The heavy iron-bound gates of Ravenscrest Castle creaked open, the hinges groaning like an old warning.
Sera stood waiting at the edge of the courtyard.
She was flanked by Emma, who held a thick leather-bound book pressed against her chest. Beside them stood Sir Alaric, the captain of the guard, along with the head maid. Vina and Tia stood slightly behind Sera, watching with curious eyes.
Behind them, a formation of household guards stood in rigid silence. Black cloaks rested on their shoulders, each embroidered with the sigil of Ravenscrest,
a black raven with wings partially spread, perched upon a silver crescent moon above a mountain peak
.
The raven held a small key in its beak—symbolizing vigilance and guardianship over the lands.
The design was stitched in black and silver upon every soldier’s shoulder.
“Are the books taken care of?” Sera whispered to Emma.
“Yes, well hidden. Not in the castle anymore” replied Emma, whispering.
Sera nods.
A restless wind swept through the courtyard.
It carried the scent of moss, wet stone, and faint traces of wildness drifting down from the forest.
From the road outside the gates, the royal auditor’s procession appeared.
At the head of the convoy, a banner fluttered in the wind, carrying
the crest of Duke Silas
, a golden
spear piercing a coiled black serpent upon a crimson shield
, symbolizing authority and dominion, announcing clearly, whose house backed the auditors, to all who saw it.
The auditors carried the backing of a powerful ducal house.
At the center of the procession rolled a finely crafted carriage escorted by mounted guards and clerks walking beside it with parchment-stuffed satchels bouncing at their sides.
But what truly caught the eye was the creature pulling the carriage.
Three curved horns spiraled from its skull, and its thick wool shimmered faintly with residual mana.
It was a
Tri-Horned Ram
.
The massive magical beast snorted as it pulled the carriage forward.
Tia tugged lightly at Sera’s sleeve.
“Mother… what is that?”
Sera glanced toward the creature.
“That is a magical beast called a
Tri-Horned Sheep
,” she explained calmly. “They are sometimes tamed and used as mounts or beasts of burden.”
“Not many magical beasts can be tamed. Most are far too ferocious.”
“But a few species can be domesticated with enough skill.”
Vina’s eyes sparkled.
“Can we get one too?”
Sera shook her head gently.
“We could only keep one if we managed to tame a wild one ourselves.”
“However, beasts like these are different.”
“These rams are designated animals of the imperial administration.”
She gestured toward the carriage.
“Certain magical beasts are reserved as
symbols of noble houses or imperial offices
.”
“Only members of those houses—or officials of certain ranks—are permitted to ride or use them.”
“These particular sheep are assigned to royal auditors.”
Vina sighed slightly in disappointment.
Tia merely nodded thoughtfully.
Sera noticed his reaction and asked with amusement,
“You don’t want one?”
Tia shook his head.
“If it chose to stay with me out of free will, that would be nice.”
“But if we must force it… then no.”
“I don’t want to imprison a creature or take away its freedom.”
Sera smiled softly and ruffled his hair.
“Mother!” Tia protested immediately. “You’ll ruin it.”
Sera laughed quietly.
The carriage finally rolled to a halt before them.
But no one stepped out.
Instead, the butler seated beside the driver climbed down first.
Emma stepped forward, slightly nervous. This was the first time Ravenscrest had ever received a
royal auditor
.
The butler unfurled a scroll made of polished sheepskin.
His voice rang clearly across the courtyard.
“By decree of His Majesty,
King Aurelius V. Aetheria
, the honorary
Viscount Lucien Duremont
, Royal Auditor of the Hall of Wealth, has arrived to verify and investigate the fiscal records of the territory of Ravenscrest.”
The scroll bore two seals.
One is the royal crest of Aetheria, a
radiant sword rising vertically through a crown of light
, the blade surrounded by seven rays representing the divine authority of the crown.
Beside it was the crest of
House Silas
.
Emma immediately opened the large book she carried and began scanning its pages.
Tia watched curiously.
“Mother, what is Aunt Emma doing?”
Sera replied quietly.
“That book contains a registry of noble crests within the kingdom.”
“It also includes official identification codes issued by the royal court and updated every decade.”
“The scroll contains a coded identification number or phrases written in the imperial tongue.
“Emma is verifying that code against the registry.
“Royal auditors were feared across the kingdom.
“Every barony paid taxes to its count. The count forwarded those taxes to viscount, count and soon, upward through the noble hierarchy until they reached the royal treasury.
“These taxes funded the army, the bureaucracy, and the defense of the realm.
“Auditors were sent periodically to ensure that every lord reported honestly.
“They inspect everything,” Sera continued softly.
“They review records, visit villages, and question officials.”
“If discrepancies are found, the punishments can be severe.”
“To the nobles of many territories… auditors can be considered as their nightmares.”
She continued explaining.
“There were once criminals who tried such deception decades ago.”
“They managed to cheat several corrupt nobles out of large sums.”
Vina blinked. “Really?”
“Well, most of them were corrupt nobles anyway. But the nobles felt humiliated and raised complaints, thus, the king after discussion with his ministers came up with this
triple verification system
.
“The leather book is sent to the noble lords of all the territories, and the ID is given to the court officials. So, it is almost impossible for someone to get through by deception.
“If someone wants to try, they need to go through all the verifications.
“First, the official must carry the crest of the noble house backing the mission.
“Second, a unique identification code.
“And third… the official beast assigned to their rank.
She gestured toward the Tri-Horned sheep.
“Impersonating an auditor would require collecting all three of them.”
“Which is too troublesome and not worth the risks. Some people who tried it after being inspired by the original gang were captured and killed.”
Tia nodded slowly.
Then he glanced toward the carriage again.
“Mother… why haven’t they come out?”
Sera smirked slightly.
“Pride. Probably.”
“Especially in a backward area like ours.”
“Mother, why is he addressed as an honorary viscount in the scroll?” Tia asked.
There are 2 kinds of nobles in the kingdom.
True nobles, who are born and inherited their house names.
While the honorary nobles are the officials who work for the royal or governmental offices, likely those commoners who used some kind of connections or bastard children of the true nobles who are denied of their house name or very low level nobles.
They are usually low level jobs and a rank without any lands or inheritances.
But, you have to be careful while addressing them. We should not call them with the ‘honorary’ prefix. For example, we should call him Viscount Lucien Duremont. Not as honorary Viscount Duremont.
“Why?” Vina asked.
These honorary nobles are usually looked down upon by the true nobles. As a result, it has become their sour spot.
If anyone calls them as such, they will be provoked and will do everything they can to cause them trouble.
Emma finished verifying the codes and looked toward Sera.
She nodded.
The documents were genuine.
Emma stepped back behind her.
Nearby, Emma noticed Alaric frowning slightly as he observed the soldiers accompanying the auditors.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” Alaric replied quietly.
But his eyes remained fixed on one particular knight.
A magic knight, probably,
he realized.
Copyright © [April] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
The butler returned to the carriage and spoke briefly through the door.
A moment later, the door opened.
A guard stepped forward and held it wide.
The first man to descend was tall and lean, with sharp features and a crooked nose.
His hair was slicked neatly back, and his narrow eyes swept across the courtyard with cold calculation, with all the warmth of a butcher inspecting livestock.
There was no bow.
No greeting.
Not even a glance at Sera.
He simply sneered faintly.
Behind him, another figure finally stepped down from the carriage.
Viscount
Lucien Duremont
.
With deliberate slowness, Viscount Lucien Duremont finally emerged, like a prince descending into lesser halls.
He is a tall man in his late thirties, dressed in desaturated regal red and fur. With fine leather boots, exuding a noble demeanor. His expression carried the weight of practiced indifference, as though the entire courtyard existed merely to inconvenience him. Around his neck hung a thin silver chain bearing a
Black coin
, gleaming faintly against his coat.
He stepped onto the stone courtyard and slowly surveyed the surroundings.
His gaze lingered briefly on the castle walls.
Then on Sera.
Yet he said nothing.
Not a greeting.
Not even a nod.
He simply observed.
His gaze drifted across the courtyard, assessing the soldiers, the maids, the worn stone walls. Everything seemed to pass before him like entries in an account ledger.
Looking at the viscount, Sera thought,
‘Hmm, he has a noble’s demeanor. Yet he gives me a weird feeling.’
While the Viscount remained silent, the man beside him—thin, sharp-faced, with a crooked nose—snorted loudly.
“How long must we wait?” he said with open disdain. “As expected of a backward territory. You don’t even have the etiquette to properly receive your guests.”
His disdainful words stirred murmurs among the Ravenscrest soldiers. Their faces tightened. Even the servants frowned at the insult.
Sera blinked once, her expression perfectly polite.
‘Such arrogance right from the beginning,
Not even a greeting.’
She thought with mild amusement.
‘If I provoke them, things could become troublesome. Auditors aside, their backers are not people to offend lightly.
‘But if I flatter them too much… my authority here will crumble in front of the soldiers.’
Her gaze flickered briefly toward Tia and Vina standing nearby.
‘And I certainly don’t want to look pathetic in front of them. At least for now.’
She hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward.
Sera offered a graceful curtsy, her smile composed.
“Welcome to Ravenscrest,
Honorary Viscount
,” she said smoothly. “I am Sera Ravencrest. I hope you will enjoy your stay here.”
Behind her, Tia and Vina nearly froze.
‘There she goes again…
’ Tia thought helplessly.
‘Didn’t you say we shouldn’t call them by their honorary title because it might provoke them? Why are you deliberately looking for a fight?’
Vina suppressed a sigh.
Yet both exchanged a glance and smiled faintly. By now, they had grown used to Sera’s strange mixture of politeness and quiet provocation.
The crooked-nosed assistant bristled immediately.
“Such insolence,” he snapped. “Do you not even know how to apologize?”
Before Sera could answer, a cold voice cut through the courtyard.
“Apologies are requested by those who have made a mistake.”
Emma stepped forward, her tone sharp with sarcasm, her gaze openly disdainful.
The assistant flushed red.
“Do you know who you are speaking to?” he demanded. “Do you understand the prestige of the man before you? If not for imperial duty, we would never even consider setting foot on this miserable land!”
“Oh?” Emma replied sweetly from the side. “We don’t know. Why don’t you explain what makes you so prestigious?”
“You—!”
Emma’s sharp, unexpected retorts made everyone, even Sera surprised.
“Enough.”
The Viscount finally spoke.
His voice was calm and indifferent, but the effect was immediate. The assistant stiffened and stepped back.
“Yes, my lord.”
Duremont turned his attention to Sera with a faint smile.
“Do not mind my subordinate,” he said lightly. “We are all rather tired from our journey.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Baroness?” he said, as though testing the word. “You are… Sera?”
Sera studied him quietly.
‘Interesting.
‘He ignores my title, and doesn’t say that his subordinate is wrong.
‘Is that arrogance or…..’
She said nothing.
Seconds passed.
The courtyard fell silent as everyone waited.
Everyone is confused. And all eyes focused on her leisurely expression.
Finally the crooked-nosed man snapped impatiently, “Are you deaf? My lord is speaking to you!”
Sera tilted her head slightly.
“Oh… were you speaking to me?” she asked calmly, acting as if she realized it just now.
“I assumed His Excellency must have been addressing someone else. I did not realize that in well-developed regions nobles address each other without titles or courtesy.”
A ripple of suppressed laughter passed through the Ravenscrest soldiers and maids.
Emma covered her mouth, trying not to grin.
The Viscount’s attendants looked furious.
‘I guess, she is also a bit irked by them.’ Both Alaric and the head maid sighed internally. ‘But is it really okay to provoke them?’
‘Strange’,
the viscount’s assistant thought. ‘
Most barons would already be groveling.
‘Yet this wench mocks us?’
While the entourage of the Viscount were enraged at the rude remark towards their lord, the Viscount’s eyes sharpened with interest.
‘Either she is ignorant…
‘Or she is far bolder than expected.’
“What did you say?” the knight of Viscount shouted, his hand reaching out to his sword.
“Silence.”
Duremont’s voice cut through the tension again.
The man immediately fell quiet.
The Viscount smiled faintly.
“Indeed, Miss Sera,” he said smoothly. “I did not expect such knowledge of etiquette from a territory that keeps its guests waiting.”
‘He still doesn’t call me by my noble title. Not even the baron house’s name. Is it because of the backward status or is it because of the commoner facade I created? Or is he testing our limits like me?’
‘Very well.’
Sera sighed internally.
‘Let’s leave it at that for now.’
Seeing that Sera decided to end the exchange before it escalated, the Viscount, not wanting to continue this farce either, glanced at his assistant.
The assistant stepped forward stiffly.
“Her Ladyship, Baroness Sera of Ravenscrest,” he announced with exaggerated formality. “I am Vell. I speak on behalf of
His Excellency Viscount Lucien Duremont
, Royal Auditor of the Hall of Wealth and Custodian of Fiscal Integrity under His Majesty the King.”
Sera inclined her head politely.
“If His Excellency will follow me, your chambers and everyone’s accommodations have been prepared.”
The viscount ignored Sera completely.
Vell on the other hand ignored the courtesy.
“The journey here has been… unpleasant,” he said coolly. “Your roads seem unfamiliar with proper maintenance.”
“They were repaired recently, they remain in fine condition.” Emma replied evenly.
“Ah.” His smile was thin. “Then I must assume your definition of
fine
is… local.”
The assistant sniffed. “No doubt your accounts reflect that maintenance expenditure. They will be reviewed.”
Vell glanced around the courtyard.
“Serviceable,” he said dismissively. “Provincial. His Excellency will require accommodations free of drafts, noise, or damp.”
Sera stepped aside and gestured toward the keep.
“Mm,” Vell said. “We will inspect them before His Excellency risks his health.”
“There is no mildew,” Emma replied.
“That is what the last castle said.” The assistant didn’t even look at her. “You may return to your embroidery.”
Emma became furious, clenched the book in her hands tight.
Aldric’s jaw tightened.
***************
Copyright © [April] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
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