Chapter 90

"By the way, this used to be a former barony. It's a region where the influence of the church is deeply rooted."

Sora changed the topic of conversation.

The village chief casually poked the messenger's thigh.

It was a signal to be careful.

Even though he knew it was meddlesome, as a predecessor who had been outdone by Sora, it was at least a warning.

Sora had caught the village chief's movement in his field of vision but did not reprimand him.

He had intended to push the conversation forward forcefully from the beginning.

"We need to create a place where the craftsmen from the Belze Marquisate, who are supporters of the mages, can live safely. It's not like we can just push the craftsmen on them and expect them to manage everything, right?"

The messenger, sensing that the conversation was heading in a strange direction, hurriedly interjected.

"Do you mean to form a guild?"

A guild, in other words, an organization to counter the church.

Sora shook his head and rejected the idea.

"Without a backing, forming an organization won't be enough to stand up to the church."

"Wouldn't the Kleinser Count provide the backing?"

The messenger asked, frowning. His tone contained a critical undertone, suggesting that he thought they would only accept the craftsmen and then leave them alone.

Sora shrugged.

"Of course, I will cooperate. However, we are short of manpower. I can't guarantee that I'll be available when needed."

Sora made a regretful expression.

Behind him, Lazette covered her mouth with one hand, trying to hide a wry smile.

"That's why I have a proposal for the Belze Marquis."

Sora's regretful expression suddenly changed to a bright smile, like a child showing off his drawings to his parents.

Zendo stiffened reflexively, realizing that Sora was about to make an unreasonable "request."

Sora conveyed his intention to Zendo with just a glance.

In other words, if he didn't want to be involved, he should stay quiet.

After deterring the troublemaker, Sora opened his mouth.

"Lend me a few officials."

"…What?"

The messenger asked, his mouth agape.

However, his diligent mind began to calculate the future if Sora's proposal were to be accepted.

Lending a town to the craftsmen and bringing in officials from the Belze Marquisate.

The officials would have the backing of the Viscount Sora and the Belze Marquis, making it difficult for the church to act rashly.

"…However, wouldn't that be like transferring part of the viscount's governance to the Belze Marquis?"

"Of course, the town officials will be handled by Chaf. While the officials from the Belze Marquisate will manage the practical aspects, Chaf, as the viscount's advisor, will supervise them."

Chaf would serve as the town official and the face of the viscount's administration. He would be in a position to consult with the viscount's leadership.

With a viscount's official as the superior, the transfer of governance would not occur.

This plan, where the officials from the Belze Marquisate would handle the practical work, might seem like a loss for the Belze Marquis, who would be losing talent.

However, the craftsmen would be temporarily dispatched under the pretext of reconstruction support.

The Belze Marquis could freely recall the officials dispatched with the craftsmen.

Moreover, the mage-supporting Belze Marquis could interact with Chaf under the pretext of reconstruction support and establish a direct line to the neutral Trinen Marquisate.

In this world, where communication technology is underdeveloped, acquaintances are crucial for smooth information exchange.

It would be easy to judge whether a person was pretending to be someone they were not.

For the same reason, the Trinen Marquisate would not lose out.

For Chaf personally, interacting with capable officials would help improve his skills.

The messenger, looking down in thought, stole a glance at Sora.

"…You look like you don't understand what's in it for me."

"I've been seen through. Could you please enlighten me?"

Sora leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"Connections are a form of wealth, right?"

At such times, he would tilt his head childishly and dodge the question, making him hard to handle.

The messenger smiled wryly, thinking he was dealing with a tough opponent.

After seeing off the messengers returning to their respective bases, Sora hurried back to his office.

He had not finished his morning paperwork because he had accompanied Gorge and the others in their training.

Sora walked down the second-floor corridor with Lazette.

"Still, I never thought the opportunity to get the officials I've been longing for would come to me like this."

Sora muttered happily.

The officials in the viscount's domain were corrupt.

They were the same people appointed by the Kleinser Count.

He had a good idea of the methods of corruption and the evidence collection was going smoothly.

However, there was no one in Sora's vassals who could serve as an official.

Even if they were corrupt and misconduct was rampant, they were still doing some work. It was better to have them than not.

However, by bringing in officials from the Belze Marquisate, it would be possible to cultivate talent.

In the long run, this would be a significant achievement.

Sora had dodged the messenger's question to avoid being asked for a return favor.

To him, talent was an irreplaceable asset.

"Next, with the increase in smoked meat transportation, the river traffic will become a problem. We need to develop a new type of boat that can carry more without becoming larger."

"Lily will be delighted, I'm sure."

"Indeed."

As Sora and Lazette laughed together, Sora heard a quarrelsome voice.

"…What's that?"

Sora turned his face in the direction of the voice.

Looking down from the window, he saw Chaf and his guard, Felix, facing each other. Chaf was holding a wooden sword, but Felix was unarmed.

Felix stood lazily with his hands hanging down and spoke.

"There's no point in talking. If you can read my feints with your eyes, it's all over."

Chaf swung his wooden sword, but Felix dodged every attack with a cool expression.

After demonstrating the skill gap, Felix stepped on Chaf's right foot, which had overextended, immobilizing him.

In the next moment, Chaf's wrist was grabbed, and he was completely immobilized.

At this point, the match was over.

However, Felix mercilessly struck Chaf's face with a backhand, sending him reeling.

Chaf's upper body leaned back, and he dropped his wooden sword.

As the sword hit the ground, Felix shouted.

"Don't let go of your sword!"

Felix delivered a whip-like kick to Chaf's torso.

Chaf, who had bent his body into a C-shape and held his breath, fell to his knees.

Felix looked at Chaf coldly, turned on his heel, and noticed Sora looking down from the second-floor window, making a bitter face.

Sora, having watched the entire scene, started walking silently to his office.

"…Was it okay not to stop that fight?"

Lazette asked, looking puzzled.

Sora made a bitter face, just like Felix.

"That wasn't a fight. It was rough, but it's also typical of the Trinen Marquisate."

Lazette tilted her head.

Sora opened his mouth hesitantly.

"Chaf has been losing confidence recently."

After losing the duel to Sora, Chaf was forced into the position of an advisor. At that point, his pride was shattered.

His confidence, which he had relied on, had vanished like a mirage. Since coming to the viscount's domain, he had been constantly reminded that he was less capable than Sora, who looked like a child.

Still, he was forced to act as a suitable advisor to the viscount.

The pain must have been unbearable, something only he could understand.

Sora, with a face that looked like he had bitten into a bitter bug, opened the office door.

"Felix intends to be a target for Chaf to aim for, to help him recover. He's playing the role of the villain for that purpose."

Seeing Sora, Felix might make a bitter face too.

Lazette, closing the office door, voiced her thoughts.

"Can't Sora-sama be the target?"

Sora shook his head weakly.

"Think about how Chaf would feel if I surpassed him. …He would sink even deeper."

Regardless of his inner qualities, he looked like an eight-year-old child. Even if he was exceptional in many ways, it was hard to imagine Chaf could accept it.

—Damn. I've been preoccupied with the viscount's domain's reconstruction.

Sora sat at his desk and sighed.

"Is there anything I can do…?"

"Maybe he should fall in love."

"That stiff? Impossible."

Sora shrugged.

Lazette said nothing.

She just smiled ambiguously.