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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Immeasurable Wealth and Family Returns
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Seletrina's Lubeo had once been rated as having an economic value of 'immeasurable'.
In other words, the economic boom she had engineered was on a scale too vast to even assess.
Thanks to her, the Dayamor family she belonged to was enjoying an unprecedented golden age.
"Are you short on money?"
"I'm just being cautious."
Pelsone hit the nail on the head, and the irked Petra Young Lord snapped back curtly.
The truth was, he was broke.
Even as the son of the head of the largest bank in the Drameno Empire, the actual funds at his disposal weren't all that much.
Count Petra, who was merely holding the seat for now, despised wasteful spending.
He was always cautioning his children to watch their spending, and the allowance he gave them was modest even for nobles.
Once they reached adulthood, he cut off support almost entirely, save for the bare minimum to maintain their dignity.
"...Petra Young Lord."
Pelsone, who had been watching, spoke up.
The Petra Young Lord, who had been picking at the dry skin on his chapped lips, turned to look. A bead of blood welled up on his thick lips.
"What's the maximum amount you can mobilize right now?"
"......"
"I'm on your side. You can't afford to let pride get in the way."
"Fifty million Uba."
The Petra Young Lord gave the figure reluctantly.
"That's everything I can use right now."
"Hm, that's certainly a small sum."
"......"
Pelsone pointed out exactly what the Petra Young Lord least wanted to hear, then gently stroked his chin.
"Then we'll have to borrow some."
"Borrow? You want me to take out a loan?"
"There are plenty of people besides you, Petra Young Lord, eyeing the magic stones of the Prok Kingdom right now. I'm one of them."
Pelsone glanced around the room as he spoke.
The Petra Young Lord's reception room was garishly over-the-top.
Gold-trimmed wall corners, unnecessarily grandiose decorative paintings, even suits of armor adorned with red tassels on the helmets.
It was as if it had been designed to embody the insecurities of someone obsessed with money.
Like a warehouse where expensive items had been dumped without any artistic sense.
"But if we secure investment to combine with what you already have and pour it in, in just a few months, you'll repay the loan and still have wealth overflowing."
Invest fifty million Uba, get five hundred million back.
Invest a hundred million, get a billion.
That was the value of the magic stone mines in the Prok Kingdom.
"......"
The fierce glare in the Petra Young Lord's eyes softened slightly.
It was a tempting proposition.
'Invest fifty million Uba and get five hundred million...'
But there was a problem.
"Petra Bank won't lend to me."
The heirs of the Petra family were forbidden from borrowing from Petra Bank. It was a long-standing, damned rule.
"All because of that cursed sense of propriety."
"Don't worry about that."
Pelsone smiled brightly.
"I know a reliable lender. Very trustworthy."
Nibelria absolutely loved camping in the forest.
"It tickles..."
Except for that one bite from the forest mosquito.
On the last day of camping.
She hadn't covered herself properly with the blanket in her sleep, and it had slipped in through the gap and bitten her.
Forest mosquitoes were vicious. Just one bite had turned her fair skin bright red and swollen.
Fortunately, the ointment made by the witches worked wonders, and the swelling went down in just a few hours.
The redness faded noticeably too.
"There's a hole here!"
"Really? Must be where the mosquito's proboscis went in."
"Miss, does it hurt?"
"Doesn't hurt, but it tickles."
The children couldn't tear their eyes away from Nibelria's mosquito bite.
Nibelria's fine hairs were incredibly thin and delicate, and the bite mark left a slightly larger dot right in the middle.
"Don't scratch it."
Arep stopped Nibelria as she reached to scratch it with her nails.
"It tickles!"
"I'll put more ointment on."
The witches' ointment had a cool sensation when applied.
That chill soothed the burning itch.
"Feels cool..."
Nibelria's expression relaxed noticeably.
"Thanks, Arep!"
"No problem."
Arep said it with a bit of emphasis.
"If it itches again, tell me. I'll apply more."
"Okay!"
"Ah, what a sight."
A passing witch chuckled.
"They get along so well. The Dayamor family just got themselves a fine little son-in-law."
"Nibelria must be thrilled. Snagging such a sweet husband prospect already."
Arep flushed red at the witches' teasing, flustered and at a loss.
But instead of denying it, he murmured 'husband...' in ecstatic embarrassment.
Nibelria, meanwhile, nodded as if it were the most natural thing.
"Yeah!"
Then she shouted energetically.
"Arep is Nini's mate!"
"My, she knows some big words."
"Is 'mate' a big word?"
"Kinda has that vibe."
It wasn't exactly a word you'd expect from a child.
But the witch didn't dwell on it.
Kids that age often spouted words that surprised even adults.
After parting with the witch, Nibelria watched the adults packing to head home.
Then she picked up a small basket and lugged it over to the carriage with a grunt.
It wasn't paid labor, but she was helping out.
Once the luggage was mostly loaded,
Nibelria went to find the Great Witch.
"We're going home now."
"I see."
"Let's play again next time, okay?"
Nibelria sat beside the Great Witch and spoke like a friend.
Seletrina worried if it was okay to let her act so casually—wasn't it too rude?
But the Great Witch adored Nibelria just like that.
"Will you come play with me again?"
"Yeah! I like Great Witch!"
"I like Nini too."
The Great Witch gifted the precious guests who had come to visit her with handmade honey clumps and herbal tea.
She even saw them off personally.
"Safe travels."
The Great Witch said to the Dayamor family as they boarded the carriage.
"Things will be noisy for a while, but it won't all be bad."
"I see."
The words were cryptic, but Muniel understood.
"I had a feeling something like that might happen."
"Don't overdo it."
"I'll think about it."
"You need to rein in that personality of yours."
"I've toned it down a lot already."
"......"
Ardores pretended not to hear Muniel's grumbling.
"Bye-bye!"
Nibelria poked her head out the departing carriage window and waved her arms vigorously.
Solles and Arep followed suit, leaning out and waving enthusiastically.
The witches waved back.
The Great Witch was too elderly to wave, so she simply watched the carriage until it vanished, with warm eyes.
"Sigh, it's not like we'll never see them again, but I feel so empty."
A witch beside her couldn't hide her regret.
"The kids are so sweet, they just steal your heart."
"Right?"
"Even Great Witch seems especially fond of them. The young lady in particular."
"She's an adorable kitten."
"More like a puppy face, no?"
"Hehe."
The Great Witch hid a knowing smile in her wrinkles.
'Take good care of her.'
The voice the Great Witch murmured in her heart reached the Dayamor family's carriage, now far out of sight.
"...Hmph."
The Evil Dragon Ater pretended not to hear and curled up into a ball.
"Cheeky thing, but her luck is good."
Armifera Dayamor was coming home.
"...But when exactly?"
Kaleo wasn't thrilled about his little sister's return.
Still, there had been a time when she'd trailed after him, cutely calling 'big brother, big brother'.
Armifera had been truly beautiful.
Her red hair in particular was more vivid than rose petals, accentuating her beauty even more.
Thanks to that, Kaleo had spent his days beating up every guy who ogled his sister, his clothes perpetually stained with blood.
Then one day.
Armifera started muttering things like 'I want adventure! How scary and beautiful is a free life?'
And the moment she came of age, with Seletrina's help, she started working and earning her own money.
Six years ago, she up and left to become the Mercenary King.
"When was the last time I saw her?"
"Two years ago. She stopped by briefly and borrowed Father's greatsword."
Seletrina recalled two years prior.
Her once-flowing red hair was hacked short with kitchen scissors, turned into a shaggy mess. Her flawless fair skin had tanned to a sturdy brown, like a tree grown under the sun.
Not to mention the scars all over her body.
But Armifera looked utterly happy.
"Sele, that wasn't borrowing... she stole it."
[I'll borrow this!]
The room storing weapons his father Ardores had used in his youth.
She had swiped one greatsword he cherished and left just that cheeky note below the empty spot on the wall.
"Anyway, this time she'll get to meet Nini properly."
"Nini didn't even know she had an aunt."
"But she seems to get it now."
She knew her dad had a little sister.
"Anyway, we need to prepare a room for her..."
Should he give back the annex?
As Kaleo pondered, Seletrina watching him spoke up.
"Dear."
"Yes?"
"I heard some news recently."
"Yes."
"The prize for the tournament crowning the Mercenary King was the Egg of the Evil Dragon Ater."
"...What?"
Kaleo's hand paused mid-order for expensive furniture—he'd been preparing only the best for his sister's stay.
To her husband wearing a dumbstruck look, Seletrina repeated.
"Our young lady must be the Mercenary King, right?"
"......"
"Shouldn't we throw a celebration party?"
"Oh, Lord..."
Kaleo pressed his forehead to his clasped hands in prayer.
The daughter of a saintess and holy knight had gone and become the Mercenary King.
And at that very moment.
"Whoa, you've grown this much?"
Kaleo's little sister was meeting Kaleo's daughter.
