Time passed quietly for half a month.
At first, only the residents of the central town of the Demon King’s Territory knew that their remote, almost exiled domain, after being vacant for over a decade, finally welcomed a lord.
This was indeed a novelty!
But that was all. After some initial discussion, because the lord never made a grand appearance, people gradually stopped mentioning it openly.
Only the restless children in town, driven by their natural curiosity, persistently ran to the manor gate, stretching their necks to catch a glimpse of the new lord.
They didn’t see the new lord’s appearance, but they did see many interesting things.
Chattering, they ran back to tell their parents.
“It looks like they’re repairing the road at the manor gate. I saw Uncle Gore from next door busy working.”
“The manor has become very beautiful. It was already beautiful before, but now it looks new…”
“People are coming and going all the time. It looks very busy; it hasn’t been this lively in a long time.”
Some strict adults would lightly scold them: “Why get so close? Be careful not to offend the noble lord, or you’ll get a spanking.”
Children, speaking innocently, said: “This lord looks very rich. I wonder if he could fix our road. I tripped on the broken road last time and it hurt for days.”
An adult would gently smack him: “Just eat your candy. Be careful next time.”
The adults, after hearing this, were not so optimistic.
Even if they knew this lord seemed very wealthy, they did not share the children’s naive thoughts.
According to the laws of the Tully Empire, the domain is the lord’s private property. In the early days of the empire’s establishment, commoners and slaves in the domain were no different; all their personal rights were in the hands of the lord, and some lords even traded commoners.
The laws of the Tully Empire have been revised several times. Nowadays, they place more emphasis on the autonomy of commoners, and the practice of buying and selling people as it was centuries ago no longer occurs. If discovered, even nobles would go to jail.
But it’s only a little better.
Land and other basic resources are still controlled by the lords. The commoners are more like workers who toil to buy cars and houses for their bosses, without the protection of labor laws.
If they are lucky and the lord isn’t too harsh, they can live relatively well.
But if they are unlucky and encounter an exploitative lord, with all kinds of taxes imposed, the situation can become dire.
Once, a lord was so harsh that during a year of drought and poor harvest, many commoners starved to death, causing great public outrage.
But in the end, apart from an envoy from the central city advising the lord, there was no punishment.
It was only after this incident, when commoners began migrating en masse to other territories, that the tax laws were amended.
Honestly, the Demon King’s Territory is considered quite good.
The residents here are generally poor, but the main reason is the barren land and geographical disadvantages. Low population density areas are bound to lack prosperity, which is an inherent flaw. To increase the population density, a large-scale construction of infrastructure is necessary, which requires a lot of money and manpower, forming an unsolvable problem.
Speaking of which, the taxes in the Demon King’s Territory are actually very low, and the policies are relatively lenient.
So although it is quite poor here, compared horizontally, it’s still a place where one can settle.
The nun who previously managed the territory as a proxy was a lenient person, but as for this new lord… they didn’t know.
However, seeing that the first thing he did upon arriving in the territory was to repair the manor, he was probably someone who valued enjoyment.
They wondered if the taxes would increase in the next quarter.
Many people felt uneasy. Some relatives and neighbors who worked in the manor were questioned thoroughly after work, inquiring about the new lord.
Scratching their heads, they said: “I don’t know. I’ve only seen him from a distance a few times, never spoken to him. I just remember he looks very beautiful… refined, even needs help setting up his meals, like some kind of precious porcelain. Definitely different from anyone I’ve seen before.”
They blushed while saying this.
The neighbors became even more worried.
To support such a delicate lord, how much tax would they have to pay?
Inside the manor, Josh was also discussing tax issues with the nun.
He inquired about the tax situation. Although he wasn’t very enthusiastic about it, he had learned the basic regulations on how to manage a territory during cultural lessons when he was young. He racked his brains and could barely remember some of it.
Josh: “How about we abolish the crop tax? I see there’s not much being collected anyway. In the future, the manor’s expenses will come from my private account.”
This place was too poor, the people here were too poor. Josh couldn’t bring himself to exploit them.
Nun: “Master, this isn’t very appropriate. If we abolish taxes, it will be too conspicuous and might cause dissatisfaction among other lords, potentially leading to unnecessary conflicts.”
Josh frowned: “Is there such a thing? How troublesome.”
He muttered complaints: “So annoying, what does it have to do with them?”
This showed how simplistic his thinking was. After all, he hadn’t had any hands-on experience, and there was a huge gap between theory and reality. Moreover, he hadn’t been a very good student, so many of Josh’s ideas were too immature.
Often, after discussing for a short while, he would feel dizzy and want to quit.
Albert, however, had some insights. Although he was also someone who often slacked off at work, he had at least worked in the Demon Realm for many years, broadening his horizons. The residents of the Demon Realm were much more unruly and defiant compared to here.
Managing this territory wasn’t difficult in his eyes.
He handed a small plate of freshly cut fruit to Josh and whispered: “Tax issues are sensitive. Another problem is that if we abolish taxes and later want to reimpose them when the economy improves, it will cause a backlash among the people. An alternative method is to issue various subsidies instead, which can be reconciled with taxes.”
Josh turned to look at him, his eyes bright.
Lately, he had been looking at Albert like this quite frequently.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Josh thought the difference between people’s brains was really huge. For the umpteenth time, he asked: “Albert, you are so smart. Are you really not from a noble background? You’re so capable. Why don’t you be the lord instead? Haha, I can’t handle it.”
Ciyfga: “Rb.”
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Abrt delmxis tjv tlr jaafcalbc vlnfgafv, jaagjmafv ys atf obbv.
Dfakffc atf tfjvjmtf-lcvemlcu boolmlji vealfr jcv atf rkffa, vfilmlber ogela, atf ijaafg ecvbeyafvis tjv j ugfjafg jqqfji.
Josh, half-leaning on the table with his arms propped up, lazily munched on the fruit.
When Josh was just worrying about official duties, he had ruffled his hair a bit. He had this bad habit of fiddling with his hair whenever he was upset. Now, as he lowered his head, a few strands of hair stuck up conspicuously.
Albert stared at those few strands, somehow reminded of Josh’s sleeping face he had seen that night, his hair even more disheveled in sleep.
The atmosphere was very quiet for a moment, with only the faint sounds of Josh eating.
The nun lightly cleared her throat, interrupting Albert’s observation: “Sir Knight, let the servants handle tasks like serving tea and water.”
Her tone was gentle and showed respect for Albert’s status, distinguishing him from the servants.
However, if you thought about it, there was a hint of a warning for Albert not to overstep his bounds.
Albert pretended not to notice.
He wouldn’t bother with an ordinary human, and besides, she could only speak her mind. Ultimately, the one who had authority in this territory was Josh. As long as he kept this little lord happy, no one could shake his position.
The plate of fruit was small, and Josh ate it sparingly, but it was gone in just a few bites.
He tapped his fork against the edge of the plate and looked up, eagerly staring at his tall knight. This was an instinctive act of seeking food, one he might not even be aware of.
Albert met his gaze for a moment and then said, “It’s time for lunch.”
Josh: “…Oh, I see.”
He had a small bad habit: if he ate too many snacks, he was reluctant to eat proper meals.
This was a bit childish, like the temperament of a child.
Previously, while traveling, he relied on his noble status as a mage, and no one dared to tell him what to do, so Josh just followed his whims.
This partly explained why he was so thin, not eating properly and indulging himself.
Now, that wouldn’t work.
If he tried it now, not only would the nun sigh at him, but even Albert would look at him.
Albert’s attitude wasn’t about disciplining him; in fact, he was somewhat indulgent with Josh and would even proactively offer pre-meal snacks.
But only a little.
It’s strange how Josh felt a bit satisfied but also subtly hungrier than before.
It made Josh voluntarily go to eat.
Josh jumped off his chair and walked toward the dining room with the nun and Albert.
According to tradition, commoners wouldn’t be present at a noble’s dining table. However, since one was an old servant who had raised him for many years and the other was a loyal knight who handled most of his affairs, they didn’t adhere strictly to that rule.
The diligent maidservants brought dishes one after another, seeming to exceed the portions for just the three of them.
Now, it’s worth mentioning something strange about eating.
Josh noticed that Albert had a huge appetite.
That morning, when he invited Albert to sit down for a meal, after taking a couple of sips of the mushroom soup Josh offered, Albert quickly dug into the food in front of him.
Although Albert claimed to be a wandering knight, it was evident that he had received a good education. He ate quietly and with manners.
However, he would occasionally glance at Josh during the meal.
His eyes were deep, with the faint green hue becoming more pronounced. Josh could sense the hunger emanating from him. In certain moments when he looked up, Josh even felt like he wasn’t looking at a person, but at a hungry beast.
Josh thought, maybe the servants forgot to give him dinner last night, leaving him hungry.
Feeling guilty, Josh pushed more food toward Albert.
The tall man with golden hair glanced at him and accepted the food without hesitation.
Josh had a small appetite. After a few bites, he stopped eating and focused on feeding the tall knight.
When Josh finally stopped feeding him, he was shocked to realize—
Albert had eaten at least the portion meant for four people.
And he was still staring at him with those hungry eyes.
He didn’t look satisfied yet.
Josh was astonished.
He unconsciously tightened his fork and exclaimed, “You… eat so much. Is it because of this that you didn’t bind yourself to nobility? Afraid of eating yourself bankrupt?”
Albert: “…”
He had just accidentally forgotten to control his appetite. In reality, the energy contained in human food was too low for him, like a drop in the ocean. Even if he ate more, it wouldn’t fill the emptiness inside him.
But Josh, the ever-present temptation to his appetite, was right in front of him. He had to mechanically make the gesture of eating to suppress the desire to pick Josh up and lick him all over the table to satisfy his cravings.
The result was too much.
Albert was about to say he was full and seek some relief, so as not to leave the impression that he would cost this stingy little lord too much.
But then he heard Josh say, “Do you want—”
By now, the food on the table had been mostly cleared by Albert. Making more would take some time.
There was only a piece of bread in front of Josh, with a single bite taken out of it, leaving a tooth mark.
Josh didn’t think much of it and asked, “Do you want to eat this bread? Are you still hungry?”
After asking, he realized he wasn’t being very respectful. At least he couldn’t accept eating someone else’s leftovers. He quickly corrected himself, “Never mind, never mind. I’ve already eaten this. I’ll save it for lunch and have the kitchen make something for you…”
Albert interrupted him, “Hmm, I’m still a bit hungry. No need to trouble the kitchen. I’ll just eat that bread, and I should be full.”
His gaze fell on Josh, with a faint hint of longing, but he politely asked, “Is it alright?”
Josh suddenly felt like not giving it to him would be mistreating the honest knight.
Unconsciously, he pushed the bread towards Albert.
He watched as Albert slowly ate it, piece by piece.
Perhaps because he was already close to full, Albert ate this time unusually slowly.
Josh inexplicably felt a sense of shame, unsure if it was because of his carelessness in making someone hungry like this, or because it was the first time he had let someone eat his leftovers, which was quite rude.
Watching Albert finish eating, his ears turned red.
But after Albert finished eating, he smiled gently at Josh. With his naturally imposing appearance of golden hair and azure eyes, his smile had a strange brilliance, like sunlight shining through deep water.
As if truly satisfied, he said to Josh, “Thank you, I’m full. It was delicious.”
Since then, Josh instructed the kitchen to prepare meals for Albert equivalent to 4-5 servings each time.
He reassured himself:
“It’s fine. Even though Albert eats enough for four people, he can do work equivalent to far more than four people. So, in the end, I’m still gaining!”
***
The new policy regarding autumn subsidies was announced just a few days later.
After calculations, it was almost enough to cover all the taxes they were supposed to pay for this quarter. There might be some discrepancies in the details, but it was sufficient.
In other words, they didn’t have to pay taxes for this quarter.
When the residents, who had been living in fear of tax increases every day, heard this news, some found it hard to believe.
They felt like they were dreaming.
It wasn’t until the maintenance team repaired the old parts of the estate and began repairing the damaged roads and collapsed public facilities within the central town area that everyone finally felt it was real.
The roads that had been in disrepair for a long time were finally fixed, and everyone needed some time to get used to it.
“He’s a kind lord!”
“I’m going to write to my brother and sister-in-law, asking them to move here as soon as possible. There’s still a lot of open land now, and their area is rumored to have increased taxes again. I reckon this time they’ll make up their minds to move.”
“My nephew who works in the maintenance team told me that after finishing up in the central town area, the lord also plans to repair other small towns.”
“Speaking of which, public security has improved a lot recently. They added a night patrol team, and my uncle is in charge of the night shift. The night shift subsidy is high.”
“No wonder the other day I forgot to lock the door of my shop, but when I checked the next day, everything was fine. I thought I was just lucky, haha, didn’t dare to brag about it.”
The residents were like being knocked unconscious by a pie, instantly overflowing with infinite goodwill towards the newly efficient lord they had yet to meet.
Their thinking was just that simple. As long as they could improve their lives, in their understanding, that person was a good person.
And their way of expressing gratitude was also very simple.
Since there were no valuable items, they sent some food to the central manor. There were basic crops from the current harvest, various domesticated animals, and someone even sent over a low-level magical beast, clearly caught by the town’s only apprentice mage.
Not very valuable, but for families who could barely make ends meet, it was already a very sincere gesture.
When Josh received the gifts, he was puzzled, wondering why he had received so many things. He hadn’t ordered this much, right?
The gatekeeper explained to him that these were gifts from the residents to express their gratitude for his efforts in the territory.
Josh felt embarrassed again, “Huh? Actually, I haven’t done much, have I?”
Actually, he just moved his mouth a bit. The ones really working hard were Albert and the nun. He was just responsible for eating, sleeping, and passing time in the manor every day, and he had even gained weight from it—though according to the nun, it had nothing to do with being lazy. Josh used to be too skinny, and now he was just normal.
Anyway, he felt a bit guilty.
But also a bit happy.
Josh instructed the kitchen to prepare these foods properly.
That day, when the food was served on the table, he introduced the origin of these ingredients to Albert with a smile.
In the end, he said, “Actually, you’re the one working hard, so you should eat most of these things.”
Albert looked at Josh’s proud little expression that he couldn’t hide and said, “I’m just following your orders.”
Josh replied, “Don’t be modest, don’t be modest.”
After a while, Josh cleared his throat and said, “Or, should I just pay you a salary?”
These days, Josh had witnessed everything Albert had done for him.
Basically, as long as Josh moved his mouth, Albert could handle everything perfectly. Many problems that the nun couldn’t solve became non-issues when they reached Albert’s hands.
Although it had only been half a month, Josh couldn’t imagine how he could continue being a lord without Albert. He had sighed in his heart countless times: “Thank goodness I picked up Albert!”
Otherwise, how could he be so carefree, only responsible for giving orders? He would probably be sitting at his desk, overwhelmed with worry.
Even if he didn’t understand much, he knew that such a good helper was hard to find.
Before, Albert had said he wouldn’t accept any reward to repay Josh’s “life-saving grace.”
But he was so capable that Josh was afraid he would be poached by other nobles one day.
His friend, Avril, described it as saving 80% of his effort after getting a capable knight, but Josh felt that after getting Albert, he saved not just 80%, but life felt even more comfortable than before he took office.
Even the prophecy scroll was speechless, saying, “With your current state, I’m telling you, soon you’ll need that knight of yours for everything.”
Josh was annoyed and locked it back in the miscellaneous box.
Albert looked indifferent and said, “No need, I don’t care about those things.”
He looked at Josh, always calm and reliable, but with a hint of suppressed desire in his deep eyes, “As long as… I get to eat.”
Casually thinking:
If the lord could personally come to the table and satisfy his hunger, that would be even better.
Josh was still worried about him running away, “If you want compensation, you must tell me, okay? No jumping ship randomly. But, are you really okay with being so easily hungry every day?”
Even though Albert had been eating more and more lately, every time he ate, he still looked famished.
Was he really not sick?
Josh was slightly worried.
However, he had used magic to check Albert’s body and indeed found no abnormalities.
***
Half a month passed like this, and the central town appeared somewhat chaotic due to the large-scale repairs, but everything was developing prosperously.
The first batch of residents who moved in had already begun to arrive one after another. Presumably, it wouldn’t be long before this central town became bustling.
Just at this moment, an urgent message arrived:
A magic array not far from the central town, which had been sealed, was completely damaged due to the impact of a high-level magic beast.
This magic array had a long history.
Simply put, it was a product of the wars between various races hundreds of years ago, responsible for sealing the passages connecting to the demon realm.
Now that it was completely damaged, it was likely to cause a large number of demons to appear on the continent.
This matter was very embarrassing and difficult to deal with.
Hundreds of years ago, the concentration of magic in the air was much higher than it is now. The magic array set up at that time, which was related to the connection between the two realms, was naturally of a high level. In this age of declining magic power, it was difficult to find corresponding high-level mages to repair it.
Basically, it would have to start with black-robed mages, and that was a conservative estimate; to be honest, it might not be enough.
The cost was too great.
Asking other lords for help was also not practical.
Everyone tended to their own affairs. Even if demons really arrived, the first to suffer would definitely be the Demon King’s territory, and it would take a long time before it spread and caused damage to other lords’ territories.
Moreover, whether there would really be trouble was still uncertain. It was said that demons nowadays were not very interested in the human realm.
Many people are unwilling to act unless the crisis falls on their own heads.
This matter can only be solved by the Demon King’s territory itself.
As a lord, Josh didn’t even want to think about it: “I’m a mage, so why not go myself?”
The nun disagreed: “No, young master, if high-level demons really come out, it will be too dangerous.”
She said, “Don’t worry, Ms. Alyssa had several mage friends before her death. I’ll contact them now, and we should be able to invite a few.”
Josh: “It’s too far away, and it will take time for them to arrive. We can’t delay this matter. I remember that place is quite densely populated, right? If something really happens…”
He turned to his knight and ordered somewhat arrogantly, “Anyway, I’m going, and I’m going now.”
Albert: “Of course. I will accompany you.”
Ignoring the nun’s objections.
They left immediately.
Because they were in a hurry, they didn’t take a carriage but rode on a fast-paced magic horse.
The temperature on the road was a bit high, and Josh’s nose was sweating.
Albert gently wiped it away and saw tiny beads of sweat on his forehead.
The young lord, who usually complained even if he ate a sour fruit, didn’t complain at all at this moment.
He thought to himself:
Josh is not suitable to be a lord.
His heart is too soft.
Although he may seem spoiled and willful on the surface, when something happens, he is more anxious and responsible than those seemingly upright nobles.
Albert is falling for his kitty even deeper.
Thank you for the chapter! ❤
Thank you for the chapter!
Thank you for the chapters 😍 ❤️ ❤️
Josh may be soft-hearted, but he’s a kind-hearted lord for sure! Albert can balance out things for him uwu