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Chapter 36 - I\'m Going to Drop Out (1)

The construction of Arient was nearing the final stages of the roadwork, with Count Arient himself overseeing the progress.

The paving and slope stabilization were completed in no time.

If we had tried to handle it ourselves, it would have taken us over a month to finish.

Indeed, experts should handle specialized work.

"Thank you so much for this, Lord Vermont! How could I ever repay this favor...?"

"Just make sure you pay back the interest regularly."

"Hahaha! You really are straightforward! Think of me as your older brother and feel free to be at ease!"

"Haha. I\'d rather not."

Thus, the relationship with Arient had significantly improved.

It was going to develop beyond just a subcontractor relationship.

We signed an additional contract with Arient Construction to handle any defects in the road.

Moreover, we outsourced the construction of a training facility on the newly acquired land.

"A training facility? Are you planning to raise troops, by any chance? Though there\'s unrest on the kingdom\'s side, Vermont is on the opposite end, so there shouldn\'t be any conflict, right?"

"It\'s not for military purposes. I\'m planning to start a small-scale security company."

"A security company?"

I had no intention of forming an army.

In a country with absolute imperial power, raising troops could be seen as a challenge to the royal family.

In the worst-case scenario, we might lose our army without any compensation.

Also, Vermont doesn\'t border any dungeons that spawn monsters or hostile territories, so there\'s no major security threat.

Though there\'s the occasional invasion by Irene, that\'s more like a natural disaster.

An army wouldn\'t be able to stop it anyway.

"Yes. It\'s a type of mercenary business, but mercenaries have a rough and savage image. I\'m aiming to provide security services that nobles can hire without hesitation."

"A high-class mercenary service, huh... Nobles do hire mercenaries for escort during travel, but hiring them for close protection is indeed uncomfortable. There should definitely be a demand for that."

"So, I\'m planning to build the training facility here and recruit staff from Arient residents as well."

"You\'re saying you\'ll hire our commoners? Is that true?"

"Yes. That\'s right."

"Unbelievable... Not only did you save us from the brink of ruin, but you keep giving us work, and now you\'re even creating jobs...! I\'m so grateful I can\'t stop crying!"

"...Please, get up."

While we\'ll prioritize hiring staff from Vermont, we\'ll supplement with people from Arient if needed.

This should prevent any suspicion of us being a private military organization in disguise.

It\'s a preemptive measure to avoid any trouble.

"Sniff! If you need anything else, don\'t hesitate to call on me! Or rather, I\'ll come to you! Now that we have a road, I can rush over to you anytime!"

"Ah. Sure."

It\'s overwhelming.

Very much so.

I offered a perfunctory farewell and left Arient.

Riding swiftly on the newly paved road.

Though it hasn\'t been safety inspected yet,

The ride is smooth enough that a full teacup doesn\'t spill.

We could charge a higher toll for this road.

I can almost hear the money rolling in already.

"Jacob, is the forge almost finished?"

"Yes. It should be completed by next week. The equipment is all ready, so we can start work immediately."

As soon as we arrived in Vermont, we headed to the blacksmith.

All the major equipment had been brought in.

Now it just needed the finishing touches on the interior.

"Ah, hello, Young Master."

There were several other blacksmiths inside.

All were recruited from the neighboring region.

At first, they grumbled about how they would survive with such a large blacksmith next door.

But once I offered to hire them, their complaints vanished.

"Haha. Everyone seems focused on learning mana forging from Jacob. Work hard for the sake of Vermont\'s \'only\' blacksmith."

"Yes, sir!"

[The Evil God \'Kali\' is amazed at how quickly you absorbed another blacksmith into your domain!]

Yes. Be more amazed.

I\'ve monopolized the blacksmiths of Vermont.

I\'ll train you all to produce high-quality mana-forged items.

"Then I\'ll place an order."

"Yes, sir. As it\'s the first order, we\'ll do it for free!"

"Then make 100 usable one-handed swords, 30 two-handed swords, 100 spears, 200 short spears, and 200 daggers."

"...Excuse me?"

"I\'ll supply all the materials. The deadline is... yes, by next month. If needed, I\'ll hire some carpenters as well."

"..."

Since the training facility construction has begun, we decided to start making weapons in advance.

Buying suitable weapons would be quicker and easier,

But we have Jacob in Vermont.

This is why we expanded the blacksmith.

"Oh, oh..."

Jacob, moved by the first job, froze momentarily before shedding tears of joy.

The other blacksmiths were also stunned with emotion.

You guys...

"We\'ll work hard!!!"

"Sure, sure. Keep me updated on the progress."

How enthusiastic.

I\'m really glad Jacob is on my side.

\'The town is starting to come alive.\'

I realized belatedly,

The market scenery had completely changed from when I first arrived.

There were no closed shops among the lined-up stores, and it was bustling with people.

Maybe it\'s the expectation that Vermont, now connected to the capital, will see a lot of visitors.

I can feel the town becoming much more vibrant.

It would be nice if it became a tourist attraction too, but

Vermont doesn\'t have any notable tourist spots, so that\'s unlikely.

"Hey? Isn\'t that Lord Aslan?"

"Really? Where?"

At that moment, someone recognized me, and a crowd began to gather.

What? Didn\'t they pretend not to know me before?

Sylvia, startled by the sudden crowd, prepared to draw her sword.

"Step back from the Young Master...!"

"Calm down."

I grabbed Sylvia\'s wrist to stop her.

There was no malice in their approach.

Rather, the opposite.

"Thank you so much, Lord Aslan! My shop was on the verge of bankruptcy, but thanks to the support funds, I survived!"

"I\'m the same! Honestly, I thought things would go back to the way they were once the support funds ended, but the new road has made business much more active!"

"My son is about to interview for Vermont Security! He had no job and was idle, but now... Thank you so much!"

"..."

People took turns expressing their gratitude.

I hadn\'t given much thought to the support funds or the road construction,

But receiving such thanks made me feel very awkward.

That support money, Leon took from you guys.

The road was also built with the money taken from you.

If this continues, I won\'t be able to stand the awkwardness, so I quickly left the area.

"Walking around the town is no longer possible."

"You\'re quite popular these days. There\'s even a project to build a statue of you in the town square."

"...Stop that immediately."

"It just shows how much people trust you. They\'ve forgiven your past misdeeds."

"..."

Then, have you?

Have you forgiven me?

...I couldn\'t bring myself to ask.

Sylvia, once hailed as a genius Swordmaster and a candidate for a hero,

Was crippled and reduced to a near-slave status by none other than Vermont.

Sylvia probably hasn\'t forgiven me yet.

\'Will that day ever come?\'

Sylvia declared she\'d wait and see instead of killing me right away.

But that doesn\'t mean she\'s forgiven me or trusts me as a human.

Will there ever be a day when I earn Sylvia\'s genuine trust?

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It\'s nothing. Let\'s head back to the mansion. It\'s almost mealtime. The kids will be waiting."

"...You make it sound like a couple taking a walk after leaving their kids behind."

"Don\'t make me imagine that."

I wonder how the Great Earth Spirit is doing.

I hope the mansion isn\'t destroyed by the time we return.

Since Julia\'s commands work well on it, there shouldn\'t be any big problems.

Even if it causes trouble physically, Charlotte should be able to handle it.

"What\'s this?"

[Greetings. I am Charlotte\'s faithful doll.]

"...?"

As soon as we arrived at the mansion, we were greeted by the Great Earth Spirit, standing still like a doll.

Wasn\'t it resisting and screaming before?

Why has it become so docile? Just as I was wondering,

"Mister, you\'re back? Isn\'t Earthy so cute!"

"Earthy...?"

"I named it! Great Earth Spirit is too long and hard to pronounce!"

Earthy is harder to pronounce.

"But how did you make it so obedient?"

"I don\'t know? It just became obedient while playing with me. Its nature must be good! Shall we play more, Earthy?"

[Kyah! You promised not to bother me anymore if I behaved! This is a breach of our agreement!]

"Playing isn\'t bothering..."

[Kyah!!!]

Charlotte hugged the struggling Earthy and ran off somewhere.

She threw it up and caught it several times, causing its face to turn pale.

...I think I know why it became obedient.

\'No worries then.\'

The road construction is successfully completed.

Charlotte has a new toy to play with.

And Earthy... um... well... it\'s good anyway.

It\'s a triple win.

"You received a letter while you were away. Here."

As soon as I entered the mansion, Julia handed me a letter.

I nonchalantly opened the seal and took out the letter.

The first line, which I read without much thought, was this:

-To the bad mister,

-I\'m having a hard time. I\'m being bullied at school, and my grades are not good. It\'s all because you didn\'t reply to my letters. If this continues, I\'m going to drop out. I\'m telling you clearly. If you ignore this letter again, I\'ll stop your support and drop out.

"Why the face? What kind of letter is it...?"

Cold sweat ran down my face, and my breath caught in my throat.

The contents were enough to chill me to the bone.

[TL/N: The gender of “Yuri” has finally been made clear as female, we’ll be using “She/Her” pronouns from now on.]