30 minutes later, I was getting a good scolding from Hayes.
"My Lord! My Lord, I'm upset with you! How could you harm yourself like that? Self-injury is not something you should ever do! It's truly terrible!"
"Well, it worked out in the end, didn't it? Hayes, isn't it thrilling to know that healing someone can bring a strange satisfaction?"
"That's true, but... I never want to experience that again! I hate seeing you hurt or in pain, My Lord! I really dislike it!"
Hayes wiped her tears and turned back towards the mansion.
Thunk!
I caught Hayes' hand just in time.
In that moment, Hayes' fingertips trembled, as if she were hesitating.
But with her head lowered, she carefully shook off my hand and walked away.
She seemed very angry, and I understood her feelings all too well. If I were in her place, I'd probably react the same way.
To put it simply, the plan to make Hayes feel the urgency of healing through self-injury had been a complete success. Finally, Hayes had developed her unique healing skill.
Though the recovery amount of the beginner-level healing skill was still small, it was, without a doubt, the first step.
It's hard to understand the first time, but once the body learns, it's easy to repeat. She might be a bit upset with me today, but knowing her, she'll soon immerse herself in practice wholeheartedly.
She'll definitely improve quickly because she won't forget the earnest desire to heal me, no matter what.
Time may pass, but memories remain. I believed that Hayes, who wanted to meet my expectations more than anyone, would train diligently.
"Satisfying," I said, looking around.
"Yup! Yup! Hehe, this is fun! My Lord, it's so much fun!" Mia was practicing casting spells without resting for a second.
"Huff! Huff!" Lena was also engaging in defense training by activating the magic device.
Looking at Lena's stats with my inner eye earlier, it seemed certain that she had surpassed what Rakis could teach. For now, training through the magic device seemed more appropriate than Rakis' guidance.
'A good teacher is needed... but the timing is hard to seize.'
Some time had passed since I promised Rakis to find a suitable teacher for Lena. But there was no progress.
Many of the people I had in mind as potential teachers were often located on the opposite side of the continent from our territory. If there, it would be hard to visit or invite them.
After all, am I not just an unrecognized lord from a small territory, not a famous grand lord? With this status, even if I invited them, no one would come. To make it happen, I'd have to offer a mountain of gold, but even then it wouldn't be enough. The budget of the territory might be completely drained.
'Should I look for a mercenary group instead?'
I decided to broaden my thinking. Even if they aren't well-known swordsmen, perhaps someone famous as a mercenary could work. Mercenaries aren't bound by nations, religions, or beliefs, and will accept any commission if the payment is assured. There's also plenty of room for negotiation, so various deals can be struck. With a notarized contract, even installment payments of the commission are possible!
'Lena, I'll definitely find you a great teacher!' I vowed again. Not being able to provide a promising talent with a great teacher is like having a car ready to race but not fueling it. Therefore, I wanted to get Lena a splendid teacher as soon as possible.
"So then, the one with the fastest expected progress must be Isabel, right? Isabel can easily handle some three-star magic rituals, so she can hold her own if sent to the battlefield at once."
Isabel was definitely someone I could rely on. Her past life as a sorceress before becoming a spirit significantly influenced her.
"Isabel, Isabel..." I found myself muttering her name and glanced towards her room, which could be seen just above in front.
At that moment,
Shwaa!
Isabel, who had been quietly watching me from the window, closed the curtain abruptly.
Whether she closed it because we locked eyes or if it was impeccable timing, I couldn't tell. But for some reason, in the last glimpse I caught of her, there seemed to be an unknown melancholy in her eyes.
'Well, probably an illusion,' I brushed it off nonchalantly. I didn't want to bother her unnecessarily, nor was there a reason to.
That night, I quietly went out to inspect the territory and entered a small tavern in Elvira Village near the Nightmare Forest. I wanted to check the lively atmosphere of the village as well as overhear the conversations among hunters visiting our territory. I had company. Since it was a tavern, I didn't bring young Mia and Lena, but Hayes and Isabel sat on either side of me.
"My Lord, should we order three cold beers first? Isabel, how about some beer?"
Despite being sulky with me in the morning, Hayes was back to her usual self again. It was hard to believe she was the same person who had turned away wiping her tears!
"That sounds good. I'll take a glass. Now that I think about it, it's been a long time since I've had beer."
Isabel nodded in agreement to Hayes' suggestion. And surely, it must have been. In the 60 years she'd lived as a spirit, she probably hadn't consumed anything, let alone beer.
'She's perfect at pretending,' I thought with a chuckle, watching Isabel. Around others, she could seem high-minded and aloof, but in reality, she often surprised me with her unpredictable words. Nevertheless, except in front of me, she was always dignified. Or, more accurately, she pretended to be. I knew her well enough to figure her out.
The order was placed swiftly, and soon the owner brought three cold beers. One advantage of our territory was the naturally low average temperature, making it easy to preserve things as cold as possible. On the positive side, making chilled drinks was a breeze. On the downside, it was chillingly cold.
We drank our beer quietly. Since I'd told them beforehand the purpose of my visit, we refrained from personal conversation.
Just then, I overheard a conversation from two hunters sitting at the table in front of us.
"Cribia territory, what a nice place! Have you seen it? They've tidied up all the roads, making everything so neat!"
"Yes, I saw! That trader, Arkira, seems very earnest. He takes the lead and ensures cleanliness around. He praised the Lord a lot, saying thanks to the Lord, the territory will improve even more in the future."
"Aside from medicine, even mana potions are supplied at half the price compared to elsewhere."
"I was wondering, how can they break even with such pricing?"
"When I think of the dungeon-ailing Ronella disease, having the medicine, the potions, and heavy support at the lord's level... I reckon it'd be wise for us to settle in Cribia territory?"
"Before other hunters arrive and start claiming territory, how about we move our Hunter Guild headquarters here?"
The more I listened, the more satisfied I felt with the hunters' conversation. It was going the way I hoped. Especially the part about relocating the guild headquarters—that was most welcome news.
Hunters form guilds and move as a collective force. They usually set their headquarters in cities that can serve as their bases, attracting many hunters to the headquarters.
The spending habits of hunters surpass the ordinary economic level. They are known to be quite meticulous on initial expenditures, but once something appeals to them, they spend lavishly.
If they establish their headquarters in our Cribia territory, the surrounding business would soon flourish. The larger the hunter guild, the more its impact would grow exponentially.
At that moment, a husky, low-pitched female voice came from behind.
"Wow! The beer here is awesome! Bartender, give me another!"
Her voice wasn't commonly heard, and naturally, my eyes turned towards the source.
'Huh?'
The moment I saw the woman's face, I realized it was more familiar than I expected. Drawing on my memory, I remembered her distinctive features.
She stood around 170 centimeters tall, wore makeup highlighting her eyes in a smoky style, sported oversized dragonfly glasses covering half her face, and her imposing figure rested not on hands but on an overwhelming bosom.
'Ella!'
Finally, the identity clicked.
She was Ella, the eccentric lady swordsman. Known for always saving the main character during dire moments for a fee in the main storyline of <Paradiso>.
Ellie wasn't driven by belief or power but was motivated by money. She helped with anything as long as gold was involved, even requests from enemy forces like the Demon Army.
Thus, she was not truly welcomed by any faction. Her devotion to gold allowed her to remain unfettered, but it also meant that she garnered little trust.
Ella also had a critical weakness.
'If she loses her glasses or takes them off, she becomes effectively blind.'
This flaw led to Ella's eventual demise during the storyline, at the hands of a man bearing a grudge against her.
While there were many love stories related to her, exploring them all now would take too long, so I'll skip them for now.
I attempted to check Ella's stats with my inner eye, but just then, another person entered through the door.
With silver hair, amber eyes, and an expression so cold it seemed frozen.
She was vaguely familiar. I recognized her face from the main story of <Paradiso> but couldn't recall the name immediately.
Of course, one of the reasons I gained the inner eye was for such cases.
Before examining Ella, I checked this newcomer's details first.
[Chloe – Lv. 15]
[Strength: 23]
[Stamina: 17]
[Mana: 3]
[Wisdom: 7]
[Agility: 43]
[Charm: 5]
[Physical Defense: 5]
[Magical Defense: 2]
[Special Traits: Absolute Stealth S / Camouflage A]
[General Traits: Anger, Hatred]
'Chloe, what brings you here?'
She was Chloe, the Silent Queen. In <Paradiso>, she appeared throughout the main storyline as a Gray Elf queen.
Initially, she wasn't a queen. It was five years after the Holy War erupted that she ascended the throne.
It was now Nas Continent Year 1414, and she would become queen in 1429, meaning she was twenty-three years old now, the same age as Hayes.
Chloe was a 'secret NPC' whose backstory wasn't revealed by the developers of <Paradiso>, deliberately held back for future content updates, hinting at her hidden potential.
She was called the Silent Queen for dual reasons. First, she rarely spoke. Second, her superb assassination skills were unparalleled—so stealthy that victims wouldn't realize they'd been killed. Her stealth and camouflage skills in her special traits bore testament to this.
Absolute Stealth meant she could entirely conceal her presence, while Camouflage indicated her talent in deceiving enemies.
She was also famous for having assassinated key leaders of the Black Orcs, the Gray Elves' greatest adversaries.
'I never thought I'd encounter the eccentric swordsman Ella and the Silent Queen Chloe together...'
It felt like Heaven-sent luck for me, who was eagerly searching for a great teacher and hoping to gather more great talents.
'An honored guest has arrived!'
I wanted to ensure I wouldn't lose this opportunity to meet these two extraordinary people.