Chapter 25
Episode 25
Nina handed over the medicinal herbs Kirill had requested and entrusted her plants to him as well.
It would be difficult to ask a regular gardener, and the only person she could ask was Kirill, who had already grown herbs from the Violet Forest.
Kirill looked into the collection pouch, saying, "Goodness."
"Where did you pick up something like this?"
"I picked them up here and there."
Nina raised her pinky finger, saying, "Please take good care of them."
In other worldviews, it was a sign of 'I promise,' but here, it meant 'Please.'
It meant asking politely, as if entrusting a young cub.
'I had a hard time getting confused about this.'
Thinking of her childhood, Nina shook her head inwardly.
Kirill asked, his eyes twinkling, "I heard you brought a herd of Unicorns?"
"Yes. It just happened."
"Is that something that just happens? Isn't there a weak or injured individual? An individual that you think could do without?"
Nina asked seriously at Kirill's question of whether there was one that would be okay to experiment on.
"Kirill, don't go near the Unicorns. I'm afraid you'll feed them something weird."
"I have that much discernment."
"I hope so."
Kirill chuckled at Nina's dubious reply.
"Don't worry, I really won't touch them. I brought what you asked for properly. If I had left it to Jin, he would have picked the wrong thing."
"Ah, Jin doesn't have an eye for that. Even though he's the second son of the Merchant Guild."
"I know. He's the second son of the Merchant Guild. He's not fit to run the Merchant Guild with that kind of eye."
Kirill shook his head and asked.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes, there's nothing particularly strange."
Kirill chuckled and put down the pipe he was about to light.
"If you die, I want to dissect your body."
"I want to do it for you too."
"Then Duke Louvaine probably wouldn't let my head stay attached to my body."
Kirill lamented that he would have done it even separately if they were alive.
Nina quickly left the medicinal herb room at the order to leave, as he was getting annoyed.
It was evening after having dinner with Jin, the vice-captain, and discussing the matter of replenishing the members of the Jet-Black Knights.
Jin said with a tired face, "I should go to bed early today."
Nina announced the training, saying, "Let's meet at dawn tomorrow."
"Okay."
Jin, who replied with a determined face, left the room. Nina, left alone, slowly organized what the two had talked about.
'I entrusted him with full authority, but still.'
I guess it's right to report the general things, right?
I should also ask Lord Louis more about the Exchange Tournament.
Now that I've become the captain of the Jet-Black Knights, shouldn't I work hard to make the Knights famous?
'Hmm. Come to think of it, doesn't the Dukedom have another Knights?'
The Jet-Black Knights are only for the Violet Forest, and there must have been another Knights that went to the Exchange Tournament.
'What happened to them?'
It hasn't been long since I came back, but I haven't seen them.
'Could it be that they disbanded them?'
Considering Young Master's personality, it seems possible.
'He likes to delicately remove claws, but he's the kind of person who cuts off heads when things get annoying.'
Then I might have to recruit more people than I thought.
Nina got up from her seat. I have to go report the organized content and receive the award I couldn't receive during the day.
She confidently entered Adrian's bedroom and found him sitting on a long chair, looking at a note.
"Young Master?"
"Come in."
"Can I run from here and hug you?"
"What?"
As Adrian raised his head and turned his gaze to her, Nina kicked off the floor.
She threw herself at him without even taking a few steps, and Adrian's body fell onto the long chair as it was.
Thanks to him catching her like that and falling, there was almost no impact.
Nina, giggling, pressed down on both of his shoulders and looked down at him.
"The chair looked fluffy."
At Nina's words, Adrian replied, "Of course it's fluffy."
His hands were wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling. She gave him a tight squeeze to stop him from getting up.
Adrian, who was about to get up but was laid back down, stared up at her.
Nina knew that she often crossed the line.
Every time that happened, Adrian would just look at her with an indifferent face, never really getting angry or annoyed.
He is a kind but delicate person. Even a normal person would get angry if she acted like this.
Of course, people who knew her well were used to her, but still.
So, Nina often felt an impulse.
Hey, Adrian.
How much can you endure?
What can you tolerate?
"Adrian."
Nina smiled.
"I really like you."
Adrian's eyes widened, then he smiled.
"I like you too."
Nina grinned and rolled gracefully off the sofa onto the floor in one rotation.
Landing on all fours was a cat-like movement.
While Adrian got up and straightened his collar, she quickly leaned on his lap, put her arm up, and placed her head on it.
"I talked to Jin, and we decided to quickly replenish the number of people. I want to recruit them within this month if possible."
"Again."
Even though he said he didn't like this position, Adrian's hand began to stroke her hair. Nina leisurely enjoyed it and continued to speak.
"But isn't there another Knights? What happened to them?"
"They sided with the Duchess."
"I see. No wonder."
Nina looked up at him and asked, "Then should we increase the Jet-Black Knights? Or are you going to create another Knights?"
"Do whatever you want. As long as annoying things don't linger around me."
It was like Adrian to treat escorts as 'annoying things' in a gentle voice.
"I'll be careful."
Nina said that and raised her upper body, rubbed her head and cheek against his hand, and then pulled away.
"I'll discuss the budget issue with Lord Louis."
"Okay."
Nina glanced at the note still in his hand.
"What's that?"
"Information sent by a spy."
"Oh, we have spies too?"
"The budget was left over because the Royal Knights disappeared."
No, I don't think that budget was left over.
You bought medicinal herbs, and you built Kirill a greenhouse.
The finances must be a mess due to internal strife, and I heard there are debts to other territories!
"It's inconvenient without eyes and ears."
'Our Young Master is something else.'
Others would think that he was groaning because of taxes and had no room to reach out.
But this man was squeezing the budget while eating potatoes and releasing spies.
'A normal aristocrat can't do that…….'
Who would have imagined that the Roubaenue Dukedom had spread an intelligence network to the Empire in the past two years?
"Is it good news?"
"There's no good news or bad news. News is just news."
He added that it was just a matter of how to use it and folded the note.
Nina nodded and asked.
"The crops we grow, we have to sell them through the Merchant Guild. How about we set up our own Merchant Guild?"
"Directly?"
"Yes. We can set up an agent, so I think it's better to distribute it directly."
After all, we're going to sell exclusive items.
"Do you have any candidates in mind?"
"Um, not yet."
"Think about it."
It was a tentative permission. Nina smiled contentedly and got up from her seat.
"Then I'll be on my way. I'm going to roll Jin from dawn tomorrow…… No, I'm going to train with Jin."
Nina's voice sounded somehow excited.
After Nina left the room, Adrian shook his head at Nina's empty space, who had come and gone like a storm.
She was like a cat in that she came when she wanted and left when she wanted.
He reopened the note.
[A-class Bellac appeared in the capital.]
The corners of Adrian's lips turned up crookedly.
