Ch.177Outside. Winds of Change (1)

It’s not easy.

Really not easy.

This was what Lufus Waynelight, former captain of the Royal Order, muttered to himself as he felt waves of fatigue washing over him several times a day.

If his Academy classmates (many of whom were dead) could see him now, they might suspect he was a doppelgänger. Waynelight had lived by the sword for years without ever complaining.

Even when he and his classmates encountered a “pack” of dire wolves while wandering through mountain ranges during their Academy training days,

Or when he won three consecutive matches during the hazing ritual with seniors right after joining the Royal Order and was cursed as a tactless bastard,

Or even when facing the Tetrad, he never once lamented. Rather, he charged forward with his sword, feeling exhilarated.

But now, words of weakness frequently escaped his lips.

It was because he had come to realize that there were too many things that couldn’t be solved with a sword.

‘I’ve always known that force isn’t the ultimate solution.’

Yes. He had known.

He just never thought he’d have to navigate those difficulties himself.

A year ago, when Waynelight stepped down as captain of the Royal Order and returned to his domain, he thought he would live a typical retiree’s life. He expected to enjoy walks and hunting while overseeing his grandson’s sword training.

But once he actually settled in his domain, reality proved different.

Retirement? Rather, he had to adapt to the second chapter of his life.

The life of a lord.

“Sigh. Erick, no, the Hero—I resent him anew. Giving such work to someone who’s retired. He must know I have no talent for governance.”

“Brother.”

“No, never mind. Let’s continue checking. …So I’m to prepare school grounds in the main castle of the domain?”

“Yes. Those are the orders from the Hero’s office. We need an advanced educational institution for children who will graduate with good grades from nearby elementary schools in a few years.”

“I see.”

Waynelight, checking various documents with help from his younger brother, the viscount, let out a short sigh.

If it had been his former self, he would have coldly instructed his brother, “Handle it yourself.”

But now he couldn’t simply dump everything on his brother.

His brother, who had governed the domain in his place for over 20 years, had recently experienced a rapid decline in health. Starting about eight months ago, he began walking while clutching his knees and groaning, and nowadays he moved around on a wheeled mobility aid.

‘How did he get so old, really.’

He couldn’t leave governance to a brother who could barely manage his own body.

So Waynelight had belatedly begun governing. During his time as captain of the Royal Order, he had a legitimate excuse to avoid it, but now that was difficult.

“Hmm. There are more injuries at the salt mine than expected.”

“Well, it is a mine. Every few years during excavation work, we get about a dozen casualties. Even with skilled mages helping. And quite a few workers get injured by being kicked by the donkeys that transport salt.”

“…My. Should I perhaps solve this with my strength somehow? This excavation business.”

“Don’t even think about it. A lord shouldn’t be seen entering a mine. It would be better to buy magical tools for underground mining instead.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes, it is. It’s different from your days in the order.”

It was a point he couldn’t deny.

The Royal Order he commanded was an organization of just a hundred knights. Even counting administrative staff and miscellaneous workers, there weren’t two hundred people.

After living contentedly in that small world and coming down to his domain, he encountered accidents he couldn’t have imagined during his time as captain.

It felt like raising a giant infant.

Nothing was ever neatly concluded, and he had to alternate between candy and the rod to keep things in check.

‘It’s tiring. Really tiring.’

It seemed easier to conduct consecutive training matches with a hundred knights or hunt a behemoth single-handedly. For Waynelight, who had been accustomed to physical rather than mental work for over 50 years since first picking up a sword, this was hard to endure.

“Still, you must do it, brother.”

“Yes. I know. But…”

“I don’t have much time left anyway.”

“……”

A moment of silence fell.

But he couldn’t just dismiss it by saying, “What an ominous thing to say.”

Waynelight knew better than anyone that his brother’s vitality was waning.

His appetite had diminished terribly, he coughed during seasonal changes, and sometimes stumbled over words while tutoring him.

While he, the older brother, could still run faster than a horse, his brother had become so frail. It made him feel melancholic.

“…Poor fellow.”

“Don’t look at it that way. I’ve lived well enough.”

True to these words, his brother had lived quite well. He had enjoyed wealth and glory throughout his life, and even kept two concubines.

In a way, one could say he had lived a luxurious life in place of his brother. His brother was probably the only one who pitied him.

Knowing all this, why did he still feel such regret?

To exaggerate slightly, it felt as if his brother, who had been a teenager, had suddenly appeared as an old man. This was because he had lived seeing him only during annual visits for the past 40 years.

‘Well, it’s not just him I’ve neglected.’

His wife was also in a similarly weakened state.

She could at least take walks, but that was about it. The difference in their physical ages was so great that they could barely do anything together.

Finally having the opportunity to live with his family, only to find them aging and ailing—honestly, it was somewhat disheartening.

His brother, seeming to understand his thoughts, offered comfort with a weak smile.

“Still, you have many years ahead of you, light as a feather.”

“Hmm.”

“I was a bit skeptical when you insisted on supporting the Hero, but now I think he didn’t seize power by killing all those nobles for nothing. With you standing firmly as his ally, he might accomplish even more.”

“……”

“I rather envy you.”

Listening quietly, Waynelight found wisdom in his brother’s words.

Though he was troubled about his family now, longevity was certainly a blessing. Being able to learn new knowledge at sixty, and watching not only his grandchildren but even his great-grandchildren grow up was definitely a benefit.

If the past couldn’t be undone, it was better to look to the future. Lufus Waynelight let out a long sigh.

“Alright. I’ll do my best.”

His brother nodded with a pleased expression, as if thinking he had made the right decision.

***

The next day, Lufus Waynelight set out on a rare inspection tour of his domain.

This too was at his brother’s suggestion.

He had done this before. But this time, he decided to go alone, without knights or administrators.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to look around by myself for once.’

Initially, it was an outing undertaken with a light heart.

But once he started, unexpected emotions welled up.

It wasn’t simply about being moved by seeing commoners living difficult lives up close.

Waynelight, with his extensive experience in provincial service, already knew that commoners led hard lives. He had even seen commoners living in the same space as livestock a few times.

There was one reason he found this inspection interesting.

It was because he sensed changes that were difficult to explain.

“Run, run! You son of a bitch!”

“Please! Please…! Just come in second! Ruuun-!!”

“No shouting during the race! It affects the dogs!”

Miners cheering like madmen while watching the weekly dog races.

These were workers from the salt mine, the domain’s biggest source of income.

Though the work was hard, they earned quite well for commoners and jingled gold coins. Typically, they would spend money on drinking or small tavern gambling, but now the dog track was sucking up their pocket money.

‘It’s essentially a quasi-tax.’

Still, the races themselves were definitely entertaining.

They released live rabbits and had dogs chase them frantically. A game that perfectly utilized animal instincts couldn’t help but be entertaining.

“Wooooah!”

…They were so entertained that they didn’t even seem to notice the lord nearby. If money was going to be spent on entertainment anyway, collecting it this way wasn’t bad.

‘It’s good that we can at least provide some enjoyment.’

The next place Waynelight visited was a church-affiliated elementary school. It was one of the schools established using capital secured by the court through the lottery.

The children of the miners who had just been watching the dog races attended this school.

The curriculum included writing, numbers, history, and swordsmanship. And they even received lunch during classes. All of it was free.

Lufus Waynelight gazed at those children for a long time.

“Who’s to say a talent like His Majesty the Hero couldn’t emerge from this school?!”

This was from a teacher who was greatly encouraged by Waynelight’s visit.

Honestly, it was close to a delusion. Most would probably just inherit their parents’ professions. Only a gifted few would advance to higher education institutions (which didn’t even exist yet) to pursue different dreams.

But Waynelight decided not to contradict him.

Rather…

“Yes. That would be nice. Since I’m here, I should leave a donation. Buy some writing materials.”

“Thank you. …But please give only 30% of the amount you’re thinking of. I’ve heard about your spending habits, Captain.”

“I’ll do that.”

He just offered these words of encouragement. He knew that was the way to avoid discomfort for both parties.

And besides, he didn’t want to spoil the mood. It was quite enjoyable watching the students playing together after class.

Even if those friends didn’t necessarily become something great when they grew up, they would live better lives than they would have without education. Perhaps someone might even accomplish something truly significant.

‘Just giving commoners possibilities is a big change… indeed.’

Even Waynelight could see that the world was changing rapidly.

Perhaps it wasn’t a bad life to care for his domain while trying to adapt to those changes.

The Empire’s strongest knight, Lufus Waynelight, turned away feeling lighter at heart. Since he was already out, he intended to thoroughly explore his domain.