Chapter 46: The Hollow Lord’s Castle (3)

I followed Shtefan out.

When we arrived at the reception room, the two of us took our seats and sat in silence for a moment.

It was I who spoke first.

“Please have everyone move as far outside as possible.”

Around us stood Shtefan’s butler and maids.

They remained nearby so they could step forward at any time when ordered to do errands.

“Even them?”

“Yes, please. My lord.”

“Very well. All of you, go outside and see to your own business for a while.”

At the lord’s command, the butler and maids bustled out of the room.

After that, I continued speaking in earnest.

“I believe you already know the reason I came here.”

“I heard from the royal palace. That His Highness the Prince would be assisting with the management of the territory.”

“Then I’ll ask frankly, my lord. Do you actually intend to accept my help?”

Until a moment ago, before seeing me in person, Shtefan had not even considered receiving help.

Rather than expecting aid, he had worried that the prince would only drain more of the territory’s funds.

Perhaps because I had struck right at the core of his concern, Shtefan could not immediately answer my question.

“……I can’t say I was expecting much.”

“Of course. It’s only natural, considering the rumors about me were not only unimpressive but practically nonexistent.”

“You say that as if you’re an entirely different person now.”

At that moment, a pressure emanated from me—an aura far too heavy for any foolish prince to exude.

“How do I look in your eyes, my lord?”

“I’m not sure about the matter of help… but you don’t seem like someone who’d do nothing.”

“Heh…! Then first, my lord, you should decide whether you’ll continue to manage Kanas in the same way as before. Especially whether you’ll keep your current administrative officer, Conrad Vivalous.”

My tone was utterly serious.

At such an abrupt question, Shtefan looked puzzled.

“Why bring up the administrative officer all of a sudden?”

“Because he’s done quite a lot while serving as Kanas’s administrative officer.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

He asked again, clearly unaware.

In response, I opened a storage in the air and pulled out several bundles of parchment, handing them over.

Naturally, Shtefan looked astonished at the sight of such magic.

“What is that?”

“A form of spatial magic. It allows one to store various items. You should read those slowly when the administrative officer isn’t around.”

At my words, Shtefan picked up one parchment and unfolded it.

Inside were records of Kanas’s financial transactions and fund flows.

Most of them were places managed directly by Administrative Officer Conrad.

“How in the world did you get this…?”

It was information I had commissioned Patrick to gather through Eye of the Moon.

“I looked into these matters once it was decided that I’d be coming to Kanas. It was just a small inquiry, but the findings were quite serious. My lord, you truly didn’t know any of this?”

In the original future, Conrad had continued to embezzle operational funds even after Prince Raion arrived at the territory.

The lord, Shtefan, had remained oblivious, believing only that the territory’s finances were perpetually in deficit.

But to me, the situation itself had seemed strange.

The signs of corruption were too blatant—there was no way the lord could have been completely unaware.

“To be honest… I only had suspicions. But there was no proof.”

“The proof is right before your eyes, my lord. If things continue like this, the Kanas Territory will collapse. Countless citizens are pouring their hard-earned taxes—earned while starving—into a pocket full of holes.”

“……”

Even with the evidence laid out before him, Shtefan was at a loss for what to do.

Then I noticed something and quickly spoke.

“We can discuss the rest after you’ve had some time to think it over.”

The stacks of parchment on the table vanished once more into my spatial storage.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

Knock, knock.

“This is Conrad. I’ve returned after finishing the arrangements.”

“Come in.”

As Conrad entered, his eyes briefly flicked toward me.

“I’ve already informed the butler about the living quarters that will be prepared for Your Highness.”

Patrick was nowhere to be seen—he must have gone to handle the arrangements.

“I see.”

“Is there anything else you wish to instruct, my lord?”

At his question, Shtefan looked toward me, as if asking how he should respond in this situation.

“I believe we’ve discussed what was necessary for now. Let’s go upstairs and rest. Ah, by the way, I saw a group of orcs near the castle outskirts. We might need to organize a subjugation soon.”

Orcs multiplied rapidly. If one of them became a leader, they could soon set their sights on the castle.

Before the lord could answer, Conrad—rather than Shtefan—spoke up.

“So the time has come again. I’ll notify the mercenary and adventurer guilds at once.”

When the administrative officer issued a request to the guilds, mercenaries and adventurers would take the job and resolve the issue.

Of course, the amount the lord offered for each request varied depending on the difficulty.

Determining and executing those requests was one of Administrative Officer Conrad’s main duties.

“Orcs have appeared almost at the foot of the lord’s castle. Will simply making a request to the guild be enough to handle it?”

When I asked this question, half-rising from my seat, Conrad lowered his head and replied.

“Your Highness may not be aware, but within the current territory’s operating budget, the allotted funds are quite limited.”

Even collecting taxes was difficult.

Naturally, taking a large sum out of those taxes to fund monster subjugations was no easy task.

The funds already spent internally for the sake of the territory’s residents were significant as well.

“In that case, I shall contribute a portion of that fund myself. Would 3,000 gold be sufficient to carry out a monster subjugation around the lord’s castle?”

At those words, both Conrad and Lord Shtefan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Your Highness means you’ll personally provide the funds?”

“That’s right. Would that not be enough for the subjugation? What’s your opinion, Administrative Officer?”

I turned my question toward Conrad.

“That amount should be more than sufficient, Your Highness. Once we receive the funds, I’ll place a request to the guild to recruit adventurers and mercenaries.”

“Then I’ll have Patrick deliver the funds to you. I’ll take my leave for now, my lord.”

After finishing those words, I stepped out of the reception room.

At the door stood Patrick, who had apparently finished his errands and returned.

I looked at him casually and asked,

“Who was it that informed Conrad?”

“It was the head butler. And most of the maids in the castle seem to serve as his eyes and ears.”

“As expected, the administrative officer’s people are everywhere.”

“The state of the castle seems quite poor. It looks like there’s a lot that needs to be cleaned up.”

Patrick said this with a mocking tone, ridiculing the disorderly state of Kanas Castle.

Of course, I agreed with him completely.

“We’ll have to clean house when the time is right.”

“If Your Highness entrusts that cleaning to this butler Patrick, I’ll make sure it’s spotless.”

Though I was curious about what kind of “cleaning” he had in mind, I didn’t ask.

“If we move rashly, we’ll only stir up trouble. It’ll have to be done all at once.”

“You mustn’t overexert yourself again like last time.”

He was referring to the time four years ago when I had fought Diang Oulad.

Though I had defeated him easily, Patrick couldn’t help but worry.

Meanwhile, a faint smile touched my lips.

Administrative Officer Conrad Vivalous, wearing a dark hooded robe pulled low, stepped into a dim alleyway.

The lantern in his hand cast a small glow as it swayed from side to side.

After walking through the narrow alley for some time, Conrad stopped before a wooden door.

Knock, knock! Knock, knock!

As the door rattled, a small peephole opened and a pair of sharp eyes appeared.

Meeting those eyes, Conrad spoke.

“It’s me.”

Immediately, the door, which had been tightly locked, opened.

Entering inside, Conrad removed his robe and glanced around at the men seated in the room.

“Is everyone here?”

These men were mercenaries who had long made their nests within the Kanas Territory.

They weren’t officially affiliated with any group.

They moved solely according to Conrad’s orders.

Their leader, Gedwin, stepped forward in response to his question.

“When the Administrative Officer calls, of course we all come. But what’s the matter? A few days ago, you told us to lay low for a while.”

Their business was inflating the payments they received from monster subjugation requests issued by the territory—by several times over.

Naturally, a considerable portion of that inflated money ended up in Conrad’s pocket.

“There’s another big job this time.”

“How big are we talking, that you’d come in person instead of sending a messenger? Does it have something to do with that prince who recently arrived in the territory?”

Gedwin had worked with him long enough to make a good guess.

“That’s right. Roughly… 3,000 gold are on the line. We may not be able to pocket all of it, but even taking thirty percent would be something, wouldn’t it?”

“Three thousand gold? Are you serious?”

Startled, Gedwin asked again, and the men around him began murmuring in excitement.

“I’ll be taking just 150 gold this time. The remaining 900 gold, you all can split among yourselves.”

Including Gedwin, there were nine men.

That meant each of them would get 100 gold—several times their usual share.

“Oooh—!”

As the mercenaries cheered loudly, a grin spread across Gedwin’s face as well.

“That’s quite the generous offer.”

“All thanks to that foolish prince who carelessly put up a hefty sum of 3,000 gold for a monster subjugation. Hahaha!”

Conrad let out a filthy laugh, already imagining the gold that would soon fill his hands.

In each guild within Kanas Castle, large notices were posted recruiting monster subjugation squads.

Perhaps because the pay per monster was higher than usual, a great number of mercenaries and adventurers staying in the castle signed up.

Of course, they would only be paid after bringing back the monster cores as proof of their kills.

Chatter, chatter!

Mercenaries and adventurers who had applied for the subjugation gathered densely in the central plaza of Kanas Castle.

By limiting recruitment to D-rank and above, around eighty people had been gathered.

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