41
＜Chapter 41: Dadaekseon＞
“Freya Kalas?”
I recalled what had happened a little while ago.
Kalas’s two children had come unexpectedly.
Under the guise of celebrating the city’s construction.
“They wouldn’t have come all this way just for congratulations.”
And they had come themselves, the key figures of the Kalas family.
“Do you have something to ask?”
If so,
“Can I ask too? I urgently need to borrow money.”
I dropped the documents I had been holding as if tossing them aside.
“This is not the time.”
I stepped out onto the street.
Outside, the festival was in full swing.
People were eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves without a care in the world, no need for slaves or mercenaries.
“There they are.”
I headed towards where the slave soldiers were gathered.
If they were escorting someone, it must be the Kalas siblings.
As I approached them,
Russell, who was guiding them, greeted me.
“Master.”
“I’ll take care of them.”
After sending Russell, he stood by the siblings.
“Are you feeling alright? Ireland tends to be colder than the continent.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
It was Freya who fielded the question.
Naturally, she switched seats with Jeffrey.
Originally, it was supposed to be me, Jeffrey, then Freya,
But it changed to me, Freya, then Jeffrey.
“I never knew Sir Callas had such a beautiful daughter.”
It was a good start.
After building rapport, the plan was to smoothly transition into business talk.
“I’m embarrassed.”
Freya lowered her head, sweeping her hair aside.
“Please come this way. I’ll show you around the village.”
“Yes, Lord Elwin.”
As they wandered through the village, they exchanged many stories.
And finally, they arrived at the temple in the center of the village.
“Is this the temple?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“It’s a temple dedicated to the Goddess of the Earth.”
“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen a temple this big even in the capital.”
In ordinary territories, they don’t build temples this large.
In my case, there was something bothering me.
“We’re still under construction. It’ll be much bigger when it’s completed.”
“I’d like to see the completed temple. Can I come again next time…?”
“Of course. You can come anytime.”
After finishing the tour of the village,
we moved to a restaurant.
We had a satisfying conversation.
I became close enough with Freya to comfortably chat.
“But… why isn’t she bringing up the main topic?”
We had enough preliminary conversation.
It wouldn’t be awkward to bring up the main topic now.
But still…
Freya was only focused on our small talk.
“I’m curious why you two came all the way here.”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Congratulations on the city construction, Lord Elwin.”
She’s not an easy opponent.
There’s no way we came here for such a simple reason.
It would be nice if they brought it out first… But I can’t bow my head and go in like that… Is this the suffering of a sales representative?
I’m the one who needs money right away.
For now, I can only adapt to the other person.
**
**
Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump.
The vampire’s 2nd Lady exclusive carriage.
“How much longer?”
“We’ll be arriving in Terra soon.”
Amidst the busy competition with Vania, I heard one piece of news.
That Kallas’ daughter is visiting Terra.
The moment I heard that, I immediately set off.
“Lady Alencia, your face is turning red.”
Alencia calmed her heart.
And another thought came to her.
“Why did I come all the way here?”
She had broken up with Elwin.
She was the one who initiated the breakup.
But going to meet Elwin…
“No, that’s not it. Elwin is a necessary person in Ireland. So, I just have to take care of him. For the sake of Ireland.”
During the time spent with Elwin,
I saw many things.
If there was a maid, she would often feel uncomfortable.
If the maid carried something heavy, he would offer to help.
And so on.
The maid was like a screen.
The nobles didn’t pay attention to the maid.
But Elwin was different.
To put it nicely, he saw the maid as an equal human being,
But to put it differently, he lacked the dignity of a noble.
“He even got shocked when his hand accidentally brushed against the maid.”
I was sure when I saw that.
That Elwin was afraid of women.
That Elwin was weak towards women.
“But what if a noblewoman intentionally approaches Elwin?”
“How much longer?”
“We’ve arrived.”
After a while, the carriage stopped.
Arlencia quickly got off the carriage.
And then, she headed straight to where Elwin was.
The moment she entered the restaurant,
a man blocked her way.
“Hello, Second Lady. How did you…?”
Someone she knew.
One of Elwin’s subordinates.
“Was it Russell?”
“Yes, it was. Second Lady.”
“Where is Elwin?”
“He’s inside. If you’ve come to see the Lord, let me tell him in advance…”
Before he could finish speaking, she stepped inside.
“Second Lady, I will inform the Lord of your visit.”
“It’s fine.”
As she entered, she heard laughter.
One was Elwin’s voice.
And the other was a woman’s voice.
‘Are they laughing?’
She quickened her pace.
As she turned the corner,
she saw three people sitting at the table.
Elwin and the woman sitting across from him.
And the man seated next to that woman.
**
**
“hahahahaha. It’s true. There are goblins in Ireland stronger than orcs. I’ve seen them myself.”
“Oh my, what happened to those goblins?”
“I defeated them with mercenaries.”
“Elwin is truly remarkable.”
Just as they were engrossed in their mutual admiration,
An unexpected figure appeared.
“Lady Alencia? What are you doing here…?”
She stood beside me without a word.
In the meantime, the maid, Mary, prepared a chair.
After she sat down, she spoke.
“Continue.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I could hear laughter from outside. Keep talking.”
“Ah… yes…”
He began the tale of the goblin extermination once again.
However, the atmosphere didn’t liven up as it did before.
It was because Alencia glared at her with a stern expression.
In the midst of the awkward atmosphere,
Freya’s gaze shifted to Alencia.
“Why did you come here, Lady Alencia?”
“I had some business.”
“What kind of business?”
“Do I have to say?”
It was cold. It felt like the refrigerator door was left open.
“Is it so important that you can’t even talk about it? Well, I suppose it makes sense since you came to find someone you broke up with.”
“…”
The atmosphere sank further with Freya’s words.
It now felt like a freezer was wide open, not just a refrigerator.
“For now, both of you calm down. Chef! Chef! When will the food be ready?!”
Even when the food came out, the situation didn’t improve.
Freya and Alencia glared at each other.
In the midst of that, the food didn’t get passed around.
The only person who remained calm was Geoffrey Callas.
He continued his meal, strictly adhering to noble etiquette even in this situation.
It was the same even after leaving the restaurant.
The two of them glared at each other with me caught in between.
It would have been better if they had just fought, but they insisted on keeping me in the middle.
And so, the first day of the festival passed.
The next day.
“Ah… Why are you doing this again today?”
As if I wasn’t already uncomfortable because of the deficit.
But to have them like this too…
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
The reason for personally guiding Freya yesterday and today is one thing.
Money.
They want their desires resolved and are willing to borrow money in return.
I didn’t want to bring up the topic first, but…
“Ahem, I believe Lady Freya has a reason for coming all the way here.”
A smile crept onto Freya’s lips as her gaze shifted to me.
“I may not know what the request is, but I’ll do my best to listen. So, as a reward…”
Thump.
I stopped speaking and turned my head.
Because Alencia grabbed my wrist from the other side.
“If you’re a noble, watch your words.”
A noble.
It was a phrase I often heard when we were together.
“Act like a noble.”
But now is not the time for that.
Money is urgently needed.
We’re in the red as it is.
“It’s a trade. Giving each other what we need.”
I looked at Freya again.
“To be honest, I need money. Can you provide me with funds, Freya?”
“Money… you say? Then…”
Thump.
Alyncia grabbed my wrist again.
No matter how much she’s Alyncia, if she continues to interfere with the work…
Just as I was about to say something to Alyncia, she spoke up first.
“Is it just money? I can lend it to you.”
This changes things.
“Are you serious!?”
Swoosh.
This time, Freya tugged at my sleeve.
“Elwin, our Calas Corps has a lot of money.”
“Very well…”
“Well, it’s just a small favor anyway.”
Once again, the fight between the two women began.
“But still, wouldn’t the duchy have more money than the marquisate? The duchy has a larger income, so naturally, they have more expenses, right?”
That’s also a valid point.
In terms of population, territory, and economic scale, the duchy is indeed larger.
However, when it comes to net income, the situation changes.
While the duchy has both high income and expenses, the marquisate’s income far outweighs its expenses.
Their main source of income is toll fees.
“In that case, to the person who lends at a low interest rate…”
“I can do 8%.”
“7%.”
“6% is also possible.”
“5%.”
“… 4.5%.”
“4%.”
She forcibly restrained her rising tail of negotiation.
She thought it was going to be a big fight, but it turned out to be a fisherman’s situation.
“Well then… 3.5%… I’ll try my best to make it work.”
“3%.”
“Me too. I’m also at 3%.”
I waited, wondering if it would go any lower.
But there was no one who called below 3%.
The 8% interest rate that Freya first called was considerate to some extent.
This place doesn’t have low interest rates like Earth.
And yet, the interest rate has dropped to 3%.
This is the maximum concession that the two can make.
“Freya seems a bit unreasonable…”
Thump.
Silence.
Both of them looked at me.
It was a hint to make a quick decision.
“It’s a bit difficult, isn’t it…?”
