The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living
Chapter 24
Wendy whispered to Philip behind my back.
“Why on earth is that baron freaking out over an ordinary question?”
“Ah.”
Philip replied cautiously.
“He’s… a bit in and out of his mind, originally. He was like that during dinner, too.”
“Oh dear… Such a tragic story…”
Wendy sighed.
To her, it seemed the phrase ‘out of one’s mind’ was no longer something to be taken lightly.
I was thoroughly shocked myself, but I didn’t show it.
Instead, I answered his question honestly.
“To get wheat.”
Usually, children of noble families spoke casually to each other when they were young, even if they reverted to formal honorifics upon reaching adulthood.
Especially since we were classmates from the Academy, our conversations were inherently comfortable.
Right on cue, the knights and intruders I had dispatched returned, carrying heavy sacks of wheat over their shoulders.
“…Wheat?”
Leopold seemed bewildered by my answer.
I explained calmly.
“The black magicians were exchanging wheat for people. I didn’t want to give them people, but I did want the wheat, so I just came to scam them.”
To which Leopold replied,
“You seem to have found a remarkably creative career path after graduation, Brisa. Scamming black magicians, of all things.”
He chuckled, looking down at me.
“Why don’t you give a lecture to our Academy juniors on emerging professions later?”
“I actually had a whole lecture script prepared, but I think I’ll have to scrap it tonight.”
I raised an eyebrow and retorted,
“Since you’re dumping all the black magicians into the sea, this profession’s future just turned bleak. I’ll have to look for another way to make a living.”
Even as we spoke, the ship carrying the black magicians was steadily sinking into the ocean depths.
It was quite a talent to carry on a casual conversation while striking down enemies with pinpoint precision.
I shrugged my shoulders and said,
“Anyway, I’ve accomplished the purpose of my visit, so I’ll be taking my leave. Before the warp’s duration expires.”
While riding the illegal warp here, I had roughly analyzed its formula.
From what I could see, it was similar to the warps installed by the Magic Tower. Except it was laced with countless chemicals derived from forbidden experiments…
“And this wheat—it’s not from the West.”
The West was a granary, so it struck me as odd that they were using wheat they hadn't sourced locally.
“I think it’s southern wheat, but you should look into it regardless.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know if it’ll help, but it’s mentioned in the third revised edition of <Characteristics of Wheat by Region>, written by Asirius Wellborn. Or perhaps a review paper on southern wheat might be useful.”
“A review paper?”
“<Characteristics and Considerations of Southern Wheat Varieties>. It’s the only paper that exclusively covers southern wheat anyway. And regarding this fellow…”
I pointed with the tip of my shoe at the black magician sprawled on the ground.
Then, leaning in toward Leopold, I lowered my voice to a whisper.
“Mistaking me for Dahlia Harwyn, he told me: ‘Fifty sacks of wheat if you bring Brisa Seers.’”
With cold, composed eyes, Leopold stepped onto the black magician’s back, pinning him down with effortless grace.
In stark contrast to his chilling aura, the voice that whispered back to me was perfectly nonchalant.
“Is the going rate for a twelve-year-old girl fifty sacks of wheat these days?”
“No, it wasn't even worth half a sack.”
“Then what makes up the forty-nine and a half sacks’ worth of value that applies only to you?”
“That’s precisely what I need you to find out.”
I made my request to Leopold.
“He’s a criminal captured on your land, so the interrogation falls to you.”
I had a rough guess as to the reason, but words straight from a criminal’s mouth carried their own distinct value.
Having grasped my intention completely, Leopold spoke slowly.
“In short, your personal safety is at risk.”
He pressed his combat boot down harder against the black magician’s spine.
“Because of the Sebon bastards and their black magicians.”
“Probably.”
Though I pretended to be calm, deep inside, I was trembling.
I had thought all I needed to do was survive these three months without starving.
Apparently, that wasn’t the case. There were people out there targeting me specifically.
Regardless, these were criminals caught in the West. Final jurisdiction for interrogation belonged to the Grand Duchy of Nozen.
All I could do was ask.
“Let me know the results of the interrogation later. I need to know who is after me and how.”
Leopold’s expression grew complex, yet his answer was definitive.
“If criminals from Sebon dare attempt to harm the blood of Sears, Nozen, as the head of the First 5 Families, will never stand idly by. On my honor, I will share everything.”
I gave him a look of deep skepticism. Even without honor, he possessed far too much.
“Not enough.”
“I’ll wager my face.”
If he was putting a masterpiece of the century on the line, that was reassuring.
Satisfied, I said,
“I’ll trust you completely, then.”
I had come merely to fetch wheat, only to suddenly discover my life was in jeopardy. Staying in a place crawling with black magicians left a bad taste in my mouth.
Now that business was settled, I promptly took a step back to say goodbye.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”
“Wait a moment.”
Leopold took a step forward and said,
“I can’t just send you off like this. You returned my maternal grandfather safely to the West.”
“Of course you shouldn’t send me off empty-handed.”
I nodded solemnly.
“It’s poor etiquette to send away a guest who visited the West with nothing.”
“It hardly looks like your hands are empty right now, though.”
Leopold remarked with an amused glance toward the knights laden with wheat sacks.
“In any case, I can’t hold you longer because of your warp’s time limit, so here. Take this.”
What he held out was Tracking Incense.
“Use it if the warp goes awry and you find yourself wandering the West.”
Was it really all right for me to accept this?
I had heard this was something only truly important figures in the West carried.
The moment I lit this in western territory, I would receive unconditional protection from any nearby western knights.
As I hesitated before an item of such immense value, Leopold spoke lightly, as if it were nothing.
“Don’t feel burdened. This is entirely for my own sake.”
Offering the Tracking Incense once more, he continued smoothly,
“If you got caught up in a western crime scene and ended up in danger even after meeting the heir to the Grand Duchy of Nozen, a complaint from you would tarnish my reputation.”
“A complaint? Don’t make me laugh. It wouldn’t end at that.”
In the end, I accepted the Tracking Incense and said,
“Don’t you know me? If that happens, I’m suing you for aiding and abetting murder.”
“I’ll make sure to have the Empire’s finest attorney on retainer, then.”
Leopold replied leisurely.
“Because I know you.”
Wendy, who had been listening to our exchange, muttered from behind,
“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen someone keep up with our lady in a war of words.”
Philip pointed out bluntly,
“That’s just how nobles are. Got it?”
It was a generalization other nobles might have felt rather wronged by.
Leopold’s gaze swept over the knights I had brought along. Then, in a low voice, he said,
“They don’t look like your personal knights.”
He was questioning whether they could be trusted.
I shrugged and replied,
“They’re my elder brother’s knights.”
“I heard the news not long ago.”
His remark hinted at doubt: Are you sure they are loyal to you, who only recently became their master’s sister?
I decided to simply show him firsthand.
“Watch closely.”
Leopold nodded.
I turned around slowly. Looking out over the people I had brought with me, I cleared my throat with a dry cough.
“Attention, everyone.”
At once, those who had been busy with their tasks snapped straight to attention and looked at me.
Facing them, I declared with utmost solemnity,
“Tonight’s late-night snack…”
It was a line I had prepared long in advance, but standing here to deliver it made my heart race.
A sudden, nervous thrill thudded in my chest.
“…is bread.”
As if my excitement were contagious, the knights—including the intruders—roared at the top of their lungs.
“Waaaaoooooh!”
“Hurrah! Long live the young lady!”
Once more, I solemnly proclaimed to those clutching the heavy sacks of flour,
“Now, let us return. To share our spoils of war!”
Even though Leopold’s knights had done all the actual fighting, spoils were spoils nonetheless.
I turned back around and arched an eyebrow at Leopold.
And just like that, Leopold witnessed the knights’ absolute devotion to me.
“They certainly have powerful lungs.”
At his acknowledgement, I answered with deep satisfaction,
“I feed them well.”
In times like these, there was no greater boast.
