Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 23

"...Excuse me?"

Bloom, who had been fuming at the irresponsible former knight commander, suddenly looked completely bewildered.

But the chief steward was on the brink of collapse, the administrator was completely useless, and now even the knight commander's seat was empty.

Without a knight commander, there was no security in the estate.

Ayra took out their lord’s seal for the first time and stamped Bloom’s knight commander appointment letter with a resounding thud.

Bloom’s face drained of color, and he hurriedly dropped to his knees.

“My lord, but I... I wasn’t even originally the vice-commander.”

"What do you mean?"

As Ayra listened, they finally got the full picture—

The original knight commander, who had served for a long time, had been killed during the carriage accident that fateful day.

The vice-commander had been promoted in his place, leaving the vice-commander position vacant. In the absence of a suitable replacement, Bloom had been temporarily placed in the role.

“...And besides, I’m from Axion.”

“Ah, right, you’re an outsider, so that’s an issue? Got it, got it. That’s why you’re knight commander now.”

“What?”

There was no time to entertain such pointless modesty.

Without hesitation, Ayra shoved the appointment letter into Bloom’s hands and moved straight to the real issue.

“The chief steward mentioned that the merchant was dispatched. Do you know what route they were supposed to take?”

Despite his flustered state, Bloom dutifully answered.

“I’ve escorted the merchant a few times before, so I know the route. The caravan travels to a village about a day's ride from the estate, passing through Dalum Gorge. We should be able to gather information about their whereabouts from there.”

Wow.

The newly appointed knight commander-by-default was already ten times more useful than the estate’s actual administrator had been.

Ayra patted Bloom’s shoulder approvingly.

“Great. Then send some soldiers to track the merchant down. This is an urgent and critical task, so I want you to handle it carefully.”

Bloom hesitated for a moment, looking down at the appointment letter. Then, his expression hardened with determination.

Holding the letter close to his chest, he replied with conviction.

“Yes, my lord!”

[Bloom's Favorability has increased by 12.]

Current Favorability: 78♡

...Wait, did his favorability really go up that much?

Well, it made sense—he had just been promoted, after all.

It felt a little overwhelming, but at least it was a positive development...

With an expression of deep gratitude, Bloom exited the study.

Hoping he would return with good news, Ayra took a moment to calm down and sipped their now cold tea.

Right then, a notification window popped up.

[Tip. The current Knight Commander of Solar Estate has entered a mild Berserker state. Work efficiency increased by 20%!]

“...A Berserker?

What the hell?

This isn’t a game, why is it labeling a person like that?”

Ayra had suspected this for a while, but the sentient rock seemed to have a rather sharp tongue when evaluating people.

And as if to prove the point, another notification appeared.

[Tip. The current Lord of Solar Estate has a Fanatic Monster Enthusiast trait.]

“Fanatic Monster Enthusiast? Please. There were way bigger perverts in the Labyrinth than me.”

Annoyed, Ayra flattened the rock with a resounding beep.

❄

Paying off the 300 Cell interest was urgent, but just as critical was the restoration of the collapsed wall, which had crumbled in a single day.

To rebuild it properly would take money, time, and manpower—all of which the estate sorely lacked.

If monsters or foreign invaders attacked under these circumstances, it would be disastrous.

For now, Ayra ordered the soldiers to construct wooden palisades in place of the destroyed walls.

The severely injured and displaced residents were brought inside the estate to stay until they could recover.

Taking charge of these urgent matters in place of the collapsed steward and the useless administrator burned through an entire day.

One out of the precious seven days to pay the interest had already been lost.

Fortunately, after a full day of rest, Jinas seemed to have recovered somewhat.

He entered the study, his expression solemn, then dropped to his knees.

"I deeply apologize. I have committed unforgivable disrespect toward my lord. Please punish me however you see fit."

Now that he had recovered from his delirium, he was thinking clearly again.

Judging by how pale his face had gone, he had likely remembered his crazed accusations from before—when he had accused Ayra of murdering their own family.

It was annoying, but Ayra decided to let it go.

Truthfully, forgiving him was the only option in this mess.

"If you're really sorry, then help me instead.

I’m going to figure out a way to pay the 300 Cell interest, no matter what."

Jinas, who had been hanging his head in despair, slowly lifted his gaze.

For a moment, he seemed like he wanted to say, "That’s impossible. The estate is already doomed."

His lips parted slightly, but instead of speaking, he gave a slow nod.

A hint of light returned to his weary gray eyes—just a little.

"Thank you for your mercy, my lord."

[Hess Lu Jinas’ Favorability has increased by 1.]

Current Favorability: 4♡

...Really?

I forgave him, and he only gave me one measly point?

Why are Bloom and Jinas so damn extreme?

Still, Jinas was at least ten times more competent than the administrator, and at least five times more useful than the knight commander.

When he heard that Ayra had sent soldiers to locate the merchant, he rubbed at his still-darkened eyes, trying to shake off the lingering exhaustion.

"If the merchant reached the village beyond Dalum Gorge, we can contact them using trained winter hawks.

If we recover the goods they were carrying and sell them, we can easily make 300 Cell.

However, sending soldiers won’t make a difference. I already hired two swift mercenaries days ago, but they never returned."

His tone was bleak and full of doubt.

Ayra tapped their fingers lightly against the desk.

If it came down to it, they could sell a few artifacts from the Labyrinth, which would cover the 300 Cell.

But the problem was that they had arrived at the estate empty-handed.

And the spatial teleportation artifact that could have allowed them to return instantly was in Shinje’s hands.

Time was the real issue.

"What about Morunka Temple? Could we ask them for help?"

As bad as it was to be in debt to anyone, it was still a thousand times better than handing the estate over to Sobletz or Bolni.

However, Jinas’s face darkened further as he shook his head.

"That won’t work. The Solar family’s relationship with Morunka Temple has become severely strained recently."

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At those words, Ayra recalled their encounter in the slums—

The High Priest of Morunka, Aterra te Act.

That piercing gaze, which had fixated on them so relentlessly, suddenly made sense.

"Why is our relationship bad?"

"The former lord... persecuted the temple ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) quite heavily.

The current High Priest will never agree to cooperate."

The more Ayra uncovered, the more disasters kept appearing.

It was like peeling an onion—one layer of bad news after another.

Just how much worse could things possibly get?

An estate with no fertile plains, no mines, and mountains of debt.

A family at odds with the only major religious power in the region.

A collapsed defensive wall.

A knight commander who fled.

An incompetent administrator.

A rookie lord with no real experience.

And at the end of it all—inevitable destruction.

For the first time, Ayra fully understood why Jinas had lost his mind for a moment.

And now, it was painfully obvious why Jinas had been so desperate to ensure Ayra inherited the estate.

He had no other option.

Even if Ayra was suspicious in some ways, even if they could abandon the estate and return to the Labyrinth at any time—

Jinas had no choice but to bet everything on them.

Now, realizing just how alone Jinas had been, Ayra felt a bit sorry for him.

As a small gesture of comfort, Ayra patted his shoulder a few times and spoke.

"Alright, I’ll go check on the walls for a bit."

"Yes, my lord. Please take care."

Jinas sounded stable again but still resigned as he reached for the towering pile of paperwork before him.

The moment Ayra stepped out of the study, they threw on a cloak and quietly slipped out of the castle.

Even though they were officially the lord now, Ayra had no intention of revealing their identity outside the castle just yet.

Not because of any grand strategy—

But because there was someone they had been deliberately avoiding thinking about.

Janus Rehzedet.

The first thing that came to mind wasn’t the Bad Ending choice window—

It was the kiss.

A rough, forceful, unexpected kiss.

Ayra bit their tongue in frustration.

They clenched their jaw, forcing themselves to remember that Janus was unpredictable, violent, and dangerous.

That day, Janus had been completely different from the man Ayra thought they knew.

There was no carefree mercenary, drunkenly dancing on the streets.

There was no playful rogue, tossing flirtatious remarks.

That Janus was gone.

For now, Ayra decided to approach him while keeping their identity hidden.

“...And I have a bad feeling about this.

Just in case, I should be prepared for the worst—just like Jinas said."

Additionally, for quest completion, it was better if Ayra’s identity remained a secret for now.

If their face became too well-known, it would become far more difficult to move freely within the estate.