Crimson and Merchant 11
On the afternoon of the third day of their stay at the Clark family’s villa, Liliana was having a seamstress take Marianne’s measurements. Since both Riley and Clyde also wanted to have clothes made from the crimson-dyed fabric, they too were having their measurements taken. Liliana had already finished her fitting and was now seated beside Marianne, who was in the process of being measured, thinking about the design for her dress.
(Marianne has a toned figure, so a dress that highlights her shape would be idea)l she mused
Of course, Marianne’s preferences would take precedence, but her tastes tended toward conservative designs—ones that concealed her figure. While they weren’t unflattering, they did tend to come across as somewhat dowdy. On the other hand, a design that emphasized her figure too much could come off as vulgar. It was a fun challenge for Liliana to come up with a design that would subtly enhance Marianne’s natural purity and beauty.
“Oh, my lady—!” Marianne protested, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the sight of the bold design sketched out by the seamstress.
But Liliana simply smiled, ignoring Marianne’s flustered response.
If Marianne truly disliked the design, Liliana wouldn’t force her to go along with it. But it was clear that Marianne was simply shy, not genuinely opposed to the idea, so Liliana had no intention of holding back. Besides, if anyone in society dared to make snide remarks, they could easily be silenced by pointing out that the dress was a gift from a lady of one of the three great ducal houses.
Perhaps understanding Liliana’s reasoning, Marianne eventually fell silent, seemingly resigned.
“As long as my upper arms are covered, I’ll be fine…” Marianne finally said.
It seemed Marianne believed her upper arms were too muscular. To Liliana, they looked beautifully toned, but she had no intention of forcing Marianne to show off something she truly didn’t want to. Besides, considering current fashion trends, it was probably safer not to expose the upper arms too much. Although Liliana had considered a few designs that did expose them, she quickly moved those sketches to the “rejected” pile.
*****
After their measurements were taken and they visited several establishments in town, Liliana and the others returned to the villa a bit earlier than usual. They needed to prepare for their departure the next day. However, Liliana had one last task to complete before leaving.
She informed Marianne that she would be retiring early to rest for tomorrow, but once alone in her room, she cast a barrier to ensure no one could see her. With no hesitation, she used a teleportation spell.
The next moment, Liliana found herself standing before a large desk piled high with documents—the study room of the mansion in the Fortia territory. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room.
(To understand the situation with the immigrants, the tax ledgers should be the most straightforward place to start,) she thought.
The tax ledgers were kept on a shelf. Despite their considerable thickness, Liliana didn’t hesitate to take one down. The beginning pages contained an overview of the ducal territory and a concise summary of changes over the past three years. From what she could see, there didn’t seem to be any significant population fluctuations. There was no particular mention of the "northern immigrants" either. However, there was a marked increase in the area of farmland and residential zones.
(This is strange—there hasn’t been much progress in agrarian reform over the past three years,) she mused.
When the Kingdom of Slibegrad was founded, a three-field system dividing the year into three seasons had already been established. Barley, oats, and rye were cultivated in summer and winter, while the remaining period was used for grazing. It was only in recent years that farm tools drawn by livestock were equipped with large iron-plated wheels. The Clark Duchy had adopted these innovations earlier than other territories, thanks to the increased number of craftsmen capable of using magic, which allowed for the mass production of more durable iron wheels. However, that effort had concluded nearly a decade ago, along with the expansion of farmland. Even with tools, if there aren’t enough people to work the land, it’s impossible to manage an increased amount of farmland.
Puzzled, Liliana picked up a financial report. Upon review, she noted that the revenue from crops exported outside the territory had only slightly increased. Though the figures were rough estimates, the growth in farmland compared to the export sales and population increase didn’t add up.
(What could this mean? Could it be tax evasion?) she wondered.
Logically, she should suspect financial falsification. Taxes consisted of two components: a poll tax levied per person and a land tax based on land units. To evade taxes, it was common practice to falsify both revenue reports. However, if the books were indeed cooked, the records Liliana was reviewing only indicated evasion of the poll tax. In fact, the land tax had actually increased. Assuming the yield of the new farmland was similar to that of the existing farmland, even after deductions, the profits would only increase slightly. It was hardly worth the risk of committing tax evasion.
(And even if they are evading taxes, where is that money going?)
The Clark family’s lifestyle didn’t seem excessively extravagant. Although the Fortia estate employed an unusually large number of servants, there were no signs of unnecessary spending in other areas. The same could be said for the villa where Liliana and the others were staying.
As Liliana furrowed her brow in thought, she suddenly heard the sound of a key turning in the door. Hastily, she returned the documents to the shelf. Grateful that she had used a concealment spell just in case, she quietly hid in the shadow of the bookshelf. The person who entered the room was Philip, the butler, followed by another man. Liliana’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw who it was.
(That’s—)
The man following Philip was the very attendant who was supposed to be at the villa. How could he be here in the Fotia mansion? Unless he had also used a teleportation spell like Liliana, there was no other explanation.
Philip closed the door behind him and murmured, “So, His Highness is interested in the 'northern immigrants,' is he? What a troublesome matter to get involved in.”
“Yes. Lord Clyde suggested he ask you about it, Sir Philip.”
“Me, you say?”
Philip sighed with irritation at the attendant’s report, clearly finding Riley’s actions bothersome. However, he didn’t comment further and instead narrowed his eyes, asking, “Anything else?”
“It seems they plan to depart tomorrow morning. The inspection went smoothly, and Lady Liliana purchased several bolts of cloth and had a dress made for her maid. His Highness and Lord Clyde also had clothes tailored.”
“Cloth, you say?”
“Yes, they purchased it at a shop in the dyeing district.”
“If that’s the case, there should be no problem.”
Liliana couldn’t quite grasp what wasn’t a problem, but Philip nodded to himself thoughtfully.
“Is there anything they might take back with them from the villa?”
“No, I don’t believe so.”
“Then that’s fine.”
The attendant concluded his report with "That is all," and Philip showed a satisfied expression. He dismissed the attendant with a remark to continue in the same manner. Once alone in the room, Philip sighed deeply. His expression had shifted from earlier contentment to one of displeasure. He clicked his tongue and muttered in a low voice, “How troublesome.”
“If it gets any worse, I will have to report it to His Excellency,” he said.
Philip walked over to the bookshelf where Liliana was hiding. He adjusted the hands of a clock placed on the shelf, which glowed green in response to his magic. With a clicking sound, a display shelf on the opposite side of the bookshelf began to shift.
Unaware of Liliana's presence, Philip placed his hand on the display shelf. As he slowly moved his arm, the shelf shifted, revealing a dark space behind it. It seemed that the display shelf was a hidden door. Without hesitation, Liliana quickly followed Philip into the hidden room as the door closed behind them.
Philip cast a spell to light up the room. Unlike the rest of the mansion, this hidden room was completely enchanted with magic and curses. It contained more books than the study, with a lower ceiling and shelves displaying various rare items, giving the room an unusual atmosphere. Many of the items were unfamiliar, but most were likely magical tools.
While Liliana hid in the shadows and observed the room with curiosity, she noticed Philip’s serious demeanor as he took out a notebook from a pile of documents and began writing. However, from her position, she couldn’t see what he was writing. She could move closer, but if she were to be detected, it could be problematic. Instead, Liliana examined the magical tools on display. As she was still learning about curses, many of them were new to her.
(I wonder if these are collected by my father. I thought he wasn’t interested in martial arts, but it seems he has an interest in magic and curses?)
She thought to herself, surprised by this new side of her father that she had discovered over the past few days. Although it didn’t change the fact that she regarded him with suspicion, she felt there was a touch of humanity in him.
As she pondered this, Philip stood up and left the room. He could have used teleportation to leave, but with so many magical tools present, there was a possibility that magic might not work effectively. Liliana followed Philip out of the hidden room. Fortunately, after she exited, the hidden door closed behind her.
Philip then sat down at his desk and began working, despite the late hour. He was clearly a dedicated worker. Liliana was taken aback but knew she couldn’t continue her investigation in the study with Philip present. As she considered using teleportation to return, she noticed Philip moving again. He furrowed his brows as he looked at an hourglass on his desk—the hourglass was actually a magical tool. The color was shifting from ochre to purple.
“What a bother, having so many visitors today,” Philip muttered, clearly annoyed.
He picked up a small whistle placed next to the hourglass and blew into it sharply. However, no sound was audible. Liliana, puzzled by what he had done, saw that Philip soon returned to his paperwork as if nothing had happened.
As she wondered what was going on, Liliana heard a sound coming from outside.
(Is that— a dog?)
It seemed that Philip had used a dog whistle. The sound was inaudible to her, but dogs could hear it. Since dogs have more acute hearing than humans, a sound too high-pitched for humans would still be detectable by them, though it might not travel well over long distances or through obstacles. Suspicious, Liliana decided to use a teleportation spell to head towards the garden where the sound of barking was coming from.
In an instant, the darkness enveloped her vision. Liliana blinked and adjusted to the darkness. In the dim light, she saw that the dogs’ eyes were glowing purple. A chill ran down her spine as her instincts warned her of danger.
However, the few dog-like creatures did not seem to notice Liliana. Even if Liliana was invisible, the dogs should have detected her presence with their keen sense of smell. But the dogs were staring intently at the edge of the garden and advancing slowly. It was unclear whether they had not noticed Liliana or if they were focused on something else.
In front of Liliana’s gaze, a black mass began to move. The dogs growled even more. The next moment, a miasma emerged from the black mass, surrounding the dogs. The miasma seemed to emanate from the black mass. However, as soon as the purple glow left the dogs’ eyes, the miasma dissipated. The dogs, who had been growling menacingly at the black mass, seemed to lose their fighting spirit. They let out whimpering cries, curled their tails, and fled the scene.
(A miasma—does this mean it’s a magical beast?)
However, the black mass remained stationary. Liliana, puzzled, could not perceive it as a magical beast. As she approached cautiously, the shape of the black mass became clearer—it was a small lion, entirely black in fur.
(But it's not an ordinary lion.)
Lions should not be found in this area, and in any case, an ordinary lion could not use miasma. The black lion was curled up but lifted its head to look at Liliana. Their gazes met, and the lion narrowed its eyes.
[—A human?]
Realizing she was still invisible, Liliana dispelled the spell and made herself visible. She then asked the black lion, which had made a gesture as if to smirk, "Can you speak?"
[Is it strange for an animal to speak?]
"I’ve never seen one like you before."
[I see] replied the black lion, though it showed no sign of being disturbed. Furthermore, it showed no inclination to flee despite facing Liliana.
Liliana considered this for a moment. The black lion was using telepathy, which, as Petra had mentioned, required a vast amount of magical power. It was said that neither magical beasts nor humans could use it. Thus, the presence before her, which effortlessly used telepathy, could not be an ordinary animal.
"—You’re not a magical beast, are you?"
Animals that deviate from the general definition might be magical beasts. However, magical beasts typically could not converse with humans. Although some highly intelligent magical beasts had recently been reported, there had been no reports of magical beasts capable of human communication. Moreover, this creature did not resemble the spirits from fairy tales. There were no accounts of spirits on this continent, where the kingdom of Slibegrad was located. Thus, by process of elimination, the enigmatic creature before her was a magical beast.
However, the black lion seemed affronted by Liliana’s question and frowned deeply.
[Don’t lump me with such lowly creatures.[
"I apologize. I’ve never seen a lion like you before."
Liliana’s sincere apology seemed to somewhat improve the black lion's mood, though it still appeared displeased. It muttered, ‘Not something you see every day,’ but then looked up and asked Liliana,
[Are you a resident of this mansion?]
"That could be said, but it could also be said I’m not."
[Hmm.]
Suddenly losing interest, the black lion snorted. Liliana took a step closer. The black lion quietly observed her movements.
"Are you injured?"
[No, I’m out of magical power.]
Surprised by this unexpected response, Liliana tilted her head. The black lion added, [Would it be clearer if I said I’m exhausted?]
According to the black lion, if it lacked magical power, it could not move. Thus, it was resting here due to insufficient magical power.
"—If you can use telepathy, shouldn’t your magical power be sufficient?"
Liliana voiced her doubt without thinking. Using telepathy should not consume excessive magical power. However, the black lion looked up at Liliana with a tone of incredulity.
[Telepathy is not that demanding. Human, do you expend a lot of energy when speaking?]
"Not under normal circumstances."
[That’s exactly it.]
Liliana tilted her head. She did not counter the argument, understanding that the creature before her lived by a different set of norms from humans. Additionally, Liliana also did not consume large amounts of magical power using telepathy. It was as simple as regular conversation for her. Considering this, Liliana realized that she too was somewhat outside the bounds of human norms, though she had overlooked the fact that humans typically could not use telepathy.
The lion snorted.
[The dogs earlier were controlled by curse magic. I used a bit of poison to wake them up, but with my current stamina, that’s all I could manage.]
The black lion, with a sour expression, added that this action had further depleted its magical power. Despite its face not being very expressive, Liliana could clearly see the change in its demeanor. She couldn’t help but let out a small smile. Although it should have been a cause for concern, she oddly felt no desire to eliminate the creature.
The black lion scrutinized Liliana as if assessing her, then slightly curved its lips upwards.
[—I see you have quite an abundant amount of magical power.]
“Oh? Does it appear that way?”
[Yes. It seems you have as much magical power as I originally possessed—no, perhaps even more.]
After nodding in response to Liliana’s puzzled look, the black lion added, almost as an afterthought, ‘More, perhaps?’
(—More?)
What kind of excess was it referring to?
Liliana frowned, but the black lion showed no inclination to elaborate. It observed her with an air of curiosity, as if it had found something interesting.
[If you have such magical power, it shouldn’t be a problem. How about sharing some of it with me?]
“Share my magical power?”
The black lion’s request was completely unexpected. Liliana blinked in surprise at the unusual demand. Although she didn’t immediately understand, she quickly grasped what the black lion meant. Fortunately, she had plenty of magical power and could afford to spare some. As long as she left enough for teleportation and her magical power would recover with rest, it might help restore the black lion’s stamina. However, she had never transferred her magical power to another before.
She recalled the descriptions from magic texts she had read.
(It’s not impossible, but—there are side effects.)
Healing magic, which involves transferring magical power from the healer to the subject, is different from transferring magical power directly. In healing magic, the transferred power dissipates once the healing is complete. However, when transferring magical power, it continues to reside in the recipient’s body, creating a kind of connection between the two.
“—If I do that, I would be able to know your whereabouts at any time.”
[The reverse is true as well.]
Liliana pointed this out, but the black lion seemed unconcerned. It appeared to have been aware of this possibility when making the request. Liliana was taken aback.
“Are you in such a desperate situation?”
[—I’d prefer not to stay here.]
The bitter tone did not sound like a lie. Liliana wondered why, but the black lion remained tight-lipped.
After some thought, Liliana decided to give it a try. She shaped her hands as if scooping water and gathered magical power in her palms. She concentrated the power into a ball and gently floated it towards the black lion’s mouth.
The black lion, who had been watching the process expressionlessly, opened its mouth wide when the ball of magical power was in front of it. It swallowed the ball in one gulp. As Liliana observed, the black lion floated up gracefully.
[—Mmm, that was good. You’re impressive for a human. Call me again if you need anything in the future. I’ll return the favor.]
With a grin, the black lion shivered. Then, dragon wings sprouted from its back. Before Liliana’s astonished eyes, the black lion flapped its wings and soared into the sky, quickly becoming a small dot until it vanished from view.
Standing there, stunned by the black lion’s departure, Liliana took a moment to regain her composure before hastily becoming invisible again.
“Call you? I don’t even know your name.”
Feeling as if she had been tricked, she used teleportation magic to return to the Clark Duke’s villa near the Dyeing District.