Chapter 96: Idle Talk – A Day in the Life of a Lord

Lauren walked through the castle.

She was a girl of the same age who had once spent time under the same roof as Lucius when he visited the Eastern Region. Due to the death of her foster father, Yu, she moved to the northern region with Lucius.

However, the current location was not Lucius’ hometown.

It was the castle of the Golden City of Bulgia.

Though Lucius had become a lord, he spent weekdays in the city of Bulgia and weekends in his hometown of Silverheart Village.

Recently, Lauren and the maid Matilda had been accompanying Lucius more often to assist him.

Lauren entered the still untidy kitchen.

Among the maids in the kitchen, she spotted Matilda, who was busy cleaning up the dishes.

“Matilda-san, do you know where Lucius-sama is? There are some documents I need him to check.”

Matilda stopped and turned to face Lauren.

“He was taken away by the Orleans family this morning.”

Lauren felt a sense of resignation. Lately, the Orleans family seemed obsessed with Lucius and constantly tried to take him away.

And the dwarves were another story altogether; they were wholly dependent on Lucius.

Lauren and Matilda looked out over the city below from beneath the window.

Earthen golems transported various materials, while dwarves and humans were busy repairing roads and buildings. Despite being a vast kingdom, this city seemed to be the only one where golems freely roamed the streets.

And on the road that cut through the grasslands outside the city, there were migrants heading towards the city of Bulgia, hoping to settle there one after another.

Most of them seemed to be people from the Eastern Region who had fled the conflict between the cold villages of the North and the Empire.

“I heard that the dwarves are using Lucius-sama’s magic to create a large number of earth golems. The speed of reconstruction is increasing day by day.”

“But you should know better than to push yourself too hard, as Robel-sama and Emily-sama would have told him.”

Lauren sighed softly.

“I’ll go to the Orleans family.”

Lauren left the kitchen and headed to a corner of the castle.

It was where the Orleans family had their base.

After exchanging greetings with the Orleans family’s servants, Lauren was escorted to the room where Lucius was.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Luci—”

What met her eyes as she opened the door was an unusual sight.

Measurement instruments were densely packed, and vine-like pipes ran across the floor and ceiling.

People from the Orleans family, clad in black robes, were crowded together.

At the center was Lucius, enclosed in a huge cylindrical container.

Only his face was barely visible, as the rest of his body was covered in something metallic.

Near the cylindrical relic were three individuals.

The elderly Gufell, former head of the Orleans family.

The current head, Latos.

And the young Crane, the next head.

All three wore devilish smiles.

“Um, Gufell-sama. This seems uncomfortable. And the evil dragon doesn’t seem to like it.”

Lucius, covered in the cylinder, raised his voice.

“You listened well. Right now, we’re irradiating special magic into the magic core to detect the presence of the evil dragon inside. Heeheeheeheehee.”

“No, I didn’t listen.”

“I think we might be able to understand the evil dragon if we succeed. Heeheeheeheehee.”

The conversation wasn’t entirely coherent.

When Lucius tried to retort, the voice of the current head, Latos, rose.

“Ohhh! Mother, Crane, look! With the knight’s magic core, we can clearly grasp the characteristics of the evil dragon’s magic power on a 4-dimensional plot! Ohhh!”

“Dad, this is a discovery. Hehehe.”

“Ohhh! Let’s increase the output even more!”

I’ve seen a similar scene before. I have a bad feeling about this.

Lucius, whose face was turning pale, raised his voice.

“Ugh… the evil dragon really doesn’t like it. In fact, he’s already angry.”

Gufell addressed Lucius, sounding like a grandmother admiring her grandson.

“I see. You accepted it well. Heeheehee.”

Lucius seemed perplexed by the lack of coherence.

“Huh? No, I didn’t accept anything.”

“Challenges and failures are always two sides of the same coin. That’s what history tells me.”

“Gufell-sama. I’ve said this before, but that’s definitely a hallucination, right?”

“I’m grateful for your dedication! Heeheehee!”

Gufell’s expression seemed to mix sadness and resignation, divided by a hundred, with expectations raised to about ten thousand.

“I don’t want this. And neither does the evil dragon…”

Gufell twisted something with a ‘click’. Immediately after, she covered her right hand over her mouth, and Lucius struggled to hold back nausea.

Then, the magic power emanating from the left magic core began to expand.

“Whoa!”

Lauren involuntarily stepped back due to the overwhelming magic power.

The magic power filling the room gradually heated up and turned into sparks.

And then…

With a bang, the surrounding machinery collapsed.

*Cough cough*

Dust and smoke filled the air, and Lauren coughed.

Left behind were Lucius and the three members of the Orleans family, completely blackened.

“…I told you… didn’t I… that the evil dragon was getting annoyed…”

“Sorry… we went too far…”

***************

“That was quite a terrible experience.”

Lucius, now changed into fresh clothes, walked down the corridor with Lauren. His hair was still a bit frizzy.

“But you seemed to enjoy it, Lucius-san.”

“Do you think so?”

Lucius responded with a wry smile.

The place they arrived at was the center of the castle.

It was Lucius’s office as the lord.

Lauren bowed and approached the lord’s seat.

Upon opening the door, an unusual atmosphere filled the room.

A round table had been brought in, piled high with documents.

And surrounding the pile of papers were more than ten vassals.

They were a delegation sent by Lord Strauss of the Northern Region.

“Good morning, Lucius-dono.”

“Good morning.”

Lucius greeted each one of them as he took his seat at the head of the round table.

As soon as he sat down, a vassal approached with a stack of papers and began to speak.

“We’ve received requests for meetings from the neighboring lords, Viscount Ashton, Viscount Berkeley, and Baron Devon.”

“Another meeting? The city is still full of rubble, and there are various tasks and investigations I want to do.”

Lucius sighed deeply.

“For the nobility, networking takes priority. Neglecting it now will result in problems later.”

“I understand. Please schedule it when there’s a free slot.”

“Understood. Next.”

The vassal turned the pages of the documents.

“We’ve received requests for the establishment of churches and parishes from [Baptism of Noah].”

[Baptism of Noah] was the most widely practiced religion in the world. It was only banned in the Empire and its allied nations.

Its doctrine could be summed up as reverence for nature and maintaining the status quo.

Its objects of worship were the four pillars known as the Quadra Gods, each representing the sun, weather, sea, and life.

“They’re starting to accept followers just now. They have quite an extensive information network and mobility.”

A parish was an area where church autonomy was recognized. Usually, it was a small village where believers lived, but in larger cities, it was established as a district.

The fact that they were seeking a parish indicated that they anticipated Bulgia becoming a major city sooner or later.

“Do you think it’s necessary for the people of the Oridelf territory?”

The new territory was renamed the Oridelf territory, meaning “seekers of wisdom and miners of gold.” It was named by Lucius, naturally derived from the Orleans family and the dwarves.

“Then let’s allocate a corner of the castle.”

The vassals’ faces clouded over.

Normally, parishes were established on the outskirts of cities, and castles were built in the center of the capital as symbols of governance.

Establishing a parish in the castle was unprecedented.

“…Could we hear the reason behind this?”

“This city of Bulgia is a barony, so the knight’s order is not allowed. In case of emergency, we evacuate the people to the castle. Having the church in the castle would make it easier to cooperate in maintaining public order.”

“Is that all?”

The vassals still seemed unsatisfied.

It wasn’t about being underestimated.

On the day of his appointment, Lucius had ordered his vassals to report any opinions they couldn’t agree with. Despite having a past life, Lucius, still a minor, often didn’t know much about the country’s situation. It was also a sign of willingness to listen to the opinions of experienced people.

But it didn’t mean he would simply obey.

He would push through what needed to be pushed through.

“I intend to use the church for governance. Besides, I’m just a baron and not yet an adult. If more people come, there will be more problems. We’ll use whatever we can.”

“It’s a double-edged sword. It will enhance the church’s power.”

Even in the kingdom, [Baptism of Noah] was in a delicate position.

Since this country’s king was not established by the divine right of kings as in theocracy, there was no direct involvement in politics.

However, there were many believers. Naturally, the authority of the church increased.

In fact, there were priests stationed in the knight’s order, regardless of whether there was a church, in cities, towns, and villages.

“Let’s not delegate judicial power to the church.”

“That seems reasonable. What about taxation rights?”

“Not directly. We’ll collect them in the territory and then allocate a certain percentage. However, we won’t impose taxes on direct donations from the people.”

“…You intend to actively incorporate the church.”

“That’s right. Whether we win or lose in the tug-of-war, we won’t know until we try.”

“That depends on the capabilities of those who are sent.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Lucius smiled.

“What a cunning man. Are you going to push everything onto us?”

“I’m not good at negotiation or political struggles, so it’s best to leave it to the right person for the right job. Besides, it’s a family motto and my father’s words. ‘It’s a hundred times better to leave it to someone you can trust and who is good at it than to do it yourself’. The lord’s job is to take responsibility in the end.”

There was a sigh-like laughter from the vassals.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. Leave everything to us. Now, what about ownership of farmland?”

“Basically, we won’t create serfdom. Those without money will borrow land from the territory and work as tenants. Since there’s plenty of land available. Those who pay a certain amount to the territory will be given ownership of the land.”

Even among farmers, there were three classes.

Freemen who owned land.

Tenants who rented land from the lord at will.

And serfs who were tied to the land of freemen or lords and exploited for labor.

Thanks to the power of magic, which could produce fertilizer, promote crop growth, and suppress disease, there were rarely poor harvests. However, the relationship between exploiters and the exploited naturally arose. For the exploiters, it became a vested interest, and once established, this dependency became strong.

“Sooner or later, serfdom will arise.”

“That in itself can’t be helped, but deprivation of choice is not permissible. Rewards will be given to capable individuals and those who produce results. Moderate vested interests smooth the industry, but excessive vested interests lead to stagnation. For present-day Bulgia, industrial stagnation means the death of the city.”

“Understood. Now, about mining rights…”

Lucius and the officials proceeded to determine the system of the Oridelf territory.

Lords are granted considerable discretion by pledging loyalty to the country, fulfilling tax and conscription obligations. In other words, the lord’s judgment affects the lives of many people.

It was an important moment for Lucius.

The heated debate over the system continued.

――There’s nothing we can do.

Even though Lauren entered the office with him, there was nothing she could do to help.

As she was about to assist the maid Matilda, the door opened.

“Lucius-sama! There’s a conflict happening in the city square!”

All eyes turned to the messenger.

“I’ll go myself.”

“The lord himself?”

“Yes.”

Lucius stood up straight.

At the same time, a dark figure rose from behind him.

It was a black armor, crafted with the technique of warforging.

When the summoned armor clasped its hands, a black void opened in front of Lucius.

“…A teleportation-type technique. I didn’t know you had such a technique.”

“It’s a technique originally held by the dragon knights and the sub-dragons they contracted.”

“You mean… you can use all of them!?”

“Not directly. I need to summon either the armored soldier or the blood wyvern to use them.”

“Even so… how many techniques do you have?”

“I counted up to 100, but I stopped counting after that.”

“A single person with over 100 techniques…”

“There are limitations to the techniques I can use. Since most techniques are compatible, there’s no need to use a higher-level compatible technique unnecessarily. Anyway, let’s hurry.”

Lucius smiled and passed through the black void, as if cutting through space.

Lauren and the other officials followed behind.

They emerged at the square near the entrance to the city of Bulgia.

Dwarves and prospective settlers stood facing each other in front of them.

The atmosphere was tense.

It seemed like they would engage in a brawl at any moment.

The dwarves had earth golems with them, and the settlers had manifested a few constructs of their own.

At the forefront was the leader of the dwarven clan, Damur.

“The tunnel in this square will remain as it is. That’s the decision.”

As Damur quietly conveyed this, the settlers raised their voices.

“Who do you dwarves think you are, acting so high and mighty!”

“This is a place for humans! Build it further away!”

“It’s creepy that monsters are speaking the same language as humans…”

A hole leading underground was dug in the center of the square.

The dwarves didn’t live in the cities on the surface because they lived within the labyrinth.

Therefore, Lucius adopted a plan to directly connect the underground city of the dwarves with the surface city of Bulgia through tunnels, making it one city.

For this reason, there were passages leading to the underground city of the dwarves all over Bulgia.

It seemed that the settlers didn’t like the fact that the tunnel used by the dwarves was near their planned settlement.

“That’s enough.”

Lucius raised his voice, and all eyes turned to him.

“Welcome to the Golden City of Bulgia. I am Lucius Norris Dragone, the Lord of Oridelf.”

The settlers raised their voices.

“Is that the lord of the quadruplets…?”

“A special class magician!?”

“What? He’s still so young.”

As Lucius looked around, he inquired.

“What’s going on? Manifestations of constructs in the city?”

Several settlers protested to Lucius.

“Lord, please listen. Those dwarves are digging holes in the area where people are supposed to live! It’s creepy.”

“I have small children at home. Please protect us, Lord.”

“That metal-like hair… he’s definitely not human.”

The settlers voiced their concerns one after another.

As Lucius pointed towards the gate.

“The city’s exit is over there. If you don’t like the laws of the territory, please leave.”

A chorus of complaints erupted from the settlers.

“That’s unfair! We’ve come all the way from the East!”

“We have children and elderly people with us…”

“That’s right! We all came from the village together!”

Lucius maintained his smile.

“In the Oridelf territory, dwarves are citizens, they’re people. If you can’t accept that, then residence within the territory won’t be permitted. You’re welcome to stay at the inn to rest and then leave.”

Still, the immigrants continued to argue.

“W-What’s with this lord…”

“Don’t you know dwarves are evil!?”

“I heard they snatch children and eat them…”

Lucius summoned a three-headed evil dragon from his left hand.

Flames and roars spilled from the ill-tempered dragon’s mouth.

And then, from the shadows, a thousand soldiers emerged simultaneously, surrounding the immigrants.

“Dwarves are people.”

The immigrants trembled.

“””Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…”””

Lucius’s expression turned serious.

And with a voice full of intimidation, he quietly declared,

“I will uphold the law as the lord. It’s your choice. Either leave without abiding by the law, or stay and obey it.”

The tension in the air was about to snap.

It felt like magic energy covered the entire square.

The immigrants, fearing, quickly entered the allocated buildings.

As soon as the square emptied of people, the evil dragon and the soldiers vanished.

Lauren, who had been observing the situation, approached Lucius.

“Lucius, you went a bit too far with the intimidation.”

Lucius shook his head.

“For them, it’s common sense that dwarves are evil. Unfortunately.”

For a long time, that perception had been considered correct. Despite never meeting or talking to them.

Lauren remembered being nervous at first about interacting with the dwarves.

“I see.”

“Challenging that perception will require external pressure for the time being. Leaving things to chance would put the dwarves at too much of a disadvantage.”

“I understand, but relying solely on force to suppress them…”

“I know. That’s why I decided to unite the city. The image of unknown entities tends to grow out of proportion. Interaction between dwarves and humans must not be cut off. It’ll take time, but we need to gradually get to know each other.”

“But for the time being, Lucius, you’ll face criticism.”

“I’ve decided to protect the people.”

The people are never saints.

They’re selfish, they demean others, and they like to believe their own norms are righteous.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re not good.

Protecting the people means, in essence, protecting the good people.

And that includes both dwarves and humans.

“I hope they change, even a little.”

“Watch me, Lauren. I’ll make it happen. People can change.”

Lucius had once changed himself, freed from the constraints of his origin.

Now he was trying to do the same at the level of the territory.

“Yes, I’m sure you can. Because it’s you.”

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