Chapter 25 - Episode 25: The House is Complete
"It's a magnificent sight, Matilda."
"Yes. It is wonderful, Noein-sama."
Noein's manor, which had been progressing at a terrifying pace, was completed by mid-September.
It was quite small for a noble's manor, but considering the scale of the territory Noein governed, it was more than sufficient in size. Furthermore, room had been left to expand it further through renovations in the future.
This was because Noein, anticipating the future development of the Arqvist territory, decided to have a manor befitting its lord.
It was a two-story building that formed a long rectangle when viewed from directly above, equipped with a full set of rooms and facilities including a living room, dining room, bedrooms, guest rooms, and a kitchen and bath.
Furthermore, the living areas were concentrated on one side of the manor, while the other side contained Noein's office, a spacious office for the retainers to come and go, and a reception room for visitors. Additionally, there were several private rooms for when live-in servants were hired.
It was a practical design that prioritized ease of living and working over luxury. Noein was greatly satisfied with the completion, feeling it was a manor that suited him.
"The walls are thick and sturdy, too. Now we can let our voices out as much as we want at night without worrying about the outside, Matilda. Isn't it great?"
"...Yes,"
Matilda nodded, her face flushing red as Noein teased her.
However, what Noein said was not merely light talk or a joke.
Worrying about voices leaking meant that the tent walls were that thin. Even if they were made of thick fabric and waterproofed, they were cloth after all, so it was only natural.
Until now, it had been spring and summer, so they hadn't suffered from the cold, but the rainy season had been quite taxing. Since they had built the tents on ground that had been piled up and hardened to be one step higher than the surroundings, there had been no flooding inside, but the consecutive days of rain still tended to dampen one's spirits.
But from now on, they could live in a manor with sturdy walls and a roof. There was no need to worry about the rainy season or winter. This was a significant matter.
With a cultural living environment established and the symbolic building of the "Lord's Manor" completed, it was no exaggeration to say that the history of the Arqvist territory was finally beginning in earnest.
.....
After Noein's manor was completed, the construction of the residents' houses also progressed rapidly.
Unlike the lord's manor, which used many building materials such as bricks, these were simple wooden houses, but even so, they offered a level of comfort incomparable to the previous tent life.
The first to be completed, ahead of the other residents' houses, was the home of the Chief Retainer, Yuri. Due to his position, this one was slightly larger than those of the other residents.
Recently, he had often been directing the lapis lazuli mining at the camp in the Lestio Mountains, but now that his own house was finished, he had returned to the residential area.
"...I'm overwhelmed with emotion. I finally own a home."
Since leaving his family home, he had lived a nomadic life as a mercenary, and after that, he had even fallen to the level of a bandit. Now, he owned farmland, held the position of Chief Retainer serving a noble lord, and had even acquired a house.
He was so fulfilled that he could not wish for a better environment.
Mai, who was Yuri's woman and scheduled to officially become his wife soon, stood beside him, leaning against his arm and gazing happily at their home.
"Let's be happy... no, I will definitely make you happy, Mai."
"Yes, dear."
As they exchanged words and thought of their bright future,
"Whew, how steamy in broad daylight. And outdoors, too,"
Noein walked up, throwing cold water on the mood.
"Shut up."
"My. You don't have to make such a scary face. Both the farmland and the house are gifts from me, after all."
Noein spoke with his usual smirk to Yuri, who had instinctively made a grumpy face.
It was certainly as he said, and it was no exaggeration to say that all of Yuri's current happiness had been given to him by Noein, but he wished the man would show some tact when he was feeling sentimental in front of his long-awaited dream home.
"Are you satisfied with the house?"
"...Yeah. Of course. I have no reason to complain. I am truly grateful to you as my lord, and I swear my unchanging loyalty from here on."
Yuri answered, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"That's good. At this rate, it seems I don't have to worry about being cut down and killed."
Yuri blinked, momentarily confused by Noein's ominous phrasing, but once he realized the meaning, a faint bitter smile escaped him.
"Now that you mention it, there was such a conversation."
"Eh? Did you perhaps forget? What the heck. I was actually quite worried and worked hard."
On the day he met Noein and was invited to come to his territory, Noein had said that if he didn't strive to be a good lord, Yuri could cut him down and kill him. Yuri had agreed to that.
At the time, he had meant it seriously, but once the lid was opened, Noein proved to be a good lord who cherished his residents with all his heart and soul.
While he didn't trust anyone other than himself and the residents, and occasionally made an intensely evil face when it came to his father or people from outside the territory, there was no doubt that from the perspective of the protected residents, he was a lord to be revered and loved.
"We can consider that promise null and void now. I don't doubt your nature at this point. If you ever stray from the path of a lord, I will take responsibility as Chief Retainer to admonish you."
"That's good. I'm happy I don't have to worry about being killed, but I hate receiving lectures. I'll keep doing my best to be a proper lord."
Leaving those words with a playful face, Noein departed the scene. He seemed to be showing some consideration, at least, so as not to further interfere with Yuri and Mai's sentimentality.
.....
Starting with the completion of Yuri's house, the residents' houses were completed one by one.
The construction of the general residents' houses was much simpler compared to Noein's manor. Moreover, a massive amount of lumber had already been piled up in this residential area. Therefore, the pace of construction was just as fast as that of Noein's manor.
As each household got their house, they graduated from tent life and moved into their new homes, and the residential area rapidly began to look like a village.
Additionally, not only houses, but the purchase of horses—which Noein had secretly desired for some time—was also realized. They were pack horses rather than warhorses, but with this, Noein no longer had to operate a horse-type golem himself every time he went shopping in Retovik; he could entrust this task to one of the retainers.
Furthermore, a small number of chickens began to be kept within the residential area, and stables and chicken coops were built.
The colonization was progressing smoothly for anyone to see. However, because it was smooth, a major problem had also arisen.
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