Previously
Ludvic explains the blood belongs to Orc invaders and uses a high-level fire spell to instantly clean himself and his clothes, much to Ariella's shock. During their meeting, Ludvic admits he is illiterate and grew up as a lone survivor in the demon realm without family or teachers.
The measure taken yesterday to cover the roof was merely a temporary fix. The structure of this library was in such a state that it could collapse at any moment.
Therefore, a comprehensive restoration was essential.
“Come on, over here! Carefully, carefully!”
“Send some hands over to this side too!”
“Hey, who cut this lumber? It doesn't fit the space at all!”
The domain's residents whom Groib had gathered were busily repairing the library. Most of them were Kobolds.
Ariella stepped closer to Groib and spoke.
“The workers gathered much faster and in greater numbers than I expected.”
Even though the notice had been posted out of nowhere.
Groib nodded.
“Barely a few hours passed since the announcement went out across the territory, yet so many Kobolds came swarming in. Thanks to them, we got straight to work, and it looks like we'll finish quickly as well.”
“Still, we can't be entirely thrilled about it. It simply means a great many Kobolds are currently out of work.”
Had they been busy with their primary trade of farming, they would never have answered the call so swiftly.
“A truly lamentable situation. Most of the farmland was pillaged or ruined beyond repair, so they have nothing left to till.”
In simpler terms, they were unemployed.
“Regardless, there are plenty of places that need repairs.”
Ariella remarked as she turned over future plans in her mind.
“At the very least, work like this could do them some good. The wages they earn today will be enough to buy food for several days.”
Watching the Kobolds toil so diligently, she added,
“If any of them were planning to flee straight away but changed their minds because of this, wouldn't you call that a success?”
· · ·
If the Kobolds began migrating to other lands in search of work, the fate of both the sun and the Demon King would be in jeopardy.
And Ariella's own life would be on the line as well.
Even if some had entertained the thought, these jobs might well have altered their course.
Groib gave her a peculiar look.
“Were you already considering that angle when you planned the library's restoration?”
Ariella nodded.
“Even nations resort to massive public works to revive their economies. Provided, of course, that the projects aren't pointless and actually benefit as many residents as possible.”
“Oh, I see.”
A faint glimmer of admiration rose in Groib's eyes as he looked at her.
Just then, exclamations of awe rang out from the Kobold laborers. The source of their wonder was the slime mixture.
“Whoa, this sticky stuff… it's incredible! You just add a little water, and it hardens right up!”
“Isn't it? No more hammering nails! We don't need lime, we don't need tar, and we don't even have to wait! It works so ridiculously fast.”
“I've never done construction this easy in my entire life!”
“Look at this! Even with several people jumping on it, it doesn't budge!”
The gold coins Ariella had spent were far from money thrown away on a single whim.
First, she had prevented the ruin of the library's rare books.
Second, she provided employment for the jobless Kobolds.
And third, it served as an opportunity to spread the reputation of her unique slime concoction.
“Sniff… Lady Ariella…!”
“Philly?”
Ariella blinked in surprise. Glancing to her side, she found the fairy softly weeping.
Evidently, she had been deeply touched.
“I was so worried the library would collapse just like that… I was trembling with dread that all those countless books inside would be ruined.”
Her voice trembled violently.
“I am truly grateful to you! This is all thanks to you, Lady Ariella!”
Lightly darting into the air, the fairy threw herself forward and hugged Ariella tight.
Smiling, Ariella rested a hand on the fairy's blonde hair and stroked it gently.
“It seems your heart has carried a heavy burden.”
Those words struck Philly's heart like a trickle of water piercing a dam, causing it to breach under an unbearable flood.
“Waaah!”
The fairy broke into bitter, joyous sobs. Clear tears streamed without pause down cheeks flushed pink like ripe peaches.
Watching the fairy's tear-streaked, contorted face, Ariella recalled their very first meeting.
That face had once been frozen solid, devoid of joy, sorrow, or anger, like a block of ice.
‘She only treated me coldly because she was that drained and worn out…’
After all, warmth and kindness can only come from someone whose heart has room to spare. And Philly had possessed no such room back then.
At that very moment, a shout pierced the air from nearby.
It was a sharp, furious voice, brimming with distaste and outrage.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Ariella spun toward the voice, along with the fairy—who had barely managed to stop crying—and the Kobolds, who also turned to look.
“Bivar?”
Bivar, the vampire overseeing the Demon King's finances, had appeared at the restoration site.
He had not yet noticed Ariella and her companions; instead, he was screaming and jabbing a finger at the Kobolds.
Or more precisely, toward the work site where they had been toiling away.
“What in the blazes are you doing?! You worthless scum, how dare you… cease this immediately!”
Ariella cast a frigid glare at Bivar.
‘There he is. Boundless free time, yet utterly useless.’
The air at the construction site froze in an instant.
The vampire Bivar was roaring in fury, his voice climbing ever higher as he pointed at the workers.
“Who authorized this? It certainly couldn't have been the head butler!”
The workers whose eyes met his wrathful glare began trembling as though their legs could no longer support them. The work ground to a halt on its own.
“You fools! Why are you wasting your time on such drivel?! Your labor in the fields is barely enough as it is…!”
Observing the scene, Ariella grew suspicious.
Did this matter truly warrant such fury? What was his real reason?
Bivar yelled until the surrounding air seemed to shudder.
“Disperse! Off with you this instant!”
At his command, the Kobolds hesitated, setting down their tools and building materials with wavering hands.
The underworld was a realm governed by power. When a high-ranking vampire issued a furious order, they lacked the standing to defy it.
“What utter nonsense.”
Ariella let out a derisive scoff from behind Bivar.
“Pay him no mind. Continue your work as planned.”
She issued the exact opposite command. Thrown into confusion, the Kobolds had no idea which order to follow.
“What?!”
Bivar wheeled around, his glare loaded with animosity.
“Who is this arrogant wretch that dares to—!”
The moment he saw who stood before him, his scowl twisted even further. It seemed he finally grasped what was going on.
“Don't tell me you are the one behind this farce?!”
His gleaming eyes bore into Ariella. A feral aura surged from him, yet she neither retreated nor flinched.
It was strange. Although his magical power far outstripped her present reserves, she felt not the slightest intimidation or pressure.
“Yes, I ordered it.”
“The library? At a time when we lack even enough grain to run this territory, you drag peasants off to fix a worthless, trivial library?”
As he spoke with biting contempt, the fairy's face gradually lost all color. Naturally, hearing the place she had tended so lovingly dismissed as worthless cut her to the bone.
The vampire snorted through his nose.
“A scheme that could only originate from a pathetic human utterly divorced from reality. You cannot discern what is essential from what is petty, yet you poke your nose into affairs that don't concern you!”
Ariella felt a vein throb against her forehead.
This bastard… ever since their very first meeting, he hadn't stopped calling her a pathetic human.
Clearly, he felt humiliated after being subdued by magic before, and now he was trying to stir up trouble from another angle.
After all, the authority to manage the Demon King's treasury lay in his hands.
“This territory is no place for a powerless, incompetent human to meddle!”
Bellowing once more at the workers, he shouted,
“What are you waiting for? Every last one of you, get back to the fields—”
Ariella's sharp voice cut him off forcefully.
“The only person around here acting thoughtlessly and lacking discernment… is you.”
· · ·
Ariella's tone had suddenly shifted. Bivar glared at her, unable to believe his ears.
“How insolent!”
Ariella delivered her next words in a cool, steady tone, yet every syllable was as pointed as an arrow.
“Before screaming in everyone's faces and telling them to return to their jobs, shouldn't you have first asked whether they had any jobs left to return to?”
At that, Bivar hesitated for a fraction of a second. Ariella gestured toward the Kobold laborers.
“These people had no work and were starving. The moment we posted a notice for laborers, they flocked here immediately.”
The objection Bivar raised was fundamentally flawed from the start.
These people had no farmland to work to begin with. Most of it had been burned and razed during the Orc raids.
Having nothing left to cultivate, they had simply sat helpless, suffering through starvation. The employment notice from the Demon King's castle was like a lifeline dropped from heaven.
Ariella pointed out this bitter reality, her voice tinged with melancholy.
“Just how desperate must their situation be for them to turn out in these numbers? It only reminded me just how impoverished this territory truly is.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her chin toward Bivar.
“Doesn't that make you feel anything at all, Sir Treasurer?”
END