After entering the castle's main building, Rocher telephoned the Shire to a maid.
"Excuse me, he is a visitor to see the Count." Rocher saluted the maid.
"It's my pleasure." The maid bowed and saluted.
Shire looked at the maid, she was very young, wearing a black dress, white dust cloth around the waist, brown hair tied behind the head, although she was a servant, but bearing and she served the nobility is very similar, hands and feet are very formal.
When Rocher left, the maid waved her hand as if to sweep away Char's gaze.
"Come with me." 'she said.
Shire followed her along the corridors of the castle, the floors of which were made of rubble, the walls of which were painstakingly polished, and on which hung half a dozen copper candlesticks, which were pitifully half-broken, and along the way many display stands stood alone, where the marble bust should have been, but now completely forgotten. The picture frames on the walls were empty, and the castle looked very barren, not at all as Shire had imagined.
"Has it always been like this here? Shire looked everywhere. High up there were diamond-shaped square Windows, and in the milky light, scattered dust rose and fell.
"How was it always?" The maid didn't understand.
"I thought it would be more... Luxurious."
"You don't understand, the Count is a very frugal man. What would you do if you were as rich as the count, with an annual stipend of seven hundred and fifty pieces of gold?"
Seven hundred and fifty gold pieces! One gold coin could buy one pig, which would be more than seven hundred pigs, and these pigs would double in number in a year, so that there would be an endless supply of pork to eat, fried pork, fried pork, salted pork, pork soup, pork in bread, Suckling pig...
"Buy pigs." Shire blurted out.
The maid laughed.
"My goodness, what country are you from?"
"What's the problem?"
"If it had been Lord Rene, he would have put all this money in his vault."
"It doesn't seem any brighter than I said."
"Come on, this money is an important reserve. Sell all those useless ornaments for gold so Lord Rene can lend more money."
"A loan? Lend money to others?"
"Yes, just lend it out at five cents a month and collect the interest. Lord Rene always makes money." 'said the maid.
If you lend a hundred gold pieces to someone, you will earn five gold pieces of interest every month, and you will earn your money back in two years, Charles calculated, and it seemed very profitable indeed.
How rich a man like Rene de Alberta must be if he keeps lending money and storing all his gold in his vault.
"If the Count has so much money, what does he spend it on? Why don't you decorate the castle?"
"Well, didn't I say we'd save money and use it to keep lending?"
"So just stacking gold in a vault? What's the point of that? He doesn't have to."
"What do you mean no, you guy?" The maid was angry, "Think about it, with so much money, the count's descendants will no longer have to worry about money, they can do whatever they want, whether it is to buy land, organize an army, build a manor, prepare for marriage, no longer have to worry about this gold, see, the count is such a kind man." He also takes good care of us and makes clothes and jewelry for us."
"So I see." Shire was thoughtful.
"Excuse me, did I sound a little harsh? I have been honored to serve Lord Rene and his family, so some people can't stand to be questioned." The maid apologized to Shire.
She took Char to the bathing place, a large room with low lighting. In the middle of it was a stone blast furnace with a roaring fire beneath it and a very wide cauldron boiling hot water. Under the stone stove was a large wooden bucket, big enough for several people to stand in.
The maid climbed up a ladder on the side of the fire, turned a long pole hard, tilted the pot, and poured out the boiling hot water. The water poured into the bucket below, rising and rising. Shire look wide eyes, this into the bath will be ironed off a layer of hair, aristocratic bathing is really suffering.
Fortunately, the situation was more pleasant, and the maid climbed down the ladder, lifted a smaller wooden bucket in the corner, and poured a large bucket of fresh water into the tub to neutralize the temperature of the water.
She looked around at the cabinets and ledges, pointing out to Char the location of bath towels, shower caps, ash soda soap, flower petals and herbs.
"See these?"
"Ah, very thoughtful."
"Yes, but you can't use any of it, and if I come back and it's missing or used, you're out of luck." The maid threatened.
The Shire shrugged. He couldn't ask for much since he was in someone else's castle.
"I'll bring your new dress. It's an average size. You'll fit into it." The maid greeted Shire.
"Thank you very much."
After the maid left, he took off his coat and pants, unbandaged his body, and felt the wound behind him, and found that it had formed a thick scab.
Char climbed slowly into the tub, the water was very hot, it was wonderful to be in it, he was shaking with comfort, every pore was opening, making him feel very clean, the stains and dirt and blood on his body melted in the hot water, turning the clear water into strange colors.
Shire lived seventeen years and bathed in the tub for the first time, and he treasured the opportunity to rub all over his body to make sure he was clean. He used to bathe in the river, or drop a bucket of water on his head, and always felt that it was not clean, but now he finally had the opportunity to do a thorough cleaning.
If I also earn 750 gold pieces a year, I do not need to buy hundreds of pigs. 'thought Shire. I can buy a mansion, which has such a big bath bucket, you can take a hot bath at any time, wash it every day, after washing in the morning, have a meal at noon, after eating at noon, take a nap at night, you can lie in bed at night, and fall asleep when you are sleepy, and wake up naturally the next day. What life could be better than this?
"Bah, where are your big dreams?" Gladius urged him petulantly, "Get up and climb out of this softening water."
"It's so warm. I'll stay a little longer." Char sank into the bucket. "Don't rush me."
"The water will soon get cold, it will be so cold that when you climb out, you will be cold and sick." It's a curse! Hot showers are a curse. The happier you are when the water is hot, the more painful it is when it cools." Gladius ruthlessly destroys the Shire's beautiful illusions.
"Yes, yes, thank you for ruining my enjoyment." Char did feel the water less hot than before.
If the water turned to ice, it was really painful to be in it, and the devil's description made him unhappy. Shire did not soak in the hot water for long, but while the water was still warm, he quickly climbed out of the bucket and put on his clothes again.
"As long as your ass can move, find me some demons to kill." Graddius urged, "Don't be greedy for pleasure, you mortal. The strong never enjoy, the strong are always on the run."
"If you don't enjoy it, why become strong?" Have you been struggling?"
"Of course, I'm just trying to get you to work so I can taste the fresh soul."
"What other pleasure does the devil have than the pursuit of the soul?"
"I will be restored to my full strength, the size of mountains, and destroy the world with the power of a sharp sword, no more comfortable than you in a barrel of hot water." Graddiu was not impressed.
"Was that really enjoyable?" 'asked Shire.
"Now, go out and deal with the nobles, and leave me alone."
"You see, you finally understand how I feel. It annoys me when you ramble on."
"You're wrong. I'm undefeated because I can hide." Graddiu was silent in the soul of Charles.
Shire estimate themselves no matter how to say it can not hear, he felt this is very unfair, the devil nonsense when the shire can only listen, shire nonsense when the devil can hide.
He opened the door and went outside to find the maid waiting with new clothes in her arms.
"Come on." She said, "You feel much better, please put your clothes on, although you do... Very strong, very mature, and very powerful..." She looked at Char's body.
Char put on the new clothes she handed her, woolen leggings, felt pants, cowhide waistcoat, black leather jacket, and straw colored stool boots.
"Do you live in this city?" The maid put Shire's old clothes away. 'I can send them to you when I have washed them.'
"If nothing happens, I'll live in the Hunter's Sanctuary." Char explained, "The home of the Demon Hunter."
"Oh, it's a cursed place." The maid was surprised.
"The curse is nothing as long as I'm there." Shire said confidently.
"It remains to be seen." The maid curled her lips. "Let's go."
"Where are you taking me?"
"To see Lord Rene, where else."
They went up the winding stairs to the upper interior of the castle, which was very large indeed, with thick walls, and the Shire kept an eye on it, many of which had defensive holes for the crossbowman, who stood on the stairs, to aim out into the court, and through these gaps he could see the noble children playing on the lawn, guarded by nannies and knights.
The maid pushed open a mahogany door, and Shire saw that there were many people inside.
The whole drawing room was not large, and in the first place there sat a middle-aged nobleman, broad and bald, but with some drab hair running at the temples, a large nose, small eyes, deep sockets, and a thick beard, which was not very pleasant. Shire reckoned it was Lord Rene de Alberta, Count of Greytree Hall.
And beside the nobleman sat a young man with chestnut hair, broad boned, tall, chivalrous, very proud, looking confident and proud.
Rocher was standing on the red wool carpet with his helmet in his arms, talking slowly to them. And on both sides of the living room, armored guards with axes and swords to guard the law and order, eyes fell on the sabre in the arms of the Shire, have to glared at the Shire.
Char feels fuzzy with the guards staring at him like this.
"Go on, you are stronger than them, conquer them. Kill the fat boy, and with the noble dead, this place will be a mess for us to make fun of. Don't be afraid, I have recovered a lot of strength, even if surrounded, I can help you out." "Cried Graddiu sharply.
"Calm down." Char muttered to himself, "And I will take a reward from him."
"As I said before, this is the demon Hunter, Lord Shire." Rocher motioned and introduced them.
The Shire paid a little homage to the nobles.
"Shire." Count Rene began in a husky voice. He took a drink from his wine glass to moisten his throat. He was dressed in beautiful brocade and a fur shawl. "I hear Frederic is dead."
"Yes, Master Frederic was killed in action."
"And you inherited his keys... Inherited the local Hunter's Sanctuary?" Rene asked.
"I'm now the only demon hunter in the Sanctuary, so I feel like I did inherit it." Shire shrugged.
"Then you should inherit what you owe... Shire, by the end of this month, your guild owes me 205 gold pieces, plus 12 silver pieces and 23 bronze pieces." Count Rene tapped his fingers on the table. "... Five cents a month. Don't forget to pay it back."