Interlude 8
A Certain Count's Melancholy
Translator : PolterGlast
At the end of winter,
as the chilly evening sun dyed the sky red, a certain count, surrounded by
mountains of documents approval in his office, was taking a fleeting break.
"Hmm... only
halfway through. Still, for Chris to team up with the steward and send this
massive pile of approvals my way..."
I sighed as I said
this.
『You'll just think of unnecessary things if you have
too much free time. It's best for you to be busy. Please, do your best for the domain
and for the citizens. 』
My wife, who had
brought the bundles of documents first thing in the morning, had left with a
beaming smile after saying this. But I'm supposed to have entrusted all the
domestic administration to my wife and the steward...
Puzzled, I skimmed the
documents.
On a document titled
"Archer Training Plan," there were candidate sites for new shooting
range construction, estimated construction costs, budgets for each, operational
personnel plans, estimated operating costs, personnel recruitment plans...
That alone was an
enormous volume.
It's true... I'm the
one who ordered this last summer. I've been so busy with managing the new
territories that I'd completely forgotten, but does this mean the investigation
and planning were carried out properly?
At the last joint Supreme
Tournament, I had greatly embarrassed myself. I was truly grateful that they
had adopted a tournament format where the lowest rank wouldn't be clear.
Honestly, to be
completely defeated by Margrave Hastburg, who had been in last place in the
tournament before that... I had never imagined it. The fall from first place
last time to effectively last place this time—the shock was tremendous.
『Proceed with training on a priority basis so that we
can aim for the championship in three years. 』 I remember giving that order as soon as I returned to
my domain.
『The priority should be the stabilization of the new
territories and the establishment of a governing structure.』 I also remember my wife rebuking me with those words.
But I want to achieve
redemption next time. My house is one that was appointed as a lord due to
military merit. Therefore, I believe this is a grave matter that calls into
question the prestige of the House of Solis.
『Count Solis obtained his viscount title through the
military merit of his second son, and his count title through the military
merit of his eldest son. What a fortunate man, blessed with children. 』
I am aware that such
whispers are being spread mockingly among some of the nobility. No matter how
much I deny it, it's undeniable that the recent tournament's results only
served to confirm those rumors.
I, too, am aware, just
a little, that my position has been pushed up by the power of my sons. But at
this rate, I'll have no leg to stand on.
The result of
declaring my firm resolve to my wife was this mountain of documents. Yes, I'll
do my best to go through them. After this break...
Changing his mood, he
looked through another bundle of documents.
"Domain Military
Force Expansion Plan"... And on top of that, "Frontier Knights Quota
Achievement Plan," "New Recruitment Plan," "Salary
Proposal," "Warhorse Allocation Plan," "Arms and Armor
Allocation Plan"... and an enormous stack of approval documents related to
them.
It's true... these are
also the contents I ordered to be prioritized, because recruitment wasn't
progressing as well as I'd thought after the southern lords' conference.
After the conferment
of honors in the capital two summers ago, we had been proceeding with the
response to the allocations. But we had not yet been able to provide the 300
riders to the Frontier Knights branch, the quota assigned by the Margrave.
I, too, had tried my
best. But the most I could do was send 200 new recruits, and I was praising
myself for trying just a little.
However! That
grim-faced man (Gorman) had quickly met his quota, and my second son had
already met his, a 2.5-fold increase... I learned this at the conference.
This is very bad,
truly bad! I suddenly felt a sense of panic.
Leaving aside whether
my loyalty will be doubted, won't this make the rumors seem even more true...
But in proportion to
the rapidly expanded territory, the number of soldiers I had to deploy for
maintaining public order had also become enormous. Even the men I am sending
now are only possible because of my second son's goodwill.
『I will handle the training here, so new recruits are
fine.』 I had been completely
reassured by those words.
It's true that I might
be able to gather the soldiers themselves in the future. But when it comes to
cavalry, the problem is procuring the warhorses.
My grand plan at that
tournament went completely awry partway through.
Even though my second
son had gone to the trouble of introducing me to the lords and their attendants
who had come as guests from the eastern kingdom... Their domain, the eastern
region, is one of the foremost horse-breeding areas in the kingdom. I, too, had
intended to connect with them and have them send horses to me on a priority
basis.
The plan was the same
as always: to form a "night-time inspection team" with the attendants
and deepen our mutual friendship with open hearts. But on the final day, for
some reason, the town's lights never went out!
It was the height of
regret. I still haven't forgotten the frustration of that time. And I turned to
ash, greeting a hollow morning.
But that grim-faced
man, they say, had neatly concluded his negotiations at the banquet and secured
a large number of warhorses! How did that difficult man manage it?
...His daughter! The
woman who will be my second son's wife is, even from my perspective, an
exceptionally capable woman. She was active on the battlefield, and her valiant
figure at the tournament was magnificent.
To have his daughter
mediate and conclude the negotiations... what a despicable fellow, borrowing
the influence of his child! Is that not a shameful thing for a noble! ...Hmm?
No, a house is
something that is supported by the family. There will be times when one is
helped by the power of one's children. Yes, I should correct that.
However, falling
behind here has led to my current blunder, and it has become the source of my
worries.
That's right! I'm on a
break now. I'll change my mood. Pulling myself together, I looked at yet
another bundle of documents...
"New Territory
Reception Center Deployment Plan"... This one is troublesome, so... no,
it's a special matter, so I had left it all to my daughter Chrisia... no, I had
entrusted it all to her for the sake of her future studies... but why are the
documents ready so quickly?
This shouldn't be a
feat that a daughter still attending the academy could accomplish. Can it be
that she secured some outstanding civil servants in the capital? At this rate,
doesn't it look like the delay in the plan is my fault, for holding up the
approvals!
But are there really
this many candidate sites for reception centers! We can't possibly cover them
all with our current personnel.
"Personnel
Recruitment Plan," "Personnel Training Plan"... At this rate, I
have no idea when we'll be able to start operations.
I had sent 20 new
recruits to Teigoon for training and asked my second son to have Lady Claire
educate them. But I heard later that my eldest son (Darek) had sent 50 all at
once...
Darek's domain, in
terms of size, is half of my own, which has become a count's domain, and in
terms of population, less than half.
Was it really that
necessary? Was my forecast too optimistic? Did I underestimate the value of the
reception centers? Was I too ignorant of their wide-ranging duties?
It's no exaggeration
to say that the work of the reception centers has now come to supplement the
functions of the administration. Managing the shooting ranges, recruiting
soldiers, placing people in jobs, creating a register of citizens, handling
immigrants... the list is endless.
Who was it that taught
them to create such a complex government branch office? How could one even
arrive at such an idea?
Isn't the person,
though capable, an extreme eccentric? I'd like to see the face of the parent
who raised them!
...Yes. That would be
me. That boy has been strange since long ago. Even as a child, there were many
times I thought, 'Isn't he even more black-hearted than I am!'
Hmm? What is this
document?
"Food Stockpile
Report," "Old Domain Granary Expansion Plan," "New Domain
Granary Construction Candidate Sites," "Estimated Construction
Costs," "Food Purchase Settlements"... Enough, who is it at this
busy time!
...No, come to think
of it, this is also me.
It's true. At the
southern lords' conference, my second son had warned of the danger of a poor
harvest due to drought or flooding due to heavy rains. Up until now, that boy
has foreseen bountiful harvests, poor harvests, flood damage, and even plague
outbreaks, and his predictions have been eerily accurate.
Upon receiving the
report from the lords' conference, I had given instructions to expand our food
stockpiles and to purchase grain for speculation.
But in the new
territories, there are, of course, no granaries, nor any food stockpiles at
all. It is nothing other than the former lords having neglected their domestic
administration.
If that's the case,
then at this rate, it's highly likely that the entire new territory will not be
able to withstand a disaster. I cannot be merciless to the people who have
newly become my citizens. This should probably be the top priority.
And, the purchase of
grain for speculation is very important.
Was it about 10 years
ago now? At that time too, I had followed my second son's advice, and the grain
I had bought at a low price during a bountiful year had soared in price the
next.
With the secret funds
I had obtained at that time, I had secretly built a "night-time social
venue" (a brothel) in the town of Est... but that too was taken away by
Chris long ago.
With this new
speculation, I must increase my hidden funds again and secretly build a new
social venue in the new territory. This time, I must proceed with the plan
cautiously...
Thinking about it this
way, I don't have enough hands. Is the top priority to secure the manpower, the
civil servants, to manage and supervise all these things?
But, for the
management of the new territories, the steward had hired 100 new civil
servants... and 20 percent of them have already quit their jobs.
Too busy, you say?
"Black labor"? What is that?
I heard it's a word my
second son mutters often, and the civil servants have started using it too. The
reason they quit is not my fault. ...I think.
In managing the new
territories, I had purged all the corrupt officials who had been complicit in
the former lords' oppression or who had been lining their own pockets where I
couldn't see, and I had abolished all the deep-rooted evils they had
established.
But the steward was
against this.
『Let's turn a blind eye to the petty villains for the
time being. We will eliminate and punish those whose actions are egregious, but
until we have some breathing room, it is fine to just put enough pressure on
them so they cannot openly commit evil. 』
But I could not allow
that. The consequences of having evil and merciless people in charge are clear
from the examples of the Hiyorimi domain until just recently, and the former
steward of the Gorman domain about 10 years ago.
For that reason, I had
resolutely abolished them, and a clean breeze should have been blowing through
the new territories. And the reason the civil servants quit is...
Raymond, I'm sorry!
It's me, isn't it... I'll reflect on it. Just a little.
Now that I think about
it, in the old days, I was outstanding in martial prowess, had a talent for
business, and should have been renowned as an up-and-coming lord. So why? When
did my honor fall to the ground? Especially within my own family. It was fine
up until I succeeded in the speculation during the poor harvest. Was it after
that?
Turnip Baron, Potato
Baron... ever since they started calling me such things, I feel like something
has gone wrong. I've heard that there are even some who mockingly call me the
Seiza Baron.
Why have I fallen so
low?
Alright! My worries
are endless, but it's about time I, too, got serious about domestic
administration.
I must finish these
approvals quickly and go to inspect the new town my second son has built,
Ishtar. I hear a new "night-time social venue" has been built
there...
And these drought
countermeasures are also the top priority. Especially the purchase of grain for
speculation. My great ambition depends on it!
His resolve renewed,
the count did not emerge from his office until morning. The many official
duties related to the matters he himself had brought about were not something
he could easily handle on his own.
Incidentally, the
inspection of the town his second son had built had, at some point, already
been completed by his wife, and the opportunity and excuse for the count to
visit had already vanished... but he did not yet know this.
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