There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Baron (4)

The reason Derek had been so desperate for the title of baron was to push forward with his magic training without any interference.

However, the position of a titled noble was never just a matter of receiving it and being done.

After all, having been delegated the rights of taxation and jurisdiction by the emperor, it was a position where he had to do at least the minimum for the people of his territory, and to do so, a minimum level of authority was necessary, and authority was not something that came for free.

He had to solve all the problems that came in a chain and take measures to ensure everything ran smoothly before he could finally focus on his magic training.

—

—

“Oh, Baron. The construction will be complete once we put up the nameplate. The furniture is from the Lorenhale Woodworking Shop, so you can pay them directly. As for the garden, it might be better to hire a separate gardener.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Can I pay through the labor office?”

“Oh, please, you don’t need to be so formal. I’m not of such high status to deserve respect from a noble.”

The overseer, who had been leading the workers, waved his hand as if to dismiss the formality.

Hearing those words, it finally felt real. Derek was now officially a noble.

“Hmm…”

Derek nodded as he looked up at the relatively decent-looking mansion.

*

“It seems there’s no one in the tavern district who doesn’t know your name. Well, you dabbled in magic as a commoner, then you managed to sway the nobles and even received a title… You’ve truly become a hero among the commoners.”

Even Drest Wolftail, who was said to have mastered search magic, had to spend most of his life to receive a mere baron title.

Considering that, there was no need to explain how extraordinary Derek’s treatment was.

Of course, Drest had a past where he destroyed a noble family, so his situation was quite different from Derek’s… Nevertheless, one couldn’t deny the remarkable outcome.

Evelstein, commercial district.

Lively commoners were bustling about the streets, trying to make a living.

Feline, walking briskly behind Derek, who was striding through the crowd, spoke with her arms crossed.

“Now you can train in magic to your heart’s content, the magic you loved so much you could die for.”

“Did you see the mansion renovation, Feline? It turned out quite well. I’ve set aside a place for you, so if you want, you can take a room.”

“Well… Evelstein is too far to use as a base, but it’s good to have a place to store my stuff. I’ll check it out next time.”

After taking a look around the Ravenclaw Barony, Derek rode all day to return to Evelstein.

There were preparations for the move, but there were also many issues to resolve beforehand.

“Just having a mansion doesn’t make you a noble. You need trustworthy servants and retainers to work in the mansion, and you have to deal with the local nobles’ territorialism… You have a lot to worry about, Derek.”

“I’ve already sorted out my thoughts. Dragging this out for a long time doesn’t suit me, so I need to resolve it quickly.”

“How do you plan to do that? Nobles always struggle with hiring people… It’s not something that can be easily resolved, right?”

Derek, arms crossed, pondered for a moment before speaking as if shaking off the thought.

“Indeed.”

Derek, who always found appropriate solutions in any situation, knew that these kinds of problems couldn’t be resolved in a day or two.

Even Derek would have to rack his brains over this. Feline thought so, and only focused on preparing for the subjugation request for the next day.

The next morning, Derek sent a letter to the Duke of Rochester in the north.

Derek had completed the baron title conferment and wrote some formal words of gratitude for the trust given.

He also mentioned that he was hiring a steward to manage the mansion and recommended Delbritton, a deputy steward from the Rochester family.

—

—

In the first place, Derek was granted the title of baron to manage Siern.

Since Lady Siern would often visit Ravenclaw Barony, Melverot likely wanted someone who knew her well to be placed in the position of head butler.

“My name is Delbritton. It is an honor to work for you, Baron Ravenclaw.”

“Alright.”

As a result, they were able to acquire a veteran butler who had worked at the Duke of Rochester’s estate for over ten years.

Although it was practically a demotion, Delbritton did not express any dissatisfaction.

The old butler, characterized by his moderately bald head, seemed rather displeased with working in a place where there was no further room for advancement in the middle of the snowy plains.

Although it was a barony on the outskirts, he could manage the estate from start to finish, and the owner of the estate was a person protected by several influential families.

Perhaps he concluded that it would be better to establish a new position here in the long run, as he immediately dressed neatly in his butler’s uniform and reported to Derek.

“There is not much manpower needed to run the estate immediately. Although the size of Ravenclaw Barony may grow in the future, for now, we should hire the minimum number of personnel and polish the foundation of the estate.”

“How much manpower do you think is needed?”

“One cook and head chef, three servants to handle miscellaneous tasks, one coachman and gardener, and about three or four guards and squires would be more than enough to manage an estate of this size.”

Delbritton clicked his gold monocle and spoke as he looked at the newly renovated, almost empty estate with hardly any furniture.

“The Duke of Rochester’s estate has provided funds for the purchase of household goods and the first year’s maintenance costs.”

“…We should send them some of the best quality wines produced this year.”

“The Duke of Rochester would be pleased, but I think he would be more satisfied to see Miss Siern adapt well to the noble society.”

Of course, considering Melverot’s disposition, he was not the type to actively express his feelings even if he was pleased or satisfied.

Whether he was happy or sad, he always sat in his office with his chin resting on his hand, wearing a smug expression as if he knew everything about the world.

It was not hard to imagine that wizard still sitting with his chin resting in the middle of the snowy plains, staring out the window.

“I can arrange for a cook. I know a chef from the southeastern granary region of Tupel who is currently available.”

“Is he trustworthy?”

“Yes. He is discreet and experienced. However, his salary is quite high.”

“Hire him. I’ll bring in some servants or maids myself. Find the squires or guards, but leave one or two positions open.”

Derek was still dressed in his mercenary attire.

Although he had become a baron in name and reality, Derek had no intention of quitting his mercenary or teaching jobs. He planned to head to Ebelstein once the estate management was finished today.

Derek was sitting on a wooden chair placed in the empty lobby of the estate, tying his boot laces.

Delbritton, who was standing with his hands behind his back, listening to instructions, remained silent for a moment.

“Is there anyone you plan to bring in separately?”

“I’ll recruit some maids from the noble family of Ebelstein. If I ask them, I can get a few, and I plan to hire guards from the local residents.”

Derek was strangely experienced in these matters.

—

—

Having met various people while working as a mercenary, he had a rough idea of how to move to recruit different people.

“The local forces in this Rodellen region are mostly vineyard owners or farmers on the outskirts. If you accept a couple of their family members as servants in your mansion, you can gain a favorable position during power negotiations. There’s no more certain way than being tied by blood.”

Derek had no intention of wielding tax rights to sit on a pile of money.

If he made reasonable concessions, it was clear that the residents would side with Derek, a legitimate noble.

In the Rodellen region, there was one large village with about 300 people, a couple of small villages with about fifty people each, and the rest were isolated farms scattered around.

There was no need to engage in unnecessary power struggles to recruit the barely over 500 residents. Derek intended to fully acknowledge the authority of the natives.

After tidying up his clothes, Derek finally took out his sword and began to wipe it with a cloth.

“I’ve sent some gifts and letters to the Belmiard and Beltus families. I asked them to recommend any available servants or squires.”

“…”

Delbritton felt a sense of incongruity at Derek’s casual mention of the Belmiard and Beltus names.

Even in Ebelstein, these were the most prestigious families, yet Derek could contact their members for personal matters like hiring servants.

For Derek, who could already communicate with Ellentena and Drinis without any issues, it wasn’t a particularly special matter.

‘I heard he had the backing of many influential families, but seeing it in person, it’s quite extraordinary.’

Delbritton thought quietly to himself.

Derek had just become a baron, with hardly any power to speak of, and Delbritton, who had just been appointed, was his only vassal. For someone with some experience, becoming a vassal to such a minor noble was something to avoid.

From noble mtl dot com

However, Delbritton instinctively knew. This was an opportunity.

Derek was definitely not someone who would end up managing a vineyard in a remote barony.

Whether it was his level of magic or the scale of the families watching him, overall, it seemed certain that he would form a power that was unimaginable at this point in time.

Being the very first vassal of such a person, anyone with a bit of insight could see that this was a great opportunity.

“I will do as you instructed.”

He wiped his gleaming monocle once and bowed his head to follow Derek’s orders.

*

‘What, what, how did everything progress so smoothly?!’

Diela, who had arrived at the Ravenclaw Barony, was astonished.

After a complete defeat in the nerve war with Felinne, Diela, who had been living her daily life with a half-dead expression, made up her mind after almost fifteen days. She decided to visit the Ravenclaw Barony to check on Derek’s condition.

In fact, from the perspective of the Duplain family, visiting a remote barony was not a big deal.

It didn’t take long to push the matter forward, but upon visiting, it suddenly felt real that Derek had become a noble.

“…It’s been less than a month since he received his title, and the mansion’s system is already organized. Well, Derek must have had some understanding of how noble mansions operate while working as a teacher…”

Aiselin, who was sitting across from her in the carriage, looked at Derek’s mansion with a look of surprise.

In fact, the mansion itself was so modest that it was almost humble compared to the mansions of many influential families.

—

—

However, the servants waiting for the young ladies of the Duplain family near the mansion’s main gate were already on high alert.

“I am Delbritton, the head butler of the Ravenclaw Barony. It is a great honor to have the young ladies of the Duplain family visit us in person.”

As the old man, who was acting as the head butler, approached and greeted them, the attendants accompanying him also bowed their heads.

Even though they hadn’t worked at the mansion for long, they were well-trained, indicating that the head butler was quite a capable person.

“I’m sorry for the sudden visit.”

No matter how much the Duplain family was faltering, the news that the young ladies of a ducal family were visiting in person was like a bolt from the blue for a barony in the outskirts.

Diela had insisted on visiting the Ravenclaw Barony, causing Aisellin to reluctantly agree, but in any case, it must have been quite a hassle for the servants who had to prepare to welcome the young ladies of the Duplain family.

“It’s alright. Although our staff is not large, we have become quite adept at serving distinguished guests. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“Is that so? I heard that the Ravenclaw Barony has only been properly functioning for less than half a month… Did you have time to prepare for such visits?”

“Yes. Several distinguished guests have already visited us.”

The head butler bowed politely and adjusted his monocle as he spoke.

“Lady Elente of the Belmiard County visited last week with a gift, and Lady Drinis of the Beltus Duchy also stopped by once.”

“…”

“Lady Siern of the Rochester Ducal family visits whenever she has time, as she spends quite a long time here for her magic lessons.”

Diela glanced at the servants’ expressions with a look of disbelief.

There was a reason why the people who came to do chores at a barony in the outskirts were so quick and efficient.

Even though it was a remote territory treated like an exile, with renowned noble ladies visiting whenever they had the chance, there was no room for complacency.

Outlying nobles would go to great lengths in the Ebelstein social circles to invite the children of influential families to their mansions even once.

Seeing the children of influential families visit them effortlessly, the lower nobles of the Rozea Salon might already be feeling a sense of relative deprivation.

“Ho, do other young ladies also learn magic?”

“Well, the baron is focused on teaching Lady Siern, so he doesn’t officially claim to be a tutor for any family. However, I heard that he helps with simple magic usage and organizes the rank system.”

It seemed that Drinis and Elente visited with the intention of taking Derek away whenever they had the chance.

No matter what, there was always a shortage of competent magic teachers.

The Duplain sisters were relatively late because their family affairs were so busy.

‘…At this point, isn’t this just a noble mansion… but more like a magic academy…?’

Such a strange thought crossed her mind, but it was uncertain if Derek thought the same.

“Still, the baron has received a lot of help from high-ranking families, so he tries to assist with magic-related matters as much as possible. If you wish, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“Is that so? Where is Derek now?”

Delbritton cleared his throat for a moment before answering promptly.

“He is teaching magic to Lady Siern.”

—

—

No matter how you look at it, isn’t this just a private magic academy…

Aisellin and Diella couldn’t help but feel a complex mix of emotions, but they had to see Derek’s face and make a judgment first…