☣ Chapter 6 ☣
Getting cash right away was difficult.
But Magic Stones could be gathered quickly.
After all, they only had to collect them from the magicians.
“It actually worked.”
Penelope let out a sigh of relief.
She had simply made the offer on impulse.
She never expected it to actually succeed.
At the same time, her feelings were complicated.
“I really am inside a novel.”
She couldn’t deny it anymore.
This was truly a romance fantasy novel.
And it seemed the story was already close to its ending.
“I never wanted to admit that I’m neither the heroine nor even a supporting character.”
After a moment, Penelope spoke in a calmer voice.
“I’d like to hire a magician to work in Halo Estate during the winter.”
“Someone who can set up a Magic Stone Barrier before winter arrives.”
“One magician will cost 100,000 gold.”
“The Magic Stones used for the barrier are charged separately.”
“Then I’ll only accept 200,000 gold worth of Magic Stones as payment for the herbs.”
“Oh! A very wise decision.”
“That makes everything much easier.”
Rector grinned and walked toward a huge pile of books stacked in one corner.
Then, without warning, he spoke to the pile.
“Please wake up.”
“We’ve received a request for a Magic Stone Barrier.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to work?”
Penelope blinked.
Who was he talking to…?
At that moment—
A long leg suddenly stretched out from the pile of books.
The books collapsed onto the floor.
Sir Cain instinctively grabbed the handle of his sword.
“…What’s going on…?”
A young man’s sleepy voice came from beneath the books.
It was low, yet strangely pleasant.
Before Penelope could react, a man who had been sleeping inside the pile slowly lifted his head.
His robe’s hood covered almost his entire face.
Only his jaw could barely be seen.
He looked incredibly gloomy.
So this is the magician who’s coming back to the estate with us.
The magician spoke.
“Go away…”
Rector immediately covered his nose.
“Ugh… the smell of alcohol.”
“Enough already. Please get up.”
“So annoying…”
“Can you really call yourself a person saying that?”
“Please take a bath, get some sunlight, and meet other people once in a while!”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“A healthy body leads to a healthy mind.”
“Don’t you know that a regular lifestyle is good for your mental health?”
Everything he said was true.
But Rector showed no sign of stopping.
The magician simply covered both ears.
Rector laughed.
“It doesn’t matter. You can still hear me.”
“Even if you don’t want to work, you’ll have to leave this branch.”
“This isn’t a free daycare.”
“I’ll pay.”
“I don’t need your money.”
“…”
Hadn’t he just complained about someone staying here without paying?
Penelope exchanged a glance with Sir Cain.
Neither of them seemed normal.
“That’s it. Stand up.”
“I said I don’t want to work.”
Ignoring his complaints, Rector forcibly pulled the magician to his feet and pushed him toward Sir Cain.
Caught off guard, Sir Cain quickly supported the staggering man.
From a distance, he had looked extremely thin.
But standing nearby…
He was even taller than Sir Cain.
His hands, visible beneath the sleeves of his robe, were large and slender.
Rector dusted off his hands.
“He may not look impressive…”
“But his skills are quite good.”
“Um…”
Penelope hesitated.
The smell of alcohol coming from the magician was overwhelming.
His face was hidden beneath his hood.
No matter how she looked at him…
He didn’t seem reliable.
“Don’t worry.”
“If anything goes wrong with the barrier, the Magic Tower will take full responsibility for repairing it.”
“Don’t say such ridiculous things, Rector.”
Surprisingly…
It was the magician who spoke.
His language was much rougher than Penelope expected.
Rector simply smiled.
“So you do realize that’s a ridiculous thing to say.”
The magician frowned deeply before suddenly pulling back his hood.
Messy blond hair fell over his face.
Even without the hood, only part of his nose and lips could be seen.
His long hair covered almost half his face.
Doesn’t that bother him?
Penelope quietly observed him.
There was something strangely captivating about him.
He gave off an unstable…
Almost dangerous feeling.
For just a moment, she caught a glimpse of his eyes through his hair.
Did our eyes just meet…?
The magician pressed down the tangled hair at the back of his head with one hand.
He clearly had a very sensitive personality.
Then he warned her.
“I’ll only work enough to earn 100,000 gold.”
“That’s fine.”
Rector answered carelessly.
It clearly wasn’t his concern.
Apparently…
No one had asked Penelope’s opinion during this conversation.
After hesitating for a moment, she slowly raised her hand.
“Um…”
“Yes, Lady Penelope?”
“Well…”
“Do you happen to have another magician?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust him…”
“He just doesn’t seem interested in working. Haha…”
Penelope laughed awkwardly.
Rector spread his hands dramatically.
“Unfortunately, he’s the only magician left…”
“…I mean, the only available staff member in this branch.”
“I see…”
Penelope quickly gave up.
If something goes wrong, the Magic Tower promised they’ll repair the barrier.
I guess I’ll just have to trust them.
She had no desire to argue with the Magic Tower.
Making enemies of magicians was both unnecessary…
And extremely dangerous.
Having completely lowered her expectations, Penelope asked Rector,
“Do you know any alchemist you could introduce to me?”
“I also need an alchemist to work in my estate.”
“Ah… an alchemist…”
As he spoke…
He looked directly at the magician.
“What now?”
The magician frowned.
Rector smiled brightly and clapped his hands.
“Fortunately, this gentleman is also quite skilled in alchemy.”
“He might even be more talented at alchemy than magic.”
“…”
Penelope was speechless.
It felt as though someone was forcing her to buy something she didn’t ask for.
“If you pay just another 50,000 gold…”
“He’ll handle the alchemy as well.”
“What do you think?”
A two-for-one deal.
Penelope’s ears twitched.
It was almost like hiring an alchemist for a quarter of the normal price.
The magician openly protested.
“Shouldn’t you ask for my opinion first?”
“You said you’ve been troubled because you’ve been thinking too much lately.”
“You even said you’d rather accept a request to defeat the Demon King.”
“Stop drinking until you pass out and go do some work instead.”
“…Still.”
“Fifty thousand is too cheap.”
The magician grumbled.
“Just think of it as a vacation.”
“Fresh air. Beautiful scenery.”
Rector silenced him instantly.
A vacation…
Fresh air…
Beautiful scenery…
Penelope quietly lowered her head.
There goes another 150,000 gold.
Rector rolled up his sleeves with a cheerful smile.
“Let’s hurry and bring in those herbs from the wagon first.”
That afternoon…
Penelope bought another 2,000 shares of Durek Railway Company.
Then they filled the now-empty wagon with food and daily necessities before leaving Pellar.
Sir Cain suggested staying one more night and leaving at dawn.
But Penelope couldn’t stop thinking about the food shortage in Halo Estate.
By now…
The people of the estate were probably waiting anxiously for her return.
She wanted to deliver the food as quickly as possible.
The wagon rolled down the road with the steady sound of horse hooves.
Outside the window…
The sky had already turned orange with the sunset.
“At this rate, we’ll reach the lord’s castle around dawn tomorrow.”
“Please encourage the coachmen.”
“I know it’ll be difficult, but I’ll pay them extra.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’ll take care of rewarding them myself, so please don’t worry.”
Sir Cain answered as though he had heard something unbelievable.
In his eyes…
Halo Estate had survived this long only because of Penelope.
After the lord’s death, everyone had panicked.
She had taken charge of the funeral and handled everything afterward.
Today alone…
Thanks to Penelope, they had bought plenty of emergency food.
They had secured Magic Stones.
They had even hired a magician.
(Of course, Sir Cain had decided to completely forget about the 4,000 shares of Durek Railway Company.)
Without Penelope’s wisdom and determination…
The people of Halo Estate would have scattered long before winter arrived.
“Grrr…”
“Snort…”
“…”
“…”
As if they had planned it beforehand…
Both Penelope and Sir Cain quietly fell silent.
