## Chapter 1001 – Noble Kim Kat

The Baron Alliance.

Come to think of it, weren’t those Hylen bastards supposed to be the most influential among the kingdom’s barons? I think I remember something like that. But, damn, they formed an alliance with those guys as the core?

This smells like a disaster waiting to happen.

Anyway, to look at it coldly, isn’t the title of baron the most common in the kingdom? If those guys get together and form an alliance, they could guarantee their rights and interests like a real noble labor union.

There’s strength in numbers, after all.

They probably predicted I’d be granted a barony and came to scout me out, but I’m not interested at all. I don’t need an alliance like that.

“I refuse. I’m not particularly interested.”

I don’t want to join a group with those Hylen bastards in the first place. Besides, Baron Alliance? What a lame name.

“Re, refuse? Ah. Is it about the position? Then come to the Baron Alliance office anytime. We can talk right away.”

He reacted as if he hadn’t expected me to refuse and tried to hand me something like a business card.

Of course, I don’t need it.

It’s just a refusal.

“I’m not interested. I won’t join the alliance.”
“That…!”

He tried to persuade me.

“This is a good offer for Baron Paladin as well. If you join the alliance, you can protect your rights and interests.”
“I protect my own rights and interests.”

Who else is going to protect your rights and interests for you?

This is another world.

If you try to entrust the protection of your rights and interests to others, you’ll end up bleeding. And in the first place, I’m someone who doesn’t even need to entrust the protection of my rights and interests to others.

“Don’t keep pushing someone who says no. You should understand if I say it this much. Go back.”
“…I understand. Then there’s no helping it.”

As I refused firmly, he turned around and disappeared.

“What’s with joining some shitty group?”
“I don’t know. Just some guys you find everywhere.”

I answered Winia’s words and immediately took them back home.

* * *

After returning, I properly examined the scroll and box I received from the king’s vassal. Inside the box was a signet ring engraved with a crest.

According to the instructions, it’s the newly made crest of the Baron family, so I should never lose it.

Actually, who would lose this unless they were crazy?

“It’s a noble’s seal, after all. It’ll be troublesome in many ways if you lose it.”
“Have you ever seen me lose valuables?”

I answered Karin’s words and put it on my finger.

“It looks a little uncomfortable to wear this around.”

I’ll just wear it like a necklace.

I’m already wearing the Paladin seal around my neck, so I can just attach it there. But will I ever use this? I probably won’t.

“But it seems you didn’t receive a territory. Isn’t it right to give land when granting a title?”
“Not every case is like that. Rather, it might be better not to receive a vague territory.”
“Is that so?”

Karin answered Risha’s question as if it were natural. As expected, Karin is knowledgeable about this kind of thing. She can be said to be a senior noble in the truest sense.

“If you don’t have a territory, you don’t have the duties of a lord. There’s no troublesome work either.”
“Karin, can you explain that in detail?”
“Sure.”

Karin began to explain.

“It’s not like it ends with just having a territory. If you officially become a lord, you have a duty to be loyal to the king. Of course, it’s not just lip service, but various financial things go back and forth. It looks damn annoying, right?”

I listened to the story intently.

According to Karin’s explanation, a lord who has a territory has the right to collect taxes from that land and govern it freely, but in return, they must be loyal to the king.

This is troublesome and complicated in many ways.

But because it’s less inconvenient than the sweetness that power gives, nobles usually want to become lords.

“Of course, this also depends on individual preferences. But if a new noble without a foundation suddenly tries to rule a territory, it’ll be very difficult. In this case, it’s better not to receive it. It’s hard to make money right away unless you govern it properly.”
“As expected of Karin. You seem to know a lot.”
“It’s basic.”

As Claudia clasped her hands and admired, Karin smiled.

“Actually, it’s not like I need a territory right now.”

I’ll need it later, but not right now.

What I need right now is more power and training and experience to obtain it, not a territory. Receiving something I don’t need right now would only be a burden. Managing a territory would interfere with increasing my power.

If I were to receive a territory, I would probably ask the Brass Celestial Knights to entrust the governance to them.

“Still, a lord.”

Of course, I have thoughts.

“…Heh.”

I’m getting excited for no reason.

“It’d be hilarious if a darkie became a lord.”
“Huhu, that’s true.”

Liztina laughed at Winia’s words.

If I become a lord, I’ll run the territory in a style similar to a division commander.

I’ll take a look around the territory from time to time and see what the kids are up to. I’ll also operate a standing army, so I’ll occasionally go into the barracks and tell them that I won’t interfere as long as they follow the rules. I’ll also visit plantations and mines to give encouragement.

If I capture heretics or criminals, damn it. I’ll adjust a large-scale sugarcane field and stick them there to do forced labor. It’ll definitely be profitable if I kidnap all the bandits and heretics nearby and stick them there. It would be perfect if I picked out righteous sadists who are loyal to me and sent them there as supervisors.

Adventurer’s Guild? There should be one of those in the territory too. Once these guys are there, the small monsters around the territory will shrink. The work that the lord’s army should be doing is solved by those with cheap lives at a very low price, so you can save money.

Thinking about it, it seems quite fun.

Still, I don’t need it yet. If I become a true Heavenly Demon later, land and territory will naturally flow in. Maybe I’ll even rule a country.

Let’s leave that for the fun of that time.

“First of all, if I become a lord, Liz-nuna will be in charge of finance.”
“Oh my, are you already thinking that far?”
“Karin-nuna will do that. Military affairs.”
“This bastard is trying to act like a lord again, just like when he was acting like a demigod.”
“Darkie is really hilarious.”

The management should be done by family.

It’s literally a family-like fusion Confucian territory.

“It seems like Winia and Risha could do something like a magic tower? Like a Minister of Magic.”
“Huhu, are you building a magic tower for this humble one? I couldn’t be more pleased.”
“Can you even build it?”

Risha answered with a smile, but Winia looked suspicious.

“Damn, just tell me later. I’ll build it all for you.”

As I said, if I become a true Heavenly Demon, territory and land are nothing. I put my hand on Ari’s head while thinking that.

“Ari is that. Minister of Environment and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. Let’s do that.”
“Then I’ll give Father a bumper crop every year.”
“As expected! Ari is the closest!!!”

With Ari’s ability, I’ll probably be able to get a bigger bumper crop every year than if I poured in a lot of chemical fertilizers. Besides, it might be okay to subdue the wild dryads who threaten humans and make them serfs.

“Kat! What about me! What are you going to make me do!!!”

Hilde shouted with her fists clenched.

“Our Hilde will be the Pope of Fusion Confucianism. There should be a Pope in the territory too.”
“Hooray!!!”

It would be perfect to make Hilde the Pope of Fusion Confucianism. No, would a saint be more suitable than a Pope? Then what about our Kadia? I should just retire her from the Brass Celestial Knights and bring her to the territory to make her the Minister of Administration.

“Karin-unni.”
“Ugh, what’s wrong with this bastard.”
“Leave him alone for a bit. He likes it so much.”
“Isn’t it nice to see?”

The more I think about it, the better it seems.

It’s literally the state administration of Heavenly Demon Emperor Kim Kat.

“Claudia is Mama, so let’s make her the Minister of Education.”
“Education?”
“In order to live in this harsh world, Claudia-style education is essential.”

Claudia has overflowing maternal love, but she also has a cruel and ruthless side that contradicts it. At first glance, this seems abnormal, but such decisive actions are essential virtues for living in this world.

Love and decisiveness.

Essential virtues for educators and those being educated.

Claudia is an excellent murder teacher.

“Huhu, really. Education. It won’t work.”
“No. I became like this because of Claudia’s education. That’s enough.”
“That’s because Kat is talented.”
“Still, education is the most important!!!”

As we were talking about that, it was almost dinner time. The story of eating out came up, so I headed to the now familiar restaurant with them. The very place Kadia used to seduce me.

It was delicious, so I kept coming back from time to time.

“Just me alone, Liztina Lybervet. A noble born from a noble family. But that doesn’t mean I have a title. The hereditary title belongs to the head of the family.”

After arriving at the restaurant, we continued the story from earlier while eating.

“That’s right. Nuna is also a noble from the Vestart family, but she doesn’t have a title. In fact, most nobles are like that. There are more people without titles. It’s not like they give titles just because you were born.”
“That’s certainly true.”

It seems that only a portion of nobles have titles. Once you’re born into a noble family, you’re a noble, but the title itself must be inherited or earned by doing something meritorious.

“You need a title to have a territory. You can’t become a lord without a title. But usually, you get a territory after inheriting the family from your predecessor, so it doesn’t matter much.”

That’s a fact.

“That’s why people with titles are treated well.”
“Treatment.”

But when I think about it, even ordinary nobles treated me with appropriate respect when I said I was a Paladin. Of course, I did too. I also met with lords in other territories a lot.

“Hmm.”

Even if you have a title, you can’t ignore the power of the other party’s family or the power of their forces. The human world doesn’t work perfectly just because you have something. There are interests everywhere.

“Whatever, you’ve really become a noble now, Kat!!!”

Hilde shouted with a moved tone, clasping her hands.

“Long live Baron Demigod.”

Ari, who was sitting next to her, muttered quietly with a blank face.

“Hehehe. Ah.”

Ah, that title of Baron Demigod is really good.

“But.”

Just because I got a title.

It doesn’t mean that someone can limit me.

“In the end, the authority given by the human king means nothing to me! Only my power creates my authority!!! This title is just a slightly more convenient ID!!!”

It’s not this kind of title that proves my worth, but my power!!!

“Kyaaaaaaak! Kat is so cool!”
“Darkie’s antics are real.”

My value is not determined by titles alone…!

“Well, compared to the antics, it’s a better saying than I thought, but don’t shout it out loud in a crowded place.”
“Of course!!”

I’m originally someone who thoroughly distinguishes between what to say and what not to say in front of people. Would I go out and say that the authority given by the king is meaningless?

“Still, the mindset is really good. That’s right. You can’t become a good warrior if you cling to and obsess over titles. What proves your worth is not that kind of thing, but your own power and skill.”

Karin’s words were all right.

“Is that so?”

When Karin asked Claudia for agreement, she also answered with a smile.

“That’s right. Kat is a man who knows that properly… Really, he’s so wonderful and amazing. He’s a born great warrior.”
“He’s playful, but his thoughts are properly embedded.”
“He’s truly a vessel of a ruler!!!”

Ah, damn, I’m embarrassed.

“Let’s just eat.”

I’ll continue the demigod meal.

“But to be a Paladin and a kingdom’s baron at the same time. It’s quite good.”
“Nuna. Isn’t there one more thing to add to that?”
“Yes, Demigod. Just finish your meal.”
“Yes.”

It’s a really good day.