[Exhausting Work]
After the social gathering, Hazen and his companions returned home in a carriage.
“Master… why did you even bother going?” Yan asked absentmindedly.
“To examine the nobles.”
“But it was a social gathering, so shouldn’t you have socialized?”
“I did, though.”
“No, you only garnered hate! Especially from that high-rank noble, your liege!”
Yan didn’t seem to be joking, but it only left Hazen confused. He had genuinely tried to be friendly…
“Well, no matter. He didn’t seem significant, anyway.”
“Not to repeat myself, but in that case, why even bother attending at all?!”
“It was necessary to assess potential allies and enemies.”
“……”
Yan stared at Hazen with jaw agape, but what could he say? It was the truth. For potential allies, he would be sure to win them over; for potential enemies, well, why bother keeping up appearances? Might as well make them hate him further so it could be easier to kill them.
For Hazen, eliminating the blurred lines between allies and enemies was socializing itself.
“Yan, in a liege-vassal relationship, having an incompetent liege is the last thing you want. So, it’s crucial to assess their competence, and if they fall short, swiftly replace them.”
“W-who do you think you are?” Yan asked in disbelief.
“I am myself. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Naturally, with Yan’s lack of self-defense ability, a certain amount of compromise and cooperation would be necessary. She resembled a toddler and couldn’t use magic. Given that, her best approach was to avoid making enemies.
However, Hazen possessed a certain degree of combat ability and some connections to leverage. It only made sense for him to utilize every card he held.
But, as a matter of fact, Hazen did consider making compromises. That was, if his liege were on the same level of House Donaire. In that scenario, he would play the role of a dutiful vassal even if they didn’t entirely align with his preferences.
But Dudbahan? Despite being a high noble, he was of the lowest rank and utterly incompetent. Hazen saw no reason to lower himself to him.
“But he might harass you.”
“Well, that would be most convenient. It would give me openings to attack him.”
“…D-devil.”
“More importantly,” Hazen shifted his focus to Shion, “Shion, although you are a commoner, you will accompany Yan to many more social gatherings in the future. Bear in mind that you have to make up for what this inexperienced girl lacks.”
“Y-yes, Your Lordship!” Shion nodded, despite still feeling that everything was unreal.
“Right then, we’ve got lots of work to do. Regarding the fields, I’ll have my undead soldiers to plow them at night. Only I can command them, so I’ll handle it myself.”
“E-eh?! B-but you are the lord!”
“It’s all about the right person for the right job. Social status doesn’t matter. From there, it will be your job to revitalize the fields, Shion. Learn everything you can from that old man named Gamano and share his knowledge with other farmers.”
“U-um… w-what if he refuses to teach me?”
“Just let me know. I have plenty of experience in making people cooperative.”
Grin.
Hazen wore a wide grin. Shion looked at him with her jaw dropped, much like Yan, but eventually, she mysteriously muttered to herself, “I must make him cooperate myself or else…” and nodded with a determined expression as if preparing for battle.
“I’ll definitely persuade him to teach me! Please trust me with this.”
“Good response. I’ll be counting on you,” Hazen nodded, then turned to Yan, “Yan, you will meet up with Sandoval, who’s infiltrated the slave guild. He should be done gathering the information I need. Ragh and Kaku’zu will accompany you.”
“I understand Mr. Kaku’zu, but Mr. Ragh too?”
“I want to see what he is capable of. Utilize both him and Kaku’zu to apprehend the guild leader and destroy the slave guild.”
?!
“Please stop asking the impossible!”
“With Kaku’zu, it’s possible. Trust me. You have to capture them alive, got it?”
“W-what do you want to do with them?”
“Well, I’ll be establishing a slave ranch, and I’ll need someone to oversee it.”
“…” Yan gave him an incredulous look, but Hazen didn’t care one bit.
“If possible, I also want to integrate the freed slaves into our district. As a lord, I can easily forge fake family register for them. Of course, you’ll be in charge of that, but we can discuss it again later.”
“M-my head’s spinning.”
“Just make sure to inquire if they desire it. If they wish to return to their hometowns instead, you can arrange it. Hypocritical acts like that are your specialty, right?”
“…Rude, much?”
“Alright then, I’ll need to pull an all-nighter, so I’ll get some sleep while I can. You can wake me up if something urgent arises, but if it’s not critical, just have Guizar handle it.”
“I-I haven’t slept for 48 hours, just so you know!”
Ignoring the scream of the coachman, Hazen drifted off to sleep within seconds.
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