The Safety Guidelines of The Duke’s Haunted Castle – Chapter 56

Author: Asternkm

The next scene, which had been described as “something completely unexpected,” was…

“Hello, Mr. Scrooge…”

The already cramped and cluttered little warehouse was now piled high with sacks I had never seen before.

I stared blankly at the mountain of sacks until something bumped against my foot, snapping me back to reality.

“What are these?”

At my puzzled question, Mr. Scrooge emerged from between the stacks, where he had been organizing the goods.

“Miss Windsor. You came at the perfect time. Actually, I was just wondering how I could get in touch with you.”

“D-Did you decide to change your business or something?”

“Hm?”

“I mean… those look like sacks of produce.”

They looked exactly like potato sacks, at least from what I remembered. I was trying to recall where I’d seen them before when Mr. Scrooge nearly jumped in alarm and hurriedly shook his head.

“These are the Golden Carrots you asked for.”

“What? But…”

I hadn’t even sent the trade item yet.

Setting down my basket of bread, I cautiously opened one of the sacks.

“…Whoa.”

Inside was a pile of shimmering Golden Carrots, sparkling just as Mr. Scrooge had said.

“Didn’t you say we’d have to trade something for them?”

“Normally, yes. But strangely enough, as soon as I sent a letter asking if they had any Golden Carrots available, they shipped all of these over without even replying.”

“What about… the payment?”

“Oddly enough, they never asked for any payment or even sent a bill.”

I frowned.

This was a business transaction between merchants, and they hadn’t even requested payment?

But judging by the awkward scratch of his head, Mr. Scrooge didn’t have any explanation either.

More than anything, everything had happened far too suddenly.

“Mr. Scrooge… could you tell me exactly what you wrote in the letter?”

“There wasn’t much to it. I simply asked if there was any way to obtain Golden Carrots. I didn’t even specify a quantity. Yet…”

His eyes drifted back toward the sacks.

“How many did they send?”

“At least twenty kilograms.”

“Twenty kilograms?!”

No wonder. Every sack was stuffed to the brim.

As I stood there speechless, Mr. Scrooge spoke again.

“Will you be able to carry all of this?”

“Oh, that’s not a problem.”

Thinking of my storage ring, I handed him the basket of bread.

“In that case… could you send this back to them?”

“This is…?”

“I originally brought it to trade for the Golden Carrots. Please send it along with a letter asking them to accept it as payment. Think of it as a thank-you gift.”

“Very well.”

Before putting the carrots into my storage space, I pulled out a smaller bundle of bread from the basket.

“This one’s for you and Carol.”

“F-For me?”

“I wanted to thank you for helping us get supplies for the duke’s estate, and for handling all the communication in between. I didn’t really have anything else I could give you.”

I smiled as I spoke, but Mr. Scrooge quietly replied,

“I… don’t deserve something like this.”

“No, you do. You’re helping me a great deal, even now.”

Knowing exactly why he felt so guilty, I brushed his words aside and tried to reassure him.

“Just enjoy it.”

“…Thank you.”

If I hadn’t seen what I did yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have brought bread for Mr. Scrooge and Carol at all.

Yesterday was the first time I’d ever seen the servants at the duke’s estate actually eating something.

Before they regained their faces, they had lived without eating anything.

So they literally couldn’t eat because they didn’t have faces.

Once their faces were restored, they naturally began eating regular meals, as though they always had.

That made me wonder.

Maybe the villagers would be able to live more like normal people once they got their faces back too.

Then I remembered something else I’d almost forgotten.

When the servants’ faces returned, my Restoration ability had become noticeably stronger as well.

Maybe I should test it…

Trying not to make it obvious, I quietly directed my ability toward Mr. Scrooge.

[You cannot use this ability right now.]

Why?!

My excitement immediately deflated.

Then, as if answering my question, another system message appeared.

[Requirements Not Met – Monter Village Residents’ Affinity Too Low]

Monter Village Residents’ Affinity: 66/100

Oh… right.

It actually made sense.

I had only been able to restore the servants’ faces after completely filling the affection meters of the head maid, the steward, and the head chef.

The problem was…

How was I supposed to raise the villagers’ affection?

[Beginner Tip! Check the “Monter Village Residents’ Code of Conduct” and provide the kind of help the villagers truly need!]

Right on cue, another beginner tip appeared.

The village code of conduct?

Monter Village Residents’ Code of Conduct

1. All transactions must use the Empire’s official currency. Bartering is permitted only with mutual agreement.

However, trading body parts based on subjective value is strictly prohibited. Any such transaction will be considered invalid.

2. Remain inside your home after 8:00 p.m.

Nighttime security in Monter Village cannot be guaranteed, and protection from outside dangers is not assured.

3. Avoid entering the forest leading to the Duke of Belmond’s estate whenever possible.

Even if the unfamiliar beings you encounter there appear familiar, do not assume they are human.

Right.

Rule 1 had already been updated, but Rules 2 and 3 were still unchanged.

Now that I thought about it, both of them were connected by the same issue:

the villagers’ safety.

The problem was, I had no idea how I was supposed to improve that.

It wasn’t an active quest yet, but if changing these rules was necessary to restore the villagers’ faces, it might as well be a quest without a time limit.

Maybe once I solved this, the path leading outside the duke’s territory would finally open.

“Hm…”

Getting the Golden Carrots so easily was definitely a good thing.

Even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just inherited an entirely new problem.

* * *

—Tritan Empire, Imperial Trading Branch of the Tirnel Grand Merchant Guild

“So… this is the gift the Duchy of Belmond sent me in return?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Empire’s First Princess, Melissa, was adored by both the Emperor and Empress.

She also had an unusual hobby:

collecting strange and curious items.

Naturally, Golden Carrots were among the rare plants growing in her private garden.

A few days earlier, when the Duchy of Belmond had inquired about obtaining some Golden Carrots, the princess had happily agreed to send them.

For one simple reason.

She had a feeling something interesting was about to happen—something that would break the monotony of her boring daily life.

But now, as she looked at the return gift before her, her eyes narrowed.

“Bread?”

Bread… from that eerie duchy.

At first glance, it didn’t look much different from ordinary bread sold anywhere else.

Seeing her obvious disappointment, Count Tirnel cautiously stepped forward.

“We had both priests and court mages inspect it in case it was enchanted. Other than having the effect of greatly extending the bread’s shelf life, it appears to be completely ordinary.”

“Hm. I didn’t donate Golden Carrots just to receive bread with a longer expiration date.”

The only reason she hadn’t dismissed it outright was because the bread itself looked slightly unfamiliar.

“Warm it.”

Not wanting to upset the treasured princess, Count Tirnel hurried to have the bread heated before presenting it to her.

In the tense silence, Melissa slowly cut off a piece with her fork and placed it into her mouth.

Swallow.

“…!”

Her brilliant sapphire-blue eyes widened.

“Y-Your Highness?!”

The count anxiously watched her expression.

Was there a curse they hadn’t detected?

Perhaps even its flavor was some kind of magical trick.