I don’t know if all the nobles and deputies of every country have the same role, but the nobles and deputies of Riana mainly have the big responsibilities of protecting their assigned territory and keeping the residents under control.

Even if it’s not the frontline bordering the demon realm, encounters with monsters happen much more frequently than in other regions.

Also, the ratio of rough types like adventurers is higher than elsewhere, and if you let your guard down, the whole town can become wild.

That was exactly how Lortle used to be in the old days.

Well, that was partly because it was too far from the Zelkis territorial capital, and at that time a faction centered around the church held power, so they focused on maintaining the town and avoided forcibly intervening in the townsfolk’s affairs… Though some order was kept, it was reportedly almost lawless.

That’s why deputies firmly establish their mansions in their territories and keep a close watch to prevent that from happening.

It’s not just that; there are also detailed administrative tasks, but without a doubt, that is the most important role.

So, what about Alec…?

If you ride a horse and push a little, you can quickly travel between the eastern base and the territorial capital. Even living in the capital, he can sufficiently fulfill his duties as deputy.

Besides, Alec’s name carries a lot of weight.

Since he rules nearby the capital, it’s unlikely anything strange would happen.

Yeah… good decision.

Then next…

“How about the north?”

It’s fine for Alec to be the deputy of the eastern base, but what about the north?

If Alec takes that role, then August can’t also do it.

Alec being appointed deputy in the east is a special case because of the short travel time between the capital and the base.

Nothing has been built in the north yet, right?

There’s a town a few days’ journey away, so if a new town were to be made, maybe somewhere around the midpoint…?

Well… no matter where it’s built, August is already busy enough as the Knight Order’s captain; it’s unlikely they’d leave it to him.

Even if he became a deputy, he’d probably have to focus solely on that.

Being both the captain of the duke’s knights and the deputy of a town near the duke’s territorial capital…

I don’t know which would be more prestigious, but since he’s already earned distinction through Demon King Type exterminations and repelling monster raids, and since I don’t think anyone else can easily replace him… probably not.

What will they do?

Lying down, I looked toward Seriana while waiting for her words, but her expression wasn’t very good.

Maybe it hasn’t been decided yet?

“Do you want a town?”

“No.”

What is this woman saying?

“I thought so… The north is still undecided. Nothing has been started yet. There are some candidate locations, though…”

“Oh… Was it supposed to be a little later?”

Come to think of it, since the west is stepping back, they’re trying to push this forward now.

Originally, it probably would have been later, and they might have invited someone from elsewhere or raised someone for the job.

“Yes. Since you’re here in the capital now, I could really entrust it to you… but well, since both Alec and Luban belong to my faction, it might be better to hand the north over to Liesel.”

“I don’t want it… So, they haven’t decided who it will be yet?”

My tone sounds serious, but I still don’t want it.

I make sure to decline firmly.

But faction issues are also involved.

If things go smoothly, two of the three towns surrounding the territorial capital will be controlled by Seriana’s faction.

That might be fine for our generation, but who knows what could happen later, so it’s something to watch out for.

The deputy post isn’t exactly hereditary…

Still, unless something drastic happens, it’s often passed down as is.

It was the same in Zelkis territory.

When it was reorganized after being split into Riana territory, there was some trouble.

If the towns surrounding the capital all get filled with Seriana faction members, and a few generations later they band together to oppose the capital, it could become troublesome, so it’s better to leave at least one town to someone from Liesel’s faction.

Maybe they think entrusting it to me would be easier because I’m not obsessed with the position?

That’s true.

“Yes. Since Liesel is here in the capital now, she’s probably investigating people over there. Also, building multiple towns at once is a huge burden, even if we no longer have to worry about the west. We can’t drag this out, but there’s no need to push ahead before we have suitable personnel. Let’s start with the east… then the north.”

“I see.”

Right now, all the people from around the country should still be in the capital.

And since Liesel is there, it’s convenient for personnel searching.

She has influence here and there and is probably gathering information while doing various things.

“When I go to the capital, I’ll ask the lord about it…”

“Yes. By then, things over there will probably be settled…”

And then I started rolling around again… but I’m getting sleepy.

I used my brain a lot.

Seriana is still saying something, but she’s starting to sound suspicious.

I think I’ll rest here for a bit!

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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

Blessed Items・【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・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

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

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