Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Translator: XZY
Chapter 91: Baron (4)
***
The reason Derek had been so fixated on a baronial title was to be able to accelerate his magic training without any interference.
However, a noble title was by no means a position where one could just receive it and be done with it.
In any case, since he had been delegated the rights of taxation and jurisdiction by the emperor, it was a position that required him to do the bare minimum for the people of his territory.
To do that, a minimum level of authority was necessary, and authority was not something that came for free.
Only after he had resolved all the problems that came one after another and had taken measures to ensure things ran without any particular issues could he finally focus on his magic training.
“Aigo, Lord Baron. It looks like the construction will be all finished once we put up the nameplate. The furniture was procured from the Loren-Hale carpentry shop, so you can make the payment to them, and for the garden, it would probably be better to hire a separate gardener.”
“You’ve worked hard. Should I make the payment through the labor exchange?”
“Aigo, please speak comfortably. We are not of such a high station as to receive honorifics from a noble lord.”
The supervisor who had been leading the workers who finished the construction waved his hands dismissively, looking as though he had been thoroughly disciplined.
Hearing those words, it finally began to feel real. Derek was now officially a noble.
“Hmm…”
Derek looked up at the now relatively presentable mansion and nodded his head.
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“It seems like there’s no one in the tavern street who doesn’t know your name now. I mean, you started out dabbling in magic as a commoner, then got a hold of the nobles, and finally even received a title… you’ve become a hero to the commoners, in a manner of speaking.”
Even Drest Wolftail, who was said to have mastered search-type magic, had to spend most of his life just to receive a single, hollow barony.
Considering that fact, there was no need to explain just how exceptional the treatment Derek was now receiving was.
Of course, Drest had a history of having annihilated a noble house, so his situation was very different from Derek's… but nevertheless, the fact that he had produced an extraordinary result was something one could not help but acknowledge.
Ebelstein, Commercial District.
Lively commoners were darting through the streets today as well, just to make a living.
Felinne followed behind Derek, who was striding through their midst, and spoke with her arms crossed.
“Now you can train in the magic you love so much to your heart’s content.”
“Did you see that the mansion repairs are finished, Felinne? It turned out quite nicely. I’ve set aside a separate residence for you, so if you want, you can just pick a room and use it.”
“Well… it’s too far from Ebelstein, so it seems difficult to use it as a base… but it seems nice to have a space to put my things, so I’ll check it out sometime later.”
After looking around the Ravencrow Barony once, Derek had led his horse and ridden all day to return to Ebelstein.
He had to prepare for the move, but before that, there was a mountain of problems that needed to be resolved.
“Just having a mansion sitting there won’t make you a noble. You’ll have to find trustworthy servants and vassals to work in the mansion, and you’ll also have to deal with the local clans who will be flexing their authority… you must have a lot on your mind, Derek?”
“I’ve finished organizing my thoughts. Dragging things out for a long time over matters like this doesn't suit me, so I have to resolve them quickly.”
“What are you going to do? I heard that the problem nobles always have a headache over is hiring people… it’s not something that can be solved so easily, is it?”
Derek crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then finally spoke as if brushing it off.
“You’re right.”
Derek was someone who could find a suitable solution in any situation, but these were not the kind of problems that could be resolved in a day or two.
Even for Derek, he would have no choice but to rack his brain a bit. Felinne thought so, and only thought that she needed to prepare for the subjugation request for the next day.
The next morning, Derek sent a letter to the Rochest ducal residence in the north.
Derek wrote that he had completed the conferment of his barony and added some perfunctory words of gratitude for the trust shown to him.
And when he mentioned that he was in the process of hiring a head butler to manage the mansion, he was recommended a deputy butler from the Rochest family named Delbritten.
In the first place, Derek had been granted a barony for the purpose of managing Siern.
Since Lady Siern would be frequenting the Ravencrow baronial mansion, it was plausible that Melverot would have wanted to place someone who knew her well in the position of head butler.
“My name is Delbritten. Your Excellency, Baron Ravencrow, it is an honor to work for you.”
“Alright.”
As a result, he was able to obtain a veteran head butler who had worked at the Rochest ducal residence for over ten years.
Even though it was a personnel transfer that was tantamount to a demotion, Delbritten did not particularly express any dissatisfaction.
It seemed that the old butler, characterized by his moderately balding head, had not been very fond of working in a group in the middle of a snowfield where there was no further room for advancement.
Although it was a baronial mansion in a remote region, he could manage the mansion from top to bottom on his own initiative, and the master of that mansion was a person under the protection of several influential families.
Perhaps having concluded that it would be better in the long run to establish a new position here, he had neatly dressed in his butler’s uniform and reported to Derek as soon as he arrived.
“Right now, not many personnel are needed for the mansion to function. The scale of the Ravencrow baronial mansion may grow in the future, but for now, we must hire only the minimum number of personnel and build the mansion’s foundation from the ground up.”
“How many personnel do you think will be needed?”
“One cook and head chef, three servants to handle miscellaneous tasks, one groom and gardener, and about three or four guards and squires would be more than enough to manage a mansion of this size impeccably.”
Delbritten clicked his gold monocle and spoke while looking at the empty mansion, which had just finished its new renovation and had almost no furniture.
“The cost of purchasing household goods and the first year’s maintenance costs have been supported by the Rochest ducal residence.”
“…I’ll have to select the best quality wines produced this year and send some over.”
“His Grace, the Duke of Rochest, would be pleased, but I believe he would find it more satisfying to see Lady Siern adapting well to noble society.”
Of course, considering Melverot’s disposition, he was not a person who would actively express it even if he was in a good mood or satisfied.
Whether he was happy or sad, he would always be sitting in his office with his chin propped on his hand, wearing an arrogant expression as if he knew everything in the world.
It was not difficult to imagine the mage, who would still be propping his chin and staring out the window in the middle of the snowfield today.
“I can procure a cook. I know a head chef in the Tupel region of the southeastern breadbasket whose hands are currently free.”
“Is he a trustworthy person?”
“Yes. He is a tight-lipped and seasoned individual. However, he does command a rather high salary.”
“Hire him. I’ll be bringing some servants and maids who can be of help, so leave them be. Find the squires and guards on your own, but leave one or two positions open.”
Derek was still dressed in his mercenary attire.
Although he had become a baron in name and reality, Derek had no intention of quitting his work as a mercenary or a teacher.
Today as well, once the management of the mansion was finished, he intended to head toward Ebelstein.
Derek was sitting on a wooden chair placed by itself in a corner of the empty mansion lobby, tying his bootlaces.
Delbritten, who was standing in front of him with his hands behind his back listening to the instructions, maintained his silence for a moment.
“Are there any individuals you plan to bring in separately?”
“For the maids, I’m going to recruit some applicants from the noble houses of Ebelstein. If I ask around there, I should be able to get a few. As for the guards, I plan to hire them from among the territory’s residents.”
Derek was a strangely seasoned person in these matters.
Having met all sorts of people while working as a mercenary, he roughly knew how to move in order to win over various people.
“The local powers in this Rodelen region are mostly either vineyard owners or farmers on the outskirts. If I accept one or two of their children as mansion servants, I’ll be able to gain an advantageous position when negotiating for real power. There’s no method as certain as being bound by blood ties.”
Derek had no intention of using his taxation rights to sit on a pile of money anyway.
If he made concessions where they were due, it seemed clear that the territory’s residents would side with Derek, a noble with legitimacy.
The Rodelen region consisted of one large village with a population of about 300, a couple of small villages with about fifty people, and the rest were isolated farmhouses scattered here and there.
All combined, he had no intention of engaging in an unnecessary power struggle to win over the residents, whose numbers would barely exceed 500.
Derek intended to fully acknowledge the authority of the natives.
After tidying up his attire, Derek finally took out his sword and began to wipe it with a cloth.
“I’ve sent some letters while including gifts to the Belmeade and Beltus families. I asked them to recommend any servants or squires who have free hands.”
“…”
Delbritten felt a sense of incongruity at the sight of Derek casually mentioning the names of Belmeade or Beltus.
They were the most renowned families in Ebelstein, yet he seemed to have a hard time understanding how Derek could contact members of those families for private matters like hiring servants.
Since Derek could already correspond with Elente or Denise without any problem, it was not a particularly special event from his perspective.
‘I heard he was receiving a great deal of protection from various influential families, but seeing it in person, it is indeed unusual.’
Delbritten thought to himself quietly.
Derek had just become a baron, had nothing much in the way of a faction, and even his only vassal was Delbritten, who had just been appointed. Becoming a vassal of such a minor noble was something that people with some experience would have to decline.
However, Delbritten sensed it instinctively. This was, in fact, an opportunity.
The person named Derek was by no means an individual who would end up just managing a vineyard in a remote baronial mansion like this.
Whether it was his level of magic or the scale of the families watching over him, looking at it comprehensively, he felt a conviction that Derek would form a faction in the future that would be difficult to imagine at the present time.
Being able to become such a person’s earliest vassal was something that, if one had even a little bit of insight, one could notice was a great opportunity.
“I will do as you have instructed.”
He wiped his gleaming monocle once, then bowed his head and accepted Derek’s instructions.
<><><>
‘Wh-wh-what in the world progressed so smoothly?!’
Arriving at the Ravencrow baronial mansion, Diella could not help but be flabbergasted.
After her complete defeat in the war of nerves with Felinne, Diella, who had been carrying on her daily life with the expression of a half-dead corpse, had made a decision after nearly a fortnight. A decision to visit the Ravencrow baronial mansion and check on Derek’s condition.
In truth, for the Duplein family, visiting a single baronial mansion in a remote region was not such a big deal.
It did not take long to get things moving, but upon actually visiting, she was once again struck by the reality that Derek had become a noble.
“…It hasn’t even been a month since he received his title, yet it seems the mansion’s system is already all in order. Then again, Derek-ssi must have grasped to some extent how a noble house’s mansion operates while working as a teacher…”
Aiseline, who was sitting across from her in the carriage, had a look of surprise as she looked at Derek’s mansion.
In truth, the mansion itself was so modest compared to the mansions of various influential families that it was bordering on humble.
However, the servants waiting for the young ladies of the Duplein family from near the mansion’s main gate were already thoroughly disciplined.
“I am Delbritten, the head butler of the Barony of Ravencrow. It is a great honor to have the young ladies of the Duplein family visit in person.”
As the old man acting as the head butler approached and gave his greeting, the squires he had brought with him also bowed their heads.
Even though they had not been working at the mansion for long, they were well-trained, which suggested that the head butler was a rather capable individual.
“I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly.”
No matter how much Duplein was faltering, for a remote barony like this, a direct visit from the young ladies of a ducal house was news like a bolt from the blue.
Aiseline couldn’t refuse Diella’s tantrum about wanting to visit the Ravencrow baronial mansion, but in any case, for the servants who had to welcome the young ladies of the Duplein family, the preparations must have been no small trouble.
“It is fine. Our servants may not be large in number, but they have already become proficient enough to serve our honored guests. You do not need to worry too much.”
“Is that so? I heard that the Ravencrow Barony has been properly up and running for less than a fortnight… was there time to make such preparations?”
“Yes. We have already had several honored guests visit.”
The head butler bowed his head with a polite posture, then adjusted his monocle and spoke.
“Lady Elente of the County of Belmeade visited with a gift last week, and Lady Denise of the Duchy of Beltus also stopped by once.”
“…”
“Young Lady Siern of the Duchy of Rochest tends to visit whenever she has time, but as she is receiving magic lessons, she tends to reside here for quite a long time.”
Diella looked at the expressions of the servants for a moment with a look of disbelief.
There was a reason they were excessively sharp for people who had come to do miscellaneous chores at a remote barony.
Even though it was a corner territory treated like a place of exile, all sorts of renowned noble young ladies would visit whenever they had a chance, so they couldn't possibly slack off.
Remote nobles would usually cause all sorts of commotion in Ebelstein’s high society just to invite the children of influential families to their mansions once.
Watching the children of influential families come and go on their own even when he was just sitting still, the lower-ranking nobles of the Rosea Salon might already be feeling a sense of relative deprivation.
“D-do the other young ladies also learn magic or something?”
“Well. For now, His Excellency the Baron is focusing on teaching Lady Siern, so he is not officially claiming to be the teacher of any particular house. However, I have heard that he does look over their simple mana usage or organizes the star-rank system for them.”
She had wondered why Denise or Elente had come to visit, and it seemed they had the intention of snatching Derek up again if an opportunity arose.
No matter what, there was always a shortage of competent magic teachers.
The Duplein sisters were relatively late due to their family’s busy affairs.
‘…At this point, this isn’t just a noble’s mansion… isn’t it something like a magic academy…?’
Such a strange thought occurred to her, but whether Derek also thought so was another matter.
“Still, since he has received help in various ways from the high-ranking houses, His Excellency the Baron is also trying to provide as much help as possible regarding magic. If you wish, it would not be a bad idea to ask.”
“I-is that so? Where is Derek-ssi now?”
Delbritten cleared his throat for a moment, then answered immediately.
“He is teaching magic to Lady Siern.”
No matter how she looked at it, this place was clearly a private magic academy…
Aiseline and Diella could not help but be filled with a complex and subtle feeling, but it was a matter to be judged after seeing Derek’s face.