Cain officially moved over to his mansion one week after his cleaning session. This was earlier than planned, but the butler and maids he needed had been found, and had already been sent to the mansion. He was going to show his family around his new home today. He had Sebas contact his new butler and inform him they were coming. Sylvia was also already there waiting for him.
Cain was packing the things in his room. It wasn’t difficult, since he could just put everything into his Item Box. He hadn’t stayed in this room for very long, but he still made sure to clean it with magic before leaving.
Garm was waiting for him outside.
“I prepared this to celebrate the occasion. Please accept it.”
The carriage outside of the house wasn’t the usual carriage used by the Silford family. The two-horse carriage wasn’t lavish, but it was well-made and had the crest of the Silford family emblazoned upon it.
Cain’s face softened, moved by Garm’s thoughtfulness. He lowered his head. “Thank you, Father. I’ll treasure this gift.”
“You don’t pay much attention to things like this after all, Cain. I heard you walked back from the palace the other day. Aristocrats have political enemies. There’s no telling when someone will try something. That’s why we need to ride in carriages. With that said, if someone attacked you without knowing how strong you are, they would probably be the ones in for a world of hurt,” Garm mused, recalling what happened at the training grounds in Lamesta with a wry smile.
I guess normal aristocrats wouldn’t walk home from the palace… Cain reflected upon his own actions as he peeked inside the carriage. It had room for about six people sitting facing each other. Garm’s carriage was larger and could hold ten people, but Cain felt that this carriage was the perfect size for him.
As Cain boarded, Reine joined him. She must’ve been curious about the new carriage. The family took both carriages and headed towards Cain’s mansion.
“So, this is Cain’s new carriage…” Reine sat down next to Cain and examined the interior intently.
Cain’s new estate was a ten minute carriage ride away from Garm’s mansion. Two gate guards had already been assigned to it, and they allowed Cain’s carriage entry when it arrived. The carriages pulled to a stop in front of the front door of the mansion. Cain’s new butler and several maids were lined up in front of the door waiting for them.
Sylvia, as the head maid, was wearing a slightly different outfit. She was still only twenty years old, but she had looked after Cain since the moment he was born. Most of the newly-assigned maids were slightly younger than Sylvia. The butler was young as well, likely just having turned twenty. He was a handsome, slender young man with light-brown, slicked-back hair. The man stepped forward and introduced himself.
“Lord Garm, Master Cain, we have been awaiting your arrival. My name is Colan, Master Cain’s new butler. I’m Sebas’s nephew. When I heard that Master Cain was looking for a new butler, I immediately applied. I have heard of Master Cain’s feats from Sebas. I’ll be in your care in the future.”
After he finished speaking, Colan bowed. Although he was still young, he looked the part. Cain glanced at Sebas after hearing that Colan was his nephew, and Sebas winked in response.
It looks like Sebas knew. Hearing he’s related to Sebas puts me at ease. Sylvia is here as well.
The Baron Silford household was currently employing Colan, who would serve as steward and butler, Maid Chief Sylvia, three other maids, a chef, an assistant chef, and a stable boy who doubled as a gardener. As an aristocrat, he knew he would be receiving a stipend, but since he was a newly minted baron who didn’t own any land, Cain was initially worried about if he’d really be able to employ seven people. However, Garm told him that a single gold coin per month would be enough to cover all seven of their monthly salaries. He still had a platinum coin from the rewards the king had given him, and he would soon be earning income from the sales of the standard Othello sets. His financial situation seemed stable for the time being.
A maid opened the door, and the family entered the mansion.
“It’s as clean as a newly constructed mansion. Was it really okay for them to give you a mansion this new?” Sarah asked as she looked around the entrance hall.
“I visited the place a few years ago, back when the viscount was still around. It wasn’t this clean,” Garm noted.
“I was also planning on cleaning the place since we heard it hadn’t been used for several years, but when I arrived there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere in the mansion. The chandeliers had also been recharged with mana, and there weren’t any problems for us to resolve,” Sylvia said, bewildered.
“Oh, I cleaned the place using magic when I visited. I also repaired it using magic. It was in much worse shape before.”
Cain’s innocent answer exasperated Garm and Sarah.
“I had forgotten that common sense doesn’t apply to Cain,” Garm said as he looked up at the ceiling.
Cain led the way and showed his family around the mansion. Every room they visited was in pristine condition and there was nothing to complain about. They visited the dining room, then the living room, then the great hall. After visiting everything on the first floor, they returned to the entrance hall and went upstairs to the second floor.
The bed in the master bedroom was already covered with pure white sheets. The room only had a bed and a table; there were no artistic decorations at all.
“Cain is still only ten, so he doesn’t understand art yet… I’ll explain it to him later, I guess,” Garm muttered.
Cain’s new mansion was indeed lacking in decoration. There was likely some in the past, but Cain heard that they had all been confiscated by the royal family. Their absence didn’t really bother him.
“Artistic decorations…? I don’t really know much about paintings or vases…”
“Mhm… Most people indeed decorate their places with paintings, vases, and suits of armor. Some of them also hang up stuffed versions of monsters they have slain.”
“Oh! Mounting stuffed monsters works too! I’ll put some up at the entrance, then. I should be able to make some right away using magic.”
Cain left his seat and headed to the entrance hall. He began searching through the things he had hoarded within his Item Box while walking.
Something that surprises people when they enter would be best, right? Then I have to go with this one. It was the strongest, after all.
The entrance hall was clear up to the second floor, with a high ceiling ensuring there would be enough room. Cain placed the red dragon that he had stabbed through the chin in the center of the hall. This red dragon wasn’t an earth dragon nor a wyvern. Even amongst the dragons that made the center of the Forest of Monsters their home, this dragon was one of the stronger Variants. The corpse of the dragon, with its neck stretched fully, was about twenty-six feet tall. Facing the dragon, Cain began to weave mana as he formulated a concrete image of what he wanted.
“Creative Make.”
Light unleashed from Cain’s hand enveloped the dragon. When the light vanished, a lifelike red dragon stood before him. Its eyes were open, as if it was ready to pounce on any prey that caught its attention, and it was baring its fangs for all to see. Its wings were raised, its claws extended, and it wouldn’t be surprising for anyone who saw it to mistake it for a living dragon.