Chapter 28

"Here are the revised accounts from last month, Lord Noein. Please review them. Also, this is the table showing the rotation of the peasants' corvée duties. I would like you to check if there are any issues."

"Thank you, Anna. I'll check them right away."

It had been about a week since Anna moved to the Arquvist territory. She had demonstrated abilities far beyond Noein's expectations in managing the territory's finances and the peasants' work.

Within a few days, she had grasped her duties, compiled records of the month's income and expenses, and was now working on making the past records, which Noein had compiled amateurishly, more comprehensible.

Moreover, she quickly memorized the faces and names of the main peasants and mastered the management of their corvée duty shifts.

"...Yeah, there are no issues with either. Especially with the accounts, Anna is much more capable than I am."

"Oh, no, I'm just—"

"No, this is something you should be proud of. I'm glad I welcomed you to this territory."

Noein, who had tried to manage things as best as he could, was no match for Anna, who had a professional merchant for a parent and years of practical experience.

"I was thinking of formally appointing you as a vassal of the Arquvist family, if you're willing. I want you to support the development of this territory as one of its members. What do you think?"

"Lord Noein... Thank you. I will work hard to be of service to you and this territory!"

"That's great. I look forward to working with you."

Smiling at the visibly moved Anna, Noein felt a sense of relief.

From the beginning of the development, when he learned that Anna could handle administrative and financial tasks and noticed her interest in the Arquvist territory, he made a point to talk to her whenever he visited Eliza's shop.

He repeatedly told her how enjoyable the development was and how wonderful the Arquvist territory was (with a bit of exaggeration), gradually guiding her to the point where she decided to move.

He gradually guided the shy Anna to the point of making the major decision to move. As a result, he finally managed to secure an excellent talent. If she had said, "I'll quit after all," all his efforts would have been in vain.

He was fairly confident she would stay, but until she explicitly stated she would become a vassal, it wasn't certain. Hearing her words now, Noein finally felt completely at ease.

With Anna handling the paperwork, Noein only needed to do final checks as the supervisor and deal with matters that required the lord's judgment. Compared to before, his workload would be significantly reduced.

Finally freed from overwork, Noein was truly grateful for Anna's presence.

...

Whenever Noein visited Retvik, he not only tried to improve his reputation in the neighboring territory but also aimed to spread the word that the Arquvist territory was recruiting peasants.

To this end, he particularly emphasized this to merchants like Eliza and Benedict, ensuring the rumor spread.

Thanks to these efforts, by late October, as winter approached, refugees began to trickle into the Arquvist territory, most of them farmers from the southwestern part of the kingdom, near the border with the Lancer Kingdom.

They were people who had lost their homes due to the conflict with the Lancer Kingdom, whose lives had been ruined by the requisition of food and other supplies by the Roadberg Kingdom's army, or who had fled due to the heavy taxes imposed during the conflict.

The increasing number of refugees indicated that the security in the western part of the Roadberg Kingdom was gradually deteriorating, but for Noein, it was a golden opportunity to increase his population without doing much.

He had also ordered the construction of additional houses to accommodate these immigrants, so there were no issues with housing.

"So, your name is... Russell, right? And your wife is Admia, and your daughter is Lillis, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Arquvist."

At the moment, Noein was meeting with a family that had come to request permission to move in. The location was a tent used as a temporary checkpoint next to the entrance where the wooden fence surrounding the settlement was broken.

Unlike Noein, who appeared relaxed, Russell and his family were tense.

It was understandable, given that the lord of the territory was right in front of them, and behind him stood Matilda, a rabbit girl with a cold gaze, and Pense, a man with sharp eyes, both serving as guards.

"Your original home is in the southwestern part of the kingdom, in the territory of the Duke of Gardwin. The reason you became a refugee is that you were attacked by the Lancer Kingdom's army... Is the situation in the conflict zone so bad that the enemy has even invaded the duke's territory?"

Noein asked, looking at the information Pense had gathered from Russell and his family.

Russell's eyes darted around, and he began to sweat.

"Well, that... is..."

"If there are any lies in the information after we accept you, we might have to consider expelling you. I want you to be honest."

"...I'm sorry! The truth is, we were heavily taxed by the duke because of the conflict, and we couldn't bear it anymore, so we fled. If we stayed, we would have starved to death. Please, don't send us back..."

"I see. Thank you for being honest. Is what you're saying true? Can your wife and daughter swear to it?"

"Yes, I swear by my family and my life. This is the absolute truth..."

To show his sincerity, Russell, despite his trembling, looked straight at Noein. Noein met his gaze.

"Alright. I believe you. I will allow you to move in. I hope you will work hard as a member of the Arquvist territory."

"R-Really? Is that okay?"

"Of course, it's fine. However, try not to talk openly about being fugitives within the territory. If word gets out that there are many fugitives from other territories, it could cause trouble."

"Yes, I understand! Thank you, thank you!"

Russell and his family, who had feared being sent back to the Duke of Gardwin's territory, were almost in tears, grateful for Noein's kindness.

On the other hand, Noein was thinking:

(A few fugitives won't be worth the effort for a large territory like the Duke of Gardwin to search for. Reporting them and sending them back wouldn't make the duke grateful to me. It's much better to welcome them as my own peasants.)

Of course, he didn't say this out loud, so Russell and his family had no way of knowing Noein's true thoughts.

He showed love to those who became his subjects, but until that moment, he only acted based on what was best for himself and his territory. That was Noein's way.

He instructed Pense to assign an empty house and farmland to the family, and as they left the tent with Pense, Noein let out a sigh.

"Good work, Lord Noein."

"Thank you, Matilda. We've gained more subjects."

"Yes. The population of the Arquvist territory is now 49. Once the next immigrants arrive, it will exceed 50."

"That's right... It's now a village in scale. It's a good start to be able to achieve this in the first year of development."

"This is all thanks to your excellent leadership, Lord Noein."

As usual, Matilda praised Noein.

Until recently, Matilda, who managed the house, and Noein, who handled various tasks as the lord, often acted separately. However, with more manpower in the territory and the hiring of two young girls as maids, Matilda, freed from household chores, had returned to her role as Noein's secretary.

It was a waste to have Matilda, who could handle reading, writing, arithmetic, and even serve as Noein's guard, working as a housemaid. Her words of total affirmation were comforting, and most importantly, he wanted his beloved Matilda to always be by his side.

With Matilda back to supporting him, Noein was satisfied with the current situation.

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