Rikisetsu and Betty stood frozen with their mouths open, unable to move.
Elive, seeing their state, was also confused and compared the faces of the guild representatives and Cain.
Finally, the guild master Rikisetsu started to move.
"Wait, wait, wait a moment. Aren't you an Iron Adventurer, or rather, aren't you?"
Rikisetsu seemed to be surprised and was acting suspiciously. His voice was trembling, perhaps due to the intense killing intent he had felt yesterday. As for Betty, after realizing she was a new adventurer from yesterday, her face had turned pale and she was trembling.
"Yes, I'm definitely an adventurer. Look, I even have a guild card."
Cain took out a golden guild card from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Eh? Eh? A Rank!? No way, that's impossible..."
Seeing the golden guild card, even Sub-Master Betty was surprised. Of course, Elive, who had thought Cain was just a noble child, was also shocked.
"Yes, I got it from Edin in the capital. I was able to change it from an Iron card to a gold one right away."
"That's... that's ridiculous..."
Rikisetsu was also surprised.
"Oh, by the way, I have a letter from Edin, the guild master of the capital."
Cain took out a letter from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"I'll read it..."
Rikisetsu confirmed it was a letter from the guild headquarters by the wax seal and opened it. He started reading the letter.
"To Rikisetsu, the Guild Master of Drindor Branch.
It's been a while, how are you? This time, the viscount who has become the lord of your city is Cain. To be honest, he's a monster. You know my sister Tifana, right? The one who is now the captain of the royal guard. Cain is much stronger than her. He might be unbeatable in this country, so be very careful with your words. I think it's fine to treat him normally, but if you anger him, he might destroy the guild or even the entire city. The king himself confirmed with him not to destroy the country. Be really careful, okay? By the way, in Cain's mansion in the capital, there's a Red Dragon he defeated when he was five, which is an SS-rank monster. I hope we can meet again in one piece. Seriously, he's dangerous. I'm not joking. Guild Master of the Capital, Edin."
After finishing the letter, Rikisetsu was trembling. Betty, who had been reading it over his shoulder, had turned from pale to white.
"I don't know what's written in the letter, but... are you both okay?"
Cain, unaware of the contents, spoke with a smile.
"May I read the letter as well?"
Elive was concerned about the two's expressions. Rikisetsu silently handed the letter to Elive. As Elive read the letter, his face turned pale and he started to tremble.
Cain, noticing the change in Elive's expression, became curious and took the letter to read it. As he read, his hand holding the letter started to tremble. He then silently placed the letter on the table.
"..."
Everyone was silent. The silence continued for a few minutes.
Suddenly, Rikisetsu stood up and prostrated himself before Cain. Cain and Elive were surprised, as was Betty, who was sitting next to them.
"I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the guild. The incident yesterday is not the responsibility of the adventurers or Betty here. I will take full responsibility. Please forgive me. You can do whatever you want with me, but please forgive the guild's adventurers."
Rikisetsu bowed his head to the floor, desperately apologizing. Cain, feeling Rikisetsu's sincerity, smiled.
"Rikisetsu, please stand up. I understand your feelings. I have no intention of doing anything. I did destroy the training ground yesterday... Please sit down so we can talk. This won't work if you stay like this."
Rikisetsu nodded and sat back down on the sofa.
"However, the current state of the city is problematic, so I plan to improve the bad aspects. The tax situation has been almost non-existent. The money from the kingdom's commissions has been more than the taxes. From now on, I will request financial statements and collect appropriate taxes. As for the damage to the training ground, I will provide some financial assistance from my personal funds. It won't cover the full amount, but it's partly your responsibility, so please accept it."
Cain explained his plans one by one.
"Yes... I understand. I can see why you became a lord at the age of ten..."
Rikisetsu nodded weakly.
"I will return to the capital today and come back next week. We can discuss more then."
Rikisetsu had a question about Cain's explanation.
"Eh? Why are you returning to the capital? It's a two-day trip, four days round trip. Wouldn't it be better to stay in Drindor?"
"Oh, I'm a first-year student at the Royal Academy. If I don't go, I'll get complaints. And the person who complains is someone I can't ignore."
"Ah, that's right, you're still ten. I keep forgetting. When you arrive in Drindor, please let me know, and I will visit the lord's mansion."
"Understood. I look forward to working with you."
Cain stood up and extended his right hand to Rikisetsu. Rikisetsu shook hands with Cain, his much smaller hand enveloped in Rikisetsu's larger ones.
"Yes, of course. Please feel free to visit the guild anytime."
Rikisetsu bowed one last time and left the room with Sub-Master Betty. Betty seemed to be deep in thought and remained silent throughout, but Cain didn't mind.
Left alone in the room, Cain and Elive were the only ones left.
"I'll be back next week, so please take care until then. I'm heading back to the capital now."
"Cain-sama, understood. How about preparing a carriage for you?"
"No, that's fine. I can come on my own. Don't worry about it."
Cain ended the conversation, returned to his office, changed into adventurer's clothing, and said goodbye to Elive and the clerks before leaving the lord's mansion.
"I'll go to the edge of the city like this..."
Although he could have used 'Teleport' right away, there was a possibility that the guards at the gate would notice, so he decided to leave the city first. Cain bought some skewers from the same vendor he had bought from before and leisurely walked towards the eastern gate of the capital. After passing through the outer gate and walking a bit, he found a secluded spot where no one could see him and used magic to teleport back instantly.
The scenery changed in an instant. A moment ago, he was on a rural road outside Drindor, but now the majestic walls of the capital were in front of him. Cain leisurely joined the line for the general entrance to the capital. The capital had separate gates for the general public and nobles, the latter for smooth passage of noble carriages.
Noble carriages were entering and exiting frequently. As one carriage passed Cain and stopped, he noticed a familiar crest. It was the Silford family crest, which he couldn't forget. Two knights on horseback approached him.
"Viscount Cain, why are you in the general line? The Margrave has instructed you to ride in this carriage."
The people around him, who had thought Cain was just a young adventurer, moved away when they realized he was a noble. Cain sighed and replied to the knight.
"It's my father's carriage. ...I'll ride in it."
Cain left the general line and approached Garm's carriage. Sebastian was the first to greet him as he got out of the carriage.
"It's been a while, Viscount Cain. Your reputation has reached even the Gracia territory. Lord Garm is waiting inside, please come in."
"It's been a while, Sebastian. I'll ride without hesitation."
Cain greeted Sebastian lightly and got into Garm's carriage.
"Father, it's been a while."
Cain bowed to Garm and sat across from him.
"Cain, it's been a while. I was surprised to hear you became a viscount, and even more so to learn you're the lord of Drindor. The king really did it. By the way, why are you dressed as an adventurer?"
Cain explained that he had used teleportation magic to go to Drindor. He remembered how Garm had been shocked to the point of collapsing when he first saw the magic.
"The adventurers' guild in that city is strong... but I guess it's nothing to you, Cain."
Garm chuckled.
"By the way, Father, can you introduce me to someone who can handle internal affairs? The city is running at a deficit, and I want to make changes."
Cain could have used the World Encyclopedia to research internal affairs, but as a student and a lord, he didn't have the time. He honestly told his father about Drindor's financial situation. The Margrave's territory had several cities, and thanks to Garm's good governance, they were all thriving. If he could get someone from the Margrave's territory, it would be a great help.
Garm thought for a moment and then snapped his fingers.
"I have someone in mind, just the right person."
"Really!? Please introduce me."
"He's currently in the Gracia territory. I'll have him come to the capital within a month."
"Father, thank you."
With the decision to send someone to help with internal affairs, Cain thought about the city's future as he was driven home in the carriage.
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Chapters up to 36 will be updated twice a day, at 7 AM and 6 PM.