Chapter 10

It seems like I have a hole in my stomach at the age of one... Grandpa's education was all about on-the-job training. I am now in a baby bed placed in a corner of Lauren's office. The papers are scattered around the baby bed, and at first glance, it might look like a senile lord and his grandchild are playing and drawing together... Let me make it clear, this is not such a cozy place.

"Duke, please have mercy. Due to last year's poor harvest, there are no food reserves in the village. Could you please provide us with aid? If this continues, the villagers will starve to death."

A kind-looking old man is bowing to Lauren with tears in his eyes. Apparently, the village is running out of food reserves.

"That won't do. First, you should sell what you can and raise money. Surely, you don't value your family's heirloom jewels more than the villagers?"

Though his manner is gentle, Lauren's eyes are cold as he looks at the old man. If I were to be looked at with those eyes, I think I would wet myself.

"But, those are treasures granted to my family by the Hero."

"Do you think I don't know that you've been lying about the poor harvest and deceiving the crop yields? I also know who you've been bribing. The village will become a direct territory. Did you think I would overlook it just because I'm in a good mood?"

In other words, this old man was being manipulated by Lauren. He probably heard from the one he bribed that Lauren was in a good mood because my mother and I were staying here, and came to plead.

"Direct territory? Then the position of our family, which has been the village chief for generations... We are a prestigious family with close ties to the Hero."

Without even glancing at the agitated old man, Lauren places his hand on the orb in front of him. At the same time, a large number of soldiers rush into the office.

"He is no longer the village chief. He is just a political prisoner. But since he is an important witness, treat him well until we're done with him."

Yeah, I shouldn't think about what happens after we're done.

Various people visit Lauren's office. Nobles from other territories trying to form alliances with the Kocatsu family, major merchants who bring bribes under the guise of gifts, and citizens like the old man who come with petitions. A mix of joy and sorrow... Lauren's office is a microcosm of life.

"I've finished the check. These two documents show signs of tampering."

Knowing that I have knowledge of mathematics, Lauren started having me check documents. Apparently, the literacy rate in Orizon is low, and even fewer people study mathematics. So, tampering usually just means fudging the totals. Compared to debugging, this is a much easier task.

"True to my grandson. What do you think of the exchange just now?"

After finishing negotiations with others, Lauren asks me questions like this.

"Isn't it risky to treat the descendants of the Hero poorly?"

Though it happened hundreds of years ago, the Hero is still very popular. I've also heard stories about the Hero from my mother.

"Descendants? That girl was just played by the Hero and received the jewels as compensation. Remember, the descendants of the Hero have 'ck' in their surnames."

It seems I've heard a story that shouldn't be told to good children. Apparently, the legendary Hero was quite promiscuous.

"Heroes love beauty... The world may change, but men being perverted doesn't."

The term 'perverted' comes from 'sukebei,' so I'm not sure if it would be understood in another world.

"Remember... Most men are weak for money, women, or fame. There are opportunities to exploit these weaknesses."

Yeah, what is this old man teaching his grandson? If there were a man who could perfectly control these three desires, I would like to meet him.

"I will keep that in mind. Who is the next visitor?"

Hearing my question, Lauren smiled.

"The next one is a big catch... Valery Frey. The head of the Fire Frey family. There are materials here, so take a look."

The Frey family, who inherited the power of fire from the Hero, has produced many excellent mages over the generations. Vanessa Frey, the Fire Heroine, has red hair like flames and brown skin. She is a straightforward female mage who is popular among women. She can get along with anyone, but she dislikes George.

"Don't come near me, and don't talk to me. I'll burn you and the George bacteria for disinfection."

That's how much she dislikes him.

Then, a flashy middle-aged man entered the office without even greeting properly. With the same red hair and brown skin as Vanessa, I assume this is Valery Frey.

"Duke, are you out of your mind to cut off aid to the Frey family? If you do that, Orizon's magic research will fall behind other countries."

According to the materials, the Frey family receives aid from the royal family and nobles for magic research.

"I will not hesitate to support magic research that shows promise. But I have no intention of supporting meaningless magic research or aiding in the creation of clothing and accessories."

Research to make fire magic look flashy, research to make the color of fire more beautiful, research to shape fire into birds or horses... Indeed, they are meaningless.

(The focus has shifted to magic research that appeals to the nobility... That's why Vanessa's magic is so flashy.)

Vanessa's magic is often for area attacks and has flashy effects.

We shouldn't nitpick about whether it would cause a collapse in a dungeon, lead to suffocation in a sealed space, or start a forest fire in the woods. We also shouldn't point out that wooden monsters are hard to burn because they are made of living wood.

"Hmph!! If you make our family your enemy, don't come crying to me later. Remember, I won't help your family even if they are in trouble!!"

Valery spat out these words and left the office.

(Come to think of it, Vanessa is a grandpa's girl... Could the reason George is disliked by Vanessa be related to Valery?)

If the story spreads that the Kocatsu family has abandoned them, other nobles will also stop providing aid. If you hate the monk, you hate the habit, and if you hate the old man, you hate the grandchild. Valery probably filled the young Vanessa with bad things about the old man and me.

"Sigh, do you think the Hero's blood alone is enough to earn money?"

"Grandpa, aren't you afraid of being disliked by people?"

Lauren does things that make people dislike him without hesitation.

"Grandpa? Stop it. When it's just the two of us, 'grandpa' or 'grandpa' is enough. Is George afraid of being disliked by people?"

"So what? Let those who dislike you be. George, a lord who tries to be liked by the people will fail. If you pander to the people, politics will collapse. Even if all the people dislike you, it is the lord's duty to protect the territory with your life."

"You're strong. I'm just an ordinary person, so I'm afraid of being disliked by people."

Can I, like Lauren, play the role of an unpopular person for the sake of the territory?

"I'm not saying you should deliberately be disliked. Have a few people who truly trust you. George, I think the job of a lord is like making umbrellas in the desert. It doesn't rain in the desert, so umbrellas are useless. But the possibility of a heavy rain is not zero. A lord must prepare various umbrellas even if they are disliked by the people. Prepare food reserves for poor harvests and military equipment for war. And when something happens, give the umbrellas to the people... If you do good politics, the people will follow you even in tough times."

Lauren said this and gently patted my head. Deliberately aiming to be unpopular... Yeah, not bad. The people are more important than the heroines.