Chapter 70
The reactions of the dismissed officials were mixed.
Some welcomed my decision, while others did not.
“If they really had the ability they claimed but were forced to accept bribes because of circumstances, then there’s no reason to refuse the exam, right?”
In other words, half of the people had taken their positions without ability, relying solely on bribes.
At this point, it seemed necessary to reconsider Devon’s situation as well.
If the incompetent were occupying positions, then Devon’s situation couldn’t possibly be as optimistic as the documents claimed.
“I’ll have to review everything from the beginning.”
Lucas seemed to think the same, saying this to me before retreating to the annex library.
He was there not to check the papers given by the three officials pretending to be loyal, but to verify the true records of Devon’s situation.
By comparing everything from the oldest records to the most recent, the reality the retainers tried to hide would be revealed.
“I wonder how bad it is?”
It would be nice if it were dire enough to fail immediately!
As I happily imagined that, I noticed a few unread letters on a silver tray on the desk.
Two bore the imperial seal, and one bore the Asinov family seal.
“And what’s this?”
Among the letters, which had familiar seals, one unfamiliar envelope caught my eye.
I reached for the unfamiliar letter first.
It was from Baron Diezo, who had turned his life around by discovering a treasure ship.
“So this is the seal of the Diezo baronial house.”
The letter was simple:
Congratulations on becoming the lord of Devon. I still remember your kindness. Please feel free to contact me if you ever need assistance.
Judging by the sincerity in every line, it didn’t seem to be a mere formal letter.
I had already heard rumors that Baron Diezo had been thriving since salvaging the treasure ship.
Operating the White Stag trading company, he was gradually monopolizing the empire’s distribution network, putting the nobles who had ignored him in a difficult position.
The man who had once been mocked as a “pauper baron” had now become a distinguished guest of high society.
“I thought he had already forgotten the past since his situation changed so drastically.”
That’s human nature, after all. We easily forget favors, but remember grudges for a long time.
Besides, it was hard to even call the investment in the treasure ship a favor. Both parties had their own goals, and those goals aligned—so they had just worked together temporarily.
“Surprisingly, he’s a genuinely good person, huh?”
From his appearance, anyone would have thought he was a conman.
This is why you shouldn’t judge people by appearances.
“Hmm… now that I think about it, I feel an ominous premonition…”
I tried to shake off the inexplicable sense of foreboding and began reading the letters with familiar seals in order.
The ones with the imperial seal were from Iela and Roaz, and the one with the Asinov seal was from the grand duke.
Iela and Roaz were slightly offended that I hadn’t informed them of my birthday, let alone sent them an invitation.
“But I only realized it a week ago, so there was nothing I could do.”
Even if I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have held an extravagant birthday party that included the princess and prince.
“I’ll have to soothe them appropriately.”
The grand duke’s letter was extremely simple:
Don’t overdo it.
“…Eight characters?”
I counted multiple times, but the number of characters was undeniable.
Even looking at it, I couldn’t believe it.
Just in case, I carefully checked every side of the envelope, but it was completely empty.
Truly, the grand duke had written only these eight characters and then carefully sealed the letter to send it to his granddaughter.
“He wrote just eight characters on such high-quality paper and sent it as a letter?”
What a waste!
“Of course, someone like the grand duke can even make waste creative.”
I made a mental note to emulate this when I prepared a reply.
Just as I was preparing to reply, I heard Dane’s voice outside:
“My lord, guests have arrived.”
“Guests?”
“Yes. They are the newly appointed officers.”
“Oh.”
Those people.
I had completely forgotten them, having roughly appointed whoever looked capable as officers.
“Did they come to complain that they absolutely can’t do it?”
It was natural for them to feel pressured, suddenly being tasked with such an important responsibility.
“Let them in.”
Once I gave permission, three nervous faces entered.
“We greet you, my lord.”
They bowed politely while gauging my reaction.
From the experience of our first meeting, they must have already realized that if I became displeased, I was the type of lord who would capriciously dismiss people.
“Yes. They must be worried that if they say they can’t handle the duties, they’ll be dismissed again.”
But I had no intention of accepting their resignation.
Having incompetent people in positions was precisely the fastest way to ruin a territory.
“If those three retainers had really been corrupt, I wouldn’t have dismissed them.”
Why had they pretended to be loyal when it didn’t suit them?
But that was in the past. Now I could only trust my new allies and work hard at ruining the territory.
To ease their tension, I gave a slight smile.
Whether it worked or not, the three stiff shoulders relaxed a little.
“What brings you here?”
“We wanted to properly greet you after being entrusted with important duties by your lordship. We couldn’t make a proper introduction before, so we came here.”
The man who had looked like a conman, and was appointed as finance officer, spoke for all three.
“I am Gilitair, the finance officer.”
The other two, watching Gilitair’s smooth introduction, hurriedly introduced themselves with his cues.
“I am Meren, administrative officer.”
“I am Rusebel, military officer.”
Unlike Gilitair’s elegant introduction, the other two were stiff and awkward.
“But that’s normal for untrained, ordinary people.”
Which meant…
“Are they not commoners?”
I looked at Gilitair with renewed curiosity.
No wonder he looked slick and wore neat attire—he must be of noble origin.
In truth, meeting a noble-born official wasn’t surprising.
Only a very few nobles could distribute wealth so their children never had to work a day in their life.
To gain recognition even in collateral branches was mostly only possible for families like the Asinovs.
Aside from the one chosen to inherit a territory or title, the rest would usually live as knights, officials, or retainers of high-ranking noble families.
Even Dane, the butler of the Coral Mansion, or my maid Marina, were of noble descent.
“With so many staff gone, you must be busy just doing the work. I’m not one for formalities, so there’s no need to come just to pay respects.”
I had no desire to be honored for doing the lord’s work that I wasn’t even committed to.
“I’m at least honest enough to have that much conscience.”
“My lord…”
“I realized right away from our first meeting.”
“That you are exactly such a person.”
For some reason, the three looked at me with awe-struck eyes.
Their gaze conveyed not just amazement but respect, which felt slightly burdensome.
“…Why are they like this?”
Blinking in confusion, the three simultaneously handed me the documents they carried.
“What is this?”
“This is a plan we have worked on over the past few days. Though the time was short, each of us did our best in our respective areas.”
Again, Gilitair spoke on behalf of the three.
“A plan?”
What plan?
I, who had appointed them as officers, had no plan at all. My slate was completely blank.
Feeling puzzled, I quickly skimmed through the documents they handed me.
The papers contained detailed annual plans for managing the territory in administration, finance, and military affairs.
Considering they were suddenly appointed, the documents were quite excellent. That part was fine.
“Format is something anyone can manage.”
But as I turned the pages, that thought gradually faded.
I furrowed my brows and placed the documents on the desk.
“What is this…?”
Why are these so excellent!?
