Chapter 33. A Lord’s Responsibilities and Duties (1)
A translucent message announced that 「Management Mode」 had been unlocked.
Before I could even begin to question it, a series of related messages appeared before my eyes.
◆ 「Management Mode」 serves as a guide that allows the [Player] to manage and review information concerning the Territorys they own.
◆ A [Player] who has unlocked 「Management Mode」 may use the following features:
1. The [Player] may acquire “Territory Experience” to increase the “Territory Level”.
As the Territory Level increases, the [Player] may unlock and apply various Territory Activity Research options and beneficial effects encompassing the entire Territory.
2. The [Player] may review the financial condition of their Territory, as well as the current state of its material and human resources.
3. The [Player] may determine whether any hidden resources exist within their Territory. The [Player] may also review the progress and information of ongoing research, production, trading expeditions, and deployments.
◆ For further details, please refer to the 「Management Mode」 section.
There might have been some discord, but there had never been any major conflict.
Apparently, these abilities were what had made that possible.
And then—
◆ Error: The Player does not own a Territory.
Since everything had been explained so clearly, I understood it almost immediately.
I also immediately realized that this had been another one of Ian’s abilities.
‘Was this how Ian managed to command the Coalition Forces so perfectly?’
The Coalition Forces had brought together people from throughout the continent.
As the Hero of the Continent and Commander-in-Chief of the Coalition Forces, Ian had led and commanded the army with a level of proficiency that bordered on perfection.
It was not an ability I could use immediately.
Just as the message stated, I did not “own” a Territory.
Of course, I was the eldest legitimate son of the House of White Wolf and possessed the authority of a Young Lord.
However, that did not make me the Lord.
In other words, I did not own the County.
That was because Father had left me no inheritance whatsoever.
Therefore, the only person who could currently be considered the owner of the County was my younger sister, Seraphia.
Well, Seraphia had even signed a written pledge stating that she would hand the position of Lord over to me, but….
‘There’s no need for that.’
More precisely, I had no intention of clinging to the County.
It would be enough to apply this ability to the Coalition Forces later.
After all, the requirement for using 「Management Mode」 was a “Territory” that I personally owned.
The ability would not disappear simply because I did not use it immediately.
There was no reason for me to obsess over White Wolf County.
I was satisfied merely with having gained quest experience and leveled up.
Then, without warning—
A new translucent message appeared before my eyes.
Before I could even question it, the rest of the message rapidly followed.
◆A Territory Quest has arrived.
[Not only did you establish a merchant company in the blink of an eye, but you also struck the jackpot on your very first trading expedition!
Shoulders raised proudly! Nose held high!
But just as you were marching triumphantly like a victorious general delivering news of victory—
Huh?! What in the world?!
I’m….not the Lord?
A Lord in name only! A figurehead!
A front man! A puppet!
You really are the most powerless Lord imaginable!
You think that’s too harsh?
It seems you don’t even remember what you did to the residents of your territory!
You beat them whenever you felt like it! You beat them whenever you were in a bad mood!
You extorted money from them when you needed money for alcohol! You stole from them when you needed money for gambling!
Compared to all that, calling you a powerless figurehead is nothing!!
You horrible person! You absolutely wicked person!
Do you even know what the residents think whenever they see you?
“Die....” would be a terrible thing to say.
“Drop dead….” would be far too cruel.
How about “Ascend to the heavens….” instead?
Okay! Please ascend to the heavens!
....That is what the residents pray for every single day!
That is how deeply your authority as a Lord has fallen into the abyss!
But worry not! There is a way to drag your fallen authority back out of the abyss!
What might that be?
Authority only takes effect when one fulfills the responsibilities and duties that accompany it!
Now then, someone as intelligent as you must surely know what to do next, right?
You must fulfill your responsibilities and duties as a Lord and earn the authority that accompanies them!]
== [The Authority of a Lord Comes from Responsibilities and Duties] ==
[Details]—Raise the residents’ Affinity toward you to [Trust] within 90 days.
[Reward]—Authority of a <Lord>.
[Upon Refusal]—Revocation of 「Management Mode」.
“......”
I was at a loss for words.
The quest’s mockery was one thing, but the penalty for refusing was not merely coercive.
It was practically a “threat”.
Affinity consisted of the following stages:
Hatred < Disgust < Anger < Conflict < Indifference < Favor < Friendliness < Trust < Affection.
◆For reference, the residents’ current Affinity toward you is [Disgust]!
◆Characters in the [Disgust] state dislike and despise you!
◆Characters in the [Disgust] state will not display active aggression toward you. They will merely express passive aversion and avoid being near you.
....Well, apparently that was how things stood.
[Disgust] was also Kai’s Affinity state toward me.
Meanwhile, [Trust], the state I needed to achieve, was the same as Seraphia’s Affinity toward me.
In other words, I needed to turn Kai into Seraphia.
The wording was a little strange, but if I failed, I would lose access to 「Management Mode」.
Moreover, I had to accomplish it within 90 days.
It truly was no different from a threat.
Still, it was not entirely bad.
‘I can gain experience from it.’
The experience obtained from completing quests was far more efficient than hunting monsters.
A single quest had raised me by an astonishing three levels.
Considering the amount of experience now required to level up, I would have to rely primarily on quest experience from this point onward.
However, quests were not something I could receive merely because I wanted one.
I still did not fully understand the mechanism behind them.
They were probably issued only when certain situations and conditions were met.
In other words, I had to accept quests whenever they became available. And I had to complete them whenever completion was possible.
The same applied to this Territory Quest.
There was nothing to consider.
I accepted it.
◆The Territory Quest [The Authority of a Lord Comes from Responsibilities and Duties] has begun.
‘A way to raise the residents’ Affinity toward me....’
It was somewhat troublesome, but it was not particularly difficult.
The clue was contained within the quest itself.
The authority of a Lord came from responsibilities and duties. In other words, I simply needed to fulfill my responsibilities and duties as a Lord.
And the responsibilities and duties of a Lord were—
‘I can purchase the supplies they need for the coming winter and take them back with me.’
I needed to ensure that the residents had full stomachs and warm homes.
As luck would have it, I was currently in Freche, a Free City specializing in commerce.
Since goods from across the entire continent gathered here, there was also an abundance of supplies needed to endure the bitter cold.
There was only one problem.
Money.
However, even that was no longer a problem at the moment.
‘The amount we earned this time was....’
Before establishing the Predator Merchant Company, I had possessed approximately 30,000 gold.
Including the cost of purchasing carriages, labor expenses, tolls, stall fees, various tools, and everything else, I had spent approximately 9,800 gold.
That was fairly close to my initial estimate of 10,000 gold.
‘It’s fortunate that I didn’t have to pay for the meat.’
After all, I had personally hunted the monsters.
Consequently, there had been no material costs.
Otherwise, 30,000 gold would not have been nearly enough.
Therefore, the final amount I had earned was….
‘142,450 gold.’
That represented a return of more than fourteen times my investment.
It was more than enough to prepare the County for winter.
In fact, it was far more than enough.
Moreover, I could have earned even more.
If I raised the price of monster meat, I could make profits exceeding thirty or even one hundred times my investment without exaggeration.
It was not as though I felt no greed, but….
‘The current price is just right.’
I had no intention of raising the price significantly.
Monster meat could not be allowed to become a culture and luxury enjoyed exclusively by the upper class.
If that happened, it would move beyond the public’s reach, and the name of the Predator Merchant Company would likewise fade from the continent’s awareness.
My objective was not merely to create a merchant company that made a great deal of money.
I wanted to create the greatest merchant company on the continent.
To spread the name of the Predator Merchant Company far and wide, it needed to blend into the lives of ordinary people, just as it did now.
That did not mean I intended to abandon profit.
‘I’ll make my profits from the nobles.’
Instead, I could set a much higher price for the Rex meat sold to nobles.
I had originally intended to price it at approximately ten times the normal rate, but….
‘I should set it at no less than one thousand times the normal price.’
It was an absurd price.
However, I did not care.
In fact, I was confident that it would sell even better.
After all, nobles absolutely adored the words “privilege” and “luxury”.
By raising the price so dramatically and satisfying the nobles’ vanity with the idea that it was the finest premium product available, they would undoubtedly open their wallets willingly.
More importantly, what could they possibly do about it?
‘I have a monopoly on monster meat.’
I was the only person on the entire continent capable of producing and distributing Rex meat.
“Everyone, assemble!”
After organizing my thoughts, I gathered the merchant company members and soldiers together.
“From this moment onward, write down every item I mention without missing a single one.”
I listed every item the County needed, one by one.
I also gave them more than enough gold to purchase everything.
“Those who have finished writing should immediately purchase the specified items, focusing primarily on merchant companies affiliated with Freche’s Merchants’ Guild. Move out.”
“Yes, sir!”
The merchant company members and soldiers responded energetically and moved in perfect order.
Their prompt efficiency proved that Seraphia had assigned me some highly capable people.
“Then I should get going as well.”
Of course, it was not as though I had nothing to do.
My first task was to trace Ian’s movements.
However, I could not personally investigate everything, so I intended to use the Merchants’ Guild.
The Merchants’ Guild was a faction that controlled not only Freche but the entire network of Free Cities.
With its immense financial power, it exercised absolute authority within the Free Cities, much like a feudal lord.
In other words, if Ian had visited a Free City anywhere on the continent, he could not possibly have escaped the Merchants’ Guild’s intelligence network.
Knowing Ian’s personality, he would almost certainly have caused some outrageous trouble….
No, some kind of incident.
That was one of the reasons I had chosen to bring the Merchants’ Guild onto my side instead of rejecting it.
I had also earned a considerable amount of money this time.
If I spent generously and shared the benefits, the Merchants’ Guild would be unable to refuse my request.
This, too, was a form of investment.
However, a merchant who invested only in the “value” directly before his eyes was a fool.
A merchant who invested solely for “profit” would not last long.
Therefore, the greatest merchant company on the continent—the company I intended to create—
“If I’m going to spend it, I might as well spend generously.”
The Predator Merchant Company would be a company that invested in “people”.
* * *
The season of bitter cold was gradually approaching.
Yet even before the season had truly begun, heavy snow was already falling throughout White Wolf County.
As a result, all contact with the outside world had been completely severed.
The roads had frozen over and become buried beneath snow, making it impossible for carriages to travel.
Both the acquisition of supplies and ordinary travel had become impossible.
With a deeply troubled expression, Seraphia listened to the report from Bernard, the Head Butler.
“It appears….we must prepare ourselves for prolonged isolation.”
This season of bitter cold appeared likely to be harsher than any in living memory.
The skin-freezing temperatures made all productive activity impossible.
They would have to survive using only the supplies accumulated during the previous season.
However….
“Our supplies of food and firewood are nowhere near sufficient.”
Their reserves were severely lacking.
The unusually cold weather this year had been compounded by the sudden death of the former Count.
“More and more patients are appearing, but….”
Viruses and bacteria could not survive in the extreme cold, but that did not mean illnesses ceased to exist.
Hypothermia, frostbite, respiratory diseases, and more.
There were many deadly conditions caused by the cold’s effects on the body.
“We lack medical supplies, so they are currently being left untreated.”
However, White Wolf County severely lacked the resources required to treat them.
Illnesses caused by the cold did not require complicated treatment.
The patients would quickly recover if their bodies were warmed, they were fed warm food, and they were allowed to sleep somewhere warm.
But….
They had none of those things.
“Even the water has frozen, making it extremely difficult to secure drinking water.”
They lacked one of the simplest yet most essential resources required to sustain life.
“A considerable number of people have also collapsed from dehydration....”
It was a crisis in every conceivable sense.
Above all—
“The residents’ anxiety….has reached its peak.”
The greatest problem was that they were losing all hope of survival.
As they suffered for an extended period in such a brutal environment, more and more people would lose the will to live.
That despair would spread like an epidemic and sicken the entire County.
“.......”
Seraphia gently closed her eyes.
After firmly resolving herself, she slowly opened them again.
“I will accept the proposal from the House of Viscount Venenon.”
“You cannot!”
Kai shouted.
However, Seraphia’s resolve was unwavering.
“It is the only option we have left.”
Perhaps because her determination was so firm, Kai could not find anything to say.
“It is the only way I can protect the residents.”
He knew that what she said was true.
The only way to overcome their current circumstances was to accept the proposal from the House of Viscount Venenon.
Shouting that she could not do it without offering any alternative would amount to nothing more than a childish tantrum.
It was unbearable.
This helplessness he felt was utterly unbearable.
What was supposedly so remarkable about his genius talent?
He could not do anything.
Talent alone could not protect Seraphia.
There was a limit to how much he could protect her through strength alone.
Kai clenched both fists so tightly that they seemed ready to break.
Overwhelming despair at his own helplessness and seething anger—
Those were the only things Kai was capable of feeling in the current situation.
It happened at that very moment.
“T-This is terrible!!!”
A soldier from the Count’s Castle suddenly threw open the door and rushed inside.
Entering without even knocking was the height of disrespect.
Kai’s eyebrows twitched.
“Haaah...! Hah...!”
However, after seeing the soldier’s desperate expression and hearing his ragged, faltering breaths, Kai decided to address the disrespect later and asked why he had come.
“What happened?”
“Lord Adrian...! Lord Adrian is here right now...!”
For some reason, the soldier’s answer mentioned “Adrian”.
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