659 – Inaction – 3

After enjoying the banquet prepared by the head deacon, I moved to the pasture with Lin.

“Wow…”

And when Rin saw the wide pasture, her eyes sparkled and she took her steps.

A horizon that could not be seen in the archipelago, a cool breeze wrapping around the body, and horses and sheep running around without hesitation. It was truly the appearance of an ideal grassland.

Of course, it may not be as good as the North, but there will be no pasture as large as Wiridia within the mainland of the empire. The fact that it was once the outskirts of the empire means that development was slow, and if development is slow, the grasslands have no choice but to be preserved as is.

“You can run here without any pressure, right?”

That’s why she hugged Rin’s waist with a happy feeling and asked.

This is a place where any famous horse can run freely. Aren’t Black and White so excited that they want to run beyond the horizon?

“Yes! If it’s a horse you can’t handle here, it’s better to release it into the wild! They shouldn’t be handled by humans in the first place!”

Rin also nodded her head with a rare expression of excitement, as if she resonated with Kamangi and Hayangi.

She is also an athlete whose hobby is horseback riding. It seems like my heart is pounding because it has the best horseback riding environment.

“Then shall we ride together?”

After smiling at Rin, she first got on her black cat and extended her hand to Rin.

Actually, I was planning on riding on Black, Rin, and White on top, but now that I think pregnant about it, riding on a White is a bit too much. Let’s let White run free.

“If not at this time, when will I learn how to ride a horse?”

“Good. I’ll teach you clearly!”

Rin smiled brightly at those words and took my hand.

A horseback riding class taught by the academy’s top equestrian instructor. It is a privilege that only I can enjoy on this continent.

-Hee hee!

– Purr!

However, perhaps because I rode a rare horse from the first class, I did not feel that the class was difficult. It felt like I was taking driving lessons in a car that was fully autonomous.

But it doesn’t matter. It would be better if it was a famous horse capable of autonomous driving. Honestly, I came all the way from Jedo Island to Wiridia. Wouldn’t a horseback riding date be more fun than a horseback riding class?

“Oppa.”

“Huh?”

“When Alina grows old enough to walk… Shall we three ride together?”

“What if I say that now? I’m already looking forward to it.”

“Hehe, sorry.”

Fortunately, Lin also seemed to like this date, leaning against my chest and smiling deeply.

“But by the time Alina starts walking, won’t the cub that White gave birth to be big enough to carry a child?”

“Oh, that’s true too.”

“It would be nice to see Ali riding her colt.”

“If you say that already, I’m looking forward to it.”

I burst out laughing when I saw Rin repeating exactly what I said.

It was a date that made it worthwhile to come all the way to Wiridia.

Heading to Wiridia was an accidental decision, but it helped me remember that high-ranking positions within the County of Wiridia were vacant. If I hadn’t gone this time, the Chamberlain would have been the Chief Chamberlain forever.

However, all vacuums were not immediately filled that day. If the chief butler and chamberlain are holding out, they will be able to hold out even if there are several vacant positions, and even the rank of baron, which is the lowest rank among nobles, cannot be given to just anyone. Wouldn’t the effect be maximized if given to someone more capable and desperate?

So, the only high-ranking positions in Wiridia are still the chief deacon and the chief chamberlain. The remaining positions should be given to people who can take their time and do a good job.

‘Is things going well on Leon’s side?’

Eventually, my worries about the current situation turned to the territory I had been farming in the Kingdom of Leon.

Thanks to the diligent management of the Crasius family and vassal families for 300 years, the County of Tilglehen is running well without my intervention. There are also a lot of high-ranking positions within the territory, with no vacuums.

In that case, the only places I should be interested in are automatically the territories located in the Kingdom of Leon. Officially, it is the Leon Territory, but in reality, it is only the regions that have become the Imperial Territory.

‘It seems like things are going well since there isn’t much news.’

I fiddled with the communication device and organized my thoughts. First of all, just as Wiridia is running without any disturbance, there is a high possibility that the Kingdom of Leon is running smoothly as well.

Unlike Wiridia, the workforce was even heavily invested in the territory of the Kingdom of Leon. Even though the Kingdom of Leon has been reduced to the level of a puppet state, isn’t it a territory that borders other countries? If you neglect it like Wiridia and then fall over to the Kingdom of Leon, it will be extremely difficult.

Additionally, I told Alfonso, who had become the chief butler of my territory after defecting to the Empire, to contact me immediately if anything happened. If there is no contact from me, it is correct to assume that there is no problem.

Yes, if you think about it rationally, it is definitely true—

‘Small things can be left unsaid and left unsaid.’

Alfonso followed my suggestion and went into exile in large numbers with his family, close friends, and subordinates. The Alfonso family was able to successfully settle in the empire as I established that group of exiles as small to medium-sized lords or workers in Leon’s territory.

Thanks to this, Alfonso feels a great debt to me, and he has developed the mindset that he should not dare to bother me. I told him to contact me if anything happens, but he might just grit his teeth and take care of it on his own.

Of course, this may be excessive worry. There really aren’t any problems, so it may be going smoothly.

‘There is a high probability that they will keep their mouths shut.’

However, I know very well how people with a sense of loyalty and indebtedness behave. Because the past Fine is exactly the higher version of the current Alfonso.

‘…Let’s go.’

Therefore, it was decided to tour the territories in the Leon area.

Now that I’ve visited Lydia, it’s right to check out other territories as well, and if Alfonso is solving the case without my knowledge, as I feared, it’s right to help him.

If you do something wrong, a small thing can grow into a huge problem. If things go that way, Alfonso may cry and say sorry. Maybe he could perform a seppuku show, saying he would pay with his life

It’s not something either side is willing to do.

***

It has been more than a year since Alfonso Cardena, commander of the corps of the Quironos Kingdom, became Viscount Alfonso Cardena of Bariyeluna of the Kpelopen Empire.

The nationality is the Empire, and the territory it rules is the Leon Territory, which is a bizarre situation, but everyone knows that this territory is actually the territory of the Empire. Well, isn’t the High Lord the Minister and the most powerful person in the empire, and it’s adjacent to the empire’s border? It’s just that an official merger declaration hasn’t been made yet, and no one mistakes this place for Leon Territory.

‘It’s finally over.’

Thanks to this, the work of adjusting the nationality of citizens within the territory has now been completed.

These are people who have lived their entire lives as subjects of the Kingdom of Leon. Suddenly, to those people, ‘You are an imperial citizen from now on.’ Who would obey obediently when you say that?

‘There were a lot.’

There were so many. There were so many that it was virtually the same as adjusting the nationalities of all the population in the territory.

In fact, it is natural. The Kingdom of Leon has been going downhill since its defeat 30 years ago. However, if the lives of the subjects were peaceful before the defeat, it was not particularly so.

In the past, the Kingdom of Leon was famous as a military powerhouse. In order to maintain that powerful military, of course the subjects had to sacrifice their bodies and property generously. Regardless of whether the national power of the Kingdom of Leon was strong or not, the lives of its subjects were not peaceful, and after the defeat, it became even more miserable.

In such a situation, is there an opportunity to legally become an imperial citizen? It is truly an opportunity given by Enen. If there is someone who refuses, even the parents’ enemies will have to dissuade them at least once.

‘It was rather difficult to filter out people smuggling in.’

An opportunity to become an imperial citizen just by proving that you are a citizen. Thanks to this, a considerable amount of administrative power was consumed in defending against refugees coming from all over the Kingdom of Leon.

Although we wanted to accept all refugees, we should avoid excessively absorbing Leon’s population. As long as the puppet state and zone of interest called Leon is alive and well, there will be no conflict between the empire and Armain.

…

‘No matter your nationality, you have a deep connection with Leon.’

A laugh escaped me without thinking.

Even when he was a noble of Quironos, he had various bad relations with the Kingdom of Leon, and even after becoming a noble of the empire, he is handling affairs related to Leon. This is a relationship so strong that I wonder if any of my ancestors are Leonians.

Of course, if one of your ancestors was from Leon, you would be spewing out all sorts of insults. I wonder if there is such an unfilial descendant.

“…I need to close my eyes for a moment.”

After pushing the useless thoughts to the corner of my head, I yawned softly and muttered.

I’ve been up all night in front of papers for the past few days. When there was no end in sight, he left work like a knife, but when it seemed like the end was within reach, he prepared to stay up all night to handle his work. The shackles that had been imprisoning my body for a year were about to be lifted, so I could at least tolerate staying up all night.

So now that I finished a long, long day of work, I was finally able to take a break—

‘What?’

The communication port that was rolling on the floor began to glow.

And that too in a clear blue color.

‘…Blue?’

The head, which had slowly hardened, began to rotate rapidly.

Because there is only one person I designated as blue. Because I didn’t even specify my parents’ contact information in that color.

Before I could even finish thinking, my body moved. I also got up from my seat with surprising speed and picked up the communication tool.

“This is Viscount Bariyeluna, Your Excellency!”

– Ah, it’s been a while. How have you been?

I answered with all my might, looking at His Excellency the Minister’s face through the communication port.

“Thanks to your grace, I feel like I’m walking on clouds every day!”

– I’m glad you said that. I was worried that I might have been relying too much on someone who had just become an imperial citizen and had a complicated mind.

“No, Your Excellency! On the contrary, I am glad that I am repaying the favor you have shown me in some small way!”

His Excellency let out a short laugh at my words, and then hinted at something powerful.

– Then, let’s meet for a drink after a long time. I’ll be there soon so wait.

“…Yes?”

There was no reply.

With those words, His Excellency ended contact.