Her tone was earnest, as though she were the one being cared for. Kieran shook his head.
“I don’t mind, but if you remove your cloak, won’t you feel cold?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t.”
Kieran decisively took the cloak from her hands and placed it back over her shoulders.
As he adjusted it, his large hand brushed over her shoulder. Startled, Alyssa froze for a moment.
His hand is cold…
People accustomed to the warmth of the capital often struggled to adapt to the northern climate and fell ill.
When she raised her head to examine his complexion, Kieran gave her a small smile.
“I’m more concerned about them than myself,” he said, gesturing to the Pendulums.
Following his gaze, Alyssa sighed involuntarily.
“…”
“…!!! …!”
The ten Pendulums stood trembling, their hands clamped tightly over their mouths. Their excitement was so palpable that Alyssa worried they might faint from sheer exhilaration.
It took her a moment to realize their bizarre behavior was because of her earlier command.
“You may speak.”
As soon as her reluctant permission was granted, the storage room was filled with gasping, heaving breaths as they exhaled the air they’d been holding in.
The cacophony made Alyssa wince, her face flushing with embarrassment at subjecting Kieran to such a racket.
“Haah… haaaaah…!”
“My goodness, God does exist! I repent for my life as an atheist!”
“Are we dead? Is this heaven?”
One of the Pendulums, her hair tied up high, suddenly turned her head toward them.
“Your Grace! Your Lordship! Your Majesty? My liege?”
“…Call me ‘Your Grace.’”
“Your Grace! May I touch it? Just with a single tip of my finger, I swear! I’ll be so careful!”
Faced with another barrage of words, Alyssa paled but nodded reluctantly.
The woman darted forward, moving as swiftly as a cockroach toward the piles of monster carcasses. The others followed suit.
“It’s all Grisel! These were nearly extinct in the kingdom, only found deep in the forest…”
“Oh, my dear Hera! My love! You were here all along! I’d cross the dark forest a thousand times to see you!”
Clutching the lifeless forms of monsters, they wept like people reuniting with long-lost lovers.
Alyssa furrowed her brow as she observed their behavior. Every carcass they gravitated toward was either animal-like or plant-like.
These were the most common types of monsters in the empire.
They were so abundant that, in desperate times, her family had even considered cooking and eating them.
“Um, Lady Alyssa…”
Alma quietly called over Alyssa and asked, his voice subdued. Alma, his eyes swollen from earlier tears, sniffled as he answered.
“In Pendulum, most of the monsters are golems—creatures made of earth. Monsters with organic forms almost never appear.”
He added that monsters rarely left the forest in their territory, requiring them to venture inside to drag them out.
Alyssa pondered this.
Monsters didn’t possess human-level intelligence, but they were intelligent enough to breed and avoid danger.
Perhaps instinctually, they recognized that entering the kingdom would lead to certain death. Instead of venturing into guaranteed defeat, they targeted the empire, where they might at least gain something.
“I was right! I knew it! The fools who called me crazy in the kingdom are probably still wasting time with trivial experiments!”
“Hahaha… It’s good we came here…”
After their emotional outbursts subsided, the Pendulums began approaching Alyssa one by one.
“Your Grace, what do you need? Just say the word!”
A small, stout older man shouted with an authoritative voice.
“There are frequent wars here, aren’t there? I’ve devoted my entire life to crafting offensive artifacts. I can build flamethrowing chariots or bombs capable of leveling castles—just provide the materials!”
His bold declaration caused others nearby to bristle.
“Look at this old coot trying to cut in! Your Grace, I can create flying devices! They may be slow, but with these materials, I can surely—”
“Get lost, fool! What good is a vehicle slower than walking? Your Grace, wouldn’t something more practical be better? I can make lights that don’t emit heat! They’re simple to produce—up to twenty a day!”
“Twenty? And what would they do with them?”
“Sell them, obviously! Think of the money! Unlike you, I don’t have to beg for research funds because I actually think about profit!”
What started as appeals to Alyssa soon turned into arguments among themselves.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly heated, Kieran frowned, and the sound of steel scraping broke through the commotion.
“Quiet.”
The low voice silenced the room instantly. All eyes, wide with surprise, turned to Alyssa.
Having come prepared with her sword this time, Alyssa slid it back into its sheath after unsheathing it just enough to make her point.
“Answer only when asked,” she said sternly.
The scholars nodded obediently, their sharp minds recognizing the need to behave to ensure their safety.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” Kieran interjected gently, easing the tense mood. His soft tone drew the eager gazes of all ten scholars.
“As you’ve mentioned, there are items I’d like you to create for the duchy and its lands, but…”
What is it? It must be my idea, right?
Though silent, their eyes sparkled with such intensity that their unspoken thoughts were practically audible. Kieran merely smiled.
“Unfortunately, none of the suggestions thus far are what I need.”
One of the scholars gaped, then hastily closed their mouth, their wide eyes filled with unspoken questions.
What Kieran sought wasn’t weapons for war or practical goods for trade.
Those would surely become necessary in the future, and he had no objection to creating them when the time came. But not now.
His words seemed akin to kicking away a treasure chest filled with gold to those before him.
Kieran simply smiled.
“I’d like to commission the production of artifacts for decorative purposes.”
The first products from the Benoit duchy would be luxury goods, designed to cater to the nobility.
Please at least let us have access to this chapter, it’s around 2 weeks since you last updated

Tomorrow you are getting an update I promise
, I have my last exam tomorrow, after that the updates will be frequent, thanks for being patient

Can’t breathe I want more moooooooooorre


