episode_0089

I nodded hesitantly at the sight of Count Carbon and Levs asking me to talk. The timing seemed a little off, but since they were important people, I led them to the living room.

Ziena also brought them some simple drinks as soon as I took them to the living room.

widely! widely!

Also, Jiena probably didn’t like the sudden appearance of the two, so she put down the teacup in front of them, which was a bit rough. Still, I was cautious when putting it down in front of me. I couldn’t figure out if he was paying attention because he was the owner and boss, or if he had other feelings. It was because he turned around in an instant and went out to the store.

“… … I’m really sorry.”

Levus fidgeted and apologized again as he turned around so quickly that his hair was fluttering. Count Carbone also nodded in agreement next to him.

I thought he would just be apologizing if he continued like this, so I waved my hand and told him not to worry. Only then did the regret on the two people’s faces disappear.

“So, why did you suddenly come here? And the two of you together.”

“I came right away after hearing that you had obtained territory. Prince Levs happened to meet in front of this place”

“Oh, has that already become a rumor?”

“It’s not even a rumor, but I received it through the religious order. The church seems to be particularly concerned about warlocks with territories.”

When I heard that the church was paying special attention, I was reminded of the warlocks who gained territory before me and were subjugated. It was completely understandable to be cautious because there was precedent.

“So are you here to tell us to be careful because the church is paying attention?”

“Oh, not really. There are some stories about the church, but I’m here to congratulate you. If it’s nothing else, didn’t you gain territory? It’s definitely something to celebrate.”

As if he had come to sincerely congratulate me, Count Carbon clapped lightly and congratulated me.

But Levs seemed to have slightly different business. He congratulated me in the same way as Count Carbon, but the story was a little longer.

“The royal family is very pleased that a new lord has emerged from the royalist faction, and one who has become a lord by taking over the fiefdom of the aristocratic faction. So the royal family is planning to give a gift of its own.”

“Yes? A gift?”

The word “gift” piqued my interest without me even realizing it. I was even curious as to what kind of gift the Duke’s eldest son had come to visit in person.

“Of course, it’s not that big of a deal. No, in some ways it is a grandiose thing, but… … . You might not have much need.”

“… … What is that ambiguous word?”

“It’s literally true. If you were an ordinary person, it would have been a very grand gift, but because of your special nature, it is something you don’t need much.”

I was even more curious as to what kind of gift it was that made the words spin around like this. When I gave him a strong look telling me to hurry up and talk, Levs immediately revealed what the gift was.

“The royal family has decided to change the title of great nobleman you currently hold to a title that can be inherited.”

“Uh… … . There really isn’t much need.”

“It is a well-known fact among nobles that warlocks cannot see their children. Still, being a hereditary noble doesn’t mean it’s completely useless.”

Levs began talking about the advantages of having a hereditary title, rather than a title of first-class nobleman.

“As you become a hereditary noble, a family will be created based on your last name. Until now, you were the only one with noble status, but from now on, your family. If you look right now, they will be your parents. Their status has also risen to nobility. For your information, as a family is created, even if you take a concubine, she can also be recognized as a member of the family.”

“Concubine… … ?”

“So, even if you’re a warlock, a man is still a man, right? If you look at the way he reacts first to the story of his concubine, leaving everything else aside.”

“Kuhm… … !”

I cleared my throat for no reason at the words of Levs, who smiled with a playful face. Levs laughed lightly and continued talking.

If you were interested in politics, there were benefits such as being able to try to advance into central politics or doing business with other countries with permission from the royal family.

Of course, I couldn’t say it was a particularly big benefit to me, who couldn’t afford to be involved in politics and wanted to capture the domestic market first rather than dealing with other countries. At least, being able to trade with other countries was a card that could be used as much as you wanted in the future, so it was better than nothing.

“Oh, by the way, if you become a hereditary noble, it is possible to officially form a knighthood… … .”

“… … It’s useless, right?”

Among the benefits was that it made it possible to form a knighthood, but that wasn’t particularly useful either.

This is because the skeletons of a warlock are considered part of the abilities of a warlock. There was no problem with creating several Skeleton Knights and operating them like a knight corps. Even if I had been a commoner and not a noble, it would have been the same story.

Moreover, for me, who had no intention of forming a knighthood made up of humans, there was really no advantage to it. It was better to form a knighthood made up of skeleton knights who would not have to spend a large amount of money on feeding and sleeping or high-quality labor costs.

As if he knew what I was thinking, Levs shrugged his shoulders.

“It may not be very useful, but it’s still not a bad thing.”

“Yes, what… … . Still, it’s better than nothing. Nothing bad.”

What’s special about this is that it’s huge! Although it doesn’t have any advantages, I thought there was nothing wrong with it, so I nodded.

Honestly, all I did was take away some of the territory of nobles belonging to the noble faction. It was barely possible to receive such a large gift. At best, he only received a letter from the royal family congratulating him.

It could be said that the reason I received this gift was entirely due to the uniqueness of being a warlock. It may be a very good reward for others, but it was a reasonable level for me, so it seemed highly likely that it was a calculation that I could show condescension by giving it.

Because of the masterpieces of the noble faction, there were not many nobles who purchased the title of great noble, but it was still not completely non-existent. If I offered the things I received to those people, it was obvious that they would drool and want them.

Anyway, as a commemorative gift for obtaining the territory, Levs presented me with a newly created nobility certificate from the royal family. If the certificate I received before was for me as an individual, this time it was closer to a certificate for a noble family called the ‘Steel’ family.

“Ah, but this is not the only gift given by the royal family.”

However, as I was carefully packing the family certificate in my arms, Levs resumed his story. It was a story that felt like there was another gift.

This time, I thought it might be a good gift.

” To be precise, it cannot be said that it is just a gift. I am asking you to produce something.”

“Product production? Are you asking me to make something for you, like you did when you supported Viscount Deputy’s territory war?”

“That’s right. Your Majesty saw that production would be stable as you acquired the territory this time, so he decided to place an order.”

He said that he had previously judged that it would be difficult to protect himself from attacks since I was in the noble faction’s territory, and that now that that issue had been resolved, he was planning to place a spell.

Now that I see it, it seems that Levs came to convey the royal order rather than to congratulate me on gaining territory. Becoming a hereditary nobleman actually felt like something given to me in order to make something better, rather than a gift.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t like it at all.

“Starting with these are the weapons that the Royal Guard will use. It would be nice if they could make it to the same level as the weapons the knights used last time. Is it possible?”

“Oh, it’s possible!”

I responded to Levs’ words by shaking my head. Even if it is an ordinary product, it is possible to make a lot of profit if you supply it to the military, especially the royal guard. Regardless of the profit gained from simply supplying it, if it is an item used by the royal family, there are bound to be people who use it accordingly.

In such a situation, requesting a premium line product, rather than a regular product, was bound to be extremely beneficial. Regardless of being a hereditary noble or anything, this alone was enough of a gift.

‘Maybe we need to further expand the blacksmith shop right now.’

A large-scale blacksmith shop has been completed and we are just moving in, and it occurred to me that we need to expand the blacksmith shop right away. The fact that it was used by the royal family had such an impact.

It was obvious that not only people belonging to the royalist faction would use it, but mercenaries would also be curious if it was an item used by the royal family.

Thinking about the profits that would be made in the future, I couldn’t help but smile happily.

“… … Is it that good? You’re smiling like I need to give you a gift too.”

And, as he was smiling so happily, Count Carbone appeared to be rummaging through his pockets for no reason. He seemed to really like the gift that was not a gift from Levs, and he seemed worried that he might look a little shabby for simply coming to congratulate him.

“Ah, don’t worry about it.”

“Still, I’ve gained territory after a long time, but I can’t just stay there, right? Is there anything you need or want?”

There was one thing that came to mind when Count Carbone said that he was telling me to say anything comfortably. There was no reason to refuse a gift.

“Is it okay to operate a means of transportation that operates regularly? I think that would be perfect as a gift… … .”

“Means of transportation? What does that mean?”

“In addition to the cart skeletons that go back and forth for the blood collection business and to deliver products to franchisees, I plan to operate separate cart skeletons that carry people and materials.”

“Is the current moving cart skeleton not enough?”

“Well, my personality is a little different from that. Right now, I’m the only one using it, but what I’m thinking about right now is to make it available to local residents as well.”

What I was thinking of was a simple means of transportation. A means of transportation that regularly travels between my village and the city of Carbon. Right now, logistics are being moved little by little through Logis Skeleton, but the amount is not large. It was a bit insufficient to obtain the necessary items in the village.

As it was a territory taken from Viscount Tarr, most of the surrounding area was Viscount Tarr’s territory. Naturally, most of the supplies needed in the village came from Viscount Tarr’s territory. There are no problems right now, but there is a strong possibility that problems will arise before long. Because I wasn’t on good terms with Viscount Tarr.

I was thinking of breaking away from relying on Viscount Tarr for the supplies the village needed. The best way was to obtain it from those who had a close relationship with me, such as the Count of Carbon, Viscount Defuty, and Baron Farmer.

When I mentioned that part, Count Carbone nodded willingly, saying that it was not a difficult task. However, because there were many aspects that needed to be discussed in order to actually put it into practice, it could not be confirmed right away.

The story ended with the lords of the territories where logistics movement would occur on a regular basis gathered together and discussed it properly before making a decision.

So, after we finished talking about logistics, we started talking about various things with the two people. We talked about a lot of things, from stories that would be helpful to me as a novice lord, such as good advice or advice on running a fief, to stories about the current conflict between the royalist faction and the aristocratic faction.

After talking about various topics for about two hours, the two quietly left. However, unlike Count Carbon, who returned to his territory, Levs, who needed to talk more about spells, settled down at the inn.

The long conversation finally came to an end, and after seeing that the two had left the store, Jienna sneakily approached them.

“Boss, I don’t think there will be any more customers today… … . Let’s close a little early and go eat something delicious for dinner!”

“Something delicious? That’s right… … .”

The moment I was about to nod willingly to Jiena’s suggestion to go eat something delicious, the store door slammed! and it opened. And, beyond the open door, someone appeared, with only a black silhouette visible in the setting sunlight.