The mansion to be built on that land by the Müller family will become mine.

I understood that, and the reasoning behind it made sense.

Using the mansion of the city’s lord as a base of operations meant I had influence with the various organizations and residents of the city—and on top of that, I harbored no unnecessary ambitions.

Even if it’s in name only, with me being the highest authority of Zelkis—well, at least within the Müller family or rather within the Riana domain—those handling administrative work wouldn’t be able to act on their own whims.

This city is far from the main domain and is connected by sea routes to various places, so if someone wanted to act out, they could easily do so.

I don’t know what kind of people are being sent to other territories, but in the case of Zelkis, I really am the most suitable person.

“Well, I understand why I was chosen. The work doesn’t seem all that troublesome either… Life probably won’t change much.”

For now, my job is probably just signing documents and greeting people from time to time… Something like that.

I currently hold the respectable position of Vice-Captain of the 2nd Unit of the Knight Order, but most of the work is handled by my adjutant, Teresa.

I just sign documents that are occasionally handed to me or oversee some task or another…

That’s about it.

This will likely be a similar situation, and honestly, pretty easy.

“Indeed. However, since your work in the Zelkis territory will increase, you won’t be able to use Teresa.”

“…Ugh.”

It’s true. Teresa is my adjutant and also serves as my maid, but she’s a person of Riana.

So yeah, having her help with the affairs of another territory would be a problem.

“That’s right. As expected, I can’t be involved in the affairs of another domain. That said, it’s not something that needs to happen immediately, and the Müller family will likely have personnel ready by then.”

“If there’s someone you absolutely want to hire, it’s fine, but that would be the more reliable approach.”

Hmm…

So basically, some kind of nepotism or hiring through connections… Not something I’m too concerned about.

“I see… I don’t really know anyone in Zelkis, so I guess I’ll just leave that part to the old men.”

Both of them nodded at my words.

That’s probably for the best.

“Hmm… Well, I’ll understand more when the time comes. As for the mansion, they haven’t decided on the design yet, right?”

“That’s right. This city originally belonged to the Zelkis territory, so the architectural style is the same. We plan to use craftsmen from the workshops here.”

Apparently, when building a mansion in another land, it’s common to bring craftsmen from a favored workshop within one’s own domain.

After all, only the craftsmen from a specific land can understand the architectural style of that land.

Also, from a security standpoint, leaving things to unfamiliar workshops might invite trouble. It makes sense to entrust the job to people you can trust.

In the case of the Müller family, there’s no problem in terms of architectural style.

And regarding security, I—someone who lives in this city—am responsible for it.

So that worry can be laid to rest as well.

Behind me are Seriana and Liesel, after all.

That’s why the work will be entrusted to a local workshop in this city. But the civil officials each have their own connections to particular workshops or craftsmen.

Building this mansion is no small job, and I imagine they’d want to hand it off to someone they know.

It’s good to see they’re motivated, at least…

“The lot is about the same size, so the design will likely be similar to the one in the royal capital.”

With those words, Seriana wrapped up the discussion.

◇

The mansion in the royal capital is two stories tall, with guest rooms, a parlor for distinguished guests, and multiple lounges. Even though it’s in the capital, it still had a well-secured space for a garden.

There wasn’t a hall for hosting grand parties, but I still think it was a mansion of ample size.

So this one will be about the same…

Considering land value, the royal capital is surely higher, but the noble district here is more compact.

The mansion in the capital was much larger than others in the noble district, but here, they’ve secured a similarly large plot. That shows how serious they are.

It’s not just because it’s Seriana’s family home—they must really value the connection with Zelkis territory.

Of course, our relationship won’t end with just our generation.

Right now, the first lady of the territory is their eldest daughter, but generations down the line, those ties might weaken. Perhaps they’re setting things up to make it easier to maintain relationships even then.

Well… I guess thinking that far ahead isn’t really my job.

At present, the workshops in town are tied up with construction in the church district, and most of the materials are being used for that.

It’s a huge project—on a much bigger scale than the mansion—so it won’t be completed for over a year.

It seems that construction on the mansion will begin after that, and that includes thinking about the interior furnishings and such. We can take our time with it.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera・Blessing・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Water’s Garment】

Blessed Item・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】+1【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・8 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards