Chapter 46
“…It’s actually more like Ellie’s childcare journal. I wrote down things like her tastes, habits, and little quirks.”
Had she sounded too serious? Feeling a bit self-conscious, Ailesia gave an awkward smile.
“You can just use this room. The one across the hall is Ellie’s room—will that be all right?”
“…Pardon?”
“For reference, the room next to Ellie’s is mine.”
“…Am I truly allowed to receive such an honor?”
Calling it an honor might sound exaggerated, but it wasn’t entirely wrong.
The room Eleonora was currently using was on the fourth floor of the Grand Duke’s main residence. Ordinarily, it was a space reserved strictly for the direct family of House Letis.
For a mere maid to occupy one of those rooms was more than enough to make her feel burdened.
However, the matter had already been discussed with Termion, and the Grand Duchess had given her approval as well.
“Once the monster subjugation is over, Termion will officially appoint you as Ellie’s attendant.”
“Th-the Grand Duke himself?”
“At that point, you won’t be just an ordinary maid anymore. Setting the Tigel Knight Order aside, there won’t be a single retainer in this castle who can treat you carelessly.”
“My goodness…”
A long murmur escaped Hilda’s lips, but Ailesia continued in an even firmer tone.
“For reference, that’s not very different from now. Remember this well—there are only two people in the castle who can directly give you orders: Termion and the Grand Duchess. Don’t listen to anyone else.”
This was something absolutely necessary for Eleonora’s sake as well. While the security here wasn’t as lax as in the imperial capital’s ducal estates, there was still the possibility of informants lurking somewhere in the castle.
If I had the time, I’d comb through the place from top to bottom… but I don’t.
In truth, Ailesia had another, more important reason for insisting on going to the Guardveil Mountains, even if it meant pushing herself.
In the original story, after returning from the monster subjugation, Termion suffered from a severe fever for about a week.
Exhaustion from an overpacked schedule played a part, but the decisive cause was a serious injury he sustained in the Guardveil Mountains.
The important point was that Termion faced a crisis of that magnitude.
An injury severe enough to cause seizures isn’t something minor.
Just because the curse had been resolved didn’t mean everything else would automatically fall into place. She had to go and confirm it herself.
And while I’m at it, I should look for Ellie’s escort knight from the original story. No guarantee he’ll be there, though.
As Ailesia stood there deep in thought, Hilda asked in a cautious voice.
“I understand about the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, but… what about you, teacher?”
“Hm? Me?”
“Don’t you also have the authority to give me orders?”
“Authority? Over you?”
Ailesia burst out laughing and waved her hands as if the idea were absurd.
What authority would a mere private tutor have? At best, she could assign homework to Eleonora.
“I’m just an outsider. Orders, my foot. I might ask for favors, sure—but if I start acting out of line, Termion will scold me.”
Her tone was clearly joking. But Hilda, seeing that attitude, felt a sharp tension rise inside her.
She says that, but even the head maid bows her head to her…
Hilda had once casually asked Madam Herman what kind of person Ailesia was, only to receive a cryptic smile and the suggestion that she find out for herself.
There were only three things Hilda knew about Ailesia:
She was the young lady’s private tutor, an extraordinarily powerful mage, and the benefactor of House Letis.
Above all else, the weight carried by the name Ailesia spoke so casually was overwhelming.
How many people in the Empire could call the Grand Duke of Letis by name alone—without regard for whether it was a formal or private setting?
Even more surprising was that Termion himself never once commented on it. Separate from her status as a guest of honor, that was precisely why no one in House Letis dared treat her lightly.
“In that spirit, my first request. Write down anything you need. Furniture, clothes—use whatever you like.”
“I already have more than enough. Even the furnishings in this room feel excessive for me to use.”
“Really? Well, I guess it’ll take a few days to get a feel for things. Then take this, at least.”
Ailesia suddenly handed Hilda a small pouch. It was about the size of an adult’s fist, but it carried a solid weight in her palm.
“This is…?”
“My personal allowance for you. For a while, it’ll feel awkward to request expenses through official channels. It’s easier to move around when you’ve got emergency funds.”
“May I open it?”
“Go ahead.”
“Hilda unni! Ellie wants to see too!”
“Shall we, then?”
Hilda leaned her head together with Eleonora and carefully loosened the pouch’s string. With a soft clinking sound, a heap of coins came into view.
“Wow! Silver coins!”
“Hm, probably not.”
“…They aren’t?”
Ailesia looked at Hilda with a mischievous, impish glint in her eyes.
Hilda tilted her head, picked up a coin to inspect it—and then, without realizing it, fully opened the pouch to examine its contents.
Slightly lighter than silver, far harder to the touch, and a faint pale orange sheen flowing across the surface.
There was only one metal she knew that shared silver’s color yet shone like this.
“M-Mithril coins?”
“As expected—you recognized them?”
“Teacher, what is the meaning of this…?”
Hilda’s mouth fell open, her face turning half pale in shock.
There were roughly fifty mithril coins in the pouch. A single mithril coin was worth ten gold coins—about five hundred gold in total.
With just one gold coin, a family of four commoners could live for over two weeks. Five hundred gold was equivalent to one or two months’ budget for a modest noble house.
“If that’s not enough, tell me. No—should I just give you more? It’s not like it’s that much.”
Ailesia pulled out five or six more pouches of similar size and laid them out. Then, as if remembering something, she put three of them away and took out two much larger pouches.
“These are silver coins, and this one’s gold. Mithril is a bit inconvenient, right?”
“I suppose it is…”
Mithril coins were so valuable that they were used only among nobles and merchants. Flashing one in a personal transaction would cause an uproar.
…Just what kind of life did she live before?
Now that her color had finally returned, Hilda shook her head in disbelief. Casually producing this much money was proof enough that Ailesia was no ordinary person.
“Go into the city tomorrow and visit a bank or something. It’ll be convenient to open a private account.”
“…A private account?”
“With that much, they’ll open one for you without question.”
It had been so long since she’d last been to a bank that her memory was hazy. What was the minimum deposit for a private account again? About a hundred gold, maybe?
“If you want, I’ll go with you. We can show Ellie around the city while we’re at it.”
“But aren’t you busy? You’re deploying in two days.”
“I just need to show up in person, so I’m actually free.”
It would be at least ten more years before Hilda grew into the loyal maid and strategist Lady Porthen.
For now, she was simply a girl in the prime of her youth. No reason to let an opportunity like this pass.
Shopping with a cute niece and a pretty little sister? As if I could resist.
Buy her lots of clothes, eat delicious food. And when meeting new people, you need to build rapport—that’s how you raise affection, after all.
“I look forward to it.”
Perhaps already accustomed to Ailesia’s personality, Hilda simply bowed politely.
* * *
Two days later. From early morning, everyone in the Grand Duke’s castle was bustling with activity.
Six wagons loaded to the brim with supplies, including food, were prepared. The knights were already fully armed.
“We’ll probably stay at the forward base for about two days. Please take good care of Ellie while I’m gone.”
“I will serve her to the best of my ability.”
Hilda bowed to Ailesia with a resolute expression—so solemn it looked as if she were the one heading out to subjugate monsters.
“Sweetie, listen to Hilda unni and have fun while I’m gone. You can behave yourself even without your teacher, right?”
“Yes! Ellie can do just fine on her own!”
“If anything happens, contact me immediately. Don’t wander around alone—stay close to Hilda unni or the knights. And make sure you eat lunch and dinner with Grandma.”
“I’ll stay quietly in the castle until you come back!”
Watching the scene from a short distance, Termion turned once more to the two knights standing before him and gave them strict instructions.
“Never leave your posts at the same time. If an emergency arises, do not hesitate—seek the Grand Duchess’s help immediately.”
“We will remember that, Your Grace.”
“…I’m sorry to place such a burden on you.”
Perhaps because he was leaving capable knights behind as escorts instead of sending them to the front lines, a faint bitterness tinged Termion’s voice.
