Maxi asked about the conversion that confused her the most.
"S-So this little gold coin...
a d-denar, was that?
H-How much is a d-denar worth in liram?"
“There is no precise conversion, as five lirams are worth three denars,” replied Ruth, sliding a gold denar and a silver liram across the table.
She quickly began writing notes on parchment.
Ruth watched her for a few moments before sighing softly.
"You were probably confused between liram and denar in your dealings with the merchant.
The soldem is very valuable and is rarely used, while the derham has little value, making it unsuitable for large-scale transactions.
Trade between noble houses and merchants is usually done in liram, the Roemian silver coin, or in the gold denar of Lakazim.
Unfortunately, lirams and denars do not convert easily.
Splitting the coins into small pieces is not an option, so merchants often divide them.
convert to derham to simplify things.
If you just do the conversion correctly, your calculations should be accurate.”
Maxi nodded, discouraged.
“I-I didn’t know t-there were so many types of coins…”
"You have only seen a fraction of them, my lady.
Balto in the north and Sykan in the east have their own coins.
The purity and weight of their coins are identical to the soldem and liram, but it is best to get used to their appearance."
He searched his pockets and then scratched his head.
"I don't have samples with me.
Maybe next time."
Maxi looked at him with fear.
More coins just meant more confusion.
“I-If they’re worth m-even if you solder and polish them, is there r-really a n-need to see them?”
"More and more lords have created their own coins to show off their wealth and power.
But most of these coins are impure mixtures that contain lead or copper.
These should be rejected in transactions.
The coins of Balto or Sykan, on the other hand, are pure and trustworthy.
Next spring, merchants from these kingdoms will come to Anatol, so you better know what their coins look like."
“I-I understand…”
"The soldem, liram, denar, derham, and copper shekel widely used by commoners are among the most reliable currencies.
And there is also the dant, which is used only by the elite.
You'll probably be fine if you remember that."
Maxi's ears perked up at the mention of dant.
She had only heard the name in passing.
“H-How much is a d-dant worth?”
“The dant is the currency with the highest value in the world” explained Ruth.
"It was issued during the golden age of the Roemian Empire.
They are the size of a book and look more like metal plates than coins.
Made from orichalcum, they are extremely rare.
Only 600 exist in the entire continent, and 160 of them are in the possession of Sir Riftan."
Maxi's eyes widened.
Ruth began to boast.
"Sir Riftan found them six years ago in a monster cave in the Osiriya Gorges.
At the time, he hunted monsters like a madman and collected all kinds of treasure.
The dant coins were among his most valuable discoveries.
Originally, he owned 200 dant, but spent forty on building the castle walls, paving village roads, and repairing the castle."
“W-Was he able to d-do all this with just f-forty coins?”
“Twenty would have been enough, but Sir Riftan paid the workers several times the usual salary to speed up construction.”
Ruth made no attempt to hide her displeasure.
“Y-You’ve known R-Riftan for a long time.”
"Since he was a simple mercenary.
It's been almost twelve years."
Maxi was intrigued.
Twelve years ago, Riftan would have been sixteen.
Did he become a mercenary at that age?
She knew that Riftan had been knighted at eighteen.
And to become a knight, it usually took at least three years of training and another year learning swordsmanship under the tutelage of a knight…
"We've strayed from the subject.
Let's get back to the ledger, ma'am.
We need to finish before the merchant arrives."
Maxi swallowed his questions and dove into the ledger once more.
Aderon was visibly upset when Maxi canceled some of the orders.
His eloquence almost persuaded her to reconsider, but she stood her ground as she remembered how Ruth had frowned at her excessive spending.
In the end, the merchant drafted a new statement with a sigh of surrender.Maxi tried to estimate the total cost.
When she realized that she would pay with stacks of the sparkling coins that Ruth had shown, she felt that it was no small amount.
She signed the receipt with a renewed sense of responsibility and gathered up the rolls of parchment.
Ruth seemed relieved when she said everything had gone well.
“Can I see the receipt?”
She handed him the piece of parchment.
“The fellow is not entirely unprincipled,” he said after a thorough examination.
“He’s even p-persistent, b-but he’s not a bad p-person…”
“Anyone can pretend to be a paragon of virtue in front of gold.”
As he pulled up a chair to sit at the table, Maxi sat on the other side and rolled his eyes.
His cold comment contrasted with his soft features.
She had noticed before, but the sorcerer was much more ill-tempered and sharp than his appearance suggested.
Although he was more nosy and talkative than Riftan, both men arguably had difficult personalities.
"Please record the transaction in the ledger.
I will help you make any necessary corrections."
“O-Alright…”
She obeyed without questioning her right to give him such instructions.
“This calculation is wrong.”
“Oh, I’m s-sorry…”
Ruth watched her in silence as she scratched with the quill.
After some time, he pressed his thumb to his forehead and tapped a corner of the parchment.
When she quickly corrected the error, he pointed back to the section below.
“This unit here is wrong.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
"And please keep the accounts in more detail.
We want to avoid confusion when they are resolved."
“I-I understand…”
"Here, the spelling is wrong.
Please refrain from scribbling.
These are official records that will be passed down from generation to generation."
Maxi flinched.
Not even the tutor hired by Duke Croyso had been so strict.
When Ruth finished writing in the ledger, she reviewed the numbers as if she were inspecting her homework.
“This is acceptable,” he said arrogantly as he closed the ledger, his face lighting up as if a great burden had been lifted.
"We have resolved all the problems.
Now, my lady, I would like to ask you not to disturb my sleep."
Maxi rolled his eyes again.
Did the man plan to continue sleeping in the library?
Hadn't Riftan mentioned that his quarters were in the tower?
But it was none of his business to interfere.
She hesitated for a long time before opening her mouth to speak.
“W-We decided to work on the j-gardens next spring…”
Ruth's face contorted.
Maxi looked at him pleadingly.
She had worked alone for days and had no desire to continue tearing her hair out.
Having suffered all kinds of humiliation, she had nothing left to lose.
“And r-repair the a-attachment…”
Ruth clutched her head, regretting intervening.
From that day on, Ruth supervised Maxi's accounting.
She would enter the library and watch him silently as he slept in the corner, and he would get up, muttering that he should never have intruded.
Still, he pored over the ledger meticulously and advised her on her purchases.
Although his advice bordered on lecturing, he was a great help, and Maxi found herself turning to him for even the most trivial problems.
However, when Maxi told him her plans for the garden, he seemed worried.
“The servants will be worried if you order the removal of the tree by the pavilion.”
Maxi looked at him doubtfully.
"B-But she's d-dead.
I-She doesn't even c-grow leaves."
"The Anatolians believe that nymphs inhabit trees.
They are cautious about uprooting trees, even dead ones, and logging is considered sacrilege.
If you ordered the removal of that tree for aesthetic reasons, they would be horrified."
“B-But…” she said, perplexed.
"W-Wouldn't they understand if w-we said that the trees would be used as fuel?
Look how ugly it is..."
“They would probably accept it,” Ruth mused as she rubbed her chin, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
“But that tree is an oak.”
“Wh-What’s s-special about oak trees?”
"The Anatolians treasure the legend of Sir Rosem Wigrew, the first knight to fly through the heavens on a dragon.
According to legend, that hill is where Wigrew rode his dragon before leaving."