“Lorina?”

It wasn’t a mouse but a woman hiding in the carriage. It was absurd. The slaves were even more dumbfounded. They had checked the luggage but couldn’t find her.

Mordon seemed to know. He must have known that Lorina and the protagonist had an unusual relationship and hidden her.

“What about Father? Why did you follow me?”

“Well, he said not to come back until I’ve seduced you.”

“Seduce?”

“Yeah! I’ll just stick around for a bit and then leave.”

She easily said she would follow the protagonist.

It wasn’t a one or two-day journey.

Even for her, following along required considerable resolve. It was clear she liked the protagonist and wanted to come along.

“Why were you hiding in the carriage?”

Lorina looked around nervously.

She rolled her eyes for a moment and then spoke. It was an excuse.

“I wasn’t hiding. I was just trying to catch a little sleep and must have dozed off.”

It was a cute excuse.

He just stared at her silently. Lorina’s face turned red.

“It’s true. I’m not lying.”

“I believe you.”

“What’s with that tone?”

She quickly turned her head away.

There was no way to send her back to the capital now. Even though the war with the orcs was over, it was too dangerous for a woman to travel alone.

It was dangerous even to meet people. If she encountered a monster, it would be the end. He had to take her with him.

He thought about what to have Lorina do.

She also had to pull her weight. Lorina looked at him a little anxiously. When the protagonist remained silent, she seemed worried, as if he was going to kick her out.

“What are you thinking about?”

“You.”

“Me?!”

“I was thinking about what tasks to give you.”

“What’s that? Why would you give me tasks?”

“You should work too. Have you learned about herbs in the meantime?”

“Yes! I worked hard while you were gone. Now I can even make proper potions.”

“Potions? Are they different from before?”

“Of course. Before, I said they were highly effective but had side effects. The higher the quality of a potion, the fewer the side effects.”

“Ah, you said they shortened lifespan a little.”

What she gave him was a low-grade potion worth ten silver coins a bottle. Even if the effects were the same, a potion’s value increased with fewer side effects.

Such was the case with low-grade potions.

They fetched thirty coins a bottle. Lorina could make mid-grade potions, which were even more effective.

The protagonist could also make water to heal wounds.

But at best, it was only about as good as the lowest quality potion.

Making anything better was difficult. He needed to properly learn herbology. Just by smelling them, it was hard.

Lorina knew a lot about herbs. Now she knew far more than the protagonist. While talking with her, he asked about an herb.

It was an herb that made breasts larger.

Her face flushed, and she looked flustered. She blurted out words like “pervert” and “trash.”

He nodded. It was true. He decided to be bold.

For the sake of the protagonist’s woman, he could endure a little shame.

“Who are you going to give it to?”

“Charlotte.”

“The female knight?”

“She’s too small.”

“Indeed, she was small.”

Lorina also nodded.

A woman whose breasts everyone acknowledged. That was Charlotte.

“You have some?”

“There is something that promotes Castle growth, though.”

“Let’s make it quickly.”

“I’m short on a few herbs. For now, you’ll have to go to your territory and find the rest. I’m not even sure if we’ll find one ingredient because it’s so rare.”

“We must find it.”

He clenched his fist.

It was a very serious matter. A life, the baby’s life, was at stake. To save the baby he would have in the future, there had to be a lot of milk.

With Charlotte’s current milk supply, the baby would starve to death. Although not yet born, preparations had to be made for the future.

“Because of the lady knight?”

“Yes.”

“What about me?”

“Huh?”

Lorina avoided his gaze. She even glanced at her own chest.

“It’s nothing.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t ask. If you ask again, I won’t make the breast-enlarging medicine.”

He shut his mouth.

It was a matter of life and death.

She had to do well. Lorina was the woman who knew a lot about herbs. It was no exaggeration to say that their future depended on her.

He was relieved to see a glimmer of hope. If it could be made, he wanted everyone to take it. The bigger, the better.

“What are you making a woman do?”

“Breasts.”

“Don’t say it out loud, you pervert.”

Lorina grumbled.

She also said she’d be embarrassed if people found out she was trying to make such a medicine. When the protagonist proudly said he would tell them, she replied with a “get lost.”

He didn’t know why she was like that.

The carriage wheels rolled on.

For the first time in a long time, he felt at ease. This time, he wasn’t going to fight. Even if he fought with people, he wasn’t scared.

Even now, the Golem followed the carriage, making the ground rumble. It was the same Golem that had defeated the noble army.

He wasn’t careless.

The protagonist had almost been killed by an assassin. Even the strongest mage could be taken down by an ordinary assassin. He just had to be careful about that.

If it were the protagonist, he could rule the territory well. He could just crush anyone who resisted with the Golem.

One should use their mind when they are weak.

The protagonist was strong. There was no need to use his mind. In the protagonist’s territory, he could wield his power as much as he wanted. There was no need to be mindful of others.

“Baron! You should come forward for a moment!”

Mordon shouted from the front.

He got out of the carriage. He checked what was going on. One side of the carriage in front was submerged in mud magic.

The slaves, with their pants rolled up halfway, all tried to push the carriage up together. But the carriage didn’t budge.

Mordon called the slaves back.

The slaves approached. One of them scratched his head, saying the carriage was deeply stuck. It felt like he was making excuses that it wasn’t due to their lack of strength.

“Is it stuck in mud magic?”

“It seems difficult to pull it out with just our strength.”

“What should we do?”

“Can’t the shop owner’s Golem pull out the carriage?”

Mordon said.

It was a bit of a tricky situation. If he made a mistake, the Golem could break the carriage in the capital city.

He looked at the carriage.

If the Golem didn’t step in, they would be stuck.

After a brief deliberation, he moved the Golem.

He had to give the commands carefully.

The Golem approached the carriage, put its arm into the mud magic, and lifted it from underneath. There was a strong feeling of resistance. But the Golem’s strength was even greater.

As the carriage was lifted, the horses moved forward. The carriage came out of the mud magic. It was incredible strength.

“Ohh…!”

The slaves’ mouths dropped open. What they couldn’t do with all their might was solved in an instant.

Their reaction was amusing.

The carriage rolled on.

The carriage behind them took a slight detour to avoid the mud magic. After three more days, Mordon said they would arrive at the territory before sunset.

His heart pounded.

He was a Baron.

Although it was the lowest rank, he had become a Noble. It was a hereditary Title that could be passed down through generations, not a single-generation Title recognized only in the Protagonist’s lineage.

It was slightly larger than a Barony. To be precise, it was a territory located somewhere between a Barony and a Viscounty. It was too large a territory to be given to a Baron.

Perhaps the Count had intervened.

Or perhaps the Second Prince had exerted his influence. The Protagonist had helped them win the fight. This was his reward.

He worried if he could govern the territory well. From what Millia had said before leaving the Capital City, it seemed like an incredibly difficult task.

Charlotte said it was a very difficult task.

Even the City where LordCastle was located was quite large.

He had to govern the people living in that City. The Protagonist couldn’t even manage the Slaves under him yet.

At least dozens of households lived in just one Village.

That meant over a hundred people lived there. He had to govern a territory made up of dozens of such Villages. The Protagonist was immediately worried if he could do it well.

He remembered how the Alchemist had initially dismissed the Protagonist. It was understandable. Those who govern such lands would easily Boil a person.

He steeled his resolve.

He felt that if a young-looking Noble like the Protagonist appeared, he would be looked down upon by those around him.

There might be someone who would try to make him a puppet.

He couldn’t be looked down upon.

There were many adults around the Protagonist.

There were Amelin and Charlotte.

There was also Mordon, who had become the Protagonist’s Guard this time.

He had to listen carefully to their advice.

He knew a lot about Magic, but nothing about governing people. That was something learned through education from a young age.

While other Nobles were learning about management, the Protagonist was climbing mountains and digging for Herbs. That meant he knew nothing.

The City Wall was visible in the distance. It looked quite old. There were many unmaintained areas. It looked as if a major war had been fought.

As they tried to enter the City Gate, the Guard Soldier, who had been on alert at the Archives, shouted and blocked them.

“Stop! Halt! Pay the toll to enter.”

“A toll?”

“We collect a toll.”

The Guard Soldier holding a spear said.

Their attitude was that if you didn’t pay, you couldn’t enter. It was absurd. The Protagonist had been to many Cities in his life, but none of them charged money to enter.

Mordon said.

“What Beggar is collecting a toll?”

He was wearing heavy Armor.

It was the Armor of a Knight. The Guard Soldier flinched slightly, but then, as if realizing something, he regained his spirit and shouted.

“It’s being collected by those who manage our City.”

“Manage?”

“That’s right. Because there’s no Noble to pay our wages.”

There was no Lord in This Place.

Guard Soldiers were hired by the Lord. Since he was gone, it seemed someone else was paying them to maintain law and order in the City.

It wasn’t a good situation. It didn’t seem like the other side would easily give up the Guard Soldiers.

“Are you going to pay or not?”

“We don’t pay.”

“Then you’ll have to leave.”

The Guard Soldier brandished his spear.

It seemed they were looking down on them because they were few in number. Just then, something walked from behind, shaking the ground. It was the Golem, which had fallen a little behind.

“W-what is that!”

The Guard Soldier shouted, baring his teeth. Mordon said,

“It’s a Golem.”

“A Golem?”

“It’s something my Shop Owner brings along.”

“Your, Shop Owner? You mean a Noble?”

The Guard Soldiers’ morale plummeted. The only person a Knight would refer to as a Shop Owner was a Noble.

“They are the rightful ruler of this territory.”

Mordon declared solemnly.

He roared, ordering the Guard Soldiers to kneel immediately.

The Guard Soldiers looked at each other, then put down their spears and knelt. Then they prostrated themselves, banging their heads on the ground.

The rigid attitude they had shown earlier was nowhere to be found.

This was the dignity of a Noble.

The Guard Soldiers bowed their heads and apologized, saying they hadn’t recognized him. It wouldn’t be strange for their heads to be cut off if they upset a Noble.

Just moments before, they had been defiant, thinking it was at best a free Knight. But at the mention of a Noble in the Carriage, they immediately prostrated themselves.

It was even more so because of the enormous Golem behind them. The Guard Soldiers trembled in fear, looking as if they had never seen anything like it before.

“Rise. And go spread the word throughout the City. That the Baron who will govern the territory has arrived. With that, I will forgive your rudeness.”

“Understood!”

“R-right away!”

The Guard Soldiers stood up and ran inside. It was unclear who was guarding the City Gate.

The Carriage entered the City. There were fewer people compared to the Capital City. As the Golem passed, they called it a Gnoll and moved aside. It was chaotic.

I intentionally sent the Golem ahead. It was something Mordon had said, that it needed to attract as much attention as possible.

“From now on, you will be the Land Owner. To do that, you need to inform many people.”

“Are there no Soldiers?”

“They would have scattered when the previous Lord died. Even if there were any, the City’s Influential Figures would have absorbed them. Just like those Guard Soldiers earlier.”

“This is troublesome.”

“It can’t be helped. Let’s go to the Lord’s Castle for now.”

We proceeded with the Golem in front.

After passing the Plaza and going a little further, the Lord’s Castle came into view. It seemed no one was living inside.

Mordon, who had inspected the interior, frowned.

“It seems they took everything valuable. I don’t know who did it, though. There don’t seem to be any Employees either.”

The Lord’s Castle showed no signs of human touch. It was to the point where they would have to buy furniture and put it in. A Slave approached and spoke.

“I questioned the people and found out that the former Lord died at the hands of Orcs over half a year ago.”

“The army?”

“Most of them died or scattered.”

Mordon pondered for a moment. I asked him,

“What should we do?”

“We’ll have to find Maids to work in the Lord’s Castle first. There’s nothing here. Since the previous ruler died, we’ll have to start from scratch.”

Charlotte said, crossing her arms. Her tone was slightly displeased.

“By now, the Influential Figures in the City should be rushing over, but I don’t see any.”

“Why are they coming?”

“When a new Lord appears, the Influential Figures must bring something. It’s customary. Not doing so means they’re waiting for him to come to them. A Beggar who thinks himself higher than the Baron.”

It was understandable that her expression was displeased.

The Protagonist was also angry.

The Lord was the highest authority within the lands he governed.

He was no different from a King. Yet, instead of coming to introduce themselves to the Protagonist, they were sitting idly. It was outrageous.

“So they’re looking down on us.”

Mordon said.

“That’s right. The Baron is in a difficult position, and for now, even the people of the City will follow the Influential Figures, which is troublesome. We need to think about how to bring them under control.”

At that moment, a Slave appeared and announced that someone had arrived.

They went outside with their companions.

Upon stepping outside, they saw an Old Man. He seemed to be quite a powerful figure in this City. He seemed to have brought a gift for the Protagonist.

“Oh, are you the new Baron?”

But his hands were empty. His tone was also arrogant.

Moreover, he brought a lot of Soldiers. There seemed to be about thirty of them. As soon as he saw them, he wondered where he had parked his Golem.

The Golem was nearby. The opponent didn’t seem to know about the Golem. It felt like they had just rushed over upon hearing that a Lord had appeared.