Building Goodwill with the Villagers (4)

"It’s coming! Water is coming out!!"

The young man who had been inspecting the pipes near the village square burst into the community hall, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my. Water?"

"Is that really true?"

Whoosh-.

Sure enough, clear, clean water was gushing out of faucets all over the village. The young man’s voice was thick with excitement; it was nothing short of a miracle.

"My goodness, oh my goodness!"

"The water is clear! It’s not muddy at all!"

"The pipes should have been completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ruined by the landslide. How did he fix it so easily?"

"He’s a mage, after all! Our Lord!"

Miroa, listening to the commotion from the side, finally understood. 'So that was what happened on the first day...' Even if it was just a simple spell to clear out pipes, it was something her master had designed and created himself. There was no way her master’s magic could fail. It was just that the scale of the incident had been much larger than she’d realized. 'And yet, he solved it in an instant.'

The villagers exchanged ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stories, looking as if they couldn't believe their luck. Listening in, it was clear this hadn't been a simple problem at all.

"I thought I’d have to give up on spring vegetables entirely."

"Spring? We might not have even seen fresh vegetables for the rest of the year."

"There is a lake, but it’s deep in the mountains."

"And the road was blocked by the landslide."

"The hot spring water is full of sulfur; it’s harmful for the children to drink. I was so worried, but I’m so glad things worked out!"

They had said restoring the water pipes could take weeks. Maybe months. Some had even predicted it would take years. It would have required mobilizing the entire village, not to mention hiring a team of professional plumbers from the city. Until then, they would have had to trek through the treacherous mountains to fetch water themselves, or rely entirely on digging a new well.

Yet, Master Rii had solved it in one fell swoop. He had fallen into deep thought, sent her to the village, and fixed it within a few hours. 'How did he do it?' There was no way for Miroa to know. But it was only natural that her master would succeed. That was just the kind of person Master Rii was.

'I’m so happy...!!!'

She was overjoyed. The fact that everyone was finally recognizing the true worth of her master, who had been so ignored at the academy. She wanted them to know even more. She wanted them to realize just how great he truly was!

"Ahem."

Even while bursting with joy on the inside, Miroa maintained a cold, expressionless face. A maid must always maintain her dignity and act in a way that befits her master’s honor. Besides, her master was destined for even greater things. She couldn't show her joy too openly over something as trivial as fixing a village’s water supply. If she did, she wouldn't know how to express her joy when he eventually achieved something even more magnificent.

'Hold it in. Just hold it in.'

As Miroa struggled to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching, the village chief stepped forward.

"Everyone. It is good to be happy, but it is our duty to express our gratitude first. Knight, please, tell us the Lord’s name!"

She was more of a personal maid than a knight, but that wasn't important.

"The name he is commonly called is Rii. His formal name is Riberio von Solanium. He is a great mage and my master."

It had been her master’s instruction to share his name with the residents of the territory. Since he had personally commanded it before they parted ways, she would follow his order with all her heart. If one were to be precise about the pronunciation, unlike the standard imperial spelling, it was closer to Rii-bel-yo due to the long vowel.

"Lord Rii... It was Lord Rii."

"What would we have done if not for our new Lord?"

"Thank you... Please, convey our gratitude to Lord Rii!"

The village chief bowed his head, as if collecting the sentiments of all the villagers.

"The water shortage was a matter of survival for our village. To have looked into it so carefully and solved it for us... we don't know how we can ever repay you."

And at this moment, a memory Miroa had been holding onto surfaced. It was the instruction Master Rii had left her just before they parted in front of the bathhouse.

"Miroa. When you go to the village, try to learn the faces and names of the people."

"Is knowing their names ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enough?"

"It’s not just about listening. You have to introduce yourself and me so that you’re doing it properly."

"Might I ask why that is?"

"Well. You could call it the 'favorability' I’m building with the residents."

Her master had pondered for a while, carefully choosing his words. She thought she had heard the word 'favorability' just now, but he seemed to have changed the expression afterward, as if it carried a heavier, deeper meaning.

"That is the only way for our bond to truly begin to grow."

"Understood. I will follow your instructions, Master."

At the time, she hadn't understood why he gave such an order. The idea of 'building a bond' hadn't really resonated with her. But now, she felt she understood the meaning.

"And I, Miroa Avis, am here to convey my master’s will."

Unlike the jubilant commoners, Miroa remained expressionless. As if this were the natural duty and responsibility of a noble. A noble is one who worries first and steps forward when necessary. Yet, they are never the first to celebrate. Only after their name is known through their reputation do they finally rejoice, and only then do they become truly noble.

It was true that the concept had become somewhat distorted in the modern world. Nobles had become obsessed only with making their names known. They had forgotten the true meaning of nobility, rotting away in luxury, vanity, and pleasure. But her master was different. Master Rii was a truly noble person. Even if the world didn't recognize it, he would continue, again and again.

"The true meaning of the nobility one must possess is to be the first to offer devotion. To light up the world so that others cannot help but see. My master wished to hear your names and stories, and to lighten your burdens."

He had never once failed to do so. At Miroa’s voice, filled with conviction, the excited villagers fell silent for a moment. They felt a sudden, overwhelming emotion. Until now, they had thought they were living on their own without the protection of any noble. Their circumstances were difficult, and they had been injured fighting monsters, but the village had managed to survive nonetheless. They had briefly worried that a Lord who appeared out of nowhere might impose harsh taxes or forced labor. That fear had been real.

But at this moment, the villagers' thoughts had changed completely. No matter how difficult their circumstances were, they couldn't just sit still. The villagers had nothing? What about the Lord who had come all the way to this countryside, just the two of them—did he have so much that he could afford to help the village?

An elderly woman nudged the village chief. The young man who had witnessed the miracle while inspecting the pipes added his voice to the consensus.

"Chief! Isn't there something in the village treasury?"

"That’s right, Chief. The Lord solved a problem that we couldn't have fixed even if we emptied the entire village budget! We can't just do nothing!"

The others remaining in the village hall seemed to be of the same mind. In the center of everyone’s gaze, the maid Miroa firmly shook her head.

"My master said he would not accept any compensation."

Because that was what it meant to be noble.

Nod.

She nodded again, this time with conviction. "My master is exactly that kind of person."

The touched villagers offered their final thanks before dispersing. A few residents remained in the hall to have a brief conversation with Miroa.

"Wait, really? You’re staying at that abandoned farm?"

"Oh my! It’s so overgrown with weeds you can’t even step foot in it! You might get hurt by the plant thorns!"

"It’s so terrifying that—is it okay to say this?—we actually call the plant 'Motherless Hook'."

"I am aware of the plant’s name."

Miroa replied calmly to the villagers' curiosity.

"My master cleared them all out himself on the very first day we arrived."

"Really?"

"That must have been so much work!"

"Goodness. We could have helped you... to think we let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Lord suffer like that..."

She was incredibly happy on the inside again.

"It was magic."

My master is truly, incredibly amazing.

"Thank you so much. Truly."

"Alright, everyone who’s still here, let’s all go back to our homes and check if the water is running!"

The people scattered. And one more person approached Miroa, who was just about to leave.

"Um, I don't think I said it properly earlier. I... I’m grateful to you too, Miroa-nim."

"Pardon? Oh..."

It was Gwen.

"Thank you! For helping me carry the water earlier."

"I was merely following my master’s orders."

* * *

The instructions I gave Miroa were twofold. First, since we need to build favorability, make sure to learn people’s names because you need to introduce yourselves. Second, don't force them to give you any rewards for helping, because helping is just helping. It would only lower our favorability. We need to keep an eye on public sentiment, and the gifts and rewards we get from high favorability are far more valuable.

I had already conveyed this clearly to Miroa. I left out the parts about the 'System' and just gave her the orders. But something was strange. It shouldn't be the case that water is already flowing again in the village.

Several lines of similar messages were popping up before my eyes. 'Huh.' What on earth is happening in the village? It’s not like Miroa did anything—well, I’m not sure. She’s definitely not the type to be an orator who incites people with a silver tongue, spreading the greatness of the Lord and elevating my glory. Then, is it because the water started flowing already?

I did put some effort into the design of the magic. But I didn't think the results would show this quickly.

'What is this.' Did I overestimate the slime? Of course, I had learned from the failure of the first day and designed the magic more carefully. I had put a bit of my 'sincerity' into it. Ah. I didn't want to create 'sincere' magic in a place like this! I didn't want to do any more magic research after coming all the way to a rural village. I could definitely say I had wanted to clear my head and rest for a while. But to think the effect would be this much.

The magic had finished its job faster than I had expected.