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34
* * *
The scale of the Hines manor was more extensive than the average manor. As such, it was impossible to surround everything with a wall, so basically, only some areas surrounding the Lord’s manor house were surrounded by a wall, and the rest were maintained as open land.
“It is a great manor.”
-It was poorly maintained, though.
Was it because it was an old and underdeveloped manor? Some of the fortress walls surrounding the inner manor were weathered, making it impossible to recognize their original shape, and the grass was growing rampant over it. The gate, which should have been firmly closed, had already been long battered beyond usefulness.
-You should be glad that at least there is someone who keeps the gate closed.
“It’s an area adjacent to the large forest where monsters live, and the manor wouldn’t have survived without volunteer watchmen.”
“Stop! From here and forward, it’s the Hines manor! Please show your ID card!”
“This is Prince Davey, who was appointed to be the Lord of this manor! Open the gate!”
The old gentleman, who took the lead on a horse, shouted sternly before anyone came forward. It seemed that they soon noticed that it wasn’t a precious procession that had graced them.
“P…Please wait a moment. I should get Director…”
“Hey! Are you going to make the Prince Majesty wait?!”
“Stop, we have to go through the process. I am not officially delegated the authority of the manor yet.”
It was true that the royal order delegates the authority of the province, but when the Lord was absent, the deputy manor manager took over. In this system, a nobleman, and appointed lord, had to take over from the manor manager to be inaugurated as an official lord.
“Your Majesty.”
“Don’t be too uptight. We’ll all become family.”
As I got off the carriage, he nodded.
“P…Please forgive me for being rude. Your Majesty.”
“I…I see the sun of the kingdom.”
I’m not sure how he knew I was the prince, maybe because of my fabulous appearance? When the guards realized I was the prince who would become the Lord described by the old gentleman, they laid down on the ground.
“You should get up. If you lay down on the ground, who is going to keep the gate?”
As I spoke, the two guards were taken aback.
“Excuse me?”
“The volunteers are good. However, why is the manor house in this state?”
They exchanged glances when I asked calmly. It was that moment a middle-aged man wearing light gloves was running from the inside wall.
“D…Director!”
“W…Welcome, Prince Majesty! I received the message, but I apologize for being late. Please kill me!”
I focused my gaze on the guy, who was lying flat on his stomach and trembling. Now I saw the strange traces. Monster attack. There were signs that there was a monster attack within the last day. Somehow the atmosphere was cluttered.
“When did the messenger arrive here?”
“It…It was two days ago.”
“When did the monster attack happen after that?”
“W…well… H…How did you know that…?”
I smiled at him, who looked at me in surprise.
“Looking at the traces of blood, it must be a recent attack. If it was an urgent situation, your judgment was right.”
“Y…Your Majesty…”
“What is the point of this dreary procedure? First of all, I’ll go in and hear more details.”
He looked up at me as if surprised by my words.
“Also, please bring the internal affairs deputy manor manager.”
He, who had been frightened, sighed and lowered his head as though his life had been cut short by ten years.
* * *
When Hercules taught me the art of survival, the ability to observe was the first lesson he imparted. I didn’t realize it from afar, but I noticed bloodstains on the walls and some weapons which had been broken and couldn’t be retrieved in time. Despite the absence of bodies, the dark bloodstains were visible. I could even smell it.
How did I smell it? I could amplify my senses even though I hadn’t undergone a metamorphosis. It was because I acquired a master-class body after the manifestation of God. They seem shocked that I found the remnants. What was wrong with them? It was a simple ability that everyone at my level had.
-At times, you tend to forget how ridiculous your talent is. I’m sorry, but you sound like a jerk to me. Those who lack talent, even at your rank, would miss such a hint.
‘Did I say anything like that?’
-Even if you didn’t say, I knew. I wonder if hitting your head once is okay.
“I, Montmort, was in charge of the province’s military force by acting as the volunteer commander in the absence of the lord.”
“Where is the manor manager?”
“That…is…”
He hesitated and then lowered his head again.
“S-someone else was in charge before the recent assault, but since then…I’ve been in charge.”
He was the only one in charge of both internal affairs and the volunteers. He didn’t seem to be overly selfish, but he was a man of exceptional talent.
-If you hire that kind of person, it will undoubtedly benefit you.
‘I can trust his abilities since he has kept the dying manor over the past five years.’
He rolled his eyes back and forth with an anxious face as I sat quietly; he was scared. He looked worried if I would become mad due to the condition of the manor, or the manor house, which was all worn out. I, on the other hand, maintained a dignified demeanor while appearing worried.
“I know you’ve had a difficult time.”
As I entered this town, I saw the broken houses and their inhabitants. To be clear, they didn’t seem to be excited at the arrival of the new Lord. It was, in some ways, a natural reaction. It was common for the nobles to bully the commoners in the current state of the Al Rown kingdom. Maybe he was scared for that reason, but it was no good if he was already scared.
As I pondered this, I looked at Montmort, the middle-aged man who stood in front of me.
“To manage the manor, you would have to know how to read?”
“Even though I’m a lowly guy, I learned to write by looking over other’s shoulders a little.”
‘It seems that I have discovered a talent.’
I was quite impressed.
“So…now, since your majesty is here…”
“I want you to keep working.”
“P-pardon me?”
“Not as a volunteer corps. I’ll promote it to the manor’s official guard and establish a formal organization. Sir Berman, who used to be a guard here, will assist with the training.”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do what you say.”
“Y…you want me to do that?!”
He looked up at me, shocked.
“Then who else is going to do that? I’ll employ you as a knight and give you a title if your ability improves. I have the power to do so.”
As I replied, I flung my ear wax into the air in response to his question.
“B…but I am a lowly man…”
“If someone is skilled, I hire them. That’s my philosophy.”
He seemed surprised by my comments.
* * *
It was an assault by goblins. There were about a hundred of them. Their bodies were the size of a child’s, their intelligence was poor, and their physique was small, so they had only child-like strength. The only thing they had in their favor was their prodigious fertility. Regardless of the species, even if you killed indefinitely, the number of them didn’t decrease.
That’s why a goblin-infested manor was so irritating. It was challenging to adapt to them since they were nocturnal monsters. They were previously known for living in the mountains and sometimes appearing to steal animals, children, or women from people’s homes, but this was the first time such a large group appeared.
With this size, he couldn’t understand why they hadn’t been conquered by the orcs who lived in the same mountain, who refer to themselves as warriors. As the range of desolation of the manor spread to the forest, their attack cycle became more frequent. The elders in the manor said that this was due to the earth’s curse, but Montmort didn’t believe them.
Meanwhile, someone from the royal palace arrived. In a somewhat arrogant manner, an official from the royal palace came down and told him, who managed the volunteers and the estate, that the first prince of the Kingdom would be named Lord here, and then he left immediately. He didn’t seem to want to remain in this remote area any longer. Montmort was a commoner who despised the aristocracy.
He learned to write at a beginner level from his father, but he despised all nobles except Baron Alisha, who had previously ruled the manor. To him, nobles were arrogant and were overly manipulative. Now what? There was going to be a royal prince. If it’s a prince of the damn Kingdom, what else was there to say?
That’s what he was thinking. It’s a good thing he didn’t break his neck in anger over this manor’s predicament.
He was scared, but he didn’t want to be overwhelmed. The more troubling aspect was that he couldn’t imagine such a man abusing his authority in his hometown, which was in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the goblins attacked again. This time, there were almost a hundred fifty goblins in the raid. It’s impossible to say where this influx of heads came from, but it seemed as if all the goblins in the vicinity of the Hines manor had gathered.
No matter how well-trained the volunteers were, they would eventually incur fatigue from the constant battles. In reality, it was a known fact that some residents were abducted by fleeing goblins. Defeat was obvious, and they pillaged their possessions.
The gloomy residents seemed dissatisfied that the government didn’t intervene to defend them. It had been ten years since the Kingdom’s assistance was withdrawn. The previous Lord, Baron Alisha, died a long time ago. On top of that, now they had to deal with a prince.
The prince seemed to be a small child who hadn’t yet seen half of what they had. According to the kingdom’s laws, citizens became adults at the age of sixteen, but maturity generally occurred at twenty or older. In other words, he was much too young. Young nobles were very arrogant. Furthermore, as a prince who has spent his whole life in the royal house, he couldn’t have a wide range of experiences.
Montmort’s head felt dizzy just thinking about how the prince was going to annoy him. However, instead, he casually found the traces of their war and praised them for their effort. Montmort thought he was lying at first, but he looked confident. As if he knew what he was doing. With a blank expression on Montmort’s face, he looked up at the prince.
For some reason, his eyes and mannerisms gave the impression that he already knew everything. It was an odd instinct not to lie in front of him. Even though the journey would have been exhausting, he summoned the workers to verify the manor’s condition, so we confessed the truth. He stood up and responded casually after hearing out the entire story.
“First, let’s clean up the goblins until I remove the curse of the wasteland.”
Although he had been told there were hundreds of goblins, he sounded like he was dusting a kitchen.