■■■■■■■■■■
117 Tough at
the Beginning...
■■■■■■■■■■
Translator : PolterGlast
After Banarji became
my retainer, I told him about the Teleportation Gate.
Those who know about
the Teleportation Gate and my jobs are Anneliese, Banarji, Gandarvan, Barth,
Jojok, Lin, Solidia, Rosalina, Colon, Caron, Mondark, Merlice, Jewel, Zoppa,
Kenny, Laura, Lilith, Sodon, Enrique, Itsukushima-san, Yamato, and about a
dozen of the first-generation members who became knights and soldiers.
Was there anyone else?
...I think I'm good.
The list is quite
long, but it should be fine as long as the magical contract is effective.
Besides, most of them probably don't even need a magical contract.
"My
goodness..."
A dumbfounded Banarji
stood frozen in place.
"This is the
royal capital...?"
"This is my
mansion in the royal capital. You can also travel to the mansion in Kerniff."
"When I first
heard the story, I wondered how much of it was a joke, but it was all true. I
apologize for doubting you."
He bowed deeply,
showing his apology.
As you can see from
this action, Banarji is a very earnest person. He and Gandarvan are a good
match.
"So, there are a
lot of things to keep secret. Please keep that in mind."
"Understood."
After revealing the
secret to Banarji, it was time to inspect the Knight Order.
"...Why are there
so many corpses?"
What happened?
"Hey, Barth. What
is the meaning of this?"
"Sir. There were
an unusually large number of soldiers who couldn't keep up with the
training..."
I see. So that's why
the soldiers are on the ground.
There are over 100
soldiers lying down.
Some of them are
knights.
Is this territory
alright?
"Barth. Gather
all the knights and soldiers."
"Hah!"
Barth gathered
everyone.
Among them were
Gandarvan and the others who had been training with them, and my retainers from
Kerniff and the royal capital.
In fact, only
Gandarvan and the others were moving normally. The Triange group gathered with
the slow movements of zombies.
"You are all too
slow! What is the meaning of making His Excellency Viscount Footscythel
wait!"
Barth raised his voice
to scold the Triange group, but they seemed too exhausted to care.
I stood on a box, like
an apple box, in front of the soldiers who had finally lined up.
Hey, whoever said I
looked like a girl, step forward. I'll punch you.
"My apologies for
the late introduction, but I am Toi Footscythel, the new lord of Triange."
"I have no
intention of asking you to respect or revere me."
"You all have a
job to do. That is to protect this territory."
"Your job is to
catch bandits and those who abuse the people of this territory."
"But in your
current state, you probably can't even catch a bandit."
"With your
current state of laziness, the bandits will laugh at you."
"Don't take
training lightly. Take it seriously. And those who wish to can enter the
dungeon. Go and raise your levels."
I'm not expecting any
loyalty.
All I'm saying is to
work seriously.
Also, entering the
dungeon is only for those who wish to.
I'm not telling
everyone to enter the dungeon, but soldiers who level up in the dungeon will
probably have a higher chance of promotion.
***
I gathered the village
and town heads at the government office.
Yeah, as expected,
there are many who are embezzling funds.
Since Triange has a
population of 20,000, one head is in charge of a few hundred to just over a
thousand people.
There are also three
other villages, each with a population of a few hundred.
There are people who
work under the heads of the villages and towns, so they're not doing everything
alone, but it would still be difficult for a few people to manage a few hundred
to over a thousand residents. For those who are working honestly, anyway.
"I am Toi
Footscythel, your lord. This land was a direct royal domain, but from now on, I
will govern it. I look forward to working with you."
With my young,
feminine appearance, the heads of the villages had various reactions.
"To start, from
now on, I want a report on the population changes every year."
A stir arose as they
wondered what I meant, but I continued to speak.
"The work of a
village or town head is to be close to the local community. It must be
difficult in many ways. But population changes are important information. I
want you to understand that."
I don't expect them to
agree so easily. Some will probably resist. That's fine.
"This is no
longer a direct royal domain. What was acceptable before might not be allowed
now. If you want to resign as a village or town head, I won't stop you. Many knights
and soldiers have already resigned. Village and town heads can also make the
same choice."
The stir among the
heads of the villages and towns reached its peak at my words.
I'm sorry, but I have
no experience as a ruler.
If I'm going to do
anything, I'll have to rely on their motivation and sincerity. It would be
better for everyone if those who can't do that resign now.
"If there's
anyone who thinks they're doing this job 'because they have to' or 'as a
favor,' it's better for you to resign. I dislike people like that. I'm stating
that clearly now so you don't say you weren't told later."
I'm sure some are
doing the job reluctantly, some because it's hereditary, and some who think
their district would fall apart without them. It's natural for there to be all
kinds of heads, but I don't need anyone with a "because I have to"
mentality.
To be honest, I want
to get rid of the vague job of "head."
The officials at the
government office should be the ones to gather the information for each
district.
If the heads of the
villages remain, it should only be for managing festivals in their districts or
handling minor petitions.
I think of it like the
role of a community association president in my previous life; the officials
should handle public management.
"May I ask a
question?"
I granted permission
to an elderly man.
"What will happen
to the districts where the heads resign?"
"The officials
will take over the heads' duties."
They are officials,
but no one thinks of them as such. That's also a problem.
As things stand,
they're allowed to be sloppy in their work. That's been the custom, so no one
thinks there's anything wrong with it.
"And do you think
the districts will still be manageable?"
"There's no
answer for something that hasn't been tried yet."
I heard many voices
saying that my idea was careless.
The work of the heads
should be done by officials in the first place.
Because it's done by
people in a vague position, vested interests arise. Vested interests will
probably arise no matter what, but I want to improve things little by little.
"From now on, I
will be checking the record cards of the heads of the villages and the people
who work under them. This is the same system that the Royal Family has
introduced. We will conduct random checks at least twice every three years.
Naturally, those with a criminal record will be subject to prosecution."
They're panicking
quite a bit.
There were eight
people with criminal records among the twenty-eight heads who gathered.
Since half of the knights
were criminals, I thought there would be more. I guess I should be glad it was
only eight.
Those eight people
could live peaceful lives if they resigned as heads and lived inconspicuously.
But that won't be the case if they stay as heads.
However, these are
only crimes recorded on the record card. I don't intend to be too strict about
minor things, but I need them to be somewhat serious about their work.
"Also, I will
completely crush any groups involved in organized crime and those who engage in
violent business practices. The same goes for those who turn a blind eye to
them. I want you to remember that as well."
I don't need any
bandit groups in my territory. I will be strict about prosecuting crimes.
I intend to make it
possible for people to earn a living, so even if it was difficult before, there
should be no need to become a bandit from now on.
"You have five
days. In five days, I will ask you if you will continue as a head or resign. If
you choose to continue, I will check your record card on the spot, so be
prepared."
I dismissed the heads
and let out a big sigh.
Do the heads think
that not having their record cards checked is a vested interest?
Do they think they can
get away with committing crimes that are recorded on their record card?
I don't intend to be
too strict, but if I don't start with a solid foundation, it will all crumble.
Criminals can either
behave or flee to another territory.
The territory they
flee to might be in trouble, but I can't be bothered with that.
Other territories are
practically foreign countries, so they have their own jurisdiction.
▽▽▽ Side: Count Parton ▽▽▽
I am displeased. The
neighboring Triange was a royal domain. For it to be handed over to a commoner
who came out of nowhere... Is she making a fool of me?
That land is the
birthplace of the Valetta clan. It's the birthplace of the Valetta clan, who
followed the first king from the beginning of the Oda Kingdom's founding.
Therefore, it should
be governed by a prestigious Valetta, like myself.
"Toi Footscythel?
Hmph. A commoner who rose through the ranks."
Ever since I heard the
news, I've been drinking a lot of wine. Thanks to that, I've been drinking too
much lately, which is a problem.
And my nephew Nishuru
(Nishuru Ringer), whom I had placed in the Triange Knight Order, came crying to
me. That fool, I told him not to go too far, but his job changed to Bandit, of
all things.
There used to be
people in the underworld guild who could change jobs back to their original
state. I used it twice, but they charged a considerable amount.
That underworld guild
was also destroyed by that Barbatos. Thanks to that, my job is still Bandit.
Recently, the Royal
Family's regulations have become so strict that there's no one who can change
my job from Bandit back to my original job. The Royal Family is doing
unnecessary things.
The Princess is the
root of all evil. Barbatos, who destroyed the underworld guild, is also the
Princess's dog. It was also the Princess who gave Triange to that upstart
Footscythel. She's doing whatever she pleases. Is there no way to get rid of
her?
In any case, not only
with Nishuru's matter, but that Footscythel also outright refused my offer to
become his patron. How impertinent and arrogant.
It seems I must show
him my power. I need to teach this fool a lesson.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Geral Aponso
MaxKne
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
