Anyway, after her introduction, it was time for the final person. She was a tall woman, probably around twenty-five years of age. She had purplish hair that she wore tied back and a powerful gaze that gave her the aura of a female warrior. My initial impression: she was beautiful but also a little scary.
The woman straightened her back and said, “My name is Emira Khomi. I was born into a house of knights, but our family collapsed after my father died on the battlefield. I sold myself into slavery to save my mother and little brother. Fortunately, I was able to come here, where Sir Esparda selected me and began training me to work as the acting lord. I am giving my all to that goal so that I can live up to Sir Esparda’s expectations and be useful to you, Lord Van.”
She bowed deeply. Of all the introductions, hers was the simplest, but for some reason her honest personality really shone through. I found myself feeling quite fond of the woman, so I decided to ask her a few questions. “Emira, got it. You said you were born into a house of knights, right? Do you have any knowledge of swordsmanship or battle strategy?”
“Yes. Father was not particularly blessed when it came to having children, and when he finally did conceive, he had a daughter. It was not until I turned ten that my parents had my little brother, so until that point my father trained me vigorously in the ways of the sword. I am confident that my skill with the sword and spear is at least on par with the average knight’s.”
I nodded, then glanced over at Esparda. “How far into her training is she?”
“I believe she could perform her duties as the acting lord of a small town. She is more than capable of managing finances, resources, and human affairs, not to mention personal problems and water-related issues. She is still learning about taxation, but as we do not yet collect taxes from our citizens, I believe we can put that off for the time being.”
“Gotcha. In that case, let’s have her handle Espa Town for a month as a trial run. If there are no problems, I’d like her to act in a supporting role over at Fortress City Murcia. The plan is for Murcia to eventually take over other towns and fortress cities; when that happens, I want her to become the acting lord in his stead.”
But before he could react, Emira’s eyes went wide. Despite her calm demeanor, she was clearly surprised. “Acting lord of a fortress city? M-me?”
I loved these kinds of reactions. As a gift, Li’l Van will give you a ballista! You can even use it at Fortress City Murcia!
Esparda stroked his chin, looking serious. “I see. It is true that they have a greater need for personnel, and she would be of great assistance to Lord Murcia. However, my original plan was for her to manage Espa Town and Seatoh Village. I will have to find someone else to train…”
I couldn’t quite understand his reluctance at first. Only after I stared at him for a moment did it occur to me.
“You’re trying to push me into handling all of His Majesty’s requests, aren’t you?” I asked, squinting at him. Esparda averted his gaze disapprovingly. “Jeez, that’s terrifying! You want to have an acting lord in place for both Seatoh Village and Espa Town so that I can go out and do everything His Majesty asks?! You know I don’t want to leave the village!”
Esparda frowned as if he weren’t scheming behind my back. “The truth is that you should not turn down any of his requests, especially now that he has put so much trust in you.”
“No, no, no! What about what I want? If I end up doing everything he asks, he’ll make me go to the capital!”
I didn’t mean to get into a full-blown argument with Esparda, but there we were. My five interviewees must have found it super disconcerting, but this was something I had to make clear right then and there. I didn’t care who it was: nobody was allowed to get in the way of me living a nice life away from conflict and others’ expectations.
Arte cleared her throat adorably. Everyone stopped and turned to look at her. She looked back at us, a kind smile forming on her face. “Lord Van, what shall we do about the group interview?”
Despite her gentle tone, I found myself straightening my posture. “Right! Um, let me explain everything to the people who will be managing territory going forward,” I said, and cut to the chase.
That single sentence from Arte was all it took to get me back on track. It was time to talk to my interviewees about the future. “This conversation is only between me, the people in this room, Dee, Arb, and Murcia, okay? Make sure you guys keep quiet.”
“O-of course!”
“Absolutely.”
All five of them agreed to keep their lips sealed and I saw in their eyes that they were not lying. I nodded and continued, “Then listen carefully. We’ll be increasing the population of Seatoh Village in the near future. Once we’ve done so, I’m going to select another ten people to manage things and ten more candidates for command of the Chivalric Orders. While these individuals are being trained, we’re going to invade the Kingdom of Yelenetta.”
The five interviewees tensed up, their eyes wide. Their responses were all over the place, but nobody’s reaction was outright negative. “I-invade Yelenetta?” said one.
“We’re at war, so I was prepared for this,” said another.
Satisfied with the looks on their faces, I nodded again. “We’re going to invade Yelenetta and make our way toward the coast. At bare minimum, we’ll occupy four large cities or fortress cities along the way, culminating with occupation of the capital.” This whole plan must have seemed completely off the wall to them, but I was confident in my explanation. “I suspect that the occupied cities will become mine, so I’m going to end up needing all of your help to manage those new places.”