Consolidating the Realm
Arcteria was moving forward.
"Well? Are you satisfied?"
Standing beside me, Irene watched me with tense, anxious eyes, looking very much like a student waiting for her homework to be graded.
Before us, rows of well-disciplined soldiers stood in neat, orderly ranks.
"...Of course."
Their weapons and armor had clearly been replaced with brand-new gear; even a cursory glance revealed a sharp, formidable edge.
If they were to fight ordinary enemies or subjugate the monsters threatening the villages, this level of armament was more than sufficient—it was bordering on excessive.
Their training wasn't bad either. In fact, it was excellent.
From the very beginning, Irene's troops had possessed ample combat experience. They simply hadn't received the practical support needed to utilize it effectively.
No matter how many enemies Irene and her unit defeated, if the soldiers' livelihoods remained unstable, that hard-won experience would never translate into lasting strength.
No matter how many achievements they racked up or foes they felled, they could only ever perform like a seasoned mercenary band rather than a seasoned army.
"It is good."
But now, things were different.
Irene had succeeded in raising the soldiers' standards to the level I expected.
They were no longer a ragtag rabble. While they couldn't yet be called an invincible force destined to win every battle, they were now a well-trained army that would not easily flee or yield.
"Set a training schedule. A large-scale maneuver exercise. Can you manage that?"
"Of course. I am already prepared."
They were almost there. Once they completed collective movement drills and marching exercises to ensure rapid strategic deployment, they would become a force worthy of respect.
"You have done well."
The research was also progressing smoothly without a single hitch.
Prototypes had already been produced, and several key figures within the military had already received them.
These men possessed the capability to wield such weapons. Without a doubt, they would be able to exert power far exceeding their natural limits.
The time was drawing near.
"Are the preparations complete?"
"Yes, my Lord!"
My guard bowed his head deeply.
They were anxious. Even if it was his own territory, it was hardly considered prudent for a lord to wander the streets so casually.
But for me, this was an absolute necessity.
There were still many in the fiefdom who remembered Edrin Silverline in a negative light. I needed to show my face to them.
Charm was a stat that took effect when facing people directly.
I had to let them see me. I had to make the people trust Edrin Silverline. I needed them to offer absolute support for my decisions, to the point where they would willingly lay down their lives for me.
Having finished my preparations, I stepped out of my manor and onto the streets.
"L-Lord Edrin has come out!"
"My Lord, this is the child my wife gave birth to just recently! Please, bestow a blessing upon this child!"
The people on the street began to gather around me, their faces filled with the kind of awe usually reserved for celebrities.
"What a lovely child. Congratulations. I am certain he will live a happy life."
"T-Thank you so much!"
Countless people approached me with joyful smiles.
Some brought snacks as gifts, while others rushed forward simply to bow their heads and sing my praises.
Instead of pushing them away, I smiled and mingled with them.
"Thanks to the grain and meat you distributed this time, my Lord... we managed to survive. Thank you, thank you so much!"
A heavily tanned man who looked like a sailor bowed flat to the ground before me. Seeing that he was missing a leg, he had likely suffered an accident either on the battlefield or at sea.
"You seem to have come from afar... but you are a citizen of Arcteria now. I look forward to working with you."
The entire territory was wrapped in a festive atmosphere.
Everyone praised my benevolent rule. The air was thick with anticipation for the future and hope for a new Arcteria.
Not just the foreign nobles, but every single citizen of Arcteria now recognized me as their true lord.
The territory's latent potential was finally being unleashed.
...Though this, too, will be fleeting.
Even if everyone else was bathed in happiness, I needed to remain cold and calculating.
Of course, they had good reason to rejoice. These masses of people weren't praising me because they were paid to do so; they were offering their heartfelt gratitude.
But that was only because of the money I had poured out.
I had commissioned new weapons and distributed generous funds to the military.
Irene had the backing of the army and the knights. Since she held the reins of power, this was a natural outcome.
And it wasn't as if this harmed Arcteria. To raise an army in preparation for the coming war, the soldiers had to be treated better.
Irene had already enjoyed considerable popularity among the citizens. Seeing her walk the streets with even greater confidence and dignity, the people praised me for supporting her.
Beyond that, there were numerous other projects. Rebuilding the Magic Tower, reconstructing aging facilities, reinforcing the fortresses, and manufacturing weapons.
I had spared no expense in the process. Instead of being dragged off to forced labor and working themselves to death, the people were paid fair wages for their work.
As the war dragged on, a significant number of refugees had flowed into Arcteria.
Mingling with the locals at construction sites, they spread word of how merciful and warm my methods were.
Even if there were those who nitpicked my past or longed for Wilhelm, the atmosphere made it impossible for them to speak out. After all, their lives had improved immediately.
I supported orphans, reduced taxes, subjugated monsters, and drove away bandits.
The bandits of Arcteria weren't men who had taken to the hills out of some grand ambition; they were simply people driven to desperation by the exploitation of the nobility.
The moment I made up my mind to flood the territory with funds and ease the lives of the commoners, those bandits vanished like melting snow.
Irene had also been in need of suitable punching bags to train the recruits, and she was, first and foremost, a knight who had built her reputation on subjugating monsters and bandits.
She deployed her troops without hesitation, relentlessly hunting down monsters and bandits with just the right amount of force.
The lives of the commoners improved. Even those who harbored doubts about my character and capabilities had no choice but to acknowledge what I had accomplished since taking the lordship.
But I cannot sustain this level of spending forever.
Winning the hearts of the people was important, of course. Gaining their trust was invaluable. But that couldn't be an effective strategy in every situation.
Unless one was a lord of boundless wealth ruling over an overflowing treasury, sustaining such expenditures indefinitely was impossible. Arcteria was no exception.
The territory's revenue was fixed. Though I could now utilize that income in its entirety, the treasury would eventually run dry unless more drastic measures were taken.
While developing industries to increase revenue was a stable and reliable method, it wasn't a strategy Arcteria could afford to choose right now.
Considering the money needed for the military, I cannot make any meaningful investments elsewhere.
Had I not hired Roselyn, it might have been different, but now that I had brought her in, the capital available for industrial development was severely limited.
This world was not twenty-first-century Earth. No matter how hard one tried to develop industries and support commerce, the growth potential was inherently capped.
Yet, neglecting the military was out of the question. If I didn't prioritize raising an army to defend Arcteria, then no matter how much I developed the territory, it would only be treated as a treasure chest for other lords to plunder.
Furthermore, this cost of winning the people's hearts was also money that ultimately served the military.
The soldiers—every single one of them—had to love their homeland. They had to believe Arcteria was a place worth defending.
I did not possess a direct elite force that obeyed commands blindly, like Valerian did. I couldn't control the soldiers through fear and authority.
My Charm was high, but I couldn't hold the hand of every single soldier to encourage them, to keep them from fleeing the battlefield, or to make them obey my orders without question.
To fully utilize their capabilities and secure a tight grip on control, I needed money for populist policies.
In short, there was only one conclusion. The military had to earn its own keep.
Simple plundering wouldn't suffice. I had to mobilize them, conquer territories that could yield wealth, and establish a more solid foundation for growth.
Sigh...
It wouldn't be easy. But then, nothing I had done since arriving here had been easy. It had to be done, and it could be done.
Looking at the citizens who were supporting me so passionately, I kept smiling. I waved to them without pause.
"My deepest thanks to you all. I have no doubt that you are the ones who will march alongside me toward the future of the Arcteria I believe in."
For that moment, I had to keep showing my face to them. So that they would fight and lay down their lives for me.
"Long live the Lord!"
The roaring cheers echoed, loud enough to make my ears ring.