After her parents' funeral, Danvers had terminated the contracts of the family's butler and maids, settled their outstanding wages, and dismissed them.
This was Lane Village, not a large town or city. Towns had labor unions to protect workers' rights, but there was none here. If she no longer wanted to employ them, she could terminate their contracts unilaterally. That way, she could save a considerable sum in wages and keep it for herself.
She had not withheld any of the servants' wages, either.
She had also asked someone to sell one of the family's carriages and three horses at a bargain price, adding to the funds in her hands. She had even reluctantly parted with several of her beautiful gowns.
All of this could be explained away as the sale of personal possessions. The property registry would not investigate every detail when issuing the final statement of assets.
The Flaikents had considered the issue of inheritance as well. They had tried their hand at business, since any income not derived from land could be left to their daughters. For their daughters' sake, most landowners chose to convert their assets through business ventures and similar means.
However, the Flaikents' business venture had failed. It had not lasted long before ending in bankruptcy.
Not every landowner was suited to being a merchant. Having money did not help.
They simply had not expected to die so suddenly.
After making these arrangements, Danvers had deposited nearly two hundred silver Rune Coins in the bank, a substantial sum. She wanted to keep selling things, but she knew it was time to stop. The Rune Kingdom's laws stipulated that anyone who was not an heir could not dispose of fixed assets. Terminating employment contracts and selling horses were still within the bounds of what she could explain away.
Danvers had not gone too far, either. She still clung to a sliver of hope. If Bruce was willing to take the sisters in, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome.
If Bruce refused to accept her and her younger sister, the two hundred silver Rune Coins held in the bank would be all the assets she and Jessica had before leaving.
Two hundred silver Rune Coins sounded like a lot, but in truth, it was nowhere near enough.
If Danvers and Jessica were driven out of Wayne Manor, they would have to rent or buy a home. Lane Village was out of the question. It consisted entirely of private homes and estates, with nothing available to buy. Even if there were, they could not afford it. The nearest alternative was Rhode Town.
Two hundred silver Rune Coins would only buy a washroom, the sort of space where barely one or two people could stand to wash their hands.
Renting was an option, but the money would inevitably run out, so she would have to find work. That raised another problem: she had been pampered since childhood. What work could possibly suit her?
"Danvers, what's wrong? Did you call me just now?"
Clutching her doll, Jessica crouched beside Danvers. She could tell that something seemed to be troubling her older sister, but she did not know why. Was it because their parents had died?
They were dead. What was so strange about that?
"I found out that the local postman has already sent a letter to Bruce in Akin Village. He's our father's only nephew, our cousin. Judging by the timing, he could arrive within the next couple of days to inherit Father's estate."
"We still don't know what sort of person he is. We may have to leave this place."
Danvers's words were filled with uncertainty about the future.
"Why do we have to leave? This is our home!"
A bright gleam shone in Jessica's large eyes, her face full of confusion.
"Because of Rune's inheritance laws. Oh, why am I telling you all this? You don't understand any of it."
She rubbed her forehead.
"Go and play, Jessica. Don't worry. Everything will be all right. I'll make sure you're safe."
Although she had told Jessica what was going to happen next, Jessica was still too young and knew too little about the outside world to understand what it would mean. Rather than explain it all, she was better off finding a way to protect her younger sister.
"Bruce. I understand. I'll get rid of him too."
"As soon as he comes, I'll get rid of him."
Jessica spoke softly, deliberately keeping her voice too low for her sister to hear. She squeezed the doll in her arms, and a bloody red gleam flashed in its grayish-brown eyes.
It seemed Jessica was not as young and innocent as Danvers believed.
On a country lane, the carriage carrying Bruce trundled slowly onward.
Bruce was deeply worried about his situation. Both his surroundings and the events that had already occurred held far too much uncertainty and danger. He needed a clearer hint, and Breakthrough was precisely the ability to find a slim chance of survival in the face of danger.
He made a quick decision and used Breakthrough.
He wanted to know what choice he should make in his current circumstances.
Insufficient contact. Unable to use Breakthrough.
Yet Breakthrough had not solved his problem.
"Insufficient contact? You can even gather news about a new bishop arriving in Gothe District, but now you tell me you haven't had enough contact? What a rip-off!"
Bruce grumbled a little.
His system was not intelligent. He had to figure everything out on his own.
Since he could not count on Breakthrough, he would have to analyze the advantages and disadvantages himself and assess the risks.
Because of the Rune Kingdom's restrictive inheritance laws, the estate would inevitably pass to him, but he still had to complete the inheritance procedures. If he did not, he would be deemed to have waived his inheritance rights. The land would revert to the state, and he would not receive a single coin.
He was worried about the danger, but he did not want to run away simply because danger existed. He had never been the sort to avoid things. Besides, going to Lane Village would allow him to inherit a substantial estate. That was a great deal of money-the means to indulge himself and enjoy life.
Bruce freely admitted that he loved money too.
But he still needed to think it over. He did not know what exactly had happened to the Flaikents. Had someone plotted against the Wayne family and deliberately murdered them?
Or had they truly encountered something supernatural?
Although Bruce came from a remote village, he was not short of information about this world. It was simply that most of what he knew concerned the Rune Kingdom.
The Rune Kingdom was a coastal nation situated on the edge of the Southern Continent.
People commonly said that this world had four continents-east, south, west, and north-and so named them after their directions. Recently, there seemed to have been rumors that, with the opening of new sea routes, navigators from the Rune Kingdom had discovered several more continents, though they were extremely distant. Bruce did not yet know what the other continents held, nor had he made any particular effort to find out.
He knew a little about the Southern Continent, where the Rune Kingdom lay, but his knowledge was scattered and based on hearsay. Its accuracy was still debatable. In the future, he would need to gain a deeper understanding of the Rune Kingdom and this world.
I need to learn more about supernatural powers.
I should make my way to a city and enter high society. That would expose me to more secrets.
And those adventurers-they've traveled far and wide and experienced so much. They must know a great deal about the extraordinary.
The broader situation warned him that supernatural forces were at work behind the scenes, while Bruce's own memories told him that gods truly existed in this world. He had to protect himself. He did not want to encounter some indescribable horror, yet his heart was full of curiosity.
After thinking for a long time, Bruce still had not reached any conclusions. In the distance, he could already see the outline of a village.
He was almost at Lane Village.