NOVPUBHomerun, the chief steward of Ferdium, was enjoying a rare moment of peaceful tea time.
“How peaceful...”
At that moment, Ferdium was experiencing the most tranquil period in its history.
Zwalter and Randolph had set out for the northern fortress, knowing that if they left it unattended for too long, the barbarians might take the opportunity to launch an attack.
For the soldiers and their commanders, expeditions to the northern fortress were grueling. Due to the territory’s poverty, those who returned from risking their lives against the barbarians often came back underfed and unable to rest properly.
The faces of those returning empty-handed and ill-equipped were always dark and somber.
But this time, things were different.
From food to equipment, everything was in abundance. As a result, even those heading toward the fortress had a brighter expression.
‘It’s wonderful that we can receive this kind of support every year.’
It hadn’t been long since they were able to catch their breath, thanks to the runestone provided by Ghislain. And now, they were also receiving royal support.
Although Ferdium had only received half of that royal funding, for a region constantly struggling with poverty, even that was a blessing.
Albert, the treasurer, was so engrossed in the joy of managing money that he hardly left his office these days.
‘To think the young lord would manage to accomplish this much... Perhaps I’ve been too hard on him.’
Homerun reminisced about the younger days of Ghislain.
Ghislain was the son of his sworn brother, a child who had vowed to carry on their legacy and inherit the estate. To Homerun, he was more like a nephew than his actual nephews.
Because of that, Homerun had showered him with love from a young age.
But as Ghislain grew older, he began acting more like a delinquent than an heir, and Homerun’s affection for him gradually vanished.
The child he once cherished became someone he could no longer stand.
‘Perhaps it was because he was so extraordinary. It’s our fault for not understanding him. Who would have thought he’d grow up with such a strong sense of responsibility for the territory and such remarkable abilities? Maybe he’s a bit too ambitious, but that’s just because he’s still young.’
The bitterness that had filled Homerun’s heart was slowly melting away, like snow under the warmth of the spring sun.
It wasn’t that everything Ghislain did pleased him yet. Many of his actions were still far too reckless and risky.
But the results were undeniable. Ferdium’s situation was steadily improving, especially after receiving the runestone and royal funding, bringing the territory closer to being on par with its neighbors.
‘There are still areas where he’s lacking, but those can be corrected with guidance. That’s the role of an elder, isn’t it? He’s still young and full of vigor.’
Homerun smiled warmly to himself as he nodded, thinking back to the days when he had worked tirelessly to shape Ghislain into a capable heir and lord.
It wasn’t too late to start guiding him again.
If Ghislain could just overcome his unruly nature, he would become an excellent lord.
‘After all, he’s set to inherit Ferdium. We should get along better, Ghislain.’
With the last traces of bitterness leaving his heart, Homerun felt an overwhelming sense of peace.
‘How could I have lived so long without realizing this? Hatred only brings pain to oneself.’
With newfound clarity, Homerun rose from his seat, filled with fondness and hope for Ghislain.
It was time for his regular inspection of the territory.
“Today, I’ll begin with the eastern village,” he announced.
At his command, the knights and soldiers quickly prepared to accompany him.
As the acting lord, Homerun bore a heavy responsibility. With the lord away, it was all the more important to manage the territory with care.
But was there really anything to worry about in Ferdium right now? Homerun couldn’t help but feel at ease.
As he rode, Homerun’s laughter filled the air.
“Hahaha, what a peaceful day. Clear skies, bright sunshine, birds chirping, and... a forest with no trees... Wait, what?! What happened to all the trees?!”
There had been a small forest along the road leading to the eastern village, but now, it had been stripped bare, with nothing but stumps left.
Homerun’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“Wh-what is going on here? Why is the forest like that? Am I seeing things? Quickly, let’s go check it out!”
The closer they got, the more it became clear that this was no hallucination. The forest had truly been completely devastated.
“S-forester! Where is the forester?! What happened here?! Explain this immediately!”
At Homerun’s frantic shouting, the person in charge of managing the forest quickly appeared.
“T-total steward, sir... You’re here...”
“What happened here?! Who dared to cut down all these trees?! Speak now!”
In any territory, deforestation was considered a serious crime.
This was especially true in the North, where resources from forests and mountains were essential for survival. As such, they were strictly managed to avoid causing damage to the already fragile territory’s finances.
Ferdium had even assigned specific personnel to prevent unauthorized entry into the forests.
But who would have the audacity to commit such a bold act?
The forester immediately prostrated himself before Homerun and revealed the culprit.
“The young lord came and took everything!”
“What? The young lord? Why would he come all the way here to cut down our trees when he has his own territory?”
“The young lord said they were short on lumber in his territory, so he borrowed some from us...”
“Guh! Ugh!”
Homerun suddenly clutched the back of his neck, feeling his blood pressure spike.
‘That bastard really is insane.’
Even if it was his father’s territory, coming here to steal wood just because he was running low in his own territory was outrageous!
He needed to capture that madman and put him on trial immediately.
“Wh-where is that lunatic now?! Where is he?!”
The forester timidly rose to his feet and pointed in a direction.
“There... He’s running off with all the wood...”
Sure enough, in the distance, a large convoy of wagons loaded with lumber could be seen. To make matters worse, they were proudly flying the Fenris flag as they made their escape.
“Catch them... CATCH THAT BASTAAAAARD!”
Those were Homerun’s last words before he collapsed, blood pouring from his nose as he fainted.
His blood pressure had risen to dangerous levels, and his body couldn’t handle it.
As consciousness slipped away, Homerun’s final thought was:
‘So much for making things better...’
The hatred he had worked so hard to overcome came rushing back with full force.
And so, one of Ferdium’s forests had been completely plundered by Ghislain.
“Wh-whoa... What is all that?”
The people of Fenris were left speechless as they watched the endless line of wagons rolling in.
They had all heard the news that construction had been delayed due to a lack of lumber.
No matter how much money the lord had, they thought this time would be tough to overcome. But once again, he had somehow pulled off a miracle.
Claude, who had rushed over upon hearing about the arrival of the lumber, was equally stunned by the sight.
‘That’s an insane amount... It looks like they’ve practically cleared out an entire small forest. There’s no way Ferdium, which is struggling itself, would willingly give up this much wood...’
Ghislain had gone out boldly, claiming he would ‘borrow’ the lumber, and he had truly followed through.
‘Wow, this man really has no regard for the consequences. If I keep hanging around him, I’m sure I’ll end up dead before my time.’
No matter how urgent or important the situation, doing something this outlandish was beyond comprehension.
It was certain that Ferdium would demand answers later.
For a brief moment, Claude worried about the future. But then, a thought crossed his mind, and his face brightened.
‘No, wait. We helped them get royal support, didn’t we? This should be fine. Let’s just say we’re helping each other out, Total Steward Homerun.’
Claude decided to put his mind at ease. There was no point worrying about something that had already happened.
Meanwhile, rumors started circulating among the commoners.
“They say the lord plundered his father’s territory.”
“Apparently, the Count of Ferdium is away on a northern expedition, so he doesn’t know yet.”
“Tsk tsk, this is going to end badly. I wouldn’t be surprised if this leads to a war between father and son.”
Everyone knew that the lord was infamous for being a disobedient son, but no one expected him to go as far as stealing from his father’s territory.
The people were anxious, hoping that nothing worse would come of this.
Claude, noticing the growing concern among the commoners, tried to calm them down and get the work back on track.
“Alright, everyone, let’s resume the construction. Gather the workers again.”
With the construction having been delayed due to the lack of materials, the schedule had already fallen far behind.
Even with the workers reassembled and the project restarted, the lost time couldn’t be recovered.
Building houses was no easy task, even when trying to keep things simple. Kitchens, bathrooms, and other essential facilities still needed to be included.
There was only so much they could do to speed things up.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Claude went to find Ghislain.
“We have a problem.”
“Oh, now what? You always have some kind of problem. Are you making these problems up on purpose?”
“I’m not the one making them.”
“Maybe the real problem is that you think every little thing is a problem.”
“Hah, it’s because you keep coming up with these plans that have no basis in reality that problems keep happening!”
Ghislain clicked his tongue at Claude’s frustration and asked, “So what’s the problem now? We have the lumber. What’s missing this time?”
“Time.”
“We’ve always been short on that. Why is it suddenly a problem?”
“This is different. I don’t think we’ll be able to meet the schedule for building the housing.”
“Why?”
“There are simply too many houses to build. We have to carry out construction in multiple villages simultaneously. We’ve recruited as many workers as we can, but we’re still short on manpower.”
Ghislain tilted his head in confusion.
There were thousands of people in the territory now. Even if you excluded the elderly and the sick, there should still be plenty of people. The lack of manpower didn’t make sense to him.
“Why are we short on manpower? There are tons of people here.”
“We’re short on skilled workers, like carpenters. Building houses isn’t as simple as just stacking bricks together.”
“So what you’re saying is, we have plenty of laborers, but not enough people to direct them?”
“Exactly. No matter how many laborers we recruit, it won’t help. One overseer can’t handle dozens of houses on their own.”
Without skilled workers to direct the laborers, the construction quality would be no better than the makeshift shelters used by the poor. Such shoddy houses would collapse at the first sign of a storm, wasting precious materials.
“Hmm...”
Ghislain folded his arms and fell into deep thought.
No matter how many laborers were brought in, it would be useless if they didn’t know how to build.
A more efficient method was needed, one that would allow a single overseer to manage the construction of more houses.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Ghislain mumbled to himself.
“There is one way... but...”
“What? What is it?”
“Hmm, I wasn’t planning on building that way, but maybe it’s the better option...”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Ghislain sighed and nodded as if making a decision.
“There’s no other choice. We need to stabilize the housing situation before we can focus on anything else. I’ll handle the housing problem.”
With a determined look, Ghislain raised his head. Claude, skeptical, asked, “My lord... You can build houses? When did you learn that?”
“I used to work in construction back in the day. Though I’m better at tearing things down than building them.”
Claude thought Ghislain was boasting again. Given his reputation as the infamous troublemaker of Ferdium, what construction experience could he possibly have?
“Even if you help, it won’t suddenly increase the number of houses being built.”
“I have an idea. We’ll try it with one village as a test. Gather all the builders and carpenters. You’re coming with me.”
Reluctantly, Claude followed Ghislain, his face filled with concern.
He couldn’t help but worry about what absurd plan the lord had come up with this time.
When Ghislain’s summons reached the construction supervisors and workers, they all gathered together.
Looking around at the crowd, Ghislain confidently declared, “I’ll show you a construction method that will allow us to build faster and house more people!”
“Oooh!”
Everyone’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as they looked at Ghislain.
His methods may have been unconventional, but the lord had always managed to solve their problems somehow.
Especially with the introduction of new techniques for agriculture and cosmetics, Ghislain had achieved unprecedented success.
Now, they were eager to learn the new building method the lord had in mind.
Seeing their eager expressions, Ghislain grinned confidently and shouted,
“We’ll just build the houses really big!”
“...”
The excited looks on their faces quickly turned to blank stares. Ghislain, seeing their cold expressions, hurried to clarify.
“I’ll show you exactly what I mean. From now on, I’ll be leading the construction!”
He grinned, thinking back to the new kind of housing concept he had seen in his past life.
