21. The Reincarnated Noblewoman Takes on the Slum
In a private room of a tavern thick with the stench of tobacco and alcohol, I sat facing the leader of the slums.
“You’ve got guts, hiring a bunch of lowlifes like us, young lady. And your focus on gathering information—impressive,” he said.
“Then will you accept the job?”
“Well, that depends on the negotiations from here on. Bottom line is this,”
Gatou said as he made a circle with his fingers.
Such a vulgar gesture.
“You might not understand, coming from a good family, but whatever you want to achieve in this world, money comes first,” he continued.
“I understand that perfectly. If anything, nobles like us appreciate the value of money more than commoners like you do,” I replied.
“Is that so? I thought all the nobles in this country believed they could get by with magic alone, without needing money.”
The one who frowned at that remark wasn’t me—it was the Crown Prince.
Through my back, I could feel his displeasure radiating.
“Then let’s hear about your noble sense of money. How much would you pay us for collecting the information you need?”
“I won’t be paying you in money.”
The room froze for a moment at my response.
Even Gatou’s expression hardened considerably.
“So you’re just like the rest of the nobles, huh? No money for vermin like us?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, or you’ll miss the profit. What I mean is, I want to pay you in something other than money.”
“What did you say?”
“I should have introduced myself earlier—I am Eltriede of the Eldenvalk Duke family. That name ring any bells?”
The moment I said my name, Gatou’s expression changed instantly.
“You’re… the daughter of the head of the Yookroft family?”
That’s right.
“Yookroft” isn’t well known, but it’s my father’s first name. In other words, the current Duke of Eldenvalk.
“Actually, I’ve heard about you from my father as well. Seems he lent you quite a bit of help when you were trying to dominate this district,” I continued.
My father is a duke, after all, and the most prosperous territorial lord in the country. Even far from the capital, he wields significant influence without holding any official post.
In my previous life, when Gatou tried to expand his power in the capital slums, my father secretly lent him support.
Among the magic-wielding nobility of the Spiritual Kingdom, my father is one of the few who values law and economics. For him, the slums of the Southern Randa District were a major headache.
Unable to control the area through law, he backed Gatou, the most level-headed of the thugs, to suppress the rest of the more vicious criminals.
So, the current state of the Southern Randa District isn’t nearly as terrible as the Crown Prince had implied. Slave traders have been driven out, thanks to Gatou.
He outlawed human trafficking in the underworld, and anyone who breaks his rules gets ostracized within the slums—and ultimately cannot survive in the capital.
Kidnapping no longer occurs in the city.
The capital’s public safety has improved significantly over the past few years, but not because of government officials. It’s because Gatou controls the underworld and actively eradicates morally abhorrent crimes.
Even among criminals, there are many types: some are inherently evil, while others turn to crime due to circumstances. Gatou belongs to the latter type.
Now at the top of the slums, he is working desperately to improve his environment.
In my previous life, I exploited that desire for my own gain.
“My father’s policies in his domain are well-known to you, right?” I asked.
“W-well… yes! The head of the Yookroft family is the only noble I respect. Everything he does in his domain, I’ve always admired. I’ve thought how wonderful it would be if the same were applied in the capital…”
“So, how about using that as your reward for cooperating with me?”
“Huh?”
The vague phrasing is intentional; we were probing each other’s intentions, so some ambiguity is unavoidable.
“You’re envious of my domain’s policies, right? For example, the sewage system?”
Of course.
The capital has no proper sewage system, and foul smells are everywhere.
Those accustomed to living in Eldenvalk, where the sewers are complete, would find the stench unbearable.
“How about I build that same sewage system here in the Southern Randa District?”
“Wha—!?”
“Wouldn’t that count as your reward?”
Even Gatou, who usually exudes authority and intimidation, faltered at that proposal. I seized the opportunity to press further.
“If that’s not enough, we can negotiate the price. Have you heard of compost?”
“C-co…mpost!?”
Simply put, it’s fertilizer made from garbage. Food scraps and excrement are fermented and spread on fields, turning into nutrients that make vegetables grow well. In other countries, research is done to produce better compost, and the results eventually reach my domain, which faces the sea.
In fact, our domain has successfully implemented superior compost, leading to steadily increasing crop yields over the past few years.
“I’ll teach you how to make that compost.”
“Huh!?”
“The raw materials for compost are garbage and excrement—the very things causing the foul smells in this capital. Under you, there are many thugs, and beneath them countless jobless people, right?”
We could mobilize them to collect trash, ferment it into compost, and sell it. The capital becomes cleaner, and the jobless earn wages.
A policy that kills two birds with one stone.
“I’ll provide the initial funds. Then we need places to use the compost. Most of the Southern Randa District is abandoned buildings. We can demolish part of them and turn them into farmland. This improves the city’s food supply and creates more jobs.”
“W-wait, wait… what exactly are you…!?!”
“With the funds accumulated, we can build more facilities, giving the people of this district new work. I’ll cover all initial costs. That is the reward you will receive. Any objections?”
“No objections… there can’t be… I don’t… understand…”
Gatou was completely flustered, sweat pouring from his face.
“The reward you’re offering is far beyond ordinary payment for information. Frankly, it doesn’t make sense at all. What do you gain from doing this?”
“If I had to say, it’s because that’s what you want,” I replied.
Gatou’s face showed sudden shock, as if I’d seen through his heart.
Gatou, powerful enough to lead the slums but not inherently evil, had always wanted to improve the Southern Randa District.
He wanted to clean the streets, give jobs to the homeless, and turn the district into a decent place where everyone could live satisfactorily.
In my previous life, I exploited that desire thoroughly.
Through my father, I had made contact with him, using the promise of redevelopment and aid to manipulate him.
Sometimes I even had him perform direct sabotage to expose the weaknesses of my rival noblewomen.
I put clear crimes on him.
As a result, when my crimes were exposed in my previous life, he too was arrested and sentenced to death. His desire to improve the slums was never fulfilled.
In this life, I want to make sure his wish comes true.
What I had prepared for this moment is finally coming to fruition.
Even if I claim I want to fulfill Gatou’s wish, it’s a major project. A young girl like me can’t make it happen overnight.
So I had been steadily preparing since I was in the domain.
Without the Crown Prince’s selection process interfering, I would have gone through my father, step by step.
But now, with momentum on my side, I’m going all in.
“Look at this!”
I revealed my trump card, hidden in my pocket.
A map.
A map of the Southern Randa District.
As a duke’s daughter, obtaining such confidential documents was easy. But this map wasn’t ordinary; it was hand-annotated with all my redevelopment plans.
“This…!?”
“I’ve already drafted the full plan. If you follow me, we can start immediately.”
Of course, to Gatou, the sudden appearance of a young girl making grand claims probably seemed like a fantasy.
If he wasn’t moved, the plan would end here.
So, how would he respond?
Gatou’s wandering gaze shifted briefly to my side.
Who is he looking at?
Someone standing slightly behind me…
“…I heard, you nobles are holding some interesting event, huh?”
“That is…”
“The prince’s bride selection, right? For us commoners, it doesn’t matter who becomes king, and the same goes for the bride. But I’ve changed my mind just now,” he said, looking straight at me with a grin.
“The head of the Yookroft family is a duke, right? If you’re his daughter, then you could indeed make a suitable queen. If someone like you is going to be the prince’s bride, then this will be interesting.”
“Wait, I’m not aiming to be the Crown Prince’s bride…!”
“I accept this deal. I don’t know how far we, commoner thugs, can take it, but we’ll support you becoming the prince’s bride in our own way. But don’t forget—you’ll back the redevelopment of this district!”
