#15. Recruiting Talent (6)
2023.08.15.
“What?”
“So…… before Uncle left for the capital to become a Royal Guard when he was young, they, um, liked each other…….”
The boy flushed red, hardly knowing what it was all about. Noah and Amy’s eyes sparkled. To think the two of them had such a history. Other people’s love lives were always a fascinating topic.
Eden clenched his fist in indignation.
“Uncle was such a fool. He didn’t ask her to come with him or even tell her to wait…… so in the end, she married Mr. Weaver.”
Seeing his sulky expression, they could roughly imagine what kind of person this Weaver had been.
“At least he died early from a drunken fall. And since Lady Weaver was the head maid of the lord’s manor, she and her son had no trouble getting by. But not long ago, she lost her job…….”
This time, Amy snorted like an excited bull. Noah glanced at her from the side, looking doubtful. Whether he did or not, Amy was jumping for joy inside.
*How can our luck be this good!*
If things went well, she might be able to take them all as a package deal! But since this was the Second Prince’s affair and no ordinary matter, she had to be careful. Amy forced herself to calm down.
“She has a son? How old is he?”
At Amy’s cautious question, Eden’s face brightened.
“His name is James, and he’s nineteen. He’s very smart—smart enough to help Lady Weaver with the ledgers. But he had an accident when he was young, so his body is impaired.”
“An accident?”
The gentle boy’s expression suddenly turned furious.
“When Mr. Weaver was still alive, the two of them went somewhere…… and James was trampled by the horse Mr. Weaver was riding. If he had received treatment right away, he would have been fine, but Mr. Weaver neglected him……. Later, after they returned to the lord’s manor, Lady Weaver searched high and low for doctors and got him treated, but they said it was already too late.”
“…….”
Noah and Amy’s expressions darkened. Their perfectly healthy son had suffered permanent disabilities because of his own father—how must the mother have felt? And what about herself, whose life had become difficult overnight?
“When his condition is good, he can stand or take a few steps, but when the weather is bad, he can’t move at all and falls ill.”
Amy bit her lip. Separate from her pity for the mother and son, her expectations ebbed away like the tide.
*The North is a cold place, so there’s no use asking them to come.*
Eden also seemed to realize this fact as he spoke. The boy asked worriedly,
“Um, is the weather in the North very bad?”
“It snows for nine months out of the year. For half of that, you’re buried in snow and can’t move.”
“Ah…….”
It seemed he had expected Vernon to agree to go with them after all. Eden’s face darkened. Amy, who had been thinking for a moment, raised her head. She couldn’t give up here.
“Let’s go to your house.”
“Huh?”
Eden was bewildered but gladly guided them to the house where he and Vernon lived. It was a hut located on a hill a short distance from the village. As they entered the front yard, Vernon, sensing their presence, came out.
He frowned when he saw Amy and Noah. Before he could open his mouth, Amy strode up, grabbed his arm, and dragged him behind the house.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Vernon, dragged along in a daze, spoke with Amy in hushed voices. Noah never took his eyes off them, seemingly worried about Amy. Since Noah’s mood seemed foul, Dwayne, Jack, and Bradley, who were standing nearby, kept glancing at him cautiously.
The two’s conversation ended quickly. Vernon, with a complicated expression, approached Noah and bowed respectfully.
“I look forward to your guidance from now on.”
“!”
Noah’s eyes went wide, and Eden and the three knights cheered. Noah stared at Amy, who approached with an expressionless face. She wordlessly shrugged her shoulders.
Vernon went inside with Eden to pack their things. The three knights bundled up their belongings and came out in the blink of an eye. Their loads were extremely meager, as if they had nothing particularly precious.
Amy asked Dwayne, Jack, and Bradley outright,
“How skilled are you?”
Jack swallowed audibly and answered.
“Well, the weakest among us would probably be about on Martin’s level.”
Noah tilted his head and asked.
“Martin? Do you mean Martin the Royal Guard Commander?”
He was the one who had brought the Emperor’s edict before they left the Second Prince’s palace. Jack’s face showed disbelief.
“Huh? So that bastard actually managed to become the commander?”
They seemed behind on the news because they lived in the countryside. Dwayne and Bradley also rushed in indignantly.
“Wow, the vice-commander is really something.”
“He succeeded in the end.”
He had been laughed at for holding the vice-commander position despite having less experience and skill than them, and not only had he framed Captain Vernon for his own deeds, but he had succeeded in stealing that position too…… The three huddled together and enthusiastically ripped into Martin. What to shove where, how to wring his neck and throw him to the dogs, and so on. Amy learned for the first time that the Imperial language had such colorful curses.
She cut them off and asked again,
“So, how skilled are you, exactly?”
No matter how he had risen with the Empress’s backing, Commander Martin wasn’t completely without skill. Dwayne said proudly,
“We’d be counted among the best in the Empire.”
“…….”
When Amy looked at them with a coldly stony face, Jack grimaced.
“Well, if you have about thirty fingers, you could say that.”
“I see.”
So they ranked in the top thirty in the Empire…… Amy swept her gaze over them coolly, then turned and went to a corner of the yard. Blocking Noah from following, she called the mercenary. The mercenary captain, who had been following them like a shadow, appeared.
“I want to amend the contract.”
“…….”
At Amy’s following words, the mercenary captain raised an eyebrow and then quietly nodded.
Vernon came out with Eden, carrying a large load. The knights divided the luggage and followed Amy and Noah, arriving at the inn outside the village.
“You’re a bit late.”
Joseph, who had been waiting for them at the inn, came out and greeted Noah.
He then exchanged greetings with Vernon and his group, who would join the journey anew, and supervised loading the necessary supplies they had prepared in advance onto the horses and wagon. Amy and Noah got into the wagon and sat down.
Then Bradley tilted his head.
“What? The number of presences has decreased.”
“You’re right.”
Their gazes turned toward the mercenaries. Noah looked at Amy across from him, as if sensing something. Without even looking up, Amy unfolded her documents and spoke quietly.
“I had them guard Lady Weaver and her son. Our forces grew beyond expectations, so I thought it would be fine.”
“…….”
With his sharp mind, Noah realized that this had been the condition to draw Captain Vernon in. And the fact that she hadn’t given up on Lady Weaver either.
Amy quickly checked the documents, attached a letter to a carrier pigeon, and took care of her backed-up work. And when preparations to finally depart were complete, she smiled brightly at Noah.
“Then shall we return to His Highness’s lands?”
***
Castle Nordelmann in the North. Melburn, who had served as butler here for three generations, swallowed a groan as he looked at the carrier pigeon—the source of his recent headaches.
“It’s here again? What’s the matter this time?”
When Rita, Melburn’s distant relative and a maid of Castle Nordelmann, gave the carrier pigeon some dried grass and asked, only then did Melburn reluctantly take out and unfold the letter tied to the pigeon’s leg. His eyebrows twitched as he quickly scanned the contents.
“……So carpenters are coming.”
As Melburn fell into thought, Rita gauged his mood and spoke up.
“Hmm. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“What?”
Melburn was bewildered. Rita stroked the carrier pigeon and spoke firmly.
“Isn’t it? The North is harsh and yields little, so does the capital look down on us? Until now, all the ones who came as Grand Dukes stayed in the warm south, near the capital, and ruled half-heartedly…….”
Rita’s eyes, which had been pouting, swept across the castle’s interior.
“But this Grand Duke is having repairs done even before arriving. Not long ago, he sent masons to fix not only the inner and outer castles but also the annexes, the guard post, and the training grounds…….”
“Hmph.”
“The children are so happy that wind doesn’t come through the walls anymore. Besides, the fact that he’s even sending carpenters means he seems intent on properly renovating the castle.”
“That is true.”
Never before had the Grand Duchy’s castle where he was born and raised been in such good condition as these days. Though the exterior was still gloomy, the interior had been completely repaired, blocking the bone-chilling cold wind of the North and improving heating efficiency. The essential costs to survive winter would surely decrease.
“Everyone’s already making a fuss about pledging loyalty to the Grand Duke. Well, I suppose he won’t actually live here anyway.”
Unlike the sarcastic tone she had used when mocking previous Grand Dukes for not staying in their territory, her voice was noticeably softened. It couldn’t be helped, as to someone from the capital, the North’s weather was beyond harsh—it could almost be called a natural disaster.
But unlike previous Grand Dukes, this Second Prince was at least showing sincerity. Moreover, while a normal lord would fix the inner castle where they stayed first, the Second Prince repaired the outer castle where guests stayed, the training grounds, and the annexes where the servants lived first. He had prioritized the people who actually lived there. So they couldn’t help but see him differently.
*Unless there’s treasure hidden beneath this ice that’s lasted hundreds of years, the North here will never become warm and prosperous.*
Rita thought so without thinking. Little did she know that her thoughts exactly matched those of the head maid who would soon arrive at this place.