The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 95

Kukukung.

As the gates opened, Raul and his cavalry entered Bates Castle with heads held high. Inside the gates, a contingent of troops was lined up to welcome Raul and his party.

Their spears were splintered, and their armors were torn like rags, but the soldiers’ eyes were still alive with vigour. Among them, a young man stepped forward, capturing Raul’s attention.

“Welcome. On behalf of all the residents of the castle, I thank you, Sir Raul, for leading the reinforcements here.”

Although it was one thing for a man in his early thirties to represent them, his attire seemed far from that of nobility.

Dressed in rough brown cotton trousers and a frayed cotton shirt under a leather vest, with hair as unkempt as a magpie’s nest, he looked quite shabby.

Noticing what Raul might be thinking, he immediately spoke.

“My name is Hugh. I work here as a lower-ranking secretary.”

A lower-ranking secretary position was close to the bottom in administrative roles. Yet, his appearance as the representative of the castle implied the severity of the situation without needing further explanation.

As expected, Hugh explained that after the Baron and his kin, along with the knights, fled through a portal, the remaining administrators and merchants had also deserted in the dead of night in search of their own safety.

The castle’s conditions at that time were far from good, with the mood amongst the residents being quite tense.

“Hearing this, I’m even more curious. How have you managed to hold out until now?”

The number of residents left in the castle was about 5,000, with barely 800 soldiers.

Even with the protection of the castle walls, it seemed impossible to fend off monsters numbering in the tens of thousands.

“It’s because of this.”

Hugh handed over a small leather pouch. Opening it slightly, Raul saw it was filled with a yellowish powder.

‘This is…!’

“It’s ground powder of a wild herb called ‘Pike’. For some reason, the monsters outside hate it and scatter in fear.”

Raul was well aware of the substance. After all, it was one of the reasons for his visit. Hugh had discovered the [Pike Powder] due to his keen observation.

Even as the castle came under siege, there were places where monsters hesitated to approach, and diving into the reason, he found it was due to the Pike herb.

Using the information from the residents, he located the Pike fields and formed a special team to secure it. Since then, they had managed to fend off the monsters with judicious use of the Pike Powder.

‘That was lucky.’

Pike indeed was effective against canine monsters. However, it had little effect on other monsters.

Had the assaulting force not been of the Gnoll tribe, defending the castle would have been much more challenging.

Of course, this did not diminish Hugh’s contribution. Discovering Pike and demonstrating the observational skills and decisiveness to employ it in real battle was commendable, but one couldn’t overlook the acumen shown in managing a secluded fortress with a population exceeding 5,000 for nearly five months.

‘I’ll have to verify whether his words hold true, but I quite like him.’

It was a mystery why such a talent was merely occupying a lower-level secretarial position, but he seemed worth recruiting.

“Well done. For starters, I’d like to take a short tour around the fortress, if you wouldn’t mind leading the way.”

Raul praised Hugh for his achievements as they slowly made their way around Bates Fortress. Shortly after, in the lord’s council chamber.

Raul unfolded an exquisite parchment scroll in front of Hugh and the troop commanders.

“Let’s take a look.”

As Hugh carefully reviewed the document, his eyes widened in astonishment, and he cautiously asked,

“Is, is this true? That young master Raul has indeed taken over Bates Territory?”

“Indeed. Just as it is written, including approval from His Majesty the King himself.”

Clang!

Hugh and the commanders suddenly sprang up from their seats, bending at their waists and shouting in unison,

“Greetings to our Lord!”

“Indeed. You have all struggled valiantly to protect a lordless land. Expect appropriate rewards for your valor in the near future.”

“Thank you. We will serve our Lord with utmost loyalty.”

Despite the surprising change in territory, they didn’t hesitate to swear their loyalty to Raul.

Since the former lord had abandoned them, they owed no allegiance, and aligning with a powerful knight under Raul’s command only seemed beneficial from their standpoint.

“Good. Now, let’s get down to business.”

There was much to be done to stabilize the territory swiftly, and for that, the help from those who were well-acquainted with the local matters was crucial.

‘Fortunately, the walls are mostly undamaged, and many of the residents survived. We can move ahead with the plans sooner.’

Raul began devising a plan for normalization of the territory, based on information from Hugh and the commanders.

Several days later. An infantry unit of 2,000 soldiers, including survivors from the village of Medini, arrived as reinforcements.

With the inclusion of existing forces and cavalry, the total force exceeded 3,000, and they immediately commenced a monster eradication campaign centered around the lord’s castle.

In the meantime, Raul, with the help of Rabel, revived the defunct portal, and alongside his knights, cleared a dungeon (a fixed gate) around the lord’s castle.

Swoosh.

Raul flipped through the report in his hand. The report, raised by Kane, contained information about Hugh.

A bastard son from the fallen Baron Bryson household. He had been proceeding with his knight apprenticeship but fell into despair with the downfall of his family.

He then entered the National Administrative Academy on a scholarship as the top entrant but dropped out for some undisclosed reasons.

His whereabouts for the next five years remained unclear, and he had been serving as a lower administrator at Bates Fortress for the past five years.

“Indeed, he was from the academy.”

Administrative capabilities are not developed overnight. Upon examining the way he had managed the castle for the past five months, it was clear that the work was that of a professional.

While it was still uncertain whether he was a trustworthy individual, there was ample time to figure that out. Having made a decision, Raul summoned Hugh.

“Did you call for me?”

Hugh was still merely a lower-ranking secretary. The fact that he was the only administrative official with knowledge about the domain allowed him to have a private audience with Raul, but under normal circumstances, he would have been just a minor official, hardly getting a glimpse of the lord.

He had been contemplating that he might return to his original duties soon, especially since a large number of administrative bureaucrats were included in the new lord’s entourage.

“Sigh. But since he promised a reward, my rank might increase a little, right?”

Important positions were usually filled with the lord’s kinsmen or trusted vassals, anyway.

What’s more, given he was the lord from the prestigious Count Ashton’s family with hundreds of years of history, why bother mentioning it?

No one would consider employing a fallen noble, especially one of low birth.

After dropping out of the academy and roaming through dozens of domains over five years, facing countless disappointments, he finally came to accept reality.

No matter how talented he was or how hard he worked, he could not overcome the limitation of his birth.

Thus, the last five months were tough but also dreamlike in a way. He was able to verify in reality what he had only imagined in his mind, and he felt a sense of fulfillment while protecting the castle.

‘It’s a shame, but I think it was a good experience. Now it’s time to go back to my original place. That’s reality.’

Accepting his feelings of regret, he stood before Raul…

“Hugh Bryson.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“From now on, you’ll be managing Bates Castle.”

“… What do you mean?”

Hugh’s face was painted with confusion, unable to believe what he had just heard.

“It means I’m appointing you as the interim lord and regent of Bates Castle.”

`…!`

What followed was talk of a contract position, a guaranteed three-year term, that military authority would be designated to a separate commander, and discussions of aides, inspectors, and so forth, but none of it entered Hugh’s mind.

He signed the contract as if under a spell and swore loyalty to Raul once more. And finally, when he met the administrative officials Raul had brought along, he had a guess at Raul’s intentions.

‘So this was your plan all along.’

The bureaucrats assigned were either greenhorns who had just completed their academy training or, like Hugh, officials of fallen noble or commoner origin.

Wondering if the administrative work could proceed properly in such a state, yet considering the territory’s situation had become so muddled that everything needed to be reorganized from the beginning, it didn’t seem so bad.

“The lord intends to build the foundation from scratch, utilizing new bureaucrats who haven’t been influenced by anyone. This is a tremendous opportunity!”

The young master seemed to desire a domain of his own, unaffected by his family’s influence.

Moreover, the fact that these were term contracts and he had expressed intentions to inspect their work meant that one could lose their position at any time if they didn’t demonstrate their capabilities.

“I can’t let this opportunity slip by. Given this chance, I must do my best to show what I’m capable of. I’ll become a true vassal to the lord!”

Hugh’s eyes blazed with passion. His mind began to sparkle with ideas on how he could develop the domain.

* * *

Hugh, who had become the acting lord, and McNilan, the high knight appointed as commander of the First Knight Order, were seeing off Raul along with several bureaucrats.

“We have high hopes for the two of you. Please stabilize the territory quickly and prepare to welcome new residents. Contact the chief administrator if you need anything.”

“Leave it to us, my lord.”

“We’ll do our best.”

After bidding farewell, Raul and his knights stepped into the portal.

* * *

Raul, who instantly traversed space with a cold sensation, arrived inside a building. Bernard and Philip, who had been waiting, greeted him with bowed heads.

“Thank you for your hard work, Master.”

“You’ve both been working hard as well. Let’s head to the meeting room.”

As they walked down the corridor, a well-organized city came into view through the large arched windows.

Numerous buildings were being constructed on the outskirts of the city, and another wall was faintly visible beyond the city walls.

While it wasn’t considered a massive city, it was filled with a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere.

Upon reaching the meeting room, Raul’s trusted officers and members were already seated. First Knight Order’s Commander Philip and Vice Commander Jake, along with Sir Pierce, displayed a more solid aura than before.

Dalton, a friend of Raul from the Templeton Ducal Family, was also there. Having gone through repeated battles and training, he had reached the intermediate level of an expert and firmly established himself as a high-level knight in the First Knight Order.

Bernard managed both the First Knight Order and the newly acquired territory without any slack, proving his capabilities once again.

As a wind mage, he had also reached the intermediate level, possessing skills comparable to an average knight.

Sitting inconspicuously beside him was Kane, whom Raul had appointed as the head of intelligence. Over the past six months, he had reassembled his scattered men and trained new informants, now directly gathering useful intelligence.

Lastly, seated was a red-haired beauty, the alchemist Nakia from the Free City of Mira, who had pledged loyalty to Raul.

With the information provided by Raul, she had finally succeeded in curing her younger sister Niki’s illness. Having shed her burden, she had finally joined the group, albeit late.

(To be continued)