Let’s Just Give It A Try First! (7)

I consulted with Matilda about various matters until late at night.

And we categorized the ideas into mostly “possible” and “impossible,” and Matilda brought up the side that was considered impossible.

“You said you were planning to build a road to the North; do you intend to create something similar to the Sky Bridge?”

“I’m contemplating it. Guarding the bridge is a task the Beastkin can handle, and I can take care of building the bridge itself.”

“Then are you thinking of creating a forest path that cuts through the Forest of the Demon Dragon?”

“Well, I am considering that for now.”

“….If the Demon Dragon gets angry like last time, we might not be able to handle it.”

“It’s only passing through a small portion of the edge of her forest, so I don’t think she’ll get angry. Moreover, if we limit the people passing through to Beastkin, she’ll have even less reason to be upset.”

“Beastkin… you say?”

Was this somewhat unexpected for her?

Matilda looked at me with a curious expression.

“The bridge itself will be built in a form that connects regions, but I judged that only Beastkin should be allowed to cross it. And this will actually serve as a condition that prevents those from the North from coming over to our side recklessly.”

“You intend to use… the Demon Dragon as a shield?”

“She might certainly get angry. However, if we offer appropriate tributes and negotiate, I think it might work out roughly as I planned.”

The tributes I was thinking of were foods from the other world. Since dragons were living creatures, possessed intelligence, and could even take on a human appearance, they might be very interested in gastronomy.

Although Beastkin occasionally saw the Demon Dragon chewing on monsters, that appearance was either extremely rare or there was a high probability it was a performance intended to show off her dignity.

That was because, after the Demon Dragon incident a while ago, I had searched through some books about dragons and remembered seeing information that dragons do not particularly eat once they become adult dragons.

Based on that, I thought the prevailing theory was that she appeared before the Beastkin to display her health or majesty.

From that perspective, she seemed to value looking impressive like a human, and I judged that I could open up a trade through various means.

“Humans cannot cross, but our Ingrad Domain, which can employ Beastkin, might be able to establish relations with the North. The culture there might not be well known to our continent, but if we can directly import high-quality minerals, which are their specialty, I believe our standing will definitely change significantly.”

It meant preparing the foundation to cultivate power. I felt the immediate task was to arm the Beastkin and become a domain that even the Imperial family could not mess with.

What if we then publicly spread what we developed across the continent?

Even if the Imperial family’s power was great, they wouldn’t be able to treat us carelessly—I thought this and conveyed it exactly to Matilda, who spoke to me with shining eyes.

“If you do start the construction, what is the timeframe you’re setting?”

“Since it cuts through the outskirts of the Forest of the Demon Dragon, it won’t be short. I’m thinking about fifteen days.”

“I heard that you were bedridden with mana poisoning last time… You don’t intend to push yourself that hard again, do you?”

“Since then, my ability to use mana has become quite fluid, so it’s not to the point of being excessive. So you don’t have to worry.”

Matilda said she understood. But at that moment, Matilda’s door burst open and Linda walked in.

“Matilda! Let’s go ho…..me?”

After shouting bravely, Linda, confirming my presence, hurriedly came up with a question mark and then fell into a state of shock.

But seeing as one of Linda’s shocked cheeks was still dark, it seemed the ink hadn’t been erased well.

“I wonder if I held you back for too long?”

“No, sir. It was a productive time.”

Then Matilda looked back and forth between Linda and me with a strange expression. Matilda was someone whose thoughts were often hard to read, but I could tell I had kept her for too long and bothered her.

After telling the two of them to go home, I also headed back to the Lord’s castle, thinking about all sorts of things for the future, but I ended up sighing because I realized I still had a very long way to go.

“Ha, but this cookie is really delicious…?”

It was a cookie that remained moist even after some time.

In the early morning, she would eat the meal prepared by her mother and think about her schedule for the day.

And the most nervous and exciting time among those daily routines was the regular morning report; Linda wished to give even one more detailed report to the Lord she admired and now seemed to love, so that she could stay in the same space with him longer, but she started to worry because of what happened yesterday.

‘Ink on my face… and with Matilda until that late hour… am I being left out? Did I make a mistake?’

She brought up all sorts of thoughts and thought about Matilda, who had avoided the conversation saying she would tell her today.

Matilda was a friend who was always popular for her bright personality, sharp work handling, and confidence. Because of her wide intellectual curiosity, she trailed behind me in her major, but she was a friend who always stayed ahead in other things, and she and I had coincidentally hit it off and sworn to be lifelong friends.

But, she couldn’t help but be a little surprised yesterday.

That look in her eyes as she gazed at the Lord… I thought it wasn’t simply the look of someone looking at a boss.

‘Does Matilda also… love the Lord?’

She was spreading her wings of imagination in anxiety when it happened. Just then, she heard the sound of the neighbor’s door opening and hurriedly came outside with bread in her mouth.

And Matilda was waiting for her with a bright smile, and no trace of fatigue could be found on her face; instead, she looked so full of preparation to start a pleasant daily routine that Linda was even envious.

“Linda, what’s wrong with your face? Didn’t you sleep?”

My face… the ink…

“By any chance, did a mark stay?”

“Ah, that? Don’t worry too much about it, because the Lord won’t be disappointed by something like that.”

“….He will be disappointed… You know from looking at the maids around him, right? We can’t even compare.”

Indeed, the beauty of the maids working in this domain had a special quality that couldn’t be seen anywhere else. I heard it was something called ‘Employee Welfare’ provided by the Lord, but we didn’t quite know what that was yet.

“About that employee welfare. I heard about it from Ms. Beni.”

“Uh…? Really? What is it?”

“Hmm, don’t let working hours exceed 10 hours, rest twice a month, and if there’s anything you need, you can get most of it if you request it from Mr. Vincent. Something like that?”

“From Mr. Vincent…? What do we need to receive?”

“I heard it’s a medicine good for the skin called Tiger Balm; should I call it a cosmetic?”

“What’s the effect?”

“I think I heard it’s a medicine that makes the skin white and free of blemishes.”

Was that why the maids’ skin was so beautiful it was almost transparent?

Pushing the thought of ‘Tiger Balm’ into her head, Linda asked Matilda a question.

“But, did anything happen yesterday…?”

To Linda’s cautious question, Matilda put on a strange expression and asked a question instead of answering.

“What if something did happen?”

“That…. uuuugh”

A sigh naturally flowed out of Linda at the fact that she couldn’t say anything, but Matilda spoke while pulling Linda’s arm.

“Nothing happened. Honestly, I don’t think we’ve even caught the Lord’s eye yet, and I think I still have a long way to go.”

“No way… Matilda, you too?”

“I realized it after staying here… what a beloved Lord is…”

Watching Matilda imagine something with a slightly dreamy expression, Linda also spoke while realizing she had to make up her mind firmly.

“I can never give him up… you know that?”

“I have the confidence to give him up if asked… but I’m giving him up because it’s you.”

“Eh…?”

Linda was flustered because it wasn’t the answer she expected, but Matilda spoke while looking at Linda’s expression.

“But did you know? They say no one can possess the Lord.”

“…Why…?”

“What was it he said..? Let’s live while enjoying ourselves? Anyway, it seems he has that kind of mindset as his life’s motto, so I think I heard the maids saying that no one can possess the Lord.”

“…..”

It was a development she had never imagined, so Linda felt like her mind was going blank. But for a moment, she made up her mind firmly and said.

“I will break that… definitely.”

“Hehehe, that’s a good attitude, friend. Then as a top priority, shall we go find Mr. Vincent now?”

“Ah… Tiger Balm?”

“I think nothing will work because our starting positions are different. So first, you could say it’s a priority for us to stand on the same line as others.”

Linda thought Matilda’s mindset was truly amazing. And although Linda was envious of Matilda for having such a personality, she still couldn’t lose. Because she learned that love is something to be seized.

Like that, Linda was drinking the kimchi soup even before the person thought of giving the rice cake.

Moreover… although Matilda had spoken nonchalantly to Linda, the truth was she was just as nervous.

Matilda was someone who hadn’t had much interest in the existence of men. Even when she worked at the brothel, she was completely fed up with young nobles who would pant and ejaculate at the moans she falsely let out, but after coming here, she saw a ‘true noble.’

Although he was a noble with concepts and ideologies very different from the Noblesse Oblige she had learned, the Lord of this place certainly had so many parts that were differentiated from others that she felt if there were a real noble, it would be someone like him.

She was becoming fascinated by that day by day.

As a result, Matilda, who naturally knew her friend’s heart, couldn’t help but be confused.

Love and friendship—she couldn’t easily make a judgment on that.

“Matilda… let’s do our best.”

At her friend’s word that was heard then, Matilda made up her mind.

‘I’m sorry, they say the one who takes it first is the owner…’

Matilda thought she would try her best so that their friendship wouldn’t change.

But… at that time, the man who was supposed to give the rice cake was leisurely sipping coffee while looking down at the terrace.

“Kaa, the coffee is excellent today as well.”

“Lord, aren’t you going to be unable to sleep again if you do that?”

“You know what? For modern people, ten cups of coffee a day is the standard.”

“Modern people? What kind of tribe is that?”

“There is one. A peculiar tribe, slaves to money and time…”

It was a moment of reflecting on his life at a job as if recalling a distant past before coming here.