OFTPE 21

Chapter 21

“That’s the defensive herb I mentioned earlier. Those plants help repel monsters to some extent. They give off a scent that monsters dislike.”

“Like mosquito repellent?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, it’s something like that. But can those plants alone really stop monster attacks?”

“Since the forest has plenty of food for monsters, they usually don’t come down to the village. Most of them live in the northern part of the forest. Still, with the drought dragging on this long, I can’t say for sure what will happen next.”

“Now that you mention it, all the defensive herbs have dried up. Is that okay?”

“Defensive herbs grow well even without water. Around this time of year, they naturally turn that yellow color and their scent becomes stronger.”

Donghee sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent, but she couldn’t smell anything. Seeing her, Scrooge chuckled fondly.

“I’ve heard that humans can’t really smell it.”

“Really? No wonder.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Donghee rubbed her nose and tried to act casual.

She realized how little she actually knew about this place.

Even though she had some information about the geography, it was very limited. She needed to acquire hidden points quickly to learn more about the territory.

“Monsters, huh…”

If she was going to be dealing with stats and power levels, it wouldn’t feel right without monsters showing up.

After a brief moment of thought, Donghee turned back to Scrooge and asked,

“Monsters don’t show up during the day, right?”

“No, but the forest gets dark early, so you can’t let your guard down.”

“That’s fine. We’ll go in and out quickly.”

“Go in and out where?”

“Logging.”

If they were going to repair the crumbling village houses, getting materials was the first priority.

“You mean logging in the Black Forest?”

Scrooge looked like he’d just heard something unthinkable.

“Why? Is it not allowed? If it’s near the boundary of the defensive herbs, the monsters shouldn’t appear, right?”

“People won’t want to go because it’s dangerous.”

“Then just offer generous hazard pay.”

“Hazard pay?”

Despite having worked as a steward for over 30 years, it was the first time Scrooge had heard such a term.

“Yeah. If people don’t want to go because it’s dangerous, offer them a higher daily wage than for other jobs. The logging work needs to happen at the same time as the purification task. Offer 5 bron per day for logging.”

“Five bron?”

Donghee nodded slowly.

“What, is that too little?”

She was worried it might be too little for such a dangerous job.

“No, it’s too much. Among commoners, I don’t think anyone earns that much for a day’s work.”

“Well, now someone will—in Grace territory.”

A good day’s wage never hurt.

Donghee smiled, pleased as she imagined a hefty pouch full of gold coins.

She hadn’t realized just how great it would feel to not worry about money.

She looked around the barren village with the sense of a creator surveying their new world.

The trained staff who had received prior instruction before arriving had already begun explaining safety rules to the villagers—making sure they knew they wouldn’t be paid unless they did the job properly.

The work progressed quickly.

With their bellies full and pay promised just for cleaning their own yards, who would refuse?

Not only the adults of the households, but even kids over ten years old came out to clean the muddy streets and smelly sewage paths.

Donghee had worried there might be no volunteers for the logging team heading into the Black Forest, but once people heard the wages, they rushed to sign up. In the end, Scrooge had to pick only the strongest and most capable-looking among them.

As soon as Donghee returned to Grace Castle, she headed straight to the convenience store.

It was a relief that her inventory’s storage capacity had increased. Plus, items stored inside didn’t weigh anything, which was such a convenient feature.

Leisurely browsing the empty convenience store, Donghee filled her inventory with drinks, snacks, bread, and triangle kimbap—things she could distribute to the villagers.

After loading up for a while, Donghee pulled out a can of beer from the fridge and plopped into one of the store chairs.

She was getting used to coming and going from the place. Though the fear had lessened, there were still moments when a chill ran down her spine.

Crack!

Trying to shake off her unease, Donghee cracked open the cold can of beer.

Were all the people really gone?

Or had she become invisible to them somehow?

Ssshhh!

Foam bubbled out of the small opening in the can.

Donghee quickly brought her lips to the mouth of the can and slurped the foam before taking a long swig. She also opened a bag of squid-flavored snacks and set them in front of her.

As soon as she opened the bag, a salty smell typical of squid snacks filled the air.

She found it ironic that she still had an appetite in such circumstances.

“Ahh!”

The cold beer slid smoothly down her throat.

It seemed to clear her head.

“For now, let’s just focus on Morta Village.”

—

We applaud the user’s clear sense of purpose.
You’ve received a bonus of 100 Hidden Points.
You now have 470 Hidden Points.

Donghee’s next goal was to buy a Level 7 inventory with 800 storage slots from the Hidden Shop, but she didn’t have enough points yet.

She thought about buying something else but held back and finished the beer instead.

Oddly enough, she felt even more clear-headed after finishing the can.

“I better deliver this stuff and head back to Borim Hall.”

She dumped the food items from her inventory into her room and immediately stepped back into the entrance door, running off toward Borim Hall.

She didn’t forget to set a 10-minute timer.

After spending the evening busily organizing things, Donghee pulled the bell cord to summon Delma.

Because Donghee had asked not to be disturbed while resting after returning from Morta Village, no one had come into her room.

As it turned out, Delma had been handling the duties of both a maid and a head housekeeper.

No wonder she was always so busy.

Seeing Delma rush in, huffing and puffing, Donghee felt both grateful and a little guilty. In terms of age, she was practically bossing around someone the same age as her parents. But compared to when she’d first arrived, she had gotten quite comfortable in just a few days.

Humans really were creatures of adaptation.

“How many maids in Grace Castle are good at sewing?”

“Most of them can sew.”

Delma, still catching her breath from running, answered while her face flushed tomato red.

“Can they sew well enough to make clothes?”

“To that extent… maybe five or so?”

Delma counted on her fingers, trying to recall.

“Then gather those maids. Tell them it’s additional work beyond their usual duties and that they’ll be paid special wages.”

“What kind of… work are you planning to give them?”

Delma had watched her lady since birth, but she still couldn’t read her at all right now.

“Just gather them. I’ll explain once they’re all here. Oh, and before that, could you bring out all the dresses from the dressing room?”

“All of them?”

Lady Chloe had a special fondness for dresses, if nothing else.

They were all frilly and pink, but she believed there was no such thing as the same shade of pink. Even when money was tight, she’d desperately hoarded dresses. She’d sold jewels, paintings, ornaments—even land—but never parted with her dresses.

She’d filled the entire dressing room with nearly identical designs to soothe the loneliness of losing her parents at a young age.

When they brought the dresses out one by one, they filled not only the room but even piled up in the sitting room like a mountain.

Donghee’s jaw dropped at the overwhelming amount of dresses.

“There are so many. And they all look the same!”

Startled by the sight, Donghee muttered in disbelief. Delma looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“How did she read my mind…?”

The five maids, called in by Delma, looked wide-eyed and nervous, not knowing why they had been summoned.

Donghee, pretending it was no big deal, casually said,

“Take all these dresses apart and make clothes for the children.”

“Whaaat?!”

“Huh?!”

The maids looked like they’d just received a death sentence.

“Why are you all so shocked? Just take these apart and make children’s clothes. If the fabric’s thin, double or triple it.”

The most shocked of all was Delma.

She collapsed to her knees in front of Donghee and burst into tears.

“Milady, sob please don’t give up hope. Things are finally starting to get back on track… sob sob”

“What are you talking about, Delma? It’s not like that.”

“But… these dresses… you treasured them like your life. If you’re giving them up, then… it must mean you’ve given up on living!”

“Delma! I said that’s not it.”

Only after Donghee repeated herself several times did Delma finally stop crying.

Since moving the dresses was a hassle, and there was no suitable workspace for so many dresses, they decided to use the lady’s private sitting room to make the children’s clothes for the time being.

“Are you sure it’s okay to take these apart?”

The maids, holding dresses too expensive to even dream of wearing, asked nervously.

No one dared to make the first cut.

So Donghee picked up a dress herself and waved it toward them.

“Of course it’s okay! I sent someone to get winter fabrics, but they’ll take too long. Winter might already be here by then. So start tearing them up now. Like this!”

Donghee grabbed a lace portion and yanked it.

Riiip!

“Gasp!”

A very expensive dress was mercilessly torn apart in her hands.

“M-Milady! We’ll do it! Please, just put that down!”

Carefully cutting with scissors would allow them to salvage the most fabric and lace.

But if the lady continued tearing like that, the material would be ruined.

“Got it. Don’t worry about the dresses—just make the kids’ clothes. Make a variety of sizes, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Oh, and did you hear about the special wages? Five bron per three coats!”

That was a lot—far more than what you’d expect from just a “special bonus.”