Chapter: 659
After enjoying the banquet prepared by the Head Servant, Rin and I moved to the pasture.
“Wow…”
Rin’s eyes sparkled as she stepped forward, taking in the vast expanse of the meadow.
The horizon was a sight unseen in the Capital, the refreshing breeze enveloped her, and the horses and sheep frolicked freely. It was the epitome of an ideal grassland.
Of course, it didn’t quite compare to the Northern Region, but there wouldn’t be a pasture as large as Wieridia anywhere else in the Empire. Being on the border once meant it was slower to develop, and with slow development, the prairies could be preserved.
“Here, they can run freely without worrying, right?”
I asked, embracing Rin’s waist with a content heart.
Here, any noble steed could gallop to their heart’s content. Even Kkamangi and Hayang seemed eager to dash over the horizon.
“Yes! If they can’t handle it here, it’s better to release them into the wild! They shouldn’t be tamed by humans in the first place!”
Rin nodded enthusiastically, as if resonating with Kkamangi and Hayang.
As someone who enjoyed horseback riding as a sport, she was clearly excited about the prime riding environment.
“Then should we ride together?”
After flashing a smile at Rin, I mounted Kkamangi first and reached out to her.
Honestly, I had thought about riding Hayang while Rin was on Kkamangi, but it’d be a bit overboard to ride a pregnant Hayang. Better to let her run free.
“When else would you learn to ride a horse like this?”
“Sure! I’ll teach you for sure!”
At my words, Rin beamed and took my hand.
A horseback riding lesson from the top rider at the Academy—what a privilege that only I could enjoy on this continent!
– Hee hee hee!
– Vroom!
However, from the very first lesson, riding the legendary steed made everything feel too easy. It was like having a self-driving car for driving lessons.
But I didn’t mind. A self-driving steed was even better! Honestly, after coming from the Capital to Wieridia, wouldn’t a horseback riding date be more enjoyable than a lesson?
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“When Alina grows big enough to walk… can we all ride together?”
“Why bring that up now? You’re getting me all excited already.”
“Hehe, I’m sorry.”
Luckily, Rin seemed to enjoy this date, leaning into me with a warm smile.
“But by the time Alina can walk, wouldn’t the foal from Hayang be big enough to carry a kid too?”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“It would be nice to see Alina riding a pony.”
“Stop mentioning it; you’re just making me more excited.”
I burst into laughter at Rin’s playful repetition of my words.
This date in Wieridia was definitely worth it.
Although our trip to Wieridia was spontaneous, it reminded me that there were high-ranking positions vacant within the County. If I hadn’t come this time, the head servant would probably have stayed perpetually as the first servant.
That said, I didn’t fill all the vacancies that day on the fly. With the Head Servant and the steward holding the fort, they could manage even with multiple positions unfilled. Even at the lowest levels of nobility, like a Baron, I couldn’t just hand it out to anyone. It had to go to someone more capable and desperate for it to maximize effectiveness.
So, at Wieridia, the only positions still open were those of the Head Servant and the steward. I decided to take my time to keep an eye on things and give out any positions to those who worked well.
‘I wonder how things are going on Leon’s side?’
Lost in my thoughts, I pondered about the territories I farmed in the Kingdom of Leon.
Thanks to the diligent management from the Krasius family and their vassals for the past 300 years, the Earl of Tailglehen was in decent shape, so I didn’t need to interfere at all. The top positions within the territory were all filled up.
That meant my attention needed to shift solely toward the territories located within the Kingdom of Leon. Officially referred to as Leon, in reality, they had become imperial territories.
‘No news means things are probably fine… right?’
I fiddled with the communication device as I organized my thoughts. Just like Wieridia rolled smoothly, it was likely that the Leon Kingdom was doing just fine.
In fact, unlike Wieridia, the territories of Leon had decent labor forces. Despite being a puppet state, it still bordered other nations. Ignoring it and letting it slip back under Leon’s control would create a crisis.
Plus, I told Alfonso, who had become the steward of my territory after fleeing to the Empire, to contact me if anything occurred. If he didn’t reach out, it meant nothing was wrong.
Right, logically thinking, that should be how it is—
‘But minor issues might be piling up and not communicated.’
Alfonso had come over in a large group with family, friends, and subordinates as per my suggestion. I had placed that exiled group as vassals or workers in the Leon territories, so Alfonso’s family successfully settled down in the Empire.
Because of that, Alfonso felt a significant sense of obligation towards me, and he developed a mindset where he shouldn’t annoy me with trivial matters. I had told him to contact me if anything was amiss, but he might be stubbornly dealing with things on his own.
Of course, it could be excessive worrying. It’s possible that everything was just running smoothly without any drama.
‘But there’s a good chance he’s keeping quiet.’
I know how those with loyalty and a sense of debt tend to act. Past experiences with Fine are proof enough of that.
‘Time to go.’
Thus, I decided to tour the territories of Leon.
Since I was already visiting Wieridia, I should also take a look at other territories. If Alfonso was secretly cleaning up issues without me knowing, I’d lend a helping hand.
Minor issues left unaddressed tend to escalate into major ones. If things spiraled out of control, Alfonso might tearfully apologize to me. Who knows, he might even go for some dramatic gesture to repay me with his life.
Neither situation would be pleasant.
*
It has been a little over a year since Alfonso Cardenas of the Kingdom of Quoronos became Alfonso Cardenas of the Barony of Barioluna in the Krasius Empire.
While his nationality was that of the Empire, it was a bizarre situation to rule over the territory of Leon. However, everyone was aware that this territory was effectively part of the Empire. After all, the Grand Duke was a heavyweight in the Empire; he wasn’t even near the border of the Empire. It was obvious there was no one left who truly believed it was still part of Leon.
‘Finally done.’
Thanks to that, the nationality adjustment process for the vassals within this territory had finally wrapped up.
These people had lived their whole lives as subjects of the Leon Kingdom. So, when you suddenly tell them, “From now on, you’re an imperial citizen,” how many people would just comply without hesitation?
‘Quite a lot.’
Surprisingly many. So many that nearly all the population in the territory underwent a nationality shift.
It was pretty much expected. The Leon Kingdom had been spiraling downward since its defeat thirty years ago. That didn’t mean that life for the subjects was peaceful back before the defeat, though.
The Kingdom of Leon was well-known as a military power. To maintain such a formidable military, naturally, the subjects had to sacrifice their lives and assets without reserve. Regardless of the state of national strength, the subjects never lived peacefully, and the situation only worsened after losing the war.
Was it any wonder people would jump at the opportunity to legally become imperial citizens? It was undoubtedly a blessing from Enen. Those who refused would find it hard to say no to even their parents’ enemies.
‘In fact, I had a hard time filtering out illegal immigrants.’
Just proving he was a vassal made one eligible for imperial citizenship. Thus, significant administrative resources were consumed dealing with the influx of refugees coming from all over Leon.
Ideally, I wanted to welcome them all, but absorbing too much of Leon’s population was not advisable. Maintaining that puppet state and resource area should yield no conflict between the Empire and the Ainter.
‘Looks like I’ve got a deep connection with Leon, no matter my citizenship.’
A small laugh escaped my lips.
Even back when I was a noble of Quoronos, I had numerous ties with the Leon Kingdom. Now as an imperial noble, I’m still dealing with matters related to Leon. It’s almost as if one of my ancestors was from Leon, making for quite a twist of fate.
Of course, if one of my ancestors was indeed from Leon, they’d likely be cursing me for being such a wayward descendant.
“…I’ll just take a quick nap.”
I pushed aside the unnecessary thoughts and yawned softly.
I had been burning the midnight oil at my desk for the last few days. When it seemed endless, I’d leave work instantly, but once it felt like the end was near, I would endure overnight shifts. After being shackled for a year, I couldn’t pass up a chance to rest just before the chains slipped away.
Yet, just when I thought I could take a break—
‘What the?’
The communication device lying on the floor began to glow.
In a clear, brilliant shade of blue.
‘…Blue?’
My head, which had been settling down, quickly started whirring.
Only one person was marked with blue. I hadn’t even set my parents’ communication devices to that color.
Before my thoughts could finish, my body sprang into action. I stood up from my seat, surprised at my speed, and snatched the communication device.
“It’s Baron Barioluna, Your Grace!”
– Ah, it’s been a while. How have you been?
I put all my strength into responding to the face of the Judicial Minister that appeared through the device.
“Thanks to Your Grace’s favor, I feel like I’m walking on clouds every day!”
– I’m glad to hear that. I was worried I might be pushing a newly appointed imperial citizen too hard.
“Not at all, Your Grace! I’m just happy to repay at least a little for Your Grace’s kindness!”
He gave a brief chuckle, then casually dropped a powerful statement.
– Well then, why don’t we meet for a drink since it’s been a while? I’ll be there soon, so wait for me.
“…Pardon?”
No reply came.
The Judicial Minister abruptly ended the communication.
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