"My lord, I was just about to report to you. The servants went up to check this morning and said they smelled a very pleasant fragrance, richer and more delightful than perfume. It was coming from the ambergris you asked me to dry!"
"Oh? The fragrance has appeared? Then it must be dry!" Nalant was overjoyed. Salted fish and salt were profitable, but he had even higher hopes for ambergris, because perfume was where the real money was.
Although Nalant hadn't found any more ambergris over the past few days, the whales were still there by the shore, still chasing the Slippery Flying Fish all over the place.
Nalant knew there had to be plenty of ambergris expelled by whales in the sea. It just hadn't been washed ashore yet.
The two pieces he'd found last time would be enough for him to use for a while.
"Thomas, take those two pieces of ambergris to the mill and grind them up at once. Remember, this stuff is precious. Don't let any of it go to waste!" The ambergris had dried just in time for the caravan's trip to Tulip City. Nalant planned to see if he could really make a fortune from it.
"Yes, my lord!"
After lunch, Nalant told Quick to lead the guards in their training, then asked Vivian to accompany him into the inner keep.
"My lord! Sister Vivian!" The little girl Sherry ran out of the kitchen as they entered the inner keep. "My lord, where are you going?"
Sherry had met plenty of noble children while working at the Rose Tavern, so she didn't have the same deep-rooted fear of nobles as the other serfs. She was still respectful, of course.
"I'll need volunteers to test some perfume in a little while. Come along, Sherry!" Nalant didn't mind how lively she was. He found the girl quite amusing, and rare.
"Yes, my lord!" Sherry's face lit up with delight. She hurried over, took Vivian's hand, and followed Nalant upstairs.
The baron's castle had four floors.
The first floor held the dining room and halls for various purposes.
The second floor was reserved for guest rooms and recreation areas.
The third floor contained Nalant's study, bedroom, and other private quarters. Only Nalant and Thomas were free to come and go there.
The fourth floor held various storerooms where the lord's valuables were kept, such as silver and gold tableware and precious treasures. There was also a small treasury for storing gold and silver coins.
Unfortunately, Nalant didn't have much wealth, so the fourth floor was empty. He'd had Thomas clear out a well-lit storeroom to use as a laboratory for his future inventions.
Nalant brought Vivian and Sherry to the laboratory. It contained only a few empty wooden shelves and a long wooden table.
"My lord, there's nothing in here! Where's the perfume?"
Sherry looked around curiously, but didn't see the perfume she'd been hoping for.
She'd seen perfume back in Tulip City and was eager to smell its lovely fragrance again.
"Steward Thomas will bring it soon," Nalant replied with a smile.
"Huh? My lord, there's someone over there!" Sherry said, pointing at a corner of the room.
"Someone?!" Nalant stared at her in surprise. There was nothing in that corner but a wooden shelf.
"My lord, someone over there said that you and Sister Vivian are horrible monsters and wants you to leave quickly!" Sherry continued, sounding certain. Fear crept into her eyes, too.
"Good grief, is this castle haunted?" Nalant felt a chill run down his back. With his eyesight as a Title Knight, he could see nothing but an empty wooden shelf.
Clang!
In the next instant, Nalant drew the sword he always kept at his side and headed for the corner.
"Sherry, where is this 'person' you heard?"
"My lord, I think the voice came from behind the shelf!" Sherry listened carefully for a moment, then answered with certainty.
Nalant gripped his sword in one hand and carefully moved the shelf aside.
Squeak, squeak!
Whoosh!
As soon as Nalant moved the shelf, a small black shape darted out of the corner, squeaking!
Nalant reacted quickly. His sword flashed in front of him, and with a swift downward strike, he cut the little shadow in two.
"Ah! It was a mouse! My lord, how could I hear it talk? Am I a monster?" Nalant finally felt a little relieved, but Sherry was so frightened that her face had gone pale.
There hadn't been any animals in the castle, and Sherry hadn't gone outside these past few days, so she hadn't realized what her talent was.
Now she'd discovered that the words she'd heard had come from a mouse, and she was terrified.
"Don't be afraid, Sherry. This is a talent my lord has given you!" Vivian understood Sherry's situation from her own experience.
As for the talent being a gift from their lord? Vivian believed that the God of Glory only favored nobles. Since she and Sherry had both gained their miraculous talents after drinking the potion their lord gave them, she preferred to believe the power had come from him.
"Ah! A talent my lord gave me?" Sherry stared blankly at Vivian, her mouth agape.
"That's right, Sherry. Do you remember the bowl of soup my lord gave you? That soup gave us our talents. Mine is archery, and yours might be the ability to talk to little animals!" Vivian nodded firmly.
"My lord, is what Sister Vivian said true?" Only then did Sherry remember the bowl of tea. She realized this must have been why her lord had given it to her. And thinking of Vivian's skill with a bow, she was already more than half convinced.
"Mm, that's right. Your talent is the ability to communicate with little animals, Sherry. Tomorrow, I'll take you outside the castle to meet some others!" Nalant hadn't expected Vivian to be such a good spokesperson, but he didn't contradict her. If they were happy to believe that, all the better.
"Yay! Thank you, my lord! I can talk to little animals!" Sherry's fear turned to delight. She'd always loved animals, and if she could talk to them from now on... She was already imagining herself strolling proudly down the road with little animals at her side.
"My lord, Sherry will serve you faithfully for the rest of her life!" The little girl knelt and swore her loyalty to Nalant with heartfelt sincerity.