Carl deftly avoided the attack and tripped the knight.

Thud!

As the man fell clumsily, Carl stomped on his shoulder and struck his wrist with his other foot.

Thud. Thud.

“Ugh…!”

Unable to endure the pain, the knight groaned and dropped his sword. Carl bent down and picked up the blade.

Now worried about something else, I hurriedly shouted.

“Carl! No! Don’t kill anyone!”

Murder is a crime I can never cover up.

Fortunately, Carl tossed the sword away and stepped away from the knight.

Phew.

As I sighed in relief, the enraged Lord Arco managed to get up.

“Are you insane?! How dare you… I will formally complain to Count Sharofe! Miss, you are banned from our auctions for life! Hand over the silver mine deed and leave!”

He was so angry that his mustache trembled.

I raised both hands and made a calming gesture.

“Calm down, Lord Arco. And if you’re going to complain, do it to the Duke of Diart instead of the Count.”

“Why would I complain about Miss Sharofe to the Duke of Diart?”

“Because I currently belong to the Duke’s household.”

I confidently showed the gift from the Duke that I had forgotten until now.

Lord Arco’s eyes widened at the sight of the glittering pure gold badge.

“The Duke’s real badge…!”

“If you unfairly side with Lady Celsior, I will formally raise an objection through the Duke of Diart.”

“……!”

The lord’s face showed a troubled expression.

Celsior and Diart are both prestigious families, incomparable to each other.

He wouldn’t want to offend Diart by breaking his own rules.

“Are you sure you want to proceed?”

“No! Please wait!”

He hurriedly stopped me and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I-I will follow the auction principles.”

“……!”

At those words, the fortunes of the lady and I diverged.

According to auction rules, the Barron Silver Mine was mine.

“Lord Arco! Are you kidding me right now?!”

The lady protested fiercely, as if she would devour Lord Arco.

“You said I could buy the mine from the winning bidder!”

“B-but Miss Sharofe refuses. It would be best if you gave up…”

“Shut up!”

She snapped, her eyes flashing ominously with resentment.

“Sell me the mine. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”

Her tone suggested this was her final warning.

I responded with a bright smile.

“It’s fine. At least I won’t regret not getting what I want because I was late.”

“Miss Sharofe! You really…!”

“Then we’ll be going.”

I waved my hand demonstratively and turned away with Carl.

I could hear the furious lady berating Lord Arco, but I didn’t look back.

Whatever.

Once we exited the hall and got into our carriage, the tension finally lifted.

At the same time, Carl broke his silence.

“Why did you act so recklessly earlier?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? It’s been a while since I heard your voice.”

“Why did you block my way?”

He was silent when it mattered, but now he was sharp-tongued when we were alone.

Carl, with his arms crossed, spoke again, clearly displeased.

“Did you forget that you’re the noble lady and I’m the bondservant?”

“No.”

“Then why did you spread your arms to protect a bondservant… ha.”

He touched his forehead as if he couldn’t believe it. I replied seriously.

“I was just trying to protect your chest.”

“…What?”

“Well, you had the mine purchase deed tucked inside your chest.”

When I pointed at his chest where he had stored the deed, he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

“Do you think I can’t protect something like this?”

He pulled out the envelope from his collar and handed it to me.

“Take care not to lose it.”

“Don’t worry. I fought with a lady to get this, so I’ll treasure it.”

That’s how I’ll make money by extracting the magic stones.

I returned to the Duke of Diart’s mansion, clutching the deed tightly.

The moonlight shone brightly above us.

* * *

When I revealed that I had purchased the Barron Silver Mine for 1.1 million gold at the auction.

“Congratulations, Miss! You finally have your own property.”

Mandy, knowing nothing, was purely delighted.

She was moved, knowing how I had been stripped of my inheritance by Gwen and lived in poverty.

On the other hand, those at the Duke’s household who knew the mine was nearly depleted had different reactions.

“You bought the Barron Silver Mine…? Well, it’s all part of life’s lessons.”

Lord Diart patted my shoulder, unable to say anything harsh.

“Shailyn… you shouldn’t go to auctions alone anymore. I’m worried because you’re too innocent.”

Dain indirectly.

“Uh, um, it’s okay, sister. Next time, I’ll go with you so no one can swindle you.”

Deborah directly promised to accompany me next time for comfort.

I calmly asked those who looked at me with pity.

“I want to hire miners to work at the mine. Can you help me?”

“It’s almost like an abandoned mine, so why bother… oops.”

Dain unconsciously pointed out but quickly covered his mouth, realizing his mistake.

Judging by their worried looks, they were concerned I’d be hurt by the brutal truth.

Not at all.

“I’ll help you, Shailyn. If you own a mine, you should at least try digging.”

Luckily, Lord Diart offered his assistance.

He spoke, trying to soften his gruff voice.

“Even if you don’t find much silver, don’t be disappointed. I have a mine I was saving for Diane, but I’ll give it to you.”

Briefly recalling his deceased daughter, Lord Diart’s eyes grew moist.

A solemn atmosphere lingered momentarily, but I gained Lord Diart’s support.

He sent some professional miners from his own mine to the Barron Silver Mine to begin excavation.

And exactly four days later.

“M, M, Miss Shailyn—!”

Paul came to me, pale-faced, panting as if he might collapse.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“A large quantity of magic stones was discovered at the Barron Silver Mine!”

“Oh my, really?”

I feigned moderate surprise, covering my mouth with my hand and grinning.

I had been waiting for this report.

Paul also relayed that Lord Diart wanted to see me, so I went to his room immediately.

“That’s great news, Shailyn! To find magic stones in what seemed like an empty shell!”

Lord Diart held my hands, looking happy as if it were his own achievement.

If it were Gwen Sharofe, she would have immediately schemed to take it from me.

“I felt a good vibe from the Barron Silver Mine.”

“Did you sense it? Marvelous, wonderful! You’re indeed my granddaughter!”

He looked at me with eyes full of pride and admiration.

I felt a bit shy, feeling slightly embarrassed by his praise.

After showering me with compliments for a while, he suggested over tea.

“How about firmly establishing the mine as yours so no one else covets it?”

“How?”

“By giving the mine a new name and holding a naming ceremony. Make it big news in the papers. Abandon the name Barron Silver Mine.”

I nodded, agreeing that it wasn’t a bad idea.

Then I asked Lord Diart, who was smiling contentedly.

“Before that, can I extract and move a hundred magic stones?”

“Why? Do you have a use for them?”

“Since something good happened, I want to donate a bit to the temple.”

“You must be quite a devout believer.”

I half-shook my head at his slightly surprised expression. It was a fitting statement for the original Shailyn.

“Our family line generally lacks religious devotion, so it’s a bit surprising. But if you donate, your reputation will rise, so it’s not a bad idea.”

He added quietly, muttering to himself, with practical reasoning.

“With the recent increase in heretics, the temple must be having a hard time.”

“Heretics?”

“Followers of demons. Their numbers have surged recently.”

Lord Diart frowned openly.

The Hersen Empire was a monotheistic state that believed in the sun god Solaris.

Unless one was an atheist, being a follower of the sun god was typical.

However, there were groups that followed the great demon Rudvalt.

“They’re a vile group that associates with demons, so there’s nothing good about them growing.”

He didn’t hide his disdain for them.

Considering that the Duchess had died because of a mage bewitched by a demon, his reaction was understandable.

He soon softened his expression and patted my shoulder.

“Anyway, it’s your mine, so you don’t need anyone’s permission. Manage it as you see fit.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I like your confident answer.”

He laughed heartily.

I, too, smiled excitedly, with the mission’s success and the prospect of wealth in sight.