Amy stared at the baron and his wife as if they were village idiots, but unaware of this, they rubbed their hands together and tried their best to make a good impression on Noah.

“As Your Highness knows, running a domain requires a lot of funds. However, few places have enough of it. So…”

Just as the baron began to speak with an innocent smile, Amy cut in.

“Indeed. The suffering of a domain without money is so miserable that it’s hard to express in words.”

“Huh? Ah, yes…”

The baron looked at Amy in bewilderment as she suddenly interjected. Regardless, Amy continued speaking.

“As the baron knows, our prince now has to manage a domain as well. It’s not someone else’s business anymore.”

Whether they inwardly thought of Amy as a madwoman or not, they were pleased with the words that came out of her mouth. The faces of the baron and his wife brightened.

“Y-yes, that’s right. So, what I wanted to say was…”

But the baron’s words were once again cut off by Amy.

“Look, Your Highness. Isn’t the loyalty of the baron and his wife touching?”

As Amy pretended to dab tears with her sleeve, the baron and his wife were puzzled, unable to understand what she meant. How could a non-existent loyalty be touching?

Noah readily agreed.

“Indeed.”

“Knowing that we’re being driven to the north, they’ve arranged this meeting. We’ve been turned away everywhere we go, feeling disheartened, but this is truly a noble gesture.”

“…”

The color drained from the faces of the baron and his wife. Turned away everywhere? They now reconsidered from a new perspective why the Grand Duke’s party had been quietly continuing their journey without receiving hospitality from other domains.

‘For example, maybe they’re penniless because they’ve fallen out of favor with the emperor and are being driven out…’

Wait, isn’t this a case of making things worse while trying to remove a blemish?

Just as their hearts sank, Amy drove the final nail in.

“We can’t ignore such sincerity, so how about borrowing a loan from them for the barren north? Since this domain is struggling too, not too much – say, a hundred thousand gold? With such touching loyalty, they would surely lend it willingly. As for interest and principal, we can pay it back double once the north develops. Isn’t that right, Baron?”

The baron and his wife gaped. After the north develops? It was the academic consensus that such a thing wouldn’t happen until the empire’s fall. While they were dumbfounded, Noah clicked his tongue and casually raised a hand.

“Is the lady-in-waiting disregarding the baron’s dignity? I think a million gold would be better.”

“A-a million gold!”

The faces of the baron and his wife instantly turned ashen.

Noah and Amy passed through the entrance hall and came out of the lord’s mansion. Noah glanced back.

“Is it okay to leave like this?”

“Well, yes…”

Amy shrugged. They had just finished their conversation with the panic-stricken baron and his wife, saying they would send someone for a formal contract as soon as they reached the Grand Duke’s territory.

‘They’ll live in constant anxiety, not knowing when someone from the north might come.’

They had no intention whatsoever of actually borrowing a loan, but they didn’t care whether the couple lived in fear or not.

As they were leaving the lord’s mansion, Noah suddenly stopped walking. Amy, who had also halted abruptly, looked around wondering what was wrong, and her eyes met with those of a boy.

“Oh…”

The boy, who looked about Noah’s age, was holding a wooden barrel of milk or goat’s milk in one hand and a honey pot in the other, staring at Amy and Noah, and the mercenaries standing behind them. His eyes were sparkling and his face was flushed, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

“…”

Noah, seemingly not particularly impressed, quickly took his eyes off the boy and started walking again. Amy followed suit.

After passing through the mansion’s gate and going down the road for a while, as they entered the village, they saw a large man standing in front of a shabby farmhouse cottage, peering towards the lord’s mansion. It was Vernon.

“Ah!”

Vernon quickly straightened his posture and stared at Noah, blinking his eyes like a cow. Amy strode up to him, stood in front of him, lifted her chin, and said,

“You should greet His Highness properly.”

“…!”

Vernon, who had been distracted by Noah, was startled by those words and quickly put his fist to his chest and bowed.

“I greet the Second Prince. I am…”

He suddenly closed his mouth and hesitated. Noah tilted his head, wondering why he was acting like this, when Vernon stammered,

“I am Vernon Kazel… former captain of the Imperial Palace Guard…”

“!”

Noah and the mercenaries’ eyes widened. The mercenaries, in particular, seemed to know him. Noah, who had only heard that he was captain material, looked at Amy with eyes that seemed to ask if she had known. Amy nodded briefly and then spoke to Vernon.

“Captain Vernon, have you made up your mind?”

“…”

As he hesitated, Amy smiled leisurely.

“Whether you go or not is up to you. Speak freely.”

Her tone exuded confidence that he would absolutely not refuse.

“Um, I…”

He rubbed the back of his head with his thick hand, looking troubled. Just then, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from behind him. Turning their heads, they saw three heads poking out over a stone wall, rapidly approaching them.

The mercenaries tensed, gripping the swords at their waists. A moment later, three men appeared and lined up neatly next to Vernon.

“Huh?”

The man with short blond hair stared at Amy and Noah with wide eyes.

The man with black bob-cut hair looked at Vernon, Noah, and Amy in turn, silently furrowing his brow. Lastly, the brown-haired man gaped at Noah, then quickly closed his mouth again.

“Vernon? Are you really leaving this place?”

The blond man glanced at Noah while making various hand signals to Vernon. He seemed to be asking what was going on. Vernon ran his hand down his dry face and sighed. Then, in a resigned voice, he introduced them to Noah and Amy.

“These are Dwayne, Jack, and Bradley, who farm in this village.”

Then he glared at them.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and greet the noble person.”

At those words, the blond man’s jaw dropped.

“Wow, they really are nob-!!”

At that moment, the black-haired man smacked the back of the blond’s head hard. There was a cracking sound as if something had broken, but the blond man didn’t even blink, apparently unfazed. Amy looked at this scene with distaste.

‘He’s incredibly tough. Is this what happens when you farm?’

The black-haired and brown-haired men stood up straight with disciplined movements and bowed politely towards Noah.

“I am Jack Hauer.”

“I am Bradley Kirby.”

The blond man hurriedly greeted a beat late.

“I am Dwayne Jones.”

Noah silently nodded. Amy looked at them carefully and then turned her gaze back to Vernon.

“Are they coming along too?”

Vernon shook his head with a serious expression.

“No, they are not.”

At this, the eyes of the three men widened as if they were about to pop out.

“Vernon!”

“Wow, you’re going to leave without us? This is betrayal!”

Dwayne’s face turned red as if it was about to burst, but Vernon spoke firmly without even looking at them.

“I’m sorry, but I will decline that position.”

For a moment, the surroundings fell silent.

‘This wasn’t in the plan.’

Amy bit her lip, feeling the plan she had set up shaking from the ground up. Unfamiliar with such situations, she felt not only dumbfounded but even dizzy.

‘Captain Vernon is the only one who can protect the Grand Duke’s castle. I have to change his mind somehow.’

It’s not common to find someone trustworthy enough to be in charge of safety and security. Amy, feeling urgent, quickly calculated in her head conditions that might persuade him.

But it seemed Amy wasn’t the only one thinking this way, as Dwayne, Jack, and Bradley surrounded Vernon and began to argue.

“Why? For what reason? How come? Huh?”

“This is surely a great opportunity, isn’t it? I can’t understand why you’ve made this decision.”

“Please explain it to us.”

It was an interrogation that revealed each of their personalities. Amy kept her mouth shut and folded her arms. It seemed like the issue might be resolved without her intervention.

‘Yes, think it over again. Let’s handle this smoothly.’

She glanced to the side while inwardly cheering for the three, and was secretly surprised. Noah was staring intently at them, his eyes different from usual.

‘Interest? Or concern?’

Amy was curious. What exactly had caught the attention of this taciturn and indifferent adolescent boy?

At that moment, Vernon burst out shouting.

“How did you even know to come here?”

The blond Dwayne snorted.

“Didn’t Viola come early in the morning? Saying there was an urgent message.”

At those words, Vernon looked dumbfounded.

“Don’t tell me you eavesdropped?”

“…”

Jack and Bradley coughed awkwardly and averted their gaze, seemingly embarrassed. But Dwayne puffed out his chest and replied triumphantly.

“It wasn’t eavesdropping! We listened in boldly!”

“…You’re bragging about it.”

Vernon shook his head in disbelief. But only for a moment; his face becoming serious again, he turned to Noah and Amy and said,

“I’ve changed. With my injury and all, I’m now completely a farmer. Even if you take me, I won’t be of any use.”

“Don’t say that, please reconsider…”

Amy took a step forward. But Vernon raised his hand to stop her with a resolute expression.

“My mind won’t change.”

“…”

Amy chewed her lip, feeling at a loss. Just then, a clear voice rang out from behind.

“You must go!”

Everyone’s gaze turned to the back. There stood a slender boy.