I entered the interior of the mansion and was surprised to find it much cleaner and tidier than I expected.
The first things I saw upon opening the door were a long Table and a long Sofa.
“I’ll show you around and explain everything.”
Cal, whose face was noticeably more relaxed and lighter than before, came in and quickly began to speak.
“This Reception Room is at the center, and to the left is the Lord’s private quarters as well as the Marquis’ Office. The room attached next to it is the bathroom, and the one beside that is a room where a single person can stay—it’s meant for the knight who should be able to reach the Lord immediately. To the left, there’s the Dining Hall and the Kitchen, so if you ever want to eat, just give the order and we can prepare a meal right away.”
Instead of going into any of the rooms, I headed for the Kitchen first.
Inside the Kitchen, there was a long Table and some chairs.
Cal explained that if you open the other door in there, you’d find the place where the food is actually made.
I didn’t go that far in.
Instead, I asked about something else.
“How do you procure food ingredients?”
Cal seemed a bit flustered at my question.
“Well, uh…”
I spoke as kindly as possible.
“I’m not asking to blame anyone. I just need to understand the situation here to handle things properly, right?”
“Actually… what we can raise, we grow behind the mansion. Anything we’re short on, we collect from each village. When Viscount Filton visits, he brings all kinds of food ingredients, so there have been no problems then.”
I was actually surprised.
“It’s understandable when the Viscount visits, but do the village heads really hand things over that easily?”
“You see, unlike the others, we are direct subordinates of the Viscount. The villagers couldn’t treat us carelessly.”
“I see…”
I didn’t pry any further.
Leaving the Kitchen, I went up the stairs in the Reception Room to the second floor.
Cal, following behind, added,
“The second floor is usually prepared with guest rooms. There are seven rooms, and they’re cleaned and tidied every day.”
At those words, I immediately turned and came back down.
I was about to enter what would be my room, but I pointed to the room next door and spoke to Jenny.
“This will be your room.”
“Yes?”
Jenny looked at me with a face as if thunder had struck from a clear sky.
“I said, it’s your room.”
At my words, Jenny’s eyes quivered.
Judging by her face, she must have thought she would be sharing a room with me.
Regardless, I went into my Marquis’ Office with Cal.
Clack.
Opening the door, I entered my office—my room—and it was larger than I’d expected.
The desk in front of me was neatly arranged, with several sheets of Feather Paper, a Pen, and some Ink atop it.
In the small bookshelf beside it, a few books were lined up.
I was intrigued, but more important right now was learning about the state of this place.
“Take a seat.”
I sat in the chair at the desk.
It was made from leather, so it was not only very soft, but also fit my body perfectly.
“I’m curious who made this chair. It’s quite a piece.”
At my murmuring, Cal paused in thought, then seemed to remember something.
“It must be that man. Until recently, he was a well-known craftsman, but after a Lord’s chair broke under him, he was made a slave. His name is probably ‘Smith.'”
I made a mental note of it, just in case.
Then I asked Cal,
“Tell me honestly about this place—exactly as you know it.”
“Yes, my Lord. I will.”
I listened intently to Cal’s words.
Ajof Territory was where Viscount Filton had his villa, and it was one of his direct territories.
Because of this, there were no knights or soldiers stationed here to guard the place, and naturally, there were no walls or anything like a castle.
When Monsters occasionally appeared, one of the Village Chiefs would go directly to the Viscount’s domain to report the Monster’s appearance and damage. Only then would knights and soldiers be sent to subjugate them.
Naturally, this led to many people suffering from Monsters, and despite having fairly abundant farmland, it was difficult to run things properly for that very reason.
The two villages by the sea faced each other, but since you had to go around, the distance was quite far.
With my mansion situated between the two villages, people had to make an even larger detour.
In the fishing village, the water was rather shallow, so people would gather seafood stuck to the rocks, or fish from the cliffs for food.
Of course, they sometimes went out by boat, but since they couldn’t go very far, the catch wasn’t great.
Moreover, a portion of the catch had to be delivered as tribute to Viscount Filton, so there was little left for the fishermen.
“…I see.”
I felt like I was starting to understand how the people here lived.
And I began to write down the tasks that needed to be resolved, one by one, on Feather Paper.
Including the things I’d noticed in the farmland earlier.
- Secure troops
- Select capable personnel for territory administration
- Eliminate surrounding Monsters by securing forces
- Build fences or walls to protect the farmland
- Find skilled craftsmen to repair the poor houses of the people
- Manage the harvest from the fishing village
Just this much was already making my head throb.
But from now on, this was my land and my responsibility.
No matter how tough it was, I had to push through.
Left alone, I pondered all sorts of ideas and wrote them down on Feather Paper.
Knock knock.
“Baron Solo, the Village Chiefs have been assembled in one village. You can head out now.”
“Alright.”
I stood up, gathering the Feather Paper I had written on so far.
Then, I rode in a carriage toward the village where the Village Chiefs were gathered.
***
The place I arrived at was the largest village here, on the left side of the river, the one that managed the farmland.
The village itself was quiet.
I could see people standing far apart, nervously watching the knights and soldiers.
In the center, however, four men were standing.
I got out of the carriage and followed the knight toward them.
“Before you stands Baron Solo, who will oversee these four villages as their new Lord!”
The knight’s shout echoed throughout the village, and all the people there bowed to me.
“We greet the Lord.”
From the youngest child to the elders, everyone bowed deeply.
“Nice to meet you.”
As soon as I spoke, the people straightened up and remained bowing, waiting.
The four Village Chiefs looked at me with anxious eyes.
They seemed to be whispering among themselves, clearly uneasy and distrustful of a Lord who had suddenly appeared.
‘Well, it can’t be helped…’
I didn’t like ruling with force.
Especially not against people like these, who had no real power.
But for now, I had to make it clear that I was the Lord and master of these lands.
“Fireball.”
A Fireball appeared in my hand, burning fiercely.
“I am Baron Solo. As you can see, I am a Mage and the Lord of these lands.”
At the word ‘Mage,’ everyone who had been bowing raised their heads in unison.
A stir of surprise rippled through the crowd.
“It’s a Magic Swordsman!”
“The Lord is a Mage!”
“We’ve gotten an amazing Lord!”
People were clearly a bit excited.
I spoke.
“I am the Lord who will rule you and the new master of Ajof Territory. If you follow me, I swear you will never know misfortune!”
At my words, all the people of the territory bowed their heads and replied in unison.
And before my eyes, a Notification Window appeared.
-You have declared your territory.
-You have acquired Ajof Territory.
You can now access information about Ajof Territory.
- Ajof Territory
-Grade: D
-Population: 800
-Troops: None
-Special Notes: A territory with enormous development potential.
I checked the Notification Window that appeared before my eyes and nodded.
It was just a simple notification, after all; there really was nothing special here.
“A territory with enormous development potential, huh…”
A glimmer of hope appeared.
It meant this place could grow.
“We will take our leave now.”
It was the knight’s words that broke my thoughts.
Their business was done—I’d made myself known as Lord, so their job was finished.
“Ah, thank you for your efforts.”
At the same time, I handed a purse to the knight.
It was my way of telling him to eat and drink well after his hard work.
The knight bowed with a broad smile, and then he and the soldiers left.
After they departed, I looked at the Village Chiefs.
Their names and Status Windows appeared before me.
-Name: Barakan
- Race: Human (Village Chief)
- Age: 63
- Loyalty: 20
- Special Notes: Amassing wealth by falsifying reports and skimming taxes
-Name: Kzaka
- Race: Human (Village Chief)
- Age: 61
- Loyalty: 20
- Special Notes: Deceives villagers and collects more taxes to increase personal wealth
-Name: Kashi
- Race: Human (Village Chief)
- Age: 65
- Loyalty: 20
- Special Notes: Receives more than the required tribute to Viscount, living a prosperous life
-Name: Check
- Race: Human (Village Chief)
- Age: 63
- Loyalty: 20
- Special Notes: Frequently deceives villagers to skim false taxes
‘How despicable…’
I was speechless.
These Village Chiefs were squeezing the lifeblood from their own villagers just to benefit themselves.
“So that’s why they’ve been watching me so nervously…”
Up until now, they’d been able to enjoy themselves by cheating, but with my arrival, that would no longer be possible.
Now that I’d be staying here to govern, I’d be handling everything personally.
I stared at them sternly.
The Village Chiefs flinched in alarm.
Honestly, I wanted to deal with them right away, but that wasn’t the most important thing now.
To manage this place, I needed people.
As I’d written on the Feather Paper earlier, I needed not only soldiers to protect the territory, but administrative personnel as well—a lot of capable people.
For that, though it was only my first day, I would have to head to the capital as soon as tomorrow.
“Village Chiefs, listen.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
I spoke gravely.
“I understand you must be surprised by the sudden appearance of a new Lord. But as long as you don’t go against my will, you will continue to enjoy what you have now. Do you understand?”
At my words, the Village Chiefs were startled, then immediately prostrated themselves, pressing their heads to the ground.
“We will obey the Lord’s will!”
They were clearly terrified.
“I’ve only been here for a day, but I will have to visit the capital for a while. Just keep managing things as you have been. Understood?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Hearing their answers, I turned and left the village.
Jenny hurried to open the carriage door, and I got inside.
“Click.”
The carriage started moving slowly.
“Jenny, I want to tour the villages. Go see them all.”
“Yes, Baron Solo.”
I gazed out the carriage window at the sea and the appearance of each village.
They were truly just rural backwaters.
But I trusted the Status Window.
“A territory with enormous development potential…”
I had no idea how or to what extent development would be possible, but for now, all I could do was try, step by step.
On my first day in office, I took in the current state of the territory with my own eyes.
And in my imagination, I began to draw the vision of a thriving territory.
“This should be fun…”
It was as if I were filling a blank canvas, one stroke at a time.
Whether that would become reality, I didn’t know, but I would do my best.
After all, this place now belonged to me.