“Wha—?!” Claude gasped as Kaor rushed at him, sword in hand. He instinctively jumped back, shocked that Kaor was actually attacking him. ‘What’s wrong with this place? No one here is normal.’ Ghislain’s subordinates were just as insane as he was. Kaor’s sword swung with enough force to cut off one of Claude’s arms. But before it could land, there was a loud clang. Kaor’s blade was blocked by Gillian’s axe. “What’s your problem, old man? Get out of the way! I need to teach this punk a lesson! You want to get hit too?” “Don’t be stupid. Drawing your sword in front of the lord? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “And that axe is fine?” “It’s fine because I’m stopping you.” The two began growling at each other. Belinda covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked, but her eyes were clearly laughing. Claude couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. They had already forgotten about him and were now bickering among themselves. “Enough,” Ghislain said quietly as he tossed a sword toward the two men. With a sharp thunk, the sword embedded itself deeply into the ground between them. Both men immediately backed away. “There are plenty of people watching. If you want to fight, do it outside later.” Despite his scolding, Ghislain couldn’t hide the smile on his face. As the lord, he had to keep order, but in truth, he enjoyed the lively atmosphere. It reminded him of his mercenary days. Ghislain glanced at Claude. ‘Looks like he’s starting to show his true colors. In our past life, he would often insult me with those finger gestures and get hit for it.’ Claude had always been proud of his abilities, and because of that, he often spoke his mind without hesitation. He had clashed with many hot-headed mercenaries like Kaor. ‘Those were good times.’ Claude would provoke the mercenaries with his taunts, and they would come after him, just like Kaor had. Soon, the others would get involved, leading to a full-on brawl. But after the fight, they’d all drink together like nothing had happened. Ghislain would often watch from the sidelines, laughing and drinking. Sometimes, when he felt like it, he’d jump into the fight himself. There was no order or decorum, but back then, it was the only time Ghislain could laugh without a care in the world. ‘But things can’t be the same as they were back then,’ Ghislain thought, shaking his head with a hint of sadness. Though Ghislain fondly remembered those days, the officials in Fenris territory did not share his sentiment. ‘What kind of chaos is this? Drawing swords in front of the lord?!’ ‘They said the lord’s men were all mercenaries... How crude and vulgar.’ ‘And the lord just laughs it off? He’s insane!’ The officials, who had lived their lives bound by strict etiquette, couldn’t comprehend the free-spirited behavior of Ghislain and his subordinates. The previous lord may have exploited the people, but at least he had maintained a sense of dignity. His vassals would engage in elegant verbal sparring rather than brawling. But now, the territory had been taken over by what felt like a gang of bandits. ‘It’s over. This territory is finished.’ They all kept their heads down, sweating nervously. None of them had the courage to point out the breach of etiquette to a lord who had already executed several people. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 Ghislain, misunderstanding the reason for their anxiety, spoke calmly. “I understand that you’re worried about entrusting so many responsibilities to someone whose abilities have yet to be proven. But don’t worry—Claude will do just fine. Isn’t that right, Claude?” Claude, still dusting himself off, glanced around. Everyone in the hall was watching him, pretending not to, but he could feel their eyes on him. Feeling overwhelmed, he closed his eyes tightly. Where had things gone wrong? Ghislain had said it so confidently. — "Come to the Fenris estate in Luthania. I’ll give you the wings you need to fly." He had indeed given him wings, but they were far too heavy. ‘Damn it, I can’t just back out now.’ He had been called a gambling addict, an idiot, and someone whose brain had rotted. If he tried to quit now, he’d only look like a fool. Besides, he did owe Ghislain a debt he could never repay. All he could do now was grit his teeth and push forward. With a resigned sigh, Claude hung his head. “I’ll do my best...” For now, he had no choice. But he was already thinking about how he could gradually offload some of the work. Ghislain smiled and added, “That’s the spirit. It may seem like a lot, but that’s just because it’s the beginning. You can handle it.” He genuinely believed in Claude. In their previous life, Claude had done this much work every day. Sometimes, he had taken on even more difficult tasks. The Fenris estate was in a terrible state, so everything needed to be carefully checked and nurtured. There weren’t many people who could manage all the details and make quick decisions in sudden situations. “You’ve got the skills, right? Don’t you?” Claude still seemed overwhelmed, but Ghislain figured he would adjust soon enough. Ghislain smiled confidently at him. Claude, feeling the weight of Ghislain’s trust, let out a long sigh and nodded. With the lord’s expectations so high, slacking off wasn’t an option. His pride wouldn’t allow it. “Well, I’ll give it a shot. If it gets too much, I’ll let you know.” “Good. Do you need anything else?” “No, please just... stay still. Don’t pile on any more work,” Claude said, waving his hands frantically. Ghislain turned to the estate’s administrator to ask about the current state of the territory. “How many knights do we have left?” “Most were killed during the war, and the few that survived have already left the territory.” It wasn’t surprising. The knights, now free, had no reason to stay in such a barren land. Ghislain nodded. He had expected as much. “What about the soldiers?” “Only thirty-two remain. The rest were taken for the war.” After some thought, Ghislain sighed. “Since our military is lacking, we’ll appoint a commander later. Belinda, you’ll be head steward and take care of managing the household staff. As for tutors... we won’t need them anymore.” “Understood,” Belinda replied, smiling cheerfully. ‘It’s a shame I won’t be teaching anymore, but managing the staff is important too,’ she thought. Ghislain also assigned Gillian and Kaor to continue training and managing the mercenaries for the time being. He had other plans in mind for them later. After ensuring his close allies were taken care of, Ghislain turned back to Claude. “Well then, let’s get started.” “Huh? Already? But I haven’t even assessed the state of the territory yet.” “You’ll figure it out as you go.” “But I need to know what I’m dealing with...” Before Claude could finish his sentence, Ghislain issued his first command. “Start with a census. There are likely many mountain villagers who fled into the hills to escape exploitation. Find them and bring them back to the villages.” “Uh... okay...” “The people are starving, so we’ll need to import a large amount of food. Prepare enough to feed everyone for at least six months.” “But I won’t know how much to buy until we finish the census. How much should I order?” “That’s for you to figure out.” “Me?” “Who else would do it? Me?” Claude had no response to that. Managing administrative tasks was his responsibility now. Ghislain’s role was to provide direction, and Claude had to implement it. These were all necessary tasks, so Claude sighed and nodded in agreement. But it wasn’t over yet. Ghislain continued, rapidly issuing orders. “We’ll also need to improve food production. Assess the current farmland and see if more can be developed.” “Identify the most dilapidated infrastructure and begin repairs...” “We need to reinforce the castle walls and gates. I noticed they were in terrible shape as we arrived. Prioritize the soldiers’ entry points...” “Repair the roads connecting the cities and villages of the estate. We’ll also extend them to the Forest of Beasts in Peredium...” “Take stock of our military supplies and replace any old equipment...” “Check how many wells are still functioning and prepare to construct aqueducts. We need to fill the reservoirs...” “We also need to improve sanitation. Rebuild the latrines and ensure proper drainage. Standardize the dimensions and make sure they’re only installed in designated areas...” “Build new storage facilities... Stockpile rune stones, medicinal herbs, ores, and other materials...” “And make sure to handle this... and that...” As Ghislain’s endless stream of orders continued, Claude’s face turned pale. The other officials looked just as horrified, bowing their heads and pretending not to exist, fearing they’d be dragged into the chaos. Ghislain was effectively ordering Claude to completely overhaul the entire estate, starting from scratch. And it was all being placed on Claude’s shoulders. Claude’s survival instincts kicked in, and he raised his hand to interrupt Ghislain. ‘I’d rather take a beating now than be worked to death later!’ “There’s way too much work for one person!” Ghislain raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I gave you the authority to hire people, didn’t I? Just recruit some help.” “Oh.” Claude glanced around. Just moments ago, everyone had been looking at him like he was trash, but now they were all avoiding his gaze. Claude picked someone at random and asked, “What do you do?” “I... I handle the horses.” “Well, then you should be able to manage military supplies, right? Come work with me...” “I’ve got a bad case of the illness... Planning to retire soon... cough cough.” Claude sighed and looked around again. Ghislain had told him to hire help, but there was no one to hire. The high-ranking officials had all been executed for their roles in the war, and the remaining lower-ranking officials weren’t qualified to fill their shoes. Even if he promoted someone, he’d still need to fill their old position. ‘Now I see... If there were anyone competent, Ghislain wouldn’t have dragged me all the way here!’ When Ghislain had dumped all the responsibilities on him, Claude had expected a lot of work. But this was far beyond what he could have imagined. No prime minister in any kingdom could handle all of the tasks Ghislain was assigning him. Finally, Claude couldn’t take it anymore and shouted in frustration. “Damn it! You’re making me do everything by myself! I can’t do it!” Ghislain smiled sweetly and said, “Come on, have you tried yet? You can do it. Give it a shot.” “There’s too much going on at once! You need to assign things one at a time! I’m only human!” “No, we don’t have time for that,” Ghislain replied firmly. The Delphine Ducal House was focused on the royal family right now, so Ghislain needed to build up his power as quickly as possible. But Claude, unaware of these circumstances, had lost all motivation. “Well, I can’t do it! I’m not going to work myself to death! If you’re going to kill me, just make it quick and cut my head off!” Claude shouted defiantly. Ghislain narrowed his eyes and nodded toward Kaor. Kaor, grinning, began twirling his sword. “W-Wait, you’re really going to kill me?” Claude stammered as he took several steps back. He frantically looked around for help, but the officials avoided his gaze, and the mercenaries blocked any possible escape route. ‘They’re not joking! Is he even human?’ Claude had already marveled at how insane Ghislain was several times, but it seemed there was no end to the madness. Being indebted to someone like Ghislain meant his life was practically over. He’d spend the rest of his days working like a slave in this miserable territory until he died. Thunk! At that thought, something inside Claude’s head seemed to snap. ‘This place is hopeless. My life is hopeless.’ Faced with the crushing reality, Claude lost consciousness and collapsed.