Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord Act 5 (Light Novel) E-Book

Satori Tanabata

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 427

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

As the arrival of winter brings the date of Yumiella and Patrick’s wedding ever closer, Yumiella ends up being tricked into visiting the Royal Capital in order to prepare for the big day. While accompanying Yumiella, Eleanora visits a friend from the Royal Academy and discovers that her family is on the verge of being run out of the city due to court politics. As much as Yumiella hates getting involved in these sorts of machinations—especially when they concern politics—how could she say no to her dearest friend Eleanora when she asks for help?

Though Yumiella, now well past level 99, can usually use her strength to deal with most problems, it turns out that the minister of finance is pulling all the strings behind the scenes, and he’s taken Yumiella’s interference into account as part of his plans. She might not be able to brute force her way out of this one, but Yumiella’s not one to back down from a fight, especially when it’s for Eleanora’s sake!

Leseprobe

Prologue

It was the middle of winter, but Dolkness County was full of activity.

“I guess all that stuff about this place being terrifying was lies,” remarked Dan, a carpenter new to the area. “It looks to be doing better than the Royal Capital.”

Dan had traveled from the Royal Capital to find work, and he didn’t think that Dolkness Village seemed prosperous in the slightest by comparison. He knew of port towns much livelier than this one, and he’d even been to cities up in the mountains that were more developed. Despite all of that, and although he would usually feel nothing approaching affection for a town like this, Dan still felt that the place was doing well. This observation was probably due to his job.

Dolkness Village was right in the middle of a construction boom. The carts that traveled through the town were full of construction materials like lumber, stone, and brick, and the streets echoed with the sound of nails being hammered jauntily into walls. It was a simple matter to find work in a place like this. Dan felt that he’d made the right choice in coming here, and so he strolled through town happily.

“It does seem like I’m a little late to the party,” he admitted to himself, “but it’s probably better that I came now instead of welcoming the New Year in the Royal Capital.”

As he walked the streets, Dan saw several familiar faces. Not only did he see other carpenters, but he even passed by some merchants that he knew. Since there were so many itinerant workers gathered here, their presence drew merchants to sell them food and alcohol. Naturally, all of these workers and merchants alike spent money in the local shops. All of this together was the cause of Dan’s earlier observation: Dolkness County, the land rumored to be where the Demon Lord lived, was full of activity.

There was one off-kilter thing that Dan was a bit curious about, however: the fact that there were several strange concave spots in the ground scattered throughout the town. After walking for a short time, he’d already seen several of these depressions. They were round holes that looked like they had been made by something like a large boulder falling from the sky, but in the end, Dan felt as if they didn’t warrant any special concern.

Dan continued to aimlessly meander down the street as he thought about what he would do next.

First, I need to find someone in charge of a construction site and get a job, then I need to find somewhere to sleep... Maybe the person in charge can give me both a job and an inn to stay in. No, before that I should find a good restaurant—

Dan’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone calling out his name.

“Dan? I thought it was you! I didn’t know you were in the area.”

Dan turned to see a familiar face. “Oh, it’s you, Tom! It’s been a while.”

“I think it’s been about two years.” The young man flashed a friendly smile as he came closer. “Did you come here for work?” Tom had been an acquaintance from before Dan had set out on his own, and they had worked together under the same head carpenter.

Dan launched into some small talk, hoping to learn more from his former junior coworker. “Yup, since the Royal Capital hasn’t changed at all, I decided to try my luck elsewhere. I came here because I heard the county’s doing well.”

“It definitely is,” Tom agreed. “There’s a ton of work. Construction is underway for a large mansion, a wedding venue, and there are even some plans to expand the town.”

“A wedding venue? They’re building a brand new building for that?”

“It’s actually a church, but it’s being put up because of the wedding, so everyone just refers to it as the wedding venue.”

Dan shook his head in disbelief. “Wow, nobles really go crazy just for a single wedding. How grandiose.”

“No, well, um...” Tom looked a little uncomfortable at Dan’s lightly mocking words. He cleared his throat conspicuously and cast his eyes around them, which made Dan worry that he’d said something untoward. He scanned their surroundings.

Once he’d confirmed that they weren’t being watched, he lowered his volume before he continued. “Do the nobles here not allow you to criticize them? Sorry, I forgot about the Demon Lord.”

There were some aristocrats who didn’t allow any negative things to be said publicly about them, even if it was just in small talk between commoners. Not only that, but this was the county under the rule of the Yumiella Dolkness. Dan couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of punishment she might sentence people to undergo if they displeased her, considering that she had destroyed the neighboring kingdom’s army with her dragon’s fiery breath. The thought of it made him tremble with fear.

However, Tom shook his head in response and reassured him. “It’s fine. You should be okay as long as you’re not making a grand speech or anything.”

Dan’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I let my guard down since the town seems so peaceful. It’s true that she’s a tyrant, isn’t it?”

The younger carpenter considered this. “She’s not exactly a tyrant... Oh, but she does go crazy sometimes, but, um... Well, the countess’s fiancé is a person of upstanding character, though.” Tom couldn’t confirm or deny whether she was considered a tyrant by those who lived in her domain. It was hard to tell what people thought of Yumiella. Dan gave him a look that seemed to seek further clarification, so Tom hastened to explain his response. “I haven’t gotten a good read on her yet. You get different answers from different people. Though, I will say, the people of this town seem to like her. It seems like things were pretty terrible when her predecessor was still in charge.”

“I remember hearing that she stole her title from her parents back in the Royal Capital,” Dan responded with a nod. “I wonder why. I think it would be much better to live as a carefree noble who didn’t have to do any work than to become the head of the family with a bunch of responsibilities. I guess nobles just think differently from us.”

“Yes, they probably do think differently.”

“Have you ever seen her in person? All I know is that she has jet-black hair... Huh? There’s another one.” Dan pointed to another one of the mysterious holes he kept seeing. This one wasn’t particularly different from the others, but he felt it was strange that they were all over the town. Don’t they want to fill them for safety? he wondered.

Tom didn’t seem concerned, and he shrugged with a knowing expression. “Oh, those? They’re not usually around people or buildings, so they’re perfectly safe. If they’re in a place where a carriage might get stuck, they get filled in right away.”

“Is someone digging them? Who would do that? And why?”

Tom shook his head. “No, they fall from the sky.”

Fall from the sky? What falls from the sky? Before Dan could voice the question, a woman walking by caught his attention.

She was exactly what one pictured when thinking of a noble lady. She wore an extravagant dress that no one outside of the aristocracy would ever wear, and she had long, delicate golden hair. Dan had rarely seen people that appeared to be of such a high class, even when he’d been in the Royal Capital.

The woman, whose noble air stuck out like a sore thumb in this provincial area, was cradling a piece of scrap lumber as if it was something of great value. Several children holding similar random pieces of wood walked alongside her.

“I cannot believe they actually gave us some!” the woman bubbled. “What are we going to make with these?”

“I told you, we’re turning them into firewood,” said one of the children with a roll of his eyes. “Were you even listening, princess?”

“What?” The noble lady looked scandalized. “Burning it would be such a waste.”

The boy speaking to her wore worn-out clothes, and his tone was so brusque that it bordered on rudeness, but the woman was nevertheless smiling. Dan stared at them, unsure of how to respond to this strange group, one that comprised an elegant noble lady and a bunch of children who were clearly commoners.

“Dan? What’s wrong?” Tom asked curiously.

“That isn’t the countess, is it—?”

“No,” Tom immediately answered.

“Right, she doesn’t have black hair. Who is that, then? The countess’s sister or something?”

“She’s apparently just a friend. I heard that she was the only daughter of the duke of Hillrose.”

Dan continued watching the children meander away, led by the mysterious noble lady. He didn’t know much about the duke, but he’d heard a few rumors about him. “The duke is the next most powerful noble following the king, right? Wait... Wasn’t there a recent commotion about a coup led by the duke?”

“Was there?” Tom shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong, then. It’s hard to distinguish between noble ranks.”

Faced with Tom’s uncertainty, Dan realized that he wasn’t actually sure if the person behind the coup was the duke after all. Regardless of whether it had been a duke or a count, it didn’t really matter—they were all just nobles to Dan. Since the coup hadn’t led to any real conflict, he didn’t know many details about it either, just that it had happened.

They’d gotten a little sidetracked talking about the enigmatic countess and mysterious noble lady. What Dan really wanted to ask about was prospective jobs. He figured it was a waste of time to get too caught up in rumors that had nothing to do with him, so he shifted the subject.

“So who do I talk to if I want to get a job?”

Tom had a ready answer. “The Archit Trading Company is in charge of the big jobs, so you’d want to talk to a higher-up there. I can take you there and introduce you. I’m sure they won’t question your skills if I tell them you used to be my senior. They favor workers who have experience with large-scale construction sites.”

“Oh, that would be great. I didn’t realize Archit was in charge here... Sounds like you’re in good hands.”

The Archit Trading Company was the foremost organization in the industry. They sold construction materials and they organized construction projects too. Despite being established fairly recently, they’d already managed to attract not only many skilled tradesmen, but mages as well.

Large companies with plenty of personnel often needed more workers, especially if they were tradesmen with proven skills. Because of that, it wasn’t that uncommon to see independent carpenters like Dan who moved from company to company, depending on where the most work was to be found.

Figuring he could probably land a position that paid well, Dan was excited to get started.

“All right then, could you take me there right away? I’m sure you need to get back to your site before you get in trouble.”

Tom laughed. “That was quick. Have you worked with Archit before?”

“Just once in the past. Aside from the fact that the architect didn’t come to the building site even once, it was a great job.”

“Funny you should mention that because you know what? I don’t think they exist. I’ve been working for the Archit Trading Company for about a year now, but I’ve never once seen an architect.”

Dan didn’t like following blueprints drawn by someone he’d never even met. Even if an architect was someone like an academic who preferred to work alone, most of them usually would at least go check on a building they planned out... Perhaps there was some circumstance that prevented this particular architect from showing their face.

He felt a little irritated about the situation, but before he could open his mouth to complain, a sudden booming sound rang out behind him. The deafening noise came with a heavy impact that made him almost fall over. He turned around to see what had happened, and he saw someone standing within the rising cloud of dust and smoke.

The people around the pair of carpenters also froze, unsure of what was happening. The dirt that had been so aggressively thrown into the air by the impact began to rain down around them, and the smoke started to gradually dissipate.

Just as he had initially thought, there was a person there. A girl with black hair stood among the smoke and debris, and she appeared uncomfortable with the attention she had gathered.

“Today I’m landing like Ultraman...” she called out. “Sorry for the commotion.”

Dan watched all of this occurring with his jaw hanging open, but the people around him quickly went back to what they were doing. Even Tom, who was right beside him, continued on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“That was surprising,” he said nonchalantly. “Okay then, let’s head out.”

Dan hurried after Tom, who was calmly sauntering down the street. “H-Hey! What was that? That was the countess, right? What’s going on?!”

“Yes, that was her, but...that wasn’t really an uncommon occurrence. You’ll get used to it quickly.”

“But where did she come from?!”

This woman, who had appeared with a booming sound and then had gone on her way after uttering some strange phrase, all while being ignored by the townspeople...there was no doubt in Dan’s mind that this was Yumiella Dolkness. Worried that she might overhear him, Dan held back the questions clamoring in his mind—questions like “Should we run?” or “Will she attack?”

In response to the question that Dan had asked, Tom pointed at the sky. Dan looked up and saw the dragon flying above them. Now that he thought about it, he realized that this was likely the same black dragon that he sometimes saw in the Royal Capital.

Did she jump off from all the way up there? How was she able to land unharmed on her feet? As he looked up at the cloudless winter sky, there was only one thing he could think of to say: “Maybe I should go home.”

Chapter 1: The Hidden Boss Carries Logs

It was cold today. It didn’t snow in Valschein, and the weather didn’t fluctuate that much. The climate was so temperate that students wore the same school uniform regardless of the season, but even so, there were definitely days that were cold. It was just cold enough that wearing an extra layer underneath your regular clothes would keep you warm enough.

The region in which I lived during my previous life hadn’t experienced heavy snowfall, but it snowed enough for it to accumulate, so I was kind of used to it; I didn’t mind the cold too much.

It feels like it was just fall, but now it’s already winter.

The fall harvest in Dolkness County had successfully concluded, and the people were now preparing for the upcoming Foundation Festival, which was several weeks away. The new year was rung in every year during the Foundation Festival, and then two months into that new year, my wedding to Patrick would finally take place.

Our biggest concern with the wedding had been getting Patrick’s older brother, Gilbert, to attend, but that had been dealt with. Other wedding preparations were going smoothly, although it seemed more true to say that they had progressed before I knew it. Unbeknownst to me, invitations had been sent out some time ago, and even the outfits had already been ordered.

There were various other things needed for the wedding as well. Some of the bigger items on the list were the new buildings that needed to be constructed, like a wedding venue and lodging facilities for our many guests. Apparently, preparations had even been made for all of the furniture and rugs and such that would go inside these new buildings.

Because of the current construction boom, even though the wedding was still months away, Dolkness Village already seemed to be in a festive and celebratory mood. As for myself, I spent every day dungeon crawling to obtain more funds, keeping an eye on the cheery town as I went to and fro between the dungeon and my home.

In regards to the actual construction, Patrick was making a big splash by using his earth magic to help out with the foundations of the buildings. I was excited to help out too. I’d crashed into a construction site, but everyone there said it would be dangerous for me to help out, so I’d had to stop trying. (Just to clarify, they meant that it would be dangerous for the unfinished building, not for me—they were all afraid that I would demolish the building instead of the ground.) After I left, they were like, “All right, Yumiella isn’t here. We can get started!”

Gasoline-powered engines or dynamite could get rid of massive boulders that were in the way, and nuclear bombs could blow up large asteroids. All those examples proved that there was always an opportunity for dangerous things to be useful. Surely even I, Yumiella, a person known for possibly being able to destroy the world if someone said the wrong thing, had a place where my skills could shine.

And at that very moment, I had an excellent opportunity to do just that standing before me: a massive pile of logs.

“Which of these can be transported?” I asked.

“We’d like all of these moved,” said the worker by my side.

“Understood. I’ll move these in a snap.”

I was currently in the County of Archiam. It was a territory that was roughly at the midpoint between Dolkness County and the Royal Capital if you were traveling between the two. The County of Archiam was along a road that bisected the kingdom from east to west, and if you took a turn along that path and headed north, you would reach Dolkness County.

With all the new construction being built for the wedding in the County of Dolkness, we were suffering a lumber shortage. As a result, I was in Archiam County, a place famous for its high-quality lumber.

The man from a trading company (it had a name, but I couldn’t remember it), looked at all the logs lined up on the ground. “Um... Maybe it’s a little late for me to be saying this, but wouldn’t this be difficult to carry manually? I heard you would be making the purchase on-site, so we had these prepared, but the Archit Trading Company also provides delivery services for our lumber.”

“It’s all right,” I said, turning him down with a shake of my head. “It looks like I don’t have much time to wait, so I’ll just transport them myself.”

I remember now, it’s the Archit Trading Company in the County of Archiam. I guess they named the company after the territory. The names are way too similar; it’s confusing.

The Archit Trading Company had originally focused on construction services. They employed high-leveled, strong carpenters and several earth mages, so they could finish construction quite quickly, though the level of service they provided cost quite a bit.

On top of all that, they also now supplied and delivered building materials, and they’d even branched out into making furniture. Their business model was to handle everything from start to finish with all their associate companies, so it would honestly probably be better to leave the transportation to them as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for that.

“It will take some time to deliver the lumber to Dolkness County by ground,” continued the man from the trading company, “but since we’ve been working with you in other departments, I’m prepared to give you a quote that will put us in the red—”

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t need the delivery.”

“I understand that you’re incredibly strong, Countess, but carrying all of this to Dolkness County seems a bit...”

Huh? This person is worried if I’m strong enough?

Looking at the logs, they appeared to be cedar or something similar that had been chopped down and had the unnecessary branches removed, but perhaps they were much heavier than I was expecting.

I guess I should see how heavy they are, just in case, I thought, picking up one of the logs with both of my hands. In my arms, the lumber’s flexibility became apparent, and the log started to bend like a bow.

“Oh, this should be no problem,” I said.

“I’ve heard about your strength, but I didn’t realize its extent...” The man seemed to be genuinely shocked. Perhaps seeing something for yourself was quite surprising, even if you knew about it.

Holding it like this would make the wood difficult to transport, so I put the log back down to reposition it. The best way to do this would probably be to carry the lumber on my shoulders. If I took one on each shoulder, then I could transport two logs at a time. While the weight wouldn’t be an issue, I was worried about whether I could actually hold them with my arms.

It’ll take over twenty round trips, but if I run, it should be over quickly. I hauled a log first onto my right shoulder, and then one onto my left. The position I need to hold them in in order to carry them is uncomfortable, but... Okay, I’m fine now.Let’s go with two at a time as planned. Now all I had to do was run toward Dolkness, but I decided I should say goodbye to the man first. The only problem was that the logs obstructed my vision and I couldn’t see him. I turned my entire body to the right, looking for him. As I turned, the logs loudly swooshed through the air, followed by a slightly delayed scream from the man.

“Whoa!”

“Oops! I’m sorry!”

I turned back around at a more reasonable pace. However, just as the tip of a blade moved faster than the rest of the sword, the ends of the logs had picked up quite a lot of speed. Along with their hefty weight, their momentum probably packed an unreasonable amount of force. It would be quite dangerous to get hit by the logs. I had managed to put myself in a position in which I could kill someone just by turning around.

“I’m all right. I was able to dodge it,” the man said from behind me. I was glad to hear he was okay. I guess I turned the wrong way. I need to properly apologize to him, I thought, turning around once more. “When you turn, you should be careful of your surround— Ah!”

“Oh,” I said.

His cautionary warning to avoid danger was a bit too late. This time I could clearly see the log just barely passing over his head.

This attack seems pretty strong. I could probably take down a vampire with it. I’m so sorry though. He would’ve been more than injured if that had actually hit him. I should apologize from the bottom of my heart.

I took a deep bow, which made the two logs slam against the ground on either side of him. It made a terrific booming noise.

“I’m truly sorry,” I said.

“Eek!” the man shrieked.

First he’d nearly been hit in the head twice, and now he’d been attacked from either side simultaneously.

Am I some kind of a disaster?

I couldn’t let the man from the Archit Trading Company be in danger any longer. “Please run,” I said, staying completely still. “Please escape from the attack range of my logs. Go while I’m not moving.”

“Y-Yes!” The man quickly got up and swiftly ran off.

I had ended up sounding like one of those characters who was losing control of their powers. “It’s dangerous, you should keep your distance,” would’ve been enough, I thought as I felt a delayed sense of embarrassment creeping in.

After apologizing to and thanking the man, who now seemed to be keeping a frankly unnecessary amount of distance between us, I began to move. I made sure to be considerate of the turns I made so that I didn’t slash through all the caravans along the way.

I’d thought that this job would improve my image. I’d thought it would be like when a battle robot was being useful as a transportation device, but in the end I’d just ended up being the battle robot itself.Since being a runner sounded like I was involved in something illegal, I had thought of some good titles, like “the legendary courier” or “Shipperman,” but those were probably never going to catch on.

◆◆◆

I was able to complete my fetch quest of delivering several dozen logs to a specified location without any issues, save for the problems I’d had in the beginning. Back in Dolkness County, I placed the final log on the ground as instructed by the person in charge, who was also a member of the Archit Trading Company.

“This is the last one,” I said.

“Thank you very much! You’ve really helped us out. By the way, I wanted to ask...was there anything rude about your interaction with the contact person in Archiam County?”

Does accidentally attacking someone three times with logs count as rude? I thought, before realizing that he was asking whether the man had been rude to me.

“No. If anything, I put him in danger.”

“Oh... I can imagine why. Regardless, thank you for your hard work. Now we’ll be on schedule.”

“I can do more manual labor like this if needed,” I offered.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think we’ll need your help again, since we can get all the other building materials right here in Dolkness County or the neighboring territories, especially all the large items.”

What else would be heavy... Like bricks and stones? I guess if they can get everything in Dolkness, that’s good.

I was happy to see that the industries within the county were flourishing, but if our local traders were getting all of the business, then there was probably no benefit for the Archit Trading Company. Daemon, my deputy, said that the company was doing a lot for us, so I had to be mindful about both their profits and the county’s profits as well.

“Are there other things that are better to buy directly from Archiam?” I asked.

“There’s no need for your concern. Our main business is construction after all. Even when it comes to lumber, if there is something of good quality available close by, we use that instead of our own products.”

Perhaps I was overthinking things. After all, it was quite difficult to transport those logs using standard methods. There was no way to transport things by water from Archiam to Dolkness, so they had to use ground transportation along the same roads I’d passed through.

It would probably break your back to roll even small logs to Dolkness. There are a lot of small inclines on the way too. I guess things would’ve been more convenient for them if they could’ve gotten lumber within Dolkness County as well. I mean, Dolkness is riddled with mountains, so we have plenty of trees.

“Were you not able to use the trees in the area?” I asked.

“It’s difficult to use the trees here because the forests here have mostly broad-leaved trees. Not only that, chopping wood in the mountains would just cost more because of the labor involved.”

I see. I guess they prefer to use conifers like cedar and cypress. Now that I think about it, I probably like the look of the mountains in the winter because the broad-leaved trees have shed their foliage. I guess I can see why working in the mountains would be difficult. Cutting down cedar in a flat area is probably a lot easier.

I never thought that we’d have a lumber shortage while being surrounded by trees. The shortage wasn’t too big of an issue because we just needed more wood for the large mansion being built, but if Dolkness County was to develop further, it was possible that we could run into a situation where we wouldn’t have enough wood to build new houses. It would be a ton of work to build every citizen’s house out of stone, commoner and noble alike.

I’m not sure if it will be a problem several decades or several centuries in the future, but I’m starting to get worried. I’m speaking to a professional right now, so I might as well ask about it.

“This is a question for something far in the future, but would it be a good idea for us to plant some trees?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” the man replied. “It’s possible that there could be a lumber shortage in the future. It’d be more difficult to cut down and collect the wood, but it would be good to plant some trees in the mountains as well. I’m sure that your children’s and your grandchildren’s generations will be grateful.”

“Really? I guess we’ll do that once things calm down here.” I hadn’t expected him to be so enthusiastic about my idea without any reservations.

Several decades in the future, Dolkness County faces a serious lumber shortage, but they’re saved by the retired former lord...is how it’ll be. Maybe they’ll pass down tales of me as a great ruler. I’m going to plant a bunch of cedar and cypress for the future!

As I fantasized about the glorious future, another unexpected thought popped into my mind. “Huh...?” I blurted out.

“Is something wrong?” the man asked.

I shook my head. “Oh, no, it’s nothing. Thank you for your advice.”

“I’m always happy to help. If you need help procuring saplings in the future, I hope you’ll keep Archit Trading Company in mind.”

I wanted to tilt my head in confusion, but I quashed the impulse and said goodbye to the man from the trading company in a normal manner and left. As I slowly made my way home to the estate, I thought about the girl who had suddenly popped up in my head.

The moment I’d decided I would plant trees for the future of the county, a friend from my previous life appeared in the back of my mind. This image of my friend was desperately pleading with me, but I couldn’t tell what she was trying to tell me at all. She had a face mask and glasses on, even though she usually wore contacts, and she was putting eye drops into her eyes over and over and shaking a bottle of antihistamines at me.

Maybe I’m remembering a time when she had a cold? I’ve got it! I’ll be careful of colds! And completely separate from that, I’m going to plant a bunch of cedar and cypress!

I gave a firm nod to myself, but the image of my friend still wouldn’t go away. Come on, I get it already, I said to her in my mind. I’ll make sure to wash my hands and gargle properly.

I continued to struggle with what to do about my friend who wouldn’t leave my thoughts, but she immediately disappeared when someone called out to me. I stopped in my tracks to see who it was.

“Yumiella! Over here!” Eleanora exclaimed, waving to me as she ran over. Her hand was dark with a thick coating of dirt. There was even dirt all over her face and dress. What had happened to her?

“What were you doing?” I asked.

“I was digging up potatoes!” she responded. “Not regular potatoes, but sweet potatoes!”

“Oh, that’s nice...”

“There’s a field a short distance from town that the church manages, and we’re going to use the potatoes grown there to hold a roasted potato contest!”

“That sounds like fun,” I admitted. “Is the contest happening now?”

“Not today...” She leaned in closer to me. “This is actually a secret, but I’ll tell you anyway. In a little bit, all of the people who helped dig up the potatoes are going to roast some. That means that if you help out with gathering them, you’ll get to eat roasted potatoes twice.”

Wow, I’ve been given some highly classified intel.

Behind Eleanora, I noticed about ten children who stood a little farther away from us. Their hands were all dirty as well, and the cloth bags they carried were likely filled with sweet potatoes. I couldn’t help but note that it seemed that Eleanora was the dirtiest out of everyone. I wasn’t sure if it was because she’d started out so clean that the dirt was even more apparent by contrast, or if she had been more excited about digging up potatoes than the children had been—the details were unclear.

I was glad to see that she was still having fun even after her nobility had been revoked. “The children over there are waiting for you,” I pointed out. “You should go.”

“Yes! I’ll be off, then!” Eleanora trotted away back to the children, next to whom she didn’t look out of place at all, as she radiated the same childlike enthusiasm for their tasks (although it also might have been because of all of the dirt).

Rumors swirled about town that Lady Eleanora was the daughter of a duke and had been a noble lady in the past, but that lore seemed incorrect when seeing her now. She somehow managed to fit in with the townspeople—especially the children—much better than I’d ever managed to.

As I left Eleanora behind, I was struck by the distinct possibility that she might have been swapped for a clone, but I was distracted once again by running into another person who was fitting into this town better than I was. Well, he wasn’t actually a person—he was a dragon.

“Oh, Ryuu. What are you doing?” My son, Ryuu the large black dragon, was crouched on the side of the road. He was staying on the edge so as to not obstruct the flow of traffic, but even so, people weren’t able to move in any direction with him in the way. “Poke, poke,” I announced, nudging him. “What’s wrong, Ryuu?” It was only after I touched his tail that Ryuu finally took notice of this dragon poker.

Ryuu’s head took a meandering path down to look at me, doing his best to avoid the roofs of buildings. He was chewing something.

“Oh, you’re snacking?”

Ryuu responded with a growl. He was saying, “Hee hee, that’s right!” I could see something yellow peeking out from the spaces between his sharp fangs.

I wonder what he ate. I climbed over Ryuu’s body and got to the other side and saw that he was right in front of a produce shop. There were several particularly large pumpkins lined up for sale. That must be it. My eyes then met the owner’s, which prompted an awkward conversation.

“Oh, I apologize, it seems that Ryuu’s been in your care... Does he come by here often?”

“No, not too often...” the grocer answered.

“Um, how much do I owe you?”

“You don’t need to pay me. He has such a good appetite, so I just give him things sometimes.”

“Still, I insist.”

As my indirect conversation with the greengrocer continued, Ryuu chimed in. It only sounded like growls, but I could tell what he meant. He said, “Y’all are both terrible at talking. I can’t watch this.” (The “y’all” was a little extra flavor I sprinkled in.)

Ryuu, who was friendly with both parties and could’ve been the bridge that connected us, checked his surroundings before flying off. He was probably being considerate of the traffic that he had stopped.

The greengrocer squinted through the dust kicked up by Ryuu’s wingbeats and said, “He looks scary, but he’s a good boy.”

“Yes!” I enthusiastically agreed. “He looks very cute, and he’s a good boy.”

I, the countess who was fitting into town even less than the former duke’s daughter and a dragon, thought about the greengrocer as I continued walking home—maybe we could get along and be friends. A few moments later, I heard my name once more.

“You’re on your way home too, Yumiella?”

I turned with a smile. “You too, Patrick?”

“I just finished up. You looked like you were seriously contemplating something, but...it wasn’t anything big, was it?”

“Yeah, it was nothing,” I assured him.

Even though I’m usually expressionless, he could tell that I had a serious look. He gets two points for that. He also knew that I wasn’t thinking about anything important. Another three points. That’s a total of five Yumiella Points. I’d expect no less from Patrick Ashbatten. He’s steadily racking up points.

I’d made up a new game in my head, and although Patrick seemed to notice, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he began walking off with me alongside him, heading home together.

“Today you were in...Archiam, was it?” he asked.

“Yeah, in Archiam County. I carried logs this wide and brought them here, going back and forth,” I explained, using my arms to indicate the size of the lumber.

He raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like you would hit people when you turn around.”

“Your warning is a little too late.”

“Any injuries?”

“I just barely managed to not hit anyone.”

Patrick assured me that it was fine as long as I hadn’t actually hit anyone, and he didn’t bring up the topic any further. It seemed like the bar was getting lower for me every year. Eventually, he might praise me for going a whole day without breaking anything.

“Were you out using your earth magic again?” I asked him in turn.

“Nope, today I helped put up pillars. Manual labor.”

Today I worked as a truck, and Patrick worked as a crane. It was the birth of a heavy machinery couple.

At level 99, Patrick could probably handle jobs that would require the work of several people with ease. But the carpenters working on the buildings also claimed that they had high levels.

“Couldn’t that one guy do it?” I wondered. “The one who says he does the work of twenty people.”

Patrick shook his head. “I think it would’ve been too heavy for him to handle on his own.”

“You know, I really think we should—”

“No way,” he said, cutting me off.

The man we were talking about was a level 20 carpenter who was working for us through the Archit Trading Company. When we’d first met, he had boasted, “I can do the work of twenty people on my own,” so I upped the ante by asking him, “Do you have any interest in being able to do the work of ninety-nine people?” As a result, I was even less welcome at work sites.

He said he used to make a living by gathering magic stones in dungeons, so I’m sure he has potential... What a waste.

“Is level 20 that different? Isn’t he basically just a bit stronger than someone who’s level 1, but with really strong muscles?”

“We’ve both just lost our sensibilities for what’s ‘normal,’” Patrick countered. “Being level 20 makes someone quite skilled in the ordinary course of things.”

“I wonder why he gave up being an adventurer, then. I feel like you could make more money dungeon crawling.”

“He said that he retired from doing dangerous work after getting married, and then the Archit Trading Company recruited him.”

I was surprised that Patrick had gotten to know him so well that they had even talked about things like that. To me, Patrick seemed quite standoffish, even rather curt with people he’d just met. And yet he seemed to be immediately considered trustworthy, and I wasn’t sure why. I’d been beside him, watching him carefully, yet I wasn’t ever able to copy his communication skills.

“He’s in his thirties, right?” I persisted. “Does that mean he hasn’t been a carpenter for long?”

“I’m not sure... From the way he talks about it, it sounds like he’s been doing carpentry for about three years. That timing would also give a good reason for him to retire from dungeon crawling.”

“Did something happen three years ago?”

“Remember how the value of magic stones went down? Especially the really high-grade ones? I’ve heard that the adventurer industry hasn’t been doing too well the past few years.”

That’s right, magic stones are a lot cheaper than they used to be.

I had learned about the market value of magic stones when I started attending the Academy. Until then, I had only needed enough pocket money to buy the bare necessities, so I wasn’t paying attention to the prices. There was also the fact that I was so focused on level grinding that I’d thought taking down monsters to collect magic stones was a waste of time.

Once I learned that I had maxed out my level during the entrance ceremony, I figured it didn’t hurt to have extra money, and so I began collecting magic stones and selling them. It seemed like they were selling for less and less every year. If their value continued to crash, the finances of the Dolkness household might be in deep trouble, since they were maintained only through the profits gained by selling magic stones.

“I wonder why that is. There’s no reason for the demand for magic stones to go down.”

“It probably has something to do with someone who keeps supplying high-grade magic stones,” Patrick remarked.

“So you’re saying that this is an adverse effect of you becoming level 99...?”

“No, it’s because you... Well, I guess I’m at fault too,” he amended. I had tried to pass the blame onto Patrick, but it seemed he actually felt responsible.

You know that it’s probably eighty percent my fault, right?

I knew that the value of magic stones had gone down after the market became flooded with massively large ones dropped by the boss of the most difficult fifty-floor dungeon. The only ones who could consistently obtain them were Patrick and myself, so I could see why there would be a destabilizing effect on the market for large magic stones. But I never would have imagined that even regular-sized magic stones would be flooding the market.

I might actually need to think of a countermeasure, or we might be in trouble.

I was starting to become concerned, which had made my voice a bit quieter. “Will we be okay...?”

Patrick sighed. “Magic stones are cheaper, and there seems to be more people using magical instruments, so—”

“What you’re saying is that the consumption of magic stones used for magical instruments will also increase, thereby stabilizing the market price of magic stones? So I guess we can avoid magic stones being so cheap that they’re basically just pebbles.”

“Huh?”

“If they become cheap, everyone will buy them,” I explained. “If everyone’s buying them, then they’ll go up in price. Markets are moved by rebounding forces, so...as long as the demand grows with the supply, the equilibrium price won’t change.” It seemed that I would have to prepare for some level of decrease in profit, but it wasn’t as hopeless as I’d thought it would be. I looked up at Patrick, glad that we would be okay, but he was staring at me, his eyes wide with surprise. “Huh? What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Are you really Yumiella?” he asked, evidently dazzled by my grasp of economic theory.

“There is nary a point in denying it when thou dost know the truth... The genuine Yumiella dwelleth within mine own stomach!”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, that kind of response is definitely from the real Yumiella.”

“What kind of method of confirming my identity is that? Actually, what made you voice your suspicions that I was an imposter in the first place?”

“I had a conversation before with some of the clerks in charge of finances, and we came to the conclusion that the value of magic stones would stabilize at a certain point. You were able to get to that conclusion immediately after just hearing the beginning portion of our argument, so...I just thought you’re really sharp today.”

It was a big compliment. I didn’t think I’d said anything that was that impressive, but I was happy to get high praise, which was rare.

I mean, they teach this kind of basic economics in middle school social studies... Oh, right, I used to go to a school that specialized in economics.

I began speaking in a smart-sounding tone. Well, saying it was “smart-sounding” itself sounded like I wasn’t smart. Either way, I spoke with that kind of tone. “Despite what you may think, I used to major in economics in college.”

“College... That’s a school where you can get the highest level of education. Wait... Didn’t you tell me before that you’d learned a little bit about a wide variety of topics, but that you hadn’t gotten far enough to gain much specialized knowledge when you were in college?”

The obstacle in my path to becoming an economist was my past self.

I mean, it’s true. I was only a freshman when I died, and at the time, I didn’t have the motivation to learn about economics that seriously. Now that I’m the lord of a territory, though, I’m constantly wishing that I had studied more.

I gave up on trying to be a brainy type and admitted the truth. “I did say that. But it’s not like I didn’t take my studies seriously. I’ll have you know that around eighty percent of economics majors don’t have any interest in economics.”

“Aren’t you exaggerating?”

“I was only a first-year, so I’d just gotten through a little bit of the introductory courses. There were people who took them seriously too. They even picked out what seminars they would attend and would ask the professors questions.”

“If that’s what serious students did, doesn’t that mean you didn’t take school seriously?”

That’s called waiting for someone to slip up and finding faults, Patrick.

It seemed that we had a different understanding when it came to what kinds of students took their studies seriously. I decided I should explain what a regular college student was like.

“As long as you show up to class, take notes, and study before exams, that makes you a serious student.”

“Isn’t that all normal...?”

“Well, instead, some students get addicted to a tile-based game where you shout out words like ron and tsumo, or some end up getting involved in a multilevel marketing operation where they’re told they can sell things nobody wants and make a lot of money, and then they stop attending classes.”

“I don’t get it,” Patrick said, tilting his head in confusion. It seemed that he couldn’t understand how people would ever want to pass on the opportunity to obtain specialized knowledge.

Despite the fact that I had properly attended classes, it wasn’t like I had been highly motivated to study.

I really should’ve studied properly instead of thinking, “I’ll never have a use for microeconomics for the rest of my life.” I’m sure knowing these things would have made my job as a lord easier.

“I would have studied harder if I’d known I would end up in another world in a situation like this,” I remarked. “It would’ve actually been useful here.”

“Is there any situation in which knowing economics isn’t useful if you’re living in a human society?” Patrick asked. “Regardless of what kind of job you end up working, having a diverse set of knowledge can shift your perspective...in my opinion.”

“I’m assuming you’re the type of person who suggests that someone find another job or demand better treatment when they’re venting about job stress.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume things about the world you were in without really understanding it.”

Though he had hit the nail on the head with his earlier point about diversified knowledge, he’d immediately retracted his statement when I jabbed back at him.

What he said isn’t wrong, though, and the truth hurts.

At this point, the conversation had managed to get quite off track. Why were we even talking about this? I started to go back through my memories in order. We began talking about economics because...we were discussing the decrease in the market price of magic stones. That’s the reason that the adventurer industry isn’t doing so well, which led to us ending up with a level 20 carpenter on staff. Wait, something’s not right.

The “level 20” part of all that caught my attention and left me with a new question to ask, but by then we had arrived at the estate. As soon as we stepped inside, it was immediately time for tea.

The warm tea was even more delicious than usual on a chilly day like this. Even the scones, which were topped with a white cream and a red jam, had been warmed up. Patrick didn’t like things that were too sweet, so he left the scones untouched and only drank his tea.

“I think the tea that Rita prepares really tastes the best,” I said, setting my teacup down.

“Yeah,” Patrick responded.

“I bet you were just thinking, ‘She doesn’t know how to judge between the taste of different kinds of tea,’” I said, trying to read something more specific into his indifferent tone.

Even I know what good tea tastes like. Even when she put in way more poison than it would take to kill the average person, I was able to pick out the strange taste.

Patrick sat back from his cup and denied my assertion with an exasperated look. “I didn’t think that.”

“Really? But surely you’re now thinking, ‘She’s picking a fight with me in an annoying way once again.’”

“That I did think,” he admitted.

The peaceful tea time continued with similarly empty banter, and before I knew it...all the scones were gone.

“You just thought, ‘She’s eating too much,’ didn’t you?” I accused him.

“I did think that,” Patrick said, as if it ought to have been obvious.

I was shocked. I knew that I was annoying, but I had no self-awareness of being a glutton. I liked sweet things, but it wasn’t like my addiction was so strong that I was constantly walking around with a lollipop in one hand.

I became curious as to what he thought specifically about my eating habits, so I asked, “Am I really so greedy with food?”

“I don’t think you’re greedy. It’s more like...you’ll eat everything that’s put in front of you.”

It appeared that his opinion of me was that my relationship to food was similar to that of a dog. Dogs often ate however much dog food you gave them, regardless of whether or not they were full.

No, I just don’t like to leave anything on my plate. I am just mindful about not wasting food.

Though Patrick probably didn’t have any ill intentions with his comments, they still stung quite a bit. It hurt even more when I thought about the possibility that other people might think the same of me. I didn’t want to rub any more salt into this wound, so I decided to bring the conversation back around to where it had been just as we’d gotten home.

“We can set aside the topic of my admirable frugality with food. I was thinking about the carpenter we were discussing on our way home, and how level 20 seems really low.”

“Your perspective on levels compared to yours isn’t what anyone would call normal,” Patrick pointed out.

Thank you for responding exactly as I expected. That’s not what I meant. Even when considering the fact I’m out of touch with how difficult the general public considers level grinding, it still doesn’t make sense.

“Doesn’t Archit Trading Company’s ability to shorten construction schedules come from the fact that they have high-level tradesmen working for them? But from what I’ve heard, that level 20 former adventurer is the strongest person there. It seems like the other workers aren’t even level 10. I know that makes them stronger compared to most people, but it doesn’t seem like it’s enough to make a dramatic difference.”

“So that’s what you meant. That company does advertise themselves as having high-level workers, but a lot of them have no experience fighting monsters. It seems like there are other qualities that contribute to their ability to build so quickly.”