#55 Servant Cedric (21) – Claudia’s Goal

One week.

After Cedric left, people had to try to fill his absence.

In the kitchen, they had to start preparing meals a little earlier, the maids had to move a little faster, and the guards had to be a little more on edge, keeping a closer watch.

In other words, just that much effort was enough to fill Cedric’s place.

Cedric intervened in so many things that his actual contribution to any specific part was smaller than expected, and it was also the result of Cedric himself carefully adjusting things so people wouldn’t rely on him too much.

Some admired how perfect even his departure was, but Claudia, who was the biggest beneficiary, felt complicated.

She had felt before that Cedric was preparing for “after he left,” but vaguely thinking he would was completely different from directly experiencing the results.

Of course, just because Cedric’s absence could be easily filled didn’t mean his influence was small.

“Dorve, Lupopo, and the Paras territories have successfully settled the Blood Beasts. Whether petty or serious criminals, they’re all watching the Blood Beasts, so security is more stable than ever, and the lords’ representatives in each territory are very satisfied.”

“By placing Blood Beasts along the paths connecting Etched and the friendly territories centered around it, it’s become surprisingly easy to discover and deal with monsters and bandits. Small and medium-sized merchants who have difficulty hiring large escorts are especially pleased.”

“The territories with strong ties to Lord Armin are remaining silent, but the territories with ties to Lord Erwin and Miss Mira seem eager to join us. They’ve been secretly trying to make contact from behind the scenes.”

“The vacant land scattered around Etched is rapidly being filled with immigrants. All the land belongs to the territory and is rented to the immigrants, but those who cultivate the land for a certain period of time can purchase it at a relatively low price, which is very popular.”

Etched’s growth rate resembled rock climbing rather than climbing stairs; it was so rapid. Originally, such rapid growth was bound to have various side effects.

Especially when it came to administrative overload, if they suddenly recruited people, there would inevitably be spies sent by outsiders wary of Etched’s growth, and a nerve-wracking mafia game would unfold within the territory.

In fact, Armin Redbel and a few others were preparing spies, but to their disappointment, Etched’s recruitment of talent was very thorough and extremely gradual.

Because the new administrative system that Cedric had overhauled was so much more efficient than the old system, they didn’t need to recruit people so urgently to operate the territory sufficiently.

Of course, even if they carefully selected and recruited talent like that, they couldn’t completely filter out spies, but the spies who did manage to get in were severely restricted in their activities.

This was because Blood Beasts were watching everywhere in the mansion and the territory, their eyes gleaming.

In fact, in terms of surveillance, it wasn’t that absolute.

It’s true that Claudia could receive will from the Blood Beasts, but while pure Blood Beasts’ intelligence increases as they unite and their grade rises, the best the improved Blood Beasts could do was a little better than the original animal they were based on.

They could describe “Servant A met with stranger B!” but it was impossible to figure out exactly what they talked about.

However, this was only known to Claudia, who led the Blood Beasts.

The spies, who could only guess how accurately the Blood Beasts understood human words and actions and reported to their superiors, naturally had no choice but to restrain themselves again and again.

-Woof! Woof woof!

“The bloodhounds used to be kind of scary, but these days, they’re just cute with a little red fur! I want to take one home and raise it!”

“I don’t mind, but wouldn’t having them around cramp your style a little?”

“Nah, it’s not like I’m bringing them into the bath. Besides, if they’re around, anyone thinking of messing with me won’t dare, just from being scared of Lady’s eyes, right?”

“That’s actually pretty good. Maybe we should offer them up for adoption to those who want them.”

If they knew that adopting a bloodhound would become a symbol amongst the servants, a sign that ‘I have nothing to hide,’ and a boast of ‘Lady takes such good care of me!,’ they would have ditched the spying bullshit and either run or just quietly switched sides.

In the past, abandoning Armin for Claudia would have been idiotic unless you were into deliberately making things hard, but Claudia had been growing so rapidly lately that defecting was becoming a viable option.

However, that didn’t mean everything was peachy.

“Lady, Baron Bages has requested that we send him some more bloodhounds.”

“Tell him no. That guy takes bribes from the criminals in his territory and ignores the bloodhounds when they point them out, right? Why would I send them then?”

They wanted to use the bloodhounds’ abilities, but didn’t care about improving the lives of the people because of them.

“The bloodhounds we sent to the royal capital and the western part of the kingdom are being killed off at an alarming rate. It seems like House Sarnos is behind it.”

“Are they seriously asking for it? I didn’t even send them to their territory, just neutral ones, so why the hell are they acting up?”

“Isn’t it House Sarnos’s whole thing to be ‘the sword that protects the kingdom?’ It seems like they want to be the center of everything, even law enforcement.”

Blatant checks and pressure from a rival force.

“Lord, the administration and paperwork side is still holding up, but the field work, especially the guard, is screaming for help. Maintaining security in the territory is one thing, but trying to handle monster subjugation in the surrounding areas is proving too much.”

“Didn’t you hire a bunch of people for that? You recruited a ton of unemployed immigrants, right?”

“We have the numbers, but the problem is quality. We have too few soldiers who can actually fight. Shouldn’t we postpone subjugating the nearby monsters?”

“No. No matter how many criminals we weed out from within, there’s a limit if we don’t deal with the monsters living around the territory.”

But among these problems, the one that gave Claudia the biggest headache was, without a doubt, a lack of martial power.

She had done everything she could: hired lots of people, provided them with good equipment, and organized them for group action. But the ‘quality of force’ wasn’t something she could easily boost as much as she wanted.

Didn’t the fact that House Redbell, though overpowering the opponent in almost every aspect, couldn’t be called the undisputed second in command due to being pushed back by House Sarnos in terms of martial power?

Systematic swordsmanship, efficient mana cultivation techniques, and talented individuals.

Anyway, since House Sarnos would light up, eyes gleaming, and scrape together anything related to ‘martial power,’ it was difficult to acquire powerful military strength in the Virka Kingdom even if you had the money.

“Ugh… Hmm?”

A certain conversation suddenly flashed through Claudia’s head as she groaned.

One of the casual chats she had with Cedric.

“…Adventurers.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, let’s hire adventurers. Anyway, aren’t they just martial power you can buy with money?”

Claudia’s retainers looked perplexed.

“My lady, while it’s true they’re quite skilled, they’re also overflowing with animosity towards nobles.”

“Well, nobles around the capital like us have it relatively easy. The nobles in other places? They’re considered less than trash, just useless garbage. Isn’t it natural they’d be hated?”

“They might commit a great discourtesy towards you, my lady.”

“Hah. Could they be more discourteous than Cedric?”

“Cough! Ahem, and… they recently lost their guild master, who was their focal point, in a reckless subjugation operation. They’re said to be in considerable disarray. There’s a high chance they won’t respond even if you summon them.”

“Still, just try summoning them. Whatever their people skills are like, they’re the pros when it comes to dealing with monsters, aren’t they?”

The retainers all fell silent.

Even if the violent outbursts and verbal abuse were gone, Claudia’s forceful personality and drive hadn’t disappeared.

Once Claudia decided she wanted something, those below her had no choice but to follow, even if they were a little dubious.

Several days later.

An adventurer party arrived before Claudia.

“─Blanca, leader of the Rank 4 adventurer party, ‘Fireflies’.”

It was a woman with sky-blue hair reminiscent of the open sky, and eyes to match.

Her attire, a brown cloak and a sword at her waist, was purely for practical combat. But due to her slender build and a polite, yet subtly dignified, manner of speaking, she didn’t give off a particularly rough or barbaric impression.

If you just changed her clothes to a clean suit, you could immediately sit her down in an office to handle paperwork without much of a mismatch.

However, Claudia felt it instinctively.

‘This woman… isn’t easy to deal with.’

Even with the heiress of the Redbell family, one of the most powerful families in the Birka Kingdom, standing before her, this woman Blanca didn’t harbor fear or jealousy, but simply looked at Claudia with eyes that seemed to calmly assess her.

This was in stark contrast to the rest of her party, who were desperately masking their tension and fear with hostility or feigned composure.

“Fireflies, I’ve heard of you. Extremely powerful adventurers who subjugated a lich, right?”

“I didn’t accomplish it alone. I only received a share of the credit that was earned by a companion who was more dedicated and heroic than anyone.”

“Is that so? Well, I don’t care. What I want is skill, not reputation. You’ve confirmed the request details, haven’t you? I want you to operate from Etched, continuously subjugating monsters in the nearby unexplored territories. The contract period is basically 6 months, with possible extensions depending on the situation. Additional rewards will be given for subjugating a certain number of monsters or for subjugating special entities not accounted for in the original request. Any problems?”

“The request itself is fine. However, I do have a personal question I’d like to ask, if you would permit it?”

“A personal question?”

Claudia tilted her head for a moment, but then nodded.

“Alright, ask away.”

“What is the purpose of this request?”

Blanca fixed her trademark impassive gaze on Claudia.

“I saw the state of the Etched territory on the way here. There are many people smiling. It must be a good place to live. In other words, it seems that people are already satisfied with the security and safety of the Etched territory as it is. So why are you going to the expense of asking for ‘even more’?”

Claudia answered without hesitation.

“I won’t be satisfied with just a ‘decent territory to live in’. What I want is the ‘best territory’. And, someday I’ll make not just my territory, but the entire Virka Kingdom, like that.”

“You, a noble of Virka? Aren’t you all indifferent to how your inferiors live?”

Blanca’s provocative tone paled the faces of the adventurers who came with her, while Claudia’s retainers’ faces flushed red.

Just as Etched’s knights were about to step forward, Claudia raised a hand to stop them, and then answered.

“Yeah, I didn’t care much before. And honestly, even now, I’m only a little better, and it’s not like I’m overflowing with concern or adore the commoners.”

“Then, why?”

“Because the guy who saved me wanted a country like that.”

At Claudia’s words, Blanca’s breath momentarily caught.

Blanca’s hand. Her fist, adorned with a ring, tightened for a moment, then relaxed again.

Soon, Blanca lowered her head.

“I understand. I apologize for the rude question.”

“It’s fine. So, will you cooperate?”

“Although it’s a little different direction from the Lord, I also have a will that I must carry on. And that will doesn’t seem to deviate greatly from the path you are taking, Lord.”

“Hmph.”

Claudia made a humming sound.

She wasn’t exactly a magnanimous person, but for some reason, she felt like she and this adventurer were a good match.

“Blanca, was it? I look forward to working with you.”

“I look forward to working with you for a while, Claudia-nim.”

The two exchanged gentle smiles.

*

At the same time, the Golden Cloud Palace.

“It seems I’ve been acting too tamely all this time.”

The Crown Prince’s words caused Lucidra to choke.