“So, yes, about this brooch. You are definitely the one who exhibited this at the auction, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct. But what about it, if I may ask?”
“Would you mind telling me as to where you acquired this brooch?”
“That brooch is a memento of my mother.”
“A memento of your mother...” The self-proclaimed girl passing by seemed somewhat surprised by the revelation. Lucrezia felt it was a reaction that criticized her for selling the precious memento in an auction, so she ended up trying to explain herself. “Um, but I only sold it to protect the inhabitants of our region.”
“And your mother? Did she mention who gave this to her?”
“Um... my mother said she inherited it from her mother. That brooch has been passed down from generation to generation.”
“Generation to generation... Yes... I see...” The self-proclaimed normal girl passing by trailed off, gazing off wistfully into the distance. Despite the girl looking only a few years older than Lucrezia, her expression gave off the impression of having a storied past.
“...Um, is something the matter, kind sister?”
“Mm-mm, not at all,” the girl said, her eyes taking a kinder turn as she looked at Lucrezia. At the same time, her rather reserved tone up until then turned more casual. It was a tad too over-familiar—although, not to Lucrezia. Quite the contrary; the tone carried a sense of nostalgia, for some reason. Lucrezia found her own emotions confusing.
“Um... So is that the only thing you wished to discuss?”
“Mm... I was just a little unsure, but I’m going to be giving this brooch back to you.”
“...Huh?”
Lucrezia gasped in shock as she then found the brooch pinned to her chest somehow. The girl was sitting on the sofa chair across the table, so how in the world had she pinned the accessory to Lucrezia’s chest? That question had to wait, as there was a more pressing matter at hand.
“You said you’re returning it to me, but as for the money to buy it back, I...” she started, but she felt so pathetic that she couldn’t finish her sentence. The self-proclaimed passerby, however, gently shook her head in response.
“If you promise me that you will never relinquish it ever again, money is not necessary.”
“No, but...”
“It’s fine. Besides, I made a promise myself.”
“...A promise?”
“Mm-hmm. I made a promise with Misha. I told her that once she made something important, I would create an enchantment to protect it.”
“Misha...?”
The first thing that came to Lucrezia’s mind once she heard the name “Misha” was the noblewoman who had received the position of Viscount after all of her great accomplishments—the first Viscount Wilderness. But that was simply impossible. The House of Viscount Wilderness had been around for about a millennium. The first Viscount, Misha, and this self-proclaimed normal girl passing by couldn’t possibly have known each other. But there was actually something even more concerning...
“Um, what do you mean by ‘enchantment’?”
“Simple. The power for Misha—for you—to protect that which you wish to protect,” The second that the self-proclaimed normal girl passing by said that, a miracle happened. An intricate and shockingly big magic circle started to unfold around the girl, with her in the center. A sacred light spread throughout the room... and eventually, the light was absorbed into the brooch shining on Lucrezia’s chest.
“What... was that just now?” Lucrezia posed the question, but the self-proclaimed normal girl passing by just smiled without any answer.
“Alrighty then, I’ll be on my way now.” As fast as the girl managed to say that, she stood up and honestly tried to leave, which was why Lucrezia hurried to tell her to wait in order to stop her.
“...Do you have something you want to say to me?”
“Um, well... This brooch. Please, take it along with you.”
“...How come? I thought that brooch held fond memories for you as well.”
“Yes, that is why. I do not know what may happen in the future. But I don’t think that I will be able to keep any valuables on me, whether I like to or not.”
Whether the land was seized by the king, or whether some rich individual bought her for their own designs—either way, there was a high chance of the brooch being taken away from her. That was the deciding factor that made her want the girl to hold onto it instead. However...
“That won’t be necessary.”
“It won’t be... necessary? What exactly do you mean by...”
After she started to ask, the girl began to give her an unbelievable explanation. She explained that a large company called Gratt Commerce was willing to provide aid to the territory of Viscount Wilderness. Not only would they provide aid financially and for the food shortage, they would also provide the most gracious of aid by dispatching manpower to help. Once she heard that, Lucrezia set her resolve to sell her very soul in exchange. Despite that resolve, all they wanted as compensation was, should the territory of Viscount Wilderness begin to prosper, a deal with them to sell their local produce and other products with Gratt Commerce. That was it. The territory of Viscount Wilderness was impoverished. Even if they did have Gratt Commerce’s assistance, it was doubtful that they could make a deal that would satisfy the large company. There was also the fact that the territory of Viscount Wilderness had no “local produce” to even speak of. Logically thinking, this endeavor wasn’t profitable to Gratt Commerce in the slightest. Lucrezia told her all that, but...
“Teehee, you’ll see in due time.”
“I’ll see? See... what?” she asked, clueless as to what she meant.
The self-proclaimed normal girl passing by, on the other hand, simply smiled like an angel without answering her question. Instead, she simply spoke.
“Misha... I know I’m late on my promise... but I made good on it.”
Her gentle eyes were directed toward Lucrezia—no, toward the brooch pinned to her chest. As soon as she did, a pale light wrapped around the girl. And once the light dispersed... she was nowhere to be seen.
“Milady, I have brought you some tea. Milady...? I’m coming in.”
Was all of that just a dream...? Lucrezia sat thinking to herself, dumbfounded, as her maid entered the room in the meantime. Scanning around the room, the maid noticed that Lucrezia was the only one there and found herself puzzled.
“Oh my, wherever did your guest run off to?” asked Lucrezia’s maid as Lucrezia looked around the room. There was not a trace of the girl anywhere in the room.
But... Lucrezia trailed off in her mind, noticing the brooch adorning her chest.
“She... already went back home.”
“Oh, I see. Just who was she, if I may ask?”
“Good question... Who was she?” The talk of deals was extremely unbelievable, but her mother’s memento was right back with Lucrezia, so... “She might have been an angel passing by.” Lucrezia stared out her window as she softly touched the brooch.
The territory of Viscount Wilderness had been on the verge of bankruptcy, but one day, it started to rapidly come back to life. The head of the house, who had been bedridden, made a recovery, and Gratt Commerce started to provide aid around the same time. At first, the other merchants who learned of this started to gossip that Gratt was simply trying to gain the position of Viscount for himself, but Gratt Commerce denied that and declared that their actions were for the sake of future buying and selling. All of the other merchants laughed this off, saying that Gratt Commerce, a business that had been growing bigger rapidly as of late, was getting too big for its own britches and was making a foolhardy bet.
However... a few years passed, and the territory of Viscount Wilderness revitalized. The once-barren wasteland had come to life, making the land naturally prosperous and fertile. Not only that, but they even started cultivating some mysterious fruits that began to become extremely popular in the nation—its origins wrapped in mystery. As such, the territory of Viscount Wilderness had completely transformed into a prominent and prosperous area within the nation. It was unknown as to how they were suddenly able to grow produce. The rumors said that Gratt Commerce had imparted them with some knowledge, but there was not a single piece of documentation that stated that for certain. There were also legends that whatever wasteland the beloved daughter of Viscount Wilderness visited would have their soil turn rich and plentiful... However, nothing concrete was ever said. And, eventually, it was counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the House of Viscount Wilderness.