NoveLight ™
"Wow. The order volume is just... what is this?"
Jacob's expression was one of shock as he examined the reservation ticket he had handed over. The estimated cost he had given beforehand was an average of ten million Lark per order. And there seemed to be an endless line of them.
With this amount, the reservations for an entire year must already be filled!
Listening to the sounds around him, it appeared that since the first batch of orders had gone out, word of mouth had spread properly. In families that produced knights, it had become fashionable to gift Jacob’s sword to their sons.
‘Looks like I should modify the contract to a 70-30 split tomorrow since today seems busy.’
Out of this, my share would be a whopping 40 percent. It was practically highway robbery.
I had awakened a guy who was drowning in alcohol and turned him into a person, set up all the latest blacksmith equipment, bought out the entire neighboring blacksmith with money to make him an employee, sourced rare materials, and even promoted him to spread the word...
‘What’s this? I’ve done all that, haven’t I?’
Thinking it over, I began to wonder if it was really necessary to adjust the ratio. For now, I’d stick with 60-40 for the piled-up reservations. Once things ease up, then I could increase it to 70-30.
"Jacob won’t be in danger, right?"
"Yes. We have stationed all capable trainees at the blacksmith."
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Jacob emerged as a master craftsman. There was absolutely no room for him to be kidnapped or assassinated. After all, wasn't Vermont Security established to protect Jacob? If we couldn’t keep Jacob safe, it would all be for nothing.
However, seeing the bodyguards in suits and sunglasses who always followed him around put my mind at ease.
"Vermont Security has been busy lately, hasn’t it?"
"Yes. Since the escort mission for Esther, orders have been continuously coming in. We haven’t had enough personnel to go into actual combat yet, so we can’t form many teams, but currently, three teams are on duty."
Had the rumors about escorting the notoriously difficult noblewoman spread like wildfire? Finally, Vermont Security was starting to get a flood of orders.
Most of these requests came from the upper-class nobility, but occasionally there were urgent requests asking them to stop a monster rampage. They could switch between being bodyguards and mercenaries as needed, which was a strong point of Vermont Security.
"We have arrived, Lord."
"Alright. Let’s conduct a surprise inspection."
For the first time in Vermont Security’s history, they had introduced a system that ran solely with staff members. I wondered if there were any slackers among them. Silently and stealthily, I entered the training area with Sylvia.
What I saw inside was...
"I'll learn from you, senior!"
"Clack!"
"Whaaaaa!!!"
"…?"
It was an entirely unexpected sight. A skeleton soldier was awkwardly holding a sword. Standing before it was an employee who bowed politely to greet it, then charged forward with their sword raised. The skeleton soldier's sword responded at the speed of light, elegantly blocking the employee’s downward slash.
"Huh!?"
"Clack!"
In an instant, it sealed the movement of the employee's sword and tackled him to the ground, face-first into the dirt.
"Clack! Tap! Clack! Tap-tap-tap!!!"
"Senior, I’m sorry, but... I can’t understand what you’re saying at all..."
"Clack!"
As they enthusiastically collided their jaws, the skeleton soldier soon expressed frustration, grabbing a wooden board and scribbling with a pen. 'Your reaction is slow! If the first attack is blocked, you should follow up immediately! Being stunned only gives the opponent an opportunity to attack!' was written on it.
"Ah! I understand! May I ask for another duel, senior?"
"Clack!"
With a bright face, the employee nodded repeatedly, stepping back to take up a stance with the sword alongside the skeleton soldier. I stood watching the entire scene, momentarily speechless.
"Is this what you meant by assigning the instructor role to a veteran?"
"Yes. They are all quite experienced. They have rich combat experience in both human and monster battles, and they can train without getting tired, so I thought they would be perfect for the instructor role."
"..."
Indeed. Hearing this, there was no doubt that there couldn’t be a better instructor than these skeleton soldiers. In typical sparring, one would have to hold back for fear of injuring the opponent. But when sparring against skeleton soldiers, the employees could fight at full power in their training.
Moreover, the opponents wouldn’t tire out? That was the end of the discussion. Aside from a little communication difficulty, it was perfect.
‘These guys turned out to be much more useful than I thought...’
Back when the undead army had just arrived, I was deeply troubled about how to make use of them. They were the former royal bloodline and their accompanying knights, but their appearance made it awkward to take them around. It felt wasteful to stick the undead army in a place where people wouldn't see them.
Just when I thought they might become a burden, I ended up utilizing them well. I couldn’t be more satisfied.
"The distance from the training ground to the city was quite inconvenient, but thanks to the skeleton soldiers, it has become much more manageable."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Would you like to see for yourself? It’s just about lunchtime."
"…?"
What on earth was this about? Following Sylvia’s lead, we headed toward the city center of Arient. Before long, we arrived at the market.
"Tap! Clack!"
"Hey! You want apples? How many?"
"Clack!"
"200? Let’s see. Three boxes are just over 200. Just take them for the price of 200."
"Clack!"
There unfolded a bizarre scene where skeleton soldiers were shopping at the market, each one engaged in their transactions. Somehow, they managed to understand what was being said just from the clattering of their jaws, and the merchants readily brought forth the ingredients for cooking.
Not only that, but none of the passersby seemed surprised or scared of the skeleton soldiers. It seemed that the people here had already accepted the skeleton soldiers as part of their community.
"It’s peaceful. Very nice."
"Is it really peaceful...?"
I really liked the way the city was turning out. Vermont had been a family barely able to pay off debts until recently, with only the mansion as its asset, but now, with highway tolls, tourism income, profits from Vermont Security, and the blacksmith’s earnings combined, money was practically multiplying.
Of course, it was best not to leave the money lying around and to keep it in circulation. But the reason I couldn’t touch the vault at the moment was simple.
‘I have no idea how much money will be lost in negotiations with Irene...’
The owner of the neodymium chunk. I had no idea how the negotiations with Irene Vermont would turn out. She was one of the few people who understood the true value of neodymium, so I couldn’t exactly pull a fast one on her.
Even if I offered a ridiculous sum for neodymium, it wouldn’t be surprising. Or perhaps, driven more by hatred toward me than greed for money, she might refuse to sell it at all.
‘What on earth does Irene want?’
Thinking about it felt strange. Irene had been nagging me for research results on black magic since the day I possessed this body. Yet she had kept the essential neodymium for herself, hiding its existence from me.
What was she trying to do? Her attitude was quite inconsistent. There must be something I didn’t know that was influencing Irene's behavior. That was the only way to view the situation.
‘If push comes to shove, I could lead the undead army and solve it by force.’
Of course, there were countless ways to protect the vault. I had plenty of available power on my side. I could immediately storm in and seize the neodymium by force. But... I didn’t want to use that if I could help it.
"Let’s go back."
"Yes, my lord."
The state of the territory was stable. The neighboring territory, Arient, was also peaceful. Now I could really focus on drafting a strategy against Irene. I could also take some time to spend with Charlotte and Yulia.
"Sir! Sir! Something big has happened! Another letter has come!"
The moment Sylvia and I returned to the mansion, Charlotte came running from a distance, her arms full of letters. As she ran, several letters fell to the ground, leaving a trail behind her.
"There’s an enormous amount this time...!"
"Indeed. What on earth is it this time?"
I took one letter from Charlotte's arms and opened it right there. This was... the same address as the letter that had arrived yesterday, wasn’t it?
What on earth does this mean? The letter arrived just yesterday, and they are already taking action without a reply?
As I stood there, dumbfounded, Charlotte interjected, "My lord, there’s a procession of carriages..."
"Ah."
From a distance, I could see a multitude of carriages approaching. Each one shone brilliantly, clearly signifying they belonged to nobility. Were these all carriages carrying noble ladies here to propose marriage to me...?
An unexpected wave of fatigue hit me, causing my head to throb.
I really had no interest in any of this...