episode_0085

“Congratulations. You have become a warlock with territory.”

As I was looking in the direction where Viscount Tar left, Father Thomas, who was nearby, offered me a congratulatory message.

“Haha, thank you.”

I was embarrassed to see Father Thomas applauding as if he was sincerely congratulating me. When I saw Father Thomas applauding and congratulating me, I wondered if I was the first warlock to have territory.

But unfortunately I wasn’t the first. He said that there were several warlocks who had territory before me. It is not like I bought a title and gained territory, but it was said that among people who were pushed down in the succession ranking, they became warlocks and then inherited the noble title and territory due to reasons such as the death of the heir.

Of course, he said, that doesn’t mean there are that many. He doesn’t know all of history, but he said that, including other countries, there have only been two instances in history.

“Then there are still warlocks ruling the territory?”

“Oh, that’s not true again. There is currently no warlock ruling the territory. No, I can say that there is Andrew Warlock, but… … .”

Considering the lifespan of warlocks, it seemed likely that they still exist, but I couldn’t help but wonder when I heard that there was no warlock ruling the territory. But the reason was quickly apparent.

“All existing warlocks ruling the territory have been subdued.”

“Suppression… … Is this?”

“Yes. At first, they were universally recognized warlocks with no major problems, but at some point, people changed. Exploiting the people of the territory… … . It was exploited in a different way than the exploitation done by ordinary nobles. Some people cut people’s throats and drained all their blood just because they made eye contact while walking down the street, and others deliberately neglected to allow infectious diseases to spread and procured corpses.”

I nodded my head at Father Thomas’ words. No matter how much people were treated as property of the lord, there were still limits. Cutting a person’s throat and drawing blood or leaving him to die just because he made eye contact is crossing the line. No, it was the same as breaking the law established by the kingdom in the first place.

“… … I won’t do that.”

“I believe it. If what Warlock Andrew has shown me so far, I have enough faith in it.”

I was worried that it might arouse suspicion, but fortunately, Father Thomas seemed not to care. I was very relieved that building trust and goodwill with him so far had worked well.

But unfortunately, Father Vidis, who had no such process, looked at me with some suspicion. Since there was a historical precedent, it seemed like they were wary of me, a warlock. I saw him secretly looking at me and whispering to Father Thomas.

“Father Thomas. Anyway, aren’t you trusting the warlock too much?”

Father Vidis seemed to not understand Father Thomas, who said he believed in me, but there was nothing he could do. It was a prejudice caused by the image that the black magicians had built up until now. Even if I didn’t do that, there’s no way anyone would immediately say, ‘Oh, I see?’

“Hahaha, Father Vidis. You don’t have to worry so much. Andrew Warlock, whom I have consistently observed, is different from other warlocks.”

“No matter how different he is, he is a warlock… … .”

“Father Vidis, I tell you this, prejudice is not a good thing.”

“Sorry. Father Thomas.”

Father Bidis, who had not yet completely erased his wariness toward me, finally bowed his head after hearing something from Father Thomas.

Of course, that didn’t stop him from being alert, but his appearance suddenly changed to something that seemed to have occurred to him.

“Andrew Warlock? Or should I call you Baron Steele?”

“You can call me whatever you want. It’s true that I’m a warlock, and it’s true that I’m a baron.”

“Okay. Andrew Warlock. Then, may I ask you a favor?”

I was a bit puzzled that he was asking for a favor out of the blue, but I decided to first listen to what he was asking for.

“The branch I am currently in has to relocate. As you know, since Viscount Tar tried to deceive our denomination, our branch in Viscount Tar must be relocated or closed.”

“… … You mean you brought Father Vidis to me by calling me an evil warlock?”

“Yes. The denomination has a policy not to associate with anyone who seeks to disparage the denomination. Because he attempted to use the church for personal gain, all activities of clergy are restricted in Viscount Tarr’s territory. It will be a very unfortunate and regrettable thing for the residents of the Viscounty Territory, but there is nothing we can do.”

Father Vidis frowned as if he felt truly sorry for the people of the Viscounty of Tar, and grumbled that many people were suffering because of one greedy nobleman.

“So, if possible, would you be okay with moving the branch to this place, which has become Warlock Andrew’s territory? As it was originally part of the Tar Viscounty until a few hours ago, it is not difficult for Tar Viscounty residents to access it, so I think it will be of great help.”

“If the branch is relocated… … . Are you saying you are going to build a temple here?”

“Yes.”

When I heard about building a temple, I was able to quickly guess why Father Vidis was talking about this.

As he said, the purpose was to protect the citizens of Viscounty Tar, but it also seemed to have the purpose of guarding and monitoring me. It seemed like it was because he did not completely trust me like Father Thomas. If a temple is built, there will be several resident priests, so even if an emergency arises, it will be possible to respond.

Of course, it was clear that he was not just suspicious, but also had the will to find out for himself why Father Thomas showed trust or favor towards me.

“Hmm… … . Yes.”

But even though I figured those things out, I nodded.

Unless I was skilled enough to fight and defeat the entire continent alone, I had no intention of making a fuss with the church, and since the creation of a temple would actually be of help to me, I had no reason to refuse.

“Yes? Is it true?”

However, Father Vidis, who was actually trying to build the temple, looked surprised. To put it mildly, it felt like, ‘No, they’re really allowing this?’ I think they expected there would be a few rounds of rejection and persuasion.

Although it was quite unpleasant to see him surprised after asking for permission, I shrugged my shoulders and explained why I was giving permission.

“It’s for the village people, the people who are now my permanent residents. Originally, our village had some difficulties because there were no priests. If a temple is built, it will be good for the territory and its residents, so there is no reason to refuse, right?”

The reason I gave permission to build a temple was simple. Basically, it was for my family, friends and acquaintances.

In this world, like in my previous life, there were no people who could be called medical professionals. It could be said that medical practice consisted of people practicing folk remedies, pharmacists performing medical services, or priests using the power of God to provide recovery.

Of course, there are no such people in our village. If you had that level of skill, it was natural to go to a big city and make a lot of money. The only thing that existed was an herbal medicine shop, but in reality it was nothing more than a store run by herbalists. Medicinal herbs were sold according to folk remedies, which herb was good for what, but not at a level where medical practice was possible.

Therefore, what was important was the priest. Now, because of me, Father Thomas comes and goes regularly with a few priests, but before that, I had to wait for the priest to come. Once I came here, even healthy people lined up to get a chance to recover.

However, if Father Vidis moved the branch and built a temple, that would no longer be the case. Although Father Thomas is in town now, he is often away for his blood collection business, so it was better to have a full-time presence.

“And, as Father Vidis said, there are significant benefits to be gained from the residents of the Viscounty of Tar coming and going here. Will those who came here in search of priests just return? While I’m here, I’ll probably buy some things I need. Moreover, if I keep going like that, there will be people who want to move to my territory. Since the power of the territory comes from the people of the territory, there is no reason to refuse to let the people of the territory grow on their own.”

In fact, it was not that there were no people who migrated to visit the temple. As life was more precious than anything else, people tended to flock around the temple. In particular, if the temple was withdrawn and relocated from Viscount Tarr’s territory as it was now, there were more than one person who would follow suit.

“Okay.”

Father Vidis confirmed the reason why I gave permission to build a temple and nodded.

At the same time, the wariness I felt from him eased a little. As a warlock, I felt like I had developed some favor because the reason for allowing a temple to be built, which was difficult to look at favorably, was for the benefit of the people of the territory. Moreover, rather than thinking like a hypocrite, ‘It’ll just be good for Young Ji-min~’, he seemed to have built up trust because he seemed to be trying to gain his own benefit.

“For things like the site where the temple will be built, let’s go inside and go in.”

After feeling some goodwill and trust from Father Bidi, I immediately took Father Thomas and Father Biddis with me and headed into the village. Viscount Tarr’s army, which was an external threat, had already gone far away and was not visible to the naked eye, so there was no reason to stay outside the fence.

Entering the village, we first sent the skeletons back to their original location. Some went to the blacksmith shop to produce various iron products, some went to the construction site of a new blacksmith shop, and the rest dispersed to defend the village and maintain public order within the village.

As I sent the skeletons around and entered the village, many people rushed in front of me.

“Wow! My lord! New lord!”

And, the people who gathered in front of me suddenly shouted that I was the new lord and that I was the lord. It seemed like a guard with good ears near the fence had overheard the conversation between me and Viscount Tarr and spread it widely.

I was very glad that I no longer had to go around telling people that I had become a lord, but seeing the villagers cheering for me made me feel embarrassed. Moreover, I became even more embarrassed because my friends were looking at me like, “Oh, my lord,” like this.

After explaining to the people how I became a lord, I headed to the blacksmith shop to talk to the two priests. There was a separate living room between the store and the blacksmith shop, so it was perfect for chatting.

However, as I was going to the reception room with the two brides, the village chief and the guard leader secretly followed me. Since I had become a lord, I felt like there were things I needed to talk about right away, so I accompanied those two people as well.

We entered the living room and took our seats. However, although we sat down, no one spoke first. The village chief and the guard captain seemed to be secretly watching me, and the two priests also seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

I felt like I should say something first, but I had no idea what to say first. But I still couldn’t keep my mouth shut forever, so I decided to say whatever came to mind.