Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 81

Chapter 81   Count Bartholomeus Family

Mid-November, Year 566 of the Unified Calendar—

The autumn wind swept across the plains, and the whispers of winter were beginning to be heard. During this time, I was hard at work in the Gale region.

“Heave-ho!”

“Poko~♪”

Together with Gau, I put my strength into removing tree stumps. Dealing with the roots after felling large trees was one of the most important tasks in land reclamation.

The Gale region was rich in minerals and furs, but its self-sufficiency in food, other than seafood, was low. Because of this, the grain and everyday goods needed by the miners had to be shipped from the port of Europa by sea.

As a result, chronic shortages and high prices constantly burdened the miners’ lives. If bad weather disrupted the sea routes, grain prices would skyrocket. This was why we were pushing for the development of farmland.

“Open the floodgate!”

“Got it!”

Fortunately, the Gale region had plenty of rivers. We planned to utilize them by constructing irrigation systems and expanding the farmland. Additionally, due to the war damage in the Fletcher Republic, there were many immigrants eager to move here, further supporting this policy.

However, the expansion of farmland could not proceed rapidly, as is true everywhere. Therefore, the primary industries remained mining and fishing. To support these, improving the ports to accommodate large merchant ships for transportation was an urgent task.

“We need more rocks!”

“There’s a limit to how many rocks we can transport!”

Since I had become a knight, I had hired a few attendants. In this region, their work involved less combat and more civil engineering tasks.

◇◇◇◇◇

Mid-December, Year 566 of the Unified Calendar—

Amidst the sporadic snowfall, a rudimentary dock capable of accommodating large ships was completed. Near the dock, an eating and drinking establishment catering to the sailors had already set up shop.

“…Phew.”

I was writing a report to the homeland in Lebe, relying on the light of a candle. The development was progressing smoothly, and it was recommended that additional funds be invested…

While the area was not yet developed into a proper port town, the port district had been named Enkera. The Enkera port area was planned for continuous expansion, and the budget for this was expected to be covered by the silver revenues from the Gale region.

Moreover, since this land was still unexplored and undeveloped, all land rights belonged to the House of Duke Rillburn. Therefore, if it developed, it was anticipated that enormous land lease fees would be involved. In other words, if successful, it was a highly promising development project…

“Lord Reister! More monsters have appeared!”

“Alright, I’m on my way!”

The difficulty of developing this land was the nightly appearance of monsters. And not just a few; quite a number of them.

By the way, “Reister” was my new surname.

“Let’s go, Pokorina! Gau!”

“Poko~♪”

“Gauuu!”

That night, too, we set out to deal with the usual monster problem…

◇◇◇◇◇

“Return to the earth!”

“Poko~♪”

In the darkness of the night, we fought against countless undead monsters. The flesh was decayed, and when cut with my sword, green blood and insects flew out.

“Damn, there’s no end to this. Curse it!”

“Gauuu!”

Gau, the Mithril Golem, and I continued to strike down the undead monsters one after another. We finished them off with Pokorina’s fire magic.

At times like these, it would be nice to have fire magic myself, but I still haven’t learned it. The magic I could use in battle consisted of the power of my magic eyes, physical enhancement, and the useful but humble ability of teleportation.

“Damn it! Die!”

“Poko~♪”

After burning through a hundred zombies and clearing the area, I noticed a noble-looking gentleman walking towards us.

…Who could that be?

This was a monster-infested area, and it was the dead of night.

Suddenly, a mist appeared around us. The temperature seemed to drop even further.

“Who are you?”

A deep, clear voice echoed.

“…Well, I am a member of the House of Rillburn.”

“What is that?”

…Huh?

This is the land of the Duke of Rillburn. I should have reported this to the royal palace.

“The lord of this land.”

“I’ve never heard of that. This land actually belongs to my house, the Count of Bartholomeus!”

“Oh, I see. My apologies.”

“Be careful!”

With that, the gentleman, with his dignified appearance, turned on his heel and left.

…But this is troubling.

I had assumed there were no other lords in this area, which is why I had been developing it. At worst, it seems I might have to fight to claim it.

With these thoughts, I returned to the village of Enkera.

◇◇◇◇◇

The next morning――.

I visited Adelheid at the Enkera government office.

“Master, what seems to be the problem?”

“Well, it seems there’s a prior noble family claiming this land.”

“Is that true?”

She and I went through the documents, but there was no record of such a noble family. What could this mean?

“What was the name of the noble house?”

“Um, I think it was the House of Bartholomeus.”

Adelheid began examining some difficult old documents.

“Ah, here it is.”

“Really, was it indeed there?”

When I expressed my disappointment, she quietly shook her head.

“It’s a noble house that perished about 800 years ago…”

“…What!?”

Is it some kind of ghost or spirit? It’s probably something like that.

As we were discussing this,

“Excuse me!”

Stallon, who had been called in as reinforcements from Lebe, arrived. This time, he brought 100 guards as security personnel.

He had achieved a remarkable military feat in the recent battle by ensuring the kingdom’s supply lines remained uninterrupted, but there was no reward from the royal palace. Therefore, the Duke of Rillburn awarded him a diamond-made medal of honor. Despite its unflattering shape, the medal shone brightly.