Chapter 6

A carriage appeared at the northern gate of the capital.

It was not ostentatious, but upon closer inspection, it was a fine carriage made of high-quality materials, and the horses pulling it were of the highest grade.

"Stop!"

The soldiers guarding the northern gate halted the carriage. Normally, a simple inspection would be conducted, but when the driver handed over a letter to the soldiers, they quickly straightened their posture.

"Y-You are Viscount Lebric, the ambassador of the Uteia Empire?! I apologize for the inconvenience!"

After exchanging a few words with the driver, the soldiers immediately opened the gate and let the carriage pass.

From the gap in the curtain of the carriage window, I watched the capital grow smaller, then leaned over to Mirei, who was sitting quietly, and turned to face Lord Lucas.

"Truly, you are the ambassador of the empire.

I could never leave the capital so easily on my own."

"Hehe, you flatter me.

Didn't you manage to escape the capital so brilliantly, Miss Elizaveta?

...By using us."

Lord Lucas smiled wryly as he said this.

Yes, quite sarcastic.

"Still, isn't the number of guards a bit small?"

It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but Lord Lucas went along with it.

"It can't be helped.

While my family is one of the larger viscount families, we don't have that much power.

If we try to increase the number, the quality won't match, and if we try to improve the quality, we can't gather enough numbers.

It's a headache."

"So, they are skilled experts gathered at the cost of numbers."

Lord Lucas's guards numbered only five.

All of them were on horseback, riding alongside the carriage.

For the representative of a country, it was clearly a small number.

"That's right.

Five strong men are more reliable than twenty weak ones... and the maintenance costs are lower."

"Hmm... But as an envoy of the empire, shouldn't you be able to get guards from the imperial army or the knights?"

"That's not possible."

Lord Lucas sighed deeply and pressed his head as if to ease a headache.

"I am originally a robe noble without a fief, and I was suddenly promoted and given a fief recently."

Hearing that much, the situation was clear.

"In other words, you are placed as a shield against the kingdom, and at the same time, you are left to deal with the troublesome kingdom."

"Hehe, you're blunt.

Well, that's right."

Lord Lucas smiled wryly without reproaching my straightforwardness.

"Indeed, it's a troublesome and dangerous role, but if handled well, it's a position that can earn high praise.

It's not impossible for me to become a count in my children's generation."

Lord Lucas smiled slightly.

After a few days, we crossed the wilderness that served as a buffer zone and arrived at the capital of the Lebric Viscount's territory, located at the southernmost point of the Uteia Empire.

The monsters that appeared on the way were swiftly defeated by the five guards.

As Lord Lucas said, they were quite capable.

The carriage passed through the gate of the capital and proceeded straight down the main street toward the viscount's residence at the center of the city.

The gazes of the people on the main street, directed at the carriage led by horsemen, were filled with respect and gratitude.

"You are quite popular."

"I have confidence in my good governance."

Lord Lucas smiled proudly.

To me, it was a dazzling scene.

"Also, it's a very lively city."

Mirei also expressed her admiration at the vibrant people.

"There are also many non-human races."

About half of the city's residents were humans, while the other half were elves, dwarves, beastmen, and halflings.

In the capital of the kingdom, most of the residents were humans, and non-human races were mostly adventurers or mercenaries without citizenship.

"The Uteia Empire is a multi-ethnic nation.

During the process of incorporating many countries and ethnic groups, a foundation of respect for other races' cultures was established.

Also, my viscount territory is on the frontier of the empire.

There's a small dungeon nearby, and there are many adventurers."

I see.

While the kingdom is also a multi-ethnic nation that recognizes the rights of non-human races, it was originally a human supremacist state, and the discriminatory consciousness toward non-human races still lingers in people's hearts.

Compared to the kingdom, which has a long history of fixed culture, the empire, which encompasses the cultures of many races, has more potential for development.

While talking about such things, we arrived at the viscount's residence and were shown to a room.

"Please use this room for now."

"Thank you, Lord Lucas."

The next day, after resting in a fine bed for the first time in a while, Lord Lucas and I sat across a table.

"Well, Miss Elizaveta, what do you intend to do from now on?"

"That's right. First, I need to establish a foothold.

For that, I have a few requests for you, Lord Lucas."

"I'll listen."

Lord Lucas asked the butler for a refill of tea, and I took a cookie that was served as a snack.

"First, I would like permission to conduct business in this city.

To establish a foothold in the empire and to build up my strength, I need to earn money."

"Yes, I know that you ran a merchant guild in the kingdom.

Having a powerful merchant guild in the territory is economically beneficial, so I have no objection to granting you permission."

"Thank you."

I bowed to Lord Lucas.

"Next, I need money.

Money is necessary for everything.

I would like to borrow 100 gold coins."

"Hmm, gold coins, huh."

Lord Lucas placed his hand on his chin and let his gaze wander.

It seemed to be his habit when thinking.

100 gold coins was not a small amount.

It was enough for a commoner to live frugally for several years.

However, considering the tax revenue and the valuables of the viscount's family, it was not a problematic amount to lend.

The question was whether Lord Lucas thought it was worth entrusting such a large sum to a young girl like me.

"Here."

I handed him a document.

"This is a magic contract... and a very high-ranking one at that."

A magic contract is a contract document that uses contract magic to engrave the terms of the contract into the soul and enforce compliance.

The enforcement power depends on the rank of the magic contract. A low-rank contract might only cause discomfort if violated, but the one I prepared was a top-tier magic contract.

A contract of this rank could even take a life as a penalty for violation.

"These terms... are you sane?"

"Of course."

The content of the magic contract I gave to Lord Lucas was to return the borrowed money from him with more than double the amount within a year.

If I failed to return it, I would sell myself as a slave and transfer the proceeds or my ownership as a slave to Lord Lucas.

Lord Lucas looked at me as if I were a madman.

No, to him, I must have looked truly mad.

"There will be no problem.

In a year, I will show you a pile of gold coins overflowing this table."

◇◆☆◆◇

"On that day, I felt fear at her unwavering confidence and smile, even as she pledged her own fate."

"Like a child separated from its parents."

"Like a boy who had found a deep, dark abyss."

"Like an adventurer peering into a dragon's lair."

"Even though she was just a young girl who had barely reached adulthood, she seemed like a completely different being."

"I was afraid."

"However, I realized that there was a hint of excitement hidden in that fear."

"That I, who had been used by the cunning nobles of the capital, could grasp the glory like shining stars."

"There was no reason."

"But she had something that made me feel that way."

From the diary of Duke Lucas Lebric Haldoria

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