Chapter 79
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 079
Chapter Title: Lord and Troublemaker (4)
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"Are there any dangers around?"
"Yes. The only issue was the bandit gangs, but thanks to you dealing with them, Lord, the village surroundings are now spotless."
Michael answered my question.
After granting Rupert proxy authority,
I took him and Michael around the village.
Now that I'd been appointed lord, I at least needed to know what the territory I'd received looked like, right?
"Ah, Rupert."
"Yes, Lord."
As we walked through the village,
something I wanted to tell Rupert suddenly came to mind.
"You remember those able-bodied men who came with me?"
"Yes."
"Ten of them will stay in the village. So hire them as soldiers and build up your own force, Rupert. That way, managing the village will be much easier, don't you think?"
The northern Empire was a harsh land.
I couldn't force people to go there against their will.
So I'd asked for their opinions, and out of the twelve able-bodied men, ten had chosen to stay.
That was why I planned to assign them to Rupert.
With at least some armed strength, the people of Evergreen wouldn't ignore his words like rolling stones, would they?
"Thank you for your consideration, Lord."
Rupert bowed politely.
He was sharp; he seemed to have already grasped the intent behind my decision.
Come to think of it, talking with him and Michael like this felt oddly strange.
Both were from noble families, after all.
Neither was the firstborn, so they hadn't inherited land, but they were born into noble blood, weren't they?
Being treated with such respect by them made me feel like I'd become a noble myself.
'Don't get cocky. I'm still just a lowly commoner. I'll strut around once I have at least Master's level of fame.'
As arrogance welled up inside me,
I consciously thought that to steady my mind.
Then I turned to Rupert and asked,
since there was something I was curious about.
"Rupert, how do you plan to run the territory after I leave?"
Rupert hadn't proven his abilities yet.
He'd only recently become independent from his family, so he had no real accomplishments to speak of.
That was why I planned to gauge his plans and judge him accordingly.
In my eyes, he needed to be above average for me to leave the territory with peace of mind.
"I'll prioritize maintaining the status quo. In these chaotic times, the territory's stability is paramount. To that end, I plan to hire the able-bodied men you left behind as guards and increase patrol numbers."
"Oh..."
His answer flowed out smoothly, as if he'd been waiting.
I let out an exclamation of admiration as I listened.
His clear pronunciation made the content sink right in.
"I'll also strengthen night patrols and tighten security around the granaries."
"You had all this planned out."
"Yes. I came up with it on the way here from Evergreen."
"Wow..."
Rupert continued with more ideas after that.
As I listened, I glanced at Michael, who watched with a satisfied expression.
He seemed pleased with his successor.
"Until the situation improves, I'll collect the minimum taxes. Everyone's going through tough times. That said, I won't abandon development entirely. Evergreen is famous for its oaks, isn't it? And there are plenty around the village."
"That's right."
"Autumn's coming soon, so acorns will be plentiful. I'll let the pigs forage in the woods to fatten them up on acorns. Plus, the environment's ideal for pig farming, so I plan to increase the herd size."
"Ah, that's excellent! Well thought out!"
I'd been waiting for an opening and quickly cut in.
Rupert shut his mouth, his face showing clear regret.
He still had plenty more to say, it seemed.
But no way.
'Not listening.'
With that in mind, I opened my mouth
to change the subject.
"I'm only taking minimal travel funds, so feel free to use the remaining coin wherever it's needed. I trust you'll handle it well, Rupert."
Coin was just baggage to me.
If I ran out on the road?
I could always visit a nearby noble.
No need to carry a lot.
"How can you entrust such a large sum to me?"
Rupert said it seemed burdensome to have me leave him with so much money.
Truth be told, I didn't fully trust him either.
But why leave it anyway?
It was an amount I wouldn't miss if lost.
With magic, I could earn that much in no time.
But saying that outright wouldn't do.
I needed to dress it up a bit.
"Talking with you gave me confidence that you'll manage the territory well."
I said, looking at Rupert.
He replied with a serious face.
"I'll live up to your trust, Lord."
After granting Rupert proxy authority,
I prepared to leave Evergreen.
The first task was selecting personnel.
As I'd told him, ten of the twelve able-bodied men stayed behind.
The issue was the children.
Three out of ten wanted to come with us.
For various reasons.
"I want to repay Lord Heros's kindness."
One wanted to repay a debt.
"I want to earn merits and become a knight."
One sought advancement.
"I want new experiences."
And one craved broadening horizons.
'All three look sharp.'
The children gazed at me with earnest faces.
They seemed ambitious, so with proper training from now, they'd grow into fine talents.
I wanted to take them, but alas, this wasn't a picnic.
The northern Empire.
The farthest north.
Monsters and barbarians awaited.
How could I take kids there?
So I planned to refuse.
But then.
"Lord Heros. I want to take those kids as squires."
Bear, beside me, spoke up.
Conall followed.
"Me too."
The two knights wanted the children as squires.
Come to think of it, neither had squires.
They handled horse care, gear maintenance, loot collection themselves.
Other nobles or knights could look down on them without issue.
'I've been too indifferent to them. Time to reflect.'
Thinking that, I spoke.
"One each, then."
As I finished, Bear took the debt-repayer as his squire.
Conall took the merit-seeker.
The last one?
Naturally became Gilbert's squire.
'It'd be weird if he was the only one without one. And I'm curious. Just how smart is Gilbert now?'
Truth be told, assigning the last child to Gilbert was an experiment.
I wanted to test how intelligent he'd become.
Gilbert could now handle abstract orders like 'teach your squire swordsmanship' without issue.
So he'd make a good master for the kid.
Of course, it meant more work for me in practice.
I'd still have to issue the orders for Gilbert to train the squire.
'If it doesn't work out, I can always hand him off to Bear or Conall.'
With that thought, I relaxed.
Thus, our group grew to nine.
But the additions didn't end there.
"We want to go with you too, Lord!"
"Please take us!"
Two young men born and raised in Evergreen.
They voiced the same desire as the kids.
I double-checked if they were sure, but they insisted.
They seemed desperate to leave the village.
'Must be boring living here.'
Evergreen's youths were polite before me.
And before Bear and Conall.
But not to the able-bodied men.
After getting thrashed by them, they straightened up.
They had a bad reputation in the territory, so I hesitated, but decided to take them.
We needed hands for chores.
Two adults and three kids weren't enough.
In the end, our final group was eleven, including me.
'Now it's really over! Eleven is plenty.'
I prepared journey supplies without adding more.
A week after arriving in the territory,
I finally finished preparations to leave Evergreen.
"Safe travels. While you continue your journey, Lord, I'll do my utmost here."
On departure day,
as I checked luggage and personnel before the manor, Rupert came out to see me off and bowed politely.
Behind him were the able-bodied men and children.
And quite a few Evergreen residents.
'They're here for Michael, not me, right?'
I thought, seeing the villagers.
Michael was leaving with me, after all.
I wasn't particularly miffed.
Their actions made sense.
I'd only been in the territory a week.
Michael had spent over twenty years here as Earl Chester's proxy.
He'd more than earned their respect.
"Take it easy. Rest is important too. Working nonstop could harm your health."
I replied, and Michael, who'd been eavesdropping on our talk, grinned.
"A diligent proxy and a concerned lord. A model relationship."
Hearing that, I joked back at Michael.
"This is all a scheme to work Rupert half to death long-term."
Truthfully, I hadn't decided yet.
The northern journey would take months.
If Rupert was truly capable, he'd show results in that time.
I'd judge then whether to keep him on long-term.
The east remained chaotic.
Dealing with Desmond, a key figure, didn't instantly quell the unrest.
Bandit encounters were common.
But they desperately avoided clashing with us.
Like now.
"Run!"
Bandits hiding in roadside bushes for an ambush.
They spotted us approaching from afar and fled fast.
It was only natural.
Four on horseback, three in full chainmail as knights.
Who'd challenge such formidable force?
'Smooth sailing to the north, then?'
I figured the journey north would be uneventful.
But I was wrong.
"Lord Heros."
Bear called me.
I looked where the sound came from, and he whispered,
"We're being tailed."
"Tailed?"
"Yes."
Bear's answer was certain.
Tailed?
This was unexpected.
I asked Conall too.
"Same for you, Sir Conall?"
"Yes."
Conall agreed with Bear.
High chance we really were being followed.
'Who?'
Who would tail me?
Top suspect: Eremus black mages.
But my guess missed.
"Knights, or at least knight-level. And not just one or two."
"They're deliberately letting us notice them. Seems aimed at slowing our march. Maybe buying time for reinforcements."
Bear and Conall spoke in turn.
Knights or equivalent.
That info, but still no clue on identity.
One thing clear:
Prepare for it.
"They won't strike right away?"
"No. When I approached, they pulled back. Keeping distance suggests no intent to attack yet."
"How long have they been tailing?"
"Since we left Evergreen, looks like. I held off mentioning suspicions until today, when it became certain."
"They targeted us from the start."
Unknown tails.
They nagged at me.
The northbound journey wouldn't be smooth, an ominous feeling.
Then...
'Just deal with the source, right?'
I decided.
Ambush and reveal their identity.