Chapter 84

"Katarina, we have a request for you."

"That's obvious, Vendelin! The one who requested it is you, isn't it!"

"That's the thing. It's under my name, but I'm not involved at all."

"How can you be so irresponsible!"

"Rodric is actually quite harsh with his subordinates, you know."

From the beginning, Katarina, a fallen noble's daughter, had conflicts with Iina and others, which led to a hunting competition. However, after that, they explored the underground ruins found by the mentor together and, despite their bickering, began to act as a team.

She has a set of beliefs about how nobles should behave, which is reflected in her attire and manner of speaking, but perhaps because she is not a true noble, there is a certain disconnect.

Moreover, she seems to wish to revive her family through the use of her magic, and her actions are often aimed at drawing attention from society.

There was a reason why she insulted Iina and others in front of me and challenged them to a competition.

However, the result of the competition no longer mattered.

Because the mentor, who intervened on his own, was too strong for both Katarina and me to defeat.

'Actually, did he deliberately ruin the competition to mediate?'

'He doesn't seem like the type to do that.'

The mentor's true intentions were unclear, but the fact that the competition no longer mattered was true.

After that, Katarina, in her usual tone, sincerely apologized, and the conflict was considered over.

I often receive construction requests from Rodric, and for some reason, Katarina started entering the Demon Forest with El and others.

'Lord Bluntrock is busy, so I will escort everyone.'

Her tone was as usual, but it seemed to be a cover for her embarrassment.

In reality, they seem to enjoy hunting and gathering with five women.

'Vel, can we add another male member...?'

'Find one yourself. If you find someone good at the Adventurer's Guild, I'll give my approval.'

'It's not that easy to find, which is why I'm asking.'

As a result of the hunting competition between the mentor, Katarina, and us, many adventurers began to flock to the branches of the Adventurer's Guild near the Demon Forest.

This was because the large quantities of monster materials, fruits, cocoa beans, and valuable herbs obtained from the competition were auctioned off for large sums of money by the Royal Capital's main branch of the Adventurer's Guild.

In particular, the two albino saber-toothed tigers were acquired by the royal family for a huge sum of money.

Other saber-toothed tigers were also auctioned off to several major nobles, and the atmosphere in the Royal Capital has apparently changed to the point where it is now considered normal for a noble to have a saber-toothed tiger pelt in their home.

As a result, many nobles are offering large rewards to the Adventurer's Guild, and a large number of adventurers have gathered in response.

The fare for a magic airship is at least one gold coin.

Even with that, the Demon Forest is recognized as a profitable hunting ground.

Even if they can't get a saber-toothed tiger, other monsters have high prices, and fruits and cocoa beans can also be profitable if collected in sufficient quantities.

Currently, a town is rapidly developing around the branches of the Adventurer's Guild.

There is also the existence of the underground ruins.

It is more accurately described as a large outlet mall from the ancient magic civilization era.

Eight large underground warehouses equipped with magic storage rooms were found, and they contained a large amount of supplies from that time.

There were many daily necessities, and even items like clothing and underwear were of much higher quality than current ones and in large quantities, so they should fetch a good price.

In fact, the shirts and pants I am wearing now are of such high quality that even a high-ranking noble would not look out of place wearing them as casual wear.

There are also many suits and formal wear, though the styles are different from current ones. Some casual clothing even resembles items from Earth.

Ties and suits, when tried on, felt like a return to my previous life as a salaryman.

Putting on leather shoes and carrying a bag, I even thought about hurrying to work.

There were also a large number of women's clothing and accessories, as well as gardening tools.

There were also large quantities of seeds for flowers, vegetables, and grains, which will be tested and confirmed at the experimental farm of the Baumaster family to see if they are superior to the current varieties cultivated in the kingdom.

Previously, I had asked for experimental cultivation of cocoa and fruits from the Demon Forest.

However, expansion may be necessary, so I may be called upon for construction work again.

There were also various daily necessities, toys, alcohol, food, furniture, books, and tools.

The quantities were so large that Rodric and the guild staff are still counting them.

Normally, the guild would buy everything and we would pay a contribution, but due to the large quantities, the guild has decided that it is impossible to buy everything.

Moreover, as the lord of this territory, it would be unacceptable to hand over all the materials that could lead to the development of new products to the guild.

Especially since Rodric is so insistent, the guild has agreed to only evaluate the materials, and I will pay the contribution in cash.

Incidentally, the contribution for the Demon Forest is ten percent of the evaluation value.

This is quite low, but it is the result of Rodric's skillful negotiation with the guild.

The guild also has to pay a ten percent tax to the Baumaster family.

The guild also has to pay taxes to us based on their income, so after deducting these, the burden on me is not as heavy as I thought.

However, it would be a significant amount for an ordinary noble.

The formal calculation of the amount is still pending, probably because the evaluation of the many magical artifacts has not been completed.

The warehouse, being an outlet mall that handles various products, naturally contained a large number of magical artifacts.

Refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, stoves, ovens, and washstands.

There were also many portable magic communication devices similar to the one Lord Bluntrock received from the Margrave of Breihlader.

Moreover, their performance and magic consumption efficiency were far superior to those currently available in the kingdom.

The flyers found in the warehouse read, "Sign up today for a worry-free magic communication device" and "Free contract for new customers."

The wording on the flyers evokes a sense of nostalgia for Japan.

Furthermore, several hundred magical artifacts similar to cars, trucks, motorcycles, and small tillers were also found.

The inventory records showed that the items included new, used, and even liquidated items from bankrupt companies, indicating that while magical artifacts were highly developed in the past, the industry faced intense competition due to excess inventory.

For example, among the portable magic communication devices, there were high-performance and beautifully crafted items from a workshop called "Sonia," as well as used items with minor damage but no performance difference.

There were also poorly made and inefficient items from a workshop called "Somia," which again evokes a sense of nostalgia for Earth.

It seems that the strategy was to pass off "Somia" products as "Sonia" products to mislead customers.

However, even the "Somia" products were far superior to existing magic communication devices.

In any case, these items are extremely valuable in this world.

Many adventurers are flocking to the Demon Forest in the hope of finding more such warehouses.

While the increased activity is a good thing, there are also concerns about deteriorating public order, so the expansion of the security force is being expedited.

New soldiers and officer candidates have been added.

"It's been a while, Lord Baumaster."

The first person was Cornelius Christoph von Armstrong, the third son of the mentor. He is nineteen years old and was originally in the military.

We had met a few times in the Royal Capital, but I never expected him to come here.

This is because the Armstrong family is one of the most influential in the kingdom, and many of its members are in the military.

Naturally, with connections, the mentor's third son could easily enter the military, and especially the direct male descendants of the Armstrong family are known for their excellent qualities as soldiers.

Cornelius was one of them and was expected to become a military officer in the future.

"I don't really resemble my father, so I thought it would be fine even if I wasn't in the kingdom's military."

The eldest son, who is the mentor's successor and also in the military, carries on the tradition of the Armstrong family and resembles the mentor and his uncle, the Earl of Armstrong.

However, all the younger sons, including Cornelius, resemble their mothers and are tall, handsome young men.

He is the opposite of the mentor, who is rather overbearing.

"Also, my cousin, the third son of my uncle, Felix, has come along. Some people are calling it a clearance sale of the military's spare sons."

Felix is a true representative of the Armstrong family, a muscular giant.

Also, the eldest son of the Asgahan Baron, Vilm's brother, is with them.

"Vilm was adopted by Lord Edgar as a foster daughter, so he was the first to be pushed in by connections."

While it is true that they are all children of military families and are well-trained, many of the soldiers are former adventurers, making them ideal for security duties dealing with rough adventurers.

"By the way, where is your father?"

"Just a little side job."

"Another brother or sister is on the way..."

The older sons of the mentor, reacting to their father's freewheeling nature, tend to be more conventional.

This is probably due to the educational policies of their mothers.

There is also the possibility that they are using their father as a negative example.

"By the way, your brother Henrik seems to be doing well in business."

"He owns a small magic airship."

Henrik is the mentor's second son and, unusually for a noble, is currently flying around undeveloped areas as a merchant.

He buys large quantities of supplies from places like Breihburg and transports them to construction sites in undeveloped areas and towns near the Demon Forest to make a profit.

"I borrowed the money for the magic airship from my father."

"He has been doing small business around the Royal Capital to gain experience, but he saw the rush of development in undeveloped areas as an opportunity and borrowed the money for a small magic airship from the mentor."

"There is no interest, but if you default, you will definitely be beaten to death."

"Indeed, that's the image..."

Even the mentor's children seem to feel that defaulting on a loan from the mentor is impossible.

There is no set repayment period, and since he is making a profit, there is no need to worry, Cornelius explained.

"Anyway, try to avoid conflicts with adventurers."

"Those types need to be handled firmly so they don't get too comfortable."

While he may not resemble the mentor, he seems to have inherited the blood of the mentor and the Earl of Armstrong in this regard.

Indeed, if the security force is disrespected and adventurers do as they please, it would be a problem, so Cornelius's opinion is not wrong.

"Then, I will head to the site immediately."

After this exchange, Cornelius led the security force to the site.

Apart from a few troublemakers, a quiet town is better for rest, and when that happens, more high-quality adventurers will gather, and hunting and gathering in the Demon Forest will progress.

This will lead to more taxes from adventurers and the guild, which will further advance development.

In addition, I am still being designated by Rodric for construction work, and I continue to save on development time and costs.

I spend half the week on construction work and the other half on hunting in the Demon Forest, with one day for rest.

Of course, this was decided by Rodric and the new vassals, not by me.

When I do the foundation work, the Baumaster family's cash flow decreases, and when I earn money as an adventurer, the development funds increase.

In a way, it feels like I am running a Ponzi scheme despite not having any financial difficulties.

And there is one more person who has joined the construction magic team.

Of course, it is Katarina, who wishes to revive her family.

"Dig a deep hole here?"

"Look, we need to move that magic storage room."

In the end, the underground ruins found by the mentor turned out to be a storage facility equipped with magic storage rooms to prevent the stored items from deteriorating over time.

For now, we have put the items in magic bags, but the quantities are so large that Rodric and his team are struggling to count them.

We tried to store them in a warehouse, but the warehouse itself was already full.

So, we decided to move them from the Demon Forest to here.

With the magic storage rooms, it is convenient to store food and supplies in Baulburg without worrying about deterioration.

While it would be costly to install new magic storage rooms, there is no problem using existing ones.

However, Lord Bluntrock and the Margrave of Breihlader want one for the kingdom, so only six will be installed near the mansion.

The relocation will be done by Baron Bluntrock, who is busy, so it is scheduled for a few days later, but we decided to dig a large hole to make the relocation easier.

I could have done it alone, but I happened to meet an excellent mage.

So, it seemed natural to entrust it to her.

"I might also bury one near the mansion when I revive my family."

"The share can be in cash or in kind from the underground warehouse."

At this point, it would just be a burden to receive it.

After all, Katarina's dream of reviving her family has not yet been realized.

"Fine, but don't assign me to other construction work!"

"Ah, it's so much trouble to do it alone."

Katarina apparently had no experience with construction magic before, but when I taught her, she became quite adept at it, second only to her wind magic.

Since I met other excellent mages, we exchanged magic techniques and trained together.

On the days I go out for construction work, she goes into the Demon Forest with El and others.

Since we spend a lot of time together, she recently moved into the mansion to help with the construction of the Baumaster family's new mansion.

"This mansion is getting more and more women."

"Elwin, do you have a complaint?"

"No..."

Katarina, who started living in my mansion, said that the official reason was to prevent the division of the spoils from the underground ruins exploration, which was not yet officially over, from being manipulated, while proudly puffing out her large chest.

"Sure, sure, let's leave it at that."

Iina, who had a fierce clash with Katarina the first time they met, has now gotten used to her tone and realized that, despite her usual manner of speaking, she is actually quite sensible.

After all, she pays her room and board diligently.

"Being able to take a bath every day and train in magic with Vendelin are very minor reasons!"

"Sure, sure. Katarina, peel these vegetables."

"Why should a noble like me do cooking..."

"Elise is a good cook."

"Is that so..."

Katarina, in fact, is a good cook.

While she spends money on her equipment to look good, she is frugal in other areas and often cooks and makes bento boxes.

She believed that noble ladies should not cook, so she was reluctant to do so in front of others.

"Fluffy, like a swan."

Indeed, Vilm's description is apt.

A swan appears graceful on the surface, but it is actually paddling hard underwater, much like Katarina.

"Noblewomen don't usually cook, but they sometimes serve food to their vassals and subjects."

In smaller noble families, it is common for the lady of the house or her daughters to serve food to their vassals and subjects during harvest time.

In my family, my mother and my sister-in-law Amalie cooked regularly because there were not enough hands.

"For the future."

"Fluffy, you're good with knives."

"Vilm, can't you do something about my nickname?"

Somehow, the women seem to be getting along well.

Currently, the construction of the Baulburg mansion is still ongoing, but the mentor's mansion has already been moved to the courtyard, and we are living there.

I alternate between exploring the Demon Forest and development and construction work.

El has started learning military matters by joining the security force a few times a week.

Iina and Louise are preparing to open a spear school and a magic combat school, respectively.

However, the schools are low on the priority list for town construction.

They can teach in the grasslands if they want to.

They have only registered as school owners and left everything to the deputy school owners and a few instructors they called from Breihburg.

"You will only be lending your names for now."

The Margrave of Breihlader has also warned them that if they leave my side and do not have children, the schools will be closed.

So, the deputy school owners and a few instructors are also serving as security guards and teaching a little to those who want to learn in their free time.

In effect, they have become vassals of the Baumaster family, performing military duties and teaching martial arts.

The deputy