BOPE 20

Chapter 20 ….

Scrooge felt both anxious and excited.

He was worried the lord might demand expensive dresses with the newly gained funds, but he was also curious about what she’d say.

“I want to make coats for the children. But we don’t have any fabric or a tailor available right now. Hunting for fur would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”

“There are no hunters in our territory.”

“Why not?”

“Because no hunters can survive hunting in the Black Forest. No matter how much money you offer, it’s not worth risking their lives. Besides, thanks to the defensive barriers in front of the Black Forest, the monsters can’t get through, so hunters don’t really have anything to do. There are probably good furs to be found in the snowfields, but we’d have to cross the Black Forest to get there, which is currently impossible.”

Chloe still had her gaze fixed on the children, her expression full of pity. Now that she thought about it, the lord herself barely owned any fur coats, which just showed how expensive they were.

How great would it be to put the kids in long padded jackets?

Maybe… maybe it wasn’t completely impossible?

“I really need to keep them warm. This is a big problem.”

The rare and unexpected sight made Scrooge shiver with delight.

“To think I’d live to hear such words from the lord before I die. Sniff…”

The butler wiped his tears with his sleeve, which though old, had been kept immaculately clean, and was now quickly soaked.

“Stop that!”

Donghee said curtly, a little embarrassed.

“Hic! Yes, I’ll stop right away!”

Scrooge wiped his eyes but smiled brightly at the same time.

Now he finally felt like he had the face to meet the late marquis in the afterlife.

After sniffling for a while, the butler suddenly looked up as if something had occurred to him and said in a nasally voice,

“There are some servants from Grace Castle who are quite skilled.”

Donghee’s ears perked up at the welcome news.

“Really? Could they make coats for the children?”

“They’ve always been able to make their own clothes, so making coats for the children shouldn’t be a problem. However…”

Scrooge trailed off, glancing at Donghee as if gauging her reaction.

“However?”

“We don’t have any fabric for the children’s coats.”

“Why not? My dress room is full of dresses I don’t wear.”

“Your dresses, my lord?”

Donghee nodded without hesitation, having no attachment to the frilly, lace-covered gowns.

But judging from Scrooge’s expression, he wasn’t entirely pleased.

“What? Are the dress fabrics too thin? But if we layer them, they should be better than nothing, right? Oh, and can’t we get winter fabric from a neighboring territory?”

“Well… we could get winter fabric from Sharum. But since winter is right around the corner, the prices must have gone up quite a bit.”

“Don’t worry about the money. Just try to get as much as possible. If we leave them like this, they’ll catch colds or freeze to death over the winter.”

As the words left her mouth, Donghee felt an even stronger sense of urgency. Her words came out faster now.

“Until we get the fabric, use my dresses to make the children’s coats.”

“Are you sure it’s alright to use your dresses, my lord?”

Scrooge still looked skeptical.

Donghee thought of the dresses cluttering her dress room and nodded again.

They were all pink, purple, or yellow monstrosities, covered in frills and ribbons.

Wearing them made her look like a giant gift box. There was no way she was ever putting them on again.

“Yup. I’ll just earn more money and buy clothes that suit my taste.”

“My lord…”

‘To think the lord is even lying to herself for the children’s sake!’

Tears welled up again in Scrooge’s wrinkled eyes. This time, even a sharp “stop that” wouldn’t work.

– The citizens’ affection for you has greatly increased, moved by your sacrifice.
(Morta Village) Current affection level: 1,250.

Donghee hadn’t expected this much of a reaction when she offered to give away dresses she wouldn’t wear anyway.

Given that the affection had reached 1,250, it was clear the affection in Morta Village had been steadily rising all along.

It would be a lie to say she had no expectations, but she hadn’t imagined it would rise this much, and she almost let out a squeal.

But there was still a long way to go, so Donghee quickly collected herself.

Her heart was already pounding with anticipation at the thought of giving people work, paying wages, and making warm coats for the children.

When Donghee said she would pay wages, the people—though skeptical—flocked to the hastily arranged temporary employment office.

It was none other than the village hall, with parts of its walls crumbling and the roof half torn off.

Scrooge, along with servants and knights, quickly made signage the villagers could easily understand.

Since most villagers couldn’t read, Scrooge chose to use pictures instead.

“Wow, it’s so badly drawn but strangely recognizable?”

Donghee was impressed to see people lining up in front of the sign Scrooge had drawn.

“That one means picking up trash from the ground, right? And it’s a task for kids?”

Scrooge nodded proudly when Donghee asked if she interpreted it correctly.

“That’s right. And this one means cleaning up the waste that’s turning the roads into a mess. That’s a job for adults.”

“Yup, I can tell what it is. Really impressive.”

Donghee gave a thumbs-up, and Scrooge’s wrinkled cheeks turned a rosy red like ripe plums. It was an adorably shy expression for someone of his age.

Donghee felt glad she had chosen Scrooge to manage things.

And that wasn’t all.

To maintain order, knights were stationed throughout the square, staying vigilant just in case anything happened.

The chocolate cream buns they had fed them before leaving for the village were paying off.

Among them, the tall man who seemed to be the captain stood out—his loyalty to the lord was clearly exceptional.

Even while managing the crowd, he never neglected his duty to guard the lord.

Donghee gave him a firm thumbs-up as well.

– The knight commander’s loyalty to you has increased by 50%.

Was her thumb some kind of magical charm?

Donghee grinned as she looked at her stubby thumb.

– Two surprise missions have appeared.
First: Give a name to the knight commander who will become your loyal hands and feet. Choose a brave name that will show off his might to the world.
Second: Raise the knight commander’s loyalty to over 80%.
Completion rewards will include hidden points.

These were good missions.

And they seemed very doable. Donghee wondered what the difference was between characters who got names and those who didn’t, but didn’t dwell on it long.

Naming someone was easy, and increasing loyalty seemed on track.

Alright, let’s name him. A name that represents bravery…

When you think brave, you think…

“Ryan.”

– Name already in use.

“Tiger.”

– Name already in use.

Now she was getting stubborn. Were lion and tiger the only brave animals?

“Red Bear.”

She wasn’t sure if “Red Bear” was the correct term for fire bear, but it didn’t sound wrong, so she said it.

– The Grace Knight Commander has been registered with the name ‘Red Bear’.
The name’s satisfaction rating is 70%. 70 hidden points awarded.

It was a bit disappointing, but the name was now set and couldn’t be changed.

“Yes, my lord.”

Red Bear responded, thinking the lord was calling him. Somehow, his eyes seemed to sparkle more than before she named him.

“You and your men are in charge of distributing food. Once they’ve eaten, coordinate with the butler and assign them to their tasks.”

“Yes, understood.”

Red Bear bowed and moved swiftly to his position.

The villagers leaving with bread and grain wore bright smiles. It was tiring to carry so much food, but seeing the joy on their faces made Donghee feel she could go through it a hundred times.

Still, this was just a one-time event. These people needed real work.

“The villagers need to become self-sufficient.”

Donghee looked around the empty village, carefully checking to make sure nothing was overlooked.

What came after cleaning?

Don’t overthink it.

Just remember the estate management games. What did you build first?

Homes, farmland, and roads.

Let’s start with those three.

Having reached a quick decision, Donghee called out to Scrooge, who was marking work zones on the village map.

“Butler.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“That forest up ahead is part of the Grace territory, right?”

Donghee pointed to the forest north of the village.

“Yes, the Black Forest has been part of the Grace estate for generations.”

“The Black Forest?”

It was a forest mentioned in the terrain information she had earned with points.

She felt oddly happy to recognize the name. The name sounded ominous, like it would be full of ghosts, but she had a hunch it held valuable resources.

Donghee’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at the Black Forest.

“Yes, at night, monsters roam freely there, which is why no one lives nearby.”

No wonder there was such a wide stretch of empty land between the village and the forest.

The plain in front of the forest stretched out more than 200 meters wide. Unlike the forest, which was lush and green, the plain was covered in dry, yellow grass—likely due to a drought.

“What’s with all that grass? Don’t the monsters come down into the plains? Wouldn’t they attack the villagers?”