In front of the lord's castle, numerous tents were set up, and people bustled about everywhere.
The faces of those moving around were familiar; they were all former residents of the territory. It seemed they had indeed been brought in from all around, as rumored.
But, contrary to what might be expected from those "captured," they all looked quite cheerful. The mountain villagers, confused, were led by Ghislain with bewildered expressions.
Claude, busy as ever, spotted Ghislain and clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"That's quite a haul today. You're unbelievably good at this… like a fisherman reeling in a massive catch."
"Pursuit, ambush, annihilation—that's my specialty. I'm good at setting traps, too."
"Yeah, perfect skill set for a slave trader. You could've made a name for yourself on the continent. Ouch!"
Claude, who had been cheekily chattering, quickly backed off after a well-deserved smack.
His habit of blurting out one too many words, seemingly oblivious to the mood, could be seen as its own talent.
"Quit the nonsense and get this batch processed quickly. We're busy."
"Understood!"
Swiftly, he began recording the villagers' details, reeling off instructions in rapid succession.
"For now, you'll stay here. If you want, you can return to your old home, but if not, we'll prepare a house in one of the new villages we're building. We're also hiring workers for the construction, so if you're interested, feel free to join."
The villagers nodded. Their former homes were already destroyed, and they hadn't brought much with them. The idea of being given a new house for free was more than they could have hoped for.
"Food will also be rationed for the time being. It's a personal gesture from the lord, so be sure to appreciate it."
With that, Claude nodded to the soldiers, who promptly brought in bags filled with wheat, meat, and vegetables.
The mountain villagers' eyes widened.
It was far more plentiful than the meager fare they'd been surviving on while hiding in the mountains.
As they swallowed hungrily, Claude continued.
"The lord's orders: if you run out, more will be provided, so don't be stingy—eat well. Don't end up with food poisoning from hoarding spoiled food, or I'll be the one dealing with the headache."
Claude gestured to one side. The villagers' eyes followed his hand.
There were mountains of sacks piled up, filled with food, with more being delivered continuously.
The mountain villagers looked at Ghislain in shock.
Could it really be true that they'd receive houses, jobs, and food?
"If you'd just come along quietly, you wouldn't have had to get roughed up," Ghislain said, clicking his tongue.
As the soldiers untied the villagers, they threw themselves to the ground in gratitude.
"Thank you, my lord, thank you."
"We won't cause trouble again."
"We'll work hard."
The villagers, who had been terrified of being executed, sighed in relief.
They still couldn't fully trust him, but they were starting to think this lord might be different from the others.
"Alright, we'll soon guide you to the new village where you'll live. Until then, stay quiet and behave yourselves."
One of the lower-ranking officials led the villagers to temporary tents.
As they moved along, a child glanced back. It was the same child who had fought back tears in the mountains.
Noticing the child's gaze, Ghislain gave a playful wink.
"See? I told you I was a good person, didn't I?"
Claude, listening nearby, rubbed his ears as if he'd heard something absurd, but Ghislain simply snorted.
The hesitant child gave a deep bow, and Ghislain tossed him an apple with a smile.
"This one's just for you. Don't share it with anyone."
The child nodded and followed the adults.
This pattern continued over the following days.
Ghislain would locate and bring back villagers who had fled, set them up with homes, and consistently supply them with food.
The existing villagers also received house repairs or even new homes, so no complaints were heard.
Rumors began to spread that perhaps this new lord was actually a good person.
Responding to those whispers, Ghislain moved tirelessly.
Between managing mountains of paperwork, he trained daily and inspected the territory.
"Young master, get some rest! Why couldn't you study this diligently back in the day?"
Belinda exclaimed, watching his relentless work with a mixture of worry and exasperation.
She was concerned for his health, but she also had another reason.
"What about farming? Why are you focusing on everything else? It's already been a month!"
He was certainly working hard, but it felt like he'd set aside the most important part of the wager.
After all, in that month, all he'd done was bring people back, give them homes, and feed them.
"Oh, that? There's plenty of time, don't worry. I was planning to start now that we have enough people."
Now that the villagers were fed and housed, it was time to get down to serious business.
"We're going to clear land for farming."
The announcement of labor recruitment drew a crowd of villagers.
News of the generous wages given to those who helped with the construction had spread quickly.
Even elderly people and children were eager to join and had to be sent back.
Watching the lively crowd, Ghislain couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"Look at that energy. This should go quickly."
Claude had already arranged the location for the new farmland and procured farming tools, so Ghislain simply had to lead the villagers.
Even as they tilled the land, the villagers couldn't hide their doubts.
"Why are we clearing land that's no good for farming?"
"Aren't we just going to get blamed later when the crops don't grow?"
These lifelong farmers knew the nature of Fenris territory better than anyone.
Surely, past lords must have thought of creating new farmland, too.
But with poor soil, the effort had yielded little, so they'd given up.
"Let's just do as we're told."
"It seems like there's no one here who understands farming. Tsk, tsk… but what can we say?"
"They're paying and feeding us, so we're doing it… but I am a little worried. What if they blame us later?"
"Did you hear? This is a bet between the lord and the head butler—whether crops will grow here or not."
"Oh dear, our lord's in for trouble. Doesn't he know crops won't grow here?"
The workers exchanged uneasy glances.
They worried about possible repercussions if the wager didn't go well.
Still, none of them dared advise the lord directly.
So, they simply started digging the land as instructed.
For those who had been struggling to survive, the promise of food and wages was enough motivation to work hard.
With everyone pitching in, the clearing was completed in just a few days.
Once the seasons changed and seeds were sown, the lord's efforts would reveal themselves to have been in vain.
Foreseeing the inevitable outcome, the villagers' expressions darkened. Yet Ghislain continued to smile as he surveyed the cleared land.
"This once-useless land will finally become worthwhile."
Watching him, the villagers grew even more uneasy.
Why was the lord so happy to have tilled unusable land?
What would happen if he realized he'd been mistaken?
Uneasy, they kept silent, merely looking off into the distance.
But their worries didn't last long. When the work was done, Ghislain gathered everyone, and the villagers looked at each other with anticipation.
"Well done. You all did great; your hard work shows."
Satisfied with their swift work, Ghislain patted the workers on the shoulders with a smile.
The villagers huddled together, whispering.
"Today too?"
"Must be. He seems in a good mood."
For ordinary people, working directly with the lord was nerve-wracking.
Yet the villagers preferred Ghislain's supervision over anyone else's.
And they had a good reason.
Claude, who nagged non-stop and wouldn't stop complaining, was the most dreaded supervisor among the villagers.
He kept saying things like, "I have to finish everything before I go," making him picky and exhausting to deal with.
Belinda would sit nearby, looking dejected, occasionally snapping in frustration, which made it hard for anyone to predict her mood. So the villagers around her tried to work in silence, avoiding her as much as possible.
Then there was Gillian and Kaor, whose mere presence was intimidating. Being around them was stifling, so the villagers instinctively kept their distance.
The lord was supposed to be the scariest figure in the estate, yet he was the easiest to work with. It was a strange irony.
Of course, there was another reason they preferred to work with Ghislain.
"Here, use this for a drink or two and rest well. Keep working hard like this."
For hard work, Ghislain was generous with rewards.
Pleased with the speedy completion of the task, he handed the workers a few extra silver coins on top of their wages.
The villagers left with smiles, grateful.
"Thank you, my lord."
"We'll put it to good use!"
"Please call on us anytime!"
While their regular pay was already set, Ghislain had a clear reason for giving additional rewards to those who worked hard.
He knew that appropriate rewards were the best motivators.
Those working with him were noticeably more dedicated than others.
Watching the delighted villagers, Ghislain furrowed his brow slightly.
"Tsk, tsk… why won't they just spend the money already? Time is of the essence here…"
He had budgeted additional funds to incentivize other supervisors to do the same, but they hadn't used it much.
Poverty had made thrift their natural instinct.
With everyone trying to save estate funds, they weren't even considering using money to save time.
But speed mattered more than money right now, and the lack of alignment was frustrating.
"I can't keep nagging them either. Sigh…"
Constantly scolding them would work, but it wasn't ideal.
Trust was as important as delegation.
Ghislain was not one to teach his subordinates with patience. He only emphasized important points now and then.
So, Ghislain spent freely on the estate, covering his subordinates' share of the expenses.
"There's a lot to be done, so keep moving."
The estate was constantly buzzing with activity.
After years of neglect, many of the facilities had fallen into disrepair.
As they fixed facilities and expanded farmland, the anxious atmosphere in the territory began to transform into one of vitality.
For people who had lived on the edge of starvation, even this much was a blessing.
"Our lord may not know much about farming, but it seems like he's trying to make things better here."
"I heard he used to be quite the troublemaker—a real handful back in the day."
"Maybe that was back then. Now he's putting money into the estate and providing jobs. If he were a troublemaker, he'd probably just drink and slack off instead of doing all this."
People's generosity improves on a full stomach.
At first, the villagers had been wary of Ghislain, but their opinion of the new lord was quickly warming.
As praise for the new lord began spreading among the villagers, Ghislain summoned the mages.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]