Taming the Territory (4)

Absorbing our startled stares with his entire body, the butler opened his mouth once more.

"Welcome to your new position as lord of this castle, Lord Jeong Hoon."

He addressed me with an honorific.

A b-butler? In the game?

Well, there had been one, technically. A 2D sprite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slapped together with the filthy pixel art unique to the early 2000s — a butler whose face you couldn't make out, whose clothes you could barely distinguish. A perfect extra whose name I couldn't even remember!

Which was precisely why the refined figure standing before me now (face still buried under a thick layer of static noise) was so completely unexpected that I found myself speechless.

Fortunately, Kim Seyeon beside me recovered first. She carefully addressed the butler.

"Um, so Jeong Hoon is... the lord of the National Assembly Building area, is that correct?"

"..."

Total silence.

The butler gave no answer whatsoever, as if he hadn't heard a thing. What is this? Not worth answering? Or is he simply incapable of responding to the question?

"Is it certain that I have become the lord of this territory?"

"Yes, Lord Jeong Hoon! You now own the nameless castle before you, its grounds, and precisely three hundred thirty thousand square meters of land at the district level!"

Contrary to my expectations, the butler answered my question immediately.

Why no reaction at all to Kim Seyeon's question, then?

"Why did you not answer Kim Seyeon's question?"

"My apologies, my lord! To whom or to what object does the word 'Kim Seyeon' refer?"

"...It is the name of the bespectacled woman standing beside me."

"Thank you, my lord. I am unable to answer questions from anyone who is not your aide, a resident of the territory, or a member of your family. Furthermore, interference in the territory management system by outsiders is strictly prohibited."

So as a kind of security measure, even if Kim Seyeon and the others are standing right in front of him, he treats them as outsiders. But then...

"Kim Seyeon, Han Sora here, Park Seeun, and Yun Mina are all members of my party. Even as party members, are they still treated as outsiders?"

"Ah, your companions, my lord. Understood. As of this moment, they have been registered on the territory resident list."

Hmm. Even though he looks so vividly real standing right there, he's ultimately a kind of virtual entity grounded in the system.

A butler accessible only to me and those friendly to my territory. In terms of security and convenience, that was outstanding. No risk of him falling into someone else's hands, leaking information, or turning traitor.

"What does 'aide' mean?"

"An aide is one from whom you, as lord of this territory, may seek counsel when making decisions that affect the territory as a whole, and to whom you may delegate various detailed internal duties and the authority to carry them out. In other words, your vassals."

Just say that from the start. So it's possible here the same way Seo Hyejin registered vassals.

"I wish to register my party members as aides. Is that possible?"

"Yes, it is possible, my lord! Please look to my left. I shall display the territory management window."

The butler extended his left arm, and a translucent rectangular window truly sprang into existence right there.

Oh-ho. So that's how it pops up.

I selected number two. And then... something cascaded into view.

Contents designed to leave a person even more thoroughly baffled.

"Butler, I require a detailed explanation of the aides'... roles."

I fired off meticulous questions at the walking encyclopedia before me, and the butler answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes, my lord. The Interior Minister handles matters of finance, economy, and personnel within the territory, and offers counsel to your lordship. The Chief Diplomat coordinates diplomatic relations with outside factions and oversees various postal affairs. The Military Minister is responsible for the recruitment and management of conscripted soldiers within the territory, as well as the practical deployment of knights. Lastly, a Knight is one who stands at the vanguard and fights on your behalf in times of war."

"There is a Rank E attached next to Knight. What is the reason for that?"

"Because your lordship has only just claimed this territory, its current rank begins at E. Therefore, all knights begin at Rank E as well. Knights appointed by you receive stat corrections according to their rank. At Rank E, they receive a +2 correction to one of their class's primary stats. For reference, the Interior Minister, Chief Diplomat, and Military Minister all begin at Rank A. The Chief Diplomat and Interior Minister receive a +8 correction to Intelligence, while the Military Minister receives a +6 correction to both Strength and Intelligence."

He rattled it off smoothly and moved on — but I felt as though I'd just heard something so staggering it sent a chill racing down my spine.

"W-woooow...!"

"That's an incredible benefit, Hoon oppa!"

"Knights start at Rank E with +2, the Chief Diplomat and Interior Minister get +8, and the Military Minister gets +6 to two stats..."

"Wow, I already knew Orabeoni was different from everyone else, but... you're just completely superior right from the starting line, aren't you?"

Han Sora, Park Seeun, Kim Seyeon, and Yun Mina all burst out at once. They had finally clawed their way back to their senses after the butler's sudden appearance and the flood of new information he'd unleashed.

In particular, the news that appointing someone as a vassal granted stat corrections sent color rushing into my women's faces in an instant.

In Brave Saga Online, you could only add a single stat point by leveling up. In a period when leveling was already brutally difficult and growth was hard-won, handing out free stat corrections was something nobody in their right mind would turn down.

"Then... would it be acceptable to appoint the aides at once?"

"Of course, my lord. However, before that... I wish to provide your lordship with a facility orientation and a status report regarding the territory. There is a great deal that must be conveyed. I humbly ask for your understanding, my lord."

Ah... fair enough. I still don't even know exactly what kind of shape my territory is in. I told the butler to wait a moment, then turned around to face my women.

"Do any of you have a position in mind?"

"H-huh?"

"O-oppa... you're really going to give us..."

"Jeong Hoon... you're going to bestow positions like that on us?"

"My goodness, oppa... I had no idea you were this generous."

Why does everyone look like they never saw this coming? What exactly did they take me for?

"Of course. Besides all of you, who else could possibly receive such positions?"

"Th-that's true, but... people far more capable than us might show up later, you know. Oppa... honestly, I'd be satisfied just being your girlfriend..."

Sora was being unusually passive. I placed a hand on her shoulder and drew closer — close enough that our noses nearly touched.

"At the same time, no one has ever supported me — ignorant as I was about the game — the way you have. Without you, I might have mindlessly kept fighting monsters until an ambush left me dead in a ditch. Thanks to the arrows you loosed, I never had to worry about my back. Sora... then and now, there is no one who can take your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠place."

"O-oppaaa..."

The atmosphere turned warm in an instant. It had also edged into something faintly steamy, the way lovers get — but that wasn't important right now, so I let it slide. That was something to resolve in bed.

"The rest of you as well — please do not say you are unworthy. Without all of you... I would never even have reached Yeouido."

"Hoon oppa..."

"Jeong Hoon... thank you."

"Mmm... I only just met you yesterday, so this is a little awkward for me. Eheh?"

Everyone except Yun Mina, who cracked the mood, had damp eyes. It was strange how I'd somehow only ever run into genuinely good people. Honestly, giving proper rewards to those who'd suffered alongside me felt like the right thing to do.

I'd had dramatic encounters with these beautiful women, defeated Field Bosses with their help, and made it all the way to Seoul. I'd even claimed the entirety of Yeouido — a prize rivaling Gangnam as the choicest land in the entire country (Yun Mina's case was a bit more ambiguous).

So prioritizing benefits for these people wasn't strange at all. If anything, if I offered no compensation whatsoever, who would trust me enough to follow me going forward?

...The fact that my thinking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is running in this direction means becoming a lord really has given me something resembling a political instinct.

And so, the four women accepted my offer. Or rather — Yun Mina, unlike the others, put hers on hold.

"To put it in historical-drama terms, I haven't accomplished any deeds for Orabeoni yet, have I? Once I've earned those merits, I'll gladly accept a title or whatever else. That's fine, right?"

It was a reasonable argument, so I had no grounds to refuse. Besides, I wasn't in a position to decide the others' roles immediately either. For now, following the butler's lead and receiving the facility orientation and status report came first.

I ordered the butler to begin the tour, and he bowed at the waist with perfect courtesy.

"Yes. I shall lead the way and explain as we go."

And at last, we set foot inside the National Assembly Building.

It was an interior that would have felt brilliantly bright if the electricity had been working properly. As things stood, no matter how grand it might have been, it was dark, blanketed in dust, and smeared here and there with human blood and scraps of flesh.

...Huh? Wait a second. The blood and flesh and dust... they're starting to disappear? No — they're being swept aside?

"What is that..."

"Whoa, a broom!"

"It's... moving on its own?"

Naturally, all our eyes locked onto the butler, and his answer flowed like water.

"Yes. The moment you registered this site as your territory, the internal facility sanitation system was activated. The more conspicuous and gruesome elements are currently being cleaned away bit by bit."

"...At least the cleaning will be convenient."

"Not only cleaning, but cooking, laundry, and more will be maintained through the system. However."

The butler shared something extremely interesting.

"At present, the energy supply within the territory is insufficient, and the operational rate of various facility systems is not even reaching ten percent. If the energy shortfall — electricity and the like — can be resolved, the operational rate can be raised to a minimum of seventy percent."

Ah, right. After April 1st, electricity and gas and everything else had been completely cut off. How exactly that had been accomplished defied imagination, and the more you applied common sense the less sense it made — but considering that a zombie apocalypse itself was already the stuff of pure delusion, it was easier to just accept that some Administrator or whatever had pulled it off with their super-amazing powers.

But could we supply the energy? We weren't electrical engineers. How were we supposed to get energy flowing through the territory? Dump mana into it or something?

I put the question to the butler with that doubt in mind, and once again he answered as smoothly as flowing water.

"If you possess an item in the 'generator' category, territory energy supply becomes possible. So long as a generator can be installed anywhere within the territory, I shall handle the internal energy distribution from that point ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠onward."

"A generator? Don't tell me..."

I opened the system and navigated to the shop menu.

I pointed at it, and the butler nodded.

"Yes, that is correct. If you install it, I shall raise the facility operational rate from that point on."

Hearing such a simple solution left us all a little dazed.

We'd spent three weeks relying on lanterns and flashlights in considerable discomfort — and that could be resolved in one stroke?

On a sudden wave of curiosity, I tossed the butler another question.

"What about gas and water supply within the territory? How can those be resolved?"

"Gas would be difficult to resolve; however, in the case of water, once the energy supply is activated I can raise the operational rate of the relevant equipment. A river flows along the northern edge of the territory, and I can use it as a medium to supply water. Naturally, the purification function can also be activated. At the same time, I shall make hot water supply possible as well."

As if he'd read exactly what I wanted to know, the butler delivered a surplus of useful information.

At that news, the women behind me erupted in cheers.

"W-wait, hot water? Really? We can take warm showers?"

"My goodness, what fortune...!"

"Unnie, that's wonderful!"

"Huh. Ever since the world ended... I hadn't even thought about hot showers."

Everyone must have been desperately craving a proper shower or bath.

Well, they'd been making do with bottled water and wet wipes, and I'd caught them looking distinctly uncomfortable about it more than once. I was the same — after getting painted in blood so many times, the metallic stench seemed to cling to my hands, and a shower was urgently needed.

"In that case, we shall have to gather gold and purchase a generator. Is anyone with me?"

I floated it casually just in case, and everyone practically leapt at the chance to join in.

"Of course!"

"O-oppa! T-top priority! Generator! Top priority! Gold farming! Absolutely!"

"If we can claim a benefit like this for ourselves... I'm in."

"What woman would turn this down, oppa? Minji. You can take a bath in warm water. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Yeah... nice..."

Why is Yun Mina asking for Minji's opinion too?

After that, the butler roughly explained the various facilities within the territory.

The fences and walls enclosing the grounds were in extremely poor condition and would need future repairs, and the National Assembly Building's library had been automatically registered under the name "Archive Hall."

At the same time, under the butler's guidance, we were able to tour the facilities inside the National Assembly Building — my castle — with our own eyes.

First, we visited what had been the Speaker of the National Assembly's office, and what would now become my own.

"This is practically on the level of a presidential office."

"Huh? Come to think of it, Hoon oppa is... basically the president now, isn't he? You're practically the only person who's seized a national institution like this."

"Later on, Orabeoni could call himself a king and nobody would bat an eye."

Why are those three already counting their chickens? That's still a long way off.

The next place we were shown was one that had appeared on television often enough to be familiar even to us — the very chamber where National Assembly members had brawled so spectacularly that combat sports broadcasts might as well pack it up. Pure entertainment gold.

We arrived at the place bearing the name Main Assembly Hall. It was a two-story structure; on the first floor, the members' seats and the Speaker's seat at the far center still stood intact beneath their coating of dust.

"This place... would work well as a kind of audience chamber. Ah, and it could also serve as a courtroom."

Kim Seyeon's sudden remark drew my gaze and everyone else's toward her without thinking.

"A courtroom, Seyeon unnie?"

"Seeun. This vast Yeouido property is too much for us alone to defend or develop. We'll absolutely need to recruit additional people — 'residents' — beyond ourselves."

"Huh? Oh? R-right. But what does that have to do with it?"

"Residents won't always behave virtuously or act solely for the territory's development, will they? Conflicts can arise among them. When that happens, by using this assembly hall as a 'courtroom,' we can hear both sides and pass judgment. Of course, the final verdict will be delivered by our lord, Jeong Hoon."

In the end, the explanation piled more burden onto me. I understood it was unavoidable work. In ages past, east and west alike, lords had heard both sides in court and rendered judgment.

The next facility the butler showed us was the Second Assembly Hall. It was considerably smaller than the Main Assembly Hall.

Its function? No idea. It wasn't as if I'd visited the National Assembly Building any number of times. Today was the first time I'd ever examined the interior in detail.

"This place... would be good for holding meetings and discussions with vassals or outside parties."

"Outside parties?"

"Yes — outsiders, or outside groups. Whether in Seoul or elsewhere, other people who've formed survivor communities might come looking for us, right? We already know of one such survivor group."

"Ah. I understand."

Right. When we have various meetings with Hyejin's guild, we should use this place. And if we form ties with some other survivor group somewhere, we'll need to hold a kind of 'summit' here as well.

Ah — I'd already decided that meetings and gatherings for my innermost circle would be held in my office. Naturally, that innermost circle was the people standing right here. It might grow larger someday.

Beautiful women only, of course. Men, get lost.

As he continued guiding us through the facilities, the butler came to an abrupt stop somewhere.

It looked like nothing more than an ordinary wall... but set into the side was an ominous iron door, mounted flush against the wall without even a handle.

Krrrnnnk...!

The butler placed his hand on the iron door and slid it sideways; it opened with a tremendous noise. He's strong. That thing has to be seriously heavy.

Beyond the iron door lay pitch darkness. When we shone a flashlight through, a staircase descending downward came into view.

"A considerable underground space exists beneath the castle. Before your lordship designated this as your territory, it appears to have been operated as a kind of emergency shelter."

An emergency shelter?

Kim Seyeon stepped up beside me, peered down the stairs, and spoke.

"I've heard that important government institutions are equipped with shelters like that."

"Then... don't tell me there are people down there?"

The butler was silent for a while, then answered slowly.

"Most of them are not people, my lord. Based on the information registered in the system, there are at least thirty or more zombies filling the space. It would seem the people who came down from the surface to take shelter were the ones who turned."

...Well. That's this era for you. Whether some high-and-mighty official was hiding down there or not, the zombie virus doesn't play favorites.

"Are they dead? Or... are they moving?"

"Yes, they are moving. What's more, they appear to have been trying to come up — but due to the complexity of the interior, they still haven't managed to reach the surface."

If I'd claimed this as my territory without knowing a thing, I would've been completely screwed. Good thing I heard about it in advance.

Zombies swarming in the underground beneath the castle.

Time for a cleanup of a different kind.

"Wait here a moment. I shall go down and deal with them."