Became the Owner of a Poor Estate
Chapter 20
Scrooge felt a simultaneous sense of dread and anticipation.
He feared the Lord might insist on buying expensive dresses with the newly acquired funds, yet at the same time, he found himself looking forward to whatever she might say next.
“I want to have coats made for the children. But we have no fabric and no tailor right now. Would it be too difficult to get furs through hunting?”
“We have no hunters in our territory, My Lady.”
“Why not?”
“No hunter is capable of hunting in the Black Forest. No matter how much gold you offer, it is not worth more than their lives. Furthermore, because of the Defense Grass bordering the Black Forest, the monsters do not cross over, so there is little for a hunter to do. There is likely plenty of game with thick pelts in the snowy fields, but reaching them requires passing through the Black Forest, which is currently impossible.”
Chloe’s expression remained full of sorrow as her gaze stayed fixed on the children. Come to think of it, even in her own wardrobe as the Lord, there were only a handful of fur coats. That was a testament to how expensive they were.
How wonderful would it be if she could dress the children in long padded coats?
Perhaps it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“It’s a serious problem. We have to keep the children warm.”
Witnessing such a rare and precious sight, Scrooge felt goosebumps break out across his body and a surge of joy.
“I have truly lived long enough to see everything. To think I would hear such words from the Lord before I die. Sniff.”
The butler ended up wiping his eyes with his sleeve. His sleeve, though worn but impeccably clean, quickly became damp.
“Stop that!”
Donghee spoke bluntly, feeling a sudden wave of embarrassment.
“Hic! Yes, I shall stop at once.”
Scrooge broke into a wide smile even as he continued to dab at his tears.
He felt as though he could now face the late Marquis without shame, even if he were to die this very moment.
After sniffling for a while, the butler suddenly looked up as if a thought had struck him and spoke with a nasal voice.
“There are some among the servants of Grace Castle who are quite skilled.”
This was the good news Donghee had been waiting for, and her ears perked up.
“Really? Then could they make coats for the children?”
“They are capable enough to make their own clothes, so making coats for children should be no trouble at all. However…”
Scrooge trailed off, seemingly checking Donghee’s reaction.
“However?”
“We have no fabric to make the coats with.”
“What do you mean we don’t? My dressing room is full of dresses I don’t wear.”
“Your dresses, My Lady?”
Since Donghee didn’t have a shred of lingering attachment to those tattered, lace-heavy dresses, she nodded easily.
But looking at Scrooge’s expression, he didn’t seem particularly pleased.
“Why? Is the fabric too thin? Even so, wouldn’t layering them be much better than having nothing at all? Oh, is it possible to get winter fabric from a neighboring territory?”
“Uh… if we go to Sharum, we should be able to find winter fabrics. But with winter right around the corner, the prices will likely have risen significantly.”
“Don’t worry about the money. For now, try to get as much as you can. If we leave them like that, they’ll catch colds or freeze to death all winter.”
Having voiced it aloud, she felt a greater sense of urgency. Donghee began to speak even faster than before.
“Until we get the fabric, use my dresses as a temporary measure to make the children’s clothes.”
“Are you truly certain it is alright to make children’s clothes out of your dresses, My Lady?”
Scrooge looked as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
Donghee nodded once more, recalling the dresses that packed her dressing room to the brim.
They were all garish dresses in shades of pink, purple, and yellow, adorned with layers of frilly lace and ribbons.
The moment she put one on, she was certain she would look like a giant gift box. She had absolutely no intention of wearing such things.
“Yes. I’ll just earn a lot of money from now on and buy clothes that suit my taste.”
“My Lady…”
‘To think the Lord would tell such a lie for the sake of the children!’
Tears began to bead and fall once more from the corners of Scrooge’s wrinkled eyes as he got lost in his own imagination. This time, even a “Stop that!” was of no use.
-The favorability of the residents, moved by the User’s spirit of sacrifice, has increased significantly.
Current favorability of (Morta Village) residents: 1,250.
She had only suggested it because they were clothes she wasn’t going to wear anyway, but the favorability had skyrocketed.
Seeing it reach 1,250, it was clear that Morta Village’s favorability had been steadily rising in the meantime.
It would be a lie to say she hadn’t expected it at all, but she hadn’t expected it to rise this much. Donghee almost let out a squeal of delight.
However, since there was still a long way to go, Donghee quickly composed herself.
Her heart was already racing at the thought of giving people work, paying them daily wages, and having warm coats made for the children.
At the word that they would be paid for working, people flocked to the makeshift labor office, though they remained half-skeptical.
The village hall, with its crumbling walls and torn roof, served as the labor office.
With the help of the servants and the Knights who had come along, Scrooge quickly hammered together signboards that the villagers could easily understand.
Since most of the villagers were illiterate, save for a few, the method Scrooge chose was drawings.
“Wow, the drawings are terrible, but strangely easy to understand.”
Donghee couldn’t help but marvel as she watched people lining up in front of the signs Scrooge had drawn.
“That one means to pick up the trash on the ground, right? Meaning it’s a task assigned to the young children?”
When Donghee asked to confirm if her understanding was correct, Scrooge nodded with a face full of pride.
“That is correct. And this one means to clear away the filth that is turning the road into a mire. This task is assigned to the adults.”
“I see. I can tell. This is truly impressive.”
When Donghee gave a thumbs-up in praise, Scrooge’s wrinkled cheeks flushed like ripe plums. It was a shyness that didn’t quite match his dignified age.
She felt she had made the right choice in appointing the sharp-witted Scrooge as the person in charge.
That wasn’t all.
The Knights who had accompanied them were stationed throughout the village square, remaining vigilant to ensure order was maintained in case of any unforeseen incidents.
This was the moment where the chocolate cream bread she had fed them before leaving for the village showed its true power.
Among the Knights, a tall man who appeared to be the Knight Commander seemed to possess an extraordinary level of loyalty toward the Lord.
Even while busy managing the crowds, he never neglected his duty of guarding the Lord.
Donghee gave a big thumbs-up toward the Knight Commander, who was doing his part perfectly.
-The Knight Commander’s loyalty toward the User has increased by 50%.
At this rate, isn’t this a magic thumb?
Donghee smiled contentedly as she looked at her short thumb anew.
-Two sudden missions.
First, please give a name to the Knight Commander, who will become the User’s faithful hands and feet.
Please bestow a magnificent name that can reveal his bravery to the whole world and enhance the Knight Commander’s prestige.
Second, increase the Knight Commander’s loyalty to 80% or higher.
Hidden Points will be awarded based on mission achievement.
This was a decent mission.
And it was one with a high probability of success. She wondered what the difference was between a character who needed a name and one who didn’t, but she didn’t dwell on it for long.
Giving a name was easy enough, and as for loyalty, it didn’t seem like a problem if she just kept doing what she was doing.
Now then, shall I start with the name? A name that reveals bravery…
If it’s bravery, it has to be this.
“Lion.”
-This name is already in use.
“Tiger.”
-This name is already in use.
At this point, she felt a slight surge of stubbornness. Were lions and tigers the only animals that represented bravery?
“Red Bear.”
She wasn’t sure if a brown bear was called a Red Bear in English, but since “Fire Bear” didn’t sound right, she just blurted it out.
-The name of the Grace Knights’ Knight Commander has been successfully registered as ‘Red Bear.’
Since the satisfaction level with the Knight Commander’s name is 70%, the User will be awarded 70 Hidden Points.
The satisfaction level was a bit disappointing, but since the naming was already complete, she couldn’t change it.
“Yes, My Lady.”
Red Bear answered quickly, thinking she had called him. Somehow, his eyes seemed to sparkle more than they had before he was given a name.
“I will leave the distribution of food to you and your men. Once they have finished their meal, work with the butler to assign them to appropriate locations and begin the tasks.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Red Bear answered with a bow and quickly took his position.
The faces of the people returning home with bread and grain were filled with bright smiles. She had exhausted herself quite a bit bringing out such a large quantity of bread alone, but seeing the happy people made her feel she could repeat that hardship as many times as necessary.
However, since this was only a one-time thing, she absolutely had to give them work.
“The villagers must be able to stand on their own feet.”
Donghee looked around the desolate village, carefully checking if she had missed anything.
What should she start after the village cleanup was finished?
Let’s not overthink it.
Think about the territory management games I usually play. What did I start with then?
Houses, farmland to grow crops, and roads.
Let’s just focus on those three for now.
Having reached a quick conclusion, Donghee called for Scrooge, who was frantically marking work zones on a map of the village.
“Butler.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Does that forest over there also belong to the Grace territory?”
Donghee asked, pointing to the forest located to the north of the village.
“Yes, the Black Forest is a forest of the Grace territory that has been passed down through generations.”
“The Black Forest?”
It was a forest mentioned in the geographical knowledge she had acquired with points.
Having heard of it once, she felt a slight sense of familiarity. It was a chilling and eerie name that sounded like ghosts might inhabit it, but for some reason, she had a feeling there would be much to gain from there. Donghee’s eyes grew brighter than ever as she gazed at the Black Forest.
“Yes. Since monsters roam freely there at night, there are no houses near the forest.”
No wonder there was such an excessively wide meadow between the forest and the village.
In front of the forest Scrooge was pointing to, a vast plain that looked to be well over 200 meters wide stretched out. However, unlike the forest which was dense with deep green, the plain was covered in grass that looked like dried hay, perhaps due to the drought.
“What are those grasses? Don’t the monsters come down below the meadow? It seems like they would attack the villagers.”
