Side Story: A Normal Girl Passing By Behind the Scenes of a Viscount Family

An auction regularly took place in an event hall in the imperial capital once per month. Standing nervously in the corner of the fervent hall was Lucrezia, the daughter of the House of Viscount Wilderness, who had just turned fifteen years old as of yesterday.

The Wilderness domain that her father governed over possessed a vast quantity of land, a quantity unexpected from a normal viscount, but... the majority of it was barren wasteland that wouldn’t grow vegetation at all. Nevertheless, his family dedicated their efforts to continuously protecting the people of his territory. And the people responded in turn to Viscount Wilderness’ zeal by continuing to work in order to enrich the struggling territory. However, it had been approximately a thousand years since people started living in the Wilderness territory. With the lives of the people not improving, the amount of citizens living in the area diminished, causing management of the territory to hit its limits. On top of that, Lucrezia’s father, Viscount Wilderness, had collapsed yesterday from fatigue. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to properly manage the territory or pay his vassals’ wages. If that kept up, the king would likely end up seizing the entire territory.

That was why Lucrezia had come to the auction grounds, her desire to help out her father burning strong. She had come to put up her brooch, a memento inherited from her mother, in the auction. Naturally, she had an aversion to putting a memento of her mother up for sale—even moreso since she knew it was a brooch that was passed down from generation to generation with her mother inheriting it from her mother, and so on and so forth. However, she ventured that her mother would allow it since it was to protect her father, the domain, and the people who lived within it. The real problem lied in how much she could sell it for.

The brooch had a magic stone set within it, but, unfortunately, it didn’t have any sort of enchantment built in. Be that as it may, it was decorated beautifully, so it wouldn’t go for less than thirty gold pieces. She could set her hopes on even fifty gold pieces, if she was lucky enough. The auction grounds were oddly fervent today. She might even be able to have her brooch won at an even higher price. Thirty gold pieces would cover the wages to their current staff of vassals. Fifty would cover the aid for the impoverished people of the territory in addition to that. And one hundred pieces might even finally get their stagnant land cultivation plans into motion. At least, that was what she dreamed. However...

“It... can’t be...”

Lucrezia stood off to a wing of the stage once the bidding began for her brooch, but what she saw wasn’t a dream—it was a nightmare. Any aristocrat was supposed to leap at the opportunity to own such a delicate brooch that had been put out to exhibit. Despite that, not a single one of the aristocrats showed any interest. Which meant...

“Eighteen gold pieces. I have eighteen gold pieces. Any other bidders? Going once, going twice...”

They were probably buying it to resell it. A handful of merchants went into a short bidding war, but the opposition quickly dropped out. It was looking likely that the winning bid would be for eighteen gold pieces. However, a mere eighteen gold pieces would make it difficult to pay their vassals’ wages. In which case, it made putting the memento from her mother up for auction pointless.

“...Mother, I’m so sorry. Mother... Hic... Sniff...” Lucrezia balled up her small white hands as large drops of tears poured from her eyes. As such, this tale ended in tragedy— or so it seemed, but there was still more to the story.

A few months passed since the auction had occurred, and with Lucrezia’s father still in bad health, the finances of the House of Viscount Wilderness had finally hit rock bottom. She had resigned herself to the fact that the end was drawing near, but one day, Lucrezia’s servant informed her that she had a visitor that had come to see her. However, she was clueless as to who it could have been, as she didn’t have any acquaintances who would be visiting her around this time of year. The best she could come up with was it possibly being a merchant or wealthy individual who was trying to marry her in exchange for providing aid to the House of Viscount Wilderness—with an ulterior motive of gaining the position of Viscount Wilderness. She was in such dire straits that she didn’t know whether that sort of proposal was even feasible or not.

Depending on the conditions, I’ll do it to protect the vassals and the people of the territory, Lucrezia thought to herself, setting her resolve.

“Who might this visitor be?”

“She introduced herself as a ‘normal girl passing by,’ milady.”

“...Come again?”

“It’s as I mentioned, milady, um... she said she was a ‘normal girl passing by.’”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. A normal girl wouldn’t come to visit the house of a viscount, even if they do say they’re just passing by.”

“Yes, well, um... while I also believe your counterpoint is sound, she seems to be dressed in quite expensive and exquisite garb. Which means she might be...”

“A spy... correct? I understand. In any case, I will go to meet with this person.”

Lucrezia quickly tidied herself up and proceeded to the parlor where her visitor awaited. There stood a girl so adorable that it boggled the mind as to how she considered herself a “normal girl.”

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Lucrezia. I am a normal girl just passing by in the area.”

“Oh, um, yes. Hello, I am Lucrezia. As a note, we are the only ones here, so...” she said, trailing off with the connotation that it was fine for her to drop all pretense and reveal her true identity, but the self-proclaimed normal girl passing by just looked at her in an adorable yet confused manner. She was most likely playing dumb, a clear sign that she had no intention of revealing who she was. “Um, might I ask if you are a holy woman making rounds, kind sister?”

“—‘Kind sister’?!”

She didn’t know this girl’s name, and in an attempt to gain some more information, addressed her in the way she would a woman of the church, but the self-proclaimed girl passing by gave her more of a reaction than she bargained for.

“I-I apologize for my crass assumption. Did I strike a nerve with you by calling you a sister?”

“Huh? Oh, no, not at all.”

“I-I didn’t?”

“No, not all. In fact, I prefer it.”

While Lucrezia didn’t follow, this girl was grinning from ear to ear. And although she didn’t follow, she assumed that she was maybe fine—probably.

She seriously didn’t follow at all, though.

At any rate, Lucrezia decided to press on and ask for more details.

“In that case, um... what can I help you with?”

“Right, I wanted to ask you a few questions about this brooch.”

“That’s...!”

Lucrezia’s eyes opened wide. The self-proclaimed normal girl she couldn’t quite follow had pulled a brooch out of thin air. It was the same brooch that served as a memento from her mother, the same one that she had begrudgingly auctioned off.

“But why do you have that...? No, what a silly question. You must have bought it off the merchant that won the bid on it, correct?”

“Uh-huh, it was given to me. Seems that they noticed that I was interested in it.”

“...O-Oh, I see.” An item valuable enough to decide the fate of an entire region, and it was given to her as a present out of passing interest.

How does she even consider herself a normal girl by that point? Lucrezia thought to herself, comparing their circumstances and finding herself beset with sadness.

“So, yes, about this brooch. You are definitely the one who exhibited this at the auction, correct?”

“Yes, that is correct. But what about it, if I may ask?”

“Would you mind telling me as to where you acquired this brooch?”

“That brooch is a memento of my mother.”

“A memento of your mother...” The self-proclaimed girl passing by seemed somewhat surprised by the revelation. Lucrezia felt it was a reaction that criticized her for selling the precious memento in an auction, so she ended up trying to explain herself. “Um, but I only sold it to protect the inhabitants of our region.”

“And your mother? Did she mention who gave this to her?”

“Um... my mother said she inherited it from her mother. That brooch has been passed down from generation to generation.”

“Generation to generation... Yes... I see...” The self-proclaimed normal girl passing by trailed off, gazing off wistfully into the distance. Despite the girl looking only a few years older than Lucrezia, her expression gave off the impression of having a storied past.

“...Um, is something the matter, kind sister?”

“Mm-mm, not at all,” the girl said, her eyes taking a kinder turn as she looked at Lucrezia. At the same time, her rather reserved tone up until then turned more casual. It was a tad too over-familiar—although, not to Lucrezia. Quite the contrary; the tone carried a sense of nostalgia, for some reason. Lucrezia found her own emotions confusing.

“Um... So is that the only thing you wished to discuss?”

“Mm... I was just a little unsure, but I’m going to be giving this brooch back to you.”

“...Huh?”

Lucrezia gasped in shock as she then found the brooch pinned to her chest somehow. The girl was sitting on the sofa chair across the table, so how in the world had she pinned the accessory to Lucrezia’s chest? That question had to wait, as there was a more pressing matter at hand.

“You said you’re returning it to me, but as for the money to buy it back, I...” she started, but she felt so pathetic that she couldn’t finish her sentence. The self-proclaimed passerby, however, gently shook her head in response.

“If you promise me that you will never relinquish it ever again, money is not necessary.”

“No, but...”

“It’s fine. Besides, I made a promise myself.”

“...A promise?”

“Mm-hmm. I made a promise with Misha. I told her that once she made something important, I would create an enchantment to protect it.”

“Misha...?”

The first thing that came to Lucrezia’s mind once she heard the name “Misha” was the noblewoman who had received the position of Viscount after all of her great accomplishments—the first Viscount Wilderness. But that was simply impossible. The House of Viscount Wilderness had been around for about a millennium. The first Viscount, Misha, and this self-proclaimed normal girl passing by couldn’t possibly have known each other. But there was actually something even more concerning...

“Um, what do you mean by ‘enchantment’?”

“Simple. The power for Misha—for you—to protect that which you wish to protect,” The second that the self-proclaimed normal girl passing by said that, a miracle happened. An intricate and shockingly big magic circle started to unfold around the girl, with her in the center. A sacred light spread throughout the room... and eventually, the light was absorbed into the brooch shining on Lucrezia’s chest.

“What... was that just now?” Lucrezia posed the question, but the self-proclaimed normal girl passing by just smiled without any answer.

“Alrighty then, I’ll be on my way now.” As fast as the girl managed to say that, she stood up and honestly tried to leave, which was why Lucrezia hurried to tell her to wait in order to stop her.

“...Do you have something you want to say to me?”

“Um, well... This brooch. Please, take it along with you.”

“...How come? I thought that brooch held fond memories for you as well.”

“Yes, that is why. I do not know what may happen in the future. But I don’t think that I will be able to keep any valuables on me, whether I like to or not.”

Whether the land was seized by the king, or whether some rich individual bought her for their own designs—either way, there was a high chance of the brooch being taken away from her. That was the deciding factor that made her want the girl to hold onto it instead. However...

“That won’t be necessary.”

“It won’t be... necessary? What exactly do you mean by...”

After she started to ask, the girl began to give her an unbelievable explanation. She explained that a large company called Gratt Commerce was willing to provide aid to the territory of Viscount Wilderness. Not only would they provide aid financially and for the food shortage, they would also provide the most gracious of aid by dispatching manpower to help. Once she heard that, Lucrezia set her resolve to sell her very soul in exchange. Despite that resolve, all they wanted as compensation was, should the territory of Viscount Wilderness begin to prosper, a deal with them to sell their local produce and other products with Gratt Commerce. That was it. The territory of Viscount Wilderness was impoverished. Even if they did have Gratt Commerce’s assistance, it was doubtful that they could make a deal that would satisfy the large company. There was also the fact that the territory of Viscount Wilderness had no “local produce” to even speak of. Logically thinking, this endeavor wasn’t profitable to Gratt Commerce in the slightest. Lucrezia told her all that, but...

“Teehee, you’ll see in due time.”

“I’ll see? See... what?” she asked, clueless as to what she meant.

The self-proclaimed normal girl passing by, on the other hand, simply smiled like an angel without answering her question. Instead, she simply spoke.

“Misha... I know I’m late on my promise... but I made good on it.”

Her gentle eyes were directed toward Lucrezia—no, toward the brooch pinned to her chest. As soon as she did, a pale light wrapped around the girl. And once the light dispersed... she was nowhere to be seen.

“Milady, I have brought you some tea. Milady...? I’m coming in.”

Was all of that just a dream...? Lucrezia sat thinking to herself, dumbfounded, as her maid entered the room in the meantime. Scanning around the room, the maid noticed that Lucrezia was the only one there and found herself puzzled.

“Oh my, wherever did your guest run off to?” asked Lucrezia’s maid as Lucrezia looked around the room. There was not a trace of the girl anywhere in the room.

But... Lucrezia trailed off in her mind, noticing the brooch adorning her chest.

“She... already went back home.”

“Oh, I see. Just who was she, if I may ask?”

“Good question... Who was she?” The talk of deals was extremely unbelievable, but her mother’s memento was right back with Lucrezia, so... “She might have been an angel passing by.” Lucrezia stared out her window as she softly touched the brooch.

The territory of Viscount Wilderness had been on the verge of bankruptcy, but one day, it started to rapidly come back to life. The head of the house, who had been bedridden, made a recovery, and Gratt Commerce started to provide aid around the same time. At first, the other merchants who learned of this started to gossip that Gratt was simply trying to gain the position of Viscount for himself, but Gratt Commerce denied that and declared that their actions were for the sake of future buying and selling. All of the other merchants laughed this off, saying that Gratt Commerce, a business that had been growing bigger rapidly as of late, was getting too big for its own britches and was making a foolhardy bet.

However... a few years passed, and the territory of Viscount Wilderness revitalized. The once-barren wasteland had come to life, making the land naturally prosperous and fertile. Not only that, but they even started cultivating some mysterious fruits that began to become extremely popular in the nation—its origins wrapped in mystery. As such, the territory of Viscount Wilderness had completely transformed into a prominent and prosperous area within the nation. It was unknown as to how they were suddenly able to grow produce. The rumors said that Gratt Commerce had imparted them with some knowledge, but there was not a single piece of documentation that stated that for certain. There were also legends that whatever wasteland the beloved daughter of Viscount Wilderness visited would have their soil turn rich and plentiful... However, nothing concrete was ever said. And, eventually, it was counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the House of Viscount Wilderness.