Chapter 5

5. Who was the previous lord?

I gritted my teeth and said to Mazuk.

"Tell me immediately if those bandits come."

"They'll come in about a month. After the wheat harvest and the short rainy season."

"Do they plan to cut open the bellies of fat geese?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

Mazuk looked grim.

"Lord, are you thinking of getting into a brawl with them?"

"We'll see. Anyway, I'll deal with them. Don't worry too much."

"Yes..."

The atmosphere felt strange.

"Did you think it was a mistake to tell me? You look uneasy."

"To be honest, yes."

"Even though I've faced ogres before?"

Dealing with an ogre isn't something just anyone can do.

Could they be stronger than ogres?

"Upon reconsideration, the mercenary group at the foot of the mountain could probably handle an ogre."

"Hmm."

I've traveled with Gareth and encountered various mercenary groups.

Sometimes as enemies, sometimes as allies.

How many of them could handle an ogre?

At the very least, they would need proper equipment and a lot of practice to bring down such a large monster.

"The mercenary group that dominates the west must be skilled, then."

"Yes. Each of them is as skilled as Galant, or slightly less."

"Galant?"

"Oh, he's the captain of the guard you'll meet soon."

"Was he appointed by the previous lord?"

"No."

Can the captain of the guard in Halrun catch an ogre?

Mazuk left me curious and stopped talking.

"Why did you stop talking?"

"Actually, Galant is the one who killed the previous captain of the guard."

What is this?

"A murderer? And he killed someone from the same village?"

"Yes, that's right."

"The previous captain must have done something wrong."

Mazuk, who is a bit old-fashioned, was silent for a moment.

It seemed there was more to the story.

As I waited for him to speak, I saw buildings clustered together.

Oh, the original purpose was to patrol the estate.

It took longer than I expected.

"Why is the estate so far from the manor?"

"There wasn't a suitable site. It's due to unplanned development."

Mazuk started talking about the previous lord.

The previous lord, who lost all his children to illness, died after drinking heavily for several years.

The manor was destroyed by a fire caused by a lamp.

Originally, the manor was located to the north.

I felt a bit sorry.

The people of Halrun had to rebuild the manor in just two months while they were busy with farming.

No wonder Gareth gave me a generous time frame; he was giving me time to build a new manor.

Thanks to that, I got to see the beautiful scenery.

It also meant the people were looking forward to a new lord.

I just wanted to escape the troublemaker and enjoy a slow life.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of responsibility.

I knew who Galant was as soon as we reached the village entrance.

A man with a shaved head and a fierce face.

He seemed quite intimidating.

He looked more like a mercenary than a captain of the guard.

"That's Galant? His work attitude is quite poor."

Mazuk put his hand on his forehead.

"I knew this would happen..."

He muttered a curse.

"I'm sorry. I'll correct him. Galant!"

I almost went deaf.

I didn't know Mazuk had this side.

Galant, who was holding a pipe, turned around in surprise.

"Put out that pipe! Unless you want to set the village on fire."

"Ah, yes, yes."

Galant nervously stomped out the pipe.

His movements were quite agile.

He must have been a mercenary before.

This guy might be useful.

I'm looking forward to seeing his skills.

Mazuk and Galant seemed to know each other well, but a mage's evaluation of a warrior's skills isn't reliable.

"Sorry, hahaha."

I heard a grinding sound from behind.

"Kamin Listretone, the new lord. Galant. Can you remember my name?"

Galant shook my hand nervously.

He seemed more intimidated by me than Mazuk.

"You have a firm handshake."

"Ah, yes."

"Your weapon looks crude, though."

The spear leaning against the fence was made of wood with a stone blade.

"This is a temporary weapon. I only use a proper spear when monsters appear."

"What spear do you use when the bandits come?"

Galant blinked and looked at Mazuk.

But Mazuk ignored him.

"Well, I use this one."

It means he won't fight them.

I crossed my arms and examined Galant.

His exposed arms were well-muscled.

He didn't look very big, so he must be agile.

"Can I see your spear?"

"Yes."

Galant respectfully handed me the spear.

As soon as I held it, an image came to mind.

A scene of cutting wood to make a spear shaft.

Choosing a hard blade by breaking rocks.

Piercing a hole in the end of the wood and inserting the blade.

It wasn't a bloodstained weapon.

"You haven't used this in combat."

"Yes. I only use it for deer occasionally... It's almost disposable. Deer don't come here in spring and summer when there's plenty of food."

"Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"By instinct."

I rested my chin on my hand and thought.

For a captain of the guard to carry such a shoddy weapon...

I could guess the rest.

"There's no blacksmith in the village, I see."

"No."

"How do you repair farming tools?"

Mazuk answered.

"Simple repairs are done in the village, and we buy new ones when the merchant caravan comes."

They were wasting money despite having none.

This place is a mess.

"Alright. Let's continue patrolling the village. Galant, come with us. Standing here like a scarecrow won't do any good."

* * *

After patrolling the estate, I started to seriously think about the problems.

The boundary issue will be handled by Mazuk as usual.

The bandits still have time.

"Phew, it's a mess."

Halrun looked fine on the surface, but it was poorer than I thought.

Without the small support fund for maintaining the boundary, they couldn't even afford basic living expenses.

Fortunately, the land was good enough to produce enough for self-sufficiency.

But there were hyenas everywhere, eyeing the harvest.

Mazuk was silent, but when I prodded him, he answered.

The one who brought in the bandits was the previous captain of the guard.

After the previous lord died, Galant stopped a man who was trying to make a quick profit and run away.

Of course, I didn't see it myself, so I can't be 100% sure.

But as the new lord, I had to make a judgment about Galant.

"But there's no evidence."

In the end, there's only one conclusion.

For now, I'll put it aside.

If Galant causes trouble again, I can punish him then.

Knock, knock.

"Lord, it's Aili."

Aili?

Oh, one of the girls I saw this morning.

"Come in."

Creak.

The door opened, and a small girl carrying a large bucket of water came in.

She brought the water for me to wash after returning from outside.

But... this kid is stronger than she looks?

She looks thin, but maybe she's all bones?

"Uh..."

"Is this spot okay?"

"No. Put it down there."

It looks like it might tip over.

Thud.

When she put the bucket down, some water spilled out.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Aili, startled, wiped the water with her sleeve.

The more I looked, the more uncomfortable I felt.

"Did you bring this bucket of water all by yourself?"

Aili shook her head.

A thin, small girl.

She still looks about ten years old.

The commoners in this world are often malnourished, but this is a bit extreme.

"No. Alice and I moved it to the second floor together."

I remembered I was on the second floor.

I scratched my cheek.

Thinking about it, Mazuk must have worked hard too.

They seem stronger than they look, but it still makes me uncomfortable.

"I need to move my room."

"Huh?"

"From now on, bring the bucket to the largest room on the first floor."

The only reason I chose this room on the second floor was for the view.

The original lord's bedroom was on the first floor.

I can use this as a study or office.

I was only using this room because I found the large house uncomfortable.

I can't make these kids carry the bucket up to the second floor every day.

"Yes."

"Both of you said you wanted to work here, right?"

"Thank you for allowing us."

"Do you cook and clean as well? It doesn't seem easy."

"We can do it. Please trust us."

They suddenly became enthusiastic.

But it feels strange to receive their enthusiasm.

I can't bring back the village girls who were taken as courtesans, so I have to use these kids.

But if they share the work, it might be easier.

"Where do you stay?"

"Mazuk, I mean the scribe, told us to stay in the room next to the door on the first floor."

I recalled the layout of the manor.

There were a few rooms... about six on the first floor.

The building must be around 3,000 square feet.

But there were some small rooms that puzzled me.

They must be servant's quarters like in old houses.

"Okay. Um... alright."

I stood up.

Now that I'm standing, Aili is really small.

I hooked her waist with my left hand.

"Kyaa."

"Where's Alice?"

The startled Aili answered.

"Outside the door..."

When I opened the door, I saw Alice's startled face peeking from the bottom of the stairs.

If they were coming in, they should both come in.

Anyway, it was easy to tell them apart.

Aili has short brown hair.

Alice has red pigtails.

I walked over and grabbed Alice's neck with my right hand.

"Kyaa?"

They both react the same way.

Now that I look, their faces are a bit similar.

"Are you sisters?"

"No, we're twins."

"Oh, you're the same age."

I nodded and walked down the stairs.

"Hmm."

The doors are made of solid wood and the walls are thick, so sound shouldn't carry well... but privacy is important.

Modern sensibilities pop up in unexpected situations.

I walked to the room opposite the lord's bedroom and put the two down in front of it.

"Fortunately, there are two rooms here."

When I opened the door, the room was quite large.

It seemed to be a guest room with a proper bed and wardrobe.

The furniture felt like it was bought from the city.

I pushed Aili to the left and Alice to the right.

"You can stay here, and you can stay there."

"Huh?!"

The two girls were shocked.

"I'll only use the bedroom and the second-floor room, so you don't need to clean the other rooms often. Just clean them once a week."

Actually, the bedroom doesn't need frequent cleaning, but if I'm too lenient, they might take advantage.

"You can use these rooms."

Aili and Alice looked at me in disbelief.

Having their own room is probably unfamiliar to them.

The size of the houses in the estate is strictly regulated.

If left unchecked, it would become a mess.

Lords don't care about the living conditions of the estate's residents, so it's common for seven or eight people to live in a one-room house.

In short, there's no personal space.

"Can... can we really do that?"

"Yes."

I don't plan to expand the houses of the estate residents.

Unconditional kindness can have negative effects.

But I don't like seeing the kids squirm.

I heard they were orphans.

"I heard from Mazuk..."

"Yes?"

"You two have to share food, right?"

"Yes."

They both looked like they were willing to endure it to stay here.

They must not want to be taken by the bandits.

"You don't have to. I'll let you eat as much as you want."

...The trust gauge went up by 130 but dropped by 50, which was more shocking.

What was the previous lord doing?

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