NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55
On the other hand, Jeongjae concluded that he must visit Harker Count Territory himself. According to Village Chief Hark’s report, the damage to Harriet’s Territory from this battle was extensive.
With the fishing industry, which essentially kept the territory’s economy afloat, rendered impossible, most of the residents were investing their morning and afternoon labor in beach restoration. Though they had some stored food and there were no immediate concerns about starvation, the bodies of orcs still bobbing in the water and the black sandy beach, hardened into ashes due to bombardment, had nearly obliterated Harriet’s Territory’s only means of production.
The ongoing beach restoration work was more about removing the mountain of orc corpses than fundamentally improving the beach.
It’s not an immediate crisis, but at least before the next trade with Harker, it was necessary to explain this issue to Count Harker and seek active material support.
There was no need to be subservient; rather, it was better to approach the matter confidently. The defense of Harriet’s Territory was, broadly speaking, a battle that determined the fate of the entire Southern Region of the Empire. If Harriet’s Territory had been occupied without any resistance, there would have been almost no noble soldiers capable of stopping the 8,000-strong orc army.
“So, I’m planning on going to Harker Count Territory this time. Are you two willing to come with me? It shouldn’t take long, but it would be good to have some help with the diplomatic aspects.”
Jeongjae asked Margaret and Jenis. The two women exchanged a brief glance before nodding in silence.
“This is my hometown after all. I don’t think there’s any harm in accompanying you while working at the same time.”
“What would I do staying here alone? I’m going with you.”
With that, Jeongjae nodded as if it was decided and clapped his hands. At that moment, Margaret seemed to have an amusing thought and glanced playfully at Jenis.
“Just out of pure curiosity, who would be in charge of governing this territory if both the lord and his assistant are absent?”
“The Village Chief will take over. He’s quite adept at administration. He knows how to perfectly orchestrate the void left by over a hundred years without a baron.”
Jeongjae replied. Margaret closed her eyes and nodded.
“I see. There hasn’t been a noble in this territory for a long time, so I expected the residents would have their own system of governance established.”
“But why are we suddenly talking about this?”
Jenis asked suspiciously. Margaret playfully teased Jenis as if to poke fun.
“This is also a completely pure piece of advice, but isn’t it true that the young lady has come here to study in preparation to become the next Count Harker? If so, wouldn’t it be a great experience to act as a regent for even a short time? Am I wrong? I learned a lot during my training period before receiving my own domain by governing in place of my father.”
“Huh? Are you telling me to stay behind right now?”
Jenis squinted and looked up at Margaret, as if asking, ‘Are you serious? Really?’. Margaret stuck out her tongue, imitating Rose, and shook her head.
“It’s not an obligation; it’s advice, just advice. What do you think, Baron? Instead of leaving governance to the locals every time, wouldn’t it be better to give the young lord’s assistant some learning time?”
“That does have a point…”
Jeongjae nodded, as if seriously considering Margaret’s suggestion. Jenis started rolling her eyes anxiously. She hadn’t expected the dignified Elven Princess would seek to steal a “private time” with Jeongjae so brazenly.
“Well, of course, Count Harker is still quite healthy, and he has plenty of time to learn. If Jenis wants to stay here, that could be a good experience, but for the time being, I think it’s okay to leave it to Jenis’s choice.”
“I’m going! I’m going with you! It’s my home, so it doesn’t make sense for me not to follow! Plus, I have a lot I want to say to my father too!”
Jenis exclaimed, flustered and hurried. Jeongjae let out a light laugh.
“I get it, I get it. If you insist on going, I won’t stop you. Why are you so flustered about it?”
“Right? I didn’t force you not to come, did I? I just said it’s a short trip to a nearby territory, so what’s all the fuss about?”
Margaret chimed in with Jeongjae’s remark. Jenis turned away, her face flushed with embarrassment. Jeongjae, aware or unaware of the atmosphere between the two, stepped outside to prepare the carriage.
Jenis shot an annoyed glance at Margaret and said, “I didn’t expect the Princess to come out like this!”
“It’s part of my education, young lady. While you might have enjoyed playful banter, you should recognize that playful banter can just as easily backfire against you.”
Margaret chuckled. Jenis tilted her head in confusion, looking perplexed.
“Playful banter?”
“That’s what I meant by the very first playful banter you gave, talking about helping the lord while studying governance. While it’s great that you got to spend some time together, it also serves as a perfect excuse to keep you two apart with just a little twist.”
“Is that how it works?”
“You should be grateful I’m letting it slide. If I had pressed forcefully, you’d be helpless and stuck here learning administrative studies from the Village Chief, and in the meantime, I would suggest suggesting a tour of the Southern Region while passing through the Harker Count house, pushing for a return a month later. Speaking of which, I somewhat regret not having done that, but it wouldn’t sit well with etiquette to genuinely interfere when a daughter wants to see her father.”
“Ugh… I see now, you’re quite the cunning one.”
“Try living among the proud elven folk for four hundred years as a royal descendant. You end up with a bit of cunning, whether you want it or not.”
Margaret slightly belittled her own race, perking her ears. If a human were to express such a sentiment about elves, it would be quite a glaring impropriety, but given that the speaker is an elven princess herself, it posed no such issue.
“Still, Princess, your duties on the battlefield take priority, right? You wouldn’t be thinking of throwing that away, would you?”
“I have to concede that point. Once this brief respite is over, I’ll have to return to Walter Hellhound. But it’s hard to recommend resting too much, especially when dealing with a pixie like myself.”
“I’m not even thinking about resting, really.”
Jenis sighed, bending at the waist. Meanwhile, Jeongjae returned to his office and flung the door wide open.
“What are you two still doing up here? The carriage is ready! Is there something else to prepare?”
Of course, both women had no intention of telling him about the mental warfare they had been engaging in before Jeongjae arrived. Margaret nodded first and stepped outside.
“No, we were just discussing that there wasn’t really anything else to prepare. After all, you must have gathered most of the essentials in the carriage.”
“Indeed, Margaret knows what I need to do. Then, Jenis, you’re all set, right?”
“Ah, yes, yes! No problem! I’m coming right now!”
With that, Jeongjae, Jenis, and Margaret walked side by side towards the carriage that awaited them at the boundary of the territory. As Jenis discreetly glanced at the two of them walking naturally side by side, she softly interjected, asking Jeongjae.
“By the way, what exactly do you plan to demand of your father when you meet him?”
“First, I’m thinking of asking him to settle the necessary payments for purchasing food supplies, at least for a year’s worth. We do have some silver coins piled up in the vault, but just calculating it out, it seems that the cost for new cannons and weapons alone will drain a lot of the silver coins we have.”
“You’re going to buy another cannon? Those are weapons with a lot of restrictions on use.”
“It seems more reassuring to have one on hand. Ideally, I’d like to borrow some weapons that have been gathering dust in the royal treasury, but… that would still incur transportation costs, so I can’t afford to squander money.”
“It’s impossible to earn money from the fishing industry anymore. It’s best to secure as much support as we can. My father is also quite passionate about arming his soldiers, so it wouldn’t be bad to borrow a large quantity this time around.”
Hearing Jenis’s words, Jeongjae’s eyes sparkled. It seemed he was intrigued by the suggestion.
“Is that right? If so, how about you, Jenis, provide a detailed report about the situation in Harker Territory? If I can gauge ahead of time how much support we can get from the Count, that would be incredibly beneficial for me.”
“Of course! I’ll share everything I know. Right now, I’m not in the position of the Harker Countess but rather an assistant to Harriet’s territory. How about this? It’d be a help if I came along, right?”
“Nobody said you wouldn’t be helpful, young lady.”
Margaret ruffled Jenis’s hair. Jenis’s fine hair seemed to slip away from Margaret’s fingers, quickly returning to its original neatness.
Meanwhile, the three of them exited the territory boundary and stood in front of the carriage they had taken when they came here.
It wasn’t very large but definitely not cramped, reflecting a luxurious appearance. It was a modern carriage that distinctly showcased the Harker family’s taste.
The blue cloth covering the windows bore a design of a red circle encircling letters, stamped just like before. Upon seeing the carriage’s cloth, Margaret narrowed her eyes.
“I’ve thought this before, but it feels like I’ve seen that writing somewhere. That design in the circle, isn’t it definitely a type of writing?”
“It’s the writing from our world. It’s one of the most commonly used scripts.”
Jeongjae explained. Margaret had lived a long time, and her lifespan overlapped with that of the legendary hero. It wouldn’t be surprising if she had encountered English letters somewhere.
Jenis snapped her fingers, rolling up the cloth before opening the carriage door.
“That emblem was directly done by the legendary hero. It makes sense that it’s written in the script of that side.”
“There’s probably a book in our territory written in that script. I can’t read it, but maybe you can?”
“Wait, you have a book that crossed over from our world? Is that true? Can you lend it to me?”
Jeongjae suddenly displayed an excited demeanor and jumped in place. Margaret eagerly nodded in agreement.
“Honestly, it would be pointless for us to keep it since we can’t read it. It would be beneficial for the scholar to take it and verify its contents. I’ll bring that book when I come back another time.”
“Yeah, please do. Honestly, I think it might make my heart beat faster than most magic books.”
From Jenis’s perspective, where Margaret’s every word was beginning to appear too polished, that statement seemed like one of the ploys to make him ‘look forward to his next visit.’
No, it was entirely possible that Margaret might have brought up the book discussion with that exact intention. After all, Jeongjae’s identity as a born researcher and book lover was well known to Margaret, so she must have known.
Margaret couldn’t flaunt that fact in front of Jenis. Naturally, Jenis knew how devoted Jeongjae was to his reading, having met him as a professor at school. So, they were even on that front.
Yet, Jenis, while thinking that way, found herself desperately searching for a book among the ones possessed by Count Harker that Jeongjae might find interesting, only to let out a sigh.
“I feel like a complete tagalong in all of this…”
Regardless, when Margaret grandly set off, Jenis accepted the role of the coachman, seizing the chance to sit next to Jeongjae.
The carriage door closed, and the blue fabric fell over, covering the windows. Naturally, the fabric was enchanted with visibility magic, allowing those inside to gaze at the outside scenery.
Even as Margaret cracked the whip to drive the carriage forward, Jenis couldn’t concentrate on the purpose of the journey and kept mulling over the question, ‘What books do we have at home?’
She kept recalling but couldn’t think of an appropriate book from the Harker household’s collection. Perhaps it was just that Arthur Harker’s reading taste was a bit peculiar and had some grotesque aspects to it.
Ultimately, after trying and failing to think it through, Jenis blurted out a question about fifteen minutes into their journey.
“Professor, do you like vampires or something?”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Jenis clamped her mouth shut in shock. No matter how she thought about it, it was out of place to ask a man who had fought fiercely against all kinds of demonic beings, including vampires, if he liked vampires.