“…Where am I?”
Upon waking, Christy realized she had been laid down somewhere and voiced her confusion.
Her body was still in pain and wouldn’t move as she wished, but by moving only her head, she looked around and saw that she was in her room at the mansion, lying on her bed.
Her hair and body had been thoroughly cleaned, and her wounds were carefully bandaged or covered with cloth, showing she had been well cared for.
Shortly after Christy woke, someone entered the room. It was one of the maids employed at the mansion.
“Oh? You’re awake? You were brought here in the middle of the night and slept for more than half a day. How are you feeling? Do you think you can eat or drink something?”
“I think I can… I’m hungry.”
The maid was surprised by the polite tone, something entirely unlike the usual rough Christy, but she replied, “I’ll bring some food right away,” and left the room.
Afterward, Christy ate the barley porridge and soup the maid brought her and rested again until a gentle knock sounded on the door.
“…Come in.”
After Christy’s response, Anna and Mathilda entered the room.
“You look well. I’m glad.”
Christy remained silent, while Anna smiled at her. In contrast, Mathilda maintained her usual expressionless face, which caused Christy to feel slightly afraid.
“Don’t worry. We’re just here to have a little talk. Lord Noein asked us to.”
“A talk…?”
Like the maid before her, Anna raised her eyebrows in mild surprise at Christy’s use of formal language.
“Yes, but it’s mostly Mathilda who’ll do the talking.”
At Anna’s prompting, Mathilda began to speak.
“…Yesterday, you called me of lowly birth and insulted Lord Noein as a ‘spoiled, ignorant noble,’ didn’t you?”
“I-I’m sorry—”
“It’s fine. No, it’s not fine, but I’m not here to demand an apology… Let me tell you my story first.”
Mathilda’s words were a bit awkward, as if she wasn’t used to speaking this way.
“As you said, I am indeed born a ‘lowly beastman.’ I was born to a poor farming family with neither education nor money, and sold into slavery as a child. By some fate, I came to serve Lord Noein. Becoming Lord Noein’s personal attendant was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Mathilda occasionally veered off to excessively praise Noein, but she continued to recount her life story up until now.
Her calm, factual narration allowed Christy to vividly imagine the harsh life Mathilda had lived, and the hopeful days she experienced after meeting Noein.
“Next, I’ll tell you about Lord Noein.”
What Mathilda then shared about Noein’s past shocked Christy.
She had assumed Noein was the heir of some powerful noble family and had received this village as a gift from his parents after becoming independent.
A life without care, surrounded by beastwoman slaves, retainers, servants, and loyal villagers. While he seemed to handle his duties as a lord, Christy thought he had effortlessly inherited everything simply because he was ‘born a noble.’
But that was all Christy’s unfounded assumption.
Noein had lived for 15 years without any freedom, and he had used that time to gather knowledge and hone his magical skills.
Even when he was dumped with nothing but a patch of forest and barely any funds for development, he didn’t give up. In just over a year, he had built this village.
If she had been in such a position from a young age, could she have done the same?
No, Christy would likely have wasted time, sulking and whining, only to be thrown out of her home one day, utterly lost.
“Christy, there’s no doubt that you are talented. However, there is one crucial thing Lord Noein has that you lack: the resolve to accept your current circumstances.”
“…I understand.”
Christy quietly wept as she replied.
“I have been by Lord Noein’s side since he was nine years old. He has always faced reality head-on and used it to look towards the future. He has always looked forward. You are different.”
As she listened to Mathilda’s words, Christy couldn’t stop her tears.
How shameful her behavior had been.
From Noein’s perspective, Christy’s constant complaints and her lashing out at those around her must have made her look like nothing more than a spoiled child.
“That is why, when you fled from the capital of Noeina, were attacked by goblins, and then begged for help, Lord Noein chose to reject you at first—to make you understand your situation.”
Christy had become Noein’s slave. She had to truly understand that reality deep within her heart.
Last night’s events had been a rite of passage. Only after Christy sincerely grasped her current reality and swore loyalty to Noein did he finally decide to help her.
“…I was as good as dead before I came into Lord Noein’s service. But since meeting him, I’ve learned to read, write, and do calculations. I’ve trained in martial arts and worked hard to be useful to him. The fact that Lord Noein trusts me as his deputy is proof of that.”
As Mathilda spoke, the same ‘lowly beastman slave’ that Christy had once looked down upon suddenly appeared radiant to her.
“Christy, Lord Noein wishes to give you a chance as well. He wants you to live a life moving forward.”
“My… life?”
“Yes. You were born into a wealthy family, but you’ve fallen into slavery. However, if you serve Lord Noein diligently, even as a slave, you could make significant contributions to this domain, and Lord Noein could value you highly.”
As Mathilda spoke, strength returned to Christy’s eyes.
“Lord Noein didn’t buy you on a whim, so it’s unlikely you’ll be freed from slavery anytime soon. But if you continue to work faithfully, one day, you might rise from slavery to become an official retainer. And if this domain prospers and Lord Noein is elevated in rank, you might even be ennobled as one of his key vassals.”
Mathilda laid out Christy’s potential future with calm certainty.
“Lord Noein wishes to give you the opportunity to strive for those futures. Rather than running away from the current situation, he hopes you will challenge it and stand up against it. As your lord and master, Lord Noein is concerned about your future and happiness.”
“Ah, ahhh…”
Despite having acted so rudely, how merciful Lord Noein is.
Though Lord Noein is such a strong and kind person, I am so weak and insignificant.
Thinking this, Christy began to cry out loud.
After crying for a while, Christy, now calm, lifted her face. Her expression was somehow bright and unburdened.
“Mathilda, Anna, please forgive me for all the disrespectful behavior up until now. From now on, I will change my heart and work diligently for this territory and for Lord Noein.”
“Yes. That is what Lord Noein desires as well.”
“Welcome to the Earlkvist territory, Christy.”
…
“I see, Christy understands now. Mathilda’s words were the key; thank you for your hard work with the unfamiliar tasks.”
“No, I am happy to be of help to Lord Noein… If that’s the case, she should work obediently from now on.”
“She said she wanted to tidy herself up later and express her gratitude and apologies to Lord Noein again.”
As Noein sighed while receiving the report from Mathilda and Anna in the office.
“I’m glad… Hah, I finally solved her problem. I’ve caused trouble for everyone.”
To be honest, Christy’s problematic behavior had been an unprecedented source of concern for Noein.
No matter how well he explained things or treated her with high regard, her attitude didn’t soften, and she didn’t understand her position. Yet, she was still an important slave, and he didn’t want to irresponsibly exclude her from the territory. For Noein, she had been a formidable opponent unlike any difficulty he had faced before.
“The biggest contributor to this ‘re-education’ was Radley, who trained the goblins. I need to give him a special bonus.”
A few days ago, he had captured goblins alive in the forest and set up deep pits along the highway to injure her feet on the day Christy planned to escape, then released the captured goblins upon her.
With Radley’s skills and techniques, it shouldn’t have been too difficult, but it was undoubtedly a troublesome task.
“It seems Christy doesn’t realize the goblins were trained… but using goblins as a way to deliberately instill fear was quite a harsh educational method, wasn’t it?”
“Well, that’s true… Did it scare Anna a bit?”
“Just a little? But I understand well that Lord Noein employs such… unique methods.”
Anna smiled as she said this.
Using goblins to instill the fear of death in slaves, ultimately leading them to pledge their loyalty voluntarily by manipulating their psychology—this is the kind of approach that would normally be off-putting. However, Anna laughingly saying it was “just a little off-putting” suggests she has quite significantly adapted to Noein’s twisted style.
“Anyway, this matter is resolved now. Thank you both for your hard work.”
Thus, the issues regarding Christy showed signs of resolution.
