Chapter 95

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 31, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

‘With this, I can take the first step.’

—

That’s how it was even when escaping from that house; for independence, funds are absolutely necessary. Without securing food, clothing, and shelter, there’s no answer, and the money needed for this is common across any world.

Therefore, the first step out of the Bargrand Duke House is the same.

Even in this Tsukur Game, one can see that money is absolutely necessary to separate Carsein. In fact, when playing the game, without earning money, the future was completely unclear.

Then, how does one earn money here?

It all starts with basing oneself on the Rusmaier territory.

Building up a certain level of affinity,

Perform several sub-episodes from the residents to fill up trust levels,

And after elevating recognition to a reputation grade, accumulating enough rank allows you to truly stay in the role of the lord.

When Carsein, as the lord, can collect taxes from them, then profits start to come in. This was the method of raising funds I discovered.

The command order requirement for being a lord is C rank. It must be raised at least from the lowest F rank to a minimum of C, but currently, my rank has reached B by performing this episode. It’s a sufficient rank to execute plans.

First, I handed over the money extorted from Hemnan to Barak.

“This money must be spent entirely today. Purchase everything from foodstuffs to necessities and materials to deal with monsters from other territories.”

“Can… Can all of this really be done within a day?”

“Yes. Even if we have to bring all the residents along, we need to purchase everything.”

“May I ask why? If we save this money, it could last us for months…”

Barak isn’t a fool.

How much work has he put into this territory? Such simple calculations couldn’t be beyond him. If he were, he wouldn’t have been able to sit in the village chief’s seat.

No, precisely because of this man, the territory could maintain itself.

But now, things are different.

“If news of this gets out to other territories, they will try to thoroughly isolate Rusmaier once more.”

“…What?!”

“Once they know you have money, they’ll quickly change prices. Then this money will scatter like dust.”

Rusmaier, being in a position where they have to buy goods from other territories, forcibly changing prices would hurt neighboring territories, but since they are nobles, they might control public sentiment by returning the money.

This would leave Rusmaier again in a lurch.

“There’s no other way but to spend it all in one day. Even after collecting tolls, the same applies. Forget about buying things at their original price.”

“That’s… We’re a territory struggling for self-sufficiency. We need sufficient trade…”

“Then we need to make contact with a new village.”

“A new village?”

I pointed towards a direction with my finger at the bewildered Barak.

“There.”

“That’s just Mount Waglew, isn’t it? It doesn’t look like there’s anything there…”

“Are you suggesting we make contact with another village behind that mountain?”

“Why ask if you already know?”

Then the residents showed reluctance.

“Lord, it’s impossible to go around that mountain. Although it’s far from areas where monsters appear, we can’t cross such a treacherous mountain to fetch goods.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to solve this by collecting tolls instead? What if we raise our own tolls?”

On the surface, these aren’t wrong statements.

But responding like that would make the other side fearless. While nobles can secure their interests by just securing a passage, here, isolation means becoming increasingly difficult.

They might even cut off all transactions with Rusmaier.

So there’s only one answer.

“Didn’t you used to be a village of sculptors?”

“How did you know that, young master…”

Oops.

I gestured toward Camila.

“So it’s true. Lady Camila… But what’s the significance of that? We can no longer sculpt anything.”

All the residents looked gloomy. Despite the difficulty, Village Chief Barak of Lemten Village continued speaking.

“We’re struggling just to eat and live. From simple decorations to interior building designs, regardless of size or shape, the main consumers are nobles. But now, sculptures are mostly run by brands controlled by nobles. Furthermore…”

Barak sighed heavily and continued.

“Since sculpture is an art form, trends change, leaving no work overnight for Rusmaier. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Perhaps. Maybe this was what the nobles intended.”

“…What?”

“Rusmaier’s history and tradition have been long-standing, surpassing noble art. How do you think the nobles feel seeing inferior beings selling sculptures cheaply?”

Of course, those arrogant nobles would be displeased.

Just the thought of inferior beings using something equal to them is chilling.

“So the nobles wanted to completely erase you from this land, your history and traditions. They wanted to cover up the fact that there were sculptures in this territory.”

“That’s… That’s not possible…”

“It’s not just that. Since I knew about Rusmaier’s sculptures, they might have hidden their lag behind others.”

“…”

Under the quiet silence, the residents were enraged.

To have their traditional skills covered up for such a reason.

To the Rusmaier residents, I proposed one new possibility.

“That mountain is made of a single large bedrock. Therefore, ────.”

The residents were shocked upon hearing this.

Some might have felt it was absurd, while others might have thought it nonsensical. Some might have even rebelled, saying they were just as crazy.

But none of them opened their mouths.

After a quick discussion, the only thing they said was:

“It’s… It’s a plausible story.”

It was an answer of possibility.

***

That night, I stayed in Rusmaier instead of returning to the duke house.

By dealing with monsters and pressuring nobles, the episode of evading pressure can be cleared.

However, it must be considered repeatedly that the game’s point of view is solely focused on Carsein, and advancing this episode earlier might introduce unknown variables.

Given the need for further observation, I preferred to return in the morning rather than at night.

Observations showed no major issues.

No complaints were seen from those who grumbled about the B-rank reputation, and Barak confirmed the residents were persuaded to procure goods from other territories.

For toll collection, although nobles showed displeasure, they couldn’t act recklessly once knowing it was Carsein’s territory. Monsters attacked once, but they were well-defended, and spoils were gathered.

Security was somewhat concerning, but if really necessary, a few knights from the duke house could be sent.

In either case, it ended satisfactorily.

Compared to the usual route, this was a much better resolution, and this episode wouldn’t be resolved quickly anyway.

Since it was time to return to the duke house, I could do so with ease.

However, one question still lingered.

The Snow Festival.

At that time, I had acquired a ring. A ring from the Kingdom of Wederos, worn as proof of being Harnier’s lover.

I assumed no one would care.

I thought this territory wouldn’t pay attention to such matters.

But surprisingly, an old man seemed to recognize the ring.

When I was about to leave and tidy up my room.

An old man came looking for me.

“Lord, may I see that ring for a moment?”

I told him I would let him see it.

The old man was astonished.

“This is from the Kingdom of Wederos! Lord, didn’t you experience any negative reactions after wearing it?”

“Huh? No, I didn’t.”

“No… Negative reactions?!”

The old man was astonished again.

Before I could ask why, he asked me to wait a moment, hurried off somewhere, and brought Delphina.

“Delphina can use identification magic. Please hold out your hand and wait a moment.”

The old man handed Delphina a scroll with identification magic inscribed, and she cast the spell as instructed.

As the identification rune appeared, the ring began to glow brightly.

A pattern soon appeared in mid-air.

The old man stared blankly at the pattern and muttered.

“This… This is truly, truly from the Kingdom of Wederos!”

He kept repeating how this could happen and how absurd it was. I couldn’t ask further questions as the old man collapsed, seemingly dazed.

I received only that he was in shock as an answer, but…

The word “real” coming out made me wonder if the ring obtained as a prize could be fake.

And what did he mean by negative reactions?

Still, I was clueless.

◆Ring of the Kingdom of Wederos

To me, it appeared as just an item without any description.

-Ding!

Delayed Return Event triggered!

Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the duke mansion.

As soon as I got off the carriage, my status window popped up, showing the familiar event text.

This event was naturally occurring. Given Chapter 2 had late returns or overnight stays each time an episode was completed, I had to accept it.

The problem was who would greet me.

“Morning already? Where did you go and return from? If you’re going to be out overnight, at least say so. Making the family worry, what kind of thing is this?”

The second sister appeared, arms crossed, with a suspicious look.

Especially when it was an overnight trip, it had to be Claire.

Overnight trips meant Claire would consume a lot of affection and offer difficult choices.

At least, the high affection was somewhat comforting. It could be reduced a bit.

“I don’t owe you an explanation for what I do.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“That’s my line. Why are you suddenly so nosy lately? You never cared before.”

The stronger the choice options, the more affection drops. However, since Carsein’s action power, stamina, and time are less affected, this option was better.

Well, here it wasn’t a game, so I had to expect getting hit by Claire.

As expected, the second sister approached with a fierce expression.

“Carsein, watch your words? Interfering with family concerns?”

“That’s the truth. Just unnecessary interference. Or is this because you want to say something with this?”

“This! Suddenly coming back after being out all day without a word, like this?”

-Ding!

“Do you really see us as nothing more than family?”

“Think whatever you want.”

I walked past Claire and left.

My status window just now, checking Claire’s affection would drop, so there was no need to check.

***

The unfortunate incident at the duke house was all due to Flora’s mischief, so Claire, who had scolded Carsein harshly, felt uneasy.

It was natural to punish Flora.

But Claire couldn’t easily resolve the lingering feeling inside her. She couldn’t give an answer to Flora’s question about how to handle it.

In the meantime, she heard Carsein had gone out.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

She planned to talk to him further when he returned, but he was away.

He would probably return soon.

By the time he returned to the mansion, she intended to talk to him.

—

During mealtime.

That would be the best time.

When he returned, he would surely be hungry, so she would prepare food in advance. With the eastern nobles’ meeting approaching, she also had things to discuss about the Shatren territory.

‘The money leaking out of Rusmaier every month… I should tell them not to pay.’

Claire was using her own money to settle the matter involving the Shatren territory, known for its numbers.

Every time the territory was mentioned, Carsein often faced criticism, so this time, she decided to tell him to stick by her side during the eastern nobles’ meeting.

If Flora truly repented, she would be willing to accept her. Carsein had changed a lot.

With a heavy heart yet a desire to move forward, Claire waited for Carsein.

But Carsein didn’t return.

He hadn’t arrived by dawn, according to the servants. The butler shook his head, having heard no reports.

Only Housemaid Tasha knew a little about Carsein’s whereabouts. Even then, she only knew he was out on an overnight trip with his personal maid Camila on important business.

She asked Tasha several times if this was certain. Claire finally fell asleep after hearing Tasha reassure her several times, but she still tossed and turned a bit.

Morning came.

As the carriage pulled up, Carsein stepped down.

Claire, as if anticipating this, spoke.

“Morning already? Where did you go and return from? If you’re going to be out overnight, at least say so. Making the family worry, what kind of thing is this?”

She thought she should start with nagging. Not announcing destinations or informing the household, causing worry.

—

But, that’s enough nagging.

—

I don’t know what he did, but I didn’t come here just to nag.

—

“Who cares what I do?”

Carsein’s words turned the heat to ice.

Instantly, anger flared up.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“That’s my line. Why are you suddenly so nosy lately? You never cared before.”

Nosy?