Chapter 80

“Well, then, the story about you defeating a large bandit gang in your territory alone was true after all, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. It was a very tough battle, but thanks to my modest skill in puppet magic, an eccentric yet talented craftsman who created a new weapon, and, above all, the bravery of the people of my land, we were able to make it through safely.”

Since their initial meeting went without any feelings of animosity, Noein and Clara soon formally became engaged.

That said, Arnold, out of fatherly concern, felt it was cruel to send his beloved daughter off without allowing her the chance to bond with her future husband first. So, Arnold and Eleonore regularly arranged tea or dinner gatherings to allow the two to get to know each other.

Today marked the first tea gathering attended solely by Noein and Clara, without Arnold or Eleonore. Of course, the servants of the Keinitz Viscount family and Noein’s attendant Mathilda were present.

“…I’d heard about your achievements from my father, but Noein-sama, you truly are an incredible person. You have a gift as a lord and noble.”

“Oh, I am merely an inexperienced man with a small talent for magic and a bit of luck. I can only look up to Viscount Keinitz, who has governed his vast lands with such expertise for so many years.”

Although Clara was his fiancée and the daughter of the familiar Arnold, Noein still recognized her as a noble lady of high status. He aimed to connect with Clara while remaining as humble and courteous as possible.

Noein spoke modestly about himself and made sure to acknowledge Arnold’s accomplishments. Fortunately, Clara seemed unaware of the conflict between Arnold and Noein concerning the bandit incident, so he carefully avoided that topic.

“But if I were in your position, I doubt I could ever hope to open up the vast Bezel Forest like you have…”

Having met a few times now, Clara had grown comfortable enough to converse with Noein without excessive nervousness. Occasionally, Noein would even make a lighthearted remark that would bring a smile to her face.

Still, there was a certain air of self-doubt she carried that hadn’t quite disappeared.

“If there is something different about me, it might be how I spent my childhood. That experience seems to have shaped my temperament and allowed me to make progress in the development of the land so far.”

“Your childhood… You mean, during the time you were with the Kivileft family, perhaps?”

In preparation for the engagement, Clara had been told of Noein’s background by Arnold. Given the sensitive nature of the topic, however, she brought it up with a hint of hesitance.

“Yes, at the time, I lived secluded in an annex at the edge of the Kivileft family’s estate, practically confined… With all the free time, I ended up reading books every day. I was practically a bookworm.”

Noein continued, smiling a little mischievously.

“My birth father, as a show of pride, had a grand library installed in his residence. Fortunately, I was permitted to borrow from it. I had unlimited access to travelogues from around the world, academic texts across various fields, and even ancient histories and biographies of remarkable figures. That knowledge continues to be useful to this day.”

“I see… Noein-sama, you became who you are today because of the effort you made from such a young age.”

“Oh, I can hardly call it effort—it was simply a lack of alternatives at the time… That the knowledge and wisdom from those books have been useful is merely one of the many fortunate things in my life.”

Though Noein was downplaying his own efforts, Clara’s expression showed her admiration for him, along with a hint of self-doubt.

“I also spent much time indoors, so I consider myself reasonably well-read and quite fond of learning. Still, there’s no way I could ever compare to you… I must be far from a suitable match for Noein-sama.”

Hearing Clara murmur with an expression of resignation, Noein hesitated to respond. If he replied with a shallow “That’s not true,” it would likely only make her feel worse.

After thinking for a moment, Noein decided to change the subject in a somewhat forceful way.

“What kind of books do you enjoy reading, Lady Clara?”

“Well… I particularly like history. I find it fascinating to learn what people in the past thought and how this world was shaped.”

“Indeed, that’s certainly one of the rewards of studying history.”

Seeing Clara’s face brighten a little, Noein took it as a breakthrough. If they continued discussing things she enjoyed, it would at least keep the atmosphere from darkening.

“I kept notes on the books I read as a child as a kind of record, and I still have those bundles of papers. And though I shouldn’t say it too loudly… I borrowed a few of my favorite books when I was sent away from the Kivileft family. Among them are some rare history books.”

“Oh my!”

When Noein mentioned this with a mischievous smile, Clara chuckled softly.

“My birth father collected books only for show and never read them himself, so I doubt he will ever realize they’re missing. Those books, along with my notes, might be of great interest to you, Lady Clara.”

“Yes, they sound incredibly fascinating.”

“If you come to visit the Earlkvist estate, you may read them all to your heart’s content. Please look forward to it.”

……..

Noein discovered that Clara had an interest in history, which helped their conversation flow. After a bit of casual dialogue, he finally excused himself and left Viscount Keinitz’s mansion.

“Thank you for waiting, Henrik. Next, please take me to the planned location.”

“Understood, Lord Noein.”

As usual, he climbed into the exclusive carriage of the Earlkvist family and gave instructions to his coachman, Henrik. Once he was inside the carriage and away from prying eyes, Noein finally allowed himself to relax.

“Ah, it’s exhausting.”

“I can only imagine, Lord Noein,” Mathilda replied sympathetically as Noein slumped into his seat.

“I finally managed to draw out an expression of genuine enjoyment from Clara… but I really wish I could help with that usual gloominess of hers.”

Compared to when they first met, Clara could now show a more natural smile. But even this had only come about due to Noein’s constant efforts. A moment’s lapse would bring back her solemn expression.

Though it was largely an arranged marriage, Noein wanted his future wife to enjoy her life with him. Naturally, he did not want her to spend each day in melancholy silence.

To win Clara’s wholehearted acceptance of this marriage, he would need to understand the underlying issues fueling her insecurities and resolve them at the root. How long this would take was still uncertain.

“Well then, onto today’s main task.”

With that, Noein put thoughts of Clara aside and refocused. His destination was the office of Victor, a dwarf mining engineer previously invited to the Earlkvist territory to help with guidance on lapis lazuli vein excavation.

“The other party has already expressed interest in relocating, so I’m hopeful for a favorable answer.”

“Indeed, and it’ll certainly be more relaxed than the previous tea gathering.”

Previously, Noein had postponed mining development due to the small scale of the Earlkvist territory. But now, having judged that his domain was sufficiently developed, he finally decided to proceed and reached out to Victor, who had helped him in the past. Establishing a good relationship with Viscount Keinitz also meant that he no longer needed to worry about interference in the mining project.

The carriage made its way through Retvik’s main street and arrived at the office of the trading company to which Victor was affiliated. This company, responsible for mining developments across Viscount Keinitz’s lands and other small neighboring territories, was said to be on par with Noein’s ally, the Miles Trading Company.

Since Noein had already sent a letter in advance, the staff quickly arranged for him to meet Victor in a reception room.

“It’s been a while, Victor. Thank you for making time to see me today.”

“The honor is mine, Lord Earlkvist, and I am truly grateful for the invitation.”

Meeting again for the first time in about a year and a half, Victor, despite his sturdy dwarven appearance, greeted Noein with his usual polite demeanor.

“As mentioned in my previous letter, I’d like you to relocate to the Earlkvist territory to establish a new trade company and oversee the development of the Restio Mountains.”

“I was the first to express interest in moving, so I’m sure I can provide a satisfactory answer, my lord.”

“Thank you. I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long.”

“Not at all. Rather, I am deeply grateful that you, a noble lord, remembered my words and reached out personally. I would be honored to work under your lordship as a resident of Earlkvist.”

“Thank you… truly, Victor. As your lord, I’ll ensure you receive the reward your work deserves, and that you live a fulfilling, comfortable life.”

“Your words are more than I deserve.”

Victor would leave his current company and relocate to the Earlkvist territory with his apprentices, mining slaves, and craftspeople for resource processing, establishing his own mining development company there.

He would handle the mountain development within Earlkvist territory, receiving a percentage of the profits from the processing and sale of the mined resources as his reward.

After confirming Victor’s agreement to relocate, the remaining tasks involved finalizing reward percentages and verifying the facilities and equipment required for the mining development. The conversation ended smoothly and cordially without taking much time.