Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Providence Territory's Summer
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When Duke and Hana returned to the lord's mansion, the interior was clearly marked by the traces of a devastating battle.
Ari was in a far more serious condition than when she had fought the demons, but unlike that time, Rex was calm.
"Thank you, Ari."
It was something Rex had already resolved himself to, and Ari had accepted it as well.
Duke and Hana waited until Rex and Ari emerged from their own worlds.
Only after a few minutes did Rex clear his throat and snap back to reality.
"Ahem. From now on, this territory is mine... no, myself's to handle."
Of course, there was also the option of sparking a revolution and then slipping away elsewhere.
But Rex's sense of responsibility kept him rooted here.
"Maintaining a revolution is more important than starting one."
Rex struck a pose, quoting some cool line he'd heard somewhere.
Ari weakly clapped her hands in response beside him, while Duke simply stared with his emotionless helm.
Rex ended up shrinking his shoulders in awkward solo embarrassment.
In the meantime, Duke had been asking Hana about something that had been nagging at him.
"By the way, how does one become a lord? Is it really as simple as this?"
According to the common sense from Duke's previous life—which was sorely lacking—even assassinating a lord didn't mean you'd be recognized as the new one right away. There were complicated procedures: receiving noble status from the royal family or higher lords, and in some regions, even religious approval.
Since Rex had no legitimacy to claim this territory, Duke turned to the neighboring lord, Hana.
Hana replied to Duke with a warm smile that didn't suit her nickname of Shadow Queen.
"Yes. Territories belong to the strongest anyway."
Duke's common sense didn't apply in this world.
"You don't receive a territory as a grant. You seize it. When the Empire fell, the strongest people in each region became lords like me, and keeping it afterward is a matter of your own ability."
Titles like count or duke existed, but they were less grants from the royals and more acknowledgments of that person's strength.
"The royals are more like representatives of the lords. They have some command authority, but it's closer to an equal contractual relationship with each lord."
Hana let out a self-deprecating chuckle, saying what difference was there between the hyenas built on the Empire's corpse anyway.
"Unless you're one of the 13 Reverse Heavenly Stars, the royals and lords have no real legitimacy, honestly."
Her gaze lingered on Duke for a moment.
A look wondering why he didn't know that.
This time, Duke cleanly admitted his ignorance.
"I know little of such things. Power is not for a knight to pursue."
"As expected of you, sir. If you can hold it, you could claim the title of count no problem."
In other words, a warning that if he couldn't hold it, he'd naturally be pulled down.
Duke nodded in understanding.
"For a liege, claiming count is hardly insufficient."
Overhearing that, Rex cut in with a slightly queasy expression.
"Starting from count feels a bit much... maybe baron first..."
But before he could finish, an unpleasant air emanated from Ari, who had been listening.
Duke also fell silent, exuding a similar vibe.
And the captains, receiving the conversation via Rex's interface ability, sent messages in a frenzy.
Watching the message window light up like a chatroom, Rex stiffened his cheeks.
In the end, pushed along, Rex decided to start as a count.
"Will people even accept it..."
[[They will.]]
Rex let out a deep sigh of burden.
Hana, who had been quietly observing Rex, slyly smiled.
"Want me to take over this territory instead?"
"Really!?"
"Just kidding."
"That's mean..."
Seeing Rex melt away again, Hana returned to Duke's side with a wry smile.
"If he's your liege, shouldn't he show ambition fitting that? You okay with this?"
Duke spoke with conviction.
"The virtues a monarch needs are responsibility and ethics. Just as he turned a girl into a fine queen, so it shall be this time."
"You're sly, sir."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Popping in like this out of nowhere puts me in a tough spot."
Duke tilted his head at Hana, who bowed her head in shyness.
He couldn't fathom where in that conversation such a point had arisen.
Now, this land was no longer Karognar Territory—it was Providence Territory.
Duke, acting as proxy lord in place of the communications-obsessed new lord, saw off Hana and her retainers.
"Well, with the contract renewed, I'll be heading back."
"Providence County will always welcome visits from Lord Sneria."
And as Duke Awik, he bid her farewell.
"And I personally welcome you anytime."
"I'll come once a month."
"Don't push yourself."
"I have much to learn from you, sir."
"I can't refuse a learner's zeal. You're welcome anytime for that."
She replied to Duke with a faint smile and returned to her territory.
After seeing her off, Duke headed to Rex's office.
Thanks to the mansion being half-destroyed in the previous battle, Rex's mutterings from inside were audible even in the hallway.
"Finally unlocked internal affairs content."
Rex's excited voice conveyed his thrill even to Duke.
Thus entering internal affairs mode, Rex's first order was to repair roads throughout the territory.
"Traveling everywhere, I realized..."
But his retainers immediately checked his first command.
"My liege. There's something you need to do first."
"Huh? What?"
"Repair the mansion and inner walls first."
"...Ah."
Rex gazed through a hole in the mansion letting in a breeze at the neatly sliced inner wall.
It felt like an overlooked bill had just arrived.
After some deliberation, Rex revised his first task.
"Uh... let's repair the mansion first."
At least they needed a proper place for him and his retainers to stay.
After days of mansion repairs, Rex naturally skipped the inner wall fixes and focused on roads and sewers first.
"Money's already tight. Put the inner walls off, and fix the sewers and roads first."
Under Rex's orders, sewer construction began in the capital, Yngdo, and roadworks across the territory.
When Rex's orders spread, the citizens sighed everywhere.
"Another new lord starting something weird."
To them, the change from Karognar to Providence Territory was no big deal.
Their lifespans were too short, wretched, and powerless compared to lords.
But powerless commoners had to obey when the lord commanded.
In the end, clutching their hungry stomachs, they trudged to fulfill their corvée labor.
But after completing a day's duty, they faced an unbelievable sight.
"Knight sir... this is?"
"Your wages. By my liege's grace—use it wisely."
The territory folk's eyes bulged at the coin pouch from the Honor Guard knight dispatched as overseer.
And afterward, they kept encountering unbelievable sights.
- 'Why give weekends off?'
- 'Why tax breaks for this?'
- 'Why ban children from participating?'
Policies unimaginable under Count Karognar poured out under Rex's lead.
The baffled citizens faced incomprehensible favors right before their eyes.
But even as they puzzled, Rex's internal affairs rampage continued.
- Taxes this heavy? Weird. Folks won't survive.
- Dragging everyone to military service—who farms?
- Need reservoirs for farming...
With internal affairs mode unlocked in his interface, Rex started decorating the territory like a simulation game.
He even used "can't meet people while tweaking the interface" as an excuse, turning into a shut-in gamer, cutting sleep to pour into admin.
Conveniently, with the inner wall gone, citizens could see the light burning late in Rex's office atop the hill.
"Why is he being so good to us?"
At first, fearing he'd snatch away this happiness amid the baffling favors, the citizens worried.
But as it continued for three years, they began opening their hearts.
"No incidents compared to the old lord."
"No rumors of killing for stress relief."
"He even hates bribes?"
Soon, seeing it not as whim but Rex's character, citizens praised him.
- "Long live the lord! Hooray!"
Of course, Rex's reaction to the citizens...
"Heh heh. Internal affairs are fun."
...was total obliviousness.
Perhaps from the intense experiences right after meeting Duke, or spending too much on outings that year, Rex barely went out for three years.
The lord's mansion had excessive conveniences anyway, no need to leave.
To citizens, the rarely seen Rex gained a mystique aura.
As praise for Rex rose, his Honor Guard's fame rose alongside.
No matter how skilled Rex, he couldn't command uncontracted citizens directly.
Thus, he used his most trusted Honor Guard as messengers.
The knights fluttered black banners with yellow snakes, spreading Rex's voice everywhere.
"By the lord's decree!"
Terrified of knights at first, after three years, citizens welcomed those banners.
- "Knight sir! Check this!"
Amid the Honor Guard's fervent reception, leader Duke's popularity was unmatched.
After three years,
While the rarely seen Rex was an absolute dark ruler unknown even by face,
Duke's image was the limitless absolute knight, even seen often.
He splits mountains with one strike.
No enemy touching the flower on his chest survived.
He remembers everyone he saves—a noble knight.
The first two were true; the last wasn't, but Duke didn't deny it.
Thus, Duke on streets faced endless flowers and cheers.
- "Duke saw me!"
Some fainted from mere eye contact, but Duke was pleased by the reactions.
'Now the real start.'
He wanted to play the usual strict-yet-kind-to-kids-and-citizens knight.
But today was important, so Duke ignored flower-throwers and headed to the plaza.
As Duke took position, his gnome adjutant unrolled a scroll and shouted.
"Tomorrow here, the lord's major decree will be announced—gather as many as possible in the plaza!"
Not just Yngdo, but cities across the territory echoed the same.
Knights boomed the same lines hourly from plazas.
Citizens obeyed with respect, not fear.
Next day, knights recited new edicts early before crowds.
"From this hour, slavery is banned in Providence Territory!"
Hearing it first, citizens wondered if they'd misheard, confused.
- Slavery?
To citizens, slavery was close yet distant.
Offend a knight or noble, or cross a criminal—you could fall to slave. Close and scary.
Yet they rarely redeemed, owned, or hired slaves. Distant too.
In short, slavery's image to them was the worst.
So knights announcing abolition left citizens gaping at them.
The knight repeated, confirming it wasn't a dream.
"From this hour, under this sacred land and our lord, all humans are declared equal!"
Of course, Rex never declared that.
Added by the third captain in admin, but spirit matched.
Realizing it reality, crowds cheered.
- Wooaaah!!!
Amid cheers, Duke's gnome adjutant nodded satisfied.
"This old man seeing this before my time ends—no regrets in death."
"Mm."
Duke watched cheering crowds, arms crossed.
But his mind plotted elsewhere.
'Too quiet these three years.'
He'd handled occasional assassins, spies, old lord's remnants during Rex's admin spree—but insufficient.
That boredom ended after three years.
"Adjutant."
"Yes, sir."
"Form watcher squads."
Duke figured markets and local powers wouldn't easily abandon slaves.
Not his solo idea—overheard at territory meeting while dozing.
Under Duke's order, gnome adjutant nodded.
"What scale?"
"Elites only."
"Understood."
The gnome sent messages to the knights with wrinkled hands.
Duke smirked at cheering citizens.
'Scheming second-in-command.'
Content he'd wanted to try once.