Lord Eched Manor.
The space, which should have been brimming with strictness and solemn dignity, was now filled with an incredibly cute and fluffy atmosphere.
-Woof!
-Argh.
Blood beasts.
Even fairly powerful warriors wouldn’t dare to challenge these creatures, born from the secret legacy of the Redbell family, a unique magical life form.
Originally, these blood beasts should have been spreading fear and awe around them, but instead, they had diminished in size to that of a medium dog, multiplied into the hundreds, and filled the manor yard.
“Though I did follow your advice, is this really going to help?”
Cedric responded with a bright smile towards Claudia, who wore a doubtful expression.
“Of course, Miss! These beasts will become the best workers to reform this Eched!”
“Hmm.”
Claudia originally could control five tier-three blood beasts.
However, Cedric had requested her to increase the number of units possible, ignoring the individual strength of each blood beast.
Thanks to this, the number of blood beasts greatly increased, but their strength dropped to just the plain level of a medium-sized dog.
“You did say you would use them to improve the security of the territory, right? With this state, they wouldn’t even beat a pickpocket unless the perpetrator was a child. Moreover, anyone with even a little magical ability would easily handle a whole group of them.”
“It doesn’t matter. The majority of crimes affecting the fief’s security are petty offenses anyway, and the combat role of these blood beasts is minimal.”
In Cedric’s view, the true value of the Redbell family’s legacy wasn’t in regeneration or combat abilities.
Each blood beast had a degree of free will and an intelligence capable of understanding Claudia’s commands.
They possessed dog-like abilities, could operate independently with food consumption instead of requiring the master’s magic, and were like hundreds of medium dogs that communicated well with people.
If such creatures were deployed widely, what could they achieve?
“These blood beasts will freely patrol the city. If they encounter a crime, whether it’s from a street thug or a pickpocket, they can growl and warn the offender.”
“What if the offender ignores them, thinking they’re just dogs, or even attacks them?”
“It doesn’t matter. In that case, they can run away, gather other blood beasts, and attack as a group. If even that proves difficult, they can directly alert the guards. The patrols can then transform into response teams that only need to act when the blood beasts signal danger.”
Numbers themselves are a kind of strength.
Even if the guards are well-equipped and numerous, there are barely any criminals who can face them when they attack as a group.
“Even if the criminal tries to silence them by killing the beasts before they flee, it won’t matter. They can track using scent trails.”
A dog’s tracking ability is incomparable to a human’s.
The main reason criminals can run rampant isn’t because they are stronger than the guards but because they can hide or escape. The blood beasts track down such criminals relentlessly.
“Still, aren’t there individuals who can completely erase their appearance and scent?”
“That’s true. However, what usually troubles security forces isn’t the rare, powerful crimes committed by such individuals but the numerous minor offenses by common criminals. If we can suppress or immediately handle 99 out of 100 incidents, then we can focus our organization’s resources on the remaining one.”
Minor crimes affect the overall security of a city more than a single heinous murder. Moreover, in this fantasy era where lives are easily lost, a fief with an extremely low crime rate is itself a major advantage.
“This isn’t limited to just cities or towns where people reside. By stationing blood beasts at regular intervals along the main routes leading to the Lordship of Eched, they can patrol and deal with bandits or monsters attacking travelers. This would instill in travelers and merchants the notion that ‘the path to Lordship of Eched is safe.'”
Eched had potential that wasn’t inherently bad to begin with.
Once it’s recognized as a safe city and people start flocking, a continuous positive cycle will inevitably occur.
“But, couldn’t anyone from the Redbell family use this method? If others do the same, won’t my value decrease?”
“Exactly for that reason, you must continue to enhance your ability to control the blood beasts. The core of this system lies in how many blood beasts you can control simultaneously.”
Cedric added, “I don’t think your siblings will use this method.”
“Why?”
“Because, putting efficiency aside, it’s difficult for them to see the blood beasts, entities they’ve created with their own blood, rolling around and performing guard duties like mere dogs.”
Cedric’s observation made Claudia nod in understanding.
She had let go of any such reservations herself, but she couldn’t imagine those haughty ones following suit easily.
She smirked.
“Soon enough, they’ll be jumping around, complaining about how this disgraces the family or tarnishes the noble secret.”
Except for one person.
She couldn’t easily predict how the Viscount would react.
Would this crafty yet cold political figure truly accept it?
*
The residence of Viscount Redbell is renowned within the Kingdom of Virka for its grandeur and opulence.
A courtyard so vast one could ride a horse and race, a lake deep enough to float boats and enjoy leisurely tours, and a main mansion seemingly lower but in area surpassing the royal palace itself.
Guesthouses surrounding the main house can accommodate over a hundred people, where guests wait impatiently for a mere thirty-minute audience with the Viscount.
The time Viscount spends with guests is just a small part of his schedule, and yet it’s not uncommon to see him leisurely strolling. However, no guest would dare complain.
A person stupid enough to confront such a supreme figure of the kingdom and ask, “Why are you resting while keeping me waiting?” wouldn’t even have a chance to set foot in this house.
This was also true for Viscount’s retainers.
Even when collectively called “retainers,” they ranged vastly in rank and position, and only a select few top retainers were allowed to directly address the Viscount.
It seemed natural.
Just like a company CEO doesn’t receive reports directly from junior-level employees or mid-level managers.
Still, just as a CEO can call a random employee due to a whim or personal interest, the Viscount could do the same.
“So… my daughter has issued a declaration of war against me. Roughly that meaning, right?”
In response to the Viscount’s words, the Lord’s deputy, kneeling before him, hurriedly answered.
“Not exactly, but Lady Claudia mentioned that she wishes to transform the Eched Lordship herself and requests us to watch. She wants the use of her capabilities to be decided afterward.”
“That’s a declaration of war. She’s challenging my decisions, isn’t she?”
As he listened to the Viscount’s calm voice, the Lord’s deputy swallowed nervously.
Claudia had threatened not to distort her words, but strictly speaking, he didn’t misrepresent or omit anything.
He had conveyed the content accurately; it was the Viscount’s interpretation. That wasn’t his fault, was it?
Therefore, the deputy quickly agreed with the Viscount.
“She seems to be running amok due to her lack of worldly knowledge.”
“Hmm. Running amok, you think?”
“Yes, Your Excellency. The young Lady is rather emotional, isn’t she?”
“Yes, the child does have such tendencies.”
As the Viscount expressed agreement, the Deputy’s stiff frame relaxed slightly.
To this Deputy, the Viscount casually asked,
“So, what do you suggest I do?”
“Currently, the young Lady is using the strength of blood beasts to forcibly claim the Lordship. Someone unversed in practical matters attempting governance solely by force will inevitably cause disorder. The best course of action is swiftly dispatching skilled knights to subdue her.”
“Hmm. Is that all? No other necessary measures?”
“The matter should be handled quietly to avoid escalation.”
“I see.”
Viscount Redbell nodded and said to the deputy,
“Understood. You may take your leave.”
“Yes.”
After bowing respectfully, the Deputy hurriedly left.
Once the Deputy was completely gone,
The Viscount Redbell spoke out.
“Hey.”
The bodyguard stationed nearby, expressionless like a wooden puppet, stepped forward and bowed.
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Thinking about it, I’ve been too lenient with my retainers. How could that Lord Deputy, after losing his lands, fail to even request responsibility or punishment?”
“It shall be handled appropriately.”
“Good. Make this an example, so others can learn.”
The moment of fate was decided for Lord Deputy—or rather, the ‘former’ Deputy.
He wouldn’t see the light of dawn anymore.
“Hmm.”
The Viscount stroked his beard, lost in thought.
He was pondering how to interpret Claudia’s brash actions.
“So, are the reports about Eched Lordship from that fool just now all I have?”
In response to the Viscount’s question, another retainer stepped forward and spoke.
“The young Mistress has dismissed about three-tenths of the bureaucrats that were under the Lord Deputy and filled those positions with new talents.”
The Viscount nodded.
“Yes, a seat isn’t yours just by sitting in it. To wield real power, you need to replace the staff under you with your own people. However, I wonder. Did the child have people who could be called ‘her own’?”
“She brought the servants who attended her at the mansion.”
“Ho.”
A small chuckle escaped the Viscount’s lips.
“Yes, that makes sense. For someone without any support from her family or in-laws, those servants would be the only talents she could use. Still, with that, how can she govern the Lordship properly?”
The daily assistants of nobility are different from those who assist with noble duties.
While there were cases where the two roles intertwined, as far as the Viscount knew, out of Claudia’s servants, only the head butler, Bastian, could handle administrative work.
“However, it seems no administrative issues have arisen. Moreover, because of the new systems implemented in Eched, people are starting to gather there more.”
“New systems?”
“Here they are.”
The retainer handed a report to the Viscount, who reviewed its contents.
And muttered.
“The girl has lost her mind.”
The expressionless retainer’s face twitched subtly.
There was nothing unusual about the Viscount’s reaction.
Even he himself had reviewed the local investigator’s report several times, wondering if there were any mistakes.
“I’ll handle it immediately.”
“No, leave it be.”
“Is it safe to do that?”
The Viscount’s lips curled up.
“Have you ever grown flowers?”
“No, my Lord.”
“I have.”
The Viscount picked a flower from a nearby flowerbed.
“It can’t be eaten. It doesn’t have any special medicinal effects. It’s practically useless except for viewing. Yet, some people pay dozens, hundreds of gold coins for such flowers without hesitation. I didn’t understand why, but I still grew flowers, knowing someone would buy them at a high price. It was fashionable back then, at least for a while.”
“…”
“If we interfere now, the flower will just remain a flower. Worthless to me, but valuable to some. But if handled properly, it could become something valuable to me and others alike. Wouldn’t it be more profitable to simply wait and see?”
“But, we might lose even the value we initially considered.”
“That’s fine. If that happens, we’ll just squeeze harder.”
The Viscount’s tone was indifferent, but the implications were undeniably chilling.
Just then, a fly darted toward the flower the Viscount held in his hand.
Faster than the bodyguards could react, a creature’s snout shot out from the Viscount’s sleeve, swallowed the fly, and disappeared like a mirage.
The Viscount smirked and said,
“To be honest, I’m not in the mood to stop every fly that bothers it.”
