Chapter 81

"Ah, so the story about you single-handedly defeating a large band of thieves in your own territory was indeed true?"

"Yes. It was a very tough battle, but thanks to my modest talent as a puppet mage, the new weapons crafted by an eccentric but excellent craftsman, and most of all, the bravery of my subjects, we managed to come out unscathed."

Since there was no mutual dislike during their first meeting, Noein and Clara soon formally became engaged.

Still, considering that it would be too harsh to send off his beloved daughter before she had a chance to get along with her husband, Arnold arranged regular tea and dinner gatherings for the two to interact.

This day marked their first tea party alone, without the presence of Arnold and Eleonore. Of course, the servants of the Koenitz family and Noein’s attendant, Matilda, were present.

"…I had heard of your achievements from my father, but you truly are an amazing person, Lord Noein. You possess the talent of a lord."

"I am merely an inexperienced person with a small talent for magic and a bit of luck. I can only aspire to learn from Lord Koenitz, who has skillfully governed the vast Koenitz territory for many years."

Even as a fiancé, and despite being Arnold’s daughter whom he had come to know, Clara was still a noble lady. Noein tried to get along with her while being as humble and polite as possible.

He spoke modestly about himself and did not forget to praise Arnold, her father. Fortunately, she had not heard about the conflict between Arnold and Noein during the bandit incident, so he carefully avoided that topic.

"But if I were in Lord Noein’s position, I surely wouldn’t be able to develop the Bessel Great Forest…"

After meeting a few times, Clara could converse with Noein without much tension. When Noein added a little joke to the conversation, she would even smile.

However, her somewhat negative aura remained unchanged.

"…If there is anything different about me, it might be my childhood. I believe that how I spent my childhood shaped my character and led to the successful development of the territory so far."

"Lord Noein’s childhood… that is, when you were with the Kivireft family?"

Regarding Noein’s background, Clara had been informed by Arnold. However, given the sensitive nature of the topic, she approached it cautiously.

"Yes, at the time, I was confined to a cottage at the edge of the Kivireft estate… I spent my days reading books because I had nothing else to do. I was a real bookworm."

Noein continued with a slightly playful smile.

"My biological father, as a noble, had a grand library in his mansion, and fortunately, I was allowed to borrow books. I could read travelogues from around the world, academic and technical books in various fields, and even historical books and biographies of great people. The knowledge I gained then is still useful today."

"That’s how it is… You must have continued to work hard from childhood, which is why you are the person you are today, Lord Noein."

"At the time, I had nothing else to do, so it wasn’t really hard work… The knowledge and wisdom I gained from books have been useful, but that’s just one of my lucky breaks."

Despite his modesty, Clara’s expression showed respect for Noein and a lack of confidence in herself.

"I also spend a lot of time in the mansion, and I have tried to read a lot and enjoy learning. Still, I can’t compare to Lord Noein… I’m sure I won’t be a good match for you."

Seeing Clara’s dejected face, Noein was unsure how to respond. If he said something like, "That’s not true," it would only make her feel worse.

After some thought, Noein decided to change the subject.

"What kind of books do you like to read, Lady Clara?"

"Well… I particularly like history. I find it fascinating to see how people in the past thought and how the world was formed."

"Indeed, that is the charm of studying history."

Seeing Clara finally brighten up, Noein thought this was a breakthrough. Talking about her interests would at least keep her from becoming gloomy.

"I have a collection of notes summarizing the contents of the books I read as a child, which I still keep. And, to be honest… when I was expelled from the Kivireft family, I borrowed a few of my favorite books. Some of them are rare historical books."

"Oh!"

When Noein said this with a mischievous smile, Clara giggled.

"My biological father collected books for show and never read them himself, so it’s unlikely that the borrowing will ever be discovered. I’m sure the books and the notes I compiled would be interesting to you, Lady Clara."

"Yes, they sound very interesting."

"If you come to the Alcquist territory, you can read them to your heart’s content. I hope you look forward to it."

……

After discovering Clara’s interest in history and having a lively conversation about it, Noein bid farewell and left the Koenitz family’s mansion.

"Henrik, wait. Next, let’s go to the usual place as planned."

"Understood, Lord Noein."

As usual, Noein got into the Alcquist family’s private carriage and gave instructions to the driver, Henrik.

Once inside the carriage, out of sight, Noein finally relaxed.

"Ah, I’m so tired."

"I understand how you feel, Lord Noein."

While receiving words of comfort from Matilda, Noein leaned back in his seat.

"I finally managed to bring out a genuinely happy expression from Clara… but I want to help her overcome her usual negative attitude."

Compared to when they first met, Clara now shows natural smiles. However, it took a lot of effort to get to this point, and a slight lapse in attention could make her gloomy again.

Even though this is a political marriage, he wants his future wife to live happily. He doesn’t want her to spend her days in a gloomy and depressed state.

To truly make Clara accept this marriage, he needs to address the elements that cause her complexes and solve them at the root. How long it will take is still unknown.

"…Well, the next item on today’s agenda."

Noein put the matter with Clara aside and switched his focus.

His next destination was the home of Victor, a dwarf mining engineer who had been invited to the Alcquist territory to guide the lapis lazuli mining operation.

"Originally, he expressed a desire to relocate, so I’m sure he will give a favorable response."

"True, at least it will be more relaxed than the tea party earlier."

Noein had postponed the mining development due to the small scale of the Alcquist territory, but now that the territory had developed sufficiently, he decided to start the project. He decided to reach out to Victor, whom he had previously helped.

The strong friendship with Lord Koenitz also meant that there was no longer a worry about unnecessary interference in the mining development.

The carriage proceeded down the main street of Retvik and eventually arrived at the office of the merchant guild where Victor was affiliated. This guild, which handled the mining development of the Koenitz territory and surrounding small territories, was one of the major guilds, on par with the Miles guild, which Noein was familiar with.

Since he had sent a letter in advance, the guild staff promptly attended to him, and he was able to meet Victor in a reception room.

"Mr. Victor, it’s been a long time. Thank you for making time for me today."

"Likewise, it is an honor to be directly invited by you, Lord Alcquist."

Victor, whom Noein had not seen for about a year and a half, greeted him with the same polite demeanor despite his dwarven appearance.

"As I mentioned in the letter I sent earlier… I have come to invite you to relocate to the Alcquist territory. I would like you to establish an independent mining development guild in our territory and work on the development of the Restio Mountains."

"Since I expressed a desire to relocate first, I am confident that I can give you a satisfactory response, my lord."

"Thank you. I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long."

"Not at all. I am grateful that a noble lord like you remembers the words of someone like me. Now that you have invited me directly, I am eager to work hard as a citizen of the Alcquist territory under your leadership."

"Thank you… Thank you, Victor. As a lord, I will ensure that your efforts are rewarded and that you can live a comfortable and happy life."

"Those are kind words that I do not deserve."

Victor will leave his current guild, bring his apprentices, mining slaves, and resource processing craftsmen to the Alcquist territory, and establish his own mining development guild. He will develop the mountains within the Alcquist territory and receive a certain percentage of the profits from the processing and sale of the mined resources as his reward.

After confirming the relocation agreement, the only remaining tasks were to determine the percentage of the reward and to verify the necessary facilities and equipment for the mining development. The discussion ended amicably without taking much time.