Merchant Noble is out (1/3 chapters for today)
To the Territory
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The group descended from the mountain and entered the Mikanda region, and then, making their way to the nearest town. It wasn’t surrounded by walls, meaning it would be defenseless in times of war. Apparently, the residents here were unfamiliar with war. Well, no power would bother attacking such a rural town anyway.
“Is this the center of this region…?” (Arc?)
The map labeled it as the center of the Mikanda region, but it was so desolate that it was hard to believe. If this town was the center, it was concerning how sparsely populated this region might be.
“There are hardly any people here. It’s very clean and nice.” (Minerva)
Minerva made a weak attempt to offer some positive observation. She was clearly taken aback by the situation.
“Let’s head to the town hall anyway.” (Arc?)
The group entered a two-story building in the center of town that looked official enough. In the capital, it would be the size of an average house, but here it was the largest building. They each began to inspect different rooms. Contrary to their expectations, the place wasn’t too messy, but that was likely because there wasn’t much to clutter it in the first place. Yanna furrowed her brows as she rummaged through desks and shelves.
“Nee-san, what’s wrong?” (Arc)
Yanna, who had been looking under a desk, popped her head out and shook it with a troubled expression.
“There are no administrative documents. No population records, no census data, nothing.” (Yanna)
There were no administrative documents. Before the Warden Household arrived, this land not ruled by nobles but by local governors sent from the central government as national land. There should be numerous documents on tax amounts sent to the capital, the local financial status, and other essential records. The absence of these documents was unimaginable.
“Onee-sama! Look at this…” (Minerva)
Minerva pointed at the fireplace. Upon closer inspection, it was filled with blackened ashes.
“The documents have been burned.” (Minerva)
The ashes were clearly not from wood but from paper, thin and fragile. Moreover, given the season, the fireplace shouldn’t have been in use recently.
“Is this some sort of harassment!?” (Tyr)
Tyr’s face darkened, but Yanna remained calm and shook her head.
“It’s true that the Warden Household didn’t have the best relationship with other nobles, but I don’t recall being disliked by a regional governor to this extent. This must be an attempt to destroy evidence. They were probably taking more taxes than reported to the central government and lining their own pockets.” (Yanna)
Being dispatched to such a remote place was a kind of demotion. Someone who was demoted was unlikely to govern well, and they probably levied heavy taxes for their own benefit. The slightly worn-out atmosphere in the town was likely because of this.
“As a merchant, I should take a lesson from this… never mind.” (Arc)
Arc quickly retracted his words when Minerva glared at him.
“We’ll have to gather information about this region from scratch.” (Yanna)
“I’m glad we have you, Nee-san.” (Arc)
Arc patted Yanna’s back as she sighed. Yanna played the most crucial role in the Warden Household’s commercial activities. She thoroughly researched populations, age groups, and genders in various places to target and sell goods precisely. Her ability to conduct such demographic surveys was superior to that of any nation or noble.
“Alright, we’ll develop this region from the ground up. Arc, assign the roles among us siblings.” (Tyr)
Tyr said with determination.
“Got it. For now, Nee-san will be the development officer, and Nii-san will be the military officer.”
Yanna was responsible for understanding the regional situation, while Tyr handled the military affairs. Tyr didn’t fit into their father’s merchant education and had spent some time in a military school. He performed excellently and even received recruitment offers from the military but returned because he was disgusted by the preferential treatment given to the children of high-ranking nobles. His military talent was exceptional, so everything was entrusted to him.
“Minerva, what do you want to do?” (Arc)
“I have no preference. Please assign me as you see fit, Onii-sama.” (Minerva)
Minerva was very versatile and knowledgeable. Unlike Yanna and Tyr, whom their father trained to be independent, he kept Minerva close and trained her himself. She could handle medicine, music, food, and education. Since she could do anything, it was hard to decide what to assign her, but Arc chose the most important task for the future management of the territory.
“Then, you’ll be the education officer.” (Arc)
Arc’s siblings fell silent. Had he said something wrong?
“Arc, who once said that the more ignorant the populace, the better, is now putting effort into education…” (Yanna)
“Unbelievable…” (Tyr)
“It seems the pressure of being a lord after Otou-sama’s death has changed our Onii-sama!” (Minerva)
Each of them expressed their deep feelings. It was shocking to hear them say this, though Arc had indeed held such beliefs in the past.
“It’s impossible for just the four of us to govern such a vast territory. Moreover, developing talented people is the quickest way to strengthen our country. In our previous territory, we could attract talented people by paying them well since we bordered other countries and noble lands. But now, we’re isolated by a vast mountain range and the sea. We’ll have to cultivate talented people ourselves.” (Arc)
“Indeed… we’re overwhelmingly short of people.” (Yanna)
Arc’s reasoning made the three nod in agreement.
“That being said, I’ll take on the roles of feudal lord and human resources officer. I’ll travel around the country around to bring in the talent needed to run the place.”
Arc’s greatest talent is his ability to judge people. Since childhood, he had spent more time at the trading company than at the Warden Household’s mansion. Having observed tens of thousands of people, he developed the ability to discern whether someone was talented or trustworthy. His father valued Arc’s ability highly and often included him in negotiations with trade partners. This talent for evaluating people was essential for developing the territory.
“What, you’re leaving already, even though we’ve just arrived in the territory?” (Minerva)
“The situation is more depopulated than expected. It is important that we replenish our manpower as soon as possible.” (Arc)
Although he hadn’t met the inhabitants of the territory yet or assessed the current situation, Arc needed to leave these tasks to his sisters and focus on his own work. Thus, Arc joined the adventurers who had escorted them to the territory and headed back to the capital.
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