Chapter 24 – The Fairy’s Plan and the Mercenary Arrival
Flash!
The spoon glowed brightly, and Grandpa Fairy popped out—only to flick my forehead hard.
“Ow! Why did you hit me!?”
<Transform, my foot! Do you think this noble fairy is some cheap trinket? Show some respect when you summon me!>
“Hey! Turning into magical forms was my childhood dream!”
<Then you should’ve left that dream in your childhood!>
“I gave you cookies every day! Is this how you repay me?”
<Well… they were delicious, I’ll admit that.>
The fairy stomped his tiny feet on top of my paperwork.
“Grandpa, I’m in big trouble right now.”
<Yes, you look it. So what’s your plan?>
“I was hoping… we could use my savings—my Frugality Points.”
<Ha! I knew it. You’ve currently got 24 points saved. Choose wisely, girl. You know how this works by now.>
He conjured my ledger in midair.
“All my skills are still at Level 1…”
Upgrading from Level 1 to 2 cost 10 points each, so I could only afford to boost two categories at most.
I need to survive first.
My decision was quick. I wrote down my new plan.
『Project: Save the Beautiful Marquisate of Dante♡』
- Develop the Mine (Lv.2)
- Rehire Lost Workers (Lv.2)
- Restore Family Reputation (Lv.1)
“Perfect!”
<Perfect? Hardly! You’re ignoring reputation! You’ll need that later! Rank and titles depend on fame.>
Grandpa Fairy was already nagging.
“Ugh, fame doesn’t feed people, Grandpa! What’s the point of a good reputation when I can’t see a step ahead of me!”
It’s true—nobles care about prestige, but peasants don’t care if their lord’s famous when they’re starving. Feed them, give them stability—then they’ll care.
“How’s the mine after the upgrade? Level 2 should be something good, right?”
<At Level 1 you had iron and silver. At Level 2, you’ll find diamonds and gemstones. At Level 3, rare magical metals.>
“Perfect. I’ll hire unemployed villagers to mine diamonds. Sixty percent of the profit for me, forty percent for the miners.”
<Sixty percent for sitting still? Hahaha! My granddaughter will never starve. You’re sharp as ever.>
He gave me a proud thumbs-up. Well, of course. I earned those points through blood, sweat, and coupon-cutting.
With that, the mining and rebellion problems might finally have solutions.
Still… there were more reports to handle.
“Let’s see… Tenant farmer Effen died of illness, and his son ran off after inheriting the land. Didn’t pay taxes… Great.”
Law enforcement was nonexistent here. If someone caused trouble, there was no one to punish them. I needed another way.
Luckily, Grandpa Fairy’s magic activated fast.
I folded one of the papers into an origami crane while waiting.
By the time I finished the third one—
“Give us a meal!”
“Is this the worker you called for? Looks more like a beggar!”
I set down the crane and looked at Grandpa.
<Don’t underestimate me, girl. I’m a well-connected fairy.>
He smoothed his mustache with a smug grin.
That tone made me nervous.
I ran outside.
There, Seba and Scar stood by the gate. Seba looked nervous, while Scar just had his usual dead-fish stare.
“Looks like mercenaries out there,” Seba said. “Where are your knights?”
“First day on the job and you already forgot? We don’t have knights.”
“What?! Then who protects us?”
“We protect ourselves. Though… this situation feels familiar somehow.”
He hadn’t noticed me yet.
“I think they’re here to work for the Marquisate,” Scar added.
“That can’t be right!”
“That’s how our hiring system works. We recruit people like stray cats. It’s tradition.”
“This is a disaster for the entire HR world!”
Seba clutched his head. Poor guy—at this rate he’d lose his hair before he even confessed to Tangent.
I stepped closer, and Scar finally noticed me.
“Finished the paperwork, Miss?”
“Yeah, the worst part’s done. You handle the rest.”
“Knew it. Anyway, someone’s here. Did you… summon them magically again?”
“Something like that.”
I opened the gate wide.
A crowd of mercenaries stood outside—at least seventy of them.
“You all want food? I can’t afford to feed this many people.”
“Then we’ll work for our meals!” one of them shouted.
The red-haired woman at the front—clearly the leader—stepped forward.
“You realize our food’s expensive, right?”
“We came knowing that.”
“…Fine. Come in.”
***
“Catherine Mercenary Corps,” Seba muttered stiffly.
“You know them?” I asked.
“Yes. The red-haired woman—she’s Catherine, the leader of the Sixth-Sense Mercenary Corps.”
Then Seba switched into full encyclopedic mode.
“They’re one of the strongest groups in the region, strong enough to rival a noble’s private army. Known for kindness to employers and cruelty to enemies.”
Scar quietly swapped out the tea leaves he’d been using—he must’ve realized this was serious company.
We left the rest of the mercenaries outside and met with Catherine alone. She sipped tea politely from Scar’s silver set.
“As you may know,” she began, “we arrived in this territory a few days ago.”
“I know. You said you were resupplying.”
I’d read that in the reports.
“Yes. We were planning to restock and leave for the Empire. My arm injury made fighting difficult.”
She gave a wry smile.
“We were hunting a monster near the mountains—prepared everything perfectly—and still, it caught me off guard.”
Then she chuckled.
“But that night, I had a dream. A kind old man appeared.”
Oh, I knew exactly who.
“He said he’d heal my arm if I promised to work for the Marquisate for a while. I thought it was nonsense, but when I woke up—my arm was healed. Completely. I’m sure it was a fairy’s blessing!”
Well, that checks out. Grandpa’s handiwork.
I sipped my tea calmly. “So that’s why you came knocking at midnight?”
“I believe in acting fast, ha ha ha!”
Yeah, with those muscles, I bet she could pull a bull’s horn right off.
“What’s your specialty? What kind of work do you do?”
“Security, surveillance, and guarding dangerous targets.”
“That’s all?”
“To stand out from other mercenaries, we also learned administrative paperwork. We’re not just brawn. You can count on us.”
“Excellent. You’re hired. Start tomorrow. Use the guesthouse out back.”
Perfect timing—our knights’ quarters were completely empty since everyone fled.
“Salaries will be paid next month. For meals, two per day. Healthy menu.”
“‘Healthy menu’?”
“Salads,” Scar replied dryly.
“We’re mercenaries, not rabbits!”
“Sorry, we’re broke. Meat next month.”
“…Fine. We’ll survive.”
“Good. We’ll talk about your duties tomorrow. For now, get some rest and learn the area.”
It was already past midnight. I yawned so hard tears formed. Scar handed me a handkerchief.
“My lady,” he said quietly, “why did you take them in?”
“You know how bad our security is.”
“Of course. I can’t even go to the market without someone trying to pick my pocket. Even when I dress like a beggar.”
I looked at his annoyingly handsome face.
“With that face, no one’s mistaking you for a beggar, Scar. At best, they think you’re a rich noble’s lover.”
He blinked.
“…Touché.”
“Anyway, that’s the first reason.”
“There’s a second?”
“Yeah. I’m reopening the mine. We’ll hire jobless villagers.”
“Ah… and the mercenaries will make sure none of them run off with the diamonds?”
“You know, maybe we’re too close. You’re reading my mind.”
He wasn’t wrong, though.
There were other reasons too, but I was too tired to explain.
I left Scar and went straight to bed.
The moment I lay down, my body relaxed—but I couldn’t sleep.
The bed’s just too hard. That’s all. It’s not because I miss Cartiman or anything. Definitely not.
I kept telling myself that until I finally drifted off.
In my dream, Cartiman appeared—only he was a child. And I was, too.
“Are you crying?”
“My father says I’m worthless… that I shouldn’t have been born. That my stepmother suffers because of me…”
My younger self spoke automatically.
“Didn’t you say you liked your stepmother?”
“I do… She’s still my mother. Maybe if I try harder, she’ll treat me kindly—like she treats the twins…”
“You’re so naive.”
He handed me a handkerchief. I grabbed it and cried harder.
That had been the last time he’d shown me kindness.
Then the scene changed.
“That blood-soaked letter—you wrote it.”
“I didn’t!”
“You did! Who else writes me letters every month?!”
After that, we drifted apart.
I’d known it deep down.
Love had ruined everything.
Love was selfless.
People needed to be selfish.
That’s why money came first.
Even as I thought that, Dream-Me kept crying.
Then—something pulled me upward. I woke with a start.
And saw Scar beside my bed.
“My lady, don’t cry,” he whispered. “I’m here. More reliable than Duke Cartiman ever was. Your first and last butler—Scar.”
Maybe it was the leftover emotion from the dream, but I nodded without thinking.
He gently placed his hand on my forehead.
“Sleep a little more, my lady. I’ll protect your dreams.”
And for the first time that night, I slept peacefully—without a single dream.
