Once Ian made the decision to move, things progressed swiftly.
Fortunately, since the estate was already furnished, there was no need to transport all the furniture from his room.
All he had to pack were his clothes and a few personal belongings he wanted to take with him.
“Why does it feel like Sera is the one moving instead of me?”
Ian stared in mild disbelief at the line of carriages trailing behind his own.
Most of them were loaded with Sera’s belongings.
When Ian informed her of his move, she had immediately decided to follow him.
Since Sera wasn’t officially employed by the territory but rather by Ian personally, she didn’t need the lord’s permission to relocate.
Her alchemy equipment would be moved separately later, but for now, she had to bring all her alchemical ingredients, completed potions, and other supplies—which took up the bulk of the cargo.
The tail was wagging the dog.
Ian turned to Sera, who was riding in his carriage.
“Wouldn’t it be less trouble to just stay and work at the lord’s castle?”
“Mother told me to go with you.”
Though she could have stayed, she had insisted on accompanying him.
Ian didn’t mind—having her around would make things easier.
“You’ll be living apart from your mother. Are you really okay with that?”
She chuckled.
“I’m not a child. If I miss her, I can always visit. It’s only a few days travel.”
To Ian, even a few days felt like an eternity.
‘Is it because the only mode of transportation is horse-drawn carriages? Everyone treats a few days journey as nothing.’
Back in his world, even a few hours of business travel was exhausting. But here, people seemed perfectly willing to endure days of travel without complaint.
At least she didn’t seem bothered by it, so he decided not to dwell on it.
“Young Master.”
Dwayne, who had been escorting the carriage, approached.
“What is it?”
“The wind spirit reports about a dozen unidentified individuals lying in ambush near the road, roughly 300 meters ahead.”
“Oh?”
Ian glanced at his tactical map, but it was useless—it only displayed activity within a 50-meter radius.
Ambushes like this didn’t show up on the map anyway.
‘Dwayne’s really putting that spirit to good work.’
Having a wind spirit scout ahead was far more convenient than sending outriders.
“Bandits?”
“According to Sylph, they look like ragged beggars, but they’re armed with something that could be used as weapons.”
“I see.”
No matter how tight security was, there would always be those who slipped through.
The phrase “something that could be used as weapons” likely meant crude tools rather than proper swords or spears.
‘At best, farming equipments.’
But even those could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
“Might just be highwaymen looking to collect a toll.”
He could pay and move on without trouble, but—
‘If they get too bold, they might turn into real bandits or harm innocent travelers.’
Letting them go wasn’t an option.
And if left unchecked, they could worsen the territory’s security. Best to deal with them now.
“You said about a dozen?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“And we have five cavalry escorts, right?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Then go clear them out. Capture any survivors and hand them over to the village guards.”
“Understood. It will be done as you command.”
Dwayne immediately led the five cavalrymen ahead at a swift pace.
‘This is just the beginning.’
As time passed, more outsiders would flood into the territory.
‘And soon, we’ll have refugees to worry about too.’
If civil war broke out, refugees were inevitable.
By then, it would be impossible to tell who was a bandit, a thief, or a genuine refugee.
They’d do their best to filter them out, but some would inevitably slip through.
Thankfully, Schrantz’s location in the far north meant the numbers wouldn’t be overwhelming.
‘We’ll handle what we can.’
Hugo and Hubert had already prepared countermeasures, so Ian wasn’t too concerned.
‘In fact, they almost seem to welcome it.’
The more people came, the more the territory’s population would grow.
Though reclaiming Schrantz’s rightful lands had already increased the number of subjects, Hugo and Hubert wanted even more.
The demand for labor was high.
As Ansen expanded, so did its need for workers.
Bandits and thieves?
Even they had their uses—they, too, were welcome.
‘If anything, they seem to want even more bandits to come.’
Aside from the logistical nightmare of housing them, the territory had a rather progressive program for “rehabilitating” criminals rather than executing them.
Truly a humanitarian approach—proof that House Schrantz valued human life.
‘At least I don’t have to worry about Nase’s side anymore.’
Rumor had it that Nase’s barracks had undergone a complete transformation since the veterans returned from fighting the undead.
The once-lax old-timers had come back with a newfound ferocity, whipping the new recruits into shape.
Perhaps they’d picked up some rough habits from the Rosen soldiers, or maybe their northern blood had awakened.
Or maybe they were just pissed that the recruits had been slacking off while they were out fighting.
Either way, the sound of recruits wailing in training had become a daily occurrence.
‘Well, at least it means the territory’s military strength will keep improving.’
Ian had planned to beat some discipline into them himself—and it seemed someone else had done the job for him.
‘Though I hear they’re taking the “beating” part a bit too literally…’
‘Well, as long as they clean up their own mess later, I’ll focus on my own tasks.’
It wasn’t his problem to fix, anyway.
They’d be arriving at Dariel Village soon—best to focus on his own affairs.
About three hours later.
Ian once again arrived at the former main estate of House Schrantz—no, the old mansion of House Erce in Dariel Village.
“Greetings, Young Master Ian!”
“It’s been a long time!”
Two huge men at the main gate bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle, their voices booming.
Ian blinked at them, slightly taken aback.
‘That’s one hell of a greeting.’
If someone didn’t know better, they’d think these were fresh recruits saluting their boss.
“Uh, yeah. But… ‘long time’?”
Ian tilted his head, studying their faces.
“Now that I think about it, you two look familiar. Who are you again?”
He definitely remembered seeing them somewhere before.
“Yes! I’m Klins, the former attendant!”
“And I’m Luther, the junior financial officer!”
“Ahhh, right. It’s you guys.”
Only after hearing their names and positions did Ian finally recall who they were.
These were the same men who had once stood on former Deputy Steward Arne’s side and delivered a “message” to Ian.
He had practically erased them from his memory, so it took a moment to place them.
“So, you’re the stewards Father sent ahead? You’re still working at the lord’s castle?”
“Ah, yes!”
“They said our cooperation was helpful, so we only got a pay cut as punishment!”
Even so, for something like that to end with just a pay reduction…
It felt like too light of a punishment.
‘Well.’
They were just low-ranking officials. How deeply involved could they have been?
‘Expendable pawns.’
Nothing more, nothing less.
Besides, Arne’s schemes had been cut short before they could fully develop, so they likely hadn’t done much.
In fact, more people had been punished for corruption uncovered during the investigation than for direct involvement with Arn.
“You’re not still scheming anything, are you?”
“How could we?!”
They practically jumped in place.
“We’ve become new men, just as you said, Young Master!”
“Please believe us! We’re loyal to Schrantz and focused solely on our duties!”
They were practically shouting their loyalty, as if ready to strip naked and run laps around the village if ordered.
“I was planning to ‘re-educate’ you if you hadn’t learned your lesson yet. But since you have, that’s good. Really good.”
Ian said it jokingly, but they shuddered as if recalling something traumatic.
The memory of being beaten half to death that day came rushing back.
Sera, watching their reactions, also felt a pang of nostalgia.
‘This takes me back to when the Young Master was called a mad dog.’
Back then, people trembled at the mere mention of Ian—some even avoided eye contact entirely.
Sera had never been on the receiving end of Ian’s brutality, but she had seen how terrified the servants were of him.
“So. How long are you going to keep me standing here?”
He considered messing with them a little longer, but then remembered the others still waiting inside.
“Ah!”
“O-Our apologies!”
Klins and Luther quickly stepped aside.
“Please, come inside! We’ll guide you!”
“We polished the floors to a shine in preparation for your arrival, yes!”
They didn’t miss the chance to boast about their efforts.
Their desperate attempts to prove they’d reformed were almost pitiable.
“Last time I was here, the floors were marble. Were you hoping I’d slip and break my neck?”
“Wha—?!”
Their horrified expressions made Ian smirk.
“Just kidding.”
“Hahaha! Y-You’re so funny, Young Master!”
Every word from Ian was a nightmare for them, but—
‘Huh. Messing with these guys when Dwayne’s not around could be fun.’
With the expression of a child who’d found a new toy, Ian finally stepped inside.
At last, he set foot in the house where he would now live.
Over the next ten days, Ian spent his time training freely in the secret practice hall.
At first, he didn’t think much of it, but the more he trained, the more he noticed something strange.
‘My swordsmanship progresses faster here than outside.’
He hadn’t realized it at first, but after dedicated training, the difference became obvious.
There was another training ground outside, but the speed at which he improved indoors was noticeably higher.
‘Even my MP recovery rate is different.’
This was easily measurable.
Normally, his MP recovered at a rate of 3~4 per second while resting, but here, it was consistently 5~6.
Thanks to that, he could maintain his aura for much longer, effectively increasing his training time.
His body was already blessed with high stamina and quick recovery compared to other characters—
‘But with this place, it’s like I’ve grown wings.’
A satisfied smile crossed his face.
“Ah, I think I trained too long, though.”
He’d been so absorbed that he lost track of time.
He was already past his scheduled training hours.
Not wanting to worry the others, he hurried out—
“Young Master. Are you done now?”
As he exited the secret hall, Nea’s voice reached his ears.
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