NOVEL WEB Chapter 231 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Studies About the Territory
Chapter 231: Divine Cat Mii-chan Studies About the Territory
An unexpected swordsmanship instructor has appeared.
“I’ll join too.”
“Ah, Mr. Ru, you were already counted in from the beginning…”
“What!? Really?”
You did say you’d lead the caravan for the Divine Cat Trading Company, right?
“Mii, Perro wants to join too, mii!”
“Mii!”
“Grr.”
“Kyu~.”
You guys don’t really need to join… But maybe I’ll invite the fairies. I originally planned to ask them to guard the caravan anyway.
“Many noble children will likely seek to serve under you. How do you wish to proceed?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“It’s not that simple. The fact that Lord Nero has been newly ennobled and received a territory will stir envy and dissatisfaction among other nobles. It’s essential to appoint at least a few noble children to service.”
“Nobles are such a hassle…”
“Well, Lord Nero, you are one of them now.”
“Alright, in that case, I’ll just interview them and hire the ones with real talent. I have the appraisal ability after all.”
“That’s frightening… someone with appraisal.”
“Yeah, being able to see people’s abilities is totally cheating.”
If this ability existed in the other world, I understand why the Mukata siblings would say it’s terrifying. It’s like stripping someone bare in a way. Appraisal is useful, but it doesn’t reveal someone’s level of experience or personality. In the end, you still need a good eye for judging people.
“What do you plan to do with the Divine Cat Trading Company?”
“Huh? I’ll continue it as is. Is that a problem?”
“It’s not prohibited, but… having a noble dabble in merchant activities might raise some eyebrows.”
“Mr. Lucas, isn’t it the opposite? A merchant became a noble. And the president of the Divine Cat Trading Company is Mii-chan.”
“Mii~.”
“You’re kidding…”
“Mii-chan’s the president?”
“Mii-chan, you’re amazing!”
“Mii~.”
A few people are clearly surprised. The Mukata siblings aside, I guess I hadn’t mentioned it yet. So, I showed them the proof from the Commercial Guild.
“Wow, she’s really the president.”
“Mii-chan’s higher ranked than Nero?”
“Mii~.”
“What’s the Commercial Guild doing…?”
I have no intention of quitting the Divine Cat Trading Company. There are things only the company can do. Now that I’m a noble, I should make use of that too.
That night, we had a small party to celebrate. When Yuri returned that evening, I told her about becoming a baron.
“I’ll quit the guild and help you, Nero!”
She seemed serious. I’m happy someone as capable as Yuri wants to help, but I told her to talk to Guild Master Zest first.
The next day, I went to the royal palace with Mr. Lucas and Ms. Katia. We were guided to a room inside, where piles of documents awaited, and civil officials were ready.
I was shown a large map and made to understand the towns and villages in the Brocken Barony. The path from Forte to Nixe is essentially a single road, with a detour that skirts around the foothills of Brocken Mountain. East of Nixe, there’s another mountain unconnected to anything, with a village at its base where miners live. There are numerous villages, but only Forte and Nixe are large enough to be called towns.
Nixe is a post town on the highway connecting the Kingdom of Lumière and the Grand Duchy of Hildenburg. It has grown because of this role, but there’s no standout industry. Instead, it has Flora Lake, which attracts many tourists and pilgrims. By the way, I learned that Flora is the name of a god in this world. She’s that useless goddess’s older sister, right?
“Mii~.”
Even without Brocken Mountain, the territory is vast, with many undeveloped areas. I’ll have to send inspectors to the villages regularly. Without inspections, tax evasion could become frequent. While land surveys have been done, newly cultivated land won’t be known unless an inspector visits. Though rare, sometimes new industries emerge, so inspectors are crucial.
Mr. Lucas is writing down the details, while Ms. Katia is reviewing the revenue and expenditures of the past decade, carefully checking the breakdown of expenses. Since the land is currently governed by a royal-appointed steward, she’s trying to estimate how much maintenance costs yearly.
“Could you take a look at this?”
Ms. Katia brought over quite a few documents. What’s this?
“Mii?”
The steward is a noble appointed by the king. While the tax rate is fixed, the management of the territory is left to the steward’s discretion. Some stewards try to develop their territories, while others do the bare minimum.
However, most nobles are greedy. Few can resist the lure of the golden apple dangling before their eyes. While using public funds for investment or business can benefit the country and the town, it’s only allowed to a certain extent. Using personal assets to make money is permitted, but using public funds for personal gain is not. Embezzlement is, of course, out of the question.
The documents Ms. Katia brought are all evidence of such misconduct. Much of it looks like embezzlement. Huge repair costs for the mansion, purchases of warhorses, weapons, and armor, and even using public funds to cover the steward’s failed business ventures. Does the mansion really need repairs multiple times a year? Is the steward preparing for a rebellion with all these warhorses and weapons? If we dig deeper, there’s likely even more. Some minor issues might be overlooked, but this is just too much.
It’s clear why the king and the previous king sought to weaken the power of the nobility. If things continue like this, the future is bleak, even for a large country. What a tough world I’ve stepped into…
“Mii~.”