The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 65

“If something ever happens to the caravan, people will blame your name, Nini.”

“That—That can’t happen!”

“Nini’s going to do great! No problems at all!”

Aref and Nivellia both shouted in protest, one after the other.

Soles calmly raised a hand to settle them down.

“I’m just saying we should prepare for the worst. Even my mother didn’t use her real name for her business. She came up with a new one—Lubeo.”

Still, Soles didn’t completely disagree with Aref’s suggestion.

“How about Pelea instead?”

“Pelea? What’s that?”

“That’s part of your name, Nini. Your full name was originally made by combining Nix and Pelea.”

“Nixpelea?”

“We just refined it a bit to create Nivellia.”

Snow cat.

A white cat, like fresh fallen snow.

The beloved companion of Saint Muniel.

And the cat whose death, forty years ago, marked the end of the Crepatna War.

“Kitty Caravan was cute, but Pelea Caravan sounds kind of cool, doesn’t it? Easy to say, and it still means ‘cat.’”

“I think it’s a great name,” Aref agreed.

“How about you, miss?”

Both boys now turned to Nivellia, waiting for the final decision.

“Pelea…”

She repeated the word softly, over and over.

Pelea. Pelea.

Her other name.

A quiet, pleased smile spread across her face.

“I love it!”

And just like that, the Pelea Caravan was born.

“Pelea Caravan? That’s a fantastic name.”

Caleo had rushed to officially register the new name.

Now, Pelea Caravan was legally and officially Nivellia’s own.

Just in case, he also registered “Pelea Shop” and “Pelea” as trademarks.

“Kitty Caravan was cute, but honestly, I think Pelea Caravan is even better. It sounds more mature, more elegant.”

“Right? Nini thinks so too!”

“Congratulations, Guildmaster of the Pelea Caravan.”

Caleo knelt on one knee and held out his hand like a knight.

Nivellia, pretending to be all grown-up, placed her tiny hand over her father’s with great dignity.

“Thank you, Marquis.”

“Hahaha!”

“Do you think Nini can make lots of money now?”

“If you work hard.”

Lifting her up high, Caleo kissed her forehead with all the pride and love in the world.

“This time, it’s going to work. I believe in you.”

Because you’ve failed many times and never gave up—not once.

That honest, heartfelt encouragement gave Nivellia the strength and courage she needed.

As the sweltering heat of summer began to ease…

The Pelea Caravan’s grand opening preparations kicked into high gear.

“Thanks to Sister Selli, we found a really great wagon. I’m telling you—connections are everything.”

Armiphera handled the funds Nivellia had gathered with care and precision.

Two sturdy freight wagons fit for long trips out west, eight strong and healthy horses, and a team of four employees—including some with experience.

And to that team, they added a very special group.

“……”

“……”

The children stared up in silence at the unfamiliar figures.

They were all towering, muscular, and had rough, serious faces.

It was obvious at a glance.

They were mercenaries.

Though all their weapons had been left at the entrance, it didn’t make them any less intimidating.

“Kids, go ahead and introduce yourselves.”

Armiphera took the lead in presenting the group.

“These are the people who’ll be working with me.”

“They’re your subordinates?” Nivellia asked, tilting her head.

“Let’s call them teammates instead of subordinates.”

“But you’re the Mercenary Queen, right? That makes you the boss.”

“These are comrades who’ve been with me since before I ever earned that title. If I acted like a queen in front of them, they might just chop my head off.”

“Not really the kind of thing to say in front of kids,” muttered a woman with short, bright red hair, shooting Armiphera a disapproving look.

Realizing what she’d just said, Armiphera cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“These people will be escorting the Pelea Caravan. They’re highly skilled, know the roads well, and—most importantly—they know how delicious stone mushrooms are.”

“Wow! You’re all so cool!”

Nivellia smiled brightly.

Next, Armiphera introduced the children to the mercenaries.

“These are my nieces and nephew—Soles, Aref, and Nivellia, in that order. And this little one here is the proud leader of the Pelea Caravan—the one you’ll be protecting.”

Nivellia stepped forward confidently and held out her hand to greet them.

“Hi! I’m counting on you!”

Her innocent face and confident attitude were so amusing, a few of the mercenaries burst into hearty laughter.

One of them—clearly the leader—knelt down slightly and took Nivellia’s hand.

He had short, silvery-gray hair and a deep dimple in his left cheek.

“Nice to meet you, Caravan Master.”

His voice was deep and smooth, almost like a singer’s.

“My name is Falcone. I’m a mercenary hired to guard your caravan.”

“Guarding means protecting, right?”

“That’s right. I’ll do everything I can to make sure the stone mushrooms arrive safely in the capital.”

“But don’t get hurt, okay? Getting hurt really hurts.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

There were four mercenaries in total: Falcone, Lupinus, Marte, and Mustela.

“All of your names are animals,” Soles noticed aloud.

Mustela, the red-haired woman, nodded.

“They’re all code names. Mercenaries usually don’t share their real names. Even your aunt used a different name back when she worked as a mercenary.”

Armiphera shrugged casually.

“What was your name, Auntie?”

“Panthera.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a powerful predator—even strong enough to take down reptiles. Sort of like a big cat.”

“Knew it!” Nivellia grinned with pride, like she’d expected that answer.

“Cats are strong!”

“Yes. Very strong,” Armiphera replied, her golden eyes glinting with a fierce light.

Everything was finally ready.

“Pelea Caravan!”

At Nivellia’s shout, the members of the Pelea Caravan stood tall and answered in unison, “Yes, ma’am!”

Today, the Pelea Caravan was setting off for the western region—Latro.

As their guild master, Nivellia got up early to see them off, still in her pajamas.

“Bring back lots of stone mushrooms!”

“We will!”

“And don’t get hurt! Got it?”

Nivellia looked over at Deter.

Deter stepped forward and handed something to the caravan members.

“These are from the young miss. She prepared them just for you.”

A few days earlier, Nivellia had written a letter to the Grand Witch.

Of course, it was Deter who actually wrote it on her behalf—but what truly mattered was the gift Nivellia had prepared for the caravan members.

It was ointment and medicine.

“If you get hurt, use this. And if your tummy hurts, take the red one. And, um… uh…”

To be ready for any situation, she had ordered a variety of remedies for different symptoms.

They were even made by witches—their quality and effectiveness far superior to anything from a regular apothecary.

“Caravan Master…”

The staff looked at Nivellia with faces full of emotion.

Feeling a little shy under their gaze, Nivellia tapped the tip of her shoe against the ground.

“Nini is the leader, right? A leader has to protect their people. Everyone’s sitting on Nini’s shoulders, so I’ll do my best to keep you safe!”

In truth, some of the staff hadn’t taken the Pelea Caravan very seriously at first.

They thought it was just a spoiled noble child’s whimsical project.

But the pay and treatment were better than most places, so they had simply gone along with it.

Now, they realized Nivellia was completely sincere.

Despite being just four years old, she was determined to lead and protect them—as a real caravan master should.

“You can count on us!”

Nivellia trusted her people.

“Yes, ma’am.”

And so, her people trusted their little leader.

“We, the Pelea Caravan, will complete our mission and return safely.”

“She went with them?”

Upon hearing that the Pelea Caravan had departed, Caleo frowned slightly.

The secretary giving the report nodded.

“She’s only accompanying them as far as the capital’s outer gate, from what I heard.”

“I wouldn’t mind if she just kept going.”

“You don’t mean that.”

Celletina, sitting comfortably on the office sofa with a cup of tea, chuckled softly.

She and her husband were working from home that day, discussing the final preparations for their new pharmaceutical company, which was close to launching.

“She’s been really good with the kids. Thanks to her, you and your parents have actually had some breathing room.”

“Deter and the other maids have always handled things well.”

“Yes, but she teaches them things maids can’t—like discipline.”

“Feels like she’s teaching them how to be even more troublesome…”

Still, Armiphera had been caring and responsible.

And the children were fond of her.

Her stories were violent, yes—but also fascinating and full of adventures only a Mercenary Queen could tell.

Especially Nivellia, who showed no shyness at all around her aunt. She would even run up first, tugging on her arm, asking her to play.

“Even your parents have been going out more often lately,” Celletina added, resting her chin on her hand, a little apologetically.

“I feel bad sometimes. Like we’ve used up too much of their time watching the kids.”

“They’ve always been social. You don’t need to feel guilty,” Caleo replied gently, reassuring her.

As the couple spoke, the secretary who had been quietly standing by stepped in.

“Marquis, a letter has arrived from one of our informants.”

Hearing that, Celletina stopped what she was doing and turned toward Caleo.

He watched her affectionately as she walked over, then opened the letter only once she was by his side.

“What’s it about?”

“Nothing urgent,” Caleo replied as he skimmed through it. “Just a report. There’s been some unusual activity in the north lately.”

“The north?”

Celletina’s eyes sharpened with sudden alertness.

When someone said “the north,” one particular thing came to mind.

“…Is it the Permafrost Ducks?”

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