0.
“Miss, how long are you going to sleep?”
Marigold woke with a start, her eyelids fluttering open. She felt Pina, the winged fairy, pulling at her cheeks. The scent of hay permeated the air—they were at an old stable.
“We’re supposed to leave for the Imperial Capital today! How can you sleep here so peacefully? We’ll miss the train if you stay like this.”
“Ugh, it’s tomorrow anyway. We have one day left…Ouch.”
Pina pinched her cheeks again.
“There’s one day left, only one day! If we’re late, we’ll have to take a ship instead of the train.”
“Ugh, I know. Stop yelling.”
“You haven’t forgotten that we only rented the stable until morning, have you?”
"Ah!"
Marigold suddenly sat up from the haystack. Beside her, a horse was neighing and shaking its head.
The pail of water she had fetched the night before sat by her feet.
Pushing aside the horse as it lapped at the water, Marigold quickly washed her face. As the sleepiness faded away, memories of the previous night came to mind.
“I had that weird dream again.”
“A dream?”
"Yeah."
A dream.
No.
“Was it really a dream?”
“They say that people dream a lot when they are growing.”
Marigold looked at her face reflected in the water, recalling the familiar dream.
It was a place that looked like an art gallery where time had stopped, filled with numerous paintings hanging. She had seen this scene many times before.
[Album of Memories]
What Kind of Life is This, Marigold?
The War Victim, Marigold
There Are Many Ways to Die.
Are You The Owner of This Restaurant, Marigold?
.
.
.
The Bold Maid, Marigold.
The Falsely Accused Marigold.
The Pitiful Fall of Lady Marigold
Overworking is Bad for You, Marigold
Marriage to the Young Nobleman, Lancel Dante
Every image in this gallery of time depicted a woman, sometimes younger or sometimes older. Marigold instinctively recognized that they were all images of her.
Below each painting depicting versions of her, were long, indecipherable descriptions.
============
—Ending 18. Overwork is bad for your health, Marigold.
—You increased your part-time job from three to four to overcome poverty. But you didn’t realize that nothing is more important than health. Your wish to sleep soundly was eventually granted.
============
It was a nightmare.
Marigold considered this a nightmare.
What else could it be but a nightmare, if the dreams are of facing “Marigold’s End”— a life in which she ends up dead, lonely, or simply insignificant?
Yet, there was one thing that lingered in her mind.
It was the image of the last painting she had seen at the very end of the gallery where time had stopped.
One which depicted her marriage with the young nobleman, Lancel Dante.
“Lancel Dante.”
Marigold quietly repeated the name she had seen in her dream.
For an unknown reason, she felt a knot tighten from somewhere deep within her chest.
It was an emotion she had never experienced before.
“Miss, why are you crying? Miss? Did I… did I speak too harshly? I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“No, Pina, it’s not your fault…….”
Marigold wiped away her tears. The name, Lancel Dante, engraved deep within her heart.
1.
“The capital is a microcosm of the continent. All powers ultimately converge here, to unite, compete, quarrel, and divide their territories.”
One of the reasons Lancel avoided the Imperial Capital of Rodnis was due to the multitude of opinions that people had about it.
It would be a bit too much to dismiss it as just a common phenomenon of the provincial folk making malicious remarks about dwellers of the capital, like saying, "Go to Hanyang, and your nose will be cut off." Even Lancel's family used to tremble at the mere mention of Rodnis.
“Rodnis is a place where the more greedy and petty the nobles are, the more they thrive. Just thinking about my time there makes my blood boil. Those bastards are like rags rotting in a cesspool.”
Lancel's mother, Madam Nirvia Dante, would often reminisce about the capital with a mouthful of colorful curse words every time she had a drink.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lancel learned most of the slang used in this world by listening to his mother criticize the nobles of the Imperial Capital.
“Mother, you were born and raised in the capital yourself. Why is it that you grind your teeth whenever you think about it? After all, it’s your hometown.”
Lancel’s sudden question, asked merely out of curiosity, caused his mother's eyes to cloud with regret.
“My son, as you well know, this mother of yours was once a pure and innocent lady who only hoped to pursue pure love.”
‘That must mean she met multiple men at the same time.’
“But most of the scoundrels at the capital were different. They pursued love solely by following bloodlines, not once caring for the person before them—who the person was or what kind of soul they possessed. Do you truly believe that is love?”
“Isn’t the pursuit of a more distinguished bloodline also a form of love?”
“You should have seen those damn wenches flocking to meet His Highness the Crown Prince. It was a sight to behold!”
Lancel had seen it.
During the many lives he had spent in the Imperial Capital.
It was almost like a fan club.
“Soul to soul, eye to eye; finding true love within such a connection is the path to happiness. Remember that, son.”
“Then what would you do if I married a commoner?”
“I would wipe you clean from the family records without hesitation. Don’t even dream about it.”
Even Lancel’s mother, who championed the purity of love, seemed unable to tolerate marriage with a commoner.
‘In such a situation as this, you’re telling me that Marigold must marry the prince? Is this game even possible?’
The difference in status. The countless rivals. The Crown Prince’s extremely aloof nature. And the impossibly high threshold of high society.
‘Is this really something that can be overcome?’
Of course it was possible. In the game, it was possible. In fact, Lancel remembered it not being particularly difficult.
All it took was a bit of luck with random events, and the main character’s favorability rating with the Crown Prince will go up, leading to marriage. That was all there was to it.
But that was the game.
This was reality.
‘I need to establish myself in the capital first. I’ll need some money too.’
Right. The problem with trying to connect a fallen noblewoman with the Crown Prince was that Lancel himself was a nobody.
Lancel first needed to tackle the problem of his reputation, no matter how long it took.
After all, making good use of time was his specialty.
2.
Lancel suddenly recalled a conversation that he had with his older sister, who created this game.
“Why are there mercenaries standing guard in the capital?”
“Is it strange?”
“Huh?”
Lancel was rendered speechless by his sister’s response.
From his sister's perspective, she believed that mercenaries could handle security work. Perhaps she envisioned them as a sort of security company?
Nonetheless, this resulted in the Empire being deeply influenced by such a setting, and the mercenary guild was routinely outsourced as part of the capital’s law enforcement as if it were the most natural thing.
The unintended consequence was that countless knife-wielding criminals roamed the city, semi-legal violence and murder ran rampant, and illegal groups were allowed to flourish.
Still, Lancel’s sister seemed unconcerned.
* * *
“I never knew you were interested in the mercenary business. Isn’t that kind of work beneath the dignity of a knight?”
Baron Ibil Shen was amused to hear that Lancel was forming a mercenary group.
“I’ve often needed mercenaries in my business. But they’ve all been so unreliable. If you’ll be taking charge, then a few pennies would be no trouble at all.”
“Then, would it be reasonable to request a starting sum of about thirty gold coins?”
“Between us? That’s nothing. But does Viscount Dante know about this?”
“Of course not.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
Having easily secured the necessary funds, Lancel’s first purchase was a large building on the outskirts of Rodnis.
The first floor housed the reception area, while the second and third floors were converted into lodgings, creating the unmistakable impression of a large mercenary guild to anyone who sees it.
Staffing the guild with mercenaries and other members proved surprisingly easy.
When Lancel left his family this time, he brought a considerable number of servants with him, twelve of his most trusted servants.
“Are we to just sit here, Young Master?”
With a maid stationed at the reception desk and several large servants seated inside, the place was truly a mercenary guild.
[Lancel’s Mercenary Guild]
The servants looked on at Lancel, who wore a satisfied yet somewhat bewildered expression, as he looked at the sign hanging. However, none of them dared to voice their concern. It was all the result of filling the guild with only his most trustworthy servants from Lancel’s previous regressions.
Among them an older guard, who was meant to be entrusted with a somewhat unusual task.
Lancel turned to the older guard. “Go to 31st Street in the capital. There you will find a girl named Mary. Teach her swordsmanship.”
“As you command.”
“Aren’t you going to ask why?”
“It is your guild after all, Young Master—I’m certain that you must have your reasons. I have not had much to do anyway, so I will consider this task a welcome diversion.”
The results came right away the next day.
============
—March 3, 818 of the Imperial Calendar. Weather: Cloudy.
—Event triggered! “ Aim for Swordmaster!”
※Beginning basic swordsmanship training.
============
In the game, it was natural for Marigold to learn swordsmanship or magic.
However, in reality, it was not easy for a young lady to suddenly come forward and learn swordsmanship. Lancel had to force the situation into existence.
A month went by.
============
—April 9, 818 of the Imperial Calendar. Weather: Clear.
—Marigold has mastered the basics of swordsmanship.
※You may now receive beginner swordsmanship training starting today.
============
"Already?"
Another two months passed.
============
—June 1, 818 of the Imperial Calendar. Weather: Rainy.
—Marigold has mastered beginner swordsmanship training.
※You may now receive intermediate swordsmanship training starting today.
※The list of part-time job interviews has been updated. New positions added: Guards, Soldiers, Mercenaries, Training Instructor, Bandit, and Travelers.
============
‘… Could she be a genius?’
Lancel was a little surprised at Marigold's rapid progress, which far exceeded his expectations.
When Marigold's swordsmanship instructor, Ho-wi, was called and asked, he answered Lancel with trembling eyes.
“Young Master, the girl has already possessed most of what I have. I have nothing left to teach that child. It’s a shame—I deeply regret my shortcomings and lack of skill.”
“…….”
The sword instructor lamented not being able to teach his disciples any more.
Lancel quietly patted the sword instructor’s shoulder, thinking, ‘Of course she would be different, Marigold is the protagonist of this world.’
"Young Master."
It was at that moment.
Hesti, the maid who had been with Lancel since his last regression, spoke from behind.
“Young Master, a request has arrived at the mercenary guild today. But the sender…it’s His Excellency from the Imperial Court of the Palace.”
‘Finally.’
Lancel knew that his investment had finally paid off.
The “Escort Event,” which has the highest probability of occurring among the in-game events, has safely arrived at the location.
‘This is not a request from the Imperial Court. This is…’
The request itself was simple.
To find a missing man and woman and bring them back to the capital within one year.
“Hesti, begin the recruitment for mercenaries starting today.”
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