Volume 3 Chapter 4 Lord Noble
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After fending off the shadow dogs, we arrived at Abyss Vena just before midnight.
Since Lana, who had arrived ahead of us, was able to meet with Lord Arbalest through the head of the Dorman family, Cefiro, and accurately conveyed the circumstances, the Godard men, led by Akebus, were able to avoid being detained by the guard.
However, when Lana tried to let the women and children from Godard, who were refugees, enter, there was indeed some trouble with the guard, and it seems they managed to get through as guests of the Blackdagger family.
Thus, after safely returning, I, Milly, and Akebus, representing Godard, were summoned to Lord Arbalest’s private room in the castle.
”Long time no see, you’ve really turned into an old man, Akebus!”
”Lord Arbalest, you’ve really put on weight. Does becoming a lord mean you don’t exercise anymore?”
As we entered the room, the two were embracing each other and exchanging lighthearted banter.
After a while, once they finished updating each other on recent events, they shifted the conversation to the matter at hand.
”I heard the details from the daughter of the Dorman family, but I can only apologize regarding the matter of Akebus’s daughter and son-in-law. If we could have requested patrol duties from the garrison, this situation might have been avoidable.”
”No, as for my daughters, I have come to think of it as a necessary sacrifice for my family to regain a master and reside in Abyss Vena. If we had clung to that situation, our family would have been completely annihilated by today.”
”Well, I have removed the banishment sentence imposed on the Akebus family using my lordship authority, so from tomorrow onwards, you will be welcomed as residents of Abyss Vena.”
”Yes, I am grateful for your lordship’s generous kindness.”
”Stop being so formal, we’ve known each other for ages”
Arbalest helped Akebus, who was on his knees with his hands clasped together, to his feet, and then he turned towards Milly and me.
”Kent, you really saved me. Akebus is an old acquaintance and also my best friend. I am grateful that you saved him. But why is it that Akebus, who did not receive my special pardon, has abandoned the village and become one of your subordinates?”
Arbalest tilted his head and asked.
”Well… I wonder why. Hahahaha”
I awkwardly laughed to dodge the question.
Because hiring all the villagers as servants is definitely not something a sane person would do, and I certainly couldn’t tell Arbalest, my fiancée’s uncle, that I promised to take in 3 concubines from Akebus’s family.
I couldn’t answer Arbalest’s question.
”Lord Arbalest, he promised to welcome 3 concubines from my family. He said he would take a daughter from my family as a concubine and become a man of Godard, so I was motivated to serve him.”
W-What are you saying?!
Akebus!
You’re ruining my elaborate and clever political strategy!
Hearing Akebus’s words, Arbalest frowned and shot me a piercing glare.
”What… 3 of them?! Kent! Are you making 3 of Godard’s women your concubines?!”
Arbalest questioned me in an angry tone.
I’m sorry!
I’m really sorry!
I’m sorry for creating so many concubines while still being engaged to your niece!
As I tried to immediately bow down, Arbalest rushed over and grabbed my shoulder tightly.
Just when I thought he was going to hit me, Arbalest blurted out something unexpected.
”Hey, you’re going to take 3 Godard women, who are said to be the worst in sexual matters and even worse than succubi, as your concubines! I’m telling you, leave them alone. I was already struggling with my own problems even with my late wife, Aclea. No matter how sexually prowess you are, this is too reckless. Think again.”
Arbalest confessed that he had taken a woman from Godard as his wife.
I had heard from Milly that her uncle lost her wife early on and has been single for a long time, so after the death of the Godard-born Aclea, it seems he has remained unmarried.
However, Arbalest, who had welcomed that Godard-born woman as his wife, came to me with a changed expression, telling me to reduce my mistresses.
But I had already made a promise with Akebus, so there was no way I could reduce them now.
”Sir Arbalest, I apologize, but I’ve already made a promise with Akebus, so I can’t pretend it never happened. If I easily go back on my word, no one will ever trust me again.”
”I see… then it can’t be helped. If Milly is also aware of this, all I can say is to do your best. Milly, how many mistresses does Kent have now?”
Milly, who was brought into the conversation by her uncle, replied with an awkward smile.
It seems that Arbalest knows I have a lot of mistresses.
My face burned with embarrassment.
Still, is it really that hard to be a woman from Godard… they’re Majin just like me, right?
”I see, if that’s the reason, it makes sense that Akebus chose not to face total destruction and instead abandoned the village to become one of Kent’s subordinates.”
”Oh, is that so?”
I had no knowledge about women from Godard, so all I could do was nod along.
”Well, setting that aside, Kent. What will you do about the Godard folks? Do they have a place to live or work set up? Do they have funds?”
Arbalest asked me about the pile of issues I would have to tackle starting tomorrow.
My mind was filled with thoughts of safely evacuating to Abyss Vena; I still hadn’t thought about anything else.
”I’m planning to start tomorrow. For the time being, I’ll have them to make do with living in a tent in the garden of the mansion.”
”You idiot! What kind of lord would make his subjects live in tents?”
Milly exclaims in surprise at Arbalest’s words.
”Uncle! What do you mean by subject? Are you planning to make Kent your Noble lord? Does that mean…”
Milly swallowed the words she had started to say.
”That’s right, Milly, Kent will officially marry Milly and inherit the Blackdagger family as my nominee. I’m rather fond of this nephew of mine, and since he played a significant role in the recent rescue operation, I’m planning to elevate his title from knight to baron.”
I was also thinking it was about time to officially marry Milly, but things are starting to look a bit ominous.
It seems Arbalest wants to make me, who is now married to Milly and has inherited the Blackdagger family, a land-owning noble.
”But why? Isn’t there no land to be granted to Abyss Vena?”
From what I heard from Milly, the Margrave’s territory has only been granted land in the southern area based on Abyss Vena, which was built as a fortress city exclusively for monsters, situated in a isthmus between 2 great seas.
I was told that the land given to the Margrave’s vassals is limited to the area around Abyss Vena, and it’s extremely rare to be appointed as a lord noble in the south.
”Actually, there is. The previous generation once planned to expand the town by linking the cramped Abyss Vena with the eastern garrison using walls, but the development has been left half-finished due to financial difficulties.”
”Ah, you mean that gently sloping area filled with nothing but weeds that I see when I go to the eastern garrison?”
”That’s right. It’s probably larger than the land created by the Akebus family for Godard village. Plus, being inside the walls, it’s a prime location that would make any southern noble drool.”
It seems Arbalest wants to grant that prime land to me, who have the Akebus family at my back.
But it feels like there’s something too good to be true about this.
”Whenever my uncle has that kind of face and is pushing the conversation so hard, I feel there has to be something behind it.”
Milly also seemed to sense something fishy about the Arbalest story.
”Lord, we will be living in tents, so please don’t worry about us.”
In the end, even Akebus felt something was fishy and gave me advice.
”So, Sir Arbalest, what’s the secret behind that sweet deal?”
”Tsk, I knew you wouldn’t jump in! Damn! It can’t be helped; since I’m exposing the behind-the-scenes story, feel free to become the lord.”
I was secretly relieved.
As expected, it seems there was a hidden agenda to this story.
”The story about granting this land originates from the Nobles living in Abyss Vena, namely the Blackdagger family, who, despite being knights, possess an excessive amount of wealth in Abyss Vena. To stop the Blackdagger family from acting any more arrogantly, we were given this land, though it is in a good location on the outskirts, in order to drive us out of Noble Street. There are many Nobles who borrow money from Miriallia, even if not directly, so it seems that we are quite unpopular. If Kent doesn’t go along with this, I will have to eliminate two or three Noble families.”
”Why is it that if Kent doesn’t accept it, other Noble families will be wiped out? Doesn’t that seem strange?”
Arbalest continued explaining with a weary expression.
”If the Blackdagger family refuses this story, I’ll have to go as far as selecting a sacrificial Noble from those who proposed it to send to this land. Considering the scale of the assets needed for development, we’ll need at least 2 well-off families. Even so, it still seems likely to fail.”
After hearing that explanation, I asked Arbalest a question.
”So why get the Blackdagger family involved in this likely failing development project?”
”Well, you see, the magic Guild and Hunter Guild have said that if this land is granted to the Blackdagger family, they’ll provide funding and various other support. Additionally, Golerg, the head of the shopping street association, has offered support under similar conditions. With that level of support and the financial power of the Blackdagger family, it’s clear that any idiot leading the charge will lead to success. That’s why I’m telling you not to hesitate in accepting it.”
I was thinking about Golerg’s support when…
If we have support from the 3 representative guilds of Abyss Vena, we also have Akebus, a strong person who built a village from scratch, and considering that we could include wages for Akebus’s family as development costs for securing their residential area and developing the settlement, the funding for development should be sufficient even if the number of residents increases in the future.
Since I’m going to receive a large plot of land anyway, it would be nice to build accommodations and a training ground for our Hunting Group, ‘Crimson Bride’ and ‘Red Valkyrie’, and maybe even a facility that integrates all 3 guilds for the Monster Hunters who come to the suburbs.
It could be great to have a facility where I could buy magic, purchase and process equipment, and handle quests and settlements, and ask each guild to create it as a branch.
I gradually began to feel motivated and turned to Milly.
”Milly, if he’s going that far, I have no choice but to accept it, right?”
”That’s right… It seems everyone wants to make Kent great. Then, shall we build a splendid castle that would overshadow my miser uncle’s castle? Let’s make our residence be said to be the lord’s residence of Abyss Vena.”
Milly smiled sweetly at me.
”Well, let’s keep it modest at first. We’ll build the grand one later.”
I decided to have her settle for a modest mansion for the time being.
Even though the Blackdagger family has money, it’s Milly’s personal assets, so I can’t just spend it recklessly.
”Miser… To call your own uncle a miser… If I had money, I would do it myself! However, if this Kent land development succeeds, the housing shortage in Abyss Vena will be resolved at once. After all, Baron Blackdagger will use his own assets to develop a residential area as large as Abyss Vena between the eastern garrison and here.”
Huh?
Is he saying I should build a city the same size as Abyss Vena?
I really don’t get it at all, Mr. Arbalest?
I was thinking we were talking about something the size of Godard Village, but with the scale he’s mentioning, it feels like he’s telling me to create a city where at least thousands of people would live. Am I just imagining things?
If I have to come up with the development costs for such a city, I might have to hunt every monster living in the southern region to manage it.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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