Chapter 21

――The next morning.

I thought I would hold a report meeting with the housekeepers first, but since I kept them waiting for a whole day after staying up all night, it was decided that I would give the speech first.

As before, Rumburg and Barthol stood at the forefront of the gathered people, preventing them from moving any further forward.

I, on the other hand, proceeded through the empty garden, flanked by maids, in a somewhat pitiful manner.

"His Grace has arrived!"

"Lord Joshua! Lord Joshua!"

"Our precious treasure!"

Wow. Just stepping out of the mansion causes this much of a reaction...

But it seems the people's screams are louder than last time.

Barthol moved me to the podium at just the right moment.

UWAAAAAA—

A deafening cheer echoed through the air.

Wow.

There are more people. Clearly more.

"Lord Joshua"

Rumburg, kneeling on one knee below the podium, called out to me. I only turned my eyes towards him.

"The number of gathered vassals is nearly 600."

"Ah, thank you..."

"To see so many vassals who admire Lord Joshua. This Rumburg is deeply moved."

Rumburg pressed a silk handkerchief to his eyes.

I am overwhelmed too...

I had expected this. That's why I had been working to improve the infrastructure on a city scale, not just a village scale.

Including those who would come on foot, the number would increase even more.

Taking advantage of the gradual increase, I would speed up the construction of facilities.

This is the only way.

I slowly spread my arms, and the vassals who had been shouting their hearts out instantly fell silent, as if water had been poured over them.

"Gentlemen. You who have come to me, even abandoning your country. Those who have newly arrived here are all equally gathered to admire me. Is that not so?"

At these words, everyone nodded, raised both hands, and a roar of applause erupted.

Good, the reaction is even better than I expected.

I need to steel myself, me. After all, I've already declared that I will retire in three years.

The speech from now on is just a formality.

"Gentlemen. I intend to build a city here. And I want you to become the vassals of this land. Will you not join me, with me as your lord, to build up this land together?"

"His Grace of Rude! Of course!"

"We will be with His Grace!"

"Long live Lord Joshua!"

Half the people were in tears. The next most common reaction was people kneeling on both knees and pressing their fingertips together in a square.

Some clenched their fists and raised them high to the sky, while others continued to shout their hearts out. The reactions varied, but I could tell everyone was motivated.

"I am no longer the Duke of Rude. But in governing this land, a name is necessary. I hereby declare:"

I paused here, looking at the gathered people.

The crowd fell silent again, holding their breath, waiting for my next words.

"I will name this land the Frontier State of Kampaland, and the city Nellac. From now on, I will be known as the Frontier Lord. I will discard the name Rude. Please call me simply Joshua."

The next moment, the loudest cheer of the day erupted.

WOOOOOO—

"Long live the Frontier Lord Joshua!"

"Glory to Kampaland!"

Declaring the name of the country won't change the lives of the vassals.

However, declaring that I am not a duke but a frontier lord, and giving it a name, is a show of resolve.

By declaring this, the gathered people will become vassals, and I will, albeit reluctantly, become the lord of this land.

The country is still just a shell. We haven't even started building houses yet.

But by uniting everyone's consciousness as a country, we can all walk towards the same goal.

We can all be motivated to do it.

◇◇◇

After the successful speech, I returned to the mansion.

The location was the dining room. Ely brought out tea, and Rumburg and Barthol brought in a blackboard.

Al was fidgeting, but when I said, "Al, you're still on guard, right?" she calmed down, with a full smile.

"Everyone, please take your seats."

"Understood."

Rumburg responded on behalf of everyone, and they all bowed before sitting down.

"Let's start with the report I couldn't hear yesterday. So, Rumburg first."

"Ha! We explored centered around the location where the water wheel is being installed, but we did not find any threatening monsters or wild beasts."

"Any snails or penguins?"

"Many large snails were seen. But what kind of creature is a penguin?"

"Something like this, chubby."

I drew a clumsy picture on the blackboard to explain to Rumburg.

He shook his head, indicating he had never seen one.

"Is it an important creature? For rare materials?"

"No, just personal interest. Nothing in particular. Thank you for exploring beyond the river."

"Ha!"

"Today, I have another task for you. Not necessarily the elders, but people with leadership skills, people who want to become craftsmen, etc. Can you conduct interviews with the vassals?"

"I will do my best."

We are short on people to give orders. Similarly, Garam and Tore, and their apprentices, are not enough as craftsmen.

Based on my prediction, the number of vassals will exceed 1000 within a month.

There should be people who were originally craftsmen among those gathered.

"Next, Barthol."

"Sure. I've brought some newly discovered fruits to the mansion."

"Thank you."

"Also... I saw some Kira Plants and the monsters that prey on them."

"Indeed, pineapples?"

"Sure. They were in the pineapple grove."

"Can you gauge the threat level? If it feels dangerous, it's okay to retreat."

"Sure. The lightning-covered beast-type monster that preys on Kira Plants might be a bit dangerous."

"Lightning...!"

Barthol, seeing my interest, rubbed his nose with his fingertips, smirking.

"I thought you would be interested, Lord Joshua. Will you hunt it or observe it?"

"Sure. Capturing it would be best, but it might be too dangerous..."

Lightning means electricity.

No, I'm not thinking of using the monster itself for power generation.

If it can produce lightning at any time, it can be used for many things. I wonder if the power can be adjusted... Even so, it's worth trying.

"Capture it. If there's a material that can handle the lightning, it might work."

"Hmm. Ah, right. I want you to observe the lightning beast. Is it always charged?"

"Lightning beast?"

"Yes. I gave it a name. It's awkward to keep calling it a monster."

"Great! Lightning beast. I need to observe the lightning beast to see if it's always charged."

"If it's always charged, there must be living creatures nearby that are unharmed. They must be resistant to lightning."

"Got it! As expected, Lord Joshua. So, I'll continue exploring, right?"

Barthol punched his palm, as if to say, "You got it!"

"Please do. Then, Rumburg, I'm sorry to add another task, but I also need you to work with Al to protect the city."

Rumburg and Al nodded in response.

Ely was supposed to be the guard today, so I asked Al.

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