I'll Drop Out (1)

Count Ariente personally took command of the Ariente construction project, pouring his energy into finishing the roadwork. The paving and slope stabilization anchor work wrapped up in no time. It was a volume of work we never could have completed in a month if we'd tried to handle it ourselves. As expected, some jobs require professionals.

"I'm truly grateful for this, Sir Belmont! How could I ever repay this kindness..."

"Don't overthink it. Just make sure you pay the interest on time."

"Hahaha! I knew I liked you! Think of me as your older brother and feel free to speak casually!"

"Haha. I'd rather not."

Our relationship with Ariente had grown quite friendly. It was evolving beyond a simple subcontracting arrangement. We had already added a clause that Ariente Construction would handle any repairs if defects appeared in the road. On top of that, I had placed another subcontract for building a training facility in the newly acquired territory.

"A training facility? Are you planning to raise soldiers, little brother? I hear the kingdom's movements have been suspicious lately, but Belmont territory is on the opposite side, so there's no need to fight, is there?"

"It's not for military use. I'm thinking of starting a small-scale security company."

"A security company?"

I had no intention of building an army. In a country where absolute imperial authority ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reigned, raising soldiers would only give the impression that I was challenging the imperial family. If I was unlucky, they might even seize the troops without proper compensation. Besides, Belmont territory had no dungeons nearby that spawned monsters, nor did it border any hostile territories, so there was no major security threat. There was the occasional problem of Irene launching invasions, but that was more like a natural disaster. An army wouldn't stop her anyway.

"Yes. It's a type of mercenary work, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mercenaries carry a rough, barbaric image. So I'm planning to offer escort services that nobles can hire without hesitation."

"High-class mercenaries, then... Nobles do hire mercenaries for protection during travel, but entrusting them with close-quarters escort is a burden. There would certainly be demand for that."

"That's why I'm building the training ground here and also planning to recruit staff from the residents of Ariente territory."

"W-what? You're going to hire our commoner citizens? Is that true?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying."

"Damn it...! Not only did you save us from the brink of extinction, but you keep giving us work, and now you're even creating jobs...! I'm so grateful I can't stop the tears!"

"...Please get up."

While priority would be given to recruiting staff from Belmont territory, any remaining positions would be filled from Ariente territory. That way, we could avoid the stigma of being labeled a private army disguised as a security company. It was a preemptive measure to eliminate any grounds for criticism.

"Sob! If you need anything else, don't hesitate to come find me! No, wait. You should summon me instead! Now that we have a road, I'll come running to you, little brother!"

"Ah. Right."

How burdensome. Extremely so. I gave a perfunctory farewell and left Ariente territory. The carriage sped smoothly along the newly paved road. The safety inspection wasn't complete yet, but the ride was stable enough that a full cup of tea wouldn't spill. I could probably charge a hefty toll for this. I could already hear the sound of money flowing in.

"Jacob. Is the forge nearly finished?"

"Yes. It should be completed by the middle of next week. All the equipment is ready, so work could technically begin today."

As soon as we arrived in Belmont territory, I stopped by the forge. The major facilities had all been brought in. Only the interior finishing remained.

"Ah, greetings, Young Master."

There were many other blacksmiths inside the forge. All of them had been brought over from the neighboring ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shop. At first, they had grumbled about how they would make a living with such a massive forge opening right next door, but the moment I offered to hire them all as employees, their complaints vanished.

"Kekeke. Everyone seems focused on learning Mana Fire from Jacob. Keep at it. For the sake of Belmont territory's one and only forge."

"Yes, sir!"

That's right. Be even more impressed. I've monopolized all the blacksmiths in Belmont territory. I'll train every last one of you into high-quality craftsmen capable of producing fine Mana Fire-infused goods.

"Then I'll place an order."

"Yes. Just say the word. Since this is the first order, I'll proceed without charging any fee!"

"Then make me a hundred one-handed swords. Thirty two-handed swords. A hundred long spears. Two hundred short spears. And two hundred daggers."

"...Pardon?"

"I'll supply all the materials. The deadline... right. By next month. If needed, I can even kidnap—no, hire a few carpenters for you."

"..."

Since construction on the training ground had begun, I decided to have the weapons made in advance. It would have been faster and easier to just buy decent weapons, but Belmont territory had Jacob. This was exactly why I had expanded and built the forge in the first place.

"Uh, uhh..."

Jacob froze for a moment, seemingly moved by receiving his first job, unable to speak. Then tears began streaming down his face as he smiled. The other blacksmiths were also frozen in emotion. These guys.

"W-we'll work hard!!!"

"Good, good. Keep me updated on the progress regularly too."

They're full of spirit. I'm really glad Jacob is on my side.

'The town is starting to feel quite lively.'

I only realized it belatedly, but the market scene had completely changed from when I first arrived. Among the lined-up shops, there wasn't a single one that wasn't open for business, and the place was bustling with people. Was it because Belmont territory was now connected to the capital and outsiders were expected to visit frequently? I could feel the city growing more vibrant.

It would be nice if it became famous as a tourist destination too, but Belmont territory didn't have any notable attractions, so that seemed unlikely.

"Huh? It's Lord Aslan!"

"Really? Where?"

Just then, someone recognized me, and a crowd began to gather. What? They used to pretend not to know me even when they recognized me before. Surprised by the sudden crowd, Silvia reached for her sword, but I stopped her.

"Young Master, please step back...!"

"Calm down."

I grabbed Silvia's wrist to stop her. There wasn't even a trace of malice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Thank you so much, Lord Aslan! My shop was on the verge of collapse with nothing but flies buzzing around, but the subsidy saved me!"

"Same here! Honestly, I thought everything would go back to normal once the subsidy policy ended, but thanks to the road opening, business has become incredibly active!"

"My son is about to have an interview with Belmont Security! He was just idling around with no work... Thank you so much!"

"..."

The gathered people poured out their thanks one after another. I hadn't thought much of it when implementing the subsidy policy or the road construction, but receiving their gratitude like this made me feel incredibly awkward. That subsidy was money I had taken from them through Leon. The road was also built with money I had taken from them. Unable to endure the awkwardness any longer, I quickly left the area.

"I can't even walk around town freely anymore."

"Your popularity has grown considerably. There's even talk of the villagers pooling funds to erect a statue of the Young Master."

"...Make them stop that immediately."

"Doesn't that mean people trust the Young Master enough to forgive your past as a complete scoundrel?"

"..."

What about you, then? Have you forgiven me? I couldn't bring myself to ask. Silvia, the genius magic swordsman who had once been in the spotlight as a hero candidate. It was none other than Belmont who had crippled her and reduced her to a status no different from a slave. Silvia probably still hadn't forgiven me.

'Will that day ever come?'

Silvia had declared she would wait and see instead of killing me right away, but that didn't mean she had forgiven me or would trust me as a person. Would there ever come a day when I earned her genuine trust?

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"It's nothing. Let's head back to the mansion. It's almost mealtime. The kids will be waiting."

"...When you say it like that, it almost sounds like we're a married couple who left our children behind to go for a walk."

"Don't make me imagine that."

I wondered how the Earth Great Spirit was doing. Hopefully we wouldn't return to find the mansion destroyed. Since Julia's spirit speech seemed to work on it, there probably wouldn't be any major problems. Even if it caused a physical ruckus, Charlotte was there, so it should be fine.

"What is this now?"

"...?"

The moment we arrived at the mansion, what greeted me was the Earth Great Spirit standing perfectly still like a doll. Hadn't it been screaming and resisting before? Why had it become so obedient? Just as I was wondering that—

"Uncle, you're back? Isn't Muddy super cute?"

"Muddy...?"

"That's the name I gave it! 'Earth Great Spirit' is too long and hard to pronounce!"

Pronouncing "Muddy" seemed harder, though.

"But how did you make it so well-behaved?"

"Who knows? It just calmed down on its own while we were playing. Its true nature must be kind! Shall we play again, Muddy?"

"Torment you? We're just playing...!"

Charlotte ran off somewhere while hugging the struggling Muddy. After tossing it up and down a few times with whooshing sounds, Muddy's face had turned completely pale.

...I think I roughly understood why it had become so obedient.

'At least there's nothing to worry about.'

The road construction had finished successfully, which was good. Charlotte had a new toy to play with, which was good. Muddy was... uh... well, anyway, it was good. All in all, it was a win-win-win situation.

"A letter arrived while you were away. Here."

Julia handed me a letter as I entered the mansion. Thinking nothing of it, I broke the seal on the spot and took out the letter paper. The first line I read without any particular thought was this:

"Why do you look like that? What kind of letter is it...? Yo?"

Cold sweat ran down my back, and my breath caught in my throat. It was a barrage of sentences chilling enough to freeze one's blood.