Chapter 42: Claiming the Sea-Bound Domain

When I reported to the Marquess that I had completed the task, he laughed heartily with delight.

“Hahaha. You did an excellent job.”

Unlike last time, the Marquess approached me kindly.

Today, he came up to me first, tapping me on the shoulder, truly pleased.

“Well then, since you succeeded without any problems in just a day, it’s only right for the lord to reward you generously.”

With an excited expression, the Marquess turned and returned to his desk.

Then he picked up a heavy money pouch and came over to me.

“Normally, it’s customary for the one receiving the territory to give a little money to the noble who granted it, but, well, since I know your situation well, let’s do something a bit special.”

The Marquess who approached me had a face different from any I’d seen before.

“Take it.”

“What is this?”

I already knew the clinking sound was from a money pouch, but I asked anyway.

After all, this wasn’t the amount we’d previously agreed upon.

“Anji, I can practically smell the money coming off you. So, I’ve decided to invest in you, just this once. Even if there’s no profit, it doesn’t matter. I can always reclaim the territory if need be.”

“Amazing. Truly amazing.”

I was shocked he could sense the scent of money on me. I had been thinking about earning through production skills.

His words felt as though he could see right through my actions, and the mention of reclaiming the territory left me with a cold feeling.

That talk of taking it back wasn’t just idle chatter.

It meant he could easily recover it by force if necessary.

“Thank you.”

For now, I accepted it.

There was no good reason to refuse, and I needed the money desperately.

By accepting, I knew the Marquess would be watching me closely.

After all, I’d given him a reason to be suspicious—breaking through the magic circle in an instant.

“Good, I’ll assign you one Knight and thirty Soldiers. Go with them, announce that you’re the new lord, and that’s it.”

“Thank you once again for your generosity.”

“Heh heh, yes. Let’s meet again soon.”

With that, I left the Marquess’s office.

Until the very end, his eyes were like those of a beast fixated on prey.

I met his gaze directly and, keeping a calm face however I could, left the office.

I then met up with the assigned Knight and Soldiers and set off. Once inside the carriage, I could finally let out a relaxed breath.

“Maid…”

A sigh emerged from deep within my heart.

“I really need to be careful with this. If I’m not, the Marquess might have my head.”

Realizing I had to keep my greed in check, I lay down comfortably in the carriage.

Dealing with the Marquess had drained me more mentally than I’d expected, and I soon drifted into a deep sleep.

***

After arriving at the territory known as Azofra, I was finally able to see the sea again after such a long time.

“Whew, ha~.”

The deep scent of the sea breeze filled my lungs.

Mixed in was a slightly fishy smell, and the cool wind tickled my skin.

“It seems to be a pretty big sea.”

Gazing at the distant horizon, I spoke, feeling both overwhelmed and a little excited.

After taking in the view of the sea before me, I turned around.

There was a mountain—not too big, not too small.

At the peak, I saw a waterfall, and following it down, a small river flowed to the sea.

The waterfall was beautiful, and as if to prove it was autumn, the mountain was painted in vibrant colors.

But my appreciation didn’t last long.

That was my conclusion after looking at the two villages by the river.

The so-called houses looked as though they might collapse at any moment.

The balance was so precarious that even a slight wind might topple the stone walls.

Compared to the houses, the farmlands were in decent shape.

The fields stretched all the way to the mountain’s edge and had already been harvested and cleaned up.

Compared to the fields in other capitals or territories I’d seen, they were small, but at least enough to feed the two villages.

Still, even those fields had issues.

The land at the foot of the mountain was half-ruined.

There were traces of wild animals—or maybe monsters—passing through, and even what seemed to be monster tracks.

Boulders were embedded in the fields here and there, and it looked like some had rolled down from the mountain.

“So much work to do…”

Restoring these damaged fields wouldn’t be easy.

And the villagers’ homes needed to be rebuilt or repaired, which would require plenty of manpower and money.

“Is this just half of what I’m dealing with?”

I had only seen two of the four villages so far.

I wasn’t ready to give up hope yet.

As I moved on, I discovered the port and the remaining two villages.

To put it simply, the shape of the place was like a circle with one section cut out.

Through the broken section, waves and seawater flowed inward, creating a high cliff.

The villages were built facing each other on either side of that gap.

“Wow, this is crazy.”

That was all I could say upon discovering the villages.

“Aren’t those way too dangerous?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Jenny replied, her face serious.

The two villages weren’t built on flat ground, but rather in tiers.

If the waves were even a little bigger, the houses could easily flood, and the stone walls and mud houses stacked precariously looked like they could collapse at any moment.

I wondered if anyone even lived there.

Thankfully, the cliffs on either side seemed to block the sea wind and high waves.

As I walked down the stone steps, there were tall cliffs beside me, and there, I could see small wooden boats swaying gently.

“It’s just like an old country fishing village… and a really primitive one at that.”

While I stared blankly at the scene, the carriage kept moving, and with a jolt, it stopped at its destination.

“This is the residence where Sir Solo will be staying.”

I had arrived at what would be my new home.

The moment I got out of the carriage and looked at the house, I let out a quiet exclamation.

Wow.

It was more modest and clean than I’d expected—a nice little mansion.

The mansion was a two-story building.

“While you look around the mansion, we’ll send the Soldiers to gather the village chiefs.”

“Ah, please do.”

At the Knight’s words, the Soldiers moved briskly, and the Knight followed one of their groups.

After they left, I approached the mansion and found four people waiting there.

“Welcome, my lord. My name is Cal, and I am in charge of managing the mansion.”

The first to bow and greet me was a middle-aged man.

He was dressed neatly in Housekeeper’s attire, and although his expression was a bit stiff, his posture was impeccable.

Cal had been assigned here as soon as the Marquess built the villa, and had managed the place for ten years.

“Solo, is it? I look forward to serving you.”

“Yes, my lord. This is my wife, Cecile, who is in charge of the kitchen. And these are the maid sisters, Remia and Lamia.”

“We greet you, my lord.”

Cecile, Cal’s wife, was the first to greet me.

At a glance, she felt as familiar and approachable as a neighborhood rice cake shop lady.

Standing together, the two seemed a perfect, well-matched couple.

“I’m Remia.”

“I’m Lamia.”

The sisters greeted me next.

They looked identical from head to toe.

They were so alike, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart unless someone said who was who.

“Nice to meet you.”

I greeted all four of them.

At that moment, a Notification Window appeared.

A house has been acquired.

-Great Achievement “Dream of Owning My Own Home” has been achieved.

-All stats are increased by 1.

-From now on, the Status Window for those affiliated with this mansion will be displayed.

“Hm…”

As I read the Notification Window, a question arose.

They weren’t registered as Pets, but now the Status Window for those affiliated with my house would be displayed.

So, I immediately called for the Status Window.

-Name: Remia

• Race: Human (Slave, Maid)
• Age: 20
• Loyalty: 50
• Special notes: Loves her younger sister dearly. Slight ligament strain in left wrist. Can recover with Potion.

-Name: Lamia

• Race: Human (Maid)
• Age: 20
• Loyalty: 50
• Special notes: Loves her older sister dearly. Slight ligament strain in right ankle. Can recover with Potion.

Looking at the Status Window, one thought came to mind.

“What is this, a sanatorium rather than a villa? Why does everyone have some kind of illness?”

I was dumbfounded.

But these were the ones who had managed and would continue to manage this mansion.

Their health was my responsibility.

Since it was just the four of them and me right now, I spoke candidly.

“Cal, does your lower back feel stiff? Cecile, you must feel a lump in your chest. Remia, your wrist is bad, and Lamia, your ankle isn’t in good shape, right?”

“Gasp!”

All four of them startled at my words.

Then, with trembling voices, they replied.

“That’s correct, my lord. I thought my back hurt because of my age, and my wife has been worried recently as well.”

With Cal’s honest reply, the twin sisters spoke up too.

“It’s true for us as well.”

Nodding at their words, I took out four Potions from my Inventory.

“Each of you, drink one.”

The four of them were startled to see the Potions I produced.

“How could you share something so precious with commoners like us?”

“Precious? Even mercenaries usually carry at least one of these around.”

I handed the Potions to Cal with an unconcerned expression.

“Drink one each. You might not believe it, but I can check whether you’ve drunk it or not.”

Passing them, I entered the mansion.

“I don’t want to see the people who will become mine suffering, so drink up.”

Without waiting for their response, I toured the mansion’s interior.

Soon, another Notification Window popped up, letting me know they had drunk the Potions.

-Housekeeper Cal’s Loyalty has increased.

-Maid Cecile’s Loyalty has increased.

-Maid Remia’s Loyalty has increased.

-Maid Lamia’s Loyalty has increased.

All of their Loyalty reached 100.

I began exploring the mansion.

***

Cal, who had managed this place for ten years, was amazed by his new master who had just entered the mansion.

“What on earth is happening…?”

It made no sense to him.

A noble had shared expensive Potions with mere commoners.

Of course, you could get Potions if you went to the capital or even just to the Marquess’s territory.

But the price was the problem.

Living in a place little different from the countryside, there wasn’t much to spend money on, but saving enough to buy a Potion was still incredibly difficult for a commoner.

Lately, he hadn’t even been able to sleep at night, worried for his wife.

He had planned to use his entire next year’s salary to buy a single Potion as soon as it came in.

But Cecile had insisted that even if he bought one, he shouldn’t bring it home, but drink it right there.

She knew the risk of breaking such an expensive item on the way home, and she also knew her husband’s back had been hurting lately.

That had even led to an argument between husband and wife.

“Dear…”

“Cecile…”

The couple looked at each other.

If they just drank what was in their hands, everything would be resolved.

The sisters clutching the bottles also relied on each other more lately, since they’d been unwell, and their work efficiency had dropped.

The four of them, full of worries, now held in their hands what would ease their concerns.

“Let’s drink. This is the lord’s command.”

When Cal said that, the others nodded.

Pop.

The corks were removed.

Each of them drank their Potion.

As they did, they all thought the same thing.

‘We will serve you faithfully for the rest of our lives, my lord!’

Their hearts united as one, their loyalty wholly devoted to Solo.