Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Chapter 18.“Ugh.”

In the jolting carriage again, I dry heaved again.

Originally I have motion sickness, but even after reincarnation motion sickness.

Even just riding a carriage causes motion sickness, and with the unmaintained road added, this made my insides indescribable.‘If I earn a lot of money, I'll have to fix from the roads.’ Well-paved roads also help the castle's development in various ways.

Above all, I'll be going out frequently from now on, but if I experience this motion sickness every time, it seemed my stomach wouldn't remain.

“Madam. Are you okay?”

Butcher carefully patted my back.

“Umm... Ugh.”

“Endure a bit. We'll arrive soon.”

Originally the visit to the Matek Count territory was going to be only me and Treon.

But Butcher followed saying who will protect Madam.

Then not only Lus but unexpectedly even Treon agreed and it passed unanimously.

The face of Lus who held back tears and saw me off at the words of not seeing for a few days came to mind.

When I said I'd buy a gift when coming, he said rather than that he hopes older sister returns safely, this must be the heart of parents who go to work leaving their child.‘Shall I have them draw even one portrait of Lus.’ It seems needed as a talisman to put in the wallet, no, pocket and cheer up.

“By the way that lizard is extremely quiet? Is it because Madam raises it?”

Butcher tilted his head and looked at the pocket placed on my knee.

Inside the pocket made like a small bed by adding soft lining, Blackie was in.

An action that absolutely shouldn't be done to an ordinary lizard, but Blackie is a spirit beast so it's okay.

A kid who lives even without eating.

“Because it's a special kid.”

When I stroked over the pocket, Blackie stuck his face out.

“In the Empire, only Madam would be raising a lizard. As expected Madam seems like some amazing person.”

“What. How is the secret organization composition?”

While earning money, we decided to make Butcher the head and reconstitute the secret organization.

“It's going well. When we return and fix a bit more, it seems it will be completed soon.”

“Sorry for making you leave the seat at an important time.”

“What are you saying! Protecting Madam is the most important! Rather, being able to serve the lovely Madam alone, I have to follow no matter what happens!”

“There's Treon.”

“Treon still lacks the skill of serving Madam so it won't do.”

Butcher said playfully, and glared at Treon sitting across the carriage with eyes closed and arms crossed.

It was the reason I came along on this trip.

I was going to refrain from travel because there's still a lot of work in the territory.

What on earth is he thinking?

Then suddenly Treon opened his eyes wide.

Needlessly pricked and avoiding the gaze, Treon said.

“We've arrived.”

I looked out the window at the street.

“Wowa.”

Unlike the Valfruga territory close to half ruins, the Matek Count territory was a more prosperous place than expected.

Not as good as the sparkling streets of Seoul, but the small buildings lined densely reminded of a European countryside village.

Someday I wanted to earn a lot of money and go on a Europe trip at least once.

Thinking about it, only the world changed, this is also a trip in some sense.

The Matek Count castle arrived after passing the well-maintained road had a smaller and ordinary impression than expected.

I was going to ask Butcher, but thinking Treon would know this kind of thing better, I whispered to him.

“The castle is smaller than expected, is it because it's a Count?”

“No. That level is on the average side. Since there's no castle larger than Valfruga Castle throughout the entire continent, it's natural that it feels small.”

“Even than the imperial palace?”

“The imperial palace is on flat land so it only looks wide, if comparing only by the scale of the castle, it falls short of Valfruga.”

On the face of Treon saying that, a strange pride was visible.

Seeing things like this, he really seems full of attachment to Valfruga, would such a person betray?

Arriving at the castle, we were told the current Matek Count is away for work, and were immediately guided to the room by the butler.

Butcher and Treon used one room, and I was assigned the next room.

The room was wide and clean, but it didn't look like that good a room.

Luggage organization ended, but the Count still didn't even show his nose.

After playing with Blackie for a while, I eventually couldn't endure the boredom and barged into the next room.

“Treon. I don't know well so I'm asking, is making guests wait like this an action that matches etiquette?”

“No. Rather it's an action that can even be taken as an insult among nobles. That's why I said I would come alone.”

Treon said calmly without even getting angry.

Come to think of it, since he said the contract with the Matek Count is always done by Treon, he must have experienced this situation not once or twice.

I tightly tied the pocket with Blackie at my waist and asked.

“The master doesn't even appear, but can we look around the castle?”

To find something out, first information has to be collected.

Fortunately the butler who looked strict didn't block even looking around the castle.

Instead under the name of ‘castle guide’, one person was attached.

It means managing so as not to wander freely.

The man called himself Brody, and introduced that he manages the castle under the butler.

On top of that Butcher followed saying he would escort me, and Treon also followed me saying he would prevent possible situations.

Many people walking around the castle saw us and silently showed respect.

The castle is not even 1/5 of Valfruga, but the servants seemed five times more.‘That's why there are still so many areas with dust piled in Valfruga.’ Then suddenly I realized that the maid greeting me's gaze was directed behind me.

Turning my head, there were only Treon and Butcher there.

Realizing, I felt that many maids' gazes were directed this way.‘Uh, uh? Why? Ah.’ Thinking about it, both were handsome men.

If Butcher is a good-impression handsome man with brown hair, Treon is a refined type handsome man with blonde hair.

In the Matek castle with so many people, there was no handsome man like the two.‘Of course the most handsome is Lus.’ Even young he's that handsome so when grown it's more expected.

Our Lus just debuts in high society and that day it would overturn.

But they have interest in Butcher and Treon, why do they scream when meeting eyes with me?

“Umm...”

When I tilted my head, the maids completely covered their mouths with hands.

Did Butcher do something when I wasn't looking?

Looking back at Butcher, Butcher blinks with a gentle face.

Not knowing the reason, I just smiled brightly at the maids who met eyes with me.

Then the maids screamed and buried their faces in their hands.

No, how can you scream like that looking at a person's face.

More than that, looking at this and that of the castle also became boring soon.

No matter how well the Matek castle was managed, it fell short of Valfruga.

Even if all the artworks were torn off and sold, it wasn't something that could tear off and sell even the ducal castle pillars.

The Valfruga ducal castle built with the craftsmen's delicate touch, each pillar was no different from an artwork.

And from the beginning there was something else aimed at.

“Rather than things like this, I want to see the people called craftsmen.”

“Craftsmen you say?”

Brody was wary.

It seems the Matek Count really puts effort into the craftsmen.

I nodded smiling like a young lady who doesn't know the ways of the world to lower the wariness.

“Yeah. I heard the Matek Count territory is famous for swords. I want to see sword making.”

At my smile, a smile hung at the corner of Brody's mouth.

Whether my acting worked too well, it was a smile as if saying ‘What would you know even if you see.’

The wariness toward me lowered a lot, and thanks to that Brody nodded and permitted.

“Good. Follow me.”* * *The village where the craftsmen gather and live was located on the outskirts of the castle.

Being distant from the village, it seemed hard to meet other people.

Around the village, the knights' ceaseless vigilance was carried out.‘Management is thorough once.’ When Brody showed the pass, the knights saluted and opened the door.

“Wow.”

The craftsmen's village was literally one village.

Clang! Clang!

The noisy sound of striking metal and large furnaces.

Carts fully loaded with ore busily came and went on the streets, and appearances of people talking while placing already made swords were also visible.

It felt like entering the middle of a huge forge.

“I want to look at the swords. Can I see?”

“Of course.”

When Brody gestured, the man pushing the cart loaded with swords approached Brody.

It looked extremely sharp, but in my eyes all swords look sharp so I don't know well.

“How does it look to Butcher? Butcher knows swords better than me.”

Brody handed one sword to Butcher.

Butcher shone the blade this way and that in the sunlight, flicked the blade with his finger and listened to the sound then admired.

“This level is okay? I can't say it's a famous sword, but it's more than enough for ordinary soldiers to use. Since it's a sword of the Matek Count house, the price will be a bit expensive though.”

At Butcher's words, Blackie also slightly stuck his head out from the pocket and looked at the sword.

Brody accepted the sword from Butcher and said.

“That can't be helped. Our castle makes swords using only pure hard iron.”

“Hard iron? Is it good if made with that?”

When I asked, Butcher explained.

“Swords made using only pure hard iron have much stronger durability than swords made by mixing other metals. Correspondingly the price is expensive though.”

“Then how do you know that? You don't know just by looking with eyes.”

“If you measure the weight, you know right away. So we always measure the weight of the swords we ship.”

“I see.”

“Above all, we do business based on the customers' trust.”

Brody puffed his chest and said proudly.

“Our Matek Count house has supplied swords to the imperial family for a long time. Recognized for that merit and became a Count. Now other nobles also trust our Matek Count house and order swords.”

“Amazing.”

Such trust is a big asset that can't be accumulated overnight.

Entering further inside the village, the appearance of properly making swords was visible.

Half-naked sturdy men struck the iron heated in the fire.

Every time the hammer was struck down once, red sparks flew in all directions.

Sparks splashed on the craftsmen's forearms and hems of clothes, but they struck the swords without agitation as if people who couldn't feel the heat.

I wanted to watch sword making a bit closer, but like that it's impossible.

Just getting close seems like it would cause burns.

Passing the sturdy men doing the work of spreading the iron, this time people doing the work of immersing the iron in water were visible.

“What is that doing?”

“It's quenching. Doing it like that makes the sword harder.”

At Brody's words, I nodded and spoke to the old man sitting in front of the water.

“There.”

Then Brody blocked me.

“Please don't speak to the workers doing the work. Because everyone is making important products so concentration is important.”

Brody said smiling, but those eyes were clearly warning.

Wow. Surely not doing this because I might make a recruitment offer?

It wasn't that I didn't have that heart, but I didn't know they would be so blatantly wary.

From the entrance guards, the craftsmen protection was excessive.

“Then instead is just watching with eyes okay?”

“If that level.”

Whether convinced that even watching with eyes there's nothing that can be found out, Brody obediently permitted.

I distanced a few steps from Brody and watched the quenching appearance.

The sturdy men baked the iron again in the small furnace, and put it in the water.

When the iron heated in the fire met the water, it made a sizzling sound and white smoke rose.

Bubbling smoke boiled up on the clear water.

In my eyes everything was just amazing so there was nothing to find out.

But in Blackie's eyes it seemed different.[It's strange.]