Chapter : 9

In the southern region of the continent, in the capital of a once glorious ancient empire, the Holy See was always busy.

That which is secular belongs to the emperor and monarchs, and that which is of God belongs to God, but the secular and the divine were not easily distinguished.

Everything existed on that boundary, and thus, the Holy See was the mediator that resolved and arbitrated problems across the continent.

Thanks to this, the officials of the Holy See had to tirelessly scan through various reports coming in from all regions again today.

And the report that came from Bishop Marco was also troubling the Holy See officials.

“Goodness. This fellow, Bishop Marco. What nerve does he have?”

“What is it?”

“I told him not to recklessly interfere in the affairs of the domain, yet he has notarized a witness to the lord's assassination attempt.”

The Holy See official sighed as he said this.

The notarization process was not a light matter. Once a bishop notarized a witness, he would then attach various reports and send them to the Holy See.

And later, the Holy See would have to review the report and pass a judgment that the bishop’s notarization was correct.

A bothersome and tedious task.

Moreover, it was something that could easily lead to disputes with the lords of each region, so it was forbidden…. That greedy goat beastman had gone and done it.

“Well, he sent a hefty express fee. Let’s just process it quickly and get it over with.”

The official on the opposite side, who had been listening, chuckled and tapped the box. In it was the ‘sincerity’ that Bishop Marco had sent along.

A considerable sum at a glance.

It was an occasion for their pockets to get fat for the first time in a while.

“We should. This fellow certainly gets things done, doesn’t he?”

“Hehehe. Should we just send another letter and tell him to show more sincerity?

If it’s this much from the start, it seems what he got from the Bellua Margraviate is even bigger, don't you think?”

A needless greed arose, and the Holy See official said so.

Like anywhere else, the Holy See was already rotting from the roots. And as they were chuckling and laughing like that.

“Hmm, the atmosphere is quite good.”

A man in red clothes entered the room.

“Gasp!”

“Your, Your Eminence.”

The Holy See officials bowed their heads, their complexions pale.

He was the Chancellor of the Holy See.

It was because he was Cardinal Adriano, the second in command in the hierarchy of power.

“Ah, yes. Please, everyone, sit and continue your work.”

“What brings you here?”

“I was passing by and heard some boisterous sounds, so I came to see just in case. Why, was I a hindrance?”

Startled by his words, the Holy See officials waved their hands in denial.

“A hindrance? Absolutely not.”

“Hmm. I see. By the way… what is that? Is it an offering to the Lord?”

Cardinal Adriano, who was scanning the surroundings, discovered the box and asked, narrowing his eyes.

For a moment, cold sweat trickled down the backs of the Holy See officials. To be caught at this very moment. In this case, they absolutely could not do anything foolish.

“Ah, yes. Bishop Marco sent an offering along with his report.”

“Ho, Bishop Marco? You mean the fellow in charge of the Bellua Margraviate?”

“That is correct, Your Eminence the Cardinal. He notarized a witness to an assassination attempt on the Bellua Margrave, and in gratitude, the Margrave sent an offering.”

“Hmm….”

At the officials’ words, Cardinal Adriano stroked his chin.

It was quite an interesting story.

He was well aware of the complicated situation of the Bellua Margraviate. Wasn't it a family that was declining, entangled in the complex political situation of the Elang Kingdom?

In particular, he remembered that the domain was under the regency of the daughter of the Bozen family. But the Margrave sent an offering?

‘It means he won the power struggle. I believe he is young…’

Was it luck? Or did he win through a meticulous plan?

He couldn't tell yet. But it seemed worth watching.

The authority of the Holy See was already continuously weakening in the western part of the continent. It might not be a bad idea to try shaking up the Elang Kingdom through the Bellua Margraviate.

“Uhm… what should we. Shall I order the notarization to be cancelled?”

As Cardinal Adriano's silence lengthened, the Holy See officials, feeling guilty, asked. However, this was a different opinion from his own thoughts. Cardinal Adriano shook his head.

“No. Leave it as it is. No, rather, let’s give it a push. Send a letter with the official seal, not in the bishop’s name, but in the name of the Holy See.”

The Holy See officials were puzzled by the unexpected story.

But their job was to do as they were told. The officials bowed their heads in understanding. Cardinal Adriano, looking at them, organized his thoughts and said one more thing.

“And continue to observe the Bellua Margraviate and submit reports.”

Without his knowledge, this was the moment the Bellua Margraviate was chosen as the champion for the Holy See's conquest of the western continent.

* * *

The House of Viscount Bardi was a merchant family that operated the largest merchant company in the Southeastern City-State Alliance of the continent.

As such, they had branches in various kingdoms and cities, and they were particularly famous as the official merchant company directly under the royal family of the Elang Kingdom.

Therefore, it was only natural that they reacted very sensitively to the political situation of the Elang Kingdom.

And.

“The southern region of the kingdom is in an unusual state.”

A piece of news from the Bellua Margraviate caused a stir at the branch in the capital of the Elang Kingdom.

“The news is that Isabella, the younger sister of Count Bozen, has been ousted on the pretext of an assassination attempt on the lord, and the Bellua Margrave has seized power.”

“They say dozens of nobles from the opposing faction were executed.”

“There are also rumors that he received the church’s notarization.”

“Thanks to this, not only Count Bozen, but all the surrounding lords are said to be surprised and lying low.”

Pierre, who had been listening quietly, twitched the corners of his mouth.

“Wasn’t the Bellua Margrave a famous loafer? Am I right?”

“Yes. He is a scoundrel who likes to hunt, likes to drink, and likes to go around playing.

Thanks to that, there was a widespread rumor that the previous Bellua Margrave had given birth to a son of a bitch.”

“But he suddenly changed 180 degrees? Was someone else egging him on? Or did others intervene?”

“According to the report, a man named Hamil Ludwig assisted him on the side… but he's a typical knight, though his head works a bit. The prevailing assessment is that he prefers a direct approach and is a bit weak at using tricks.”

It was hard to believe.

This meant either the informant had not done his job properly, or the Bellua Margraviate had been deceiving everyone, holding his breath and building his strength. No, it could be both. The informant might not have been able to figure it out in the first place because the Margrave had been holding his breath and building his strength.

‘But how could that be?’

If that were the case, it meant the Bellua Margraviate was a person to watch out for.

A great lord with that much judgment could shake the Elang Kingdom, which was currently maintaining an unstable peace.

And if that happened.

‘The foundation I barely built might collapse…’

Pierre was an illegitimate son who had overcome contempt and barely obtained the position of branch manager of the House of Viscount Bardi's Elang Kingdom branch.

He began to worry that the variable called the Bellua Margraviate might shake his career.

‘No, let’s not judge hastily.’

Rushing leads to mistakes. Especially since the rumors could be false, and even if they were true, couldn't he just make him his ally?

Thinking that, Viscount Pierre thought he should visit the Bellua Margraviate once.

What changes the Bellua Margraviate was bringing about.

Pierre felt he would only be at ease after seeing it clearly with his own two eyes.

* * *

At that time.

Scratch, scratch-.

“Is someone talking about me? Why is my ear so itchy?”

I scratched my itchy ear and stretched.

I was currently wrestling with documents in my office. In the game [Pangea Universalise], everything was processed with a single click of a button, but reality was a shithole.

Documents. More documents. More and more and more documents.

Why were there so many things to deal with?

I had to process the list of participating nobles and their donations for the reclamation of the Great Forest, and also manage the various laborers and technicians needed for the reclamation.

In addition, from the existing domain affairs to the work of re-recruiting and training soldiers. I was diligently delegating authority to the officials and distributing the work, but I was being buried in work.

‘Of course, there’s a reason for being this busy.’

This damnably poor administrative skill.

I wasn't asking for the sophisticated formatting of the 21st century. But wasn't this too much?

Why were all the items fragmented? And I didn't understand why I had to read them one by one, compile them, and interpret them.

Finally, my anger exploded, and I summoned Chamberlain Hamil and Treasurer Palmer.

“These documents are simply too hard to look at. How long do I have to keep looking at them like this? Are there no properly compiled documents?”

“Excuse me? By compiled documents, you mean….”

“Hmph…. Who brought how many soldiers, who supported how much in reclamation funds, how many laborers and technicians are prepared, what occupations those laborers and technicians have, how the soldiers are classified, how much the costs for this project are by item, and the total sum of all of that, and so on. And a summary document that allows me to see all of that at a glance.”

At that, both of them made bewildered expressions. It seemed they had no clue what I was talking about. In the end, I sighed and opened my mouth again.

“Look closely.”

Standing in front of them, I unfolded a blank sheet of paper. And on it, I began to draw a table that any 21st-century office worker would be familiar with.

“Now look. This table is what's called a matrix. Using a matrix, you can compress information.”

“……?”

“To put it simply, hmm… let’s say we name this document List of Nobles Participating in the Great Forest Reclamation Project. Then the top-most row of the table is the category. The items that will be entered.”

As I said that, I wrote down, from left to right, the names of the nobles, the money they contributed, the number of soldiers they brought, and so on.

“Next, this column, meaning the pillar, is the value to be entered in that category. Especially since I started with the noble on the far left, you just have to write down the resources that noble supported in order.”

After explaining this far, Chamberlain Hamil and Treasurer Palmer finally let out exclamations of admiration.

“Oh-! This is a very great method.”

“This will make it easy to grasp at a glance.”

“How did you know of this?”

How did I know? In the 21st century, even an elementary school student could understand this concept very easily.

Ah…. I suddenly missed the modern era. I lamented and said to them.

“If you understand, then from now on, report in this condensed and easy-to-read format.”

But Treasurer Palmer cluelessly asked a question.

“Uhm, but… it seems it will take quite a long time to compile all of this one by one, don't you think? Is there really a need to do the work twice…? Besides, there are parts of the accounting ledgers where it is difficult to simply apply this….”

This bastard?

“So? Are you saying you don't want to do it?”

“No, sir. How could I dare…. It’s just that I was wondering if you could help with the accounting ledger part as well, hahaha.”

That's not my job, it's your job, you bastard!

I felt a throbbing in my head at the sight of Treasurer Palmer's good-natured smile.

“Treasurer Palmer.”

“Yes, yes! My Lord.”

“It seems to me that there are two things you can do.”

“Which are…?”

“Either step down from your position as Treasurer… or go and press the administrators below you to create the documents right now. Which do you prefer?”

“Hic! I will create the documents right away.”

The startled Treasurer Palmer then grabbed the documents and scurried outside. I could only sigh, massaging my throbbing head.

‘Good grief…. Not a day goes by without a headache.’

What could I do?

This was the extent of the talent pool in my poor domain.

Even a person of such a pathetic level was a rather valuable talent to me.

Whether I liked it or not, I had no choice but to teach them and make them useful.

And if they didn't change? Well…. Shouldn't I just squeeze them until they do?

‘I'll work you until you wail, you bastard.’

Humans were bound to change if they kept at it.