"...Excuse ?"
Bloom, who had been fuming at the irresponsible forr knight commander, suddenly looked completely bewildered.
But the chief steward was on the brink of collapse, the administrator was completely useless, and now even the knight commander's seat was empty.
Without a knight commander, there was no security in the estate.
Ayra took out their lord’s seal for the first ti and stamped Bloom’s knight commander appointnt letter with a resounding thud.
Bloom’s face drained of color, and he hurriedly dropped to his knees.
“My lord, but I... I wasn’t even originally the vice-commander.”
"What do you an?"
As Ayra listened, they finally got the full picture—
The original knight commander, who had served for a long ti, had been killed during the carriage accident that fateful day.
The vice-commander had been promoted in his place, leaving the vice-commander position vacant. In the absence of a suitable replacent, Bloom had been temporarily placed in the role.
“...And besides, I’m from Axion.”
“Ah, right, you’re an outsider, so that’s an issue? Got it, got it. That’s why you’re knight commander now.”
“What?”
There was no ti to entertain such pointless modesty.
Without hesitation, Ayra shoved the appointnt letter into Bloom’s hands and moved straight to the real issue.
“The chief steward ntioned that the rchant was dispatched. Do you know what route they were supposed to take?”
Despite his flustered state, Bloom dutifully answered.
“I’ve escorted the rchant a few tis before, so I know the route. The caravan travels to a village about a day's ride from the estate, passing through Dalum Gorge. We should be able to gather information about their whereabouts from there.”
Wow.
The newly appointed knight commander-by-default was already ten tis more useful than the estate’s actual administrator had been.
Ayra patted Bloom’s shoulder approvingly.
“Great. Then send so soldiers to track the rchant down. This is an urgent and critical task, so I want you to handle it carefully.”
Bloom hesitated for a mont, looking down at the appointnt letter. Then, his expression hardened with determination.
Holding the letter close to his chest, he replied with conviction.
“Yes, my lord!”
[Bloom's Favorability has increased by 12.]
Current Favorability: 78♡
...Wait, did his favorability really go up that much?
Well, it made sense—he had just been promoted, after all.
It felt a little overwhelming, but at least it was a positive developnt...
With an expression of deep gratitude, Bloom exited the study.
Hoping he would return with good news, Ayra took a mont to calm down and sipped their now cold tea.
Right then, a notification window popped up.
[Tip. The current Knight Commander of Solar Estate has entered a mild Berserker state. Work efficiency increased by 20%!]
“...A Berserker?
What the hell?
This isn’t a ga, why is it labeling a person like that?”
Ayra had suspected this for a while, but the sentient rock seed to have a rather sharp tongue when evaluating people.
And as if to prove the point, another notification appeared.
[Tip. The current Lord of Solar Estate has a Fanatic Monster Enthusiast trait.]
“Fanatic Monster Enthusiast? Please. There were way bigger perverts in the Labyrinth than .”
Annoyed, Ayra flattened the rock with a resounding beep.
❄
Paying off the 300 Cell interest was urgent, but just as critical was the restoration of the collapsed wall, which had crumbled in a single day.
To rebuild it properly would take money, ti, and manpower—all of which the estate sorely lacked.
If monsters or foreign invaders attacked under these circumstances, it would be disastrous.
For now, Ayra ordered the soldiers to construct wooden palisades in place of the destroyed walls.
The severely injured and displaced residents were brought inside the estate to stay until they could recover.
Taking charge of these urgent matters in place of the collapsed steward and the useless administrator burned through an entire day.
One out of the precious seven days to pay the interest had already been lost.
Fortunately, after a full day of rest, Jinas seed to have recovered sowhat.
He entered the study, his expression solemn, then dropped to his knees.
"I deeply apologize. I have committed unforgivable disrespect toward my lord. Please punish however you see fit."
Now that he had recovered from his delirium, he was thinking clearly again.
Judging by how pale his face had gone, he had likely rembered his crazed accusations from before—when he had accused Ayra of murdering their own family.
It was annoying, but Ayra decided to let it go.
Truthfully, forgiving him was the only option in this ss.
"If you're really sorry, then help instead.
I’m going to figure out a way to pay the 300 Cell interest, no matter what."
Jinas, who had been hanging his head in despair, slowly lifted his gaze.
For a mont, he seed like he wanted to say, "That’s impossible. The estate is already dood."
His lips parted slightly, but instead of speaking, he gave a slow nod.
A hint of light returned to his weary gray eyes—just a little.
"Thank you for your rcy, my lord."
[Hess Lu Jinas’ Favorability has increased by 1.]
Current Favorability: 4♡
...Really?
I forgave him, and he only gave one asly point?
Why are Bloom and Jinas so damn extre?
Still, Jinas was at least ten tis more competent than the administrator, and at least five tis more useful than the knight commander.
When he heard that Ayra had sent soldiers to locate the rchant, he rubbed at his still-darkened eyes, trying to shake off the lingering exhaustion.
"If the rchant reached the village beyond Dalum Gorge, we can contact them using trained winter hawks.
If we recover the goods they were carrying and sell them, we can easily make 300 Cell.
However, sending soldiers won’t make a difference. I already hired two swift rcenaries days ago, but they never returned."
His tone was bleak and full of doubt.
Ayra tapped their fingers lightly against the desk.
If it ca down to it, they could sell a few artifacts from the Labyrinth, which would cover the 300 Cell.
But the problem was that they had arrived at the estate empty-handed.
And the spatial teleportation artifact that could have allowed them to return instantly was in Shinje’s hands.
Ti was the real issue.
"What about Morunka Temple? Could we ask them for help?"
As bad as it was to be in debt to anyone, it was still a thousand tis better than handing the estate over to Sobletz or Bolni.
However, Jinas’s face darkened further as he shook his head.
"That won’t work. The Solar family’s relationship with Morunka Temple has beco severely strained recently."
At those words, Ayra recalled their encounter in the slums—
The High Priest of Morunka, Aterra te Act.
That piercing gaze, which had fixated on them so relentlessly, suddenly made sense.
"Why is our relationship bad?"
"The forr lord... persecuted the temple ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) quite heavily.
The current High Priest will never agree to cooperate."
The more Ayra uncovered, the more disasters kept appearing.
It was like peeling an onion—one layer of bad news after another.
Just how much worse could things possibly get?
An estate with no fertile plains, no mines, and mountains of debt.
A family at odds with the only major religious power in the region.
A collapsed defensive wall.
A knight commander who fled.
An incompetent administrator.
A rookie lord with no real experience.
And at the end of it all—inevitable destruction.
For the first ti, Ayra fully understood why Jinas had lost his mind for a mont.
And now, it was painfully obvious why Jinas had been so desperate to ensure Ayra inherited the estate.
He had no other option.
Even if Ayra was suspicious in so ways, even if they could abandon the estate and return to the Labyrinth at any ti—
Jinas had no choice but to bet everything on them.
Now, realizing just how alone Jinas had been, Ayra felt a bit sorry for him.
As a small gesture of comfort, Ayra patted his shoulder a few tis and spoke.
"Alright, I’ll go check on the walls for a bit."
"Yes, my lord. Please take care."
Jinas sounded stable again but still resigned as he reached for the towering pile of paperwork before him.
The mont Ayra stepped out of the study, they threw on a cloak and quietly slipped out of the castle.
Even though they were officially the lord now, Ayra had no intention of revealing their identity outside the castle just yet.
Not because of any grand strategy—
But because there was soone they had been deliberately avoiding thinking about.
Janus Rehzedet.
The first thing that ca to mind wasn’t the Bad Ending choice window—
It was the kiss.
A rough, forceful, unexpected kiss.
Ayra bit their tongue in frustration.
They clenched their jaw, forcing themselves to rember that Janus was unpredictable, violent, and dangerous.
That day, Janus had been completely different from the man Ayra thought they knew.
There was no carefree rcenary, drunkenly dancing on the streets.
There was no playful rogue, tossing flirtatious remarks.
That Janus was gone.
For now, Ayra decided to approach him while keeping their identity hidden.
“...And I have a bad feeling about this.
Just in case, I should be prepared for the worst—just like Jinas said."
Additionally, for quest completion, it was better if Ayra’s identity remained a secret for now.
If their face beca too well-known, it would beco far more difficult to move freely within the estate.
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