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Well, I'll just sign a slave contract."

"Good idea. Hey, let this guy go."

The guard came and opened the locked door.

Claude was delighted to finally have someone to do the work for him.

"I'll be counting on you in the future. Let's make it hot, bro."

"What the hell is so hot… … ."

Lowell took a step back to avoid Claude tapping his shoulder.

Every time I got closer, I got goosebumps. I had a gut feeling that nothing good would come of being involved with this person.

* * *

On the way back to Fenris Estate, Lowell felt a little relieved when he heard why Giselle had come to see him.

'This is my last chance! I have to show that I am useful. That's the only way I can survive!'

He actively expressed his opinion to demonstrate his abilities.

When Claude heard that, he was astonished by Lowell's vast knowledge.

How to exploit the people of the realm, how to use criminal organizations, how to play with money, and even how to exploit and bankrupt other nobles.

It seemed like he knew all the tricks and evil deeds in the world.

He himself is sometimes clever, but not to the extent of Lowell.

"Wow, you're a real piece of trash. I've never seen anyone like you before. This is what real corruption looks like."

At Claude's words, Lowell smiled brightly, as if he were proud.

In Digald, the word trash was the highest compliment, because the more money you could squeeze out of the people, the more likely you were to please the lord.

"Thank you. I will try harder."

"… … I'm telling you, there really isn't a single normal person in this territory."

Claude shook his head.

This guy seemed to think that Jiselle was running the estate like Digald.

Giselle, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, smiled and warned Claude.

"We need to properly educate our minds. That is, if we don't want to end up with each other."

"...yes."

Claude let out a deep sigh.

Still, there was hope. He may be a bit crazy, but he has experience running a territory. Experienced people are welcome.

It would be of great help if I could wash away all the deep-rooted evil in my head and teach myself well.

But Lowell, who had no idea what his problem was, just looked puzzled as he listened to the conversation between the two.

'Once you take on a job, you have to make a lot of money. Even that monster of a person will change his attitude once he gets a taste of money.'

Lowell followed Giselle confidently.

But his expectations were shattered the moment he arrived at the Fenris estate.

"What, what is it? Why is the territory like this? Is this the Fenris territory? Isn't this a different territory?"

Is the top here now? And they're lining up in front of the gate?

What's that? Why are there so many piles of food?

Needless to say, the buildings looked newly built at first glance. And why was the atmosphere of the residents so cheerful?

'No, that can't be happening?'

Lowell was unable to calm down easily and was busy looking around the estate.

For him, whose hometown was Digald, this sight was extremely awkward and unfamiliar.

Claude arrogantly tapped Lowell on the shoulder, who was surprised.

"All of this is the work of this body."

"Oh, don't touch it… … Really? The General developed it like this?"

Claude, feeling a little embarrassed by Lowell's overreaction, timidly corrected himself.

"This body and the work of the lord."

The reason Yeongji has developed at such an incredible pace is thanks to Jiselle's financial power and driving force.

Even the most shameless Claude couldn't deny that.

'But! I'm the one who's been bothering the lord who only does things without thinking about the aftermath.'

So Claude thought that he had about half a share in the development of the territory.

"The spirit… … . How is this… … ."

Lowell looked around the estate in a daze.

I suffered from not being able to eat properly since I was little.

I studied and learned to write because I wanted to succeed somehow.

I wanted to become a great administrator and create a territory where no one would starve.

I'm sure I've had dreams like that before.

'I thought it was impossible… … .'

Although he had risen to a fairly high position as a commoner, there was nothing he could do.

Unless the lord changes his mind, the territory will never change.

Lowell eventually accepted reality and worked as the lord wanted him to in order to survive.

I thought everyone lived like that.

That's what happened… … .

"Why are you so absent-minded? How are you feeling after such a long time?"

Lowell, who had been lost in thought, suddenly shook his head in surprise when he heard Giselle's voice.

"Oh, this is amazing. I can't believe this place has become so vibrant… … ."

He had been here several times during the time he was in charge of running the entire county.

In those days, the lord who ruled this place was no different from the devil.

Those who ran away because they couldn't bear it any longer were actually noblemen. It was full of people who couldn't even think about giving up on life and leaving.

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I couldn't believe my eyes that the place had changed so much in just a few months.

"You need to come to your senses now. If you try to manage the territory like before, I will have you beheaded."

Jiselle said, glaring coldly at Lowell. Lowell nodded, his expression hardening as if he was nervous.

"I will do my best to help develop the territory."

"Even if you had no choice but to do it because Count Digald ordered you to, that doesn't mean you are without fault. From now on, work hard for the people of the territory."

"I will keep that in mind."

Rather, it was something he had hoped for. Lowell had always dreamed of working in a place like this.

More than anything, I'm so scared of the person in front of me that I can't even think of doing something bad.

Giselle, who had been squinting her eyes at Lowell, turned to Claude and asked.

"How do you plan to write it?"

Claude thought for a moment, then blurted out.

"First of all, since he seems to know all about bad things, I think it would be a good idea to promote him to the position of intelligence officer. He will also be assigned to the position of administrative secretary to assist me in my work."

A spy must be smart and familiar with the way criminals think.

Lowell was the perfect man for the job.

Since you said you have experience with most tasks, you will only need to teach them a little according to the circumstances of the territory.

If we just leave it to that extent, Claude's work becomes much easier.

Jiselle nodded.

"You know better than me, since you did all kinds of bad things under Count Digald. Let's do as Claude says."

"thank you!"

Lowell bowed his head again.

And I decided. This time, I'm going to really work hard and live properly.

"For the time being, we must thoroughly seal off our territory to prevent any information from leaking out."

"All right."

Jiselle cleared the land once before the crops sprouted.

He weeded out spies and prevented the upper class from entering without permission.

The outside personnel who were absolutely necessary were kept in semi-detention by enticing them with promises of more money.

They even built walls around new farmland and gathered local residents to establish boundaries.

"It would be better to hide it as much as possible."

Desmond also had no time to pay attention to Giselle because he was too busy supporting Amelia.

This, combined with the blockade, resulted in a watertight blockade of information on the territory.

Giselle also gave Claude a firm warning.

"The first target quantity will be ready soon. We'll be leaving in about two weeks, so train this guy well so that the existing work can proceed without a hitch. Also prepare the necessary materials in advance."

"Okay. Hey, let's go quickly. You have a lot to do."

Claude put his arm around Lowell's shoulder and pretended to be friendly.

Because of the bet, he fell out with the wizards and had no one around him he could communicate with.

In the midst of all this, a fairly smart guy came in, so I felt a little bit more reassured.

"Hey, why do you keep clinging to me?"

"Who would be so clingy? I'm just trying to be friendly with you. It's suspicious that you're being so sensitive for no reason. Are you hiding something?"

"Oh, there's nothing like that. I just feel uncomfortable."

Jiselle, who was watching the two people leaving while bickering, smiled happily.

As the territory grows, the amount of information that must be handled also becomes more and more enormous.

At some point we needed someone to take full responsibility for information management, and Claude was a great fit for that.

I'll have to teach him well if he's going to use it properly, but that's something Claude will have to take care of.

'If you teach them wrong, you'll just get more tired. I've already given them someone to work with, so let's give them more work.'

Giselle also turned around, thinking that Claude would be terrified if he heard that.

There were still a lot of things to take care of before going to the capital.

* * *

Claude came to see Giselle before the two weeks were over. A look of distress was clearly visible on his face.

Before he could open his mouth, Giselle spoke first.

"Did you run out of money?"

"Money is running low… … . Did you know that?"

"Hmm, that's the time. Don't worry. It'll be resolved quickly once cosmetics start selling."

"Do you think the money will run out before then?"

"Until then, you can just dig up the rune stones and sell them."

Claude pounded his chest as if he was frustrated.

"No, I don't have the money to spend right now. Even if you mine the runestones, you have to consider how long it will take to cash them out. How about putting a stop to some of the ongoing projects? Or maybe delaying your trip to the capital a little?"

"You don't like it?"

Claude clenched his fists and trembled, then sighed and said.

"It's not like you can just say no. How can you make someone work when you don't have money?"

"Follow me for a moment."

"… … Why? You're not trying to hit me, are you? I didn't say anything wrong, right?"

"I'll give you money."

"yes?"

Claude followed Giselle obediently, even though he was bewildered, when she offered him money.

I've already handed over all the money management to myself, so where on earth does the money come from?

Giselle took Claude to her personal storage room attached to her office.

The warehouse was full of large wardrobes and chests.

"You said you'd give me money… …. You brought me here to show off my clothes?"

Jiselle looked around the room warily and then whispered with a serious expression.

"Hey, you, keep this a secret from our father. If word gets out, be prepared to die."

As soon as she finished speaking, Giselle opened the wardrobe and chest of drawers.

It was filled with dazzling jewels, expensive ornaments, and gold coins.

"Just take half for now. That should be enough to last you for a while. Since there are a lot of top players coming, it'll be easy to cash it out, right?"

Claude asked in a bewildered voice as he looked around the room filled with goods.

"What the heck is this? When did you start saving up money like this?"

As far as Claude knows, Giselle has no other source of funding besides the Rune Stone.

That alone would have made him incredibly wealthy, but there was no way he could have saved that much money in his back pocket.

Jiselle shrugged her shoulders calmly.

"Ah, this is spoils of war. The personal property of Count Digald and his men."

"… … Yes? The loot?"

"The day we took over, we completely swept the territory. We even ransacked the mansions and warehouses and took everything we could. We were going to use it as emergency funds."

"Uh, crazy… … ."

Claude felt dizzy for a moment and staggered.

I now understand why Jiselle had urged me not to spread rumors.

The rightful owner of the treasures that filled the warehouse was Giselle's father, Count Ferdium.

No matter how great his achievements were, Jisel was only a commander and not a lord.

Now, Jiselle is proudly claiming that she has been secretly embezzling the occupied territories' assets.

"You know that if you get caught doing this, you'll get the death penalty, right?"

Secretly embezzling the lord's property is considered the same as rebellion.

Even if Jiselle is a minor lord, it will be difficult for her to completely avoid punishment.

Giselle glared at Claude before he could finish speaking. Her eyes were asking how he could dare say something like that.

"What are you talking about? How many runestones did I give to Ferdium? I didn't steal them, I traded them. Who in the world would give away runestones for free?"

Claude couldn't even help but laugh in vain and kept his mouth shut.

Above the running Claude was Giselle.