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As I came out with bullshit after bullshit to explain the questions that Julia had, which we couldn’t answer truthfully, the hours passed by and we enjoyed breakfast with her. Julia had become overly dramatic for a bit, but she calmed down over time. She was constantly saying she was indebted on us though, and that what we did went completely beyond her expectations. She was saying she was readying a good prize for all of us, which would be our pay.
She said our pay had been readjusted from what she wanted to pay us up to three times, as she finally realized how much we were valued. She said that if she didn’t invested on us, she would easily lose us to another Duke that could offer more. I tried to convince her that I would never do something like that but she was constantly saying “money talks more than people’s emotions sometimes”, so I guess she didn’t trusted my words that well.
She went on and on about how my power could rival the entire kingdom’s military, and that if it was spread that there was such a powerful necromancer working as a mere mercenary, other nobles or even the royal family would attempt to take advantage of me and might contract me to destroy a whole neighbor nation. Of course, I constantly told her that I would never destroy a whole nation because that’s just batshit crazy, and even I find it insane, but she didn’t listen..
“Okay, okay! Julia, calm down! It is okay, just calm down! I am not going to leave you just because I am strong. Why would I be working for you to begin with?” I asked her. “I am well aware of my strength! I just genuinely want to help this place, don’t be so stubborn.”
“M-Marie…” Julia was moved by my words, as I desperately tried to calm her down so she would listen to what I had to say. She finally calmed down now but began to feel so moved that tears started to come out of her bright eyes.
“Oh, come on girl, stop crying…” I sighed. I caressed her head and looked at her hair. “You’re a mess, aren’t you a duchess? Come on, go to take a bath now. Today we are going to clean that dungeon and also we got some things to discuss, especially the origin of Darkbound and also the reason behind the dungeon break.”
“Oohh… R-Right! I cannot just get like this when I am the duchess!” Julia stood up, shaking the table. “I’ll go take a bath and get some proper clothes, let’s met in my office. Hector, call Emiliano as well.”
“Immediately, young lady. Maids! Go aid the young lady to bathe, make sure to get her hair as beautiful as you humanely can!” Said Hector, in the hierarchy of servants, he had the highest and give direct orders to maids.
“Very well!”
“Understood, leave it to us.”
“We shall not disappoint you.”
“This is a great challenge, miss is really a mess this morning…”
The Maids were going to have a hard time in the bath, I wished them good luck.
Hector quickly decided to take care of us while Julia was getting done, as he nicely invited us to a walk in the entire building, he decided to use this time to introduce us to some of the areas of the building. There was a massive library I really wanted to check out, a large kitchen with a dozen of chefs making food, the backyard which had many of the royal knights and soldiers training, and several other rooms filled with little decorations and paintings of past lords of the house.
We ended having some tea with cookies in the backyard while looking at the knights. There were mostly males, but there were also some talented females. It seems that mostly males became soldiers and knights. I doubt it is because of some sort of gender discrimination, as women can also grow just as strong as men in this world. But the whole duchy had more males available. There was a big tradition of arranged marriages, and most women decided to marry through them and become housewives, taking care of children. Only those that declined arranged marriages would become independent adventurers or soldiers.
It kind of sucks when you put it in a certain perspective, but it seems that most of the girls liked it that way, as people really just doesn’t like to put themselves in danger to be honest. If I were a woman in their place I might had realistically considered it. I used Analyze to check on all the soldiers and knights practicing and doing mock battles. I found some with interesting talents and unique abilities, but there was nothing outstanding though. Although I easily realized that nobles often have more skills, level cap, and stats than commoner soldiers.
I really didn’t liked how bloodlines just let you have a better status, that’s pretty stupid, but I guess that’s how things are. It is said that nobles descend from the royalty families, which subsequently descend from a single family, the first King of Midgard, who was supossedly created by Odin, the God of Light, and therefore he carried divine bloodline and developed great power.
Descendants of the first King all inherit some of his divine power. Although over the years the bloodline became thinner and weaker. This is how they later on mixed with heroes summoned from other worlds in ancient times. Most of the royalty of now, including Julia, are descendants of the first king and also of otherworldly heroes.
This fusion of bloodlines reinforced the main bloodline and made nobles way stronger now, although it has been hundreds of years since the last time the heroes were summoned, as the special device used for it was destroyed in the last war against the Demon King, and since then they had been unable to summon people from other worlds, which I find very nice, please never summon people from other worlds again…
“Sorry for being late…” Julia quickly joined us in the backyard, she looked radiant and beautiful, and her hair was fluffy and brilliant. Those maids did a wonderful job.
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