Chapter 46, A Day at the Fortress – Afternoon

Translator: Lizz

 

After having lunch, Sylvia went out either to oversee repairs within the castle or to inspect the town.

Since Gina and Edward had used the horses for travel, Sylvia went out using oxen instead.

Edward later found out and gazed off into the distance, muttering, ‘An ox cart…’ But Sylvia had thought it was perfectly fine; horses were for carrying people, so oxen should carry the luggage.

More than anything, the oxen had looked happy.

 

By the way, there was no coachman.

Sylvia had sat on the driver’s seat and talked to the oxen, guiding them herself.

Gina, who had ridden beside her on the driver’s seat, had murmured,

“What was the point of a carriage, really…”

 

Sylvia, riding on the driver’s seat of an ox-drawn carriage, had been extremely popular among the townspeople.

Compared to noble young ladies sitting primly inside glittering horse-drawn carriages, the sight of a little girl chatting with oxen from the driver’s seat had been far more charming and endearing.

Merchants visiting from elsewhere had often been startled, but for the locals, their young and adorable Lord, who had used powerful magic to restore the town, had been a source of pride.

And since Sylvia hadn’t known much about nobility, she had assumed her way was the standard.

 

And the townspeople had all wished for Sylvia’s happiness.

They didn’t know the customs of nobility, but even so, they understood that it wasn’t normal for someone so young to be separated from her parents and made a Lord. It wasn’t because they were under the influence of the magic of [Domination]; they genuinely sympathized with Sylvia.

And they had also thought:

“Well, Edward’s around, so it’ll be fine. And our town has Calogero with her too. If we leave things to those two, it’ll mostly work out.”

Edward and Calogero had already established themselves as her close aides.

 

That day, Sylvia visited the Mayor.

“Lady Sylvia! Thank you so much for coming all this way!”

“Mm.”

Sylvia nodded lightly in response to the Mayor’s greeting. That, too, had been something Edward had taught her.

 

The Mayor and Edward handled everything except the documents that absolutely required Sylvia’s signature. For those, Sylvia signed them herself.

The Mayor handed them over one by one, explained each, and Sylvia responded with a simple ‘Mm’ and signed.

“This is a very important contract, so please use the magic of [Contract]. The penalties are written here.”

“Mm. <<Make this contract valid for three years – Contract>>.'”

“Thank you very much.”

The Mayor received it with reverence.

 

Actually, there were other types of [Contract] magic.

But they belonged to holy magic – specifically, the rare attribute of divine magic, which also included [Appraisal] and [Foresight].

It couldn’t be used for [Healing] or [Barrier], but those who received divine logic from the Gods were guaranteed high status in the future.

Even in the Kingdom, securing just a few of them was considered fortunate.

Therefore, when someone wanted to bind a contract with magic, they had to go to where such a person was – usually in a city church or working at the royal castle – pay a high fee, and have the magic cast on the contract.

Sylvia was one of those rare magic users… but since her magic wasn’t divine, the results were actually different.

Still, the act of ‘binding a contract with magic’ remained the same.

The Mayor also assumed that a magically bound contract could never be broken, so he didn’t care about the specifics.

 

“You’re truly remarkable! From what I’ve heard, to get contract magic, one has to travel all the way to the distant royal capital, stand in a long, long line, sometimes for over a day if it’s crowded, and then pay a hefty fee to have the magic cast. That Lady Sylvia is such a magic user  – well, as a resident of this city, I must say I’m quite proud!”

When the Mayor flattered her in a cheerful voice, Sylvia puffed out her chest, crossed her arms, and thrust her belly forward with a snort.

“I am great.”

“Absolutely!”

The Mayor echoed her.

 

As they were leaving, The Mayor quietly spoke to Gina.

“…Lady Sylvia’s office, is it ready yet?”

Gina replied hesitantly.

“Well, technically, it does exist… but it seems going out helps her refresh her mood…”

 

It was unthinkable for the Lord of the castle to visit the Mayor’s residence just to sign documents.

The Mayor had said he would deliver the paperwork, but Sylvia had insisted, ‘I’ll go’, and hitched a carriage to an ox and went out.

She claimed she was going out because the office hadn’t been completed yet due to ongoing repairs to the fortress, but in truth, it had been finished long ago.

However, Sylvia didn’t like that office very much.

It also served as the interview room for residents who wished to meet her, so Edward had overseen its design.

 

“Make it a bit strict-looking to add a sense of intimidation. Lady Sylvia’s seat should be at the back, facing away from the window, with a heavy desk in between. Use calm, dark tones for the colors.”

That was the instruction, and Sylvia had groaned and grumbled while renovating the room.

 

A luxurious tapestry bearing the Ducal house crest hung on the wall. The curtains were made of crimson velvet with gold trim. The furnishings and flooring were dark brown, with touches of marble throughout, creating a refined and imposing atmosphere.

“As expected of you, Lady Sylvia. …I’m impressed you came up with a room like this.”

Edward said this while gently stroking Sylvia’s head.

He had been prepared to hire a professional if necessary.

But just like with the carriage, he realized he had underestimated Sylvia. As he thought that, Sylvia puffed herself up proudly.

“I still remember a little bit about how things were back home!”

Edward understood then.

She must have modeled it after the carriage and office from her family estate.

From what he’d heard, she had been mostly neglected there, but even so, she remembered. That thought made Edward feel a little sad as he continued to stroke her hair.

 

—And so, the office ended up with a rather solemn atmosphere.

Even for Sylvia, who usually didn’t care about such things, it wasn’t the kind of room she wanted to stay in for long.

She probably felt much more at ease in the Mayor’s cluttered, plain, and unadorned office that screamed ‘This is just a workspace.” There, she only had to sign a few papers to be praised, and she even got tea and sweets; so, Sylvia eagerly headed to the Mayor’s house.

 

“Next time I’ll bring the documents—”

“I’ll come again!”

Sylvia cut the Mayor off before he could finish.

Feeling proud of herself for having worked today, Sylvia climbed into her carriage… no, her ox-drawn cart.

“I’m going for a walk… I mean, an inspection and then heading back.”

She told Gina and the oxen.