episode_0216

I encountered Count Carbone just before entering the mansion, and entered the interior of the mansion with them.

“Welcome.”

And, because the group of royalist nobles, including Count Carbon, had contacted us in advance when they departed from the contaminated area, Ziena and Amy welcomed us.

First of all, as the lord’s wife and the hostess of the mansion, her job was to welcome guests.

In response to Jiena and Amy’s welcome, the nobles each greeted them by saying things like thanking them for welcoming them or congratulating me for winning the territory battle.

But the meeting between the nobles and the two women ended there. I don’t know if the others were also attending the banquet with their wives, but in the current situation, there was no need for Gienna and Amy to be together.

Besides, Ziena and Amy had other things to ask of them. Because of the territory war, the elven area and industrial district, as well as the mercenaries, would be in a chaotic situation, so they asked us to pay attention to that area.

“Don’t worry. I will take care of it carefully.”

“Still, they said there was a problem there. I’ll go and check.”

Gienna and Amy nodded very readily to my request and immediately left the mansion. It was clear that meeting nobles in person was still burdensome.

Of course, I had expected something like that and made this request.

Anyway, after leaving the work to Ziena and Amy, I immediately moved towards the hall, the largest space in the mansion. Since the others had already guided me through the butler skeleton, everyone else was waiting for me in the hall.

It was a space that had not been used particularly since we had not held a banquet in particular, but the interior was very clean and well-prepared for the banquet. Various banquet foods, alcohol and other beverages were neatly displayed and were in perfect condition for a banquet.

There was even a skeleton that could play a piano or other stringed instruments, giving the atmosphere of a banquet a distinct feel.

However, since this was my first time hosting a banquet, there were some shortcomings in many ways. The proof was that the people who came to congratulate me on my victory in the territory battle were just staring at me blankly.

Still, the banquet itself was able to proceed without any problems. It was thanks to Count Carbon sneaking out and leading the banquet that I was showing my immaturity. No, it was closer to looking at society rather than leading.

The banquet went very smoothly thanks to Count Carbon’s hosting, which started by saying that it was a banquet to commemorate my victory in the Territory War.

Everyone congratulated me and enjoyed the banquet in their own way. Some people walked around with small glasses of wine and made friends with nobles, while others leisurely enjoyed food.

Of course, there were also people who approached me without paying any attention to such things.

“Viscount Steele. I knew the Viscount would win. So, as soon as I heard that a territory war was taking place, I brought a gift.”

Some even brought various items as gifts. They offered things like yellow gold statues and jewelry decorated with various jewels as gifts.

As they were responding appropriately, Count Carbon, who announced the start of the banquet, quietly approached. First, I was eating and drinking while chatting lightly with other nobles as if I was going to enjoy the banquet, and then people around me started to move away and they approached me.

And that too with three people leading it.

“Viscount Steel.”

“Count. These people… … ?”

“First of all, among the people here right now, these are the people who want to purchase territory from you. These are people who do not own territory, but have sufficient wealth and ability to purchase territory. Also, trust has been proven over the years.”

When I heard that they were interested in purchasing a manor, I immediately looked at them closely. But on the outside, nothing seemed special. However, they all had mana as if they had the power of a knight or wizard.

“Ah, I didn’t know you’d introduce me already. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. Baron, this is Meat Sird.”

Starting with Baron Mitt Sird, the other two also introduced themselves.

Perhaps because they did not own any fiefdoms and there had been no recent wars worthy of merit, all three men were titled barons. When I heard that a territory war was going on, I looked into people who were within reach quickly but did not have territories, and it seemed like the only one was the baron.

But for me it was rather fortunate. In the first place, the size of the territory being sold was a Viscounty Territory, and there was no intention of selling the entire Viscounty Territory to one person.

I was planning to break up the Viscounty territory and sell it. It is easier to prepare for emergencies if you split the forces into several forces rather than having a single force occupy the territory around you.

Anyway, after exchanging greetings with three people who wanted to purchase the estate, I immediately started talking about various things with them.

“Viscount. Can you tell me how you plan to sell your estate?”

“Of course, I plan to divide the Viscounty Territory into several pieces and sell them… … . The sizes will not all be the same, and we plan to classify them based on villages or cities. Still, if I were to give the value considering the overall aspect, I think it would be similar.”

“If we purchase territory, is there anything else we need to know? Building a special alliance… … .”

“Forming an alliance for a certain period of time is of course essential. Also, do you know about Logy Skeleton?”

“Of course. Isn’t this Viscount Steele’s transportation business?”

“I’m glad you know. First of all, there will be a condition that permission to operate the Logi Skeleton must be obtained. It’s not just about passing, it’s actually about regular operation.”

I didn’t intend to just hand it over and be done with selling the estate. The plan was to structure the plan to generate as much additional benefit as possible.

However, even though this was openly revealed, the nobles who wanted to purchase the estate did not show any objection. Rather, it was a welcome gesture.

At first, I thought they were just going to move on and say, ‘If I can just get territory, that’s it!’, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“Thank goodness. I heard from the Count that there is a possibility that normalization of the territory will not be achieved in the near future due to the aftermath of the Territory War… … . If you can use the Logis Skeleton, I think the period can be shortened.”

There was one reason why they welcomed the Logis Skeleton even though it was enforced. He seemed to believe that it would be a means of quickly normalizing the condition of the territory, which had deteriorated due to the territory war.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with their beliefs. This was entirely possible if you had the Logis Skeleton. Because you can save money on transportation costs, you can supply supplies at a low price, and you can easily hire a large number of manpower.

Anyway, we continued to talk about various other things about the territory to be sold.

For a certain period of time, there were all kinds of discussions, starting with defense agreements as it was necessary to form an alliance, and even talking about whether surplus materials left in my city could be supplied at a low price.

Just because you don’t like the product doesn’t mean you, the seller, can ask for a refund, and it’s not like you can get it for a penny or two cheaply, so we had no choice but to have a very detailed conversation.

Thanks to this, even though the banquet held due to my victory in the territory war ended and the nobles left one by one, the conversation with the nobles who wanted to purchase the territory did not stop.

“I… … . So, what do you think the price of the estate is?”

“How do you set the price of an ordinary territory?”

“Since land transactions do not happen often, there is nothing that can be said to be market price… … . In addition to twenty times the net annual tax revenue, the number of residents, territory area, terrain, and special products are additionally taken into consideration. In addition, when determining the number of permanent residents, the gender ratio and youth population are generally judged comprehensively.”

It may be because they were so eager to purchase the estate, but the three would-be buyers explained the factors that determine the price without hesitation.

And, after hearing that explanation, I thought that I couldn’t set a price right away.

Not only had the Viscounty of Tar not been investigated in detail, but the situation in the Viscounty of Tar would not have been very good in the aftermath of this territory war, so it seemed impossible to use last year’s or previous records as a standard.

Of course, even if I could set the price right away, I had no intention of selling it by quoting the price right away. Prices originally tended to rise when there were more buyers.

Besides, I had no intention of selling it right away because people who could be of greater help to me might want to purchase the estate.

In the end, although there were talks about selling the estate for quite a long time, no actual sales were made, and the three barons who had hoped to purchase the estate left the mansion with a look of disappointment.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the Viscount’s city, so please call me when it’s time to sell your territory!”

While leaving a message asking me not to forget him and to look for him, he looked back again and again, full of regret, and left with shaky steps.

But I put off thinking about them for a while. This is because it was necessary to restart the Smith Skeleton and Cloth Skeleton, which had stopped production due to the Territory War, and to bring back the princess and other alchemists who had temporarily evacuated to the capital. In addition, they are also looking for people to purchase the Viscounty of Tar in the capital.

Anyway, I left the matters pertaining to my territory to Jienna, Amy, and the village chief, who was showing tremendous ability as an administrator, and led the zombie wyverns to the capital.

And at the same time, mercenaries who were disappointed that they did not receive a major mission right away even though a territory war was taking place were deployed to investigate the actual situation of Viscounty Tar. In order to sell it at a high price, it was necessary to properly check its condition.