After coming into contact with the elves, Ian’s return was unintentionally delayed, but in any case, he had finally made it back to Rosen.
Upon his return, Ian saw a stranger sitting in the lord’s seat.
“Who are you?”
Blinking in surprise, Ian asked the handsome middle-aged man occupying the lord’s chair. For a moment, he wondered if the lordship of Rosen had changed hands while he was away.
‘Did Father change his mind and appoint someone new here before leaving for Dariel Village?’
But if such an important decision had been made, he would have surely received a letter. Even if Hugo had forgotten, Jurdan would have informed him.
Besides, if the lord’s residence had truly been relocated, most of the vassals working in the castle should have been replaced as well. Yet everyone here was familiar—even Heubert and Jurdan stood by the man’s side.
The man sitting in Hugo’s seat burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Just as the advisor said, Ian really doesn’t recognize me. It stings a little that my own son can’t recognize his father, but I suppose it just means my recovery has been remarkable.”
Ian was stunned.
“Father?”
“Yes. Don’t you recognize my voice?”
The voice coming from the middle-aged man was unmistakably Hugo’s.
‘Now I see who this body takes after to look so handsome.’
He had assumed the game developers had simply designed Hugo as a dashing rogue, but that wasn’t the case. Seeing Hugo now—his muscles softened, his frame slightly fuller, transformed into a distinguished middle-aged man—Ian realized his own features resembled him even more.
‘This is going to take some getting used to.’
At least outwardly, Hugo seemed to have fully regained his health.
“You went on vacation and came back with more work, I see,” Hugo remarked.
Ian shrugged.
“What can I do? The world keeps throwing tasks my way.”
“Still, some of the trade terms seem unusual.”
Hugo had already been briefed on everything before Ian’s return, so he was aware of all that had transpired during the trip.
“Thanks to the Rimil, the herbalist you hired, I know the herbs you’re trading for are extremely valuable. But why include tree branches? It’s not like this territory is short on firewood.”
“You’d be better off asking Olgrim about that.”
“Olgrim? The dwarven blacksmith?”
Hugo looked surprised that the dwarf’s name had come up so abruptly.
“He’d explain the branches better than I could.”
“Very well, I’ll ask him then. By the way, what are your plans for this Colin fellow?”
“I’ve already brought him with me. He’s decided to serve in Schrantz.”
“Won’t the Duke of Duser have something to say about that? Are you sure it’s alright?”
Ian smiled.
Colin’s decision to serve Schrantz was precisely because of the Duke of Duser.
“Actually, while we were staying in Ansen, a letter arrived from the Duser household. They declared that Colin was no longer a knight of their house and demanded that all expenses related to him be deducted from their dues.”
Fortunately, since the Duke had already disowned him, Ian didn’t have to take any additional steps. Upon hearing the news of his formal dismissal, Colin no longer hesitated and agreed to transfer his allegiance to Schrantz as Ian had suggested. He had even brought his family, intending to settle in Schrantz as its citizens.
“I see. Then there should be no issue.”
Being cast out by one’s lord could be seen as a disgrace, but in Schrantz, it mattered little.
“All that’s left is your approval, Father.”
“If you’re the one recommending him, of course I’ll allow it.”
Every vassal Ian had personally recruited possessed extraordinary talent. Hugo firmly believed that if Ian had gone out of his way to bring Colin in, the man must have remarkable abilities.
“Since we already have a Knight Commander, we can’t give him his previous rank. We’ll have to assign him a suitable position instead. What do you think of making him the vacant Vice-Commander, Sir Oswell?”
Oswell was also present, having recently returned after capturing a band of deserters-turned-bandits.
“I think it’s appropriate. Managing everything alone has been difficult, but someone who’s held the rank of commander before will adapt quickly and greatly ease my burden.”
Oswell was fully supportive of Colin’s recruitment.
The reason the vice-commander position had remained vacant was that most of Schrantz’s knights were young. Moreover, none of the candidates quite met Oswell’s standards for the role.
The vice-commander wasn’t a position one could attain through strength alone. They had to be capable of handling affairs in the commander’s absence. While strength was important, the role also required administrative skill.
Oswell didn’t deny that the candidates were excellent knights, but their leadership fell short, forcing him to shoulder all responsibilities himself.
But if Colin joined them?
He would undoubtedly resolve all those issues. Having served as a commander before, he would immediately recognize the challenges Oswell faced and provide proper support.
With someone arriving who could alleviate all his worries, how could Oswell not be pleased?
A rare smile tugged at his lips.
‘Sir Oswell is smiling in a formal setting like this… Just how hard has he been working all this time?’
Seeing the usually stoic Oswell show such an expression filled Ian with sympathy.
The man had never once complained, silently carrying out his duties—earning nothing but admiration.
(Though Ian suspected he had contributed to some of those new wrinkles in recent years.)
It was all thanks to Oswell’s unwavering loyalty to Schrantz.
‘At this point, isn’t Sir Oswell practically an enlightened saint?’
If it were Ian, he would’ve quit long ago if forced to work so hard for such meager pay.
For the first time, he felt genuine respect for Oswell.
“Very well. Then tomorrow, we’ll hold his induction ceremony alongside his appointment as vice-commander.”
A vice-commander appointment right upon joining—now that was an unprecedented move. Though it spoke volumes about how highly Colin’s experience was valued.
Hugo’s crimson gaze shifted back to Ian.
“Starting tomorrow, things will get busy again. We’ve secured exclusive trade with the elves, but that means we’ll need our own merchant guild.”
“Right. That was part of the plan. I’m prepared to invest my own funds if necessary.”
The salaries of the agents handling the covert operations—the so-called “Shadows”—were already a financial strain.
For now, Ian was covering the costs with his personal allowance, but there would inevitably come a time when his own funds wouldn’t be enough.
Ian had found a way to increase both the territory’s wealth and his personal fortune through the elves.
After all, what was more essential for a peaceful life than money?
‘They say money doesn’t buy happiness, but if you’re unhappy, maybe it’s worth checking if you’re short on funds.’
“You’re serious? Running a merchant guild will double your workload.”
“I plan to delegate the guild’s operations to someone capable. I can’t handle everything alone. I already have a few candidates in mind.”
“You’ve already thought that far ahead?”
“Well, since I started this, I should see it through.”
Hugo smirked.
“Fine, do as you see fit. You’ve already worked hard enough on what was supposed to be a vacation. Go rest now.”
“Yes, Father.”
Nearly two months had passed.
Ian focused on preparing the merchant guild for trade with the elves while recruiting a guildmaster.
As expected, the response was swift—within a month, a candidate arrived.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Young Master Ian. My name is Beroth, the newly appointed guildmaster of Schrantz’s merchant guild.”
A middle-aged man with a refined voice bowed respectfully.
He had previously managed a small guild in Baron Togo’s territory and was one of the individuals Ian had contacted for recruitment. Upon receiving the letter, Beroth hadn’t hesitated—he had rushed here immediately.
‘I did send letters to a few others I had in mind…’
Unfortunately, the rest had politely declined.
‘Probably couldn’t find a good enough reason to come.’
Beroth was the only one who had shown up.
Ian’s original plan—to interview multiple candidates and select the most capable—had fallen through.
‘Well, at least I don’t have to go through the hassle of interviews or comparisons.’
With no need for complicated deliberations, hiring Beroth was the obvious choice.
“By the way, I heard you brought about sixty people from your guild?”
“Yes, they’re the ones who’ve worked with me to keep the guild running. Would you consider taking them in as well? They’ve followed me here with their families.”
“That’s not an issue, but it’s practically an entire guild transferring to us. That does raise some concerns.”
“What kind of concerns?”
“Did you commit some crime in Baron Togo’s territory? If so, no matter how skilled you are, accepting you would be… complicated.”
“A fair suspicion. But that’s not the case.”
Beroth then explained the real reason.
Baron Togo was a tyrant.
Life for his subjects was miserable—taxes were raised to extort them while the baron indulged in lavish banquets.
As livelihoods worsened, some abandoned their homes, while others turned to banditry just to survive.
And when tax revenues still fell short, the baron squeezed even more from the remaining people, driving more to flee or become outlaws.
Baron Togo’s territory was now one of the most bandit-infested regions.
Merchant caravans risked their lives just to travel there.
“Eventually, even he realized there was a limit to how much he could bleed his own people dry. So he started demanding absurd fees from our guild—‘protection taxes,’ even a ‘licensing fee’ just to operate in his territory.”
“I see.”
With bandits swarming and caravans constantly being raided, the guild had been running at a loss.
In the end, they had no choice but to disband and flee.
Ian glanced subtly at Nea.
He had previously tasked her with investigating the candidates he’d considered for guildmaster—to verify their honesty during interviews.
Since he’d be entrusting them with the guild’s operations, he needed to ensure they were truthful.
“……”
Nea nodded silently.
Beroth’s story checked out.
“So that’s how it was.”
“Please, take them in as well. They risked everything to follow me here, trusting me for over a month.”
‘For a merchant, he’s surprisingly principled.’
As a person, Beroth passed. But whether that made him a good merchant was another question.
Emotional attachments could ruin business decisions.
A true merchant had to be ruthless—willing to deal even with the murderer of their parents if profit demanded it.
‘Still, he did rise to guildmaster. Maybe he’s different in actual negotiations.’
That position wasn’t earned without skill.
As long as he performed, Ian had no complaints.
“Very well. I’ll hire you, your team, and their families. They’ll be granted citizenship in our territory.”
“Y-You mean it?”
“Of course I do.”
“Thank you! Truly, thank you! That alone is more than I could’ve hoped for!”
[Beroth’s loyalty has increased by 10.]
[Population of Schrantz County has increased by 63.]
In the past, a population boost would’ve thrilled him. Now, it barely registered.
After reclaiming all of Schrantz’s lost territories in the war, the population had surged past 14,000 overnight.
Worrying about headcounts was a thing of the past.
‘Still, more people never hurt.’
A larger population meant more taxes and labor—both of which Schrantz still desperately needed.
“When can we start working?”
Beroth was already brimming with enthusiasm.
As much as Ian wanted to put that energy to use immediately, he couldn’t.
‘They’re practically in rags. Pushing them to work now would just make them collapse.’
After such a long journey, rest came first.
