Chapter 17
The repairs they did to the roof yesterday were only a temporary fix.
The library’s very frame was in such bad shape, it could collapse at any time.
It needed a complete overhaul.
“Here! Careful, careful!”
“Send a few more people this way!”
“Hey, who cut this timber? It doesn’t fit the space at all!”
The repair work was already underway, led by Griv and a group of domain residents.
Most of them were kobolds.
Ariella spoke to Griv.
“More people gathered faster than I expected.”
It had only been announced suddenly, yet so many had shown up.
Griv nodded.
“It’s been only a few hours since I spread the word, yet so many kobolds have come. Thanks to them, we can start and finish the repairs quickly.”
Ariella’s face darkened.
“That’s not entirely good news. It means there are that many kobolds with no work right now.”
If they had been busy farming, they wouldn’t have been able to come so quickly.
Griv sighed.
“It’s sad. Most of the farmland has already been raided or destroyed beyond repair. They have no work at all.”
In other words, they were unemployed.
‘There’s so much to fix in this place.’
Ariella thought for a moment, then said:
“At least this gives them some work. The wages they get today will buy a few days’ worth of food.”
Watching the kobolds work hard, she added:
“If some of them were planning to leave the territory before, maybe this will make them stay. That would be a win, right?”
“…!”
If kobolds left in search of work elsewhere, both the sun and the Demon King’s survival would be in danger.
And if that happened, Ariella’s own life would be at risk.
Even if some had been planning to leave, this project might have changed their minds.
Griv gave her a strange look.
“You… planned the library repairs with that in mind?”
Ariella nodded.
“In human kingdoms, big construction projects are one way to boost the economy. Of course, the project has to be useful and help as many people as possible.”
“I see.”
Griv’s eyes sparkled with newfound respect.
Nearby, the kobold workers were shouting in amazement—because of the slime compound.
“Wow, this sticky stuff is amazing! Add a little water and it hardens right away!”
“Right? You don’t even need to nail it. No lime or tar, no waiting around—it’s instant!”
“Easiest construction of my life!”
“Look—people can jump on it and it doesn’t budge!”
The gold Ariella had spent wasn’t just disappearing after one use.
It had already saved the library’s rare books from damage, given the unemployed kobolds jobs, and spread the word about the slime compound.
“H-hic, Lady Ariella…!”
“Philly?”
Ariella turned in surprise.
The fairy beside her was sniffling—overcome with emotion.
“I was so worried the library would collapse… and all those books inside would be ruined…”
Her voice trembled.
“Thank you so much! It’s all thanks to you!”
With a flutter of wings, the fairy flew into Ariella’s arms, hugging her tightly.
Smiling, Ariella rested a hand on her golden hair and gently patted her.
“You must’ve been under a lot of stress.”
That simple kindness broke the last wall holding Philly’s emotions back.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
Tears of relief and sorrow streamed down her peach-colored cheeks.
Seeing her cry so openly made Ariella remember their first meeting—when the fairy’s face had been cold and unreadable.
‘She was only acting cold because she was so tired and worn out.’
After all, kindness and gentleness come from having the energy to give them.
And Philly had no such energy back then.
That was when it happened.
A sharp, irritated voice rang out from somewhere nearby.
Ariella turned her head. The fairy, still wiping her tears, and the kobolds also looked that way.
“Bephar?”
The vampire who managed the domain’s finances had appeared at the construction site.
He hadn’t noticed Ariella yet. Instead, he was pointing at the kobolds and shouting—at the construction itself.
“What do you think you’re doing?! You worthless trash! Stop at once!”
Ariella’s gaze turned cold.
‘Here he is. Full of free time, but no use at all.’
The mood at the worksite instantly froze over.
Bephar raised his voice, pointing at the workers.
“Who authorized this? It can’t be the steward!”
The kobolds trembled under his furious glare, and work naturally came to a stop.
“Fools! Why are you wasting your time here? You should be working yourselves to death farming!”
Ariella frowned.
‘Is that really something to get this angry about? What’s his real problem?’
His voice boomed again.
“Disperse! Disperse immediately!”
The kobolds hesitated, setting down their tools and materials.
In the demon realm, strength rules.
When a high-ranking vampire orders something in anger, there’s little anyone can do to resist.
“What is he on about?” Ariella scoffed from behind him.
“Ignore him. Keep working.”
Two completely opposite commands.
Now the kobolds didn’t know what to do.
“What?”
Bephar turned, his glare filled with killing intent.
“Who dares—”
When he saw Ariella, his twisted expression grew even uglier.
“Don’t tell me this is your doing?”
His gleaming eyes locked on her. Power radiated from him, but she didn’t flinch.
It was strange.
His magic power was far greater than hers, yet she felt no fear or pressure.
She answered boldly.
“That’s right. I told them to do it.”
“The library? When we barely have enough grain to survive, you’re using farmers to fix a worthless library?!”
Philly’s face went pale at those words.
Hearing someone call her beloved library worthless hurt deeply.
Bephar snorted.
“Exactly the kind of useless idea a foolish human woman would come up with. You don’t know what’s important, you just meddle!”
Ariella felt a vein pop in her forehead.
‘This guy… from the first time we met, it’s been nothing but “worthless human” from him.’
Maybe he was still bitter about the time he had overpowered her with magic. Now he was looking for another excuse to cause trouble.
And since he controlled the territory’s finances, he could.
“This territory is no place for a powerless human to interfere!”
He turned back to the workers.
“What are you waiting for? All of you, return to the fields—”
Ariella’s sharp voice cut him off.
“The only one acting without thinking here is you.”
“…!”
Her tone had changed.
Bephar stared at her in disbelief.
“How dare you—”
Ariella’s words were calm and cold.
“Before you order these people back to their jobs, maybe you should ask if they even have jobs to return to.”
Bephar hesitated.
Ariella gestured to the kobolds.
“They’ve been unemployed and starving. The moment I posted a job notice, they came rushing here.”
His argument had been wrong from the start—these kobolds had no farmland to work.
Most of it had been burned to ash by orc raids.
With no work and nothing to eat, the job notice from the Demon King’s castle had been like a lifeline.
Ariella sighed.
“Do you know how desperate they must be to come here in such numbers? It really shows how poor this territory has become.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her chin at him.
“Don’t you feel anything about that, Mister Treasurer?”
