Chapter 64
"I'm surprised too."
"But when you think about it, it might be obvious."
"Obvious?"
I looked at Zoe, who was content by herself.
She nodded quietly and replied.
"─ Master always says that people are treasures."
"Yeah."
"And speaking of treasures, children are even more treasured."[TN: Now that's some random bulls**t]
"... I see."
I chuckled.
It may not be that way, but I have a feeling that Zoe is right.
People are treasures and potential.
Both of which applied to my own children.
" Good point. Here."
I took out a 100 reens from my pocket and tossed it to Zoe.
I turned towards Audrey, leaving Zoe, who received it hurriedly and left while bowing.
"Audrey. From now until you recover from childbirth, you don't have to do any of the serving or anything like that."
"I understand, thank you. And ...."
"Hmm?"
"Anya has informed me that she will be arriving soon."
"... I see."
I chuckled.
A little ahead of schedule.
I knew right away that Audrey's pregnancy was the reason for the early arrival.
This is a peculiar story when it comes to the nobility, especially the royal family.
When you're dealing with a member of the royal family, you can't help but think about the possibility that the man might be sterile.
However, Audrey is safely pregnant, so I have the seed.
And now Audrey's sister can be sent to me without worry.
"I'll have to give her some treasure, too."
"Thank you so much!"
Audrey nodded her head with a very happy look on her face.
The next day, I gathered all the servants and subordinates of the mansion in the garden.
Maids, eunuchs, and subordinates such as Don.
Anyway, I gathered everyone I could.
The garden was buzzing with anxious looks on the faces of about half of them as if they were unsure of the purpose of the sudden gathering.
That is until I showed up.
When I stepped in front of the assembled people and assumed the position to give them their instructions, they all quieted down and looked at me.
"As you know, my wife, Audrey, is pregnant with our first child. It is a celebration."
""...""
"So I thought it would be a good time to give you guys a little bonus for your hard work."
When I raised my hand, the servants came from inside the mansion carrying boxes one after another.
This was the box that Byron had given me a while ago, containing 100,000 reens.
When the boxes were opened, most of the servants started to buzz.
"I'm handing this out to you. Zoe has examined them and divided them into three ranks, A, B, and C, according to the work you've done so far: 300 reens each for rank, 200 reens for B rank, and 100 reens for C rank per person."
"""Ooohhhh!"""
At this point, the servants' fears were collectively blown away.
There was a huge cheer that could be heard hundreds of meters away.
That's just as well.
The monthly earnings of an adult male are about 10 reens.
C, the lowest rank, got a bonus of about a year's salary, and the highest rank, A, got a bonus of two and a half years.
When the servant understood this, I decided to further expand it.
"I've added two people to the A rank. One of them is Evelyn. You know her as the maid in my mansion, and I recommended her to be the Governor because she seemed to be a valuable person. And she has done well at her post."
After a pause for breath, I continued.
"The land Evelyn controls has become so safe that the doors do not need to be locked at night. As a result, she's been coined the term "Wise Official', which means that the officials I appoint are good. Evelyn will receive 10,000 reens."
"""Oh ...."""
There is a hint of envy in most people's eyes, but some look as if they are watching events in a distant world.
10,000 reen is an amount of money that you may or may not earn in a lifetime.
I guess they feel that it will never happen to them.
Being a governor must also seem far away.
As expected.
"And one more person – Gran, step forward."
"Eh? Y-yes!
The boy eunuch was surprised when his name was suddenly called, but he stepped forward.
"After that, I heard you were paying attention to the land prices around the mansion and remembered everything.
"'Y-Yes! Just in case His Highness needs it someday."
"Well done. Remembering what your Lord wants to do, and taking care of it. You acted on your own, not because you were ordered to. Here's a 1000 reens for you."
"""Oooohhhh!"""
The biggest cheer till now went up.
Even if they couldn't get any emotional response to the story of 10,000 reens for doing well as the Governor, they probably could imagine that they would be able to go for 1,000 reens for what they remembered I was planning to do.
As a result, most of them cheered loudly and got that glazed look that is characteristic of those who are after something.
"Listen carefully. If you serve me and work for me properly, nothing wrong will happen to you."
"""Long live His Imperial Highness the Thirteenth! Long live Noah-sama!"""
The cheers echoed on and on forever.
Name: Noah Ararat
Minister of Justice
Gender: Male
Level: 15 + 1 / ∞
HP C+D MP E+D Strength C+A Stamina D+D Intelligence
Visit readel.me for extra chapters.
D+D Spirit E+D Speed E+D Dexterity E+D Luck E+D Fire E+A Water C+S Wind E+F Earth E+D Light E+C Darkness E+C
The "+" in speed had gone up by one step.
After the meeting, I went back to my study in the outer garden.
When Don, who I had brought along with me to talk, entered the room, he looked impressed.
"As expected, Your Highness."
"Hmm?"
" Everyone's eyes changed. Their eyes were envious, especially towards Gran."
"You noticed that in their eyes, huh"
"It was exactly what you wanted, then, I suppose. Very good, sir."
"I'm going to do this regularly."
"Do you have any plans for punishment?"
"Yes, I have."
I chuckled.
"Ideally, it would have been best if we were able to deal with the rat who was laid down under the internal law, shortly after that. And if the timing was right, I could have made the transition, but there was no rat."
"You've already thought of that, I'm impressed."
"But there's something I want you to do."
"Yes, anything."
It may be because he was given an rank and 300 reens as rewards, Don was more excited than usual.
"I've decided to send Almeria's surplus food to the north."
"Food, sir?"
I nodded and told Don about Rushi Tsar.
At first, he was surprised, but as he listened, he began to look more and more convinced.
"I understand the details. But if we give it out, and a natural disaster occurs in Almeria causing a famine, ...?"
"That's why I summoned you. Do you know the place called Dosso?"
"I remember it was ... once flooded, and His Highness bought up the whole place."
"Yeah. It's been abandoned ever since, but a flood also brings fertile soil with it."
"... I see!"
"Yes, we're going to cultivate that area. That's a lot of untouched, fertile soil. If we develop it on a large scale, Almeria's harvest will increase by ten percent."
"I see! That's all right then."
"I want you to do it. It is a big task. Are you up for it?"
"Are you okay with me?"
"I hadn't made up my mind until just now, but now I have."
"...?"
What do you mean? Don looked at me.
"We're going to use my pocket-money to cultivate the land. If you have learned from 'the example' earlier, I'm sure you won't embezzle the money."
"But there's always the possibility of failure."
"I don't care if it fails."
"Eh?"
Don was surprised.
"People make mistakes. I don't blame them if they fail when they're loyal to me, no matter what."
"..."
"What's up with your strange expression?"
"No, I'm just basking in the good fortune of serving an incredible Lord."
Don, had a look of admiration on his face as he said that.