Episode 80
These were the words Dante spoke to the Duke of Breiot for me.
Although all the most capable people in the Kingdom of Zeno gathered, Dante was the only one who took my side.
Dante looked at me with a bewildered expression.
‘For ten years, I have lived humming your words.’
In the duke’s dungeon, I tried not to forget that I too had talent. If it weren’t for the words Dante gave me, my will would have been broken long ago.
‘I owe you more than you can ever measure, so receive what I give in abundance.’
Dante’s lips trembled slightly. He must have been thinking of Luis de Breiot. But I was not Luis de Breiot. I was the Viscount of Hebron, with the same name.
“Would you please help me?”
“I, I’m not worth it.”
It was a gentle rejection.
But I had already made up my mind. I thought that leaving Dante alone would be for his good, but I was determined to take care of him for my own sake. Only when I saw him happy would I be able to completely let him go.
“I determine the value. And there is nothing in Hebron that is not valuable. Hebron is a place where things that are considered worthless are gathered together and made valuable.”
“The land that makes it valuable… …!”
In the end, Dante accepted my offer. He paid me more than the Duke of Breiot, and reduced my working hours.
“If you tell me where your family is, I will bring them to Hebron.”
“I was the only one who left the Duke of Breio.”
Dante’s family remained in the duchy. He, like me, was abandoned by his family.
Breio was the wealthiest estate in Zeno. It was easy to throw away everything because it was overflowing with things. There were plenty of alternative resources.
But Hebron was different. They had to save something small and grow it into something big. They had to inflate the value of something small so that Hebron could grow along with it.
I reached out to Dante, and his rough hand met mine.
“From now on, wherever you go, you will never be alone, my butler.”
“Yes, my lord.”
* * *
-You, become a wizard!
This was the advertising slogan for Hebron Academy.
Being a wizard was a profession for the chosen ones. Those who had a connection with a wizard were given the opportunity to receive education, and even then, only those who were born with the talent of mana could obtain it.
Beneath the intriguing text was written an announcement offering free education to all residents of Hebron.
It was written as if my life would change just by completing the education, and it was not an exaggeration.
“Should we stop advertising?”
“’You, become a knight!’ Then there’s also ‘You, become my comrade!’”
“I’m saying this because I feel like I wouldn’t be able to handle it if I sent it that far.”
“Teach them all. After all, the final plan was to teach all the people of Yeongji how to read and write.”
“There is a lack of facilities and personnel.”
“I know. It must be daunting right now. It must be difficult to even grasp the identities of the people who are flocking in like clouds in a situation where no system has been established. The wooden plaques that were made for the people are at risk of being forged. As the person in charge of the territory, you must be worried that some subversive elements might have entered. So if you were to give the people new IDs and give them a unique number to distinguish them, it would be even harder for you. Furthermore, if those IDs are intertwined with city planning and play an important role, you would have twice as many things to worry about.”
“yes?”
“Even if I could perfectly compile a list of the people and educators, there wouldn’t be enough space to accommodate the educators who flock here every day. To make matters worse, I’d advertise free education all month long, stimulating not only Hebron but also the people of surrounding territories. There would be quite a few immigrants and homeless people who would come to Hebron, hoping to gain opportunities. Providing them with food and lodging would also be a burden.”
“You want me to do all that?”
“Even the aforementioned content is something that needs to be prepared before the actual training even begins, so I think the civil servants’ hard work will be truly great. Therefore, I will pay all civil servants 100% of their monthly salary as a reward. In case the facilities are insufficient, the Lord’s Castles of Hebron, Nurha, Biskin, and Delgain may be used as training centers. Furthermore, considering Prime Minister Amy’s hard work and past actions, I will grant Amy de Ludwig the title of Baron, which cannot be inherited. Prime Minister Amy.”
“Yes? Yes! Yes, my lord!”
Ludwig’s face turned red.
The Viscount had the power to grant baronial titles, which could not be passed on. They could not be abused, and it was customary to create new barons equal to the number of baronies he had absorbed. Regardless of the expansion of his fiefdoms, if he had become a Viscount, he could create five barons.
During that time I did not confer the title of Baron.
Amy was the first target.
“Do you have a surname in mind?”
“veronica.”
Amy’s mother’s name was Veronica de Ludwig. Choosing her mother’s name as her last name, Amy was a woman who put her family first.
“Amy de Veronica.”
“insect!”
“Become the lamp of Hebron.”
“Choo-woong!”
Amy tried to answer like a soldier, but her throat was so tight that her voice came out thin.
“I will give you one week. Re-establish the administrative system with you as your starting point. You will only be a commander who issues orders, and you will not directly interfere with the administration. The only thing you will be allowed to do is review the administration.”
“insect!”
“Place fifty officials in Nurha, Biskin, and Delcain, and one hundred in Hebron. They will be in charge of the administration of Hebron. The term of this work will be three months.”
“insect.”
Amy’s voice was quiet as she answered. It seemed like she had been given an excessive amount of work to do for someone who had only been given the title of Baron.
Amy watched me closely, but I continued to babble.
“Decide on a plan to increase the speed of construction and implement it. It is okay to mobilize outside manpower, and purchasing slaves is also allowed. Discuss this with the Serpens Headquarters and the Canaan Mercenary Corps Leader. Bring a report within a week.”
Meanwhile, Hebron has been changing every day. Buildings have been built everywhere, and three-story commercial buildings have been built in the downtown area. The big businessmen who have made money in this area have been bribing and paying taxes to build buildings in the downtown area of Hebron.
However, it was not a situation where just any building could be built. Hebron’s buildings were built based on a thorough urban plan. This was because buildings of a certain size were placed in fixed locations based on the ‘spiritual defense formations’ that I found in ancient books.
Hebron’s growth has been slow compared to the rate at which outsiders have flocked to the city.
There was a risk that the stereotype that Hebron was a gateway to the Jaylesen estates could have developed.
“insect!”
Amy burst into tears.
It was difficult to tell whether those were tears of joy or an expression of sorrow. Her expression was so distorted.
I used a carrot and stick approach with Amy, but she just wouldn’t come to her senses.
“Sir Solon is very fond of you. He says you are elegant and wise and all… …. Just meet me once and have a meal with me. This is not an order, but a personal request. If it is burdensome, you can pretend not to hear it.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Well, y, maybe I can give you a chance.”
Knight Solon was two years younger than Amy.
Solon was the ‘young knight’ representing Hebron, and Amy was called the capable spinster prime minister. This was because women were supposed to get married before they turned twenty.
The daughters of noble families were those who could expand their power or receive a large dowry. Even among commoners, parents considered their children as property, so free love was almost impossible.
But Amy gave up on marriage and devoted herself to work. I had noticed her sidelong glances long ago, but I never suspected that they were affection for Solon. I thought she was just blushing at the sight of the young man’s solid muscles.
‘A young man and a young woman fell in love, but I didn’t even have time to exchange glances. I was wrong.’
I grabbed Amy’s shoulder. A man who had never been in a relationship in his life was giving a lesson to a woman who was just as bad.
“Don’t be nervous. He likes you. Even if you like him, you shouldn’t show it. They say that in love, the one who likes you more loses. You should hide your feelings and meet him. And you should use your abilities to the max to conquer him little by little. Do you understand, Baroness Amy de Veronica?”
“insect!”
I also learned about love from books. I didn’t know if it would help Amy. So I wanted to find out. In other fields, theory is directly connected to practice, but I wanted to see if that was true in love.
I handed Amy the note Solon had written.
“It’s time and place. It’s tomorrow afternoon, so prepare calmly and go about 30 minutes late.”
“……yes?”
“That’s what manners are. I read it in a knight novel.”
* * *
The next afternoon, the handsome man and beautiful woman sat facing each other in the garden of the Hebron castle. It was so quiet that it was almost suffocating because the man and woman just bowed their heads and did not say a word.
‘Could it be fate?’
There were no books on the art of dating. There were only novels about knights and the marriage of noblemen and princesses.
‘Maybe a knight needs to go on an adventure to get a woman. Should I capture him and send him on a mission to Solon? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take Solon with you when the monsters appear in Baron Ludwig’s territory.’
Time passed quickly while they were thinking about this and that. It was frustrating for the onlookers, but their feelings seemed to be different.
The two glanced at each other and grinned.
‘Okay. I want to be in love too.’
As I was feeling that way, someone came towards me. It was Knight Brown.
“You were here, my lord.”
“Lord Brown, it’s been a while. I heard that the security in Biskin has improved thanks to you. You did a good job.”
“It’s not enough yet.”
They also planned to give Brown a baronial title. Since he had run Biskin so steadily, it seemed appropriate to put him in charge.
“Is there something urgent? Your complexion doesn’t seem to be in good shape. Is your aura boiling? You seem a bit excited.”
“My wife… is pregnant.”
“congratulations!”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Is that what you came here to say? It’s times like these that you need to be with your wife.”
Brown’s expression was strange.
I had successfully achieved the pregnancy I had longed for, but Brown’s skin was as rough as a pine tree. I wondered if she had suffered a lot, so I was about to ask why, but Brown opened her mouth.
“My wife’s health is getting worse day by day.”
“Why? Where does it hurt?”
“I, I don’t know about that either. Your complexion is pale and your body temperature keeps dropping… … .”
It was already boring to watch the two of them. Their romance lacked the thrill or heartbreak you get from reading a knight novel.
“Wheww!”
As I blew a long whistle, Amy and Solon turned their heads to look at me. I waved to them and jumped down from the railing and onto Syang’s back.
