They were dressed lightly without luggage, as if not planning to stay long. Amy politely suggested they stay for a few days, but they brusquely refused in a way that felt almost rude.

“I understand.”

Melvin and the other employees glanced at Amy with sympathetic expressions, but there was no need to be upset.

‘Money heals all wounds.’

Amy’s kindness remained unchanged even after being ruthlessly rejected. Seeing this, Melvin and the employees once again admired her.

‘A professional is truly different!’

‘Work comes before personal feelings, impressive!’

Regardless of the truth, it was a moment when trust and admiration for her increased another layer. After seating the Biscon clan and Noah at the head of the hall, Amy beckoned Rita with a gesture. She then whispered a few words to her, and Rita lifted her skirt and rushed to the kitchen immediately.

A moment later, the hall doors opened again and Rita appeared carrying a tray with a teapot and several cups. An indescribable fragrance spread along her path as she walked towards the head table.

The people of the duchy wore perplexed expressions, while the Biscon clan members, except for their leader, flinched visibly.

Soon, a greenish tea was served to the guests, and they exchanged surprised glances among themselves.

“Rita, here too.”

Curious about the special tea Amy had brought out, Noah gestured to Rita to pour him a cup as well. Then, before Amy could stop him, he lifted it and drank it all at once.

“!”

The reaction came not from Noah, but from those who hadn’t drunk and from Amy. Rita, who had brought the tea, let out a short scream, and people began to murmur. Amy involuntarily scowled for a moment before quickly erasing the expression.

“……”

Noah nonchalantly set down the teacup that reeked of bitterness. Amy, who had tasted it slightly when she procured the tea leaves they enjoyed, was amazed to see no change in Noah’s face.

The Biscon clan seemed to feel the same, as everyone, including their leader, couldn’t take their eyes off Noah. Their faces showed undisguisable admiration.

“I will drink it gratefully.”

The woman with a faint smile on her face was the first to pick up her teacup and take a sip. Only then did the others quietly begin to drink the tea.

‘It’s understandable.’

The tea Amy had prepared in anticipation of their visit was a rare herb that only grows in the northernmost part of the north. It’s a tea leaf that is sour, astringent, and above all, extremely bitter, which neither imperial nor ducal people would voluntarily taste.

This herb, which people would only reluctantly eat when truly on the brink of starvation, was a favorite beverage for the Biscon clan, like wine for the empire.

‘The important thing isn’t that they like the tea, but that the Duke drank it.’

Noah had proven with his own body, as the lord, that the tea wasn’t poisoned. There could be no better guarantee that they were being treated well. That’s why the Biscon clan’s expressions changed dramatically.

“…What?”

Noah raised an eyebrow when he saw everyone in the hall looking at him with eyes sparkling with expectation. He seemed to feel pressured, as if he should comment on the tea.

Rita, sensing the guests’ mood, nodded, urging him to speak quickly. Noah glared at her once before reluctantly opening his mouth.

“Well, it tastes like it would naturally make one healthier.”

At this, Rita and the others’ expressions changed subtly. Their faces clearly said, “It sure is hard to get healthy.”

The leader-like woman put down her teacup and smiled slightly.

“Since we don’t have much time, shall we get to the point? The sun is already rising.”

“……”

Noah silently glanced at Amy. Amy played along.

“Of course, Your Highness. We can have a meal right after we finish talking.”

Only then did Noah nod.

“Let’s do that.”

“Ah……”

The employees hid their disappointment and filed out of the hall in an orderly fashion at Amy’s gesture.

They were happy to see foreigners they might never see again in their lifetime, and wanted to brag about it… Ignoring the identical expressions written on their faces, she shooed away the lingering employees like herding dogs.

Eventually, only the Biscon clan, Noah, Amy, and Melvin and Rita remained to attend, and the hall doors closed.

The leader woman erased the expression from her face and spoke solemnly.

“First, we would like to express our gratitude to the Duke for helping resolve our clan’s issue.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the other clan members simultaneously raised one hand to their chest and bowed their heads. It seemed to be their way of expressing gratitude. Noah nodded.

“I’m glad it was resolved well.”

He glanced sideways at Amy again. She was now biting her lip, barely containing her excitement. Noah was inwardly surprised to see Amy unable to hide her excitement like this for the first time.

He stared, mesmerized, at her beautiful blue eyes sparkling ecstatically, before forcibly tearing his gaze away and fixing it on the leader woman.

“You said your clan never forgets a favor.”

“That’s right. The Duke will surely receive proper compensation.”

The woman spoke plainly and raised one hand. As she did so, her robe sleeve slid down, revealing a tattoo of swirling letters from her wrist to her elbow. Amy’s eyes flashed fiercely at the sight.

‘The ancient texts say that those who serve the gods in the Biscon clan engrave the language of the gods on their bodies…’

They said one person could only handle a few sentences of the divine language at most, but looking at this woman now, it seemed to have been underestimated. What could be glimpsed between her robes was densely packed.

‘Anyway, it’s none of my business.’

It was a sight one might only see in history books, but the wonder lasted only a moment. Amy often called herself a materialist, but she had never felt it as keenly as today. She was so focused on the black gold that she worried her eyes might actually have “money” written in them.

At that moment, the man behind the leader woman took something out from his chest and placed it in her hand.

“!”

Is that it! Amy’s body stiffened. Noah, thinking he should wrap things up before Amy’s eyes popped out, quickly asked.

“What is that?”

“It’s a magical tool. An object that can find masera underground.”

The leader woman smiled slightly.

“Ah, in the local language, I should say ‘black gold,’ shouldn’t I?”

“!”

There it was. Finally, those words were spoken. Amy trembled, simultaneously feeling like jumping for joy and sitting down to cry. Noah glanced at her worriedly and reached out directly to take the magical tool.

“How do you use this?”

It looked like a flat golden puzzle in the shape of a human eye. Interestingly, the round pupil part was fitted on a vertical axis that ran through it.

Curiously, he held it and shook it, causing the pupil part to spin around its axis like it was rotating.

‘What is this? It looks just like a children’s toy.’

Sensing Noah’s skepticism, the woman gently explained.

“It’s not moving now because there’s no power. We’ll charge it with energy before we leave. It will start working then.”

The woman turned to look at Amy and continued.

“This magical tool has the function of finding black gold. When it detects black gold underground, the pupil will automatically spin as you just saw. You just need to dig there.”

Noah raised an eyebrow.

“What if this charging you mentioned ends before we find the black gold?”

“Ah, that’s……”

The woman trailed off and stared intently at Noah. Noah was puzzled but silently endured her gaze. Her eyes slowly moved over his face and body before fixing on his ears. Soon, she smiled brightly.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll give Your Highness a little hint before I leave.”

Noah frowned at those words.

“There’s nothing here that the head maid doesn’t know.”

His words became abrupt, showing his discomfort. Amy tensed up and stared at the woman.

‘Surely she won’t take back the magical tool because she’s offended?’

But fortunately, she seemed unfazed.

“Do as you wish. It’s already left our hands, so how you handle it is up to the Duke.”

“Hmm……”

Noah’s furrowed brow smoothed out, apparently pleased with the woman’s firm words. He looked over his shoulder at Amy and winked. Amy rubbed her face with her hand, trying to suppress her embarrassment.

‘Is now really the time for that……’

The woman looked at Amy, suppressing a laugh. Amy smiled back politely. The woman’s eyes lit up and she brightened.

“Head maid who has the Duke’s trust, my name is Amarelua. In the Biscon clan’s language, it means ‘the one who knows everything.'”

Amy was momentarily taken aback by her words.

‘What? A sudden self-introduction? And to me, not the Duke? Why?’

Question marks popped up above her head, but her years of experience weren’t for nothing, and she was able to introduce herself calmly as if nothing was amiss.

“I am Amelia Besford, head maid to Duke Noidelman. Unfortunately, my name doesn’t have a particular meaning. It’s an honor to meet the shaman of the Biscon clan, albeit belatedly.”

At that moment, the people behind Amarelua stirred.

“…So you knew I was a shaman.”

Amarelua smiled at the corners of her mouth. Amy was slightly scared by their more intense reaction than expected, but she didn’t show it outwardly and replied.

“Yes. I caught a glimpse of the tattoo on your body.”

Amarelua’s eyes flashed.

“Do you perhaps know the meaning of the tattoo as well?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know that much.”

“I see……”

For a moment, disappointment flashed across her glass-smooth face before disappearing. Then suddenly, she strode forward and linked arms with Amy.

“?”