I should have gone when they said they would send me 100 episodes. (4)
Claude blinked at his blurred vision.
I rubbed my eyes a few times, perhaps because of the tears, and the world quickly brightened.
Fortunately, it seems his throat wasn’t cut while he was unconscious.
He just turned his head slowly and looked around.
There was no one in the room except Claude.
‘Oh, I really don’t want to work.’
Claude sat down on the bed and sighed.
“No, shouldn’t you at least give them some time to adjust? How can you suddenly give them so much work? They’re not even people who used to live here.”
After playing around for a while, I suddenly had to work and I had no motivation.
I was also worried about how I would be able to do so much.
“I thought you were a kind lord because you gave me money so easily. You’re the devil, you devil. No matter how urgent it is, you’re asking me to do all that at once. You’re out of your mind! Order me in moderation!”
Claude’s voice, which had been muttering timidly, grew louder without him realizing it.
“You don’t know how precious people are… … Let’s just wait and see. If I’m not there, things won’t work out and I’ll get back at you right away. No, I’m the only one who can do the work anyway, so should I just run away now?”
At that moment, the door swung open.
Claude jumped on the bed in horror.
“Who, who are you?”
The calm-looking maid bowed her head slightly.
“Hello, General. I am Wendy, and I am here to serve you by the order of the head butler. I will also be in charge of your escort. Please take good care of me.”
“Butler? Oh, Belinda.”
It seemed that Belinda, who had recently been appointed as the new head of the household, had sent a dedicated maid.
But an escort? Claude asked with a sneer on his lips.
“Even if it’s the market, an escort? A mere maid escorting the head of a territory? It seems like there really aren’t any people.”
Instead of responding to the sarcastic remark, Wendy simply waved her hand.
Pfft!
I felt something quickly brush past my ear, and then I heard a thud from the wall behind me.
Claude slowly turned his head, sweat dripping down his face.
A cockroach passing by the wall was squirming, impaled on a dagger.
Wendy said with a still calm expression.
“The castle is old and has many bugs. I hope the governor will solve this problem as well.”
“……yes.”
As a maid… … .
‘How is there nothing ordinary in this territory?’
Claude swallowed his tears.
“The lord has ordered you to get to work right away as soon as you wake up. Get moving now.”
“……yes.”
Oh, it wasn’t escort, it was surveillance. I can’t even run away. The maid is ordering me around!
Claude got up slowly, like a cow being led to the slaughter.
I was about to leave, but Wendy suddenly remembered me and added.
“The butler has something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“He told me to wash before I start working. He said that if I spread even a single flea on you, he would kill me.”
“……okay.”
I didn’t wash properly for several days while coming here from Austin.
It was really uncomfortable, so it would be good to wash it off, but… … .
What good would it do if you spoke a little more nicely?
I don’t know if this is a general or a slave.
‘Oh my, they’re all anxious because they can’t eat me. Who said they won’t? If they do, it’ll be fine. I guess I’ll just destroy them all.’
… … I grumbled to myself. I don’t want to be stabbed with a dagger.
Even as we walked to the washed and prepared office, Wendy didn’t say much.
Claude, who had been observing the situation, asked cautiously.
“Hey… … Are all the servants here as good at throwing knives as you are without blinking an eye?”
“No. There are a few people that the butler has taken in and taught since they were young. I used to be Miss Elena’s assistant, but I’ve been replaced here.”
“Miss Elena? Oh, the lord’s younger sister. Anyway, I’m glad that not all of them are like that.”
If all the maids were like this, it was obvious that they would be having a hard time eating their meals.
Claude arrived at his office with a heavy heart, looked around and sighed.
There was a mountain of papers piled on the desk.
Lower-level managers have been putting up with the work that has been piling up.
And that’s not the end of it. We have to add the things that Jiselle asked us to do.
‘Ah, what can I do? I have no choice but to try and kill myself.’
* * *
Claude started working half-forcefully and half-voluntarily, and lost weight in just a few days.
He looked through the documents with dull eyes and fell into thought.
“Hmm, is this really something that can be saved? It’s a completely ruined estate. One of the people above is a decent person, but that alone isn’t enough… … .”
All the tasks that Jiselle ordered were necessary for the realm to become wealthy.
It was surprising how the nobles knew about this and ordered it to be done.
Most lords don’t even know how their territory is run.
Even if you’re interested, is it just money or military power?
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But Giselle really made me do a lot of work very meticulously.
This means that he knows everything about how the territory works.
Most of the things that Jiselle asked her to do were things that required exchanging money.
The construction part will take some time, but it won’t be difficult if the wizards help.
But the Fenris estate was nothing more than a bottomless pit.
The money spent had to be earned from somewhere, but there was currently no way to earn money in the Fenris domain.
“The only thing that can be of value is the runestone that the lord has.”
However, rune stones do not come out infinitely.
There may be no problem now, but without a steady stream of funding, it will be difficult to even maintain the status quo in a few years.
But no matter how many times I reviewed and looked around the estate, there was just no way.
“Money… … . A way to make money.”
Claude was deeply troubled.
It was obvious that the territory would be ruined, but as the governor, I could not ignore it.
It’s not that I want to escape from the swamp of work that seems to never end.
At that moment, Claude smiled with shining eyes.
“This method seems good. Hehehe.”
If you’re going to make money, you have to make it hot and easy.
And he knew one sure way.
“Since I have something to report anyway… … . Let’s do it all at once while we’re at it. You might like it.”
Claude organized his ideas and headed to the conference room with them in his arms.
‘Well, the main character always shows up late.’
He walked slowly on purpose. Then Wendy, who had been quietly following behind him, spoke.
“Your Majesty, you are walking too slowly. The Lord has probably already arrived.”
“… … Okay, don’t rush me. Can’t I even walk freely? I’m dying from exhaustion. Let’s take a break even in times like this!”
As I talk, I feel like my throat is choking up.
Wendy looked at the sobbing Claude with slightly sad eyes.
He doesn’t seem like a very good person, but I saw that he hasn’t been able to sleep properly these past few days because he’s been busy.
I felt a little sorry for him.
“… … Ah, yes. Walk comfortably.”
Claude walked slowly, elated at his small victory.
When we arrived at Daejeon, walking slowly, all the vassals, including Jisel, were already gathered there.
When Claude appeared, the attendants all bowed their heads to greet him.
Claude lifted his chin and enjoyed the gaze.
‘Oh, so this is why everyone wants to seize power. It’s annoying to have so much work, but this is okay.’
No matter what, he is the commander-in-chief of the territory.
Adding the other titles that Giselle had given Claude, he was now one of the most powerful men in the Fenris domain.
In addition, since they had been given the authority to appoint personnel, everyone was cautious in case they were found guilty. If they were not careful, they would end up taking on the work.
Still, not everyone said hello.
Kaor’s face distorted as if she was shocked when she met Claude’s eyes.
It was an expression that clearly showed his true intention of not letting go if given the chance.
Claude honestly had mixed feelings.
‘Hmm, that guy is really dangerous if you mess with him. It seems like his patience is smaller than an ant’s leg hair.’
Even though the lord was openly supporting him, he was the one who did not hesitate to swing his sword in the lord’s presence.
‘It would be good to be friends.’
Claude blinked one eye with all his heart.
“That kid?”
It was like pouring oil on fire.
As Kaor charged forward, drawing his sword like lightning, Wendy quickly pulled out her dagger and stood in front of Claude.
Belinda also moved next to Wendy, and Gillian took aim at Kaor with his axe.
The soldiers guarding Daejeon ran to Yeongju without knowing what was happening.
Only the deceased were in a state of confusion.
‘These crazy guys are pulling out weapons in front of the lord again!’
‘Where on earth did the lord gather all these idiots?’
At that moment, Giselle lightly rolled her feet.
A heavy, life-threatening mana spread throughout the room.
Everyone seemed frozen and stopped moving.
Jiselle said in a dry voice.
“You guys, take it easy. What are you doing in the conference room?”
At those words, everyone had no choice but to put away their weapons and return to their original positions.
Kaor glared at Claude until the end.
Only after he turned his head did Claude breathe a sigh of relief.
‘Wow, he’s being annoying even when I tell him to be friends. I bet my hair that that kid doesn’t have any friends.’
As the chaotic atmosphere calmed down, Giselle looked at Claude and asked.
“How are things going?”
“Yes, that is… … . For now, we are gradually gathering food and materials. We have also posted job advertisements for laborers, and are looking for slash-and-burn farmers. However… … .”
“but?”
“You must completely withdraw the orders your lord gave you and make new plans.”
The faces of the deceased turned pale.
I’ve already spent a lot of money and started this and that, and now you want to cancel it all?
Even that was all done by Giselle herself.
Now Claude was openly pointing out that the lord was wrong.
But when Giselle heard those words, she just looked interested and asked back.
“Why? What’s the problem?”
“Of course there are! There are so many, beyond just existing.”
Jiselle nodded, squinting her eyes and telling him to continue.
Claude swallowed once and opened his mouth.
“First of all, the land in this territory is too poor. No matter how you improve your farming methods or whatever, you can’t increase production. If there’s nothing to eat, people won’t increase, and of course taxes won’t increase either.”
Jiselle nodded coolly.
“so?”
“That’s why, you’re building all kinds of facilities by your lord’s orders. If taxes aren’t coming in, where are you going to get the money to maintain them?”
“Hmm.”
“If farming is just difficult, then it’s okay, but there are no resources at all. Since there are no people, there’s no way to produce specialty products like handicrafts, and since it’s not a transportation hub, there’s no way to develop commerce. Seriously, there’s no way to make even a little money.”
“It’s horrible just to hear it.”
“That’s what I’m saying! It’s so miserable, there’s nothing I can do.”
The vassals who lived in the Fenris territory nodded absentmindedly.
It’s not that the previous lords didn’t try to save the territory.
We’ve tried all sorts of methods since our ancestors, but they all failed.
This war was also an attempt by the former lords to somehow find a breakthrough.
In the end, he was defeated and even lost his life.
Claude, who gained confidence as people agreed, spoke more forcefully.
“Some facilities are absolutely necessary. I admit that. But the rest are of no immediate use. There is no reason to build them on such a large scale. What good is building a bunch of these facilities on a piece of land that is already a piece of dog land?”
“Why are you killing our master’s spirit!”
Belinda screamed.
“No, I’m not swearing, it’s just reality.”
“We have a lot of runestones. We can use those!”
“I said it before, maintenance costs are the problem. Do you think Runestone is a kid? If you grow big just because you have a lot of money now, and then run out of Runestone later, you’ll be left with nothing.”
“That’s what I brought you here to solve!”
Claude let out a laugh, looking dumbfounded.
“No, am I a god? If I just put my hand on the wasteland, will it become a paradise? If I just dig the ground, will mines come out? There is no answer to this unless a real god comes and destroys it!”
“Why aren’t you a god!”
“… … That’s right, why am I not a god? I wish I could just blow away all these spirits… … .”
Claude, who had been blurting out his true feelings without realizing it, was startled and looked at Giselle.
“No, my lord. It’s not necessarily like that… … .”
Jiselle nodded with a smirk.
“I didn’t ask you to do the impossible either. But since you’re saying this, I guess you must have come up with another way.”
“Yes. In the end, the problem is that there is no fixed income. You should not spend money on useless things and secure a stable source of income. So I! I came up with a way to make money easily and quickly. I think even the lord will hit his knee when he hears it.”
“What is it?”
Claude shouted confidently.
“I’m opening a casino!”
At that moment, Belinda’s foot leaped into the air and hit Claude in the face.
