Chapter 191
Chapter 191
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Happiness
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After the reunion at the estate hall, the loudmouthed town criers scattered throughout the territory to announce the end of the civil war.
The criers declared that the rightful heir, Lady Eloise, had returned and repelled her wicked brothers who had plotted to kill their father and seize the territory.
The territory's residents didn't truly believe the declaration, but they welcomed the fact that the civil war was over, regardless.
For the people down there, who ruled them mattered far less than putting food on their own tables.
Several weeks passed in a frenzy of busyness for everyone.
The first order of business was dismantling the barricades.
The unsightly walls made of collapsed houses and all sorts of debris, which had divided the territory into north and south, were blocking civilian passage and halting logistics.
Knights like Bazkal and Reno, along with the mages, were mobilized to swiftly tear them down.
This wasn't just about removing obstacles to travel—it also visually showed the residents that the civil war was truly over.
Next, the administrators who had scattered across the territory to avoid the chaos were summoned back.
Knights and soldiers were needed to fight external enemies and restore order, but administrators were essential to get the territory's blood flowing and flesh growing again.
The administrators, who had hidden throughout the territory to escape the brutal civil war, returned to the estate hall at their lord's command.
Among the gathered administrators, Arsen spotted a familiar face and approached without hesitation to greet him.
"Long time no see, Administrator Lude."
"Oh, Sir Arsen... It's a pleasure to see you again."
Administrator Lude was someone with a special connection to Arsen. Long ago, he had used his authority to shelter Arsen when he fled Crata Fortress.
Unlike Arsen's warm greeting, Lude seemed wary of him. It was only natural, given that Arsen was now essentially Belluan's top power holder.
"How's the matter the proxy lord instructed yesterday coming along?"
"The eastern district's distribution is complete. Some were caught embezzling grain, though..."
"As we discussed beforehand, they must be severely punished. In chaotic times like these, we need strict discipline."
"Understood."
Lude bowed his head at Arsen's orders and returned to his duties.
He and a dozen or so other administrators, following Proxy Lord Eloise's instructions—or more precisely, Arsen's—compiled statistics on the distributed supplies across the territory and began reallocating them.
It was a necessary step to prepare for the coming winter.
* * *
On a street in Belluan, four soldiers pushed a large cart piled high with sacks.
They stacked the sacks in the middle of the street, then knocked on every door to call out the residents.
"What's this about?"
"Take it."
"What's this?"
"Can't you tell? It's flour. And this is meat."
The sacks the soldiers handed out were filled with flour and dried magic beast meat.
It wasn't the tastiest since it had been stored for preservation, but to those still short on food, it was a godsend.
The people asked joyfully,
"Hey, what's all this?"
"It's from the new proxy lord, the lady. The harvest was ruined this year with all the chaos. Just so you know, it's two sacks per household only. Get caught trying to take more, and we'll confiscate what you've got. Whipping's on the table too."
Ignoring the soldier's threats, the residents excitedly hoisted the heavy flour sacks onto their backs.
The load was burdensome, but thinking of carrying it home lightened their steps.
With stockpiles running low and markets bare, they'd been starving—such rations were an incredible gift.
"Now the territory's finally running right! Tell the lady we say long live!"
"Yeah, sure."
Similar scenes were unfolding across the territory.
Arsen oversaw reallocating excess or short supplies while releasing the massive grain hauls confiscated from Deroy and Ridat's strongholds to aid the hungry.
This grain had originally been military rations stored in the estate hall, taken by them at will for emergencies when the territory might be isolated.
Of course, it shouldn't have been touched lightly, but given Belluan's current forces, fearing isolation and hoarding food was laughable.
Better to distribute the reserves to prevent starvation over winter and replenish with next year's harvest.
"Oh, you're back? Late day. Nothing much today?"
"Same old—killed a magic beast or two, stared at the sky... But what's with this feast?"
"The proxy lord—our lady—had rations distributed to this district. We haven't been eating properly lately."
"...She's the best. Gotta dig in gratefully."
"Long live the lady."
This administrative effort won the residents' support and brought another benefit: the loyalty of neutral soldiers like the guards and patrols who had faithfully protected the territory even during the civil war.
They were ordinary residents with families first and foremost, so it was only natural.
Thus, Proxy Lord Eloise's rule was receiving quite favorable reviews from the people.
There were odd rumors about too many sinister mages wandering around or people in the estate hall being stuffed into strange devices that emitted light, but those with full bellies paid little heed to such negativity.
With legitimate bloodline legitimacy, a strong army, and policies benefiting them, only a tiny minority opposed her.
Belluan had endured a year of civil war and all its inconveniences, lowering the bar for what they considered a "good ruler" considerably.
All policies were officially enacted in the name of Eloise, the rightful heir by blood and the sole remaining legitimate successor, but Arsen was the one driving them.
Eloise, trained only as a blacksmith and mage with almost no social experience, couldn't manage the territory right away.
* * *
Inside the estate hall, in the office.
Arsen and Eloise sat side by side in chairs facing the desk, chatting quietly.
Regrettably, it wasn't the affectionate talk lovers might share.
It was more like a tutor instructing a student.
"So, this one here..."
"It means we need to ship straw from the northwest warehouses because the southeast is short."
"Straw? That's the leftover after threshing wheat, right? Isn't that just trash?"
"It's valuable to commoners. In winter, you cover yourself with anything to block the cold. We can't give Fire Monkey cores to every house."
"Straw blocks the cold?"
"Plenty. I slept in straw piles as a kid."
To Eloise, who had spent her life in the estate hall and endured travel cold with magic, this was hard to grasp.
She looked puzzled but obediently stamped the approval on the document as Arsen explained.
For the next one, whenever Eloise said something naive about the world, Arsen patiently explained why it was submitted, how people lived, and how to manage it.
He hoped she'd eventually become a ruler who could think and decide for herself.
Each time, Eloise chirped like a baby bird, marveling at how much Arsen knew.
Arsen could handle this thanks to his past life's knowledge and his childhood scrabbling for survival below commoner status.
To Eloise, he seemed incredibly learned.
"You know so much, Sen. You'd make a better lord than me."
"The people need a legitimate heir they can accept—that's you. Plus, you learn fast, so you'll be a great one."
"Really?"
Eloise smiled bashfully at the praise.
It wasn't empty flattery. Eloise lacked knowledge from her upbringing, but she was smart. She probably knew more raw facts than Arsen.
Most were about magic, useless for territory management.
How much time passed? Arsen checked the pocket watch from the underworld and called it quits.
"Let's wrap up the documents here. The rest aren't urgent. It's dinnertime anyway."
"Wow, it is."
They tidied the papers and headed to the dining hall.
Many were already waiting at the long table: Arsen's knights like Bazkal and Reno, the Starburmi elders, and Belluan knights like Palato and Zenovia.
They used dinner as a meeting, sharing the day's events.
Palato waved cheerfully.
"You're late!"
"Busy day."
Arsen bowed slightly and took the head seat with Eloise.
Knights and mages sat mixed around them, bumping elbows without care.
Most lost their appetite at the sight of mages, but here they ate together—a remarkable sight.
It was all thanks to the gene modifier in one corner of the estate hall.
Few had benefited yet: knights, administrators, knights' relatives doing odd jobs, some servants.
Even so, rumors spread; forcing it on commoners would amplify them tenfold.
Rumors of the estate hall as a mage's evil lab might be tame.
"Sis, sis!"
A girl of five or six clung to Eloise, acting cute.
It was Belia, Kamin and Zenovia's daughter.
Since the procedure, she followed Eloise everywhere.
"Belia, don't bother the lady. Sorry, milady."
"No, it's fine. Come here, Belia?"
Zenovia tried to scold her, but Eloise scooped up the child like her most precious doll.
She was weak to affection, and Belia's cuteness was lethal.
The sweet, adorable girl had already charmed everyone in the estate hall.
"Belia, you like sis that much?"
"Yeah, love sis! Sis pretty!"
"Sis loves Belia too. Ah, I'd have no regrets with a daughter like this."
Eloise hugged the girl tightly.
Unthinkable before the library.
Without the gene device, Belia would've screamed like embracing a demon, the trauma lifelong.
Now, Belia purred like a cat, smiling under Eloise's strokes.
Watching, Eloise thought of her future children.
Once imagining it brought tears; now it filled her with eager joy. Having children, laughing and crying with them.
Lost in thought, Eloise smiled hugging the little one.
A commotion arose from the other side as she beamed.
Luden, face flushed, was nagging Bazkal.
Gisharan rubbed her face awkwardly beside them; Bazkal grinned foolishly, enduring the drunken-like rant.
"Hey, when are you getting married? You're not kids anymore—give me grandkids already!"
"Father."
"Ah, father-in-law. Of course I'd love to marry right now, but order matters! My brother's still single, so..."
"Order? You're a decade older than that 'brother'—is that what you think?"
Arsen had expected a dull meeting between Luden, Gisharan, and Bazkal.
The father and daughter were awkward and reserved—likely their blunt natures.
Bazkal, however, quickly bonded with Luden, even closer than Arsen.
Bazkal's bold, unreserved sociability appealed to Luden.
Seeing them, Bazkal seemed Luden's son and Gisharan the daughter-in-law.
Arsen, who'd imagined Luden bellowing "No daughter of mine!", felt a twinge of regret.
Watching Bazkal desperately change the subject, Arsen burst into laughter unwittingly.
This was why he'd adventured—for this peace.
The fulfillment seeped deep, impossible not to smile.
A truly blissful day.