Strengthening the Foundation (3)

In Crack Kingdom, the thing that game-overed the most newbies was the monster hordes you had to know about or die—and right after that came the rebellions of the territory's own people.

Since the whole point of the game was to run and develop your territory so you could defend the kingdom from the Great Rifts, the residents were one of the most critical factors in Crack Kingdom.

Newbies who walked in without knowing that treated public sentiment the way they would in any other defense game—as something outside their concern—until a revolt finally erupted and handed them a game over.

The element that could decide the outcome of the entire game: that was the public sentiment of the territory's people.

Well. The will of the people is the will of heaven, right?

And that rule applied just as much to me now that I was Offen Termin.

Especially since, by the time I realized I'd been transmigrated, every man in the territory had already been dragged off with the subjugation force and gotten themselves killed.

One wrong move and a full-blown revolution could have kicked off, with my head on a pike in the marketplace. That was the kind of crisis I was sitting in.

So I'd gathered the residents, quickly delivered the news that the subjugation force had been wiped out, and then poured on the sweet-talk about how their sacrifices had been more than worth it.

"Glad it worked. Seriously."

Thankfully—truly thankfully—my honeyed speech had succeeded in winning the residents' hearts.

I'd figured appealing to emotion might get me somewhere, so I'd just thrown it out there and watched. That had been the key.

I'd worried midway through that I was laying it on too thick, but since this was a medieval-fantasy-based world, the over-the-top delivery had actually landed perfectly.

I was a noble. The lord of Termin Territory.

When the highest-ranking person in their lives appealed to their feelings and told them the fallen had died for something worthwhile, of course the residents listening would feel their chests tighten and their hearts race.

Class systems for the win.

And so, thanks to a well-oiled tongue, I had secured one of the most important resources in all of Crack Kingdom: the public sentiment of my people.

"Alright then. Let's check. Territory status."

That territory management window was living proof that I had won the residents' hearts.

It looked pathetic right now, but that didn't matter in the slightest.

I could turn this Termin Territory into the best place in the world to live.

Which was why I didn't spare a single worry for the territory's development and simply went back to the work at hand.

"Rina! Send the next one in!"

"Yes, Young Master. Next person, please enter."

Rina answered my order at once, and a moment later the door opened to admit a woman who looked to be around thirty, stepping carefully inside.

"Ah—hello, my lord."

"Yeah, hi. But we don't have time for greetings. If we want to finish today we have to move fast, so just sit down already."

"Ah, yes!"

At my command the woman hurried over to the lone chair sitting in front of my desk and sat.

Hers was a plain wooden chair; mine was a high-cushioned luxury seat, so the height difference naturally put me looking down at her.

I gazed down at the woman in the chair and said,

"Start with a self-introduction, what you're good at, and what kind of work you want. Speak freely."

Right now I was conducting interviews with the residents.

"Y-yes, my lord. Um, I—I'm Seril. I'm thirty-four this year, and I have one boy and two girls. My specialties are cooking, knitting, housework, farming…"

Aside from five soldiers, this Termin Territory had nothing left but women, children, and the elderly. These interviews were absolutely necessary if I was going to keep the place running at all.

"Auuugh… I'm so tired. So damn tired."

Crack-crack-pop!

I stretched both arms straight up overhead and a delicious series of pops exploded from every joint.

I'd spent the entire day sitting at the desk interviewing residents one by one, and before I knew it the world outside the window had drowned in darkness.

I'd thought I was only asking the essentials and moving people through as fast as possible, but it had still taken longer than expected.

That was because of the children and the elderly who simply couldn't communicate well.

The women would give me the answers I wanted after a single explanation, but the kids and old folks made me repeat myself over and over, so the whole process dragged past my estimates.

"Well, it's done, so whatever."

Knock-knock-knock.

"May I come in, Young Master?"

"Yeah, come in, Rina."

"Then I'll enter."

Rina, who had suffered through this late hour right alongside me, opened the office door and stepped inside.

I was this exhausted just from sitting and interviewing people, yet Rina had spent the whole day on her feet at the door guiding residents in and out—and there wasn't a single trace of fatigue on her face.

Was this the difference between a shut-in bookworm and a head maid who actually worked the field?

I really needed to build up some stamina, I thought, and opened my mouth toward her.

"Good work today, Rina."

"Not at all. Compared to what you did, Young Master, I did nothing."

"Now that I'm the family head you've switched to the flattery route? If you're going to suck ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up, though, drop the stiff tone and try something softer and cuter. It'd be way more effective."

"It is not flattery. As head maid I simply speak only the truth to you, Young Master."

"Fine, we'll go with that. Anyway, you worked hard—but Rina, I need you to work just a little harder."

"Pardon?"

I pointed with a fingertip at the chair still sitting in front of my desk and said to her,

"Sit. You need an interview too."

"Pardon? An interview? I am the head maid of House Termin. Why would I possibly need an interview…"

Rina tilted her head and started to question me, then suddenly cut herself off and covered her mouth with both hands.

She looked at me with trembling brown eyes and asked in a shaky voice,

"Y-Young Master. D-don't tell me you're… trying to fire me as head maid…?"

"It's not that! Why would I fire you? And between the two of us, you're the one with the upper ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hand anyway. Where am I, some no-name viscount's son, supposed to find another maid as capable and reliable as you?"

"……Heh. Right?"

"Yeah. That's right."

Rina, who had been trembling with anxiety, seemed reassured by my quick explanation and let out a soft laugh.

"Anyway, it's necessary. Sit down for me."

"Yes, Young Master."

Rina sat in the interview chair and met my eyes.

I asked her,

"Self-introduction, please."

"I am Rina. I am twenty-three years of age and currently serve as head maid of House Termin. I am, of course, a virgin. I was born in the Termin manor and have never once left the territory."

"R-right. But did you really need to mention the virgin part?"

"Yes. Whether one is pure is important."

"U-uh. Okay. Then… specialties?"

"General household management, maintenance and repair of the manor, management of living expenses, and—when Young Master is too frightened to sleep alone—singing lullabies so that he may rest peacefully, among other things."

"I'm cutting that last one. That was more than thirteen years ago."

"I still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sing well. I practice every single day without fail, you know."

"……Fine. Specialties noted. Desired duties?"

"As head maid of House Termin, to attend and support you, Young Master, the family head."

"Nothing else you'd like to do besides that?"

"Young Master…"

"No! Not like that! I'm genuinely asking. Of course I'd love for you to stay as head maid, but you've spent your whole life as a maid. It wasn't like you had other options when you were little. So now that I'm the family head, I'm asking. Because you might have something else you want to do."

"……Mmm. I've never thought about it, so I don't know."

"Then take this chance to think about it. Whether there's something you want to do."

"If that is your order, Young Master, I will obey."

"Okay…… Good work, Rina. Interview's over. You can go rest now."

"Yes. Then I shall take my leave, Young Master. Please have a peaceful night."

With Rina as the final interview, every single resident of Termin Territory had been spoken with.

It had been exhausting work, but it had been necessary work—and finishing it left me with a solid sense of accomplishment.

"Huuuuh……"

I leaned back in the chair and let every bit of tension drain from my body. A blue window floated up in front of my eyes.

That blue window floating before my eyes was the entire reason I had interviewed the residents in the first place.

"Alright then. Let's see what kind of uncut gems Termin Territory is hiding."

With a flutter of anticipation in my chest, I opened the resident management function of the Territory System.

"Th-this is……!"

The moment I checked the list of Termin Territory residents that appeared, I couldn't help but be stunned.