Chapter 03
** The Territory That Cannot Be Developed**
Baron Elimeas was not a good father, to put it mildly.
When he had only a daughter and no sons, he considered it a stroke of luck.
*‘This territory has no future anyway.’*
That was Baron Elimeas’s thought.
Fortunately, Priscilla showed promise from a young age.
Baron Elimeas immediately hired a tutor from the capital to educate her. That man was Nigel, whom Cliff called ‘the old man.’
“I intend to make my daughter the daughter-in-law of a prestigious family. That is the only way for our Elimeas family to survive. Teach her etiquette and culture so she lacks nothing in becoming a prestigious family’s daughter-in-law.”
“Understood, my lord.”
Nigel educated Priscilla according to those instructions.
The first thing he did was work to suppress her emotions.
Having emotions led to mistakes.
If she was to debut in high society, a small mistake could escalate into a major problem. Prestigious families did not want a daughter-in-law who showed emotions.
“A single mistake, especially a single wrong word, can bring ruin upon your entire house. That is the life of central nobles.”
“You must never show emotion or agitation in any situation.”
“Your posture and attire must always be neat and proper.”
“An ambitious noble lady becomes an obstacle and a source of discord for her husband, who has great things to do. The only virtues of a noble lady are restraint and obedience.”
No emotions.
No likes or dislikes.
No dreams either.
“The only thing a woman can hope for is her husband’s affection.”
Whenever her emotions surfaced.
Whenever her posture slackened.
Whenever she began to like something, Nigel would raise his hand.
Of course, he didn’t hit Priscilla directly.
Instead, her maid would be beaten. Nigel’s guidance was harsh enough that Priscilla, trembling with guilt and fear, would watch the maid fall ill for days from the beating.
So, when Cliff first mentioned ‘guidance,’ she had been very scared, even though she tried to act indifferent.
“At times like this, you say ‘Have a good day.’”
Her husband, who upon waking up this morning, had again demanded a kiss.
Fortunately, Cliff was not a frightening husband.
*Smack.*
“…Have a good day.”
It was easier this time, since it wasn’t the first.
Cliff smirked and left the bedroom.
—
* * *
The territory Cliff received.
He had thought it was serious from the moment he first arrived.
But the results after a detailed review were even worse.
“Tsk tsk.”
Cliff clicked his tongue as he read the report.
He understood why his father-in-law, Baron Elimeas, had neglected the territory.
“Absolutely terrible. At this rate, only the lord’s immediate family will barely manage to scrape by.”
“Hmm.”
“It’s truly a case of ‘intelligence is the priority for escaping this territory.’”
A territory with no future.
That was Cliff’s assessment.
Nigel could not deny Cliff’s sharp words.
*‘The old lord said the same thing.’*
But it felt strange. He understood Cliff, and he knew Cliff was right, but it was still bitter.
This territory had ultimately been abandoned even by its master.
Then who could the people struggling to live here rely on?
His contemplation was cut short by Cliff’s question.
“What about the commoners? Don’t they know that a new Acting Lord has arrived?”
Nigel found this reaction unfamiliar, unlike the nobles he knew.
Nobles weren’t interested in the thoughts of commoners.
“The word has spread through rumors, so they probably know. But there hasn’t been any particular unrest….”
“Because the marriages of highborn people are none of their concern?”
“To put it bluntly, yes.”
Nigel answered, still looking at Cliff with a questioning face.
Cliff seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Nigel’s answer.
“Even so, it’s a marriage. They could at least offer congratulations.”
“……Then how about erecting a monument or a statue to commemorate the marriage between you and the young lady?”
Nigel thought it was an excellent suggestion.
However, upon hearing this, Cliff looked horrified.
“What nonsense are you spouting, old man? Are you trying to embarrass someone? Do you think any commoner would celebrate such a thing? These people are on the verge of their heads exploding from worry about their next meal today or tomorrow.”
Nigel’s suspicion grew.
If not that, then why had he mentioned it?
Cliff seemed to think for a moment, then spoke.
“More importantly, how many commoners can be gathered within a day? Excluding those who are not yet adults.”
“Including women, I think about 300 could be gathered.”
“300, huh…”
Cliff muttered the number after hearing Nigel’s words.
Then he gave an order.
“Please gather all 300. If not today, then by tomorrow at the latest.”
“That won’t be difficult. But may I ask why?”
“You said it was easy, didn’t you?”
When asked, he got a question in return.
Nigel acknowledged his mistake.
*‘Oh dear. To dare question a noble…’*
They are there to give orders.
Realizing his error, Nigel bowed his head.
“I apologize. I will carry out your orders, Acting Lord.”
“No, that’s not why I asked… Actually, I asked because I wondered if my order had any problems. For example, if following my order meant the commoners couldn’t work that day and would suffer some loss.”
Once again, Nigel was flustered by Cliff’s words.
Why on earth would a noble consider such a thing? Still, he had learned something from before.
*‘A retainer is not one who questions their lord.’*
If asked, he simply answers.
“It’s not planting or harvest season, so the commoners aren’t busy right now.”
“Then call them. If possible, gather as many adults as you can.”
“I shall do so.”
Hearing Nigel’s answer, Cliff examined the report again.
*‘Unless someone is embezzling in the middle, the territory’s situation is truly hopeless.’*
Just as he had expected.
Even when seeds were sown in the fields, they didn’t grow well.
And the isolated terrain was a problem for trading outside.
If only there were some special local product.
*‘Let’s see.’*
Cliff looked through the information piece by piece.
Fortunately, the water source was decent.
The territory had a stream, and there was also a lake connected to the stream.
“Is fishing possible?”
“People do fish, but the stream is shallow, so there are few fish.”
“What about the lake?”
“There are fish there, but it’s not just fish. Fishing is a pipe dream.”
If it wasn’t just fish, did that mean sharks or crocodiles were roaming around?
Nigel elaborated.
“That is the habitat of Serpents.”
“Serpents live… there?”
“Yes.”
This was bad.
The Elimeas territory was surrounded by mountains.
The lake was formed by several streams coming down from those mountains and converging in the south.
It was possible to go outside by taking the river that started from the lake.
If they could use the northern side path and this canal, they would have a land route (north side path) and a water route.
*‘Of all things, there are Serpents.’*
If there were Serpents in the lake, one shouldn’t even think about launching boats there.
A Serpent is essentially a dragon.
A sea serpent. It appeared not only in the sea but also in lakes like this.
“A lake large enough for Serpents to live… it’s tempting.”
But it was too much.
Along with the Kraken, the Serpent is a representative sea monster.
On the water, their home ground, even a Sword Master would be in danger.
“It seems some of the previous lords also had the same idea. But there was no way to subdue or drive away the Serpents…”
“Well, it’ll work out somehow. What about the surrounding mountains? Is there any mineral output?”
“As you can see from the report…”
He didn’t need to hear it to know.
“Tsk.”
Cliff clicked his tongue.
There were no rare medicinal herbs in the mountains, and the tree species were unsuitable for lumber.
The trees were poor for building houses or even for firewood.
*‘I’d rather it were a rocky mountain, then we could at least use the stone.’*
But it wasn’t that either.
Naturally, no iron ore, copper, or any precious metal minerals had been discovered.
“……If there are Serpents in the lake, surely there aren’t terrifying creatures living in the mountains too, are there?”
“Why wouldn’t there be? There have been sightings of Cyclops in the eastern mountains, and a pack of Shadow Wolves has established its territory in the western mountains.”
“Haah.”
The more he heard, the more bleak it seemed.
*‘Of all things, those two?’*
Cyclops.
One-eyed giants, as powerful as Ogres.
The problem was that even if you hunted them, there was nothing to gain.
The meat is, of course, no good, and while Ogre hides and sinews sell for a high price, Cyclops’ were considered unusable even for that.
*‘And the Shadow Wolves…’*
They were also called half-spirits.
They had physical bodies while alive, but upon death, their bodies would disappear.
They left absolutely nothing behind.
“So, the only thing that could be hunted and sold for a high price is the Serpent.”
“Surely you don’t intend to subdue a Serpent?”
“I have no desire to see the inside of a Serpent’s stomach.”
He replied weakly to Nigel’s startled question.
If he could subdue a Serpent, he wouldn’t have been driven out to a territory like this.
*‘Truly, the more I hear, the more this territory produces nothing. I understand why my father-in-law abandoned it and went to the capital.’*
A clean abandonment of the territory!
Even he thought developing this territory was impossible.
“Unless a man who brings miracles appears, developing this territory is impossible, wouldn’t you say?”
“……It certainly seems that way.”
Nigel was more certain of its impossibility than Cliff.
Nigel’s face became somber as he answered.
But Cliff was different.
“If someone develops this territory, they would truly be a mythological hero. Because it would require a miracle.”
As he spoke repeatedly.
Cliff smirked and said.
“How fortunate. This territory has just met its protagonist, me.”
“……?”
“I can make miracles happen.”
“Pardon?”
Nigel asked back stupidly.
Cliff put down all the reports he had been looking at on the desk and closed his eyes.
“The protagonist, I said.”
He said this with a mischievous expression.
Behind his closed eyes, he could see it.
Something he had been seeing since last night.
—
**[Recognition as Lord]**
**Content:** You have married Priscilla of House Elimeas, becoming the master of her, the Elimeas family, and the territory ruled by the Elimeas family.
However, the commoners do not yet accept you as their master.
Earn their recognition as their lord.
Then the territory will also accept you as its master.
**Conditions:**
– Loyalty of 100 or more commoners (0/100)
– Only adults are counted.
– Outsiders who are not commoners of this territory are not counted.
– Loyalty that is not sincere is not counted.
**Rewards:**
– Unlock Territory Status Window
– Unlock Lord Status Window
—
*‘So it’s giving me two status windows.’*
Perhaps the hope lies here.
With his eyes still closed, Cliff said.
“……Just saying.”
“Ah, yes.”
Naturally, Nigel didn’t seem to believe him.
Cliff smiled, imagining his reaction.
*‘That, old man, was the answer to your question earlier.’*
The reason to gather the commoners.
It was simple.
Because he had to clear a quest.
In order to get the status windows.
