Episode 67
Amy looked like she had no idea what he was talking about.
“Commoners can’t read.”
“Oh, that’s right. So that’s why you ordered the creation of the Academy?”
“It just opened. It hasn’t even been a month since I started taking the calligraphy class.”
I was about to say that a month would be enough, but then I kept my mouth shut. A month seemed like a very short time for a commoner with no talent or experience.
I have lived two lives, both noble and intellectual. It is impossible for them to fully understand the lives of commoners.
“How many students?”
“Everyone is busy trying to make a living, so there aren’t many. There are 24 children, 4 elderly people, and 13 mothers.”
I expected that if I could teach them to read and write for free, the people of Yeongji would flock to me. However, my expectations were significantly off. Hebron’s territory expanded and the number of Yeongji people increased, but the number of Yeongji people who could read and write did not increase easily.
“Is there no enthusiasm for learning? Or are we all just busy trying to make a living, like you said?”
“Both. Learning to write isn’t particularly useful. At best, you’ll be able to work in the upper echelons and manage the ledgers, but even then, there aren’t many jobs. The larger echelons want graduates from the academy.”
“Can’t we entrust the affairs of the land to those who have learned to write?”
“Knowing how to write alone is not enough.”
“It’s possible to pass on small tasks. Didn’t you say you were tired because you had a lot of work to do?”
“That may be true, but… … can you entrust the affairs of the territory to just anyone?”
Amy was a brilliant Prime Minister, but she had one fatal flaw: she was unwilling to delegate her duties to her successor.
As the workload grew, we hired a few administrators, but we ended up just dumping miscellaneous tasks on them.
“Leave it to me.”
“yes?”
“It is the lord’s order. Reduce your work by 30% and hand over the rest to the administrator. The administrator’s work is to be handed over to his subordinates.”
Since I left the administration of Hebron to Amy, she has handled it very well.
But that was slowly reaching its limit. Amy’s stamina was depleted, and she couldn’t look after everything thoroughly.
If Hebron grew up to be a count, Amy would never be able to manage the household on her own.
“The secrets of the territory may leak out.”
“And what if you fall? If you disappear, won’t the administration of Hebron be paralyzed?”
“… … Well, that’s true.”
“Prepare thoroughly to prevent secrets from leaking out. It makes no sense that Hebron cannot do what other territories can do. That is exactly what the Prime Minister should do.”
“insect.”
“Once that’s sorted out, start compulsory education.”
“You’re saying that you’re going to admit all the people of Yeongji to the academy?”
“That would be difficult.”
Even though Amy was a great prime minister, it was impossible for her to take care of all the rapidly growing population of Hebron. The administrative systems of each region were only just beginning to be established.
“Of course! We don’t have the manpower and we’re not prepared.”
Amy breathed a sigh of relief.
I offered a mediation proposal out of consideration for her.
“We will provide compulsory education to children who have not yet reached their sixteenth birthday. The content of the education will be letters and arithmetic. Anyone over the age of sixteen can learn letters and arithmetic for free.”
A proposal of this magnitude could have been made at the cost of slightly grinding Amy’s soul.
“Why do commoners need letters? Don’t you know that the ignorant masses save the kingdom?”
Amy was also a noble from the Baron Ludwig family. The old adages of the nobility were not only common sense but were also used as tools of government.
“I know. I also know the saying that you shouldn’t bring a smart woman into your home. I also know the saying that a woman will be fine as long as she gets married well.”
“I am a nobleman!”
Amy blushed.
She rejected the ordinary life and accepted my offer. Amy herself knew this fact well, and she couldn’t even raise her face to look at me.
I walked closer to Amy and whispered to her.
“So are you satisfied?”
“I, I… … !”
Amy looked like she was going to burst into tears. She gritted her teeth and held on. It was no one else, but my right-hand man.
There was no benefit to shaking up one’s emotions.
‘No matter how talented the Prime Minister may be, he is still only twenty-four years old.’
Amy was absolutely lacking in experience. Hebron was not in a position to wait for her to grow.
“I think you’ll be satisfied. There won’t be a second Amy.”
Hebron needed a second, third, and fourth Amy.
To do that, Amy had to become a role model for those who had the same dream as her.
Amy said, trying to suppress her emotions.
“The nobles will hate it.”
“Even if you leave the nobles aside, His Majesty will hate it.”
“Why would someone who knows that do that?”
I have a lot of theories in my head.
It also clearly organizes the hypothetical situations that the theoretical genius Luis de Breiot had envisioned during his lifetime.
But even if you search through that treasure trove of knowledge, there is no such thing as ‘how a Baron competes with the Duke of Breyot’.
‘You have to go beyond common sense.’
I had to create the opportunity myself. I had to shake up the existing common sense and system, create cracks, and discover the pus that had unknowingly come out. I had to reveal how foul and dirty it was and let the world know, so that there was room to shake up the solidified world.
“You said you knew author Jeffrey?”
“Oh, no. I don’t know him personally.”
Amy seemed nervous at the surprise question.
“Anyway, you’re also a reader waiting for Jeffrey’s novel, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
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“Is there a commoner who doesn’t know Jeffrey’s novels?”
“Probably not. There are people who read it on the street, and there are minstrels who make songs out of Geoffrey’s novels.”
Geoffrey was a writer loved by all classes, both noble and commoner.
His works were published consistently, and the ‘chivalry’ that underlies all his works was considered to be in line with Zeno’s values.
“Then, put Jeffrey’s new novel in one corner of the newsletter and distribute it. Those who are bored will learn to read on their own.”
“yes?”
“The novel is bait. We will put information about Hebron in it. We will have to modify it cleverly to suit our taste. Documents are evidence. Instead, if it is a written document, the people of Yeongji will trust it. Furthermore, if the document is published under the name of the Lord of Hebron, its credibility will not be questioned.”
Gulp, Amy swallowed.
Her eyes sparkled. It seemed as if she had found potential in my story. It was Amy’s job to mine and refine it.
“Prime Minister Amy.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Go beyond your ideals, achieve my ideals.”
* * *
A member of the Canaan Mercenary Corps greeted me. He was there to support the monster subjugation mission I was given. He rode a horse, and I drove a sled.
“A single Greek worm is active on its own.”
The Greek Worm was a giant earthworm-shaped monster that roamed underground. It was as big as a snake, and its mouth was said to have split into four sections, allowing it to chew up beasts.
Although Greekworms are uncommon monsters, hunting methods for them are known among hunters.
“Where is it?”
I heard the general information, but the location may have changed in the meantime.
The Greek worm was a monster that traveled about ten kilometers a day.
“It’s west of the Projei Baronial Territory. It’s a day’s journey by carriage from here, and eleven members of the Canaan Mercenary Rescue Team have been dispatched there.”
“Rescue team?”
“Yes, we are a team that prioritizes the rescue and protection of the target.”
“Well, even if the Greek worm isn’t branded, it wouldn’t be easy to hunt.”
“Yes. At first, we tried to hunt the Greek Worm by lighting a fire in its burrow, but it ran wild and two of our mercenaries were seriously injured.”
The Canaan Mercenaries were the largest in the area, but they could only save the barony. If they clashed head-on with the knights held by the barons, the Canaan Mercenaries would surely be defeated.
It was impossible to deal with the branded monsters that appeared all over the continent at the same time on that scale.
‘You’ve used your head well. Instead of having to fight monsters, you can buy some time and reduce casualties. That alone will earn you a decent amount of money, so the mercenary group’s income will increase and its reputation will improve.’
I also joined the Canaan Mercenary Corps. When I met Canaan alone, I met with his aide and discussed the future.
I liked his aide, Levatein, more than Canaan. She was an administrator with different talents than Amy.
In particular, his ability to improvise and resolve confusion was outstanding.
“How much time has passed since the rescue team was dispatched?”
“About a day has passed.”
“It might already be too late.”
“… … It’ll be okay.”
The mercenary’s reply was a little late.
Even he looked at the current situation negatively.
The original Greek Worms tended not to attack unless they entered their territory, but the branded Greek Worms seemed to be more vicious. The fact that the Canaan Mercenaries were hired alone suggested that the Greek Worms’ range of action had expanded.
“Then I will go first, so you follow me diligently.”
“yes?”
“Syang, let’s go.”
Meeeeeeeee!
He detached his mercenaries and rode ahead. The road leading north from Biskin had been neglected for a long time and was not suitable for horses.
However, this terrain was no constraint to Syang. It was a day’s journey by carriage, so if Syang ran at full speed, he could cut the time in half.
I had a rough idea of the location of the Prozy Baronial Territory. I had memorized Zeno’s map, and I had often imagined traveling by looking at the map while I was locked up in the basement of Duke Breio’s house.
Of course, the small barony was not an object of imagination, and there were no detailed maps, so a clear judgment was impossible.
“It’s over there.”
Fortunately, finding the Prozy Baron’s estate wasn’t difficult. There was a spot where several wisps of smoke were rising.
The Greek Worm hated the smoke of the Ribcho. Even when branded, the Greek Worm avoided areas where smoke was rising and dug around.
I rode the scooter and ran to the nearest place where smoke was coming from.
‘… … I mixed the herbs. It seems like there’s a skilled hunter in the mercenary group.’
It was a blessing in disguise. The smoke was much more pungent than the burning of the ribs, and it seemed to have a pungent smell as well. Thanks to that, I think I was able to stop the Greek worm as much as possible.
The Barony of Proges looked like a rather large village. Although surrounded by mountains, the Barony of Proges had built a fence around a small area of flat land to create a village.
“Syang, it’s over there.”
There was a commotion in front of the gate. Some mercenaries were dispersed and there were wounded people in the back.
The Greek worm was not visible.
That doesn’t mean he was hiding. Since he was a monster that moved underground, it was necessary to determine the location of the Greek Worm by the vibrations and the shaking of the ground.
From the beginning, the Greek Worm didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding. It was the Yeongji people who were hiding, and the heavily armed Canaan mercenaries were protecting them.
Syang ran towards the gate where the Greek Worm was attacking and blew out a long stream of breath.
Syang was also a branded monster. After the brand was removed, his strength was somewhat reduced, but the effects of the brand were not completely gone. Since Syang was originally a mutant sheep, he had fighting power no less than any other monster.
“Dangerous! Come this way!”
