Chapter 285: The Clover Territory

Rest and his companions had arrived in uncharted land—the northern region of the Sabnock Plains, which was now officially the Clover Territory, under Rest’s control.

Although Rest was the legal owner of the land, it was nothing more than a vast, open plain with not a single building—or even a single resident—in sight.

What it did have, however, was space. A lot of it.

Thanks to his accomplishments in defeating the monster Sabnock and subjugating the Third Prince, Rodel Iwood, the royal family had rewarded him with an abundance of land—perhaps more than he could have imagined.

“Land as far as the eye can see, and it’s all mine… I’ve really come a long way, haven’t I…?”

Rest had felt the same thing when he was personally awarded by the king—that this was too much recognition.

From being abused in the Ebern Honorary Viscount household, where he was treated as a noble in name only, to now… he truly had risen to greatness.

(When I became engaged to Viola and Primula, I thought I had steeled myself for what lay ahead… but I never expected to rise this high…)

Rest was already set to inherit the Rosemary Marquis territory.

Combined with the Clover Countship, that meant he now held two noble titles at a minimum.

Once the lands of both territories were combined, it would make him a magnate on par with a duke—one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom.

In the future, his children would likely split the territory, which would balance the power out somewhat—but until then, Rest had essentially gained enough influence to potentially rival the royal family itself.

(Of course, it’s just wide land for now. There are still plenty of people with more status and authority than me…)

“What’s wrong, Rest?”

As he stood on a hill, overlooking his vast land, Viola called out to him curiously.

“No, I was just thinking… it’s a great view.”

“Yes, it really is. Such a beautiful plain.”

“This is where the Clover Territory begins…”

Joining her sister, Primula added to the conversation.

“It feels a little wrong to develop such a pristine natural area… but thinking that this will become our home and town—it’s kind of moving.”

“Yeah… it really is.”

Rest looked down from the hill, trying to burn the scene into his memory.

Someday, he knew he’d look back on this moment.

A day would come when he’d stand here again with his family, watching the town grow, smiling and saying, “Remember when there was nothing here?”

(But before that happy future… we have to deal with the monsters.)

Present on-site were Rest, the Rosemary sisters, and their guards—soldiers and mages from the Marquis Rosemary’s household.

As for Yuri, who had accompanied them here… she had mysteriously vanished.

She had come all the way with them, but somewhere along the way, she had slipped out unnoticed.

“I’m back, everyone!”

“Yuri…”

Just then, Yuri casually climbed up the hill to join them.

“I went out scouting! Pretty impressive, huh?”

“I mean, yes, but… again, you went off on your own without telling anyone…”

“I am going to be your wife, Rest! I can’t just sit around being looked after all the time—I have to prove I can contribute!”

Yuri puffed out her chest with pride.

She was reporting her deeds confidently, but her hair and clothes were covered with leaves, making for a slightly comical appearance.

“Well, alright then… So what did you find?”

“Right! Just as we were told, the place where we plan to build the base… it has a monster nest.”

“So it really was true…”

Rest had hoped—if only faintly—that the monsters might have left without incident. But of course, reality wasn’t that convenient.

“The ones nesting there are giant monkey-like monsters. There were at least a hundred of them.”

“Crazy Apes… vicious giant primates.”

Rest recalled the prior reports with a grim expression.

The construction site for the town was overrun by dangerous, highly intelligent beasts—capable of kidnapping and eating humans.

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