Chapter 80

Lady Liston was more capable than anyone could have imagined. Drawing from her experience as an informant, she discreetly purchased land outside the city walls.

None of the nobles made a fuss about the sudden sale of the land.

Even when the first large labor office was built, most dismissed it as an eccentric nobleman’s hunting lodge. In truth, only the laborers gossiped, while most people remained indifferent.

Lady Liston planted the spirit stones she had produced near the labor office and reported on the progress, which was very promising.

The previously barren soil began to shimmer with vitality, and when seeds were planted, they quickly sprouted.

The only issue was the significant shortage of spirit stones.

At this rate, they could barely establish a small village, but creating a vibrant city like Arsen, a representative city of the frontier, seemed out of reach.

This plan would be meaningless without rapid growth that could stir the empire. Liliana headed to the building she had purchased on the capital’s outskirts to produce more spirit stones.

The building was in a quiet area with few passersby, crucial for making spirit stones. Liliana clutched her hooded robe tightly as she entered.

“Your Highness, or rather, my lady.”

Lady Liston quickly approached as soon as she saw Liliana. She, too, wore a black mask to conceal her identity, which suited her mature and elegant demeanor perfectly.

“My Lady, did the clothes I sent arrive?”

“Yes, I received them well, but…”

When Liliana answered hesitantly, Lady Liston smiled knowingly. It was clear that Liliana had been too embarrassed to wear the clothes she had picked herself.

“It’s not of great importance today. Now, please fasten your mask securely.”

Liliana donned the white mask with gold embellishments that Lady Liston handed her.

Although she had purchased a rather large building, many rooms were still unoccupied. Some spirit summoners commuted from their homes, while many others had come from the provinces, staying in the dormitory searching for work.

Worriedly surveying the empty rooms, Liliana noticed a boy standing at the end of the hallway.

The boy froze like ice when he saw Liliana, who looked like a wealthy noblewoman. He seemed to have been about to leave a room and go somewhere but now stood paralyzed as if facing a predator.

It was an entirely bewildering situation for Liliana, who had never been treated like this before.

“Act naturally, my lady.”

Lady Liston whispered beside her, prompting Liliana to straighten her posture and look at the boy. She waved her hand, covered in white gloves, gently calling him over.

The boy, unsure what to do, couldn’t refuse the noble’s call and quickly approached, bowing deeply in front of her.

“No need to be so formal; I was just looking around. You may stand up.”

Liliana spoke kindly, but the boy only raised his upper body slightly. When Liliana signaled to Sophia with her eyes, Sophia helped the boy to his feet.

His skin was rough, likely due to poverty, but his features were well-defined, giving him a neat appearance. He seemed to be about fourteen years old.

Liliana was about to let him go but decided to ask a question out of curiosity.

“Where are you from?”

The boy didn’t answer immediately. As a lower-class boy, he rarely encountered nobles; those he had seen were arrogant and intimidating.

They would often click their tongues just to see him bowing nearby.

But the noble in front of him had a gentler demeanor and spoke with a kindness that even the prettiest girl in the village didn’t use.

Moreover, she smelled so good, like she had just come out of scented water, that it made his head spin.

“Did you hear the lady ask where you came from?”

Lady Liston asked again, causing the boy to startle and stammer.

“I-I came from Boneman.“

“Boneman is quite far, isn’t it? It’s a cold place for the empire.”

“Yes, yes… It’s just as you say, my lady.“

“Did you come alone?“

“My mother is sick, and my younger sister is still very young, so I came alone.“

As they conversed, the boy’s voice gradually grew more apparent. Liliana’s gentle tone must have put him at ease.

“Are there others in your village with the potential to become spirit summoners?”

The boy nodded immediately.

“There are quite a few people with that potential in our village because many settlers from the Duchy of Laove have settled there.“

“How many would you say?“

Liliana’s eyes gleamed, though the boy couldn’t see this through her mask. But he could tell from her voice that she was pretty excited.

He lowered his head, fearing he might disappoint the kind adult before him.

“One or maybe two out of ten…“

“That’s excellent news.”

Fortunately, Liliana was pleased to hear the boy’s response. She gently rubbed her chin, lost in thought.

“The word must have spread that spirit summoners are being sought in the Boneman region, but very few have actually made it here…”

Why could that be? The boy fidgeted as he watched Liliana deep in thought, unsure if he should speak up. He seemed to have something to say but wasn’t sure if speaking without being asked by a noble was appropriate.

Lady Liston, observing his hesitation, was the first to ask.

“Do you know why that might be, in response to the lady’s question?”

At that, Liliana’s gaze shifted to the boy. Startled, he quickly bowed his head and answered.

“It’s a long way from Boneman to the capital, but the real problem is the mountain we must cross. Bandits are living there, and crossing it means risking your life.”

Liliana sighed. She thought promising money and assistance with spirit contracts would attract many poor spirit summoners.

But unlike the wealthy, who could afford carriages and escorts, the poor had to risk their lives to travel the treacherous path.

“Life is more precious than money. Why did you risk your life to come here?“

“I couldn’t afford my mother’s medicine any other way…“

Liliana’s face showed a look of pity. Lady Liston was relieved that her goddaughter was wearing a mask; revealing every emotion so openly wasn’t good.

After composing herself, Liliana dismissed the boy.

“You may go now.“

“Thank you, my lady.”

The boy quickly left as if fleeing, and Liliana nodded to herself.

“Those who are well-off have no desire to leave for the distant capital, and those who are poor can’t make the journey even if they want to.“

“What if we organized an escort to bring spirit summoners from various regions?”

Liliana nodded in agreement.

“And let’s purchase another building right away.“

“There aren’t any suitable buildings nearby. What will you use it for?“

“It doesn’t have to be close. I’m thinking of setting up an academy to provide basic education.”

Lady Liston pondered for a moment before nodding in understanding. Although the empire’s basic education was theoretically open to all, in reality, only the wealthy commoners had access to it.

To attract those who were neither rich nor poor, they needed to offer something that couldn’t be bought with money.

“Then we’ll need to name the academy. Would you like to do the honors?“

“I can’t think of anything…“

“We can’t leave out the name when promoting the school. We also need a name for the trading company.”

As Lady Liston spoke, Liliana recalled the white flowering tree that Helio had gifted her.

“How about Rhenia?”

It was a well-known story that the emperor had planted a Rhenia tree overnight for the empress consort. Lady Liston could almost picture Liliana’s expression behind her mask.

“Planting white Rhenia trees would make the academy beautiful every autumn. Holding the entrance ceremony in the fall would be quite romantic.”

Liliana nodded. The thought of how much Helio would laugh when he found out later made her feel a bit embarrassed, but she couldn’t help how special that tree had become to her.

* * *

Autumn quickly passed, and winter arrived. The flowers on the Rhenia tree were slowly wilting, but when the first snow fell, the tree would look as if it had bloomed white flowers again.

Liliana spent much of her time in front of the fireplace in her office. The scent of the firewood was lovely, making the warmth even more comforting.

Sophia brought in a silver tray holding a letter from Lady Liston. With the business keeping them busy, the letters were filled with work discussions. While it was understandable that the greetings were becoming less frequent, it was still a bit disappointing.

Even though Liliana had a pass to the imperial palace, it wasn’t appropriate for her to be too active outside as a member of the imperial family.

To compensate, Lady Liston sent detailed reports so Liliana could keep up with the business’s progress.

「Since the announcement about the academy, many commoners have come to apply. The terms are good, so we must be cautious about filtering out those who apply with false pretenses.」

Knowing this issue would arise at some point, Liliana had prepared for it, and she felt relieved as she turned to the next page of the letter.

「More than half of the applicants are coming from the western region. At first, I thought it was because of the proximity to the Laove Duchy, but the numbers were too distinct, so I investigated further. It turns out there have been frequent conflicts near the western border.」

Conflicts? The Carlo Empire was so strong that it was rare for anyone to dare engage in direct conflict. Who would be so bold as to do such a thing? Lady Liston provided an answer to that question.

「Soldiers from the Sagreen Kingdom have been crossing the border in small numbers. Although they claim it’s by mistake, the incidents are becoming more frequent and bolder, suggesting that war might be on the horizon.」

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.