“Uhm…”
Ellie began to think deeply.
She needed to secure funding, but the fact that it was her friend’s allowance made her heart ache.
And besides, Isabel’s allowance (though the amount was more than enough) wasn’t a good source of funds.
After all, it was money she received from others, and she was just passing some of it along.
What if Duke Shuker gets angry and says, “What is this nonsense you’re doing with money I gave you to live comfortably and pursue grand ideals?”
The orphanage would find out right away, and Isabel would have a very sad outcome on her end.
Especially because it started with good intentions.
And then Ellie took her thoughts in a slightly different direction.
‘What if I just ask Duke Shuker for direct support instead?’
It was a valid point.
The problem was that the orphanage wasn’t in the Shuker Duchy, but in the Marquis of Ripete.
‘If it were an orphanage within his own territory, he would’ve set it up himself for some social utility, but helping another noble’s orphanage was just wasting money.’
‘So, what if I just move the orphanage?’
That, too, was easier said than done.
Isabel’s family, the Shuker Duchy, was located up north in their home territory and the eastern provinces.
The northern part was too far, but the eastern provinces were only a day’s carriage ride away, assuming they left the building behind and just moved the children and a few staff along with some luggage.
However, from the Marquis’s perspective, it would look like orphans who had been left behind, afraid of his bad reputation, had “escaped,” and from the Duke’s perspective, it would seem like a bunch of orphans suddenly showed up, asking for land and buildings to be handed over.
In theory, it was possible.
‘But who could persuade these two nobles?’
In the end, while the idea was simple and made sense, it was something that couldn’t actually be done.
For an ordinary person, at least.
Ellie, however, had the willpower and strength to actually carry it out.
And most importantly, she had power and connections.
‘First, I’ll visit the Marquis, then I’ll persuade Isabel’s family like this… Yes, that should work.’
Ellie finalized her plan in her head.
At that moment, a girl appeared inside the orphanage.
It was Mary, who had always suffered from eye problems.
“Uh, Lady Ellie…”
Of course, now her eye problem was treated, and although the vision in one eye was still blurry, she could now open both eyes properly.
“Mary. Don’t call me that.”
“B-but…”
Mary fidgeted before pulling out a large, thick book from behind her back.
“This… is the book you were looking for, Lady Ellie…”
The cover read, “The Complete Guide to Imperial Nobles.”
Ellie didn’t know who had donated it to the orphanage, but thanks to it, she had been able to learn about the various noble families before attending the academy.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, no… it’s nothing…”
Mary lowered her head.
She had been one of Ellie’s friends, but after Ellie became a magician and returned, she could no longer bring herself to look up.
It was a bittersweet situation.
Previously, Clea and Stella had subconsciously realized that Ellie was of a much higher status than they were.
At that point, they each tried in their own way to be equal to Ellie.
They had subconsciously realized that to stay as Ellie’s friends, they needed to do so.
In contrast, the orphans, including Mary, never once thought they could be equal to Ellie.
And Ellie couldn’t blame them.
Even though everyone had their own circumstances, it wasn’t fair to expect the same standards from children born to noble families as from those who had lived their whole lives as orphans, abused by the monster, Doloria.
However, in the end, because of that difference, the orphans could no longer be Ellie’s friends.
It was truly a bitter thing.
But it was something Ellie couldn’t change, so she swallowed the bitterness and smiled.
“You’ll hear good news soon. Your living standards will improve a lot. So, I hope you all stay happy and find your own path one day. Can you pass this message on to everyone?”
“Yes!”
“Thank you, Mary.”
Ellie took the book from the girl.
It was time to leave.
There was nothing more for her to do here.
“Well then.”
“U-um, Lady Ellie.”
Mary, who had lifted her head again, had tears streaming down her face.
“I… I pray for you every day.”
The girl cried freely.
Now, she could cry without the pain in her eyes, even though her heart still ached.
“I will pray for you forever, Lady Ellie.”
The paths had diverged.
They could no longer be friends.
But she would love her forever, worship her, and thank her always.
“If you ever need a life, please call me anytime.”
This time, Ellie gave a small smile.
“Magicians don’t offer sacrifices, whether they’re human or not.”
From the perspective of commoners who didn’t know magic, magicians were as feared as they were respected, and there were many misunderstandings and prejudices.
It was a remark that could have been seen as rude from a girl who didn’t understand.
However…
“Still, I appreciate the sentiment.”
Ellie expressed her gratitude because she could see the sincerity in Mary’s eyes.
For whatever reason, Mary had firmly made up her mind that if Ellie ever asked for her life, she would give it willingly.
Ellie carefully accepted that heavy sentiment, acknowledged it, and expressed her thanks in return.
“Of…”
Mary’s face fell for a moment, disappointed after hearing that Ellie had rejected her only way of offering gratitude.
But then, she smiled faintly.
“If you change your mind, please let me know.”
It was sincere, but also a bit of a joke.
Ellie smiled back at her.
Then, Ellie took Isabel, who was crying uncontrollably, and returned to the world of magicians far away.
Mary waved until Ellie disappeared from sight.
After Ellie was gone, she knelt down and prayed.
“May only glory and joy fill the future of my great savior.”
***
As Ellie was leaving the orphanage, she spoke to the coachman.
“Could you take me to the Ripete Marquis’s residence?”
“Sniff… Ellie…?”
Isabel, sitting beside her, looked confused.
‘Why was the lady suddenly going to the Marquis’s house?’
‘…Could it be?’
Isabel’s tears instantly disappeared.
‘Was she about to do something ridiculous again?’
And the girl’s prediction turned out to be correct.
“Hello! It’s me, Ellie! I’m the one who killed the previous Marquis and exposed the family’s drug business! I just have a little something to say, so I’m coming in!”
“Eh, eh, eh, Ellie?!”
Then, Ellie returned to the academy, wrote a letter, and called for Isabel.
“Why?”
“Is your Duke your father or mother?”
“He’s my dad, but….”
“Then I’ll send this to your father, so you write one line here too.”
“Huh? What should I write?”
“Hmm… ‘Please take care of the daughter who loves her father’?”
“What’s that… so childish…”
Though she grumbled, Isabel did as Ellie asked.
To a smart person, sometimes the world can seem like a giant machine.
If you press this, it works like that, and if you turn that, it reacts like this.
So, if you want to reach a conclusion like this, you just need to tweak this and that, something like that.
However, the difference between machines and the world is that each ‘part’ moves with its own thoughts.
A letter from the academy arrived at Duke Shuker’s magnificent mansion.
“Hmm…”
The Duke was a man of exceptional intelligence and deep insight, far above others.
Unlike his daughter.
In fact, it was because of his intelligence and insight that he had left his cheerful daughter to her own devices.
‘Isn’t it said that fools are the happiest?’
It might have been a bit too much of a hands-off approach, but…
…After all, no matter how smart a person is, educating a child is always difficult.
***
Anyway, after lightly skimming the letter, the Duke immediately understood what Ellie was proposing.
To summarize, she was asking to take in some orphans she had connections with.
She wanted to build an orphanage to raise her moral reputation, and suggested that it would be good to leave some debts with the Marquis too.
Up until here, anyone could have thought of this.
However, the Duke re-read the letter from the beginning.
Because in Ellie’s letter, not only had she neatly organized the costs for the orphanage, but she also outlined the social benefits of having one from the Duke’s perspective.
She even mentioned the Duke’s need for a foothold in the central region due to the nature of his fief, and specifically described how much debt could be left with the current Marquis of Ripete.
She had even completed the persuasion work.
Anyone can say they’ll buy cheap and sell high.
But if you write down exactly where and how much you’re going to buy cheaply, where you’ll sell it for a higher price, and how much profit you’ll make every month, then it becomes a business plan.
The distinction between what anyone can do and what they cannot lies in the details.
And Ellie’s letter was very detailed.
‘In short, you’re telling me there’s money lying around, but I don’t know about it, so pick it up.’
And in fact, the Duke hadn’t known that the money was running low. From his perspective, it was clear that following Ellie’s suggestion would be beneficial.
But.
‘This girl is extremely competent.’
It was only natural to want to test someone who was too competent.
Especially if you’re in a position where you have to select and promote people.
Machines and humans are different.
However.
‘…Please take care of the daughter who loves her father,’ huh?
Machines and humans are different.
If the Duke didn’t have a daughter, he probably wouldn’t have intentionally left the money lying there.
The immediate benefit was trivial.
But verifying whether the competent person in front of me is truly extraordinary or just a little smarter than others was far more important.
‘Would she rise above the trial, or would she crumble as soon as things didn’t go her way?’
Knowing the answer to that was more valuable than gold.
However, Isabel.
His pride and joy, but also his worry, his daughter, had asked him to.
‘And wasn’t it written in the letter?’ Isabel had cried pitifully over the state of the orphanage.
She was a child with a bit of an overprotective side.
She probably did cry.
If he were to refuse, she would most likely cry even more.
‘Maybe she would soak her pillow with tears and shout, “I hate you, Dad! You’re an idiot! You’re a cold-blooded creature with no heart or tears!”’
‘…Does Isabel know what it means to be a cold-blooded creature?’
‘She probably does.’
Anyway.
“…Hmm.”
The Duke tapped his fingers on the desk.
‘Could it be that she made Isabel write that sentence, considering all this?’
It’s possible.
If so, he had been outsmarted.
Heh heh heh.
Rather than having someone else write the letter, the Duke wrote a reply himself.
The letter was full of flowery rhetoric and elaborate phrases, but when interpreted and summarized, it meant this:
[I will allow and support you in moving the orphanage you’re connected to into our domain. Be thankful.]
[Also, since you seem competent, I’ll give you some pocket money. Be thankful.]
[After you graduate, if you come under my wing, I’ll give you preferential treatment. Wouldn’t it be good to work with your friend as well?]
[Honestly, our daughter is kind, but she’s not cut out to be a Duke, so it would be nice if you helped her.]
[You too, wouldn’t it be better to work under a kind but slightly lacking Lord, rather than a very competent one who takes care of everything?]
[As long as you don’t bring down the family, you can take a little for yourself. Think about it. We have plenty of money in our domain.]
“…In many ways, he’s an impressive man.”
After reading the Duke’s reply, Ellie smiled wryly.
“Huh? What did Dad say?”
“He said, since I’m your friend and feel sorry for your poverty, he’s giving you pocket money, and that he wants you to take care of his daughter. Your father loves you too, hmm…”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Of course, my dad loves me.”
“Yeah. Just stay like you are now.”
“What does that mean?”
Ellie said nothing and just ruffled Isabel’s hair.