🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 12~
I immediately cringed.
‘Ugh, no. Just thinking about it is exhausting.’
A lord’s title? Power? Wealth? Sure, it’d be nice to have.
But maintaining all that comes at a cost.
Being a lord is a grueling job. You have to watch every coin spent, inspect your lands regularly, and keep an eye on your budget.
And that’s not all. Developing your territory requires constant interaction with neighboring lords, or you risk isolation.
‘If I slip up, I could get dragged into political schemes… maybe even war.’
That kind of hellish life… no thanks.
I’d rather spend my life tending my farm and enjoying leisure. Lordship? Not interested.
‘Listen up, system. If you even dare to give me a “Let’s Become a Lord!” quest…’
(๑• ₃•๑)
…A cheeky little emoji popped up, as if completely ignoring my opinion. Annoying.
I trembled slightly and finished cooking. Though “cooking” was just boiling eggs and potatoes.
It would’ve been nice to have salt or pepper, but in the “Everything Store,” all seasonings were sold out.
When I asked the system when they’d restock, the answer was always the same:
Expected arrival date: Unknown~ (ㅠ_ㅠ)
Please try getting sold-out items in a nearby village. ^^♡
That smiling emoji… it’s like it’s taunting me on purpose. Infuriating.
‘I was planning to visit the village anyway…’
The closest village was an hour away—but that’s by carriage.
‘On foot, maybe three to four hours.’
It’d have been tough to travel alone, but now I had spirits and workers. I could manage it.
‘Alright, I’ll head to the village soon.’
I had no money, but maybe I could sell vegetables or barter for supplies.
I’d need to bring crops that were popular with the villagers.
“…Starting tomorrow, I’ll plant strawberries.”
“Strawberries?”
“Yeah. Don’t they sell well?”
Early spring was peak strawberry season. People would be wandering the market looking for tasty fruit.
And with my “scam” skill, I could harvest the best strawberries in the world. Heh…
Sell lots of strawberries, make a ton of money, buy seasonings, and treat myself to good food.
Humming a tune, I set the food on the table and called Lysian to eat with me.
Maybe because I was in a good mood, even the bland potatoes tasted surprisingly good.
This is how I ended up with Lysian… though maybe I was crazy for it.
“Master~♥ Do you want to eat first, or should I?”
Early in the morning, while I tended the field, Lysian whispered something absurdly cute.
I’m getting weirdly used to him calling me “Master”… At first, it made me cringe just hearing it.
“Master~! Ninny finished the laundry and hung it up! Praise me!”
“Alright, good job.”
I roughly patted the hyperactive bubble companion buzzing around me, then passed by Lysian to head inside.
I mean, that was the plan.
“…?”
A tug at my sleeve made me stop and turn.
Lysian was staring at me with expectant eyes.
What now…?
He crouched slightly. His round head was at a perfect height for patting.
…Ah, he wants me to pat him?
‘He wants praise too?’
‘This isn’t a dog…’
I snorted and, as he wanted, ruffled his hair roughly.
Even with his hair a mess, Lysian just grinned happily.
Inside, the table was beautifully set.
Salad made from freshly harvested tomatoes and potatoes, and tomato soup—all Lysian’s work.
“Eat well, Master.”
“Thanks, I will.”
The salad was bland without salt, pepper, or olive oil, and the soup was sour, but I ate gratefully. Any meal was better than none.
“Today, you’ll harvest strawberries, right?”
“Yes, later this afternoon.”
Right. Today was strawberry harvest day. I planted them yesterday morning around 8, and unlike tomatoes or potatoes, strawberries take longer to mature. Fruit, after all.
“You also planned to make a flowerbed in front of the house.”
“Oh, right!”
I’d forgotten that in my strawberry obsession, and Lysian reminded me.
The small yard between the house and field felt empty, so I planned to plant small trees and flowers.
Lysian filled my bowl with salad and smiled.
“I’ll handle the flowerbed, Master. You rest.”
“Huh? But you went to the forest yesterday! I’ll do it.”
“But, Master…”
Lysian gave me a pitiful look. What… why are you doing that?
“Your stamina is weaker than a newborn chick, isn’t it?”
“….”
Ouch. That’s factual abuse.
I winced from the blunt truth.
“Hey! I’m not that weak…!”
“You said not to hunt wild animals, but you’ll need meat. I’ll catch a bird after finishing the flowerbed.”
“Why catch poor birds…!”
“Well, what about the eggs that never hatched? Aren’t they sad too?”
Turns out Lysian was a bombshell of logic. And he called me “Master” while subtly trying to assert himself…!
‘Forget puppy… this one’s a fox.’
A fox, definitely. A nine-tailed fox.
…But foxes are land animals, right?
After breakfast, Ninabel, Lysian, and I built the flowerbed.
I thought it would be easy, but it was surprisingly tough. Maybe my stamina really is trash…
Stamina: 2
“….”
It had risen from 1 to 2. Wow—one point! Applause!
‘If I get to 100, will I feel more human…?’
Muriel… how did you survive with this stamina?
And how did the people of Winterberg Castle call someone like this a villain? A weakling like this, wobbling around every day… and they still wanted to bully her?
‘Humans are amazing….’
Thanks to Lysian’s hard work, the flowerbed went up quickly.
No bricks, so we made a wooden fence, planted flowers, and watered them. Lysian made the fence.
Despite his refined, noble look, Lysian was capable. He wouldn’t starve wherever he went.
“You’re really competent.”
Lysian grinned, striking a playful idol-like pose.
“You’re glad I’m here, right?”
I pushed the sly fox away, annoyed. He kept acting cute.
A cool spring breeze blew, the sun was bright, the cloudless sky a vivid blue, and colorful flowers bloomed in our flowerbed.
Tulips, pansies, hyacinths… and a flower not yet in bloom, Risianthus—named similarly to Lysian.
Wait… was his name taken from this flower?
“A name like a flower… suits you.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
I ignored it, got up from the flowerbed, and stepped back ten paces to admire our little wooden house with the new flowerbed.
It looked like a fairytale cottage, simple and charming. A home anyone could dream of.
…If only it didn’t have a hamster-patterned roof.
‘Ugh… that roof.’
Cute as hamsters are, this is interior sabotage! Are you listening, system?
Then it happened.
For you, here’s a perfect chance to change your roof!
“…!”
A flashy, almost false-advertisement style message from the system appeared.
Special items now in store!
Only 100 coins! Buy now!
‘Special items…?’
Bad feeling rising.
I eyed the blue screen suspiciously and clicked [▶Go to Store], just to take a look.
A huge banner appeared.
A red box with a gold ribbon and the words “☆Special Item☆” in flashy letters.
I tapped it, and a list popped up.
- Random Box A (contents unknown)
- Random Box B (contents unknown)
- Random Box C (contents unknown)
“…….”
Classic failed-game, probability-based loot boxes.
