Chapter 91: Chapter 91
Around the time wizard Ian was being tormented by monks, a young lord of a distant, small domain in the west was frequently sighing.
"Ah..."
Her hair was as dark as the night sky and her eyes sparkled a bright yellow.
And a pointed hat, straight as the horns of a beast.
"My lord, I have something to report."
"Come in~"
The lord of this domain was, surprisingly, a girl.
Her name was Lucy Talian, the rightful heir and ruler of the Talian domain.
She had many concerns lately.
"What is it now? Thieves again?"
"No, this time it's wolves."
Lucy's administrative officer reported in a lazy tone.
It was not a tone appropriate for addressing a lord, but there was no one to correct him.
Even though Lucy was the legitimate heir of Talian, lineage alone does not guarantee authority.
Especially now, as her family had been swept up in conflict and ascended to the heavens, leaving few capable advisors in the domain.
"The band of thieves that appeared before are still causing chaos in our domain. And now, wolves. There's no end to the chaos."
"..."
"So, regarding the proposal I made earlier..."
Lucy scowled.
The officer's proposal was to hire mercenaries managed by his relative as the domain's military force.
Currently, Talian had hardly anyone who could be called a soldier, simply because there were no funds available.
After relying on Count Catina during the last domain war, they had handed over most of the domain's finances to his forces.
Thus, the costly soldiers had been dismissed...
With no soldiers, security had worsened.
Upon hearing that Talian had neither money nor soldiers, local thieves began to prowl, targeting Lucy's coffers (her citizens).
"If we bring in my cousin, he'll quickly drive away the wolves. He can handle the thieves too!"
"Perhaps. That might be true."
The administrator's logic was sound.
The current disorder in the domain was ultimately due to a lack of military strength.
Replenishing soldiers and clearing out thieves would stabilize the lives of the citizens.
...However, in this process, Lucy would inevitably have to be wary of the mercenaries and the administrative officer.
Doesn't this scene seem familiar?
Yes.
It's similar to when Talian was attacked by the usurper, Graham.
Lucy is a girl, an unmarried one at that.
If external mercenaries took over the domain and later married Lucy, becoming nobility would be a piece of cake.
Thus, Lucy could not make a hasty decision.
She did not want to repeat the same mistakes.
"Think carefully. The longer you take, the more the people will suffer."
The administrator reached out to Lucy with a meaningful smile.
Lucy immediately knocked his hand away.
Firmly, with strength.
"The decision is mine to make."
"Of course, my lord."
The administrator bowed his head and closed the door.
He wore a sinister smile.
Lucy Talian was a spirited girl.
A prey worth hunting.
There's no fun in hunting unresisting prey.
The more Lucy struggled, the more thrilling the hunt became.
'It seems she's waiting for that wizard to return...'
The mystery-seeking wizard, Ian, who had saved the Talian domain.
The administrator had seen Ian from a distance a few times.
The ignorant mercenaries had praised Ian as a great wizard, the savior of Talian.
But excluding the aura of a wizard, he was just a green youngster.
'By the time you return, it'll already be over. Wizard Ian!'
The administrator had no intention of simply handing over the Talian domain.
Initially, he had offered himself as the administrator to become the next lord of Talian.
The exploits shown by the usurper Graham had inspired many.
Hey, you too can become nobility!
Even though Graham's uprising ended in failure.
Many ambitious individuals saw it as an opportunity.
It was truly a pity that he failed!
It would have succeeded had the wizard not intervened.
There was no law saying others couldn't try a second or third time.
So, the administrator threw down the gauntlet.
He had no plans to forcibly seize the domain like Graham did.
Instead, he intended to gradually build up merits and gain the trust of those around him, then mobilize the military to take control of Lucy.
It would take time, but fortunately, Lucy was young.
A few years' investment was acceptable.
"Hehe. Everything is proceeding as planned."
The thieves currently attacking the Talian domain were actually friends of his mercenary cousin.
Indeed, these jobless mercenaries had simply lowered their flag and turned to thievery!
The one who had called these mercenary-thieves was the administrator, and he would also bring his cousin to drive them away.
It was all a well-orchestrated game.
"With the people already suffering from thieves, and now with wolves joining the fray... Hehe."
How long could such a delicate young girl endure?
It was during one of his sinister chuckles that the alarm was raised.
"Sir Administrator, there's trouble!"
"What's all this commotion about?"
A subordinate came running in, exclaiming.
"An army is approaching!"
"???"
The administrator was stunned by his subordinate's report.
An army in Talian domain?
Which mad lord had decided to march an army into our land?
There was absolutely no reason for it???
"That army... while marching, encountered the thieves and..."
The subordinate hesitated before continuing.
"...smashed the thieves to pieces."
"Damn it—"
The administrator felt a rage boiling inside as if his blood were reversing flow.
Why would they attack the thieves who were just living (?) peacefully?
"We need to see who this bastard is!"
The administrator hurried to the stables.
By then, Lucy had already gone to meet this mysterious army.
Lucy was equally confused.
"An army passing by just happened to defeat the thieves?"
"Yes, Your Excellency! Truly honorable people!"
The subordinate reporting was filled with admiration, but.
Lucy was a bit puzzled.
The knights she knew were all mere thugs with swords.
Unless they were devout military monks like the Santiago Knights, they wouldn't fight thieves for the sake of honor!
"Was there a dispute?"
That was Lucy's guess.
She then met with the leader of this mysterious army, a middle-aged man with a finely groomed mustache.
"Oh! Delighted to meet you! You must be the Baron of Talian!"
"And you are?"
"I am Baron Damon!"
"?"
Lucy searched her memory.
Being a noble, she was familiar with all the nobles in the surrounding domains.
But Baron Damon? She had never heard that name.
"Perhaps... are you a wandering knight?"
Lucy asked if Baron Damon led a war band, possibly a knight who managed his own mercenary force.
"No! I am a lord. My domain is over in the Amarico Mountains."
"???"
This made even less sense.
Nobody lives there, right?
At best, it's a haven for bandits...
'Ah.'
Lucy arrived at a logical conclusion.
This man is a bandit...
"Wizard Ian introduced me, so I came to visit. I'm planning to head South and wondered if I could stay for a while."
"Ian?!"
Lucy was so surprised she rushed up to Baron Damon.
Baron Damon burst out laughing.
Her face flushed at the mention of the name, clearly a girl in love.
"Yes. That wise wizard has given me invaluable advice."
"Ian is indeed intelligent!"
Baron Damon and Baron Talian bonded over their admiration for Ian.
And they both thought simultaneously.
If she likes Ian, she must be a good person!
"Ah! I captured some thieves along the way. Just a little gift to pass the time."
"Ahaha. You shouldn't have."
He sounded like a man who had just bought a ham set at a department store.
A line of tied-up thieves (mercenaries) came forward, each looking as gloomy as a cloud.
"Sh*t... I should have stayed and farmed back home..."
"Followed this dumbass captain and now we're totally screwed..."
Baron Damon was given supplies while staying in the Talian domain.
Of course, he wasn't just sitting around; he was actively hunting down thieves.
"Hahaha! It feels great to shoot something other than deer in the mountains!"
The snipers following Baron Damon were thrilled, taking potshots at the thieves with their bows and enjoying themselves immensely.
The leader of the thieves, suddenly finding himself the prey, was furious and confronted the administrator.
"This f*cker! Did you set this up to screw me over?"
"No, it was just a coincidence! How could I possibly have summoned an army?"
The administrator desperately tried to calm the thief.
"Just hold on a little longer; they'll be gone soon! Let the wolves stir things up while you lay low."
"...I'll trust you one more time."
The thieves disappeared, and fierce wolves took their place.
"Wolves... It's kind of hard to hunt them like this."
Baron Damon found it slightly troublesome.
In the mountains, it was easy to shoot at visible range with a bow, but on the open plains, even chasing them down was a challenge.
Neither Baron Damon nor the Baron of Talian had enough horses to form a cavalry.
Then, an extraordinary figure appeared in the domain.
"Oh! So this is the Talian domain!"
"Yikes! It's a monster!"
It was a furry werewolf.
Lucy was startled by the sudden appearance of this furry knight.
However, the werewolf casually presented a symbol of Heaven's Faith.
"Calm down, lady. I am a faithful servant following the will of the heavens."
"Huh?"
"I've made a master-servant pact with Wizard Ian and have come here accordingly."
"Ian???"
He's another one of Ian's friends?
Lucy was momentarily speechless.
First a bandit chief, and now he's made a pact with a werewolf?
"I've noticed there are quite a few wolves around. I'll take care of them."
"Uh... Okay."
Werewolf Lewis charged into the pack of wolves with nothing but his bare hands.
And in less than a day, he returned as the king of the wolves.
"I've subdued them all. The wolves won't harass the people of the domain anymore."
"Wow."
Lucy was impressed. This guy was effective.
Lewis gave a sly wink.
"Make sure to document this well so I can report it when Ian returns."
"Uh, sure."
I'm not sure what's happening, but...
With the addition of Baron Damon and Lewis, the security in the Talian domain was completely restored.
The residents of the domain sent uproarious cheers to Lucy.
"Wow! Long live our lord!"
Lucy responded with a noble's smile.
"Lucky me."
"Oh, there are more people now. It's lively and nice."
"Ah, the Fairy Queen!"
The Fairy Queen, visiting the Talian domain after some time, nodded as she saw the bustling domain.
Lucy was governing well! (Or not)
"Here. This is fairy silk made for Ian. Make sure you take good care of it."
"Thank you!"
Lucy stroked the exquisite fairy silk with a broad smile.
Wow! This is valuable!
Ian had told her to handle it as she saw fit, but Lucy planned to carefully look for a buyer.
If she messed it up, she wouldn't be able to face Ian.
Just then.
"My lady! There's a visitor outside looking for you!"
"Again?"
This time, the visitor was...
A nun.
"Hello, sister. I came at Ian's recommendation. I heard there's precious fabric here... I happen to know a bit about tailoring."
"..."
By this point, Lucy became curious.
What exactly was Ian doing out there?!
Regardless of Lucy's questions, the Talian domain was bustling more than ever.
It was a sign of prosperity.
Ian had left the castle after receiving some pocket money from Baron Devosi and his wife.
The sun was blazing, and the breeze was refreshing.
It was perfect weather for traveling.
"It's so hot... Maybe coming out wasn't such a good idea..."
If only Takarion would stop spouting nonsense.
"Ha... If only I could have a refreshing fruit juice right now, I'd wish for nothing more..."
"..."
"Nothing more..."
What do you want me to do about it?
Takarion, having heard of Ian's competence as a wizard, kept trying to get something extra out of him.
"Can't you make some ice?"
"What do you think magic is?"
Traveling is tough.
You must eat and sleep on the road, never knowing when you might encounter monsters or thieves.
Ian's party were all professional-level travelers, and the monks were used to hardships and had great patience.
But Takarion was not one of them.
"Ah... Can we rest soon?"
"Just a little longer! Brother Takarion! If we stop here, we won't make good progress!"
"My legs feel like they're going to break!"
Ian sighed.
Clearly, someone used to just fiddling with pens at home had crawled out of the monastery dreaming of riches and honor.
"Takarion~"
"Huh?"
At that moment, someone on the road called out Takarion's name.
A beautiful woman with long flowing blond hair came running.
Ian, of course, and the others were shocked.
The woman was dressed as a nun.
"A nun?"
"Is there a convent nearby?"
"But why is she dressed like that..."
She was wearing a modified nun's outfit.
A skirt in the style of a Cheongsam that exposed her legs and a long sash passing under her ample chest.
Her hair flowed freely, adorned with a pure white headband!
"Oh!"
Ian was impressed.
Such futuristic attire in this uncivilized medieval fantasy world!
It was incredibly pretty!
It could easily fit right into a cute girl gacha game.
However, unlike the admiring Ian, the monks could not hide their anger.
"That, that! What kind of indecent outfit is that!"
"Have you ever seen such a lewd nun!"
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