NOVEL WEB chapter 153
Penelope confirmed the sight of the Durek Railroad Association constructing a new station and railway in Pellar. She eagerly anticipated the day when a railway would connect Pellar and Halo.
"Milady, you’ve arrived? We’ve been waiting for you."
"Sir Cain! It’s been such a long time!"
Seeing Sir Cain, who had come out to greet her at the gates of the lord’s castle, Penelope beamed with joy. It had been a while since she had last seen him in person, having only communicated sporadically through magic orbs, making this reunion all the more delightful.
"How is everyone else doing?"
"They are all well, of course. Every retainer has been eagerly awaiting your return at the lord’s castle."
"It’s rather late. Shouldn’t they be resting?"
"How could we sleep when it’s been months since you last returned from the capital? It would be unthinkable for us as retainers. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? The head chef has prepared a feast in honor of your return."
"I’m looking forward to it, then."
With Sir Cain escorting her, Penelope passed through the gates of the lord’s castle, only to find herself speechless. Giselle and Sain mirrored her astonishment.
"What is this place?"
"Am I seeing things?"
Halo had transformed into something unrecognizable. The main street was impeccably paved, and the surroundings were lined with shops, administrative offices, and various other buildings. Along the avenue, magical lamps illuminated the area—not the dim gas lamps of the past, but full-fledged magical lights! Thanks to the bright illumination, the sidewalks were bustling with people even at this late hour.
"Wow…"
Penelope couldn’t take her eyes off the scene before her.
The transformation of the territory was nothing short of miraculous. It served as a prime example of how a city could develop rapidly when both population and capital concentrated in one area.
"Careful, or you’ll start drooling."
"Ugh."
Penelope wiped her lips with her forearm and shot Ahwin a glare. He merely shrugged in response, clearly on edge at the thought of Halo Territory stealing more of Penelope’s attention.
"Not a person I can bite back at, either. How many times has this happened already?"
Ahwin had long been resigned to the fact that any matters concerning the development of Halo always captured Penelope’s interest. Unlike someone born and raised as a noble, her passion for the territory often left even him in awe.
"That’s the new middle school!"
"Wow!"
"They must have just built it!"
"Wow!"
"And there’s a high school right next to it!"
"Wow!"
Each time Sain pointed out a feature, the passengers in the carriage erupted in amazement. Only a few months ago, they had been living in Halo themselves, which made the drastic changes all the more startling.
Penelope, too, was once again absorbed in the sight before her, her jaw hanging open. Ahwin had no choice but to hold his tongue.
When they finally arrived at the lord’s castle, Penelope found herself stunned yet again. Despite mentally preparing herself to stop being so provincial, her resolve quickly crumbled.
"A magical elevator?!"
"Unbelievable! I’ve never seen a chandelier that massive before!"
"They replaced all the floor tiles with new ones! You could probably see your reflection in them!"
The group wandered around the great hall, gaping in awe. From the enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling to the magic orbs installed along the walls that lit the space as brightly as daytime, every detail radiated luxury. Every object sparkled, exuding opulence.
Next to the stairs leading to the upper floors was a magical elevator going up and down. It was a clear sign of substantial investment—no expense had been spared.
"This way, please. I’ll guide you to the dining room immediately," said Sir Cain.
At last, Penelope and her companions managed to collect themselves. They exchanged wide-eyed glances before silently following Sir Cain.
If the great hall was this impressive, what would the dining room be like? One by one, they began mentally preparing themselves.
In Penelope’s mind, a lively tune echoed: "Dun-dun-dun-da-da-da~."
At last, they arrived at the dining hall of the lord's castle.
“Milady!”
“You’ve finally returned!”
“We’ve been waiting for you!”
The steward, along with the treasurer, administrator, judicial officer, and countless other retainers, all rose from their seats to greet Penelope. The sight of so many people standing up at once was overwhelming, almost suffocating.
The long table before them was laden with a feast fit for royalty. It seemed the head chef of the castle had been waiting for this day with great anticipation.
“Thank you all so much for welcoming me so warmly.”
Penelope managed to speak through the lump in her throat. Seeing the tangible results of everyone’s collective efforts brought a wave of emotion over her, crashing like a tide.
The steward quickly stepped forward and warmly clasped Penelope’s hands.
“You must have gone through so much traveling back from the capital. How have you been managing all this time?”
“You’ve done so much for us here, steward. Thank you for holding everything together.”
“You must be hungry. Please, let us guide you to your seat and serve you.”
The steward escorted Penelope to a seat at the head of the table, offering her the best vantage point to oversee the entire room.
It appeared that the servants and knights had their own designated area, as Laura suddenly appeared to whisk Giselle and the knights away like the wind. The mages from the Tower discreetly followed after them.
The seats flanking the head of the table were empty, clearly reserved for Penelope, Sain, and likely Lucas… or so she assumed.
“Sain, come sit here beside me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As Penelope and Sain took their seats, Ahwin shamelessly claimed the remaining spot for himself. The retainers, unfazed, calmly sat down and began pouring wine.
“It’s such a relief to see you all looking so well.”
As Penelope took a sip of the wine, the banquet naturally began.
The retainers laughed and chatted, enjoying the feast, while also catching up with Penelope on everything they had missed during her time away.
“Milady, we heard of your incredible success in the capital!”
“We lived for the excitement of reading the newspapers issued from the capital!”
“And receiving the baronial title from His Majesty, no less! The administrator here couldn’t stop talking about it after the ceremony. Every time we saw him, that’s all he mentioned.”
“When did I ever do that?”
The administrator’s face flushed red as he tried to deny the claim, which only caused the entire dining hall to erupt in laughter. The steward glared playfully at the administrator and added with a teasing tone:
“You gave me such stomachaches from laughing for a week straight, and now you deny it?”
“That’s not—! It wasn’t a whole week!”
Another round of hearty laughter swept through the hall.
With a smile tinged with amusement, the steward continued, “At one point, even within the territory, the newspapers from the capital were in such high demand that people were paying exorbitant prices just to get their hands on one.”
“Really?”
“Every time the papers were opened, there were articles about you, Milady. The pride of the people in this territory was sky-high. Their chests were puffed out so much, it’s a wonder they ever came back down.”
“Is that so?”
Penelope maintained a polite smile, though she felt a sudden pang of embarrassment as she caught sight of Ahwin.
‘Hah. That probably includes all the gossip about my love life.’
There had been a time when every newspaper seemed to feature articles speculating about Penelope’s relationships. Scandals were a journalist’s favorite type of story, after all. But did the people of Halo really take pride in even those? Penelope couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.
“Articles about you, Milady, became so popular that it even sparked a trend of collecting them. Even the newspapers published here in Halo prioritized stories about you.”
“Wait… Halo has newspapers now?”
“We already have three publishing companies.”
“Wow…!”
Penelope was stunned yet again.
Unbelievable.
No matter how many surprises she had encountered, this was another jaw-dropping moment. The power of capital was truly astounding. Money was the best.