Chapter 88 - Chapter 87: Strengthening the Territory ① Establishing a School
"Dear, I'm sorry to disturb you while you're working... I've finished putting together the instructional plan for the school, so would you mind taking a look when you have some time?"
The one who came to Noein, who was diligently working on paperwork in his office, was his wife, Clara.
"Of course, Clara. Good work... I think I'll read it now as a break from my work."
"Then, Noein-sama, shall I bring some tea? If Clara-sama would like some as well."
"Thank you, Matilda. Please do."
"I'll have some too, thank you."
Shortly after marrying into the Arqvist Baronet family, Clara had proposed to Noein, "Why not establish a school within the capital city of Noeina?" Furthermore, she expressed her desire to be the person in charge and to serve as a teacher herself.
Though she called it a school, it was merely a place where children of commoners would attend for about half a day, several times a week. The period of education would be about six months to a year, and the content of learning would center on basics such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Even so, the ability to raise the intellectual level of the territory's next generation was a significant advantage.
Given Clara's deep knowledge of academics, she was well-suited to be the person in charge of the Arqvist territory's first school. Noein had immediately accepted her proposal and asked her to think of a reasonably concrete instructional plan.
Noein looked through the instructional plan, which had been completed in about two weeks, while drinking the tea Matilda had brewed.
"...Yes, this is good. Basic reading, writing, and arithmetic are a given, but inviting people with specialized knowledge in various fields as teachers is also a great idea. Have you already spoken with them?"
"Yes, of course I have."
Clara's instructional plan included not only her teaching basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also a proposal to have Edgar, who was in charge of agriculture, Selfers the doctor, and Christy, who had studied at a High School, teach the basics of their respective specialized knowledge.
She stated that she had already spoken with them, and they had agreed to stand at the podium to the extent that it would not interfere with their own work.
"I see. To put this all together in two weeks... Clara, you're amazing."
To be honest, he hadn't expected her to do it so brilliantly, so Noein praised her sincerely.
"R-really... Am I being useful to you?"
"Of course, you're very reliable. If the literacy rate of the people increases, the speed of the territory's development will also increase. Thanks to Clara, the Arqvist territory will mature further, and both the people and I can become happier."
If the people shared not only basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also knowledge in various fields—even if only elementary—the Arqvist territory should be able to build a more refined society.
"Ehehe... I'm happy."
"That's wonderful, Clara-sama."
Clara said this with a shy smile, and when she locked eyes with Matilda, they laughed together. Since the incident on the day of the inspection, these two had become truly close.
"When I was with the Koenitz family, I once proposed to my father that we try making a school, but I was refused because 'the wealthy merchants and wealthy farmers wouldn't be satisfied.'"
"Well... that makes sense. From the perspective of those who have been in the upper layers of society for a long time, it's not interesting for the lower people to become clever. Because their own positions might be threatened. I think Arnold-sama couldn't act either, in order to avoid losing the support of the wealthy class."
There are surprisingly many people who want the lower classes to remain foolish so that they themselves can continue to be the intellectual class. The fact that there are almost no public schools open to everyone in the Kingdom of Lordberg is also due to such a social background.
The reason Noein was able to take the step of establishing a school was precisely because the Arqvist territory, being a newly developed land, did not yet have an existence that could be called a vested interest class. People like Philip of the Skinner Company actually supported the establishment of the school, as they seemed to want more personnel capable of reading, writing, and calculating.
"The world is complex, isn't it..."
"It is. Fortunately, there are no such shackles in this territory, so let's develop it while tackling new attempts. Establishing a school is also an important step, so I'm counting on you to continue."
"Yes!"
.....
Clara was demonstrating her full strength in things like creating the instructional plan. However, she still didn't know the ins and outs of the Arqvist territory, and there were various limits for her alone, given her lack of social experience.
Therefore, Noein had the Chief Retainer Yuri support her on the procedural side, such as the construction of the school building.
By entrusting the mine development to Victor the mining engineer, Yuri had been completely freed from supervisory duties in the Lestio Mountains. He had more time than before, and as the Chief Retainer who was well-versed in the territory's affairs, Yuri was optimal as Clara's assistant.
"At this rate, I wonder if we can open next month."
"Probably. If we put in more classes during the winter agricultural off-season, we should be able to finish the education of the first students by next spring."
Noein exchanged these words with Yuri while inspecting the construction site of the school building, which was progressing steadily.
Since only a few dozen people would learn at once, the school building was a small, single-story structure. However, they kept the grounds reasonably wide so that they could respond by expanding the building if the number of students increased along with the population.
"Even so, it was unexpected that the first thing you'd tackle for the strengthening of the territory was establishing a school. There won't be any immediate effect, right?"
"That's exactly why. Because it takes years for the results to become visible, I want to move forward as quickly as possible... If a war breaks out, the domestic situation will likely be in chaos for several years due to the aftermath. In such a time, it's more reassuring to have many knowledgeable people among the populace."
Noein grinned at Yuri's question.
"I see. If you consider the advantages in the long term, nurturing people first is the best way."
"That's it... By the way, how is the reaction of the people regarding the school? Do you think students will gather?"
"Yeah, it's generally well-received. Taxes are low in this territory, and thanks to the potatoes, there are many households with a comfortable living. I think a fair number of people will gather, centered around the eldest sons of each household."
Normally, even if there are schools or private academies, few households have the leeway to send their children there. This is one of the reasons why the wealthy gain education and prosper further, while the poor remain poor.
However, in the Arqvist territory, sufficient food can be produced with less labor than usual through potato cultivation, and furthermore, Noein, who is profiting from mine development, has set the tax rate lower than the national average, making the lives of the people easier.
Additionally, since Noein provides the budget for the school's operating costs, the children can attend for free. It seems the people, seeing that, have decided to let their children learn at the school.
"That's good then... the start is going smoothly."
"Yeah, it seems so. Now we just have to wait slowly for the results to appear."
Confirming with each other that the preparations for the school's establishment were proceeding without problem, Noein and Yuri left the construction site.