IRER 76

Chapter 76

A Deal

“You’ve really changed a lot, madam. You seem like a completely different person from back then.”

After crying for a long while, Caleb finally came back to her senses and spoke.

“……”

Haha, of course. Because I am a completely different person. But I can’t exactly say that out loud, can I?
Brody, caught off guard, gave an awkward smile and replied,

“People do change.”

“Well, I suppose I’m not one to talk.”

Caleb looked down at her own hand, so thin it was little more than skin and bones.

Brody followed her gaze for a moment, then stood up from Caleb’s side.
She dipped a towel into water, wrung it tightly, and handed it over.

“Eat well, rest well, and live diligently, ma’am. That’s how you’ll be helping me. You know you need to do well, right? I’ll make sure you wear clothes even more elegant than the ones you had back at the duke’s estate.”

At her words, Caleb dabbed at her damp eyes and smiled awkwardly. Here, in the North? Could that really be possible?

The North was… poor.

It had never been particularly wealthy, but long years of famine and the Emperor’s exploitation had only made things worse.

Maybe Brody didn’t fully grasp the situation yet since they hadn’t even reached the ducal stronghold? No… no, she didn’t seem like the kind of careless person she once might have been.

This woman might actually accomplish something.
That thought suddenly crossed Caleb’s mind.

‘Come to think of it… I don’t know anything about this madam at all.’

Brody had already returned to preparing medicinal herbs, busily moving her hands.

That calm, everyday routine beside her gave Caleb comfort.

Leaning her head against her knee, pressing the towel to her face, Caleb watched Brody’s hands move steadily, rhythmically. Her mind grew calm.

Clack, clack—the pestle struck the mortar, and suddenly Brody’s voice cut in.

“By the way, Caleb. Did you happen to know the Chief of Staff from before?”

Caleb flinched at the unexpected question. But Brody wasn’t looking at her, so she didn’t notice.

Clearing the lump from her throat, Caleb answered in a steady voice,

“Yes? Oh… you mean Lord River, the Chief of Staff of the North?”

“Yes, him.”

“Of course, I knew of him. Everyone in the North would.”

“Ah, so not personally?”

“No. This was actually the first time we ever spoke.”

“Hm. Funny, the Chief of Staff seemed to know you.”

“He… knew me?”

“Yes. He said he only knew your face, but he mentioned that Lady Murphy had raised you like a daughter.”

Brody cast her a sidelong glance. Caleb looked genuinely shocked to hear that River had recognized her.

Huh. Maybe not? Just my imagination? Still, there was something odd between them…

Brody remembered the moment River had first recognized Caleb—just for an instant, there had been surprise, maybe even flustered panic, on his face.

And Caleb, too, had given him a strange, hard-to-read look.

Could they have been old lovers? Something special between them?

At first, that’s what Brody had suspected.

But thinking further—Caleb was thirty-eight, River thirty. Caleb had married at twenty; River would’ve been only twelve then. After her husband’s death, Caleb had gone to the capital with her daughter. The timeline didn’t fit.

When Brody said River had recognized her, Caleb showed no reaction. So perhaps not.

Well, never mind then.

Brody tucked the thought away.

From then on, Brody began learning directly in River’s office.

She studied how administrative documents were categorized, what was important, what needed reporting, and how everything was organized and processed.

River taught relentlessly, giving her all sorts of menial tasks to handle.

But who was Brody? She had survived the grueling hell of college entrance exams, gotten into university, studied English at dawn, worked part-time jobs between classes, exercised, and still earned scholarships. Later, when family issues forced her to take a leave, she’d jumped into all kinds of jobs, gathering experience.

She was used to busyness, multitasking, speed reading, and memorization—her specialties.

Her memory was especially sharp: once she saw or heard something, she rarely forgot it. Without that, she’d never have managed university on such a hectic schedule.

And honestly, life in this old-fashioned world was lazier than the hyper-busy modern society. At least in terms of time.

Once the sun set, life had to be done by candlelight, and candles weren’t cheap. Naturally, days were shorter.

Even the level of education was different. People were amazed by simple mental multiplication—if she ever did factorization, they’d probably expect her to write a thesis on it.

River was shocked. Brody tried not to startle him too much, but he was clearly astonished inside, even if he didn’t show it outwardly.

She not only kept up with the workload he threw at her but sometimes even found better, more efficient methods.

When River shook his head and clicked his tongue in disbelief, Brody would just shrug sheepishly.

Meanwhile, in the village, Aidan mostly handled physical labor, while River dealt with paperwork indoors. Naturally, Brody spent far more time with River than with Aidan.

Aidan didn’t like it.

It was fine if she avoided him—he had been the one to step back first. But seeing her with River? He had distanced himself to let her go, yet this way things felt backward.

When alone with River, Aidan let slip his discontent.

“Does the future Duchess really need to be doing such chores?”

River replied coldly, as if he’d said something absurd.

“What harm is there in knowing more?”

“……”

Aidan was stunned. Coming from River, that was high praise. River never entrusted work to incompetents—he preferred to do it himself.

If Brody had shown the slightest incompetence, River would never have let her touch the documents.

Aidan grew more anxious.

Not only is she not avoiding River—she’s even impressing him? What is Brody planning…?

—We’ll worry about three years later when three years come. For now, isn’t it more important to handle the problems right in front of us?

That was what she had once said—and she was living by it.

He knew her abilities could help.

But wasn’t the potato field enough? Did she really need to get involved further?

The North could handle its own problems. It wasn’t that weak. He was here. River was here. They had already won a war.

But the more Aidan looked at her with worry, the farther she seemed to drift away.

River’s growing recognition of Brody began to show in daily life.

Now, even when meeting with Aidan, he didn’t send Brody out of the room.

Feels like I’m finally being acknowledged.

And so, at the right time, Brody was able to share the thoughts she had been carefully organizing.

“You said you had something to discuss?”

Brody nodded seriously at the puzzled Aidan and River.

“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you listened.”

Her explanation began.

She asked,

“What’s the most important thing for a nation to grow stronger?”

A strange question—but her intent gaze urged them to answer.

“Well-trained, strong soldiers, I’d say.”

“An exceptional leader, perhaps.”

Brody nodded.

“Yes, those are important. But more important than that—”

She paused, met their eyes, and finished,

“—is money.”

“……”

Aidan stared blankly, while River tilted his head and openly looked unimpressed.

“Who doesn’t know that wealth is useful? But since we don’t have it, we must focus on using our limited resources efficiently.”

“And why must it be that way?”

“Do you not know why the North is poor? Just acquiring enough food is a struggle. Even after famine passes, the soil is barren, yields are low, and we have no noteworthy specialty goods.”

“Yes, but why must it remain that way?”

“……”

River frowned but stayed silent, gesturing for her to go on.

“I think the most important thing right now is making money. And to do that—”

Smack. Brody pressed her hand against the map on the wall.

“—we need to build a fortress here.”

Their eyes followed her finger.

About 900 kilometers south of Ferdan Fortress, between the mountains, there was an open plain. Not impossible to fortify, but why there?

“Why build a fortress in that spot?” Aidan asked.

Brody smiled as if she had been waiting.

“Because we’re going to trade with the South.”

At that, Aidan turned back to the map.

Yes, if they built a fortress there, they could firmly claim Tilden Bay for the North.

That meant securing a port.

Tilden Bay—the very port he and Brody had used to come North.

From Tilden Bay to the southern cape of Tarno was close, and since it was inland sea, the waters were relatively safe.

But until now, neither Aidan nor River had considered securing a port because…

“Trade, you say? The South has no interest in Northern goods. Even during the great famine, they refused to help. Why? Because the North had nothing worth risking the Empire’s anger for.”

“Mm, that’s true. Until now.”

Aidan’s eyes widened.

“You mean to say…”

“Yes. That attractive trade good—I’m going to create it.”

“……”

Aidan’s face darkened.

The plan was only possible because she was a plant sorceress. Even if she didn’t reveal her secret outright, it was still risky. Saying such things so openly—what if River caught on?

Brody could already read Aidan’s worries in his eyes.

But she just smiled them away.

She wasn’t going to sit and hide for three years waiting. And when it came to plants, she was the expert. Unless someone caught her in the act of conjuring them, there were countless ways to explain things away.

Seeing her confident expression, Aidan pressed his forehead with his fingers.

“How do you plan to handle the scale of exports? The burden will surely fall on you.”

“Of course I won’t be doing it all myself, Your Grace. I’ll draft the plan and prepare the samples, but the ultimate goal is to build a system.”

River, who had been listening thoughtfully, cut in.

“You mean that new medicine you used to treat me?”

Brody nodded.

“That, and more. I’ve thought of several things.”

“And you believe such commerce is possible in the North?”

“Commerce is all about ideas. For refinement and presentation, I’ll have Lady Caleb help. And beyond what I create, if we look carefully, we’ll find plenty of Northern resources with trade value.”

“Very well. I’ve always dismissed it as impossible while we scrambled just to eat, but perhaps it’s worth considering. Let’s assume we do have goods to export. First, we need to solve the food shortage. Shall we start by revisiting that fortress plan you mentioned?”

For once, River responded eagerly to Brody’s ideas.

At that moment, Aidan and Brody’s emotions collided—one with growing hope, the other with deepening unease.