“There are many.”
It was a crowd so large it seemed strange that they hadn’t gathered sooner.
‘Did they say 400 in total?’
Every person before us was here to see us. I had arranged a venue large enough that my brother had worried, and it was a good thing I did. It was packed to the brim.
“Those applying for administrative officer positions, please line up over here.”
“Craftsmen and apprentices are welcome. Those with technical skills, please step this way.”
The administrative officers I brought with me were busy organizing the buzzing crowd. They led the people exactly as they had been trained.
In the seat of honor…
—Is that him?
—I heard so. They say he completely swept the auction house.
—He has incredible wealth. I wondered why someone would offer so much money in the borderlands, but now I see why.
—Exactly. I didn’t believe it at first.
My brother and I sat there, listening.
“There really are a lot. This is more than the number of administrative officers we have in our entire territory.”
“It’s because our territory’s administrative staff is too small, Brother.”
The number of administrative officers itself was extremely low. We had been steadily increasing the count of about 300 officers, but we hadn’t even reached 500 yet.
‘Considering the size of the territory, it’s a miracle it even functions…’
Because of that, there were gaps everywhere. We were forced to rely on only one or two talented individuals to keep things running. It had been even worse before I arrived.
Now, we finally had some room to breathe.
“That’s true. It was hard for us to have an Academy like the one in that Marquisate over there.”
“Yes. We’ll have to make that possible in the future. Hmm… let’s see.”
However, if I stepped out of the equation, everything would go back to square one. I needed to build a system. One where the territory could run smoothly even without me. Only then…
‘Will my workload finally decrease.’
With a bit of self-interest in mind, I began to manifest my soulforce.
*Whoosh.*
‘I’m going to be exhausted today. But let’s do it anyway. Alignment Detection.’
**[Alignment Detection]**. It was an excellent 1st Circle spell for determining an opponent’s good or evil nature. While it wasn’t omnipotent, it was incredibly effective at identifying general tendencies.
‘Good and evil are relative, but it’s far better than doing nothing. Especially for interviews like this.’
The problem was…
Both the person receiving the magic and the one casting it suffered slight side effects.
‘It’s nauseating. This is what happens when I look too deep.’
It was a sort of rejection response. A natural resistance would arise when someone’s inner thoughts were being peered into. It was like a biological defense. Piercing through that to understand them was a mentally taxing task.
However, no one resisted. No one among those who came inside was unaware of what I was doing. Thanks to that, a significant number of people who had initially visited the interview site had already left.
‘They must have lacked confidence in themselves.’
*Whirrrr.*
I continued to manifest my mana. At the same time, I protected my body with internal energy as I screened the endless stream of people.
‘This one is good. Pure. That one won’t do. Oh? Did this guy come here to be a spy? Well, his resume did show exceptionally good skills.’
I began to sense the basics.
One, two. Tap, tap.
I signaled the pre-prepared administrative officers and selected the candidates. As time passed, my complexion grew pale, but there were definitely those who were being chosen.
“Are you all right? You don’t have to push yourself so hard.”
“Phew… to gather reliable people in such a hurry, I have no choice.”
Still, as long as I was the only one suffering, the cost-effectiveness was high.
‘If I want to play the role of a territory lord easily in the future, I have to do this.’
I needed to fill my talent box to the brim. Only then could I perform the magic of having the administration run itself while I just sat back and talked! For that goal…
“… **[Alignment Detection]**!”
*Flash!*
I was more than willing to pour out as much mana as necessary.
***
Even though my mana pool was deeper than others’, I had my limits. Even by mixing in internal energy to use **[Alignment Detection]**, the maximum number of people I could scan in a day was around 200.
On the first day, I couldn’t get through everyone, so some people had to come back the next day.
‘This alone is quite impressive.’
A 1st Circle mage using a 1st Circle spell could usually do it about ten times at most. If they cast it perfectly, maybe five times. Upon reaching the 2nd Circle, that number would double or triple. Theoretically, thirty times for a 1st Circle spell was possible. But only in theory.
Currently, I was at the 4th Circle. Theoretically, I could use it up to 300 times, but…
‘It’s easier said than done. The mental exhaustion is significant.’
Even for a 4th Circle mage, the number of spells they could cast was limited. Especially something that consumed mental strength like **[Alignment Detection]**!
Despite that, I had screened over 200 people, which was a display of my sheer determination.
“…You are amazing.”
My brother, who had watched me all day, looked practically fed up.
“I have to do it. It’s for the sake of the territory.”
“Sigh… it truly is a great thing you’re doing.”
In truth, it was for my own selfish reasons, but my brother’s eyes welled up at the mention of the territory. He seemed quite moved.
“I will work hard too. No matter what it is!”
He began to burn with his own enthusiasm. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but the look in his eyes as he watched me was quite intense.
‘Of course. You need to grow well, Brother. That’s the only way I can live a comfortable life.’
I looked at my brother with a pleased expression.
“Brother!”
“Yes! My younger brother!”
Though our inner thoughts differed, our enthusiasm was genuine.
After spending several days like that, I worked tirelessly to recruit administrative officers. I had essentially processed almost all of the applicants who had rushed in.
‘Though rumors say more are still flocking here.’
Just for the administrative positions, I had achieved the feat of recruiting 103 people. In addition…
‘I didn’t expect the treatment of craftsmen to be so poor. I suppose it’s because there are so many people in the Royal Capital.’
I managed to secure not only blacksmiths but also several apprentices. One particularly unexpected case was…
“Is it true that the finest liquor is produced in the Ofern territory?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to participate in that as well!”
It was when a man reeking of alcohol approached me.
‘He didn’t just drink it. It’s soaked into him.’
The sweet scent of liquor emanating from his entire body was enough to draw anyone’s attention. His name was Pelson.
“I took pride in producing the best liquor.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Although the scale was small. But I was stuck. *Sob.* The emotion I felt when I drank the Munerd!”
Munerd. It was one of the liquors sold in our territory, known for its exquisite, deep aroma. He said he was moved after tasting that Munerd. And then…
“I want to be a part of that! Just teach me! I don’t even need money!”
That was his entire reason for coming here.
‘He’s a madman.’
In other words, an eccentric. He was a man who had sacrificed everything for alcohol. Occasionally, people like this appeared. The reason didn’t matter. The field didn’t matter. Every now and then, people who gave their everything for what they wanted emerged.
Pelson was such a man. And people like him…
‘Sometimes bring things you can’t even imagine. Juchwi was like that too.’
They often created results that an ordinary person couldn’t even dream of. If it were him, I thought he might even be able to create the White Birch Spirit, which I thought I would never be able to drink in this world.
I smiled brightly.
“Fine. I’ll put in a word for you, so go and get to work.”
“Oh! Thank you!”
I accepted him.
‘Is the first round over?’
With Pelson, the first round of interviews came to an end. While some people still visited occasionally, the numbers weren’t as overwhelming as they were at first.
It had already been three weeks since I visited the auction house. A significant amount of time had passed. It was enough time for those in the Royal Capital to seek me out, and enough time for me to screen them and prepare to take them back.
‘Still, I gathered quite a lot.’
The effect of spreading the rumors was starting to settle.
“Isn’t it still short of the number you wanted?”
“That’s true.”
As Arne said, I still needed more people.
‘I need to take at least 300. That’s the only way we’ll have some breathing room.’
Gathering 100 people was only a temporary blood transfusion.
“Should I give some recommendations from our Information Guild?”
“For whose benefit? I think it would be exhausting if even one spy got mixed in.”
“Tch…”
I had come to the Royal Capital to collect talent all at once. Because of that, I arrived early and reaped a good harvest, but the first round ended here.
“Screen the talents before I return. If we’re lucky, we might be able to pick fifty more.”
“…Understood.”
Instead, I planned to move for the second round.
“Brother. We should head in now. It’s almost the time the Royal Family mentioned.”
“Hmm… I see. Let’s go.”
Leaving the interview site to Arne and the administrative officers, I moved toward the next stage.
‘This stage is quite large.’
This wasn’t some petty auction house. To get noticed, one had to play on a grand stage. The next stage was the commemorative party for the 2nd Princess of the Royal Family.
‘The Academy… they’re trying to show off their strength.’
The Royal Family opened the Academy instead of the Royal Palace. Except for students, the Academy was only open to the public at specific times. Even then, the deeper areas were never revealed.
‘Because it’s close enough to be connected to the Royal Palace.’
The Royal Family had turned such an Academy into a party venue for the 2nd Princess. A place where nobles had engaged in power struggles since they were young—by using it as a mere party venue, they were implicitly declaring that they possessed this much power.
“It’s extravagant.”
“Isn’t it?”
The interior was so luxurious that one wouldn’t even think it was an Academy. The dormitory I had visited to see my brother was only a small part of it. The banquet hall, which we reached after passing the classrooms, was so large and splendid that one would think it was originally built as a party venue for the Royal Family.
“A party is held about once a year. It’s a commemorative ceremony for the Academy.”
“And they turned that into a party venue for the Princess. Interesting.”
The Royal Family’s display of power hadn’t ended there.
We were the children of the Earl of Ofern, one of the twelve lords who possessed their own territories. Even if it was in the borderlands, the rank was high. Yet, a long time had passed since we arrived.
‘Even the Marquises are all here.’
Even the House of the Marquis of Owen, which was undergoing internal strife, had sent a representative. Other Marquisates were also present. Despite that, not a single member of the Royal Family had appeared. It meant the protagonist was always the last to show.
Still, thanks to that, we were receiving plenty of attention. Although no one approached us.
—”Are those the children of House Ofern?”
—”One is a knight, and the other is a mage.”
—”A mage in a knight family? That’s an interesting story. I wonder how strong he could possibly be. Hehe.”
—”Since he lacks talent, didn’t they just teach him some magic and call him a mage?”
—”But they say he’s quite brilliant.”
The whispering about us was growing loud enough.
“Ugh…”
The voices were loud enough that my brother could hear the murmurs.
“Brother. Please endure it for now. Just for now.”
“……”
“……Understood.”
Since most of the comments were mocking, my brother’s face turned red and then blue, but at my restraint, he ultimately managed to hold back.
How much time had passed? Just as the whispering reached its peak and was about to become tedious…
“The Duke’s Household of Jisert is entering.”
“His Royal Highness the 8th Prince is entering…”
Members of the Royal Family began their entrance.