Memoirs -97

by Flameruner

Chapter 97 - Noble visits

Scarlett ended up spending only two more days in Freymeadow after spending that afternoon getting instructed by Arlene in the forest clearing. She’d spent those two days refining what the woman told her, trying to gauge the difference between normal pyrokinesis and the ‘true’ pyrokinesis Arlene had spoken of. Beyond explaining that there was a difference, and showcasing a couple of examples, the woman hadn’t deigned to explain much more than that, though, so Scarlett was still looking into the topic.

Since then, they had returned to the Freybrook mansion as Scarlett was preparing to deal with other matters. Evelyne had left shortly after Scarlett met her and Livvi a few days earlier, leaving some documents regarding the fiefs. Scarlett didn’t really know much about noble duties, tax laws, fief management, or even the land that actually belonged to the Hartford barony. So much of the content inside the documents had gone over her head. It seemed Evelyne had suspected as much, though, since there had been written outlines summarizing much of the material, which was helpful.

As far as she understood it, most of the Hartford family’s revenues and assets didn’t actually originate from their fiefs. They had an old keep—Stagmond Keep—to the northwest of Freybrook, with a small staff ensuring its upkeep, but which didn’t appear to serve any real purpose other than being the family’s ancestral fief. In the region surrounding the keep, there were a few villages that belonged to the barony, but none of them seemed to have any major exports. Or populations surpassing a few hundred, for that matter. All in all, the Hartford barony probably didn’t encompass more than a thousand people, which was nothing when compared to some towns that bordered it, not to mention Freybrook itself.

Despite that, the Hartford family had been a relatively prestigious family throughout the empire’s history, having several mansions, and even being at the level where the emperor himself would acknowledge them. It was a bit of a conundrum to Scarlett how the family reached such a level, in spite of their ‘humble’ origins. She’d learned enough about the empire’s aristocracy to know that there were a dozen other baronies of similar size just around the Freybrook area.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t exactly an encyclopedia where she could inquire about what made the Hartfords different and find a simple answer written in plain text. From what she could gather, though, it was a mixture of the family having produced several prominent mages over the generations, and making wise business decisions.

Or, well, at least it had been, before the original Scarlett became the head.

She wasn’t sure whether things got worse before or after the woman became the Baroness, but she doubted the original’s actions had helped the situation any. Over the last weeks, she’d gone through past financial accounts and seen some of the costs the original had racked up. Even for minor things, like clothes and jewelry, the numbers had astounded her. We were talking figures in the six digits. Probably enough to buy an entire neighborhood in this world.

Still, all of that was in the past. Things were on the upswing in those regards now. The money Evelyne had been bringing in from selling the loot Scarlett found was slowly mounting up, and recently she’d made sure to sell some of the more expensive jewelry as well. Even with the expected costs for repairing the mansion—when that time came—Scarlett wasn’t expecting any actual issues on the financial front, as long as they had enough time.

Well, that was assuming no other sudden costs popped up out of nowhere. Their current expenditures ranged everywhere from salaries for the employees spread out over their different mansions and fiefs, to the new orphanage that was now up and running, some of the business investments Evelyne was in charge of, and a few miscellaneous costs here and there, including a few different stipends and such that the house had been financing since previous generations.

Honestly, all this management and economy stuff was a bit much for Scarlett. Even with her already delegating the majority of the work to Evelyne and other people, she didn’t enjoy looking over what ended up at her desk. In fact, it annoyed her even having to bother with most of it. Sometimes it threatened to bore her to death. But she also didn’t feel comfortable with just ignoring all of it.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. She was pretty sure she could ignore all of that without feeling an ounce of regret. In general, she was relatively ambivalent to most matters that didn’t directly affect her. That went doubly so now that her personality had been affected so by the original Scarlett’s. There were a lot of things she just didn’t care enough about.

But she felt like she should. Which was all the reason she needed to force herself to do it anyway.

And she was in a position of power now, even if she hadn’t asked for it. That meant that it was only right that she performed some minor sacrifices where she could, like spending her time reading through boring documents, in order to ensure that those under her had it good.

She didn’t feel that empathy was a necessity when it came to taking other people’s circumstances into consideration.

Having gone through the last of the documents she’d been given by Evelyne, she placed them to the side for now. She was planning to return them to Evelyne in the evening. The younger Hartford sister had informed her she’d be staying at the mansion for a few days, apparently still worried about Garside’s condition. Even though the butler had been recovering without issue lately. It even seemed like his arm might heal, despite what the physician had said about its prospects.

Scarlett stood from her chair.

Right now, she had another matter to deal with. It should be about time. This morning, she had received a message from Gaven Ridley that he was back. He and the Countess should be here shortly.

Scarlett waited inside the east wing’s parlor when a knock sounded out from the door. It opened a moment later.

Gaven entered, wearing the same disguise as usual, followed by the robed figure of the Countess. The woman’s head nervously moved back and forth, taking the room in as if this wasn’t the second time she came here.

"Welcome," Scarlett said, gesturing to the seat across from her. "Take a seat."

The table that had been destroyed last time had been replaced, this time by a thick stone countertop Scarlett had brought up from the cellar. It wasn’t as ostentatious as the rest of the room, but she thought it might be best not to risk losing another piece of furniture quite so soon.

"I trust that things have gone well?"

Gaven sat down on the couch as he removed his disguise. "There were some minor complications," he said, glancing at the Countess as the hooded woman carefully moved to sit next to him. "But we got the job done."

He put a hand inside his vest, pulling out a black key. It was almost a carbon copy of the key the man had retrieved from Abelard’s Doll Orchard, with a sapphire-encrusted shaft that bent in on itself like a question mark, and a comb-like end.

[Abelard’s Doll Mansion Key (1/2) (Unique)]
{Half of a pair of keys leading to Abelard the Doll Maker’s Home}

This made two in her possession. With this, Scarlett had exactly what she needed in order to enter Abelard’s Doll Mansion. Now she just needed to wait until the right opportunity.

She reached and received the key, placing it inside the pouch of holding that lay next to her.

"Well done." She looked up at the man. "…And the second task? Did you carry it out as well?"

A smirk appeared on his face. "There’s nothing to worry about on that front. I did exactly as you instructed. Everything, including potential loose ends, was taken care of."

"I see…" Scarlett went quiet.

How messed up was it she that felt relieved at that? Hearing that what was essentially a hit, ordered by her, had been successful? No matter if the people had been bastards or not, it was, objectively, pretty terrible.

…Whatever. What point was there in overthinking the matter? This was another world. She was essentially another person. This wasn’t the first death she’d been involved in here. Despite the cliché, she wasn’t going to cling to all of her old morals. As long as she wasn’t crossing any lines she didn’t want to cross, she would continue as it was.

She had never been a saint, anyway.

"I will ensure that you are properly compensated for your services," she told Gaven, before turning her attention to the Countess. The bandaged woman had been sitting quietly in her seat the whole time. "It is a pleasure to see you once more, Countess. I hope things have been well since our last meeting?"

The woman blinked. "Ah, ah. Y-Yes. Yes… Thank you…thank you. I have been well."

"I am glad. I feared Abelard’s Doll Pavilion would prove an unpleasant experience for you, but it appears there was no need for concern."

The Countess fervently shook her head. "No need. No need. I…did as Mister Ripley said… There were no problems."

A snort left Gaven beside her. "Yeah, tell that to what remains of that place’s roof."

The woman stilled, her bandaged hands clasped tighter around the robe’s fabric on her lap.

"As long as you fulfilled the goal, nothing else matters," Scarlett said. "You have done well, Countess. Thank you for your aid in this matter."

The woman looked up at her with wide eyes, an unsettling smile growing across her face. "So kind… Yes. Yes. You’re welcome. Yes."

"…Let us proceed on to other matters." Scarlett tried not to look too much at her. Even if the woman’s appearance was in what could be considered a better state than last time, it still raised the hairs on her neck. And she was pretty sure the Countess hadn’t bathed since they last met, as well. The smell told her as much.

It was a good thing she was paying Gaven as much as she was. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure he would accept working with the woman like this.

"Don’t tell me there are more of those creepy pavilions or whatever that we need to rob?" the man in question asked.

"No, there is not," Scarlett said.

She would have preferred sending Gaven to the next place in the questline if that was an option. But he wouldn’t be able to clear Abelard’s Doll Mansion by himself with just the help of the Countess. It required more than two people to get through that place. Besides, there was another thing that she needed him to do in the meantime.

So, she would have to do it herself. There were at least two important items she needed in Abelard’s Doll Mansion. It was her second priority, after dealing with the Hallowed Cabal.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t certain that her current group could clear the place either, now with Garside in his current state. They would either have to wait until he fully recovers, or find someone else to help. Maybe if Kat was available sometime soon, or if they could hire another powerful Shielder? Convincing Adalicia to join was also an option if the wizard returned from the Rising Isle soon. Scarlett wasn’t sure when that would be, however.

"Your next task involves procuring an old artifact that will be of vital importance to our plans," she said, looking at Gaven. "Regrettably, it is currently in the possession of another. One who neither realizes its worth nor its potential. It will be up to you to ensure it finds a new, more suitable owner."

The man smirked. "Yeah, I bet. What’s the item?"

"It is a small dagger, known as the Memory of the Covenant."

He stared at her. "…You’re pulling my finger."

"It would appear you know of it," Scarlett said. "That is good. I can assure you, however, that this is not a jest."

"I’ve heard a couple of things about it, yeah… But those are just old superstitions among old swindlers. Guys more likely to pluck a gold tooth from their old lady’s mouth than spout an honest word from their own, even if it killed them."

"The artifact’s existence is no superstition." Scarlett crossed her arms. "Though I will admit that the dagger does not hold much worth on its own. However, I know how to bring out its full capabilities, and we will have need of it in our plans. It is fortunate that you are an individual that is well suited for these sorts of tasks."

Gaven eyed her for a moment, as if he was trying to really make sure he wasn’t the butt of some joke right now. "…Alright. Sure. Sounds interesting. If it can really do what those old tales say, I wouldn’t mind getting the chance to try my hands at it."

"You seem certain that I would allow you the opportunity," Scarlett said.

"Lady, I’ve dealt with enough idiots in my time to know when I’m talking to the opposite. You wouldn’t give someone like me the job of getting this thing if you weren’t intending for me to use it as well." He let out a chuckle. "Or if you would, I can tell you that you should rethink who you do business with in the future."

"…No. You are correct. I am indeed intending for you to make use of this artifact in the future."

"What can I say?" Gaven brushed away some imaginary dirt from his arm. "I’ve got a talent for this kind of thing."

"I am sure that you do." Scarlett just shook her head at the man’s theatrics. "Know that, this time, carrying out the task clandestinely is of vital import. You are not to be caught, nor are you to interact with the current keepers of the artifact or their staff in any way."

The people in possession of the [Memory of the Covenant] were just some old, rich noble couple. They had done nothing wrong, and as far as Scarlett recalled, they’d actually been pretty decent in the few dialogues they had in the game. While she would technically be stealing from them, there was no point in causing unnecessary harm in the process.

"I get it." Gaven nodded his head, then sent a look towards the Countess. "Something like this, though… I’d have to do it by myself."

Scarlett furrowed her brow. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah. I can’t be busy being a nanny while doing a job like this."

The Countess gave him a confused look. "…Nanny?"

"Ridley." Scarlett glared at him.

He held up his arms. "Sorry, sorry. A chaperone, then. Better? You know what I’m getting at."

Scarlett eyes the Countess. It was true that it might be hard bringing the woman with him this time if she wouldn’t be of any help to the mission itself. But what would they do with her in the meantime? She wasn’t exactly the sort of person Scarlett felt comfortable leaving on her lonesome until they needed her again. That’s why she’d wanted to team her up with Gaven like this to begin with.

"How long do you believe this task would take?" Scarlett asked.

"Depends." Gaven leaned forward. "You sure you want it done all sneaky-like?"

"Yes."

"Where is it right now?"

"In Fayrun. The current holder is a baron by the name of Branson. He owns a mansion in the city. The artifact should be kept in their gallery."

The man seemed to think about it for a moment, scratching his beard. "Give me two weeks."

"Two weeks?"

That was more than Scarlett had expected.

"Getting inside a noble’s mansion without causing a ruckus is far from a cakewalk."

"You did not appear to have much issue entering mine."

He grinned. "That didn’t exactly end that well, did it?"

"I doubt they will have the same level of detection as me."

"Still." The man shrugged his shoulders. "There’s a lot to prepare if it’s in Fayrun. I didn’t go prancing into this place without thought, you know."

"I have already arranged the passage. You will arrive in the city as early as tomorrow morning."

"Already took that much for granted. Still the same deal. Two weeks to be on the safe side."

"…Very well."

Scarlett turned to look at the Countess. What was she supposed to do with her for that long a period?

"D-Dagger…" The woman suddenly spoke. "What… What is the dagger for?"

"It will serve to help you in the future."

"M-Me…?"

"Yes."

An odd expression appeared on the woman’s face, a thin smile on her lips as she looked down at the table.

"Until then, would you agree to staying at this mansion as my guest?" Scarlett asked.

The Countess stilled, blinking as she stared up at her again. "Me… Stay here?"

"Indeed."

"I-Is…that alright?"

"Of course." Scarlett nodded. "You are an associate of mine, and I see no reason as to why you should not be able to reside here."

A chuckle left Gaven.

Scarlett shot him a look. She didn’t especially like this solution either, but he could at least try to keep up appearances a bit, couldn’t he?

"T-Thank you… Thank you." The Countess lowered her head again, and again, repeating the same phrase. Then, for some reason, she suddenly stopped, slowly glancing up at Scarlett again. "…h-help me…?" Her words came out in a whisper.

"Excuse me?"

The woman froze, bandaged hands clasped tightly together. "Dagger… You said the dagger…the dagger will help me… How?"

Scarlett looked at her for a short while, unsure exactly what to answer. She hadn’t been expecting the woman to actually ask any questions about what they would be doing. "…You have a sister, do you not?"

The Countess’ eyes widened, as a frenzied look suddenly entered them.

"S-Sister?" She stared wordlessly at Scarlett for several seconds. Then, suddenly, she started pulling at her robes as her eyes shifted around the room. "T-That’s right… M-My sister… My sister… My poor sister… T-They took her… My sister…sister…"

Scarlett pulled back slightly as the woman’s words continued. She hadn’t thought bringing the subject up would cause this kind of reaction.

As the Countess’ ramblings turned more and more incoherent, the woman’s eyes locked onto Scarlett once more. "M-My sister! They…they took her…! They killed her—no, they took my sweet sister! They came…into our home… They took her…from my hands…they want to use her…injure her…those evil people… They killed everyone… N-No, they took everyone…? Everyone gone? They have to pay! Yes… The Baroness is kind…! Make them pay…! Please…my sister."

Keeping her expression as still as she could, Scarlett listened to the woman’s ravings. In the Countess’ mind, what did those events look like? How had things become so twisted that the woman herself didn’t even seem sure?

It might have been better if Scarlett hadn’t brought up the sister at all yet.

"…That is right," she eventually said, mustering the closest thing she could to a soothing voice. "The evil people who took your sister will see justice. I will ensure that you get to meet her again. This I swear upon my name."

The Countess stopped, gawking at her. The crazed look in the woman’s eyes was still there, but it looked like Scarlett’s words had some effect, as the woman lowered her head, her raving having turned into a quiet mumble that was barely discernable from a whisper.

Scarlett turned to look at Gaven. "…It appears the Countess will indeed be staying here for now. I am expecting you to return in two weeks, with the Memory of the Covenant in your possession."

The man leaned back in his seat, shooting her a smile. "Have I failed you yet?"

"No, you have not. And I hope it will continue as such in the future."

"Sure. ‘Course it will." He glanced at the mumbling woman beside him. "Can’t say I envy you and your end of things, though."

"Ridley."

"Just saying. Sounds hard. Nothing more to it."

Scarlett shook her head. "Let us proceed on to the specifics, so that you know what will be required of you."

For now, she would leave the Countess alone. She would figure out how to deal with all of that later.

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