A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 7】

“Get to the point.”

The Duke, who lived worse than commoners but was as noble-looking as royalty, finally opened his mouth.

I quickly got to the point.

“I want to procure ingredients for the castle and hire a cook.”

And I also pulled out a pouch of gold coins the size of an adult’s head.

Freshly made, piping hot continental common gold coins.

I couldn’t make delicious meals, but I could create as much money as needed to provide those meals.

The dream of all alchemists, the ability to turn stone into gold through magical alchemy. A walking gold mine.

That’s me.

“Gold works in Belmayer too, right?”

Jingle jingle.

* * *

[Belmayer Winter Castle Job Posting

Work: Purchasing and managing ingredients, cooking three meals a day

Requirements: Cook of any age or gender

Work Environment: Low work intensity, family-like atmosphere, landlord’s indifference

Salary: 100 gold]

“Handle it as you see fit.”

The Duke, who seemed bothered by everything, said just that to me.

As soon as I got that permission, I made dozens of job postings and distributed them throughout the capital.

Whoosh.

Nishe threw the official document he was reading into the air and clicked his tongue.

“I’m telling you in advance, don’t get your hopes up.”

“Nishe, money works everywhere.”

“Why don’t you try offering gold to a monster and see if it works.”

“The duchy’s citizens are people, and money is the best thing for moving people.”

This is my life philosophy, having lived in a capitalist modern society and now living in a fake medieval world with a class system for the second time.

“We don’t have money.”

Jepi, who had returned from distributing the notices with what he called running but looked like teleportation to me, pointed this out in a flat tone.

Now that I think about it, he quite favored me and listened to me well. Something about having a pretty soul?

“Who asked you guys to pay?”

It’s obvious you’re broke anyway.

“Big sister has lots of money.”

Though I make it through magical alchemy.

As for what kind of ability that is.

Within the field of magic, there are specialized majors, and among them is transformation magic that combines magic with alchemy…

‘It’s an unpopular field of study. The formulas are complex.’

Ninety percent of mages usually choose pure magic. It’s orthodox, flashy, and a field that uses up tons of mana.

Right. It uses up mana ‘lavishly.’

So when my Older Brother Noaren, who was born with vast mana, devoted himself to pure magic, I walked the minor path of magical alchemy.

The reason was simple. This way I could extract maximum efficiency with minimal mana.

‘If only I had more mana… no.’

What’s the point of lamenting now? It’s been quite a while since I reached the level where I can uniquely (presumably) turn stone into gold on the continent.

So even if I have nothing right now, I can become rich anytime.

“Look forward to it. I’m going to feed you guys real cooking.”

And I’ll eat too, while I’m at it.

“Why are you doing such pointless things?”

Nishe picked a fight with me bluntly.

This man seems to have a condition where he gets tongue sores if he doesn’t pick fights every moment.

Whether they feel any need to improve the castle’s miserable conditions or not, it’s not pointless.

Everything has stages.

I have a grand plan to improve Belmayer step by step so it won’t lose to the Empire’s pressure.

I also have the backing of the Duke.

Why, I told you.

“I’m not curious about why you came and I don’t care what you do.”

“I don’t care what you do.”

“Whatever you do.”

—He definitely said that.

I summed up this aspiration in just one phrase.

“Originally… humans live on food.”

Jepi, who had the intelligence to believe any nonsense I said, nodded with a face that didn’t understand.

“I understood.”

* * *

Two days after ambitiously posting the job notice.

Contrary to expectations, 0 interviewees, 0 applicants. No one applied for the cushy position with a salary of 100 gold.

100 gold is tremendous compensation compared to the work intensity. It’s the price of one dress for a decent Citadel noble lady.

“No, why…? How come…?”

Are there people in the world who hate money?

That can’t be. It would be more convincing to say I fell in love with Chessier again.

“See? I told you not to get your hopes up.”

Nishe mocked me as I felt dejected.

Since it was lunchtime, he was eating bread.

To be precise, everyone in the dining hall was holding that damn potato bread in their hands.

I unconsciously crushed the bread in my hand.

“Stop making a fuss. Just eat it. What’s so hard about it?”

“…Right, what would you know with your dead taste buds.”

These people must have sacrificed their taste buds in exchange for living a hundred years. Otherwise!

Grind.

I ground my teeth and rewrote the job posting.

[Salary: 500 gold]

‘Let’s see if no one comes even with this.’

A problem that can’t be solved with money?

Just solve it with more money!

* * *

…It couldn’t be solved with more money either.

Two more days passed without seeing a single hair of an applicant for the whopping 500 gold job posting.

At this point, I realized it wasn’t a matter of money.

“I need to find out why they’re avoiding it.”

I hadn’t expected difficulties from the very start.

‘When you don’t know something well… market research it is.’

As I stood up abruptly from my seat, Giselle grabbed me.

“Going out? You can’t go alone, Irene.”

A mysterious witch with long red hair like a ripe tomato and fresh green eyes.

She, who always stayed indoors, had just appeared suddenly carrying an armful of dresses, saying she’d give them to me.

Sorry, but I didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to what were clearly grandmother dresses taken from some storage room in the castle.

I was already wearing clothes made with magic anyway.

“Going out together is fine though.”

Giselle added with a pretty smile.

“Really? Then let’s go out.”

“Wait a moment. I’ll inform the master.”

“Does going out require the Duke’s permission?”

I had never left Winter Castle until now.

However, his subordinates who called the Duke ‘master’ or ‘lord’ often went out on their own as they pleased.

Besides that, they rarely asked for the Duke’s opinion or permission. Sometimes Giselle seemed to have more authority than the Duke.

From what I’d observed so far, the Duke’s position in this castle seemed to be something like a precious and handsome idler…

‘Well, I am from the Empire, so maybe the Duke needs to give permission.’

I had just finished convincing myself when Giselle, the castle’s behind-the-scenes power, casually dropped a bombshell.

“Go with the master. Like, incognito?”

“…Giselle. Why is the Duke coming up here?”

Why would the Duke accompany me?

He was the only person who hadn’t taken a single step outside the castle with me for the past month.

Giselle’s attitude was so cheerful that I was confused whether this was normal and ordinary in Belmayer.

She hummed while picking out a modest winter dress from the disorderly pile of clothes and handed it to me.

“Perfect. Try this on, Irene. I’ll get you a robe too. Jepi… Oh, no. I should call for a carriage.”

“Giselle?”

“I had something I wanted to look into anyway, so this works out perfectly. I’ll go tell the master, so Irene, take your time getting ready and come out.”

“I’ll help Lady Irene.”

Ally, who approached saying this, immediately began unbuttoning the back of the dress I was wearing. Before I could stop her, Giselle, who had lightly praised Ally, left the room.

“Oh. Irene, if the master falls asleep, come back right away.”

Leaving only these incomprehensible words behind.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

I was left alone in Winter Castle’s lobby, having changed clothes with Ally’s trademark forceful assistance.

“What the…?”

Would the Duke really approve of such a trivial matter? That’s ridicu…

“Irene Baltres.”

…lously possible. This actually makes sense.

The Duke appeared before me like a lie.

The Duke, who had appeared without any presence, looked at me with his sculpture-like face and unreadable expressionless look, saying only two words.

“You’re here. Let’s go.”

“You’re here, Princess. You’re exceptionally beautiful today.”

“…Ah.”

At that moment, I recalled Chessier, who had visited the ducal residence to escort me as a ball partner when my daily life was still normal.

‘To see Chessier overlapping with the Duke.’

It was an unpleasant experience I didn’t want to have twice, so I pointlessly picked at the Duke’s words.

“I told you I’m not Baltres anymore.”

The Duke, wearing a black robe over a tunic as light as summer attire, looked nothing like the Crown Prince from any angle.

For some reason, I felt a little relieved by that fact.

“Irene Baltres. How long are you going to stand there stupidly.”

The Duke personally threw open the castle doors and tilted his head.

‘Look at that attitude. He’s definitely the Northern Duke.’

I followed the Duke outside, thinking that only unpredictable things happened in this place.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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