---

Chapter

Claude blinked as his vision cleared through the haziness.

Was it from tears? After rubbing his eyes a few times, the world brightened up.

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t lost his head in the process.

He cautiously turned his head to look around.

There was no one else in the room except Claude.

“Ah, I really don’t want to work.”

Claude sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Isn’t there supposed to be an adjustment period? How can you throw so much work at me all of a sudden? I’m not even from here!”

Suddenly being thrust into work after being idle for so long sapped his motivation.

He was worried about how he would manage all that work.

“I thought the lord was a kind soul who hands out money easily. What a devil! Even if it’s urgent, asking for all of it at once is just insanity! Can’t they spread it out a bit?”

As Claude grumbled softly, his voice unconsciously grew louder.

“Doesn’t anyone value people anymore… Just you wait. I’ll make it so that nothing runs smoothly without me, and then I’ll come to collect! No, wait, there’s no one else to work anyway, should I just run away right now?”

Just then, the door swung open with a click.

Claude jumped onto the bed in panic.

“W-who are you?”

A composed-looking maid slightly bowed her head.

“Hello, Chief Officer. I’m Wendy, sent by the Butler on his orders to serve you. I’ll be in charge of your escort. Nice to meet you.”

“Butler? Ah, Belinda.”

It seemed the newly appointed Butler Belinda had sent a maid to assist him.

But escorting? Claude smirked, asking,

“Even if it’s a maid, escorting the chief officer? Seems like there really isn’t anyone here.”

Instead of responding to his sarcasm, Wendy simply waved her hand.

Swish!

Something zipped past his ear, followed by a thud against the wall behind him.

Claude broke out in a cold sweat and slowly turned to look.

A cockroach that had scurried past was now skewered on a dagger, thrashing about.

With an unchanging calm expression, Wendy continued speaking.

“The castle is old and infested with pests. Chief Officer, please take care of this issue as well.”

“…Yes.”

A maid, huh…

‘There’s nothing ordinary about this territory.’

Claude swallowed his tears inwardly.

“Upon waking up, it was the lord’s order to start working immediately. Let’s get moving.”

“…Yes.”

Ah, it wasn’t an escort but surveillance. I can’t even flee. The maid is giving me orders too!

Claude felt as slow as a sheep being dragged to slaughter as he stood up.

Just as he was about to head out, Wendy suddenly added as if she remembered something.

“The Butler has a message for you.”

“What is it?”

“He said you should wash up before working. Or else, if you pass even a single flea to the lord, you’ll be killed.”

“…Right.”

He hadn’t had a proper wash during the several days traveling from Austin to here.

Washing was welcome given the discomfort, but…

Couldn’t they at least say it nicely?

This feels more like being a slave than a chief officer.

‘Ugh, they’re all itching to prey on me. Can’t they just let it go? Should I smash everything?’

…He only grumbled inwardly. He didn’t want to end up skewered by that dagger.

Even as he moved to the prepared office after washing up, Wendy remained silent.

Eyes darting, Claude cautiously asked,

“Uh… are all the servants around here like you, throwing daggers without blinking an eye?”

“No. The Butler has a few people whom he taught since they were children. I was originally serving Young Lady Elena, and I’m switching over now.”

“Lady Elena? Ah, the lord’s sister. Well, I’m glad that not everyone’s like that.”

If the maids were all like that, he’d surely choke on his food at meal times.

Arriving with a heavy heart at the office, Claude sighed as he looked around.

Papers were piled up on the desk like a mountain.

Lower-level administrators had left behind the tasks they had neglected.

And that wasn’t all. He had to add the tasks assigned by Ghislaine too.

‘Sigh, what can I do? I have no choice but to work myself to death.’

*

Claude, half forcing himself and half voluntarily, lost weight in just a few days buried under work.

With sunken eyes, he rifled through the documents, deep in thought.

“Hmm, is this really salvageable? This territory is completely ruined. The top boss is a decent person, but that’s not enough…”

The tasks given by Ghislaine were all necessary for making the territory prosperous.

It was astonishing that a noble would know such things and give such orders.

Most lords didn’t even know how their own territories operated.

They only cared about money or military power, at best.

But Ghislaine had meticulously assigned many tasks.

That meant she understood exactly how the territory operated.

Most of the tasks assigned by Ghislaine could be accomplished by pouring in money.

The construction side would take a bit of time, but with the help of wizards, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

However, the Territory of Penris was akin to a bottomless pit.

For every penny spent, something had to be earned back, but currently, there were zero means of making money in Penris territory.

“The only thing of value is the lord’s Runestone.”

But even Runestones did not appear infinitely.

Right now it was manageable, but without a steady stream of funds, maintaining the status quo would be difficult in a few years.

Yet, even after reviewing several times and examining the territory, he could find absolutely no solution.

“Money… ways to earn money.”

Claude fell into deep contemplation.

It was painfully evident that the territory was doomed, and as Chief Officer, he couldn’t ignore that.

It wasn’t just wanting to escape from the never-ending work.

In an instant, Claude’s eyes sparkled with a smile.

“This method sounds good. Heh heh heh.”

If he was going to make money, it should be big and easy.

And he knew of a surefire way to do just that.

“Well, since I have something to report… let’s hit them with everything at once while I’m at it. They might like it.”

Claude organized his thoughts and headed to the conference room.

“Phew, the protagonist always shows up late.”

He deliberately walked slowly. Just then, Wendy, who had quietly followed behind, spoke up.

“Chief Officer, you’re moving too slowly. The lord must have already arrived.”

“…I get it, don’t rush me. Can’t I walk at my own pace? I’m exhausted! Can’t I take a break even now?”

As he spoke, he felt a lump in his throat.

Wendy looked at the teary-eyed Claude with a somewhat sympathetic expression.

Not that he had a favorable impression of her, but it was apparent he hadn’t slept properly with all the work over the past few days.

She felt a little sorry for him.

“…Ah, yes. Please feel free to walk comfortably.”

Claude walked slowly, buoyed by a small victory.

When he arrived at the grand hall, Ghislaine and the retainers had already gathered.

Upon Claude’s appearance, all the retainers bowed their heads in greeting.

Claude lifted his chin and savored their gazes.

‘Ah, so this is why everyone seems to want to hold power. It’s annoying having lots of work, but this part isn’t bad.’

Still, he was the Chief Officer of the territory.

Including the additional positions Ghislaine had bestowed upon him, he had risen to a significant standing within the Territory of Penris.

Moreover, having received the power of appointment, everyone was wary, afraid to give him any reason to scorn them. They might risk taking on work otherwise.

Yet, not everyone was paying their respects.

Kaor made a face as he locked eyes with Claude, as if to say he wouldn’t stand idly by if given the chance.

Claude felt somewhat conflicted about that.

‘Ugh, that guy is truly dangerous if provoked. His patience seems less than that of an ant’s hair.’

Even with the lord openly backing him, he still wielded his knife without hesitation in front of the lord.

‘It’s better to be friendly with him.’

Claude winked with all his might.

“That guy?”

This was like pouring oil onto fire.

As Kaor drew his sword like lightning, Wendy quickly drew her dagger and stood in front of Claude.

Belinda moved next to Wendy, and Gillian brandished his axe, aiming at Kaor.

The soldiers guarding the grand hall had no idea what was happening and rushed to the lord’s side instead.

The retainers were in utter chaos.

‘These madmen are pulling out weapons in front of the lord again!’

‘Where on earth did the lord gather such lunatics!’

At that moment, Ghislaine lightly kicked her foot.

A dense and heavy mana spread throughout the room.

Everyone froze, as if time had stopped.

In a cool, monotone voice, Ghislaine spoke.

“Behave yourselves. What are you doing in the conference hall?”

At her words, everyone had no choice but to put away their weapons and return to their original positions.

Kaor glared at Claude one last time in anger.

Only after he turned his head did Claude exhale in relief.

‘Wow, even if I said let’s be friends, he still causes a scene. I bet that guy has no friends.’

When the tense atmosphere settled, Ghislaine looked at Claude and asked.

“How is the work progressing?”

“Yes, well… for now, we’re steadily gathering food and materials. We’ve put out recruitment ads for laborers and are looking for firewood farmers. However…”

“However?”

“The tasks assigned by the lord will need to be completely retracted, and new plans need to be drafted.”

The faces of the retainers turned pale.

They had already spent loads of money getting everything started, and now they were being told to retract everything?

And this was all personally ordered by Ghislaine.

At this moment, Claude was openly pointing out the lord’s mistakes.

But instead of showing anger, Ghislaine simply looked intrigued.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Of course! There’s not just an issue; it’s a plethora of problems!”

Ghislaine squinted her eyes and nodded for him to continue.

Claude swallowed once and opened his mouth.

“First, this territory has extremely poor land. No matter what we do to improve farming, we just can’t increase production. Without food, people won’t increase, thus naturally, tax revenue won’t rise either.”

Ghislaine nodded along.

“And?”

“And what? With the lord’s order, we’re building all sorts of facilities. With no tax coming in, where do you expect to get the maintenance funds from?”

“Hmmm.”

“It’s not just that farming is difficult; there are literally no resources. With no people, we can’t even produce handicrafts as specialty items, and since this isn’t a transportation hub, we can’t spark commerce. Honestly, there’s not even a means to earn a single scrap of money.”

“That sounds grim just to hear.”

“That’s exactly my point! It’s so grim that we can’t do anything!”

The retainers who had lived under Penris’ rule nodded absentmindedly.

Previous lords hadn’t tried to save the territory.

The past generations had employed all kinds of methods, all of which failed.

This war was the former lord attempting to find a breakthrough, but it ultimately led to defeat and loss of life.

As the retainers nodded in agreement, Claude gained confidence, speaking even more passionately.

“A few facilities are absolutely necessary. I admit that. But the rest are utterly useless at the moment. There’s no reason to build them in such a large scale. What’s the use in building all these facilities in a territory that’s even less than animal fur?”

“Why are you treating our young master like this?!”

Belinda shouted angrily.

“I’m not insulting him; I’m just stating reality.”

“We have plenty of Runestones! Just use those!”

“I just told you, the maintenance costs are the issue. Do Runestones do magic just because they’re plentiful? If you stretch yourself out just because you have money now and later Runestones run out, you’ll be left with nothing.”

“That’s why I brought you here to solve that!”

Claude, amazed, let out a hollow laugh.

“Am I a god? Can I touch the wasteland and turn it into a rich land? Just dig a little and find mines? I really need a god to come in and fix all this!”

“Why aren’t you a god then!”

“…That’s a good question, why am I not a god? I’d rather just wipe this territory clean…”

Claude suddenly let out his true feelings and jolted at the realization, glancing anxiously at Ghislaine.

“No, my lord. That’s not what I meant…”

Ghislaine chuckled and nodded.

“I’m not asking you to accomplish the impossible. But seeing you talk like this, I’m guessing you have some other idea in mind?”

“That’s right. Ultimately, the problem is the lack of fixed income. We can’t spend money on useless things; we need to establish a stable source of income. And I’ve thought of a way! A means to make money quickly and easily. You might even applaud once you hear it, my lord!”

“What is it?”

Claude exclaimed confidently.

“We’ll set up a casino!”

At that moment, Belinda’s foot, which had leaped into the air, landed squarely on Claude’s face.

 

---