Lysander had not appeared before him since that day.
And after the conversation they’d had in the carriage, he decided to trust Enoch, who was confident.
Anyway, if Rosenta made excuses or went out of his way, he would basically be announcing 'There's a wolf here!'
So, he wanted to forget about the whole thing and solely focus on what was in front of him.
For example, a business to be started for the future.
"It's a lot cleaner here now."
"Yes, I came out every day and cleaned it. It's rewarding to hear the duke say it's clean!"
The dusty and dirty space was newly transformed.
Aphra stood triumphantly with a mop and broom.
It was obvious how hard he’d cleaned. Aphra's apron looked very scruffy.
"You must have had a hard time cleaning this place by yourself..."
"It wasn't hard! Isn't cleaning a virtue of a pretty groom!"
Aphra shrugged his shoulders while looking happy.
Perhaps he was proud of himself for cleaning this place on his own.
So Rosenta praised Aphra to the fullest. He and Enoch even clapped their hands together in encouragement.
‘Clap, clap, clap.’
Rosenta and Enoch’s applause echoed through the cellar.
"Very cool. What a beloved groom Aphra would be."
"Ah, thank you."
Aphra scratched the back of his head while fidgeting his body.
Then Rosenta noticed an envelope of papers that Aphra was hiding behind his back.
"What's that?"
"Ah! This... I was bored, so I wrote a proposal, but I was a little embarrassed..."
He hid the envelope behind his back again.
But Rosenta nonchalantly reached out to Aphra, as if telling him to show him the proposal.
"It's all right."
"Well, then..."
Aphra fidgeted for a while.
However, he did not scold Aphra for hesitating.
As he calmly waited, Aphra closed his eyes tightly and handed him the envelope with trembling hands.
Just in case he hid it again, he quickly took the envelope.
Then he pulled out the proposal right then and there and read it quickly.
"The most important thing to look at is..."
After giving it to him, Aphra seemed to be at peace and began to explain it to him step-by-step.
"These are blacksmiths that I've been considering. I thought we could select where to have the armor made. What do you think?"
[t/n: reminder that they needed armor for the skeletons to wear so people wouldn’t know they were dead.]
He sounded like an excited child who was about to go to an amusement park.
Rosenta looked up at him.
As he expected, Aphra was looking up at him with his eyes shining.
"Have you gone around in person?"
"Yes, I thought it would be good to find out the blacksmiths’ prices, abilities, and personalities first-hand."
Rosenta could tell by his unimpeded, confident words.
While he was away, Aphra seemed to have put things into action without taking a break.
He was overflowing with enthusiasm.
Rosenta looked at Aphra with pride, and he spared no praise for him.
"I must thank the Duke of Cardia for sending Aphra here. Without Aphra, I would not have been able to get this far."
He wasn't just full of passion. He was also very capable.
Rosenta had thought that he was only knowledgeable in geography and office work, but there were many other things, as well.
Aphra was a clever man.
He could tell by just looking at the proposal he had just given him.
The proposal was very good.
However, one would find it hard to believe he wrote it just by looking at Aphra.
This Aphra, who was shaken and unable to even make eye contact after receiving a compliment from Rosenta?
"Thank you, thank you."
Aphra bowed his head as if to hide his red cheeks.
Then he stuttered and continued.
"Me too... ...I never thought that what I had in mind would come true immediately... ...it's like a dream."
As he continued to speak, Aphra's trembling breaths gradually stabilized.
But suddenly, at a certain point, his excitement gradually increased.
Soon he lifted his head and began to shout loudly.
“It's a skeletal transportation business! It's so perfect!"
It was hilarious to hear.
How could the timid Aphra be so happy and excited to have Skeletons as employees?
Perhaps he was only fearless when it came to things, he was interested in.
"It will cost a lot in initial capital but, after that, it will cost very little."
Aphra was constantly chattering as if he were excited.
"You don't have to pay skeletons and, if we use the power the duke has shown me... ...it would be perfect for muzzling those who are under contract with us!"
Rosenta nodded.
There was a limited scope where skeletons could be used. There were definitely parts that required people to be hired.
That’s why Aphra was right.
"I saw something written in the proposal earlier."
When he looked through the proposal earlier, he read something related to this.
He quietly opened the proposal to read that part again.
These blacksmiths are on the verge of closure due to a lack of money.
If you ask them to sign a one-on-one contract, they will provide armor very cheaply.
Then, you must immediately have the blacksmiths enter the duke's 'contract of the heart' curse.
As things are in the early stages, confidentiality must be guaranteed and, only by placing them under curse, can this be done.
[t/n: Aphra is targeting desperate blacksmiths who will be desperate enough to work for cheap and be placed under curse. Brutal.]
This time, Rosenta read it slowly and absorbed the contents into his head.
Then he looked up.
He held out the proposal to Aphra, who was quietly watching him.
"Duke?"
He smiled silently at Aphra, who looked embarrassed.
He pointed to the pink apron that Aphra was wearing and said firmly,
"Take that off."
"What?"
"Among the candidates, there must have been a place that Aphra liked. Let’s go there."
Sluggishness wasn’t Rosenta’s style.
He made up his mind to move quickly.
"So, let's go there together."
***
The place where Aphra took him was called the 'Wonderful Blacksmith'.
It was quite a unique place.
First, the name of the smithy was so clunky that it caught his eye.
Second, his eyes were drawn to the blacksmith’s rugged face and body.
Finally, he couldn't help but sigh because of the blacksmith’s personality.
This was because he was just giving away his work like a fool.
"Hahaha. This is a knife I made out of a very expensive mineral, and it feels amazing! It looks like you’re a traveler, so I'll give it to you for almost half the price!"
Depending on how he felt, he lowered the price and was scammed with his eyes wide open.
"Oh! You left your money, so you'll give it to me later? Yes! Go ahead!"
There was a constant stream of people.
He sold things for so little that it was only natural that Rosenta wondered about labor costs.
It was so bad that he, who was far away, almost sighed.
"……that man seems to kind to manage a business."
After hearing him mutter that to himself, Aphra began speaking to him excitedly.
As if to enthusiastically appeal his opinion.
"Yes! That's the part that works as a strength for us."
He even pointed to the blacksmith with a convincing motion.
" As you can see, this is a business that has nothing left. They say the blacksmith shock will soon have to be closed…. If we reach our hand out now, we will catch them right away."
"The conditions are just right."
"And since he has that kind of personality, he would not think of deceiving us carelessly. Of course, we have the duke’s powers, but it is also important to choose someone who would not even consider deceiving us to begin with."
Aphra spoke without hesitation as if he were reading from a book in front of him.
He looked very excited.
"From now on, when choosing others, I think that although desperation is good, we should also look at that person’s basic character."
Rosenta nodded nonstop. It was to let him know that he was listening intently.
He didn't want to hurt Aphra's feelings, who must have been going through a hard time.
It was a reward of its own.
"Aphra, indeed. Reliable. Brilliant."
In addition, if you praised him, Aphra stopped the deluge of words for a moment.
With a face full of embarrassment, he twisted his body like a twisted bread stick.
"Thank you, thank you."
"Then can I leave it to Aphra to deal with that blacksmith first?"
"The duke must have a lot of work to do, but I'll do this much."
Aphra ran forward without giving him a chance to respond.
Then, as if there was nothing to be afraid of, he strode in big strides.
His silk shirt fluttered wildly along with Aphra's confident gait.
He paused at the door for a moment, but it was also brief.
Aphra entered the blacksmith shop without hesitation.
"He’s finally gone."
Someone crept up behind Rosenta, as if he had waited for Aphra to disappear.
It was Enoch.
From out of the shadows, it was the first time that day that he’d come to his side.
"It's a flaw that he talks a lot, but he’s sincere and smart."
It was an un-Enoch-like compliment.
Naturally, Rosenta became puzzled and turned his head toward Enoch.
He asked him,
"Why are you praising someone?"
"…… you're in the same boat. It would be good for the duke if this ship didn’t sink."
Rather than acknowledging Aphra, it sounded more like he was accepting him for Rosenta’s sake.
The corners of Rosenta’s mouth crept up.
It wasn't bad. Whatever the reason, he felt that Enoch was gradually changing.
"Why are your eyes like that? You look like you’re looking at your grown-up child."
But Enoch was not happy.
He kept gently wiping the area around Rosenta’s eyes. It was as though he was telling him to close his eyes because he didn’t like their look.
He didn’t close his eyes the way Enoch wanted. Instead, he looked up at him with a clearer gaze.
And said,
"Because it's true that you’ve grown."
Enoch's hand, which had been resting around his eyes, slowly lowered.
He answered firmly, staring at him with his darkened, light-green eyes.
"No, I haven’t."
Enoch's mouth became stiff as he gave his firm reply.
"I want to destroy that ship right now, and there will be fewer people for you to take care of and pay attention to."
Gradually, Enoch became venomous.
"But I won't. I'm more special than them."
"……Special?"
When Rosenta asked that, Enoch raised the corner of his mouth as high as he could this time; and he curved his eyes into half-moons.
"Yes."
Holding the black cloth around his neck as if it were precious.