Don’t Run Away My Lord

41 – The Obtained Territory by Chance (5)

“You’re saying you’ll fight other territories alone…? What kind of metaphor is that?”

“It’s not a metaphor, it’s a fact.”

Viscount Gorda looked somewhat regretful.

“You’re too young for this…”

Perhaps he misunderstood, thinking that I, too, had been afflicted with the disease called dementia, just like him.

Well, if a traveler suddenly appears after forty years and says they’ll wage a war alone against other territories, anyone would think the same way.

“Well… it doesn’t matter… Regardless of who it becomes, if I receive and revive a forsaken territory with no hope left, I will support and nurture it…”

The viscount let out a sigh and slowly stood up.

“Let’s handle it quickly while I still have my sanity.”

Leaning on his cane, the viscount took the lead and headed to his office.

Kaita approached me, looking concerned.

“Mr. Eurga, what is this situation…?”

“It’s the process of becoming a lord.”

“A lord?”

Kaita looked at Rihanna as if she didn’t understand, but Rihanna nodded her head.

“I’ll tell you later. There’s something I need to do first.”

The Viscount, who had gone to his study, had already taken out paper and a pen and was preparing to write something.

As we entered, the Viscount spoke up.

“First… let me write my confirmation letter… It says that I am adopting you as my heir. Although it’s a shoddy document without a notary, it should at least be presentable if someone questions it. As for identification… figure it out yourself.”

He began to scribble on the paper, crushing the pen against it.

It was doubtful if a single sheet of paper could be enough to call him the Viscount’s son, but if there was a confirmation letter with the Viscount’s signature, it would at least give him a voice.

“And in truth… these documents are only secondary issues. In the end, once we occupy the territory and crush it by force, it won’t matter.”

The Viscount’s eyes gleamed as he spoke about the war.

It was the kind of gaze that reminded me of our first meeting forty years ago.

“Whether you are a true heir or a lord with dementia who was coerced into writing the confirmation letter, what does it matter? If the strong have the power, the rest can only believe, right?”

The Viscount chuckled at his own words.

“Next, I’ll write the inheritance agreement for the territory. Since the lord is old and sick and can no longer lead the territory, it states that it will be passed down to his son.”

The Viscount pulled out another piece of paper and confidently toyed with the pen.

“Sign here.”

I received the pen from the Viscount and signed below his signature.

With this, the rule of the Viscount Goda… has come to me…?

Escaping from the slave market in the desert and embarking on a journey with Rihanna as my guide.

The purpose of this journey was to become a lord, and I am now swiftly advancing through the process.

It’s moving so fast that it’s making my head spin.

At the very least, I had only thought about coming to the Kingdom of Tarda and either establishing a national merit to receive a title or purchasing a declining family with money, but to become the son of an old man with dementia and inherit a territory…

I never expected things to turn out like this.

If I were to tell someone this story, they would surely curse at me, saying it’s all nonsense.

“Well… Is it done now?”

“It’s done. But let me make one thing clear. Just because you have these two pieces of paper doesn’t mean you’ve become a noble that everyone recognizes. As I said, there’s no official certification or entrance into the nobility. But it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

The viscount, breathing heavily, continued to speak.

“In cases where a noble suddenly dies or becomes like me, there are often situations where things are hastily passed on. What’s important is what comes after.”

Pointing his finger at me, the viscount emphasized how crucial it was.

“Being acknowledged by others can be as trivial as proving it with some documents, but what’s more certain is the power that makes it impossible for anyone to oppose you.”

“Is that so?”

“If you have a strong private army and a wealthy estate that no one can surpass, then no one can claim that you are a fake son who received the estate in an unfair way.”

“You’re right.”

Nodding his head, the viscount suddenly turned his gaze.

His eyes were directed towards the wall right behind the desk, where a large map of the Tartha Kingdom was hung like wallpaper.

“This… is our estate.”

The viscount pointed to the western part of the kingdom with the tip of his cane.

“As you can see, the terrain is bad and the location is ambiguous, so no one has any ambitions for this place.”

“Then how have you managed to develop the estate until now?”

“As I said, by constantly fighting against other estates.”

Liana interjected.

“So, you’ve been plundering?”

“hehehe. Plunder, you say? In our Kingdom of Tarda, we call it the circulation of wealth and resources.”

“Well… that’s what it is. But the word ‘plunder’ does have a better ring to it.”

“Tarda Kingdom is a very unique place. The power of the monarchy is extremely weak, and the regional lords hold sway. Here, the power of the territory is the law.”

Count Gorda said, looking at me.

“It’s not like Verafche Kingdom, where becoming a lord means everyone bows down to you. You need to be on your guard.”

“I understand. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Good… In that case, let’s start with Marquis Gilan. If you’re determined to conquer, it’s best to start from there.”

As he said that, the Count suddenly closed his eyes and shook his head.

I was startled, thinking that he might have died, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Riana rushed over, placed her hand on the Count’s neck, and let out a sigh.

“I think he just fell asleep. He must have tired himself out from talking too much.”

“For now, let’s take him to the bedroom… and then let’s think about what to do next.”

* * * * *

After laying the Count on the bed, we looked at each other and sat down on the chairs.

It still didn’t feel real that we had obtained a territory and become lords.

Of course, it was natural. I only had two pieces of paper that proved I was a lord, and there was no official certification.

Just having these papers wouldn’t suddenly revive the Count’s estate and revitalize the economy.

“Erga Gorda… It’s not a name that sticks to the tongue, is it?”

Riana, who had received the papers from me, repeated that name several times.

“As the Count said, it’s no use just carrying these pieces of paper around.”

“Now, between us, we must somehow revive this territory and start the circulation of wealth and resources as the Count mentioned. But before that…”

I asked Kaita, who was sitting in a chair and looking at me and Rihanna with a confused expression.

“Kaita, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Rihanna and I will stay here and develop the territory. After all, we’ve been traveling together with this intention from the beginning. Will you join us, Kaita?”

“Me? The territory?”

Kaita began to shake her head again.

She seems to do that when she’s worried or confused.

She’s quite absent-minded…

“Well… I don’t know… It’s been over five hundred years since I entered the tower, and I have nowhere else to go…”

“Then, come with us.”

“How much help can I be…? As you know, I’m just a novice magician with no special skills…”

“That doesn’t matter much. Everyone starts somewhere, and in return, Kaita, as a human, has no limits in learning magic.”

Black Dragons know how to use magic and have bodies capable of handling strong magical power.

But fundamentally, they are monsters and cannot use magic beyond a certain level.

But humans are different.

As far as I know, both humans and elves have produced several exceptional magicians who are worthy of the title of Archmage.

Although Kaita can’t even open a dimensional portal right now, it’s an unknown possibility for her to cast a magic that drops a meteor from the sky someday.

Kaita, who may be weaker than me when it comes to casting powerful low-level magic, is much more useful because she opens up possibilities for various types of magic.

And most importantly, even one human is extremely precious and urgent in the current situation.

Even a scatterbrained magician with a terrible habit of being absent-minded is needed in a territory.

“Y-yes… Honestly, when I came out of the tower, I was at a loss. But I’m glad I found somewhere to go.”

As expected, Keita easily agreed.

Rather than calling it an agreement, it would be more accurate to say that they saw it as helping each other.

“That’s good. From now on, both of you, Riana and Keita, will be my vassals as the Viscount of Ergaduk.”

“Yes! That’s great!” “Vassals… It sounds awkward…”

Although they declared it like that, the lord and the vassals just stared at each other without knowing what to do.

“So, what should we do now, my lord?”

“Well… Let me think…”

Yeah. What should we do first?

A dragon, an expelled saint, and a novice magician.

None of us have even done anything remotely similar to being a lord.

We need someone with more experience on this side to give us advice…

Naturally, my gaze shifted to the sleeping Count Gorda.

It seems like his help is desperately needed.

But it would be troublesome if he suddenly spouts nonsense after waking up like that.

“For now, let’s start like this. We need to figure out exactly what resources we have. We need to know what we have in our hands to be able to wield it.”

“That’s great! As expected of my lord.”

With a beaming smile, Riana poured the gold coins from her bag onto the floor.

She had collected a considerable amount of money from her previous adventures in Tuscany and the journey here.

But from a personal perspective, it’s a lot of money, but not nearly enough to live like a lord.

“Mr. Kaita… um. Now that you’ve left, I’ll be disrespectful. Kaita?”

“Yes…? Oh, yes?”

“Do you have any money?”

“Me…? Yes, I do. Just a moment…?”

Kaita rummaged through his pockets and shyly pulled out a few coins.

Two bronze coins and one silver coin… that’s what they were…