Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: The Lord Exercising the Right of the First Night (8)
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I'd thought that becoming lord meant I could do whatever the hell I wanted. A lord is basically a king in his own territory, isn't he? So naturally, I figured he'd have unlimited freedom.
But... experiencing it firsthand proved me wrong.
A lord was only like a king, nothing more. In a world where royal authority held absolute sway, one misstep and you were done for—your position was that precarious. Which meant I couldn't just ignore everyone and run wild with my villainy.
No wonder the points had seemed suspiciously cheap... I'd been totally baited and switched.
Now, you might wonder about the original owner of this body, the infamous corrupt lord before possession. What the hell had he been thinking, pulling that crap? Thanks to him, everything was on the verge of collapse. I was about to get dragged to the capital and have my head lopped off!
"Freha's debt totals a whopping 20,000 luwin. Impressive. To indulge in such extravagance... Frankly, I'm shocked. Do you really think you can pay this back?"
"The knights' dissatisfaction is severe, as is the servants'. No one will speak up for you like this. Don't even dream of leniency."
"Did you know the church is demanding your punishment? I'm personally curious if you can win them over."
"S-Sera...? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You have one month. Fail to resolve every issue in Freha by then, and not even your royal blood will save you from His Majesty's wrath."
Learning that the woman I'd trusted as head maid was actually an inspector from the capital—and that I had just one month left—left me, in crude terms, utterly screwed.
"Wait! Just one month?!"
"No. A whole month."
So even after reviving the right of the first night, I couldn't enjoy it properly. Instead, I poured all my time into cleaning up the massive piles of shit the original owner had left behind.
But man... this wasn't easy at all. Trying to take the lordship seriously meant dealing with a mountain of details—finances, diplomacy, military affairs, and so on. For someone like me who didn't know the first thing about management, it was overwhelming.
"Then I'll leave this to you all."
In the end, I just gave up. Seriously, it wasn't happening. I'd come here for NTR, not to play CEO. My brain hurt even thinking about it, so I dumped everything on my subordinates who looked smart enough.
"Th-thank you for trusting us! We'll turn Freha into a city several times greater than it is now!"
"Your infinite trust, my lord! We'll live up to it! Just watch us!"
And surprisingly... they loved it. Why? My orders had them in tears, cheering like mad. I couldn't wrap my head around why they'd be thrilled to get saddled with my headaches.
Whatever. It worked out for me, so I didn't sweat it. I had bigger fish to fry: clearing Freha's 20,000 luwin debt, which trumped internal affairs.
"M-my lord! My lord! Jackpot! Haha! Absolute jackpot!"
"Hm? What's got you so worked up?"
"The scouts found a mine! A gold mine, no less!"
"What?! Kahaha! The heavens themselves are on my side! Kahahahaha! We're gonna be rich!"
And just like that... it solved itself like a fairy tale. While out on a goblin extermination to blow off steam and level up skills in the northern forest, we'd struck gold—literally.
20,000 luwin? Peanuts. We made dozens of times that, paying off the "impossible" debt in one go.
"This is a bonus for everyone! Double the pay for all who work in this castle!"
"......Huh?!"
-Murmurs rising
-Murmurs intensifying
"Hm? Lukewarm reaction. Fine! I'm feeling generous! Make it triple! Kahahahaha!"
"W-whoa... Woooaah!"
"Long live the lord! Long live Freha!"
"Hooray! Hooray! Hip hip hooray!"
That wiped out the subordinates' grievances in a flash. Money talks, huh? Overnight, tripling their salaries turned the knights and servants into loyal fans drunk on joy. From that day, at least inside the castle, I wasn't the corrupt lord anymore.
"You... dare try to buy absolution with coin?! Blasphemy! You haven't repented at all!"
But not everything was fixed. The church was still pissed. The original idiot had publicly trashed them pre-possession, apparently annoyed by their constant nagging.
Left me to deal with the mess. Dumbass. Drunk on his fleeting power, how many screw-ups had he racked up? Priests don't care about money—how the hell do I fix this...
"—But that's too generous a sum to refuse. I see your sincerity, brother. Even the Goddess would forgive this much."
...It worked. Guess priests not chasing gold was my delusion. Of course they need cash—they're not digging it up themselves. Money is truth. Enlightened, I patched things up with the church.
"That said, brother... about the right of the first night..."
"Kahaha... Truth is, I revived it all for doctrine."
"What nonsense..."
"The church preaches chastity nonstop... but the young ones are all loose these days. So to tighten up Freha, I played the villain. With the right in place, at least they'll stay pure till wedding night."
"Oho...! A sophist's twist worthy of you, brother."
"And get this: reward pure brides, teach 'em proper sex ed to boost birth rates—win-win for everyone, right?"
"Well said. The high priest will buy that excuse."
"Kahaha! Glad to hear it."
The right of the first night issue? Solved. In under half the promised month, I'd cleared every problem the inspector raised. Now I could focus on NTR without a care.
Now for the main event: Was reviving the right of the first night worth the hassle? Hell yes. Last night, mid-sex with Rozina, I got the alert that my Netori rank had risen—confirming her as this world's heroine. Finding her on the fifth try? Pure honey for me. All that's left: bump her Netori rank to at least A.
"Kahaha!"
And that was a breeze. I'd already planted the seeds deep. Showed her maximum sweetness, so Rozina would come crawling even if I sat on my hands. Worst case, now I knew who the protagonist was... As lord, I had zero worries.
-Knock knock knock
"My lord. It's Sera. May I enter?"
"Come in."
-Door swings open
"I delivered your letter as ordered."
"Good. How'd she react? Rozina shaken like I thought?"
"She was blushing during the send-off. Annoyed, but she has feelings for you. ...That said, my lord. Are you really serious about that woman?"
"Hm? Pretty face, big tits—what's not to love? And Rozina's noble stock; anyone would buy it."
"Tch. You say that right in front of the guy who took your virginity."
"Why you acting up again? After such a fun dawn together."
-Grip tightens!
"You... talking back to me, my lord?!"
"Huh."
What the—? Sera grabbed my collar, glaring, face pissed. On tiptoes to reach, she looked adorable, but the vibe was intense, so I played scared. She smirked faintly, leaning her petite frame against me while still clutching my collar.
"You're not satisfied with her, so you come to me. Don't play the generous type. Want me to march over and spill what you did to her all dawn?"
"Th-that's..."
Jealousy confirmed. I fought a grin, mustering max remorse. Too damn charming for my own good. Even the cool inspector fell this hard.
"...Hmph. You can't live without my pussy anyway, so I'll forgive you this once."
"Kahaha...! Thanks."
Lie, actually. Sera's acting on orders from above—sacrificing her body to monitor me, faking the fall. Not smitten by my greatness, just pretending to spy. ...Though it's real now.
"In return, treat me gently today... like you did her last night. That'll satisfy me."
"...Got it."
A day's service? Fine by me. I gently pried her cute hand from my collar and pulled her into a soft embrace. Sera beamed, hugging back tight.