When the group arrived at Fenris Castle, they were greeted by a bleak sight.

The people looked no better than beggars, their eyes lifeless, like the dead eyes of fish. It was as if they had given up on life itself.

Ghislain frowned. "The situation is worse than I thought."

He had anticipated it might be bad after passing through the impoverished villages on the way, but he hadn’t expected the area around the castle itself to be in such dire condition.

It meant the previous lord had squeezed every last bit of potential from the land and its people.

Even the soldiers guarding the castle were no exception. Their equipment was in disrepair, and they showed no sign of motivation.

‘They don’t even have the strength to rebel,’ Ghislain thought.

It takes at least some strength and willpower to attempt a rebellion. These people looked like they were just waiting to die, lacking the energy for any form of resistance.

Though they must have heard the news of the arrival of a new lord, their eyes were filled with nothing but despair. They had been exploited for so long that they no longer believed in any lord, no matter who it was.

Even in Peredium, despite the poverty, people hadn’t been this broken.

The others in the group also clicked their tongues and shook their heads in dismay.

No matter how they looked at it, this place was barely fit for human habitation—testament to how much the previous lord had bled the people dry.

Fenris territory had no resources or specialties worth mentioning. The land wasn’t even good for farming. To live a life of luxury, the lord must have resorted to continuously squeezing the life out of the land’s inhabitants.

‘If anyone else had become the lord instead of our young master, these people would have withered away,’ Belinda muttered, clicking her tongue.

Fortunately, with Ghislain holding the rune stone, there was hope. The most important thing for feeding the people and developing the territory was money, after all.

Claude, too, realized this and steeled himself.

‘Developing this territory will take a long time, but at least the lord has money. We won’t have trouble surviving.’

Claude considered all the information he had gathered.

‘It’s a challenge worth taking on.’

He saw this as a chance to prove his abilities. However, if he had known Ghislain’s true intentions, he would have fled for his life, abandoning any thoughts of gratitude.

Claude had no idea how grand Ghislain’s ambitions were, nor how quickly he intended to achieve them. He also didn’t know that Ghislain’s enemy was the powerful Delphine Ducal House.

Not even Ghislain’s closest allies, Belinda and Gillian, were aware of that fact, as he had kept it hidden from them on purpose.

The biggest reason for keeping it secret was to avoid unnecessary confusion by discussing it without solid evidence.

It would be far more convincing to simply say that Ghislain harbored ambitions to overthrow the Delphine House.

‘Not yet,’ Ghislain thought as he glanced at Claude, who seemed deep in thought, before turning away.

The ducal house would eventually reveal itself. When that time came, Ghislain would reveal the truth.

As soon as Ghislain entered the castle, he called for a gathering of all the officials. Though their numbers were small, they had managed to maintain enough administrative power to prevent the territory from collapsing entirely.

The officials hurriedly bowed their heads as soon as they saw Ghislain.

“We greet the lord. We were unsure of your arrival time and thus could not prepare a proper welcome. If you give us a moment, we can quickly—”

It was customary to hold a grand banquet when a new lord was installed. Fearing the wrath of a disgruntled noble, the officials immediately groveled.

“That won’t be necessary. I have no intention of wasting time with such things,” Ghislain said, his tone making it clear that he meant it.

The officials, unsure if he was being sincere or sarcastic, looked confused.

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain continued, “Let me make this clear—there will be no banquets in the castle for the time being. I won’t interfere with personal gatherings, but anything that affects the people negatively will not be tolerated.”

Without waiting for a response, Ghislain immediately moved on to business.

His message was clear, and he had no desire to waste time explaining his reasoning or convincing them. The priority was stabilizing the territory as quickly as possible.

“The state of the territory looks poor, so the first step will be to bring it back to normal. It may feel harsh, but I expect you all to cooperate fully. If you have any good suggestions, don’t hesitate to speak up.”

Everyone bowed their heads and accepted his orders.

Those who had participated in the war had already been executed by Ghislain, and the remaining officials knew better than to oppose him.

“I’m abolishing all current positions, and we will form a new advisory council.”

Those gathered stiffened, their faces growing tense.

How the positions would be distributed would determine whether they could maintain the power they had held until now.

After pausing to observe their reactions, Ghislain pointed to Claude.

“From now on, Claude here will serve as the chief administrator and will be in charge of forming and implementing policies. Consider his commands as coming directly from me, and cooperate with him unconditionally. He also has full authority to appoint secretaries and other officials as needed for administrative work.”

The officials were surprised by the unexpected appointment, but they quickly accepted it. It was common for a lord to appoint a close confidant to an important position.

Claude, for his part, wore a calm expression, as if he had expected this. Ghislain had mentioned from the beginning that he wanted Claude to manage the territory.

Considering the poor state of the land, Claude would need full authority as chief administrator to do his job effectively.

Ghislain continued, “Claude will also be in charge of the treasury.”

At this, several officials gasped involuntarily before quickly covering their mouths.

It was rare for one person to hold two high-ranking positions.

Claude, though momentarily surprised, quickly understood.

‘Well, it makes sense. It’ll be faster and easier if I handle the finances myself.’

He would rather have more work than deal with the hassle of fighting over budget decisions with a treasurer. He was confident he could handle it.

After all, if he couldn’t escape, it was better to have more authority.

But Ghislain wasn’t done yet.

“Claude will also be in charge of intelligence gathering. He can select his own subordinates as needed.”

Claude’s expression began to harden as he felt a sense of unease.

‘Right. Information is important. It’s better to be prepared ahead of time than scrambling once a war breaks out.’

But Ghislain still wasn’t finished.

“Claude will be the head of the diplomatic department…”

“He’ll also handle public safety. We’ll replenish the soldiers as necessary…”

“And in times of war, Claude will serve as the strategic advisor…”

“To quickly develop the territory, we’re establishing a special development department, with Claude as its head…”

“We’ll also be overhauling the legal system, and Claude will serve as the chief justice…”

“Claude will also oversee supply management and serve as quartermaster…”

“And we’re founding a new trade guild. Claude will be the guildmaster…”

As Ghislain continued, the faces of those present grew pale.

Claude began to tremble, his face twitching as beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

Suddenly, he remembered what Ghislain had said before they left Austern.

— "Don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to get everything out of you."

That statement had been deadly serious.

‘He’s basically saying he’s going to dump all the work on me! How much does he expect me to handle?!’

In reality, a single position as chief administrator would have been enough to manage the territory.

The fact that Ghislain was piling on every possible role meant he wanted Claude to personally oversee and handle everything directly.

Some people are like that—they can’t rest until they see things through to the end themselves.

Unfortunately for Claude, his young lord seemed to be one of those people.

But instead of doing all the work himself, Ghislain had dragged Claude along to unload the burden onto him.

At this rate, Claude was certain he would die from overwork.

Looking desperate, Claude spoke up seriously, “I want to spend the rest of my life with Anna. Please, grant me your permission. I don’t think I’m suited for life here. The air doesn’t agree with me, the water doesn’t agree with me… and neither does the work.”

Ghislain asked with a smirk, “Didn’t you say it hurt too much to be around her?”

“Time heals all wounds. I was just trying to act cool. You know, ‘the pain of youth’ and all that.”

Though embarrassed to contradict himself so quickly, Claude figured it was better to feel a bit of shame than to die from exhaustion.

But Ghislain wasn’t that easy to deal with.

“It’s too late for that now. There’s only one way for you to leave.”

“What… way?”

Ghislain smiled sweetly. “Pay back the money. Then I’ll let you go.”

“Ugh…”

Claude clenched his fists, unable to respond.

He had wasted years gambling to pay off debts. He had barely escaped that life, only to find himself shackled again by money.

‘I won’t give up that easily!’

Claude gritted his teeth. If he was going to die, he would at least speak his mind first. But before he could, Belinda jumped in, complaining loudly.

“Young master! How could you assign him so much work?”

Claude turned to look at her, his eyes gleaming with hope. She might be annoying with her sharp tongue, but right now, he was grateful for her intervention.

“This man is a gambling addict, a ruined mess of a person, a quitter, an idiot, and someone who doesn’t even understand women! I bet he can’t even handle cleaning toilets!”

‘Hey, I’m not that bad…’ Claude thought, his face twisting into an odd expression that was somewhere between a laugh and a cry.

He glanced around, noticing that the existing officials were now looking at him with even more suspicion. It seemed they had already formed preconceived notions about him before he had even started working.

Just as Claude was about to stop Belinda, Gillian’s deep voice chimed in.

“My lord, this man’s capabilities have yet to be proven. Perhaps it would be wiser to give him responsibilities one at a time.”

‘That’s the way to go!’ Claude thought, relieved. Gillian’s approach was much more reasonable. He wasn’t insulting Claude, but merely suggesting a cautious path.

But before Claude could relax, Gillian added, “He was addicted to gambling, and we all know that gambling can dull the mind. It’s possible he’s even forgotten how to read.”

‘Hey!’

Claude shot a glare at Gillian with dead eyes.

Gillian, unfazed, continued, “Even if that’s not the case, his body and mind are likely out of shape after so many years of doing nothing. If you give him too much power, he’ll probably just misuse it to gamble again.”

Though Gillian’s tone was more respectful than Belinda’s, his comments stung even more.

Panicking, Claude glanced around again.

Now everyone’s eyes were filled with doubt.

Claude’s gaze fell on one particular figure—a man with red hair and a cocky stance who was glaring at him with a challenging look.

‘What was his name… Kaor?’

Kaor had been in charge of maintaining order in Fenris territory while Ghislain was away in Austern.

Today was the first time Claude had met him, but Kaor’s gaze was far too intense for a first encounter.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

It felt like Kaor was trying to assert dominance, staring at him without blinking.

Claude let out a quiet laugh.

He had lived among thugs in gambling dens and had been involved in treason. He had lived through too many rough situations to be intimidated by a mere look.

‘Take this,’ he thought, discreetly raising his middle finger just enough for Kaor to see.

Kaor’s face twisted in anger, and his hand instinctively moved to the sword at his waist.

Even though he was trembling with rage, Kaor kept glancing nervously at Ghislain, unable to act.

‘Annoyed, aren’t you? But you won’t make a move in front of the lord, will you?’

Feeling emboldened, Claude went a step further, making a rude gesture by placing his thumb between his fingers and shaking it.

“You bastard!”

Unable to control himself, Kaor finally drew his sword and charged at Claude.