Chapter 17

"The atmosphere is really strange."

Pavel, who had greeted us with an excited face at the news of the mine discovery, tilted his head as if sensing the odd atmosphere. Blan and I exchanged awkward smiles. Though we tried to act nonchalant, it seemed that Blan's mind was as troubled as mine as we walked silently to the office.

"It's nothing. Just…."

Blan frowned and ran his hand through his hair while looking at my hand. Only then did Pavel, who had noticed that I was fidgeting with the broken wish bracelet, slowly blink.

"It's broken."

It was a calm statement of fact. Unlike Blan and me, who felt uneasy, Pavel didn't seem to care much.

"Well… let's talk about the mine development first."

"Hey, aren't you worried about the lord?"

When Blan scolded Pavel for being too calm, he adjusted his glasses and shrugged.

"Worrying here won't change anything. Don't be swayed by superstitions and trust the lord more."

"Ugh, you're really something. You forget that you were jumping up and down saying it was too dangerous to go after a dragon?"

"Why bring up the past? I was like that then, but since we've already sent him, there's nothing to do but trust and wait."

I rolled my eyes back and forth, unsure what to do amidst the bickering brothers. It seemed like a big fight was about to break out at any moment.

'Should I intervene?'

I kept extending and retracting my hand, trying to gauge the situation, when Blan finally seemed to remember my presence and smiled.

"It's fine, my lady. We're always like this."

"That's right. We always fight sincerely like this."

"R-right…."

'It doesn't look fine at all…'

Still, the bickering of the two made my heart a little lighter.

'Pavel is right.'

Stomping my feet and worrying won't change anything, so I should do what I can here. Altear would also want his wife to be strong. I took a deep breath and looked at Pavel.

"I think we should start the mine development as soon as possible."

When I cautiously brought up the topic, the two, who had been bickering just moments ago, began to focus on the conversation with serious faces.

"The main issue is funding, right? A huge amount of money is needed to develop the mine."

"That's right."

Pavel, though slightly frowning as if it was a headache, calmly suggested a solution.

"We could take a loan from the imperial central bank or seek investment from wealthy individuals. To prove the business potential, we need to first assess the reserves and create a detailed development plan."

"I was thinking the same, which is why I came in a hurry. Rather than bringing in external funds…."

I took out a key from my pocket and handed it to Pavel. It was the key to a personal vault at the imperial central bank, where the trust property my mother left me was stored.

"I think we should use the funds I brought. Though I didn't bring a lot of dowry, it should be enough for the initial development costs."

Both Pavel and Blan were surprised, their eyes widening.

"My lady."

But to my surprise, Pavel sighed.

"When I asked for your dowry earlier, it was a mistake due to the urgency of the situation. If we use your personal funds, the lord will be very angry. There are other ways, so please keep the key."

"But, if we bring in external funds, we'll have to pay a lot of interest… I want to use my own money."

"The lord will never allow it."

"But…."

Please use my money! That's not possible! As Pavel and I argued, Blan, who had been watching quietly, raised his hand cautiously.

"What if my lady invests?"

"Huh?"

"Since investment is necessary anyway, what if my lady invests in the mine development and takes a portion of the profits? The lord might allow it, and my lady can also grow her wealth."

Pavel and I, surprised by this unexpected solution, closed our mouths and looked at each other. It was a good solution for both sides. Blan smiled, seeing that we were finally convinced.

"See? No matter what, I, the older brother, am more thoughtful than Pavel."

* * *

With the funding issue, the biggest obstacle to mine development, resolved, things progressed smoothly. After bringing in experts to investigate, it was revealed that the Aylsworth mithril mine had a solid foundation, making it easy to create tunnels, and the reserves were so vast that the expected profits were enormous. Even experts who had seen many mines were amazed by the scale of this mithril mine.

"The problem is the mountain spirits. Fortunately, none appeared during the investigation, but according to the knight reports, there is a goblin habitat nearby. We need to drive them out completely to start full-scale development."

Though he tried to sound calm, the excitement was evident in Pavel's tone.

"Well, the lord will resolve that quickly when he arrives. Goblins aren't that difficult to deal with. Preparing defenses against spirits is something anyone in Aylsworth can do…."

"Who do you think I am, treating me like this!"

The shout from outside made Pavel, who was calmly reporting, close his mouth. Curious about what was happening, Pavel and I looked out the window and saw a middle-aged man causing a commotion at the castle entrance. Several knights, including Blan, were confronting him, and the situation looked quite serious. When I looked at Pavel, wondering if he knew what was happening, he shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

"It's Lord Galad. He shouldn't be here… I'll go find out what's happening."

As the commotion outside didn't subside, Pavel, frowning, opened the office door. But instead of an empty doorway, Cain stood there, looking confused.

"Um… did I just knock on the door?"

He made a knocking motion with his hand and tilted his head. It seemed the timing had coincidentally matched.

"It's noisy outside. What's happening?"

Amused by Cain's dazed look, I asked, and he sighed deeply as he entered the office.

"Ah… it's a rather troublesome situation. Lord Galad is causing a commotion, demanding to see the lord immediately."

"Lord Galad…."

"He's the lord of the territory bordering Aylsworth. He cut off all communication, saying he didn't want to associate with poor and uneducated people, but now he's suddenly here for some reason. Moreover, five years ago…."

Cain frowned and shook his head.

"Ugh. No, that's not important. It's just a headache. Anyway, he's a nuisance."

"He didn't say what it's about?"

"No, he's very unreasonable."

"Hmm… since the lord is absent, should we tell him to come back later?"

"We told him that, but he said if the lord isn't here, we shouldn't treat him as a guest… and that we're ignoring Lord Galad…."

As a baron, Lord Galad held a high position. Border barons, in particular, had more autonomy and were more influential than barons in the capital, wielding power almost equal to a king in their region. With such a high status, he was using his position to throw a tantrum, and the knights were struggling to handle him. The only person who could confront him on equal terms was me, the baroness from a marquess family.

'Altear said I shouldn't leave the castle under any circumstances…'

But it was a situation where I had to step in. The thought of facing a man shouting at the top of his lungs made me break out in a cold sweat, but I couldn't bear to see the knights suffer.

'I am the baroness of Aylsworth. I need to help our knights.'

Repeating this in my mind gave me a bit of courage.

"…I'll talk to him."

"Would you?"

Determined, I stepped forward, and Cain, relieved, guided me. Pavel, worried, followed closely behind. Trying to calm my racing heart, we reached the castle entrance, where the angry man's voice became clearer. He was shouting at the knights, his face red with rage.

"Are you all so uneducated that you can't even treat a guest properly? If the baron isn't here, the baroness should at least come out to greet me!"

The blatant insults left me speechless. Nobles in the capital usually insulted each other indirectly, so facing such direct criticism was quite a new experience.

"…Lord Galad."

I called out to him cautiously, and he looked me up and down with a flash in his eyes.

"So, you're the baroness from the capital."

"Nice to meet you. Nadia Bain, or rather, Nadia Aylsworth."

Introducing myself with a name I was still getting used to, I bowed politely, and the man's aggressive stance slightly wavered.

"Finally, someone I can talk to. But you need to educate your subordinates better. If you keep such incompetent people around, you'll be laughed at."

"Thank you for your advice, but may I ask why you've come to Aylsworth? Like this…."

I trailed off, looking behind Lord Galad. He wasn't alone.

"Bringing so many soldiers suggests it's a very important matter."

It was normal to bring attendants when going out, but this many soldiers seemed excessive. Despite my comment, Lord Galad lifted his chin proudly.

"Of course, it's a very important matter! Aylsworth's knights have invaded our territory and caused chaos!"

"Excuse me? Our knights?"

"Yes. They were causing a commotion, overturning the mountains. That's our territory, so I want them to stop and leave."

Confused by this claim, I looked at Blan, who had been confronting Lord Galad before I arrived. He let out a bitter laugh.

"While it's true that our territories border each other, the area we recently searched is definitely part of the Aylsworth barony. You shouldn't make false claims."

"Tch. Who says that? That it's part of the Aylsworth barony? Look at this map!"

Lord Galad pulled out a map from his pocket and threw it at Blan. Clenching his teeth, Blan examined the map and frowned, finding it unworthy of consideration.

"This is a map from before the agreement. Five years ago, we cleared the monsters in exchange for part of the mountains."

"Hmph. On second thought, giving you the land was too much. I'll pay the agreed amount, and I want the land back."

"Tch. When you were offloading useless land, it was fine, but now that the situation has changed, you're offering money?"

"Hmph. I'm just fulfilling the original contract!"

Though I didn't know the details of the five-year-old agreement, I could guess from their conversation.

'Lord Galad hired us to clear the spirits and agreed to pay, but then, finding the land useless, he gave us part of the mountains instead. Now that a mithril mine has been discovered, he wants the land back!'

'I can understand why Lord Galad feels wronged, but…'

If he had paid the proper fee, this wouldn't have happened. It was his own doing.

"There's no point talking to a knight who has no authority."

Lord Galad, ignoring the knights, including Blan, walked up to me. The imposing man's approach made me instinctively shrink back.

"Ah! Baroness! Since the lord is absent, you, as his representative, need to sign this!"

"I have no reason to sign this."

"Reason? What does that matter? I'm offering money to a poor territory!"

Was he trying to intimidate me? Lord Galad glared at me.

'If I were in the capital, I'd be trembling in fear…'

Compared to Altear, his gaze was like that of a gentle lamb. Perhaps because I was used to extreme situations, this level of intimidation seemed trivial.

"So, I'm saying I won't accept the money, Lord Galad. We're not poor. Neither I nor our lord will sign such a strange document."

"I'm a baron! Do you think a mere baron can defy me?"

Lord Galad, fiercely scolding me, grabbed my wrist.

"Ouch!"

"Sign it now!"

His grip was so rough that it made me want to cry.

"My lady!"

Before the knights, who had been observing the situation, could react, a cold voice from nearby silenced the commotion.

"Hmm…? What's going on here?"