Chapter 43
The warehouse cleanup began in earnest.
The children changed into clothes they didn’t mind getting dirty and wrapped scarves around their heads to keep off the dust.
Just in case, they also covered their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs.
“I look like a thief, Nini!”
Pleased with her outfit, Nivellia shouted loudly, telling Soles and Aref to look at her.
“Then you check below. Muniel and I will handle the upper part. Be careful not to knock anything over.”
“Let’s see who finds something first!”
An excited Nivellia proposed a competition.
“You might get hurt if you rush. How about we take it slow and careful?”
“Okay!”
And so, the warehouse cleanup began.
The warehouse was filled with all sorts of things.
Old books and mysterious paintings.
Cracked plates and silver candlesticks.
Porcelain dolls that looked like they might walk at night, incredibly thin and soft fabrics, and even unidentified chunks of metal.
“Wow…”
Nivellia couldn’t take her eyes off anything.
The warehouse, reminiscent of a museum, fascinated her. She had no idea their home had so many interesting things.
Everything felt like treasure.
Maybe that was why—
“How much do you think this is worth?”
“Hmm, I wonder…”
“Maybe enough to buy ten loaves of bread?”
The children’s conversation quickly turned materialistic.
“I think this painting must be super expensive. Maybe an unknown artist sold their soul to create a masterpiece!”
“Nini wants this! This is that… that! A diamond!”
“That sword over there looks expensive. I heard knights’ swords can be worth as much as a house!”
Before they knew it, the warehouse cleanup had turned into a contest of “Who can find the most valuable treasure!”
Each time the children spoke, their handkerchiefs fluttered as they covered their mouths.
Muniel and Ardorez exchanged glances and quietly smiled.
“As long as they’re having fun.”
“Yeah, that’s enough.”
The warehouse cleanup had been nothing more than an excuse to play with the children from the start.
Seeing them happily chatting and playing together, it seemed like the day would pass peacefully.
“Huh?”
At that moment, something caught Nivellia’s eye.
A coin lay on the floor.
“Money!”
And not just any coin—it was a beautifully crafted gold coin.
On the golden surface was a woman’s figure, and on the back were engraved words.
“This is an ancient language.”
Soles explained.
“Ancient language?”
“It means words people used long ago. But judging by how clean the coin is, it doesn’t seem that old.”
“……”
Aref stared at the woman engraved on the coin for a long moment before turning to Muniel.
“…It looks like the Saintess.”
Muniel smiled as if confirming the answer.
What Nivellia had found was a commemorative coin made 40 years ago to honor Saintess Muniel, who led the victory in the Crepartna War that eradicated the monsters.
“It brings back memories.”
Muniel muttered, turning the coin in her hand.
“These bastards who made this—I personally went and killed them all—”
“Ahem!”
Ardorez’s cough cut in like the roar of a beast.
Only then did Muniel realize her mistake and quickly corrected herself.
“…I mean, I scolded them.”
“Why?”
Aref asked.
At kindergarten, they had learned that having one’s face engraved on gold meant they had accomplished something great.
So why scold the people who made it?
The children couldn’t understand.
“That’s because many people suffered because of the war. We shouldn’t spend money on useless things like this.”
The Crepartna War.
Some called it the war between humans and demons, others the end of the world.
Humanity had fought, prepared for its own extinction.
After a long time, the war ended in human victory—
Thanks to the heroes led by Saintess Muniel.
There was no time to celebrate victory. The survivors had to rebuild the devastated world.
Every bit of money was precious.
And yet, they made something like this?
“Grandma buried those who came up with this idea in the ground while begging them—please never make something like this again.”
Don’t use me as a shield for your power.
If you want to lose the second war, go ahead.
…Actually, maybe water would be cleaner than dirt?
After Muniel’s desperate persuasion, all coins bearing her face were collected.
They were then used to build shelters for orphans and the elderly.
“That building is now the capital’s central hospital.”
The largest and most skilled hospital in the Empire paid monthly rent to the Dei Amor family.
That was the kind of person Muniel Dei Amor was.
“Wow!”
The children applauded her story.
“……”
Ardorez silently recalled the past.
‘She beat them up a lot…’
Thinking about how much blood had been spilled under the holy name because of those coins—
Compared to then, Muniel had truly become a better person.
“Grandma.”
Nivellia took the coin back and asked,
“Can I keep this?”
“Of course.”
“Hehe! Mom’s face!”
Nivellia clutched the coin with both hands.
“It’s not your mother, it’s your grandmother.”
Soles corrected her, thinking she was mistaken again.
“……”
But instead of answering, Nivellia glanced at Muniel.
Their eyes met, and Muniel winked while placing a finger over her lips.
In response, Nivellia tightly shut both her eyes—she still wasn’t used to winking with just one.
The warehouse cleanup continued.
This time, without fooling around, they worked diligently, checking where everything belonged.
Nivellia also cleaned and organized the items with effort.
That’s when they found things like outdoor tents, chairs, and tools for grilling meat.
They moved the items to the garden, dusted them off, and washed them clean with water.
Worried about getting wet, Nivellia hid behind Ardorez’s broad back and only watched.
“Phew.”
Wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, she stretched her arms and legs.
“All done!”
“……”
“All done, done!”
“A-all done…!”
Aref followed her, stretching as well.
“It was fun. Can we clean the warehouse again next time?”
Soles, clearly enjoying the experience, asked Ardorez if they could do it again.
Ardorez gladly agreed.
His grandson’s willingness to learn about the family’s history made him so happy that he wrapped him in a big hug with his thick arms.
“Me too! Hug me too!”
Nivellia ran over, bouncing and whining.
Ardorez lifted her up and hugged her tightly. Her bright, happy scream rang through the sky.
Then he gave Aref, who had been quietly waiting his turn, a strong hug as well.
Muniel watched her husband—now a grandfather playing with children—with affectionate eyes.
But soon, a thought crossed her mind.
‘…The remaining coins were kept in a box.’
Muniel had gathered all the coins bearing her face.
‘How embarrassing—how could I just leave those around?’
Most had been melted down into ordinary gold coins and reused, but a few had been kept by Ardorez as mementos and stored in a box in the warehouse.
But now one had come out.
“……”
Muniel’s blue gaze turned toward the mansion.
Her eyes, sharpened by time, found something hidden within the warehouse.
‘That lizard…’
How should I deal with it?
“…And as instructed, I informed Young Master Petra about the investment in the mining project of the Frok Kingdom.”
“……”
Listening to the concise report, Della carefully reviewed the detailed documents.
“Well done.”
Della praised the employee as she removed her glasses.
“Proceed as planned. If there are any requests needed…”
“……”
“Dellac?”
The employee, currently posing as an information broker under the name “Dellac,” couldn’t hide his uneasy expression.
Della silently waited for him to speak.
“…I’m afraid.”
Della’s brows narrowed slightly.
“Are you concerned about that child?”
The employee did not deny it.
He exhaled a long, trembling breath.
“Madam. I know what I’m about to say isn’t appropriate for someone in this line of work.”
A bead of cold sweat ran down the face of the employee, known as the most handsome among the information brokers.
“…Fear comes from ignorance. That’s the principle we must uphold.”
“Yes. I built this organization on that principle.”
In her youth, Della had regretted being uneducated.
Now, she held all the Empire’s information in the palm of her hand.
The employee hesitated again.
“But that child…”
Della seemed to understand what he was trying to say.
To uncover an enemy’s weakness.
Or to track a spouse’s affair.
All kinds of clients came to the information guild with various purposes.
The guild gathered not only their requests but also their stories.
No one was an exception.
The new client who had recently formed a connection with them was no different.
But the more they investigated her, the more the employee felt an unexplainable unease.
“That child, Rima, knows too much.”
The girl Della had personally brought in.
A small, delicate child with striking pink hair.
Rima revealed highly classified information—things even the information guild struggled to obtain—as casually as if she were talking about a neighbor’s argument.
The mining project of the Frok Kingdom, the hidden secrets within the Petra family’s succession conflict, even the location of the evil dragon Ater’s egg.
“But…”
The employee’s body trembled uncontrollably.
“Considering her past and current situation…”
“She knows things she shouldn’t?”
