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Chapter 43
Two days later, it was the day to visit the Noel Academy.
As soon as we stepped down from the carriage, the village chief, who had rushed over as if he had nothing better to do, slowed down abruptly upon seeing the new face with us.
[Is Dad showing up personally?]
No. Setting aside the fact that the Duke of Valente was too busy to come himself, I didn’t want to give the impression that the first business I started with my own idea was going wrong from the outset. So I brought someone else instead.
Not the duke, but… someone who, to ordinary villagers, would feel just as intimidating as the Duke of Valente.
“Are you the one they call the village chief here?”
“…Uh, well…”
When Ruberi spoke in a low voice while looking down at him, the chief froze. Then, as if he figured out what posture to take, his back bent slightly, and his expression softened.
“Heh heh. Are you this child’s guardian?”
“No.”
That was all he answered, with no further explanation.
A five-year-old child and two unrelated, non-guardian adults.
The chief opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, seemingly unsure of how to handle our group.
[The audacity to yell at the teacher before, and now this.]
[I can’t stand people who only bully the weak.]
[Can we get this lame villain out of here already?]
I had brought Ruberi precisely to deal with this quickly.
Clinging to Ruberi’s leg, I repeated exactly what the chief had said last time.
“The chief said a thief broke into his house and stole a pouch of gold coins.”
What the Valente Knights hate most: any crime occurring within the duchy.
Ruberi’s face, already shadowed by backlight, grew darker.
“Did you report it to the guards?”
“N-no, well, you see…”
“Any signs of forced entry? Never mind. I’ll check the scene myself. Lead the way.”
“A-ah, well, maybe my son needed the money for something and borrowed it for a bit. I’ll check and let you know!”
Blocking Ruberi as he was about to head toward the chief’s house, the chief wiped sweat from his forehead, despite the cool weather, and cautiously asked,
“S-so, are you here from the guard station…?”
“No. Sir Ruberi is a knight of the Valente Knights.”
“Valente…!”
Only then did the chief realize our affiliation, and his gaze wavered.
Then, out of nowhere, he shot a sharp glare at Noel.
“…?”
Noel looked confused, not understanding why, but I could see what that look meant.
‘Why were you walking around dressed like a commoner?’
When teaching Damian at the ducal estate, he wore neat attire, but today he was dressed casually for a light outing.
It must have looked sloppy to the chief, making him think he could easily exploit him.
[Man, even while struggling with job insecurity, he has to dress well? Life’s rough for a wage slave…]
[Let’s earn some money and buy him clothesㅠㅠ]
[After Damian child-rearing, is this turning into a private tutor-raising story?]
[‘The case of the expanding home tutor responsibilities’]
I didn’t have the money to buy him clothes…
But I did have Ruberi, who could help him with his work.
“I also heard you interfered with the academy’s operations.”
“Interfering? I just thought they didn’t understand the village’s atmosphere…”
“…”
“A-ah, no, forget it. Please run it comfortably as you wish.”
The chief forced a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he awkwardly stepped back, unsure if it was a backward step or a sideways shuffle.
[Is this villain dealt with already?]
[Hmph, weak villain.]
‘Of course, this isn’t the end.’
Would someone who tried to exploit outsiders the moment they arrived just sit quietly now?
On our way back after first meeting the chief, I had spoken to Noel about this.
-“It’s nice to have many friends. They’re all around my age, too.”
-“Yes. I heard many young people have moved into the area. That must be why Miss Rose has many friends.”
-“Are there any families who’ve lived there for a long time? I didn’t see many elderly people.”
-“I think most moved here for work.”
-“Then who built all the houses there now?”
-“Hmm… The residents mostly pay rent, so there must be a separate landlord.”
Noel, who had been answering me, fell silent, lost in thought.
If it was empty land with no original residents, why would a landlord build a cluster of houses there all at once? That expression on his face showed he was thinking the same.
After all, building new houses just because people want to move in isn’t common practice—it costs a lot.
[Feels like the chief is involved in this somehow.]
[But is owning buildings a crime?]
It isn’t.
However, it’s unlikely that someone who effectively controls a village away from the eyes of the guards is entirely clean.
And there had been suspicious points even before meeting the chief.
While chatting with the children to get closer to them, I had heard this:
-“Have you all lived here for a long time?”
-“Yeah! My older siblings moved here when they were little, but I was born here!”
-“You all must be really close, then. I’d be sad if someone moved away.”
-“Huh? It’s fine! Nobody ever moves away.”
As you know, this place is right next to the capital, in the duchy, where labor costs aren’t exactly cheap.
If both parents are out working, leaving their children behind, it means they’re earning a decent income. Yet not a single family has moved to a better home? Odd, isn’t it?
On top of that, despite working so hard, their living conditions didn’t seem to improve.
When I told Noel this, he nodded.
-“We should ask the aides at the duchy to investigate further. The data we have is from the previous lord’s time, so it might be inaccurate.”
-“Yes!”
Noel moved exactly as I had hoped.
Smart people really are easier to communicate with.
[What about Damian?]
Damian… well, he listens well, doesn’t he? That’s enough.
Anyway, thanks to these steps, the duchy was now investigating this village and its chief.
‘They’ll have to take responsibility for meddling with my—our—first business venture.’
[Here come the grudges lololololol]
[Rose’s style of problem-solving: ON]
‘For now, I’ll leave the next steps to the adults.’
Since the chief had backed off, there was no need to visit the guards for now.
I looked back and forth at Noel and Ruberi, who were sitting inside the academy building.
It was time to gather the children again… but there was one problem.
“Sir Ruberi.”
“What is it?”
“Could you try smiling once?”
Without asking why, Ruberi obediently lifted the corners of his lips as I asked.
‘Just as I thought.’
He’d been expressionless the whole time, so I had suspected it, but his hard impression didn’t disappear with a smile.
In fact, his smile looked more like a predator spotting its prey, which was even scarier.
Like this, the kids might hesitate to enter the academy.
In that case—
[Hug me…]
…Yeah, that’s the way.
Just like last time, I hung onto Ruberi’s arm as we headed out to find the children.
[Rose keeps turning herself into a personal keychain…]
[#KeychainFL]
[Not even a keychain ML, but a keychain FL for the first time, lolol]
But our walking paces were too different to hold hands comfortably, and if we were going to stick close just for show, this position was the most efficient in many ways.
Riding on Ruberi, we quickly arrived at the clearing, and this time, the children greeted us first.
“Oh! It’s Rose!”
“Unni! What about the baby deer?!”
“What happened next when the hunter appeared?!”
“You have to read until the end today!”
[(Explanation) This is how readers look when they demand mass updates.]
[Release the next chapter already~~]
They swarmed around me as soon as they saw me, but then noticeably slowed down when they noticed Ruberi by my side.
‘Is the Valente Knights’ notoriety known even in a small village like this?’
Or was it a survival instinct, like freezing when encountering a bear…
But there was another reason I had clung to his arm.
“I’m really tall! You can’t reach up here, can you?”
I called out to the children, looking down at them from Ruberi’s arms.
Something I learned while living with the orphanage kids:
Children love the feeling of being above others and always rush to claim the top spots on stairs or beds.
As I expected, their competitiveness outweighed their fear, and they started bouncing up and down next to Ruberi.
“I can grow tall too!”
“I’ll catch you!”
As the kids reached out their hands, I bounced lightly to stay out of reach and whispered in Ruberi’s ear,
“Sir Ruberi, could you lift the children too?”
“Alright.”
“Everyone, line up! He’ll lift you up one at a time!”
“Yay!”
I said “one at a time,” but Ruberi easily lifted two kids at once.
Seeing him unshaken despite the children hanging off him, I thought… maybe even five or six would be fine?
‘They’re naturally heading into the academy without me even telling them to study!’
Trailing behind them, I looked at Ruberi, who now looked like a teddy bear surrounded by puppies.
When I expressed my curiosity about the village, Noel brought me along to a meeting with the duke’s aides, saying they would provide some answers.
The meeting was held in a classroom in the annex where I used to tutor Damian.
Sitting in the familiar spot, I listened to the aides speak… It seemed that the ongoing war had created significant gaps in public security.
‘I thought exploitation was something only nobles did.’
Like how the money trickled down less and less toward the lower ranks in the Torto Count’s business while only the count grew richer.
But to think an exploitative structure had formed even among commoners…
