Frontier Lord Starts Out With a Population of 0

----Prince Richard's Dance Hall Gordon, King's Capital

At the end of the busy and hasty harvest and tax fall, Prince Richard's dance hall was surrounded by a relatively quiet and calm atmosphere.

It was in the past that there were so many paperwork shelves lined up that I didn't think it was a dance hall, and the same number of desks and chairs lined up, and piles of paperwork were placed on the lined desks.

Paper shelves and desks are cleared except for the minimum... and fireplace firewood is blowing up to warm up a wide, slightly lonely dance hall.

Nevertheless, it is not the case that I am completely out of business.

You have to spit out the gold and silver from the national treasury just for what you have paid, you have to find out where to invest and how to develop it, and you need to make a judgment about how to balance the villages of rich crops and vicious crops.

We need to finish these paperwork by the spring when the snow melts and everything starts to move... Richard was silently facing them.

Originally, these tasks were the work of ministers and interlocutors at the Royal Palace… bureaucrats, but the former ministers who now serve the King could not be entrusted with questioning the empire's connections or suspecting corruption… Richard and his subordinates, who were in control of the Royal Palace, were acting in their stead.

"If it's as corrupt as picking, I've missed it... but he's always a fool who doesn't know his limits.

Aristocrats and old ministers alike, but how do I know if I have to cut off my neck so far... I can't even say anything stupid. "

Gordon, the mercenary captain, stood up nervously before Richard as he ran his pen to the large operating desk and cleared his paperwork. Gordon replied puzzled and confused as to why he was called here and why he was listening to such stories.

"... so much so.

So... Richard, is it another war or something to do with yourself?

"No."

Gordon had a bitter look on his face as he was lightly cut off from the best words he could think of.

I cleaned my red blonde hair that was dirty with fireplace soot and ash, my beard that covered my entire jaw was well prepared, and Gordon borrowed some fine silk clothes from a merchant I knew... but I trembled that I would be executed in such a nayonayo costume... I grabbed my fist from remorse.

Whether or not he noticed the state of Gordon, with his eyes down on the documents running the pen, Richard doesn't even glance at Gordon... he throws a rolled sheet of paper and something in a leather bag at Gordon's hand that he seemed to have prepared beforehand.

Gordon opened his fists in a hurry and held them firmly... for some reason, he looked at the paper that had even been sealed with the wax tilted his neck... he looked at Richard, the old knight behind him, the woman with red hair and the woman with black hair... he looked at Richard's delivery, and when the old knight was sick, he raised his chin and urged him to "open it"... he leaned his neck and unsealed the paper and the leather bag and inspected their contents.

"... what?

A knight? Oh, what about me!?

The paper stated that Gordon, who was only the captain of the irresistible mercenary regiment, would be classified as a regular soldier "Knight" directly under the Royal Palace, and inside the leather bag was a decorated dagger showing his identity... Gordon raised his voice with confusion.

"The war is over, and we can't leave too many mercenaries behind.

Leave it alone and you may become a bandit, or run wild and create a spark of war.

It would be better to embrace it than that.

... I have studied you in detail, and I can appreciate that you were very active during the war, even on the battlefield.

... being a mercenary and forbidding looting was impressive enough to lead my men. "

As Gordon became confused and his eyes turned black and white, Richard said something like that... Gordon could not help but smile.

To be precise, Gordon didn't prohibit looting.

... Diaz, who is rampaging on the battlefield right next to him, was terrified, didn't want Diaz to look at him, didn't want him to plunder him.

For some reason, Diaz prohibits looting and successfully leads the volunteers, and the small number of casualties is dozens and hundreds of times higher than Gordon's mercenary regiment....

... what would have happened to him if he had been plundered like that?

Gordon couldn't help but give up looting because he didn't want to go to jail like a rumored aristocrat.

"You seem to have exercised a lot of restraint in Deanne's case... and then I can appreciate the fact that you went all the way down to the old folks.

If those who had stained their hands with corruption had expressed themselves like you, there might have been another future...

... Gordon, you're the knight, and your men are the knights.

Head east to Lord Sachs and under Isabelle to develop the occupied territories and rebuild the fort... in case of emergency. "

Gordon, who took Richard's words... and swallowed them well, stopped being afraid, stopped being afraid, and from today on I'm a knight... and looked straight at Richard and gave him back his words.

"Does that mean suppressing Isabelle and Lord Sachs?

"... no, no.

I don't know what rumors you hear, but neither Isabel nor Helena are my enemies now.

I don't know what those sisters meant... there was a time when they thought about becoming sisters and formed a faction to create a "good kingdom" of their choice. When I finished some consolidation, I stopped taking noticeable moves and hostilities.

... Isabelle is a housekeeper, and Helena was trying to make the country better with culture and art, and to get rid of anyone who gets in the way... as a result of some stupid outburst, most of those who get in the way will lose their way... As a result, both are now obsessed with 'dojo'.

Especially since Isabelle can freely develop the occupied territories. "

"I see...

So we are prepared for the Empire?

I usually help Isabelle-sama develop it... and prepare for the Empire in Isabelle-sama's mood.

... then I have one thing to ask of you. "

"... what?

"Regarding the fort, please allow us to build some new forts with a minimum of rebuilding.

Most of the fortifications built by the Empire around them were northern enemies... watching out for monsters. That's what we need, but sometimes it's odd and unsuitable for preparing for the Empire.

Many of Diaz's rampage has torn them apart, and some should be removed without rebuilding.

Instead of throwing materials at them, we should build a brand new solid structure fortress facing east in a way that protects the city and the fields... the enemy should be scared and the people should be at ease. "

With those words, Richard slowly raised his face and looked closely at Gordon.

Don't look at what you're thinking, without saying anything... loosen your mouth slightly, smile little and give back your words.

"You seem to be better than I thought, you passed.

If we build a new fortress, we'll run out of boulders.

Allow me to hire as a gesture some craftsmen who are familiar with the area, who are good at handling affairs, and some mercenaries that you think will be fine.

Due to the long stay in the occupied territories, those who were too violent during the war and those who are likely to be violent locally are ineligible, so pay careful attention to the selection.

Prepare and keep in touch with the immediate accommodation expenses, fortification-related budgets, and mansions that are commensurate with the appearance of armor and sword.

... prepare your own clothes that suit your face and body. "

Taking that word, Gordon shook his spine with cold sweat all over his body.

That's what Richard said now: Pass.

The joy of becoming a knight didn't come to mind, but because I corrected my spine and made a worthwhile contribution, I "passed"...

What would have happened if I hadn't said anything while I was floating?

Was it sent there without a budget or anything? Or was the assignment revoked for failing?

While both are possible, Gordon makes his whole body nervous and strong again, just like when he entered this dance hall.

"Ha, I'd like to get you a knightly dress!

... now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to pick and prepare a candidate right away!

While making Richard strong, he somehow spit out a strange word... Gordon, who confirmed that Richard's mouth was loosened again and that Richard nodded small, greeted him as if he didn't look like a knight and started acting quickly... to escape the scene, walked to the exit with an irresistible heel movement.

On the other hand, Richard didn't say anything... 'Wait' or 'The Talk Is Not Done' Gordon managed to take off the dance hall... and he couldn't be alarmed until he left the royal palace. With his shrewd movement and pale expression, Gordon went to the accommodation where his men waited long enough to get close to the rush.