Chapter 8
Suddenly, something came to my mind.
It was one of the hidden quests, namely, the “Head Maid’s Embezzlement Episode.”
Of course, this quest didn’t have a deadline, so when I completed it didn’t really matter. But I didn’t want to delay it.
Why? Because when I went to the smithy to buy the mithril pickaxe, there was no guarantee I wouldn’t get scammed again, just like today!
When I played the game, Bin, the shopkeeper, never tried to rip me off. That’s because in Arc, there wasn’t any stat like “Mark Power”!
But now, being scammed like this was unprecedented, and it meant I could be easily fleeced at the smithy too.
For example, the “Experienced Blacksmith” I saw in the game might suddenly become a “Blacksmith Scammer” and try to cheat me too…
‘If I get fleeced at the smithy, the Calamari Mine is out of my reach.’
If that happened, the plan to gather magical stones would fail, and I might even end up forcibly marrying that old man, Vente.
Or worse, trying to avoid that marriage might lead to an even worse ending…
Either way, none of the options were good.
“I need to lower my Mark Power.”
My Mark Power was a whopping 95!
To reduce it, I figured I’d need to do something a little shady.
And right now, I had no money, no infamy, and no shame, so my motive was clear.
“Sophy.”
“Yes, M-Miss?”
“Take me to the Head Maid.”
Alright, it was time for me to do some “farming.”
The Head Maid, Mrs. Veer, was in a particularly good mood today.
‘I’ve already stolen 1,000 dalings this month.’
To be precise, it was ‘I’ve embezzled 1,000 dalings this month,’ but such details didn’t matter to Mrs. Veer.
“Hohoho, everything’s going smoothly.”
The Ulmer Duchy had no lady of the house. And Mrs. Veer had been managing the household for several years without an official mistress.
The Duke of Ulmer, being poor, didn’t care much for trivial matters and left all household chores to the servants, while his foolish adopted daughters kept quiet with just cheap dresses or a few inexpensive jewels.
The merchant dealings the Head Maid was involved in were perhaps supported by this neglect.
This month, she had embezzled 500 dalings through the egg supplier trade and another 500 dalings from the items that Adelhyde had broken. Of course, that wasn’t the end. Next week, she was planning to steal another 300 dalings from sugar and flour orders.
Considering her monthly salary was only around 2,000 dalings, the amount she was embezzling was enormous.
In fact, as more and more money went into her pocket, the Ulmer household was forced to live on increasingly poor meals.
But Mrs. Veer didn’t care about that. She could always blame the bad harvest or a natural disaster for the poor quality of food this year.
The Duke wasn’t a food connoisseur, nor did he care about household matters, so Mrs. Veer had nothing to worry about.
“This month, I’ll embezzle exactly 2,000 dalings.”
At that moment, a chilling voice came from over her shoulder.
“What are you embezzling?”
“What?! Who dares to enter my room… Ah, Miss Adelhyde?”
Mrs. Veer’s face turned pale as she turned around.
Adelhyde had bought the decorative pieces she had broken in the hallway herself, and lately, it was already known that Adelhyde was acting out in frightening ways.
Not only did she shout curses into the air, but she had also been known to scream loudly or even beat up poor old men outside. These erratic behaviors had made even the servants tremble in fear of Adelhyde.
And Mrs. Veer was no exception.
‘Why is the Duke’s rabid dog here…?!’
Could it be that she came to cause a scene?
As Mrs. Veer instinctively took a step back in fear, Adelhyde spoke again.
“Head Maid. I have a question for you.”
“W-Who, me?”
“Yeah. It’s nothing special.”
Adelhyde stepped close to her and whispered secretly.
“Got any money?”
“M-Money?”
Mrs. Veer’s eyes widened.
She glanced around, seemingly trying to think of some way to escape.
‘Well, she’s got guts.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly, looking at Mrs. Veer.
What could a poor noble family like this even have to steal…
‘Well, at least it looks like I won’t have to lift a finger.’
The hidden quest related to Mrs. Veer’s embezzlement didn’t have a specific completion deadline.
So, when I was busy, I sometimes delayed finishing it. But because Arc emphasized realism, the later I finished the quest, the more the amount she embezzled would grow—two or three times the original amount.
That meant the longer I waited, the more money Mrs. Veer would embezzle.
But!
I didn’t come here today just to complete the hidden quest in advance.
“Yeah, money.”
“Money, yes, but…”
“Then give me some.”
“W-What?”
I wasn’t going to kill the goose that laid golden eggs.
I’d leave Mrs. Veer to keep embezzling at her own pace, then take all that stolen money for myself.
Instead of getting rid of her, I could just make her my personal ATM, and then Mrs. Veer would automatically provide me with funds whenever I needed them.
“Ah, Miss, I’m sorry, but the Duke has strictly forbidden me from giving you any living expenses… So, I must…”
Of course, I’d need to train her first.
I smiled wickedly, folding my eyes, and reached out without hesitation.
Wham!
Crash!
With a swift punch, I knocked over a cup from the desk and sent it crashing to the floor.
“Ugh!”
Startled, Mrs. Veer stepped back, looking at me with a horrified expression.
Although I didn’t need to look at the system window, it appeared immediately to explain her current state.
[SYSTEM] ‘Mrs. Veer’ feels fear! Infamy +5, Karma +5
Servants watching nearby whisper in fear of your viciousness! Infamy +10
Stress decreases. Stress -5
I could raise my infamy by 15 with just a single punch!
Karma increased a little, but I was still in a safe zone. And thanks to the stress reduction effect, I was already feeling better.
Now, there was nothing holding me back.
“This… this isn’t right, Miss. If you cause a scene, I’ll report it to the Duke…”
“Report?”
After confirming that there was no penalty for hurting Mrs. Veer, I gave a sinister smile.
“Did you just say report?”
How dare my wallet rebel against me.
It seemed like it was time to tame her.
“W-W-Wait, Miss, that…”
Mrs. Veer was only just starting to realize the extent of my brutality, but by now, my well-practiced kicking skills had already been put to use.
Wham! Crunch—.
Mrs. Veer’s old wooden desk cracked under the force of my kick, as if giving a score for my kicking ability.
[SYSTEM] Critical Hit! ‘Mrs. Veer’ feels her life is in danger! Infamy +10, Karma +5
Servants watching nearby are afraid you might kill ‘Mrs. Veer’! Infamy +20
“Ahhhh!”
Mrs. Veer screamed in terror.
But the system window clearly showed me the direction I needed to go, so I ignored her and took a step closer.
“Madam.”
Step.
As I moved forward, Mrs. Veer took a step back, her face filled with fear.
“You can’t be this shocked already. We’ve just begun.”
Unfortunately, I no longer saw Mrs. Veer as a person. All I saw was money.
