☣ Chapter 7 ☣
The mage, wearing a thick robe with the hood pulled all the way over his head, was sleeping soundly.
He looked gloomy…
And at the same time, a little foolish.
“Ahem! Such a healthy young man… honestly.”
Sir Cain clicked his tongue in disapproval.
But the mage didn’t move at all.
He simply sat with his arms crossed and his head lowered, still asleep.
Sleeping in that position was almost impressive.
Did I make a mistake hiring a mage?
Penelope quietly swallowed a sigh.
From her point of view, hiring a mage had been the only reasonable choice.
It was much better than hiring a large group of mercenaries whose pasts were completely unknown and who might cause all kinds of trouble.
Besides, a mage from the Magic Tower was far more trustworthy than ordinary independent mages.
Sir Cain had thought the same, which was why he hadn’t opposed her decision.
As long as the magic stone barrier was properly installed, the estate would be safe from low- and mid-level monsters.
High-level monsters rarely left the deep forest, so they didn’t have to worry too much about them.
If that happened, they would only need a small number of soldiers to guard the lord’s castle throughout the winter.
Still…
The mage they had brought from the Magic Tower looked anything but reliable.
At this point, I can only trust Rector’s guarantee.
Rector, who had introduced himself as the branch manager of the Magic Tower, had personally written a guarantee to reassure the doubtful Penelope.
“If the hired mage neglects his duties, the Magic Tower branch will take full responsibility and send a replacement mage.”
In other words…
It was an after-service guarantee.
Only then did Penelope finally relax.
Sir Cain secretly let out a sigh of relief as well.
“You should get some sleep. We need to leave before dawn.”
“You’re right. Then I’ll leave everything to you.”
“Of course. Protecting Lady Penelope is both my duty and my honor.”
Sir Cain glared at the sleeping mage once more before snorting through his nose.
Accepting Sir Cain’s kindness, Penelope quietly closed her eyes.
At least the biggest crisis has been handled.
They had hired an official mage, even if he looked unreliable.
They had also bought enough emergency food for now.
Even after investing money in stocks, she still had 800,000 gold coins left, along with 150,000 gold worth of magic stones and purification stones.
That should be enough to survive until next year.
Without realizing it, she let out a relieved sigh.
I only need to survive until next autumn. By then, the Durek Railroad Company shares should have gone up.
Penelope had one thing she trusted completely.
The original novel.
Romance fantasy novels almost always ended with a happy ending.
The heroine, after all her hardships, was guaranteed a happy life.
That meant the railroad business she started would definitely become a huge success.
Penelope only needed to share a small part of that good fortune.
There was no reason not to.
“The stock price should rise at least ten times. I’ll pay back both the loan and the interest with plenty left over.”
Life really can change with one lucky opportunity.
She decided to ignore the fact that she sounded suspiciously like a gambling addict.
Now all she had to do…
Was build the estate before her remaining money ran out.
If I create a solid foundation for the estate… and start a successful business… maybe I’ll become rich by the time the estate can support itself.
When that day came…
She could finally live a comfortable, carefree life.
Before she knew it, her vision became blurry.
The exhaustion from desperately struggling to survive washed over her like a wave.
Within moments…
She fell fast asleep.
At dawn the next morning, Penelope suddenly opened her eyes.
A faint blue light was shining into them.
She froze.
W-What…? Is this a dream?
The mage sitting across from her was holding a crystal ball with both hands, staring deeply into its center.
The bluish glow from the crystal ball cast an eerie light across his face.
Between his messy blond hair, pale green eyes slowly moved.
A communication crystal…?
There was no response from the other side.
Perhaps whoever he was trying to contact had already turned it off.
Even so…
The mage continued pouring mana into the crystal.
His eyes were filled with lingering attachment…
And obsession.
“…Are you asleep?”
Penelope frowned.
She hadn’t imagined it.
Those words had really come from the mage’s mouth.
“Are you asleep?”
“Are you asleep?”
She quietly checked the pocket watch in her pocket.
It was three o’clock in the morning.
“I haven’t been able to sleep since you left.”
“Only now do I realize how precious our time together was.”
Penelope instantly woke up completely.
He’s obviously an ex-boyfriend trapped in late-night emotions.
No wonder something felt wrong with him.
So that gloomy expression…
It was because of heartbreak.
But still…
Was she really watching this happen live?
“Are you happy where you are now?”
“I just wish you were the unhappiest person in the world.”
…Someone please help this idiot.
Penelope slowly looked around.
The carriage was dark.
Only she and the mage were inside.
Sir Cain had apparently moved to the coachman’s seat long ago.
He probably ran away because he couldn’t stand watching this.
Goosebumps ran down Penelope’s back.
She tightly closed her eyes.
At times like this…
Pretending not to notice was the best choice.
Back at the Halo Estate
The retainers of Halo Estate were overjoyed when Penelope returned.
“You actually borrowed one million gold from the Imperial Bank!”
“That’s truly incredible!”
“You’ve worked so hard!”
The retainers gathered around Sir Cain to look inside the bags of gold.
The moment they saw the gold coins sparkling like stars…
They all gasped.
“I used two hundred thousand of the million to buy stocks recommended by my father’s old friend.”
“They’re certain to soar next year, so we’ll simply hold them until then.”
“If it came from your father’s recommendation, then it must be reliable.”
The finance officer answered with a bright smile.
At those words, Sir Cain made an awkward expression…
But said nothing.
The finance officer continued,
“We’ll distribute the smoked ham and flour you brought equally among the people of the estate.”
“When they heard the news, they were so happy.”
“I almost cried together with them.”
“You’ve all worked hard.”
The finance officer’s eyes filled with tears.
He hadn’t slept for two days while trying to secure food for the estate.
The other retainers also looked emotional.
For the past two days, they had all been desperately searching everywhere to borrow money.
Their clothes were messy and worn.
They might not have been very capable…
But they were honest and sincere people.
Just then, the administrator interrupted.
“But… does our estate really have the ability to repay one million gold?”
“We’ll struggle just to pay the interest.”
“More importantly… what collateral did the Imperial Bank take?”
I knew this question was coming.
Penelope calmly answered.
“I used the lord’s castle as collateral.”
“The repayment period is one year.”
“The interest rate is ten percent.”
The room fell into complete shock.
“One year?!”
“How can anyone repay one million gold in only one year?”
“That’s impossible!”
“Using the lord’s castle as collateral is practically the same as giving away the entire estate!”
Led by the administrator, the retainers immediately began murmuring anxiously.
As usual…
The finance officer stepped in to calm everyone.
“What foolish nonsense are you talking about?”
“Did you really think the bank manager would simply hand over money to an estate in this condition?”
“We should have expected collateral would be required!”
“The finance officer is right!”
“We were about to starve!”
“Is this really the time to worry about pride?”
The chief steward immediately supported him.
The finance officer and the chief steward both stood firmly on Penelope’s side.
Soon…
The retainers began arguing loudly with one another.
But no matter how much they argued…
Nothing would change the fact that Penelope had already borrowed one million gold using the castle as collateral.
The decision had already been made.
Now they simply had to deal with the consequences.
“You useless fools!”
“You’ve got plenty to say!”
“If you’ve got a better idea, then go borrow the money yourselves!”
“Go grab the bank manager’s pant leg if you have to!”
“N-No… that’s not what I meant.”
“I was only saying we should look at this realistically…”
“Then go experience reality by starving first!”
The finance officer shouted.
The administrator immediately shrank back.
Apparently…
He was afraid of starving much more than borrowing money.
After silencing everyone with his booming voice, the exhausted finance officer spoke again.
“Please grow up.”
“Lady Penelope had to go to the bank herself to borrow money.”
“That should have been our responsibility—not hers.”
“…”
This time…
None of the retainers could say another word.
