Chapter 84

I have confirmed the will of my companions.

Even when I was a leader at the company, building trust in a short period of time was almost an illusion. It's only possible if you can fully understand the other person and satisfy their desires. Building and maintaining such a relationship takes time and effort.

However, trust is the accumulation of results that make the other person think, "Nothing bad will happen if we stay together." This becomes possible when mutual understanding has progressed to a certain extent.

At the very least, trust is only born through sincerely providing the other person with benefits. Repeating this is the only way to build trust. If I were asked whether I had delved that deeply into my relationships with my companions so far, the answer would be no. There are still barriers with Liz.

Still, if I am to live as a ruler from now on, there will be moments when I must trust and be trusted. The consequences of my social anxiety and avoidance are catching up with me. I can't help but smile wryly, even if Liz points it out; I doubt I can change this.

I will do what I can. I will think about what I can't do when the time comes. I won't stop thinking. If I don't move forward, nothing will start.

Sigh, even in such a kind world, human relationships are indeed difficult. For now, I am satisfied that my companions have agreed to walk together, and I will move forward. If I don't work as agreed, it will be a breach of contract.

Perhaps due to the stress from human relationships, I am thinking negatively as I head to the woodworking shop.

When I greet the shop owner, he brings out a small cart and a Reversi board. The cart is only slightly larger than a regular handcart and is easy to handle.

"How much weight can it carry?"

"About 80 kg is the limit."

That means Liz, Fia, or Rott can ride on it with their equipment. It might even be usable as a stretcher. However, the main purpose is to carry tents and luggage, so I won't worry about that.

"How often do you think maintenance is necessary?"

"It depends on the impact on the axle. Since you'll be using it in the forest, the roads will be rough, so the strain on the axle will be significant. Please bring it in after a certain amount of use."

"Which is better to have as a spare, the axle or the wheels?"

The shop owner thought for a moment.

"The axle. If the wheels break, you can still move with one wheel, but the axle cannot be replaced."

"Do you have spare axles?"

"I have some from the prototype, so I can provide them immediately. There will still be some left over after offsetting the previous job."

I receive the spare axle and a metal tool for removing the wheels. I listen to the explanation of actual usage and need to pass it on to the party members.

"What about the other one?"

I look at the completed Reversi board. The work is better than I expected. There are no uneven spots in the paint, and the colors are vibrant. I thought the green paint might be possible, but it has a nice matte finish. It looks elegant. The pieces are also well-crafted, with the corners evenly polished. The white and black paint are also beautifully colored. I thought the white would be more muted.

Thanks to the diameter and the finish of the pieces, they fit into the case without any stress.

"I'm impressed. Good work."

"I'm honored to receive your praise."

The shop owner smiled happily.

"Then, I'll take these for now. I'll come back for the cart maintenance and another toy request."

"Thank you for your patronage. Please come again."

We exchanged greetings with smiles and headed to the blacksmith.

I waved to the usual owner to announce my arrival.

"Hey, the branding iron is ready."

"Then, I'll borrow the fire."

I have drawn temporary lines with charcoal on the center of the Reversi pieces and board to align the branding iron.

I asked the owner to press the heated branding iron 64 times on the white side of the Reversi pieces and the board, imprinting the simplified coat of arms of the Duke. Unlike stamping with ink, it's difficult not to affect the surrounding area, but the owner pressed them lightly.

Finally, I asked him to press the "000001" branding iron on the six rectangular areas on the back of the board.

"Is this to mark the manufacturing order?"

"I'm thinking of preventing counterfeits by the position of the Duke's simplified coat of arms and the shape of the branding iron. I think even imitators would be intimidated by the Duke."

Since it's a simple game, it's easy to make a set. However, that would only lead to the production of many counterfeit products. I thought of using the Duke's authority to suppress this, which is why I decided on the branding iron.

I will transfer the Reversi rights to the Duke and ask him to increase the investment in the territory. Using my knowledge from Earth for my own benefit would make life easier, but it would be empty. I decided to use it to enrich the territory and the lives of the people living there.

While waiting for the branding iron to cool, I spent time checking the progress of the pump. As I listened to the conversation while polishing the pieces and board with scraps of cloth, it seemed that the prototype was almost complete.

"Once this is done, drawing water will be easier. Please continue to help me."

"Sure. As I said before, it's also for my mother. I'll do my best."

We exchanged greetings in a warm atmosphere and returned home.

The cart, ah, the cargo cart. The cargo cart is about a quarter the size of a typical rickshaw. Due to its large wheels, it remains stable even on uneven terrain. Once the actual item was made, many things became clear. As I dragged it along the village's decent roads, I thought about its future use.

When I got home, Liz was already back, rolling around. She looked cute.

"Liz, what's wrong?"

When I called out to her, she stopped moving. She turned to me hesitantly.

"You looked so cool and lord-like when you were talking seriously with everyone..."

She whispered in a small voice. Honestly, I was just trying to talk seriously, and I didn't mean to look that way.

"Wait, did I look so authoritative!?"

"No, it's just that you had a dignified and instructive aura, like a prince in a story..."

Ah, Liz is a girl too... I guess she has princess aspirations or admiration, which is something I can relate to.

"You looked a bit stressed after the talk, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was worried about what to do if everyone opposed it."

"Hehe. Don't worry so much. Everyone likes Hiro. We've been living together for so long. They know you're not a bad person."

Liz laughed, almost to the point of tears, and said:

"Still, if you're going to be an adventurer, I think it's a minus..."

"Hmm. I do like Hiro, but the new territory has a lot of positives. I think it's okay to have dreams that include those positives."

I haven't read the law books, but from what I've heard, the new territory is quite stimulating in terms of frontier spirit.

Regarding the new cultivated land, the lord has the authority to collect taxes, but the cultivator can claim ownership. The more you cultivate, the richer your life becomes. With the lord's permission, you can also sell the cultivated land to others. You can cultivate the land, sell it, and live off the proceeds in your old age. Usually, you would pass it on to your children to take care of you.

The reason permission is needed is that if the land is sold to many different people, tax collection becomes complicated. It also prevents people from cultivating the land, not paying taxes, and then selling only the land.

The latter is a rare case, but it has happened in the past, which was a significant problem for the state. In terms of the bureaucracy, the longer you've been around, the more influence you have. It's easier to move into important positions in the future.

Merchants can also monopolize the commerce of the new territory with the right of first refusal. Considering this, the new territory is a big dream.

By the way, regarding commerce, there is a god of commerce. This god is quite severe. In terms of trade, they don't say anything about new or ambitious things. However, when there is clear corruption, a warning is issued. If you ignore the warning and proceed, the punishment is severe.

For example, a merchant who used a loan with an exorbitant interest rate to force sexual acts on a family member was turned into a pillar of salt just before the act. I assume they ignored many warnings.

So, the name value of a new territory is significant. That's reassuring.

By the way, the reason I'm suggesting being an adventurer part-time is that adventurers are part of the safety infrastructure. As the recent incident with the command creature shows, there are many areas where the state cannot fully support, and the adventurer guild fills these gaps.

These adventurers, however, won't come unless they smell money. There's a term "kinship," but since I'm becoming a ward of the viscount, adventurers from the viscount's territory might visit. However, if they can't make a profit, they won't come back. Therefore, we need to work hard to be a profitable advertisement for attracting adventurers.

If we had connections to powerful adventurers, we wouldn't need to think about this, but we don't. I considered the Deed line, but it's a lifetime commitment, and the favor is a bit weak.

So, I can't quit being an adventurer. As the center of the new territory, the adventurer guild will definitely move in. The lord needs to think about retaining customers.

"Anyway, stop rolling around and come help with the meal preparation, okay?"

Her face turned red, and she darted to the kitchen.

She's so cute.

Thinking about this, I decided to stretch my stiff body and check on the soap.