Five Million (2)

"Five million is no small amount. Please allow me some time to gather it."

"I want to see two million gold coins by tonight. The remaining three million can be delivered to the Temple tomorrow and the day after."

"...Fine."

The word was squeezed out from the back of his throat, and at this moment, Marcus's heart was bleeding!

Five million gold coins was not a small sum, even for a family as massive as theirs.

Yet, he had no choice but to pay.

"In that case, I shall return and await your good news."

"Safe travels, my lord."

"There is no need for such politeness. This is all for the sake of Her Highness and the Kingdom of the Moon. I do not deserve to be called lord. Please, Lord Marcus, there is no need to see me out."

With that, Augus turned and left. Soon, leading his twenty knights, he disappeared into the vast, torrential rain.

Marcus watched the receding figure, gritted his teeth, and turned around sharply!

"Send people to gather the money immediately! No matter what, those two million gold coins must be delivered to the Temple today!"

He glanced back at the spot where the figure had vanished into the storm.

He ground his teeth in resentment.

"Good! Very good! Augus, I will remember you!"

A man's silhouette flickered momentarily in the shadows before vanishing.

This news seemed to have grown wings, reaching Lola in less than half an hour.

"What!? He actually forced the Dressas family to produce five million gold coins?!"

Lola stood up from her chair in shock, utterly stunned.

"Yes, five million. And... it took less than fifteen minutes," Kaster said calmly, his voice steady and devoid of any surprise.

Lola slumped back into her chair, staring blankly at the documents before her.

The papers in front of her contained all the known history of Augus Di Clapham.

The Kingdom of the Moon organized its records simply, categorizing people into several types.

The Clapham family was categorized among a specific pile.

These were all fallen nobles, some of whom had already lost their titles and fiefs, leaving only their names behind.

However, even in such circumstances, they could not be classified as commoners.

The reason was self-evident.

As nobles, even fallen ones, their level of knowledge and the social circles they were exposed to far exceeded those of ordinary people.

Even if they were destitute, they still possessed certain capabilities.

Knowledge... was everything.

The education accessible to commoners and that available to nobles were on completely different levels.

Therefore, even if they had fallen, a noble was still a noble!

After a moment of contemplation, Lola looked up at Kaster.

"Continue to watch him. Do not miss a single detail."

"Yes!" Kaster took his orders and quickly withdrew.

Lola sat behind her desk and pondered for a while before picking up the document and heading toward the main hall.

...

Standing before a mirror, I looked at the girl reflected within.

I had to admit, this life was far too extravagant.

I watched the nuns' synchronized movements as they gingerly dressed me in my white Saintess's robe.

I couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.

I didn't even have to lift a finger to get dressed, with people serving me so meticulously.

When I ate, someone would even place the dishes I liked onto my plate.

Sigh... I've truly become corrupted!

But then again, who wouldn't be corrupted by this kind of life?

I'm glad I wasn't reincarnated as a man, otherwise, I would have definitely troubled Camilla a lot after arriving here.

On the other hand, I felt a slight tinge of disappointment that I wasn't a man. The people of this world... they really know how to enjoy themselves.

"Your Highness, you are fully dressed. What would you like for breakfast today?"

A young nun brought over a menu. The morning fare wasn't particularly lavish.

"What is being served this morning?"

"This set includes cream shortbread, a vegetable salad, and fish soup."

"And this one consists of jam bread, freshly squeezed orange juice, and grilled sausages."

Wow... it really is a very Western-style breakfast. It sounds like I won't have much of an appetite.

"Is there no fried dough sticks and savory tofu pudding with a side of pickles?"

The young nun holding the menu froze, looking up at Her Highness with a look of utter confusion.

"Your Highness, what... what are those?"

"Uh... never mind. Just bring me whatever."

As expected, I'll have to make those things myself!

I remember there are soybeans in this world, so I should be able to make tofu and savory tofu pudding, right?

"Yes."

The young nun left with a head full of questions. Although she had been serving this Saintess for nearly a month, she still found herself at a loss whenever Her Highness started talking 'nonsense.'

She had never heard of 'fried dough sticks and savory tofu pudding with pickles,' nor 'century egg and tofu with peppers,' 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall,' 'braised pork with preserved mustard greens,' or 'spicy poached fish.'

But for some reason, even though she had never heard of or seen these dishes, she felt they would be delicious.

However, whenever she asked Her Highness about them, the girl would always dodge the question, and the matter would eventually be dropped.

'Sigh... I wonder when Her Highness will stop talking in her sleep like this...'

The young nun walked out of the bedchamber with a troubled expression, only to see a red figure suddenly appear before her.

In the entire Temple, only one person was permitted to wear red!

"Ah! Bishop Lola!"

Lola looked down at the startled nun and adjusted her glasses.

"Discussing Her Highness so casually warrants punishment."

"I... I was wrong!"

The young nun quickly lowered her head, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.

Seeing her like this, Lola was about to say something more when she heard her Saintess's voice from inside the room.

"Is that Lola outside? Come in."

Hearing the summons, Lola spoke coolly.

"Do not let it happen again. Go."

Upon hearing this, the young nun felt as if she had been granted a grand amnesty. She nodded hurriedly and ran off.

Walking to the door, Lola smoothed out her red robe, ensuring it was clean and tidy before stepping into the bedchamber.

As soon as she entered, she saw her Saintess sitting at the round table, sipping a cup of rich milk coffee.

In the slightly dim room, the girl in pure white sat by the table.

Behind her was a large floor-to-ceiling window, outside of which were torrential rain and a sky thick with dark clouds.

There was a trace of relaxation in her cold red eyes, a smile played on her lips, and her long silver hair cascaded over the white Saintess's robe, shimmering with silver light.

She leaned back against a large sofa, her long legs crossed, emphasizing her slender and flexible waist.

Her two smooth, jade-like feet occasionally teased each other, her small toes intertwining as if they were competing.

The girl held a thick book in her hands, seemingly engrossed in it.

On a white porcelain plate with silver edges on the table lay several squares of nama chocolate.

Different animal patterns were drawn on the chocolates using blue blueberry jam.

The girl reached out and pointed at one randomly. Nara, standing beside her, quickly picked up a silver fork, gently lifted the selected kitten-shaped chocolate, and placed it in the girl's mouth using a silver tray.

Seemingly very satisfied with the taste, the smile on the girl's lips widened.

"Lola is here? Want some? It is fresh Count Grey nama chocolate."

I looked at Lola, who was standing frozen at the door. Why was she just standing there?

Lola's expression was dazed, but she suddenly snapped out of it, glanced at the exquisite chocolates on the table, and shook her head slightly.

"I have already had breakfast. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

"Alright, alright. How many times have I told you? You don't need to be so formal with me. It's not like we're outside and have to put on a show for others."

I gave Lola a look. Her personality was a bit too serious; she wouldn't even catch on to an occasional joke.

Lola's face, which was almost always a poker face, showed a trace of a helpless yet fond smile.

"Your Highness, no matter what, you are the sovereign. You must maintain the elegance a monarch should have at all times."

"Yes, yes... have a seat and let's talk."

I pointed to the large sofa next to me. Lola pushed up her glasses and did not refuse, walking over to sit down.

"Coming here so early, there must be something, right? What is it?"

I looked up at her. Her expression seemed a bit strange. Could she be too tired lately?

Should I give her a few days off?

Or maybe she's on her period like me?

To be honest, ever since I handed over the trivial matters to Lola, I barely had to deal with anything other than major decisions.

This had allowed me to gradually become quite idle.

"Your Highness, this is everything Augus Di Clapham did this morning."

With that, Lola handed over a sheet of paper.

"Mhm... let me see if this guy is worth using."

I set the copy of 《Heroic Legends》 aside, took the paper, and scanned it.

My heart skipped a beat.

But immediately after, I... laughed.

"Heh, who would have thought this guy actually has some skill. Not bad."

Being able to squeeze five million gold coins out of the Dressas family was by no means an easy feat.

But this guy had used only a few sentences, combining pressure and momentum, using half-truths to intimidate them into actually handing over that much money.

Whether in the past or now, five million gold coins was not a small sum to me.

Setting aside his act of borrowing the tiger's prestige, a fox that can actually catch prey is at least better than a tiger that just lies around doing nothing, right?

Moreover, catching a mouse doesn't require the tiger to act personally. There should always be some foxes standing in the front.

Since he borrowed the prestige, he naturally has to put in the work, doesn't he?

As long as this fox's ideas are for the benefit of the tiger,

then what does it matter if he's allowed to be a bit arrogant?

A fox is ultimately just a fox. Without the tiger, it's just a plaything that can only hop around.

"Your Highness, there is also this."

Lola glanced at me and handed over a document that looked quite old.

I took it and looked it over.

Lola's explanation reached my ears.

"Augus Di Clapham is the only remaining descendant of the Clapham lineage. His parents both died of illness when he was five years old. Although the family owns a small castle, it has long since fallen into ruin."

"Augus was raised by the Clapham family's old butler. Since the butler passed away two years ago, he has had almost no contact with the outside world."

"According to the information we received, Augus has had very little contact with outsiders since childhood, spending his years reading at home for leisure."

"After he left his home a year ago, there was basically no news of him until he suddenly appeared in Brilliant City yesterday."

At this point, Lola turned to look at me.

"Your Highness, although he has been tested with Holy Water, please be careful. Someone with such an obscure background still carries a certain level of risk."

"Mhm, I understand."

I set the document down. It seemed this Augus was indeed a genius. Geniuses are like sharp swords.

If used well, they can cut through gold and jade, but if one is not careful, they might also hurt themselves.

I should be more meticulous in how I handle him.

"What is he doing now?"

"Your Highness, immediately after leaving the Dressas family, he headed straight for the Alvin family estate. I believe he intends to purchase raw materials from them to execute his plan."

"Mhm, just keep an eye on him. There's no need to interfere. Let's see how far he can go."

"Yes."

I took a sip of coffee, feeling much more refreshed. Although I didn't get much sleep yesterday, thanks to my powerful physical attributes, I was only slightly fatigued and it didn't affect my state.

"What about Cain?"

"In response to Your Highness, Sir Cain headed to the knight barracks early this morning and should have arrived by now."

Leaving the front line to Cain was something I was at least comfortable with. Although the Heavenly Punishment Knight's attributes weren't at an absurd level, he had the bonuses from his title.

Even for a Demon Marshal, killing him would be no easy task.

Although the demon race was fundamentally stronger than humans,

when it came to titles, they did not receive the favor of the gods, so their title bonuses were very low.

Therefore, in the late stages, the difference in strength between top-tier humans and top-tier demons wasn't that great.

The significant difference only existed in the early stages.

The further it went into the late stages, the smaller the gap became.

Cain could handle one Demon Marshal without issue. Even if he couldn't win against two, he had the ability to protect himself and escape.

These were things that could be found in books; they weren't secrets.

"Step up the mobilization of resources so that Sir Cain won't have too many worries when he goes to war."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I have already made the arrangements."

As expected, having Lola around is great!

Who wouldn't envy such a capable secretary?

Heh... you can envy all you want, but I'm not giving her up. She's mine!

"Lola, I'm really starting to like you more and more. Come here, let me give you a hug!"

Lola's eyes flickered as she reflexively looked away, pushing up her gold-rimmed glasses out of habit.

"Your Highness, please conduct yourself with dignity!"

Oh my... the girl is actually shy. I have to tease her.

This is truly the first time I've seen Lola act shy!

"Aw, come on. A hug won't hurt anyone. What's the problem? There's no problem! Come here!"

I slid off the sofa and walked straight toward Lola, sitting down right beside her.

Mhm, she smells like shampoo. Lola really lacks a feminine touch. Next time I'll look into buying her a few bottles of perfume.

However, seeing this, Lola pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses again, her pupils trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, if you continue this, I will not be polite!"

"What are you afraid of? We're both girls!"

"Your Highness! Please behave yourself!"

Interesting, this is so interesting. It's the first time I've seen Lola so flustered. Hehehe... who would have thought, Lola, that you had a side like this!

I instinctively reached out to hug her, but halfway there, a hand-chop came down right on my head.

'Thwack!'

"Ow! Lola! You actually hit me?"

I clutched my forehead with both hands. This woman actually dared to hit me!

I am the Saintess! I am your boss!

You actually dared to hit me?

I stared at Lola in disbelief, only to see her stand up and calmly push up her gold-rimmed glasses.

"If there is a next time, the punishment will be doubled!"

"Eh?"