but we could certainly pour out some money to buy them more bread. I figured that if we ran low on funds, I could always just earn more money dungeon crawling.
As a result, I’d decided to take some detours to the Dolkness County dungeon in between exterminating monsters. It was a dark-type dungeon—in fact, it was the very same one I’d used in the past to help Alicia grind experience. It was pretty unpopular, since dark magic put the other four main elements at a disadvantage, but since I used dark magic myself, my spells had always been just as effective. To put it more simply, the dungeon was close and convenient.
The same cycle went on for so long that I began to think that my job as the countess of Dolkness was just to hunt and defeat monsters—that was, at least, until another job was finally sent my way. Or rather, shoved my way by Patrick, who presumably was feeling uneasy over my being assigned monster-hunting duties for so long.
My new assignment turned out to be making courtesy calls. Basically, I was to visit the towns and villages of Dolkness County and introduce myself as the new countess. There was just one problem: I was absolutely terrible at stuff like this.
I thought we were assigning the right people to the right jobs! I thought mournfully.
“I’m telling you, things like this always turn out the same with me,” I told Patrick as I prepared to head out. “Everyone always hates me.”
“Why do you say that?” Patrick asked kindly, noticing how down I was feeling. “It’s not like you to be so pessimistic.”
I sighed. “I just think I’m easily misunderstood. And I’m not the most social person either.”
“You just realized that?”
It was the incident with the mansion’s servants the other day that had really driven things home for me. I mean, the only people I could actually manage to have a proper conversation with other than Patrick were Daemon and Rita! I might be able to get along with Rita’s sister, Sara, too, but I still wasn’t quite sure about her.
Even beyond that, I couldn’t even walk around Dolkness Village without people either grimacing at my black hair or running away screaming once they realized who I was. And yet, I’d still have to go around at one time or another and meet them all.
I just need to prepare myself mentally, I decided.
“So, where are we going first?” I asked Patrick.
“We’re heading to a small village nearby,” he said, turning to face me. “Seriously, you don’t have to look so sour. They’ve already heard about the tax exemption for this year, so I’m sure they won’t give us too much of a hard time.”
“I hope you’re right...”
You know what, I’m calling it, I thought to myself. They’re gonna react to me in some insane, over-the-top way, just like they would if a whole swarm of baby spiders got released.
Both of us absorbed in our own thoughts, we walked quietly together to the entryway of the Dolkness mansion, then headed outside.
“Ryuu, let’s go for a fly!” I loudly called out.
My darling dragon, who was at the far end of the mansion, climbed to his feet and began to make his way toward us.
“You are planning on making an effort to not scare everyone, right?” Patrick asked warily.
I nodded. “Yeah, but I can’t put on a cheery smile or anything like that.”
Is there something else I can do to make the people of my county more comfortable? I wondered.
I pet Ryuu, who’d landed in front of Patrick and me not too long ago, as I considered my options.
Part of the reason the townspeople and the villagers are afraid of me is my black hair, so I could try and disguise it somehow, I mused. But honestly, I’d rather not. That would kind of undermine my efforts to eradicate discrimination toward people with my hair color.
I turned to Patrick, who was casually petting Ryuu’s sharp talons, and began explaining my line of thought. Once I was done, he nodded, not seeming surprised at all.
“Just do the best you can,” he told me.
◆◆◆
We’d arrived at our destination, but...currently, I was in a bit of a pickle. I looked at Patrick, who was standing by my side, and discovered he looked just as lost as I felt. Ryuu was long gone—he’d left to play in the river. I wished I’d gone with him.
Left with nothing else to do, I looked back at the villagers before me, who were the source of our combined confusion. They were, well...praying to me. On their knees. While, uh, calling me “Mountain God.”
“Oh, Mountain God,” one villager murmured, bowing his head in worship. “We thank you for fighting the monsters in our stead.”
“We cannot provide you with the sort of offerings that would satisfy you, Mountain God,” another villager continued. “But we shall give you everything we have, should you ask it of us.”
What’s going on? I thought, baffled.
It had all started when we’d first arrived at this village, and I’d called out a greeting to an elderly man. He’d immediately begun to make a fuss about the “Mountain God” appearing, which had led the villagers to gather together and begin praying to me, resulting in our current situation.
I’d thought the whole Mountain God thing was just drivel the man had spouted due to his old age, but judging by the villagers’ reactions, all of them worshiped the thing regardless of their age or gender.
“Um, who exactly is this ‘Mountain God’?” I asked them. “I think you might have the wrong person.”
And here I thought they’d be afraid of me, I thought ruefully. Now I’m having to clear up an entirely different sort of misunderstanding.
“The Mountain God is you,” responded the elderly man who’d started the whole thing. He seemed to be acting as the village’s representative. “There can be no doubt. We worried for you over the past few years, as you suddenly stopped appearing to us.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken,” I told him with polite frankness. “I’m just a regular person. My name is Yumiella Dolkness, and I am the new countess of this territory.”
“A regular person?” Patrick teased.
I gave him a cold look. “That’s not the point right now! Can’t you back me up, and tell them that I’m not a god?”
Patrick shrugged. “Well, I can’t say for sure, but I believe the ‘Mountain God’ they’re referring to actually is you.”
I stared at him in disbelief. When exactly did I become a god?
As I stood there, mind whirling, Patrick went on to ask the villagers a number of questions. Thanks to his careful questioning, we learned a lot about this so-called Mountain God. Apparently, she’d first appeared over ten years ago, and was a young girl with black hair. She’d seemed to grow older with every year that passed, and she’d looked around fifteen the last time they’d seen her, which had been around three years ago. Also, they’d seen the young god manipulate darkness in order to destroy monsters.
That person was...definitely me. They must have noticed me during the time that I’d really buckled down on my grinding, which would have been a handful of years before I entered the Academy. Honestly, I probably should have realized the god was me when I’d heard about them from Daemon, but I’d never imagined anyone would refer to me in such a way.
“Everyone, I am no god,” I swore, trying to explain things once more. “However, I will still continue to take down monsters. If you feel you are in any trouble, please let me, your new countess, know.”
I fell silent, feeling a little nervous that the villagers would think they’d been duped. Would they be upset with me? Sad?
It turned out the answer was neither, apparently. Cheers suddenly broke out across the camp, with some villagers even pumping their fists.
“So the Mountain God is running this county now?”
“No!” I said, quickly trying to correct them before things got any further out of hand. “I was never a god in the first place, so—”
“That’s great! The village is in good hands!”
“Hooray to our god! Hooray to our countess!” the villagers cried, still continuing to cheer for me.
I looked at Patrick, desperately hoping that he’d have a way out of this, but came up with nothing. He just gave me a nervous smile, as if to say, “This whole matter is out of our hands now.”
Seriously, why are they reacting like this? I moaned internally. How did this happen?!
◆◆◆
I was met with similar reactions in all the other villages I visited. It seemed that the entire area was filled with believers of the Mountain God. There was even a village that tried to offer a human sacrifice to me, which caused quite a commotion.
After that, I finally gave in. Whatever, believe what you want, I decided.
When we weren’t actively fending off worshippers, we tried to strike up a dialogue with the villagers, trying to find out if they had any problems they were facing. Most of them fell silent, hesitating to ask anything of us, but eventually we came across a village that was actually willing to request help.
“That boulder over there has been getting in our way,” the head of the village explained to us, pointing at a towering boulder sitting in the middle of a nearby field. “It makes it difficult to split up the field, and it’s been blocking off the sunlight to the crops in some areas.”
I nodded. “I can handle it.”
I walked up to the boulder, looking up toward the top of it. The massive rock was at least double my height and was even wider than I was tall.
I can’t believe that my first request is a physical task, I thought, holding in a laugh. This mayor seems to understand where my true strength lies.
Examining the boulder, it soon became clear to me that I wouldn’t be able to wrap my arms around it in order to carry it away. So instead, I just punched my fingers straight into the side of it.
“Hey, wouldn’t it just be easier to use magic?” Patrick called out.
I kind of agreed with him, but if I stopped now it would look like I wasn’t strong enough to pick the boulder up. That wouldn’t be impressive at all.
Committing to my plan, I hoisted the boulder into the air, clenching tight with my fingers in order to hold on to it.
“Up we go!” I said triumphantly, then blinked when I realized a good deal of earth had come up along with the massive rock. It seemed the boulder had been considerably larger than it’d appeared on the surface—as in, nearly double the size.
So, you hid your true power underground? Heh, not too bad for a boulder.
“Stay back! You’ll get hurt!” Patrick warned the villagers.
Those who had stuck around to spectate scattered away as I lifted the boulder high above my head. In the battle of Yumiella versus the large boulder, I had come out unambiguously victorious.
So, where should I dispose of this rock? I mused. There are barley fields all around, so I can’t just get rid of it here. It should be somewhere far... Guess I’ll throw it.
I spun my body a full one hundred and eighty degrees, using the momentum I generated to chuck the massive boulder forward. It went soaring, vanishing into the sky.
I turned around triumphantly, inwardly grinning at the excited, overjoyed looks on the villagers’ faces.
Ah, it’s nice to be useful.
Patrick, however, didn’t seem too happy with me. “Yumiella, you didn’t get rid of it with magic, did you?” he demanded.
I shook my head. “I just threw it. Is something wrong...?”
“Listen closely,” Patrick said. “Things that go up eventually fall down.”
I know how gravity works, Patrick, I thought, inwardly rolling my eyes. Oh, but what if they haven’t discovered gravity yet in this world? Did Patrick figure it out all on his own?! Is he an Isaac Newton-level genius?!
Patrick’s expression was so full of exasperation at this point that I turned over what he’d said in my head one more time.
Gravity is present in this world, just like in my old one. So, it follows that if I drop a cup it falls to the floor, and if I chuck a boulder it will crash to the ground... Oh.
“That boulder...it’s going to land somewhere,” I said, the realization sinking in.
I mean, I was strong, but I didn’t think my throw had enough force behind it to actually send it into space. Which meant that Dolkness County faced the possibility of being destroyed by a massive meteorite.
I glanced over at Patrick and we nodded in unison, then took off running in the direction I’d sent the boulder flying.
“This is why I said to use magic!” Patrick grumbled.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay?!”
We ran through the barley fields at speeds even a wild animal couldn’t reach. I could only hope we would be forgiven for the destruction we were wreaking along our way.
I looked up to the sky as I ran, trying to catch sight of the boulder that was going to come raining down on us at any moment. But, despite the considerable distance we’d run and the amount of time that had passed, the meteorite was nowhere to be found. At this point, we’d gone so far that we couldn’t even see the village anymore.
Patrick suddenly stopped running, freezing in place, so I stopped with him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Yumiella...what angle did you throw that boulder out at?”
“Um... I think it was pretty upward.”
Patrick’s face went pale. “Do you think there’s a chance that we’ve passed the boulder, since you threw it up so high?”
I considered this option. Using an extreme example, if I’d thrown the boulder straight up, it would have fallen down to the exact same location. Because I’d thrown it at such an upward angle, it was possible the boulder hadn’t traveled that far away from the village at all, and would land quite close to its original placement. Just as this realization sank in, a thunderous sound rumbled through the air behind us.
“It was behind after all,” Patrick muttered.
We turned around, preparing to sprint back, then stumbled on our feet as shock waves shot through the earth, caused by the rock’s impact.
That must mean that the boulder is close by, I thought, tension leaking out of me. So the village is safe, at least.
As I stood there relieved, Patrick jumped out in front of me. He stood with his back to the area where the meteorite had landed, holding his arms out as if he was going to hug me.
“You’re in the way, Patrick! I want to see the meteorite too!” I grumbled, pushing him aside so I could stare at the landing site, which was currently covered in a cloud of dust.
There was a large hole in the ground, around thirty...no, fifty meters in diameter.
Just how fast did that boulder come crashing down that it made a hole multiple times as large as its own size?
As I stared at the gaping hole, I realized it was almost a perfect circle.
“Look, look!” I said excitedly, turning to Patrick. “Isn’t it incredible?”
“I know I’m not really a dependable shield for you to hide behind, but come on...” Patrick sighed. His gaze turned a bit irritated as he glanced at the hole.
“I’m sorry,” I said, contrite. “I was just really curious about the boulder.”
“It’s fine, I don’t really mind...” he groaned. “So, what are you going to do about this hole?”
What am I going to do? I wondered. I mean, it’s pretty far away from the village, so it shouldn’t really be in the way anymore.
The hole, on the other hand, looked quite deep. If someone were to fall into it, it would be pretty dangerous. If that happened, Daemon and the villagers might get upset with me.
“Patrick, can I hide behind you when we report back on this hole?”
“Oh, so now you want to use me as a shield?” Patrick snarked at me. “Yeah, no thanks.”
Oh, I realized, so Patrick’s going to be the first one to get mad at me. Got it. Well, at least no one got hurt. I can withstand a bit of lecturing.
“I’m going to go ground myself and reflect on my actions!” I called out, running toward where I thought Ryuu had landed. By my calculations, he was probably pretty close to the village.
“Hey, wait! Stop running, Yumiella!”
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