“Where do I get the money?”
A woman I’d seen in the tunnel earlier seemed to have heard me muttering my problem, and came towards me with a sigh.
“If you don’t have money, why don’t you walk the pilgrim’s path?”
I glanced at the woman’s face who seemed to know Edith Abina very well. As I reflected on Edith’s memories, I recalled the sight of Edith once pouring red wine on her head in the middle of the ball.
“You know what else? I wonder if the Pilgrim’s penance will teach the lady some manners.”
“That’s right. Moreover, Rodenheim City is a sacred area where only real nobles could enter. How dare a half-baked noble even dare to set foot in it?”
The person who bowed her head and hugged red wine lady was the lady whom Edith poured white wine on.
“Why don’t you just wander around the back alleys like scoundrel instead of ruining the reputation of the Great Temple?”
In fact, I’d been living the life of a slob not too long ago. I straightened my clothes, wondering if my behavior was still that shabby.
“Master, who are these people? Master’s friend?”
Lucas wrapped his arms around my shoulders and stepped forward, pointed to them and slowly opened his mouth. The ladies who’d been momentarily distracted by his handsome face soon came to their senses and raised their voices.
“Who’s friends with whom?!”
“Her? Oh, don’t you think of your safety, pointing a finger at people like us when you’re lowly?”
‘Why are they blushing when they say Lucas was disrespectful?’
I looked back and forth between the blushing young ladies and Lucas, then raised my hand.
“Stop.”
I only gave a cursory warning, but both of them retreated in shock, probably because they had a bad history with the bully, Edith. I slowly looked at the ladies’ appearances and slowly opened my mouth.
“The fact that I’m still called Edith ‘Abina’ means that I haven’t been completely cast aside by the Marquis himself.”
Didn’t the Marquis I met earlier also call me Edith Abina? This meant that even he. Who’d done everything possible to destroy my position as a marquis, couldn’t get rid of me completely.
“What if you go back to Frenhill and try to make friends with the ladies there, hm?”
Thinking back to the original Edith, I tilted my head, and the red wine girl caught my eye, and I glanced down.
“W-what kind of power does the young lady have?”
“If you want to see what kind of power I have, keep arguing with me.”
I drew the line with my red lips as I answered white wine’s question.
“…Rentia.”
When I reminded them that I still remember their families, the ladies’ eyes widen and take a step back. I looked down at the women with their mouths shut like honeyed chicks.
* * *
“Lucas, Rian. First, I have to see if there is a merchant who can buy this gemstone.”
If possible, I’d also like to sell mining rights, but there was a high probability that there wouldn’t be such merchants here, as it wasn’t a large city.
“I wish money would fall from the sky.”
At the words I mumbled, Rian opened his eyes and looked at me.
“Do you need money?”
“To be exact, I need a merchant to buy me Oricharcum.”
Although I knew he couldn’t quite understand, I explained the general situation and started walking around the shopping district, leading a confused Lucas and Rian.
“Huh? Where did Rian go?”
At some point, Adrian disappeared from sight.
“I don’t know. I saw him going there earlier.”
“Then you should have told me!”
I yelled at Lucas’ indifferent response and frowned. Should I just put a leash on Rian? If he wasn’t a real dog, why does he keep on running out alone?”
“Hiiiing, hiiing!”
“Rian!”
I turned around the alley and finally managed to find Rian. He approached me while I was panting and pointed somewhere with his finger.
“Here, merchant, it’s here.”
Adrian led me to a small shop built with a temporary tent at the end of the alley. The name roughly hung as a flag was Imperial Pawn Shop, but it was too shabby that it couldn’t even be seen as a chicken skewer stall, let alone a pawn shop.
“Rian, it looks like a temporary stall, not a store?”
At my curios question, a man suddenly jumped out from inside the tent.
“Oh, no! I… what town is this? Anyway, I am one of the most financially powerful merchants in this town, young lady!”
I frowned at his words not even knowing the name of the village. The man flinched under my suspicious gaze and took out a bundle of checks out of his arm.
“Really! Now, look at this blank check. Isn’t it the royal seal?”
I stepped back, having more doubts about the merchant’s words.
“How can a mere merchant carry a blank check that only the imperial family would use?”
“Well, it’s because I’m a merchant who works directly with the royal family, young lady.”
‘Anyway, a blank check that only the royal family can use?’
He was definitely a scammer. I turned around, ignoring his repeated excuses. With Adrian was next to him, and he seemed to be more shameful of selling the imperial family’s name.
“Oh my, oh my! If you just go, I will die…!”
Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Adrian must’ve been offended by the man’s crying, and growled fiercely. He turned his back on the man who was stomping his feet with intention of grabbing the hem of my skirt.
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