Kain was lying comfortably in the luxurious special room when a knock came at the door.
The sun had already risen, and people outside had started to move about.
"Good morning!"
After the knock, Enak burst into the room energetically. Kain, still half-asleep, raised his body from the bed.
"Good morning, Enak..."
Kain rubbed his sleepy eyes and crawled out of bed.
"Breakfast is ready, so come down!"
Enak said that and left the room.
"Enak is so energetic in the morning."
Kain muttered this as he got dressed. Since he had to go to the lord's mansion today, he changed into casual clothes.
When he went down to the dining room, it seemed that Himika had also recovered and was already working.
"Good morning. Are you feeling better now?"
When Kain spoke to her, she stopped her work for a moment and smiled broadly.
"I'm completely fine now. Thank you very much."
"That's good. If anything happens again, I'll cast a recovery spell for you."
"I can't be that much of a burden. I'll bring your meal out, so please come this way."
Guided by Himika, Kain sat at the counter where he had eaten dinner.
Breakfast was served immediately. The menu included bacon, scrambled eggs, soup, and bread. Since he was quite hungry, he finished it quickly.
"Thank you for the meal. After I finish today's work, I'll be returning to the capital, so I'll try to come back soon."
After finishing his meal, Kain told Himika this.
"Is that so... Enak seems to have grown attached to you, so it will be lonely."
Dash also came out from the kitchen.
"Lord Kain, thank you for your stay. When you come to the city of Drinthur again, please do stop by for a meal."
"Of course. The food was delicious, so I'll definitely come back."
Then, Enak peeked out from the corner of the kitchen, looking a bit teary-eyed.
"Enak, come here."
Kain called Enak over with a gentle voice.
"Big brother, come back again! When you come to this city, you must come, okay?"
Enak hugged Kain. Kain patted Enak's head.
"Of course. When I come to this city, I'll definitely come for a meal. Make sure to help your mother properly."
"Okay! I'll help properly."
Kain left the inn, accompanied by the three of them, and headed to the lord's mansion for the upcoming meeting.
At the gate of the lord's mansion, the guards from yesterday were there, so he was quickly escorted to the office.
"Good morning, Lord Kain."
Elive, the magistrate, greeted him.
"Since there's still time, would you like to change into your noble attire?"
"Sure, it's the first time, so I'll dress formally."
Kain entered the office and took out his noble attire from his item box and changed.
He checked his appearance in the mirror, aware of his childishness at ten years old, and sat in the office chair.
"How will I change this city? The guild is in bad shape, the church charges exorbitant fees, and there's a slum. There are so many issues... Before anything, the stone walls that are just piled up are an obstacle to future development. I have to return to the capital today, so I can only come back next week..."
Kain was looking through the documents on the city's revenue and expenses that Elive had given him. It was clear that the city was operating at a significant deficit and was receiving subsidies from the country.
Since Kain had been a high school student in his previous life, he was better with numbers than the people in this world.
As he read through the documents, several questions arose, which he wrote down in a list, of course in Japanese so that others couldn't understand.
During the process, lunch was prepared, and Kain discussed the administration with Elive.
"Due to the large number of adventurers in this city, it's difficult to collect taxes. We operate mainly on sales taxes from inns and shops, but with the subsidies to the church and the guild, we inevitably end up in a deficit."
After listening to Elive's explanation, Kain asked questions while looking at the list he had written.
"First, about the church. When I asked the citizens, they said the fees are much higher than in the capital, which is too high for donations. They are almost ten times higher than in the capital. What's going on? If it's too bad, I'll call a new priest from the capital?"
"That... It's because... not many people receive healing magic at the church, so the fees have to be high..."
Elive explained, slightly flustered and sweating.
"That's where you're wrong. People don't come because it's too expensive. If you lower the fees, more people will come, and donations will increase. Moreover, you're receiving subsidies. If you're giving subsidies, shouldn't you be checking the church's finances? Of course, they should be reported to the lord."
Kain asked more questions, thinking about the general practices from his previous life.
"N-no... We've never received financial statements from the church..."
Elive's face gradually turned pale as he answered the questions.
"Then, when I come back next week, can you have them prepared by then? If you can't, I'll have to cut off the subsidies."
Kain pressed further.
"...Yes... I'll inform the church..."
"Also, about the slums. If we provide job placements, the number of people in the slums will decrease. The city has relied too much on adventurers. Since there's no space within the current walls, I'll plan to expand them. I'll think about it on my side. I intend to start new industries using the vacant land created by the expansion, and I'll explain it in detail later."
"...Lord Kain is very knowledgeable... It's hard to believe you're only ten..."
Elive, wiping the sweat from his forehead, answered Kain's questions with suspicious behavior.
"Well, first, let's talk about the guild. Are they coming soon?"
"Yes, Guild Master Rikisetsu and Sub-Guild Master Betty are expected to arrive."
Kain learned for the first time that Betty was the sub-guild master. The guild master seemed to be a bit dim-witted, but the sub-guild master, as the yakitori shop owner had said, seemed to be capable. He kept this in mind.
After the meal, Elive left the room to inform the guild master and sub-guild master when they arrived, and Kain entered the office alone.
Kain wrote down the things he wanted to investigate and stored them in his item box.
Around mid-afternoon, one of the clerks came to call him.
"Lord Kain, Guild Master Rikisetsu and Sub-Guild Master Betty have arrived. They are currently being attended to by Elive."
"Got it, I'll go now. Is it in the reception room?"
"Yes, they are waiting in the reception room now."
Kain, recalling what had happened at the guild yesterday, was looking forward to seeing their faces as he left the office.
Elive was already in the reception room, talking to the two people from the guild.
Kain could hear Rikisetsu's loud voice from outside the door.
"So, the guild's training ground, including the spectator seats, was destroyed yesterday. And now, with all this work, you want me to meet the new lord? I don't have time for that!"
Kain realized that this was about what he had done yesterday.
The clerk knocked and entered the room.
"Viscount Kain has arrived."
The two representatives of the adventurer's guild, without any formalities, remained seated on the sofa.
Kain entered the room.
The moment they saw Kain's face, the two of them froze.
The person who had destroyed the training ground yesterday, causing the adventurers and the sub-guild master to lose control and faint, was standing right in front of them.
Kain sat down on the sofa opposite them.
"Hello, I'm Kain von Silford Drinthur, the new lord of this city. Nice to meet you."
Kain greeted them normally.
Rikisetsu and Betty were frozen, their mouths agape.