They began walking toward the keep.
Tia and Vina were quietly dismissed back to their quarters as the nobles proceeded along the stone path.
As they walked, Vell began issuing instructions as if dictating orders to servants.
“His Excellency shall expect the complete account ledgers for the past three decades by morning. Tax records. Harvest reports. Tithe receipts. Land grants. Debt obligations—particularly those still unpaid.”
He paused briefly.
“No copies, no transcriptions. Originals only.
“Any delay will be reported to the Royal Treasury Office.
“We will also require access to your bailiff and senior reeve. And your steward. Separately. No audience. No supervision. Without... interruptions.”
Sera’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“This is an audit,” Emma said, frowning. “Not an inquisition.”
Vell tilted his head.
“No,” he said softly. “If it were an inquisition… we would have arrived with chains.”
Emma’s patience was thinning.
Sera gave a small nod, said calmly, “My steward will have them prepared. You will find our people cooperative.”
“Let us hope your steward is more competent than your roads in covering up things.”
Emma said. “There is nothing to conceal.”
“Of course,” Vell said over his shoulder. “That is what they always say.”
Sera observed that, while Vell spoke, complaining non-stop, the Viscount remained completely silent.
‘Oh! Now I get it.’ Sera thought, chuckling internally.
From this point on, Sera turned silent, while Emma proactively started to retort Vell, which caused him to be even more furious that some woman is arguing with him and she is not showing any fear and even displaying a hint of disdain towards him.
‘What happened to her?’
Alaric and Sera thought.
Watching Emma argue, Sera and Alaric are surprised and amused. Because Emma is not usually so proactive.
Even the viscount is surprised that a baron’s steward, much less a woman, could argue with his sharp tongued assistant without backing out.
They passed beneath the archway of the keep.
“These are your chambers,” Sera said. “Please rest. Everything has been prepared.”
The Viscount still remained silent.
Vell answered instead.
“We will take our meal privately. Tomorrow His Excellency’s subordinates will visit every village in your territory. I will begin reviewing your records here in the castle.”
Sera gestured toward Emma.
“This is Emma, my steward. She will assist with all documents and administrative matters.”
Emma bowed stiffly.
“Our head maid will escort you to your rooms,” Sera added. “Please inform her if you require anything within our capabilities.”
The Viscount gave a faint nod and followed the maid down the corridor.
Just before disappearing, Vell turned once more.
“And please ensure the records are accurate,” he said lightly. “His Excellency has an excellent nose for fabrication.”
“Delay and deceit are things he detests most.”
Then he disappeared after the Viscount.
Watching them go, Emma and Sir Aldric stood in the corridor annoyed to their bones.
Sera stood still, with a thoughtful expression.
Copyright © [April] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
After the maids had arranged the food and other necessities, they were dismissed from the room.
Inside the Viscount’s guest chamber, his attendants gathered—subordinate officials, his knight, several soldiers, and the priest. Two guards stood outside the door to prevent anyone from approaching the room.
The moment the maids left, the room erupted with indignation.
“How dare she!” the crooked-nosed man spat angrily. “A mere baroness from some backward territory speaking to our lord in that tone?”
“Exactly,” one of the soldiers chimed in. “She’s nothing but a commoner woman. Why is she so arrogant?”
Several others nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, the Viscount sat leisurely in his chair, idly spinning the black coin now detached from the chain that hung around his neck. His expression remained calm as he turned to his knight.
“What do you think? How strong are the territory's defenses?”
The knight shrugged dismissively.
“Not worth mentioning, my lord. They may have numbers—perhaps fewer than three hundred throughout the territory—but they look like ordinary men. I doubt there’s even a single magic user among them.”
He paused briefly before adding,
“That knight who accompanied the baroness is probably their strongest fighter. But that’s about it.”
“Hm.”
The Viscount nodded thoughtfully.
“And her background?”
One of the attendants stepped forward.
“As I reported on the way here, my lord, she appears to be a commoner who obtained the title of baroness. We have yet to uncover the full details.”
“So she has neither strength nor background… yet she remains fearless.”
The Viscount’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“There was even a hint of mockery in her gaze. Amusement.”
He tapped the coin against the armrest.
“Why is that?”
The crooked-nosed man snorted.
“Isn’t it obvious, my lord? She’s simply ignorant. Living in this destitute land, she’s grown used to acting arrogant. She knows nothing of the outside world.”
He scoffed.
“They are nothing but frogs in a well that doesn’t know the vastness of the sky.”
“That may be the case,” the Viscount agreed lightly.
“But regardless of her circumstances, we cannot allow her to behave like that in front of us.”
A faint chill crept into his voice.
“My lord… you mean—?”
Several pairs of eyes lit up eagerly.
The Viscount smirked.
“Starting tomorrow, visit every village in this territory. Verify everything.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Leave no document unchecked. Dig into their finances.”
His gaze hardened.
“And gather every piece of information about the baroness and this territory.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The men saluted enthusiastically.
“Yes, my lord,” Vell added excitedly, his lips curling into a crude grin. “We’ll make that bitch remember her place.”
His expression turned lecherous.
“And that steward girl… I’ll deal with her personally. How dare she talk back to me.”
He chuckled darkly.
“By the time we’re finished here, she’ll be begging on her knees. Perhaps I’ll forgive her if she satisfies me.”
The knight frowned slightly.
“Why get excited over some country woman? Don’t you already have plenty of women more beautiful than these villagers?”
Vell laughed.
“What does a muscle-brain like you know? When traveling, you should enjoy the local delicacies. Especially the fiery ones.”
“Says the fast shooter,” the knight snorted.
“Oh shut up,” Vell retorted. “Don’t act like the rest of you are any better.”
No one responded.
“Ah, don’t give me that look. I know all of you are thinking the same thing.”
“Don’t lump me in with you,” the knight said dryly. “Not as much as you think.”
The room filled with laughter.
“Still,” one man added casually, “the baroness herself isn’t bad looking for a countryside woman.”
“And her daughters look promising too,” another chimed in.
“Leave the youngest aside—she’s not ripe yet—but the eldest one…”
“See?” Vell grinned triumphantly.
He turned toward the Viscount.
“My lord, what do you think?”
All eyes shifted to him.
The Viscount chuckled softly.
“Well… why not?”
He spun the coin between his fingers.
“The baroness and her daughters might be difficult. But the maids and the steward should still be acceptable.”
The room immediately buzzed with excitement.
“But behave yourselves for now,” he added calmly. “Do nothing rash until we understand what we’re dealing with.”
“Of course, my lord,” Vell replied. “We know the process.”
Soon the men began to discuss excitedly while arranging their meals previously delivered by the maids, their conversation growing increasingly crude and lecherous.
Across the room, the priest’s frown deepened as he listened. His hands clenched tightly before he forced himself to relax with a slow breath.
His gaze drifted toward the Viscount.
Unlike the others, Lucien remained silent, his eyes distant as if lost in thought.
The priest quietly approached him.
Lowering his voice so the others could not hear, he asked,
“What’s wrong? You seem distracted.”
Recognizing him, the Viscount replied just as quietly.
“It’s nothing serious. I simply feel like this trip may be a waste of time.”
“Why?”
Lucien leaned back slightly.
“The reason we can extort most lower nobles is simple. They’re afraid of losing their titles.”
He spoke calmly.
“The corrupt ones happily sacrifice a portion of their wealth to preserve their status. The righteous ones have no choice but to pay. And most of them are fools.”
“But this time is different.”
He glanced toward the door.
“That baroness is not a fool. She doesn’t seem to care about her noble status at all.”
“When I provoked her, she didn’t react. She even allowed her steward to speak back to us.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“She almost seemed amused.”
He tapped the coin again.
“To us, the positions of auditor or priest are simply tools to achieve our goals. To her… the title of baroness seems to be merely a tool as well.”
He paused.
“From the very beginning, we might already be losing this game.”
The priest listened carefully.
Lucien continued.
“Did you notice the servants and guards? The way they look at her?”
“They carry a sense of pride—as if they serve a truly righteous lord. I’ve only seen that in a handful of territories across the kingdom.”
He exhaled slowly.
“They say she’s a commoner… yet she doesn’t feel like one.”
“Even if she behaves differently, her presence resembles that of the old aristocratic families.”
“So even if we manipulate their accounts, at best she’ll simply pay us off.”
His gaze hardened.
“These idiots won’t be able to do as they please here.”
“That baroness won’t allow it.”
The priest frowned.
“Then why are we still here?”
He tilted his head.
“Normally you would already be packing to leave.”
The Viscount chuckled softly.
After a moment, the priest asked,
“When we entered the castle earlier… you suddenly froze. Almost like you were frightened.
“Was that related to your ability?”
Lucien nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
He rubbed his temple. “It’s been a long time since I had such a vision. Perhaps since before I was married.”
“What did you see?”
“Only for a moment… but I saw a gigantic green serpent.”
His voice lowered slightly.
“It was coiled around the entire castle, like it was guarding its treasure.”
“The mere presence of it felt… unnatural.”
He paused.
“As we passed through the gates, it felt as though we were walking directly into its mouth.”
“Like prey.”
The priest’s expression darkened.
“Should we leave, then?”
“Is something dangerous here?”
Lucien shook his head.
“I don’t know. My ability only shows fragmented visions. I rarely understand what they truly mean.”
“Then…”
“I didn’t sense hostility,” he said calmly. “As long as we remain cautious, we should be fine.”
The priest glanced at the others across the room.
“But what about them? What if they do something… reckless?”
Lucien smiled faintly.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“These dogs won’t eat until I give the signal.”
“Then why remain here?” the priest asked again.
Lucien’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Because I want to know what this vision means.”
“My ability hasn’t reacted in years. Something here triggered it.”
“So staying a few days to observe shouldn’t hurt. Also, we should at least get some chump change as travel expenses, if we follow our normal procedures.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“As long as we behave ourselves, the baroness won’t act rashly either. I’m sure she also wishes to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
“Besides, what is life without some thrill.”
After a brief silence, Lucien asked, “What about you? Did you sense anything unusual?”
The priest hesitated.
“Nothing concrete.”
“But I’ve felt uneasy since we entered this area this afternoon.”
“Uneasy?”
“Yes.”
He frowned slightly. “The territory looks peaceful. Prosperous, even.”
“But for some reason… There's a strange pressure in the air. Almost like an oppressive presence covering the entire land beyond the castle.”
He shook his head. “It’s hard to describe.”
Lucien nodded slowly. “Indeed.”
After a moment he added,
“We’ve visited countless territories as auditors.”
“The mood of some places is filled with hostility. Some felt fear. Others with deception… or friendliness.”
“But this is the first time I’ve felt something like this.”
His voice dropped.
“It’s not fear.”
“Not hostility either.”
He stared quietly at the coin.
“It feels…
eerie
.”
In the room adjacent to theirs, a maid silently lowered the small brass listening tube from the wall.
The decorative painting beside the bed slid slightly, revealing a narrow peephole cleverly hidden within the stonework. Pressing the glass tube to it allowed sound from the neighboring chamber to travel clearly.
She had heard enough.
Carefully, she replaced the tube and slid the painting back into place, concealing the mechanism.
Then she took some folded clothes on the bed and went out of the room and silently left the corridor without hesitation, ignored by the people guarding the Viscount’s chamber, as she did not approach their room.
***********
Copyright © [April] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
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