Meanwhile, Lachis brought some meat soup and water and handed them to Lena, and I said, "Eat slowly. Let's talk more after you finish eating."
"Is this... for me?"
"Of course. I wanted to prepare something tastier, but meeting you unexpectedly, this is the best I could do."
"No, no, my lord! I don't know how to repay this kindness."
Lena bowed her head. She looked about 15 years old at most, but she had good manners ingrained in her. She showed a lot of maturity.
"First, eat up. I want to see you enjoy your meal. Or should I step away so you don't feel pressured?"
"No, my lord! If you wish, I'll eat with gratitude. Thank you so much!"
Lena, holding the soup bowl, took her first spoonful of the pork-filled soup and began to eat with delight. I felt proud.
In my past life, I often felt regret when I couldn't help people asking for help on the streets due to my financial situation. But in this life, I am a lord. While I can't freely distribute food and wealth, I can help a child like her at my discretion.
I watched Lena eat the meat soup for a while. She admired the meat on top of the soup several times. Once she put the meat in her mouth, she chewed it thoroughly until it seemed like it would completely dissolve.
After the meal, I gently asked Lena, "Lena."
"Yes, my lord."
"I'm sorry to ask this, but do you really have nowhere to go?"
"...Yes, my lord. I will never return to the orphanage in the Mallorca territory!"
Mallorca territory is where Horgus, who publicly criticized me, is the lord. It's a neighboring territory. I wondered why the head of the orphanage would think of selling a well-behaved child like her as a slave.
"A friend who was with me told me that the lord of Mallorca has been trading orphans as slaves for a long time."
"What about that friend?"
Suddenly, Lena began to cry, tears streaming down her face. Overwhelmed with emotion, she even sobbed, her shoulders shaking. I hugged Lena tightly.
"Horgus, that scoundrel, is selling the orphans of the territory. He's running the territory into the ground. Is it to make up for financial shortfalls?" I frowned.
If a lord is involved in illegal slave trading, it means they tolerate all sorts of illegal activities. This could make the neighboring territory a hotbed of crime and even a base for criminal organizations. If that happens, it will inevitably have a negative impact on our Crivia territory. It's not something I can just ignore.
But that's a problem for later. Right now, I wanted to make sure I had Lena on my side. If I could find her a capable teacher, her potential as someone with an S-grade special trait would definitely blossom! She would become a skilled tank. This was already proven by the data I gathered while nurturing many talents in <Paradiso>.
"Lena."
"Yes?"
"How about coming under my wing? I'll find you a good teacher in the territory, and you can learn swordsmanship."
"Me? I've never held a sword in my life."
"Every swordsman in the world starts without having held a sword. Don't worry about that. You can start with basic physical training and gradually learn swordsmanship and shield defense."
"But..."
Her body was facing me, but I could sense her hesitation in her words. She was worried about being abandoned by someone she trusted, just like at the orphanage.
"I know what you're worried about. I'll take responsibility and raise you. I promise I won't abandon you."
"Is that... really true?"
"I don't lie."
I gave Lena confidence with my firm assurance. I emphasized again, "I promise. I'll accept you as a member of the lord's castle and ensure you grow into a talented individual."
I wanted to have Lena that much. Having an S-grade trait at such a young age means she has the highest potential in that area. It's different from the mature S-grade traits of middle-aged people like Lachis, the chief of security, or other older retainers. They are fully developed S-grades, while Lena is an S-grade at the starting point. There's a significant difference in growth potential.
"Alright. Thank you so much, my lord! I'll become a skilled swordsman who meets your expectations, even if it costs me my life!"
Lena was full of enthusiasm. It was an expression of emotion that matched her general traits of growth and challenge. I couldn't help but smile.
I never thought a named character from the main story would join me, who was always just an extra lord. It was a new feeling. At the same time, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility. Since I recruited her before her talent could fall into the hands of the demons, I felt the need to nurture her with extra care. She must not fall into temptation or become isolated to the point where the demons can reach her.
"Take my hand. Let's go to the lord's castle. I'll have a kind sister take care of you."
I naturally thought of Hayes. She would be the best helper for Lena to adapt to life in the lord's castle.
The next morning at dawn.
I woke up just as the sun began to rise. I had used my body a lot for the first time in a while yesterday, so I fell asleep as soon as I got to the mansion due to fatigue.
As I headed to the training ground for my morning exercise, I stopped by the kitchen. There, I found Hayes busily cooking with Lena from early in the morning. Hayes was in charge of cooking, while Lena was handling the food ingredients. She seemed quite familiar with it, probably having done it often at the orphanage.
"Hayes, Lena, did you sleep well?"
"Oh! My lord! Where are you going?"
"Hello, my lord. But why are you... is your stomach hurting?"
"I'm going to run around the training ground. And about my stomach, well, hmm."
Hayes and Lena greeted me. Lena tilted her head in confusion as I kept rubbing my stomach. Then Hayes answered for me.
"It's the special digestion-boosting exercise of the lord! He said if he keeps rubbing his stomach like that, he can go to the bathroom twice a day!"
I had given a rough explanation when they asked before, and it seemed to have spread as a rumor throughout the mansion. Thanks to that, recently, all the servants and maids in the mansion started rubbing their stomachs, making it a trend. Apparently, many people were suffering from constipation more than I thought.
"Hayes, no matter how you put it, isn't it a bit much to say something so sensitive out loud?"
"Heh! What's the big deal? I'm happy to clean up after the lord's business!"
"I'll just take your sentiment. Just thinking about it is terrible. It's okay. Ugh."
I scratched the back of my head and stepped back from Hayes' excessive devotion.
"Sometimes her kindness is overwhelming. Is it because of her S-grade trait of devotion?" I pondered over Hayes' trait again. With such a trait, she might sacrifice herself for me if I ever find myself in danger. No, with an S-grade trait of devotion, she would definitely do so!
It's dangerous. Sometimes, she might consider even non-dangerous situations as dangerous and sacrifice herself. Since I plan to nurture Hayes as a capable healer, she is an essential part of my plan. I should occasionally caution her about her excessive devotion.
[Due to the effect of mana circulation, your magic power has increased by 2!]
[For unknown reasons, the mana in your body is entering a 'great circulation' state! Your magic power will increase by 3 starting tomorrow!]
The system mentioned an unknown reason. It's probably referring to a bug.
"Great. Another clean bug mileage accumulation today. Now I have more perks! Little by little, they add up. In a month, that's 90 magic power."
In the past life of <Paradiso>, there might have been a chance for the bug to be fixed, but this is the current life. This bug will probably be something I can use for a lifetime unless I forget or die midway.
Ten minutes later.
As I was running along the training ground, Hayes came running to me. I started running around the training ground a week ago, and as my stamina improved, it became possible with this body.
"My lord, this is a letter from Sir Obren. The one behind it is from Avila. They arrived early in the morning!"
"Thank you. By the way, are you getting the Kalakas petals well?"
Receiving the letters, I naturally changed the topic. Kalakas petal tea. It's a tea made from Kalakas petals that can only be harvested in the Kalakas region located in the southern part of the Nas continent. The taste is like mixing ground rotten caterpillars – that's how the admins described it in <Paradiso>! – making it hard to even put to your lips. But more than anything, it was a tea with a special effect for dieting. People in this world might not know yet.
"When the territory's finances allow, I'll have to create a trading company that exclusively produces and supplies Kalakas petals from Kalakas. There's still three years left before it becomes a big trend."
I recalled the tooltip about Kalakas petals from <Paradiso>. The tooltip had this written:
[Kalakas petals began to gain attention from the year 1417 of the Nas continental calendar, becoming a ray of hope for all the obese people on the continent. However, no matter how good the honey or syrup added to it was, the terrible taste couldn't be masked. Good medicine is not just bitter in taste; it's so harsh that it makes you throw up your lunch!]
Only I know it's a miracle cure for dieting. No one knows about the efficacy of Kalakas petals. For now, people just think of it as a common flower from the Kalakas region.
"As you instructed, I'm planning to receive it from the high priest who went on a pilgrimage to the site."
"High Priest Neode?"
"Yes! He's supposed to arrive at the main temple today, so I plan to have another maid fetch it!"
"Alright, do your best."
"Do my best? I'm just following your orders, my lord! Keep running hard!"
Before I knew it, Hayes disappeared.
"So far, everything is going as planned. A perfect score."
I stopped running around the training ground and took a moment to catch my breath. I ran continuously until I got hungry. It made me so hungry that I was on the verge of collapsing.
"Oh, right, I received letters."
I've been managing my diet more strictly these days, so sometimes I lose track of things like this. I read the letters from Sir Obren, who is in charge of development, and Avila, who handles commerce, one by one.
<My lord, this is Obren. We have succeeded in sprouting and growing the Retriya, which was thought impossible in this territory! Although the harvest may not be significant due to the barren land, if farming becomes possible, it will contribute to increasing the territory's food self-sufficiency. I sincerely thank you for trusting and entrusting me with this task, my lord. I will dedicate myself to the territory with loyalty.>
<My lord, this is Avila. Everything is going smoothly. We will start the full-scale sale of Crivia's magic stones next week. The promotional work for a month in advance went smoothly, and we have already confirmed a 50% increase in the influx of monster hunters compared to the previous month. Comparing it to the same month in previous years, it's a remarkable 200% increase! My heart is pounding. I eagerly await the day I can formally report the results to you, my lord.>
"How great is this synergy effect! The territory should have been running like this long ago."
The letters were filled with nothing but satisfying content. Then the system messages welcomed me.
[Obren and Avila's loyalty has greatly increased! They have reached the maximum level of loyalty and have gained 'Firm Resolve' towards the lord.]
Firm resolve means a transcendent spirit of sacrifice towards the object of loyalty. In other words, they think it's not a waste to sacrifice their lives for this person.
"The loyalty of the territory's people and retainers is growing steadily. Very good."
Snap! Snap! I even snapped my fingers to express my satisfaction. It felt like everything was going smoothly. Finally, the people of the territory and the retainers began to recognize and respect the changed me.
End of Episode 12