Chapter 22
“Right.”
Rudice lifted the teacup on the table with him and took a sip.
Phil found his eyes unconsciously following her movements.
By a knight’s standards, Rudice fought rather brutally. Who else swung such a massive spear with such force? She was the one who cleared out all who dared stand in her way.
Yet, at moments like this, she looked every bit the refined noblewoman who lived only within the court.
One would think the sharpest thing she ever held was a paper knife. And yet, her force of presence could put most knights to shame.
I really can’t figure her out.
Phil hid his thoughts as he continued.
“We’re leaving tomorrow. Do you think he’ll come? If he does, he’ll have to arrive tonight.”
“He’ll come if he wants to. If not, then that’s that.”
“Hmm…”
When she saw him sink into thought, Rudice let out a small laugh.
“What? You regret it?”
“I do, but honestly, I’d regret losing that blacksmith even more.”
“Oh?”
Phil flinched at her amused gaze and instinctively leaned back.
“Why’re you backing away? Got something to be guilty about?”
“No, my lady. You just look at me that way and I don’t know where to put myself.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yes. But speaking of that—”
Noticing the sharp glint in Rudice’s eyes, Phil quickly shifted the subject.
“—his swords really are something else. If someone like him maintained and forged weapons for the Draphania knights, we could fight much more effectively.”
“Yes, it would be a waste to lose him.”
But the man didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving his home behind.
“Why don’t you try persuading him, my lady?”
“…”
Rudice fell silent, lost in thought.
He was an unusually stubborn man.
In her previous life, even when Draphania was collapsing, he refused to flee and remained by her side until the end.
“He won’t move unless he is convinced.”
“…Pardon?”
Phil looked back at her after catching her quiet, bitter words.
“What did you say?”
“I meant the blacksmith. Doesn’t he seem stubborn as a mule? If I try to coax him poorly, what if he just runs away?”
Rudice chuckled faintly and lifted her head.
“Still, maybe I’ll try to lure him. At the right time.”
“That sounds good. Offer a high salary, the best treatment—he won’t be able to refuse.”
“Exactly. And if not, I’ll put Quinlan forward. Who would refuse the Empire’s God of War?”
“Well… true, but still…”
She really had changed. Before, she would never speak her mind so frankly, so freely.
But he didn’t dislike it. In fact, it felt like she was finally truly a leader of Draphania, and that filled him with pride.
Feeling his own spirits rise, Phil moved on to the next matter.
“And regarding that jeweler you said we needed, Lady Rudice…”
Jewelry crafting wasn’t just about making accessories. Any common jeweler could do that.
With fine gemstones, magic could be inscribed. The purer the gem, the stronger the magic it could hold.
The process of cutting and imbuing magic into gemstones was called jewelcrafting, and those who did it were jewelcrafters.
A skilled jewelcrafter was as rare as a great mage.
“Do you really think that half-dwarf can become a true master? Even if the dwarves are a race of craftsmen?”
“Didn’t you see the carving?”
“I did. The skill was impressive.”
“That’s all you saw?”
“Was there something more?”
Phil tilted his head. Rudice only smiled brightly.
“If you didn’t see it, then that’s fine.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You can’t ignore what comes from blood. Let’s wait patiently. If she doesn’t come, then so be it.”
The dwarves were a race of artisans. There was nothing they couldn’t craft.
Talent that flowed in their very blood.
That little girl’s carving—especially that bird—carried a faint aura.
Anyone who owned it would surely feel refreshed every time they looked at it.
If that same quality could be drawn out of gemstones, they wouldn’t just be pretty ornaments—they’d become stones of power.
“There are so many talented people. Why didn’t I notice before?”
Leaning back in her chair, Rudice beamed.
Things she hadn’t seen before. Things she hadn’t known.
Now, all of them lay before her.
Even Phil Evans.
Back then, he had only reluctantly helped her after Quinlan’s death. But now, though he grumbled with his words, he worked as her hands and feet willingly—on his own accord.
“When we get to the duchy, you’ll be busy, Phil. Very busy.”
Her tone grew more deliberate.
“I’ll work you so hard you’ll be glad just to stand at my side.”
“Please, show some mercy. I’d like to live long.”
“Sure, sure.”
She answered with a light grin, and Phil frowned slightly.
“You sound a little regretful, my lady.”
“I am. Losing the blacksmith is a shame. The girl too. But…”
Crossing her legs, Rudice laced her fingers and placed her hands neatly over her stomach.
“One Quinlan is enough for me to cling to.”
Her words, her lifted chin, her gleaming eyes were so dazzlingly arrogant that Phil couldn’t look away.
She was a sovereign.
A ruler who fit her liege perfectly.
“What’s with that face?”
“Ah—it’s nothing.”
“How bland.”
Just then, a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
At Phil’s word, after Rudice gave her silent assent, a servant of the residence entered and bowed.
“My lady, a visitor has arrived.”
“A visitor?”
“Yes. A young girl…”
Ah.
The two of them exchanged glances.
The half-dwarf.
The very girl Rudice had been waiting for.
The servant led the familiar girl into the duchess’s receiving room.
“My name is Sera.”
Glancing about nervously, the girl straightened as soon as she saw Rudice and gave a proper bow.
“Come here.”
When Rudice gestured, she hesitantly approached, though she didn’t sit right away.
“Why not?”
“I… I wasn’t sure if I was really allowed to come.”
“Hm?”
Rudice tilted her head at the strange reply.
“I heard that you’re someone of very high status, my lady.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Rudice smiled warmly, while Phil frowned.
It seemed the girl hadn’t realized exactly who Rudice was.
She had come to the Draphania dukedom, yet didn’t even imagine the one she sought would be the duchess herself.
“So, that’s why you can’t sit easily before me?”
“…Yes.”
At last, the half-dwarf girl met her eyes squarely and answered with a steady voice.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve permitted it.”
“…”
Still hesitant, Sera finally sat before her, then looked up with a serious expression.
“You told me to come see you, my lady, but…”
She hesitated a long while before speaking again.
“I have something I want to ask.”
“All right. Go on, then.”
“Are you trying to help me out of kindness… or to use me?”
A bold child.
She had hesitated to take a seat, yet had no fear when it came to asking such a question.
Yes. That much backbone is necessary.
Her favor grew. Rudice liked her.
“If I say kindness, you’ll follow me. If I say to use you, you’ll leave, won’t you?”
“…”
Sera lowered her head, biting her lip softly.
She hadn’t thought that far.
She’d only been wary—never expected to be asked so directly in return.
“I like that attitude. You shouldn’t trust kindness that comes with no price, nor should you let yourself be used blindly.”
“So which are you, my lady?”
“Me? Well… let’s see.”
Her smile turned softer as she looked at the girl.
“I’m half and half.”
“…What?”
“You have talent. I want to use it. But that’s also my kindness.”
The girl didn’t quite grasp her meaning. So Rudice continued gently.
“Half your bloodline comes from a race unmatched in skill. You know that, don’t you?”
“…My father is a dwarf.”
“Exactly. Thanks to him, you have abilities others don’t.”
