"What were the two of you discussing, My Lord?" Bob asked Hiro curiously.
Hiro gave Furina a quick look. She met his gaze briefly before averting her eyes. It seemed she had chosen to keep the nature of the relationship between Tara and Hiro a secret from Bob.
"Oh, nothing too serious. I was having Tara act as a sounding board while I contemplated various matters regarding organizing the military of the realm in the future," Hiro lied smoothly.
Bob nodded.
"I see. She is fairly inexperienced, but I hope she was of some use."
A small smile tugged at Hiro's lips.
"Yes. Her inexperience was quite apparent at first, but your daughter is a quick learner, Bob. She was able to pick things up pretty quickly."
Both Furina and Tara simultaneously lowered their heads, a shade of red coloring their faces. They clearly understood what Hiro was referring to.
"Haha. That is good to hear, My Lord," Bob said, smiling proudly. He was clueless about the steamy time they had spent.
Hiro then diverted the topic to the Worken family, asking Bob about their life in their previous Realm.
Apparently, the Realm in which they previously resided was called the Rorak Earldom.
In this world, an Earldom was composed of multiple Viscountcies. Each Viscountcy was made up of multiple Baronies. A Barony was the smallest unit of land for a Ruler.
Based on what Hiro had heard from Carnalia, the division of land into Baronies was performed by the World itself. This meant he could not freely adjust the boundaries of his Barony. If he wanted to expand his realm, he would need to conquer neighboring Baronies.
Of course, for Hiro, realm expansion was a distant goal. Survival and properly establishing the Barony were more pressing concerns.
"Our previous residence was in the Vigne Barony of the Rorak Earldom, My Lord. However, the Lord of that place was an incompetent fool!"
Bob spoke with emotion but quickly realized he was speaking to a Lord himself.
"Unlike you, of course! You are very competent, My Lord…"
Observing that Hiro's only reaction was an amused smile, Bob continued. "He failed to control crime in his realm. I was a builder in a local construction firm over there. My salary was already a pittance."
Bob narrated how life was for him and the Worken family in Vigne. It felt almost like they were camping, but with a bitter undertone. Hiro kept eating while listening to Bob.
"The poll taxes were already quite harsh on poor people like us. But it wasn't easy for me to hide what little savings I had from the local gangs who regularly collected their 'protection fees.' The Mayor of the town did nothing to control the crime. In fact, I suspect that he might've had a part to play in it, though I have no proof."
His story eventually overlapped with what Hiro had already heard from Furina earlier that afternoon—the exact circumstances that led them to flee as refugees.
It wasn't a particularly captivating story, so Hiro didn't pay full attention. Essentially, a woman involved with one of the gangs had wanted Bob to 'take responsibility' for her.
Naturally, Bob played the fool and pretended he didn't understand what she meant. However, Furina had caught Bob red-handed at some point, so she wasn't fooled by his act.
"Within the realms that worship Selune, adultery is a serious crime. That is especially true for poor folk like us who can't just wash our sins away at the Temple," Bob said with melancholy.
Selune's doctrines preached monogamy. Only rulers who reached the King or Emperor rank were allowed to have up to four spouses—no more than that.
This news was a huge shocker to Hiro, who had been fantasizing about making up his own bullshit rules and openly flaunting his massive harem. Four!? He'd probably reach that count in four days! Maybe even sooner if he actually tried. Four was a rookie number.
Anyway, everyone who wasn't a King or Emperor was limited to one spouse by Selune's doctrines.
"Although I protested against this false accusation, the gangs are far more powerful than me. I was sacked from my job in no time, and the world became cold. Those bastard gang members even tried to target my wife and daughter! At that point, it was impossible to continue living there."
"So you decided to leave the realm?" Hiro asked.
Bob nodded.
"Yes. We took the bare minimum of our belongings and left early—before dawn. By the grace of Goddess Selune, we miraculously made it to the Refugee Point without any guards spotting us on the way. We didn't have much money on us, so transferring to a neighboring realm wasn't an option. We were forced to take the Random option."
"Which brought you to my realm," Hiro completed Bob's story.
"Yes, My Lord."
Bob's eyes grew misty as he used his sleeve to wipe them. He gritted his teeth.
"Those bastards have probably taken everything by now! Our house was small, but we only managed to buy it because my father and his father before him toiled endlessly for many years. The hard work of my ancestors… gone, just like that," Bob broke into an angry sob.
Seeing the grim atmosphere, Hiro decided to console Bob a little.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Bob. But just like every coin has two sides, your story has a bright side too. Think about it—you are the first citizen of my Realm."
Right… Hiro's first citizen was technically neither Furina nor Tara. It was Bob who had dripped his blood on the Citizenship Approval Slate first.
With a brief pause to ensure he had Bob's attention, Hiro continued.
"Right now, land in my Realm is pretty cheap. In fact, I'm going to give you some free land for being my first citizen. Once the Realm flourishes, the land value will automatically rise. At that point, you'll be wealthy beyond the imagination of your forefathers. I'm sure they'll be proud of you then."
Hearing Hiro's words, Bob's tears stopped, and his eyes lit up. Hiro's words made sense. Moreover, Hiro's CHA stat, combined with the awe Bob felt after witnessing Hiro's powers earlier that afternoon, positively influenced his thinking.
Such a future did not seem out of reach…
Because of this, Bob bowed deeply to Hiro. "Thank you for your graciousness, My Lord! And one more thing… I apologize if I offended you with my pessimistic words this morning."
Right after meeting Hiro, Bob had been convinced that he was destined to die soon.
Hiro shook his head.
"There is nothing for you to apologize for, Bob." Hiro patted Bob's shoulder. "Let's build everyone's dream Realm together, shall we?"
Frankly, Tara and Furina were somewhat unnerved by Hiro at the moment. How could he speak so warmly to Bob, considering what he had done with Furina in the tent? Did he truly not feel the slightest bit of guilt facing such a sincere Bob?
They couldn't understand how Hiro's mind worked. However, Bob was oblivious to all of this. His eyes were bright, his voice firm and filled with vigor.
He clasped Hiro's hand, which rested on his shoulder, and replied with great conviction, "Yes, My Lord!"