Chapter 112

If I get too close too fast, he might run away from me. So, I decided to take it slowly. The commotion passed in Acrab without any significant damage, all thanks to Kaichen. I even had enough funds now to get Acrab back on its feet.

The reward from the state was 2,000 gold coins. The overdue bill from the count of the neighbouring state was 1,000 gold coins. When I have set the merchant's organization back up again, I will make sure I build a new path that doesn't cross from his territory. The toll was too expensive to pay every time.

It was a ridiculously large amount but the owner of the estate could charge the toll as they saw fit. Unfortunately, Acrab was in no position to oppose neighbours at this time. He knew this and took advantage of the fact that when the merchants crossed the Mencar Mountains, they had to feed themselves and rest in his territory.

It was because of him that the merchants in Acrab had dwindled because they hadn't been able to carry on with their businesses. A group of bandits had settled on the Mencar mountains. That problem had to be dealt with, as well. I made a mental list of the things I needed to do:

First, rid the monsters around the mine.

Second, get rid of the bandits in the Mencar Mountains.

Third, put an end to the wickedness of the Count beyond the mountain range.

I got up from my seat and paced my room. I tried to supress the anger that surged within me. With magic, I can easily get rid of the monsters and the bandits. They weren't such great problems. Kaichen could teach me how to. If not, there were alternative solutions. I just need time to figure them out.

"The problem is him." I left the mansion thinking about the count whose name I didn't even remember. I wanted to meet Las. He would know. After paying the toll fee, I will have exactly 1000 gold coins left. With that, could hire employees to manage the estate.

Dalia went too far to fire everyone. It was surprising that Acrab was still functioning. There was no one taking care of estate management, tax management and administrative work. It was lucky that Acrab hadn't faced economic collapse. Of course, all employees in the past had been greedy and selfish but they had still done their work to keep Acrab functioning. But now, there was no one managing anything.

When I opened the door to Las' tavern, he ran to me with a startled look. "Miss! I mean countess! How are you feeling? I saw you. You didn't look too good but I didn't know you were poisoned!"

"Yeah... it's alright now. Teacher helped me immensely. And why are you calling me 'Countess'? Just call me whatever you call me usually. It's awkward." I pulled out a barstool and sat down.

Las shook his head. "I have to address you properly. I heard about the things you did for Acrab."

What did Kaichen tell them exactly?

"I heard that you only came to your senses yesterday," said Las. "Why are you out and about? You should be resting."

"I have a favour to ask of you."

"Alright. But first a glass of orange juice!" Las hurried into the kitchen. I could feel the gazes directed at me. Las' tavern, which functioned as a restaurant in the day, had several people already sitting on the tables. They looked at me eagerly. It felt strange and awkward to acknowledge them. It still felt like they would spit at me if I greeted them.

Las set a glass of orange juice on the countertop. "So, what do you need from me?" he asked.

"You know when merchants cross the Mencar mountains, they rest in a place which falls in the territory of the neighbouring lord? What is his name?"

"Are you talking about Count Vega?"

"Well... I can't remember much these days, so can you tell me a little bit about Count Vega?" At the mention of the count's name, as scowled.

"Even your memory...," he said sadly. He sounded like Angle. What did Kaichen say to these people about me? I thought it would be troublesome to ask that so I just smiled.

"When you cross the Mencar Mountains, you can see Vega Territory right away. Count Sheliak Vega is the lord."

"In the past, I assumed there was no toll fee for merchants travelling from Acrab. Do you have any idea why they have suddenly asked us to pay the toll?"

"He couldn't help it," said Las. That surprised me. I thought he would curse at the count for putting such burden on Acrab. But Las had a complicated expression on his face. "Because of the sudden appearance of a group of bandits in the Mencar mountains, Acrab's business faltered. In the past, merchants crossed the mountain and rested in the count's territory where they spent their money, contributing to their economy. But now, the best thing the newly appointed count could do was charge a small amount of toll as the number of merchants travelling there dwindled. I think he was trying to save the Vega economy for the future. But I heard that he was very apologetic about it and charged only a very small amount."