Chapter 40
As soon as Donghee finished speaking, the carriage immediately slowed down.
“Young Lord, are you feeling unwell?”
As the carriage came to a stop, Handsome asked with a worried expression. Even from his perspective, the young lord’s recent schedule had been grueling.
He himself was a grown man and still aching all over, yet the young lord was nothing more than a delicate girl who had never experienced hardship. She was only a year older than his younger sister, who was anxiously waiting at home for her brother’s return. Perhaps that was why, in Handsome’s eyes, the young lord kept overlapping with the image of his sister.
“No, I just want to walk and examine the ground.”
Despite the dark circles under her eyes, the young lord’s reply was composed. She knew exactly what needed to be done, and her gaze, scanning the outside world, gleamed with sharp awareness.
There were moments when the gap between her youthful appearance and experienced gaze made one forget her actual age.
This was one of those moments.
“Yes, understood.”
Handsome wiped the concern from his face and quickly moved to fulfill his duties. As the carriage stopped, Red Bear, who had been escorting it nearby, approached and opened the door for the young lord.
Donghee stepped down from the carriage and walked boldly into a patch of dry, overgrown weeds. Even someone like her, who knew nothing about farming, could tell that the dusty land lacked nutrients. She let out a sigh.
“What’s the status of the dural stalks?”
According to the information she had bought for a whopping 500 points, fermenting dried dural leaves with moh moss made for excellent fertilizer. At the time, she thought it was a flimsy piece of info for the cost, but in truth, it turned out to be immediately useful and high-value information.
“They haven’t been processed yet, so they’re still lying in the field.”
In other words, they had been left untouched.
Worried he might get scolded for not clearing the dural stalks yet, Handsome sneaked a glance at the young lord’s face. Thankfully, there was no sign of anger or irritation—rather, she looked relieved.
“Really? Then don’t throw them away. Bring them here.”
“The dural stalks?”
Handsome blinked in surprise at the unexpected command.
“Yes. The leaf part is the most important, so be careful not to let them fall off.”
Though he wondered what she planned to do with the inedible part of the plant, it was an order from the young lord, so he nodded without complaint.
At some point, the Grace young lord had become someone he could fully trust and follow, despite her young age.
“Yes, understood.”
“We’ll need moh moss too. Any way we can get it?”
“I’ll have the village women gather some.”
“The place isn’t dangerous, is it?”
She was worried they might have to venture into the Black Forest. Since they hadn’t hired mercenaries yet, there was no one to spare for protection.
“No, moh moss grows easily near the village.”
“That’s a relief. Once they bring it, make sure to pay them fairly based on weight. Ask the treasurer for the proper rate. Bring all the collected moss here as well.”
“Yes!”
Handsome had many questions but held them in and answered faithfully. Strangely, everything the young lord said seemed to make perfect sense, so he couldn’t bring himself to ask any unnecessary questions.
Just watching this kind and diligent young man was enough to fill Donghee with satisfaction.
She smiled pleasantly, and right then, a blue status window floated up in front of her.
It still popped up without warning, but it no longer surprised her as much as it used to.
Donghee eagerly read the letters the window presented. Her chocolate-colored eyes sparkled with excitement.
[Status Window]
- Username: Chloe Grace
- Occupation: Part-timer / Lord of Grace Territory
- Abilities: 1.5
- Power-Up Fist (when wearing gloves)
- Terrain Info Level 1 (Limited to Morta Village)
- Level 1 Building
- Received Farming Advice
- Activity Radius: 4 (Basement Studio, Convenience Store, Borimdang and surrounding area)
(Time restriction lifted) - Traits: 0.2
- Territory still dirt poor (When will this territory finally flourish…?)
- ★ Obsessed with chocolate rolls
- Likes to take credit for small things
- Gradually becoming more lord-like. Slightly praiseworthy.
- Territory Resident Affection: -95,000p
(Endless pit of negative points. Even if this is overcome, likely to fall back into minus.) - Inventory (Level 4): Storage. Basic capacity (0/400)
- MP: 125 / 86,400
The resident affection had increased by over 70,000 points.
No wonder it had been rising nonstop.
Seeing the changed number, Donghee felt genuinely proud.
Even her abilities and traits had increased just a tiny bit, and a strange compliment had been added to the traits section.
It was a compliment… so why didn’t it feel good?
Afterward, Donghee spent the rest of the day circling the area surrounding the territory, but she couldn’t find a single plot of land suitable for immediate farming. Though she’d ordered the dural leaves and moh moss to be brought to this desolate land, she wasn’t confident it would actually improve anything. Could just two plants really change what was essentially dead soil?
Still, the status window had never led her to despair before, so Donghee decided to take the plunge once again.
Knowing the young lord was searching for farmland, Handsome and Red Bear also observed the area with sharp eyes.
But no matter how hard they looked, they couldn’t find land fit for farming. Realistically, land that hadn’t existed up to now wouldn’t suddenly fall from the sky.
Understanding the young lord’s disappointment, Handsome and Red Bear sighed deeply whenever their eyes met.
By the time the carriage carrying Donghee crossed the drawbridge to Grace Castle, the sun was already setting.
With tired eyes, Donghee looked out the carriage window and began to spot houses within the castle walls.
Due to the chilly weather, fires were being lit here and there.
Since most houses hadn’t yet been repaired and lacked fireplaces, people gathered in communal halls or homes with heating to escape the cold.
Was it called Condal?
Donghee recalled the name of the village within the castle walls, which she had heard from Anna.
While Morta and Enol villages were undergoing repairs, the area closest to Grace Castle had yet to be touched.
Thanks to the dural harvest and purchasing grains, people weren’t starving anymore—but they still needed ways to generate income.
After getting out of the carriage, Donghee headed straight for her office and summoned Scrooge and Handsome.
Though both were haggard from the endless schedules and rapidly growing budget, their expressions were full of energy.
“We need to restore Condal.”
“Yes, understood. Shall I summon the builders?”
“Should we start with cleaning the village? Should we recruit workers like we did in Morta?”
Though Donghee had only briefly mentioned it, the two, having done it once before, were completely in sync.
“Yes. You’ll be in charge of Condal, Scrooge. Morta is running smoothly now, right?”
“Yes, though it would be difficult alone. May I recruit more people?”
“Of course. Hire as many as you need.”
“Thank you.”
Scrooge’s face lit up at the lord’s cheerful permission.
“Oh right, the room next to mine is empty, right?”
“Yes, it’s reserved for honored guests.”
“And by honored guests you mean…?”
“Young Master Ray, for example.”
At the mention of Ray’s name, the young lord’s face instantly soured, and Scrooge quickly swapped in another name.
“Or Baron Patrasche, perhaps.”
Her face crumpled even more at that.
Seeing her displeasure with both men, Scrooge’s shoulders bounced with barely concealed glee. As Grace’s treasurer, the two people he disliked most were exactly those two.
What was it they said? Good news deserves to be repeated?
“Young Master Ray and Baron Patrasche usually stayed there. You personally! Offered them Grace Castle’s best room.”
“No more of those annoying names!”
“Yessir!”
As Donghee waved her hands in disgust, Scrooge answered loudly with a grin. When their eyes met, Donghee smoothed her furrowed brow and let out a small laugh.
“That room’s not for guests anymore. I need to remodel it.”
“Remo… what?”
“Remodel. I’m converting it for a different purpose.”
“For what… purpose?”
Scrooge couldn’t guess at all.
“A vault.”
“Pardon?”
“A literal vault room. Is there a blacksmith in Condal?”
Scrooge and Handsome exchanged awkward glances and shared a stiff smile.
Seeing their silence, Donghee frowned in frustration.
“What? There isn’t one? Do we have to bring one in from another town like we did with the tailor?”
After the repeated question, Scrooge scratched his head and answered.
“There is one.”
That sounded suspicious.
“What do you mean?”
“The smithy collapsed, and Smith hasn’t worked in over three years. His hands probably don’t even have calluses anymore.”
A territory where the blacksmith didn’t work…
Iron tools weren’t just for weapons—they were vital for farming and daily necessities. A smithy unused for three years essentially meant that both agriculture and everyday life had come to a standstill.
“Sigh…”
Donghee couldn’t help but sigh.
“Smith hasn’t left town?”
“No. His wife is ill, so he can’t travel far. But with the recent food situation improving, I’ve heard her condition is also getting better.”
That was a relief. The more she learned about the village’s situation, the more anger and guilt churned inside her.
“Bring Smith here. He’ll be in charge of constructing the vault. And the only ones with keys to the vault will be me and you, the treasurer.”
“Young Lord…”
Scrooge didn’t know what to feel first.
Should he celebrate that the young lord had finally stopped giving the best room to those detestable men, Ray and Patrasche? Or should he be grateful that she trusted him enough to entrust the vault key? Or should he simply be happy that Smith would finally return to doing real blacksmith work?
In any case, today called for a toast.
