"Alright, that's enough, both of you."
Fortunately, there was one person who could stop the two of them.
"My lady!"
Lawrence smiled brightly, as if he had met a goddess in hell. In fact, Ava, who grew more beautiful each day as she recovered her health, was so lovely one would believe her if she were called a goddess. Such a woman looked at her husband and son, let out a small sigh, and spoke.
"First, let's both of you calm down."
"Ahem, very well, my dear."
"Mother, Father is, of all the..."
"You be quiet for now, too."
"Yes."
Even Patrick couldn't throw a tantrum at his mother, Ava. Then, Ava looked at her husband with a warm smile and said.
"Our son has done a good thing, hasn't he? You should praise him first."
"Ahem, I was just about to do that."
And then, Baron Schneider looked at Patrick with a heartwarming smile and said.
"My son. You have done something truly great."
"Yeeees."
A vein throbbed on his forehead.
"It's not just because you brought back a lot of money. I am truly proud that you saw children in need and did not turn away, but helped them."
"Yeeeeeees."
"You. This..."
"Honey."
"Nngh, right. In any case, you have worked very hard."
He couldn't help but think that even though this was his own son, he was truly difficult to deal with. Then, Ava looked at her son, Patrick, and said.
"My son. I am proud of you too."
"Yes. Thank you, Mother."
Look at that brat, discriminating between people. I wonder whose child he is, to have such fantastic... 'Ah, he's my child.
Hah....'
Baron Schneider lamented the fact that blaming him would only be like spitting while lying on his back. And Ava spoke to Patrick.
"For you, who has contributed so much to the fief, just saying thank you won't be enough. If there is something you desire, tell me."
At Ava's words, Patrick's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"Kuhuhu, as expected of Mother. You know what's what."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It's only right to give a reward that matches the achievement. Is it right to just brush it off with a 'thanks' or 'I appreciate it'? Right?"
At the end, Patrick looked at his father and asked. At that, Baron Schneider felt a pang of guilt and said.
"Ahem, that is, of course, true. Is it not natural to give a fitting reward to one who has achieved great things?"
"Hmm, as expected of my father. So fair."
"Hahaha. Yes. Yes."
In any case, as Patrick seemed to have calmed down, Baron Schneider also let out a sigh of relief. In truth, he was not a petty man who would be stingy about rewarding someone for their achievements. He was just not used to it.
'Someone has to achieve something for me to give a reward.' In the Schneider Fief, busy just trying to survive being overrun by monsters every day, who could possibly achieve something noticeable? They had to do their best just to maintain the status quo.
Because of that, Baron Schneider had never greatly praised his subordinates.
'How foolish. Jaycol Schneider.
No matter what, my son came back after achieving something great, and I didn't even think to give him a reward.' Baron Schneider let out a deep sigh of self-reproach. He was truly ashamed that he hadn't realized it until his wife pointed it out.
And he spoke seriously to Patrick.
"My son, state what you desire. If it is within my power, I will grant you anything."
"Oh? Really?"
"Of course."
"You definitely said 'anything' with your own mouth, right, Father? You're not going to go back on your word later, are you?"
"Of course not."
"Hehehe, good. In that case, first..."
Baron Schneider learned a lesson that day. One should not speak carelessly.
A lord is someone who holds a great deal of authority. The right to enforce the law in the land they rule, the right to control soldiers, the right to collect taxes, and so on. Within one's own fief, the power held by the title of lord is no different from that of a small king.
This was no exaggeration even for Baron Schneider, who was so good-natured he deserved to be called a pushover and a fool.
"I will create a merchant group in the family's name and run it myself. And give me the authority to train the soldiers and command them in operations. As for the authority to appoint knights, how about this? I recommend them, and you appoint them, Father. And also, the right to explore the undeveloped areas of the forest, give that to me..."
"Do you just want to be the lord?"
"Huh? Really?"
"No, no, no, no. That's not it."
"Tch."
Baron Schneider, who hastily denied it, broke into a cold sweat as he watched his son click his tongue in disappointment. He was serious. That brat of a son was the type who would actually become the lord if told to.
"Ayy, even so, I haven't even had my coming-of-age ceremony yet, so I can't be the lord. For now, you can do it a little longer, Father."
"Right. I'm so grateful I could cry."
So grateful I could cry, you little brat.
"So, my son."
"Yes, Mother."
"What do you plan to do with the children you brought?"
"Hmm, first of all, there are too many children in poor health."
"So it seemed."
"I think I should first create a communal childcare facility and let them recover. They need to be fed well and sleep well."
"And after that?"
"If there are people in the fief who want to, we'll go through the adoption process, and if that doesn't work, we'll have to raise them."
Hearing Patrick's explanation, Ava smiled warmly and said.
"You had already thought it all through."
"Hahaha. This much is nothing."
"You sound just like someone who's done this many times before."
"... Haaaah...."
At Ava's words, Patrick suddenly let out a deep sigh and thought to himself.
"What's wrong?"
"No. It's just that I was reminded of the old days."
"... You?"
What should a mother do when her ten-year-old son gets a distant look on his face while thinking about the old days? Regardless, Patrick recalled his past and sighed again and again.
'Sigh.
Orphans are the least of it.' Supporting the reintegration of beggars from the slums into society. The rehabilitation of common people who became bandits because it was hard to make a living.
Finding jobs for scholars who failed their exams and were dejected. He even helped a lovesick monk groaning in pain to return to secular life and acted as his matchmaker. How did he have such a colorful range of experiences, you ask?
When your Master is a pushover, you end up doing everything. The pitiful, the pathetic, the needy. Wasn't he Radiant Dragon Grandmaster Jin Cheon, the one who ran here and there to satisfy the meddling nature of his Master, who insisted on helping anyone and everyone he could?
'Compared to back then, a few dozen orphans are nothing. Yes, nothing at all.'
"Well, I'll take care of the children. Don't worry."
"Alright. I trust my son."
"Ahem, I trust in your abilities as well, my son."
Receiving his parents' dependable support, Patrick went outside the mansion.
"If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it right."
It wasn't just the orphans. The money he had earned this time was not just money. It was the capital that could completely change the future of the fief depending on how it was used.
'First, I have to improve the fief's food situation, distribute new arms to the soldiers, and ah, I have to oversee their training too. To check on the orphans' health, I'll need to call for a doctor, right?
And also...'
There was a mountain of work to do. Just like the familiar old days. Thinking about it, a small laugh escaped him.
Patrick, who smiled at the thought, 'This damn fate of mine doesn't change even after being reborn,' looked up at the sky and said.
"It's alright. I can do it all."
"Mom, I'm hungry."
"Drink some water. You'll feel a little better."
"No. I said I'm hungry. Can't I have just one more potato?"
Her four-year-old son wasn't asking for much, just earnestly wishing for one more potato. From a mother's perspective, it was a heartbreakingly sad thing, but she still had to refuse him firmly.
"No." "Mooom."
"I said no, didn't I? Are you going to keep upsetting your mother?"
"Hiiing...."
Her son began to whimper, and though she wore a stern expression for him, in her heart, she was wailing. After her husband, a woodcutter, was killed by monsters, raising a child alone was a brutally difficult task.
Fortunately, the people of the fief were kind, and her neighbors helped a lot, but it was still by no means easy for her to raise a child by herself.
During the day, she helped in other people's fields, and at night, she sewed the mending work she received all night long, but she still couldn't remember the last time she had been able to feed her child until he was full.
"If you're going to upset me, then go outside!"
"Hic... sob..."
Her young son couldn't go outside at his mother's threat, but he squatted in a corner of the room, clutching his hungry stomach and watching his mother's expression.
'I'm sorry. Mommy...
Mommy is sorry.' Forcing herself to look away from her son, she turned her head and secretly shed tears. She knew she had to be strong to raise her son, but life was so hard that she just couldn't stop the flowing tears.
But just then...
"Is anyone home?"
A voice came from outside. She hastily wiped her tears and went out.
"Yes. I'm coming."
Waiting for her as she rushed out of the house were men unloading something from a cart.
"Who are you? Huh? Are you Mr. Chandler?"
"Hello, Mrs. Becky. Is Deron doing well?"
"Yes. We're doing fine."
Since it was a small fief, it was much more common for everyone to know each other by face. As far as she knew, Chandler was rumored to be clever since childhood and was now working as a page at the lord's mansion. But why would someone like Chandler come here?
And what was all this luggage they were unloading in front of her house? Chandler immediately cleared up her confusion.
"The young master is distributing the grain and daily necessities he acquired from Parmas. This is the portion allocated to you."
"What? You're giving us food?"
"Yes. And for necessities, there are clothes, salt, firewood, and though it's not much, there's also sugar."
"... Good heavens."
She was about to pinch her cheek but stopped. If this was a dream, she wished she would never wake up. After unloading all the goods, Chandler spoke.
"Please check the goods here and sign for them. A thumbprint is fine if you can't sign."
"Are you really giving all of this to me?"
"Yes. We will be distributing it to the other residents of the fief as well, not just you."
She bit her lower lip hard. The amount of goods left in front of her house was by no means small. With this much, it seemed they could get through the coming winter without any trouble.
It seemed she could feed her son, who was crying from hunger right now, until he was full. As she was desperately holding back the tears that threatened to fall again, Chandler said to her.
"And in a few days, the young master said he is inviting several doctors to the fief. He said they will be giving free examinations to the residents, so you and Deron should definitely come and get checked."
"Hic...."
The tears she had held back and held back finally burst forth. Seeing her cover her face with both hands, collapse, and sob, Chandler gave a bitter smile and said. It was a sight he had already seen several times today.
How desperate must she have been to act like that? Chandler, whose nose tingled with emotion, patted Becky's shoulder and said.
"Stay strong. The young master said things will get better from now on."
"... Yes. Thank you."
"Then we'll be going. We still have many places to stop by..."
After Chandler and the workers who said so left, Becky, who remained behind, held her son, who looked like he didn't understand what was happening, and said.
"You're hungry, right? Mommy will make you something delicious."
"Woooow. Really?"
Watching her son jump up and down with joy, she felt a sincere gratitude from the bottom of her heart. 'Thank you, my lord. Thank you, young master.'