‘It’s been a while, so I’m nervous.’
It was the place with the largest doors in the mansion — my father’s Household Head’s Room.
The knight guarding the entrance was a familiar face.
It was Gedren of the Twin Swords.
“It’s been a long time. Are you still stationed at the castle?”
“I haven’t received the order to return to the Souther Knights yet.”
“How interesting.”
“Perhaps I’m being punished for failing to attend to the Young Master properly.”
Back when I was traveling to obtain the Dragon’s Relic, he was supposed to escort me, but he had made the mistake of losing track of me.
He was clearly pointing that out now.
“That’s also interesting.”
“Phew. What’s so interesting about it? Thanks to that, I’ve done nothing but spar until I felt like dying.
They called it sparring, but it was really a punishment.”
“Hmm… that’s too bad.”
“In any case, I’m dying to go back.”
His original post was with the Souther Knights, who were in charge of the Eastern Region.
As a skilled member of the order, there should be many places that need him.
The fact that he hadn’t been recalled yet meant there was a reason.
‘What could it be? This is a movement I’m not aware of.’
Although he didn’t say it, it was certain that Father had ordered him to do something.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of task required a knight of his caliber, especially something that even I, in my role as the Inspector, wouldn’t know about.
‘This is why I need to get an information network faster.’
Father wasn’t an enemy.
However, there was a definite need to grasp everything happening within the territory.
While I was feeling the urgency of needing information, Gedren cleared his throat and asked, “Shall I announce you to the Count?”
“Please do.”
“The Third Young Master has arrived!”
Thump, thump.
Gedren knocked on the door.
A response came shortly after.
“Let him in.”
“By your command!”
The door to the Household Head’s Room opened.
There sat my father, who had been immersed in training.
He had left the room empty throughout the winter to focus on his practice.
However, since winter was ending and spring was approaching, it was time to plan and coordinate the yearly agenda for the territory.
As it was the most critical period of the year, even Father had no choice but to leave the training hall.
‘He’s made progress. Father might have the greatest martial talent in the family.’
Father had been fully absorbed in his training after I passed down the Mugong to him.
Since he was already a powerhouse who had reached the level of an Aura Master, it should have been difficult to ascend to a higher realm.
Yet, he must have achieved something, as the Soulforce dwelling within his body was writhing fiercely.
It was a significant change.
The power residing in Father’s body was anything but ordinary.
‘I suppose only the room itself remains the same.’
While Father, the master of the room, had changed greatly, the office itself was unchanged.
The only difference was that the stacks of thick documents had grown higher.
They were clearly papers that had accumulated while Father was away from the room.
Turning his eyes away from the documents, Father looked at me.
“Right. What is it? If you had something to say, you could have come during dinner.”
“I apologize. Since I was in the middle of training, I came to see you at a late hour.”
“It’s fine. That can happen when you’re training. Even so, I wish we could have family meals more often.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
During the family meals, I had been staying at the fortress under the pretext of training.
“I’ve come because I have a request for you, Father.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes. There are two things.”
“Go ahead.”
“First, I would like to resign from the position of Agriculture Official.”
As expected, it was surprising.
Father’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.
‘He doesn’t like it.’
Father was a man who wanted one to fulfill their responsibilities once a task was assigned.
It hadn’t even been a full year since I took the role.
I was telling him I was stepping down too early.
“…What is the reason? I was under the impression you were doing quite well.”
If it hadn’t been for the results at the Pirn Fields last year, he might have gotten angry immediately.
“It’s because I know things will run smoothly even without me.
The preparations for all the wheat fields, beyond just the Pirn Fields, were completed over the winter, weren’t they?”
“Hmm…”
It was as I said.
I had dug furrows in the Pirn Fields as well as all the fields throughout the Direct Dominion to apply the new farming methods.
Although we couldn’t fully expand the waterways because the ground was frozen in winter, simply changing the farming method would definitely double the harvest.
‘That means food security is guaranteed.’
Perhaps to further increase food production, Father had issued a separate order to the Eastern Region beyond the Direct Dominion.
He commanded them to apply the new farming methods.
Once the new methods were applied to the already fertile Eastern Region, food production would increase beyond imagination.
The change I had sowed was now being applied to the entire territory.
“With more experience, you might be able to bring about even better changes.
Besides, isn’t it your achievement?
No one would complain if you continued as the Agriculture Official.”
“I am aware.”
“Then what is the reason you want to quit?”
“It’s for the sake of new experiences.”
“Is that so?”
Father’s expression softened slightly at my words.
He realized I wasn’t planning to abandon my duties just to play around.
‘I call it “experience,” but I intend to bring about a completely new wave of change this time as well.’
I had secured food as the Agriculture Official.
There was something else after food.
That was why I had come to visit.
Father looked at me with a subtle expression.
His eyes were filled with great anticipation.
I was the one who had increased agricultural production in less than a year.
Before I knew it, I was being hailed as a genius within the territory.
He was expecting to see what kind of change I would bring next.
I didn’t avoid his gaze.
“Then what kind of experience would you like to try this time?”
“Beyond being the Agriculture Official, I want to become the Territory Administrator.
The one who oversees the entire Direct Dominion.”
“Ho…”
The sparkle in his eyes grew brighter.
“A Territory Administrator… an administrator, you say…”
He closed his eyes as if weighing the idea, then looked at me again.
“Now that we’ve secured food, shouldn’t we also bring stability to the population?”
“Stability… Hmm.
But that isn’t the only thing you’re aiming for, is it?”
As expected, Father was sharp.
At times like this, I shouldn’t back away.
I boldly showed my ambition.
“Starting from the castle, I intend to bring about a massive change.”
“Haha… a change.”
Father nodded.
“Fine. Give it a try.
I shall place great expectations on you.”
“Thank you.”
Good.
I had his permission.
I bowed my head to Father.
‘I’ll do even better than you expect.’
I planned to bring about a change that exceeded not just his expectations, but his very imagination.
Father processed the matter with lightning speed.
After notifying the family, he immediately relayed the news to the vassals.
Unlike before, no one expressed concern.
“What is he planning to do this time?”
“He’ll probably bring something new again. Didn’t the Pirn Fields cause a huge stir before?”
“Ahem. Still, won’t the workload increase quite a bit?”
“They say they’ll provide proper treatment proportional to the work.”
“As long as they treat us well, it’s fine.
Plus, they give us a nice side income, so there’s nothing to complain about.”
Instead, many expressed anticipation.
This was especially true for the administrative officers.
It was natural to feel tired when a new project started, but they were hopeful because they had seen what happened to Myuron.
Myuron was the one who had handled the practical work as an administrative officer while assisting me.
He had successfully launched projects with just a few administrators, including Bayron, who followed him around.
He had put in considerable effort when we set up the new wheat fields.
As a result…
“You take the vacant position of Agriculture Official.”
“M-Me, sir?”
“Yes. I’ve already spoken to Father. I believe you’ll do a good job.”
“Young Master! T-Thank you! I will do my absolute best!”
“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Exactly as you are now.”
The position of Agriculture Official that I left behind went to Myuron.
For him, it was a sudden promotion.
Since he had already been working to support me, there was nothing new he had to learn; only his rank had increased.
A frenzy broke out among the administrative officers.
Myuron, who was a commoner by birth, had risen to the rank of Agriculture Official.
Although the position had become somewhat less prestigious over time, it was still a role usually held by nobles.
Having a commoner administrator take that spot was an unprecedented favor.
‘It would have been difficult if Father hadn’t lent his support.’
I didn’t just take care of Myuron.
Benson received a reward along with the equipment I had specially prepared.
I also ensured that those working under them got their fair share.
“Young Master!”
“Ohhh! Please call us whenever there’s work to be done!”
When they received their rewards, the looks they gave me weren’t just warm; they were burning.
I felt like I had gained a group of passionate fanatics.
‘They looked like they would come running the moment I called. Sincerely.’
That was why the administrative officers were in such an uproar.
Even if the work is hard, people will move if the reward is certain.
And if that reward is unexpectedly large, they’ll develop abilities they didn’t even know they had.
That was the man who had now become the Territory Administrator.
I had ascended to the position overseeing all administration in Ophern Castle.
It was only natural for them to be expectant.
“Now that I think about it, isn’t he also the Inspector?”
“That’s right. No matter what he does, no one will be able to say anything.”
Usually, an Inspector would interfere with every administrative task.
But why would I stop myself?
Therefore, I was now an absolute power wielder, possessing both administrative and investigative authority!
Normally, such a thing would never be allowed.
Not even Father would usually grant such power.
‘This is why bloodlines are the best.’
Amid everyone’s expectations, I had gained absolute power within the territory.
On the first day I went to work as the Territory Administrator…
“Oh…”
The administrative officers of the territory were lined up early in the morning to greet me.
Although there weren’t many for the size of the territory, there were more than 100 people when gathered.
Combined with their assistants, the number reached the hundreds.
Everyone filled the Administrative Office, looking at me with expectant eyes.
In the midst of their attention, I stood in the center of the place they had prepared.
“I am Rayrn, the newly appointed Territory Administrator.
I look forward to working with you all.”
It was a very short inaugural speech.
That was enough.
“We look forward to working with you as well!”
“Just give us your orders for anything!”
The atmosphere heated up instantly.
If they had been sword-wielding knights instead of pen-holding administrators, they would have drawn their blades in excitement.
‘This is good.’
The feeling of being inaugurated while everyone cheered was quite thrilling.
“This is where you will be staying, Administrator.”
“It’s nice.”
My office was set up in the heart of the Administrative Office.
The place was neatly organized, as if it had been polished in advance.
I sat down naturally.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes, sir!”
The first day of administrative work began amid high expectations.
While Rayrn was being inaugurated as the Territory Administrator, Ident, who remained a clever Crow, was moving swiftly for the fiercest, silent battle: the intelligence war.
If knights had their Aura, information was the weapon of the Crows.
Moving secretly and uncovering everything without the opponent noticing was the essence and the beauty of intelligence work.
House Owen called them Foxes, and Ophern called them Crows.
Although they were fewer in number than the Foxes, the Crows flew swiftly to bring back information at any time.
However…
‘Have I been caught? Where on earth did it go wrong?’
Without Ident even realizing it, the Foxes had become more agile.