Chapter 189
The building that was constructed to be the mansion that Christina would live in was two floors, and covered a rather large plot of land considering the size of Bern Village itself.
It was built on top of a hill overlooking the river that flows from the northeast to the southwest of the village. This was done so that guests who come to visit the mansion would enter from the south, and they would have to pass through as much of Bern Village as possible before making it to the mansion.
Meant to serve as a last resort for the village in case of an emergency, the mansion was surrounded by a moat of water and a stone wall that would block out any intruders.
Needless to say, I’ve applied many layers of magic to these defensive walls, and I’ve also set up numerous traps throughout the grounds of the mansion.
If you are the lord of a mansion in a faraway territory caught in the fires of war, it’s only natural that you should prepare for the possibility of war with the other species living in the dark wilderness to the northwest.
Three days after Selina, Dramina, Lynette, Diadora, and I returned home to Bern Village, Christina arrived with enough gold and silver on hand for a single village noble to live off of without any other income for ten years.
By the time Christina arrived, the mansion we had worked together to build in a hurry was safely completed, and the furniture she would need for daily life had already been brought in.
Christina, the granddaughter of the previous Marquis of Almadia, who had been in charge of the development plan for the northern part of the kingdom, including Bern Village, was welcomed with open arms by the villagers of my parents’ generation and older, as they remembered the intense times of the past.
Those of us in my generation didn’t know about the previous generation directly, but they knew Christina from when she visited Bern Village in the early spring and summer last year, and that she had risked her life to fight for the village, so they had no complaints or doubts toward her.
Christina’s beauty, which can be clearly appreciated regardless of gender, is one of the main reasons, but the fact that she can be relied on to fight off any kind of fierce beast or monster that appears in this area without any problems is another big reason why they feel like they can rely on her.
Now that Christina has been safely welcomed into Bern Village, the entire village is working together to prepare for the inauguration ceremony of their new lord, Christina Almadia, Baron of Bern.
The development project being resumed, the appointment of the daughter of the Almadia Marquis as lord, and the fact that the Arc Witch’s successor would be under her command, were all topics that were somewhat controversial, but there had been enough time for everyone in the neighborhood to become aware of it.
Because of that, knowledge about Bern Village has been spreading like wildfire among sharp merchants and those looking for a place to stay, and more and more strangers than before have been visiting the village since a few days prior to the inauguration.
The good news had gotten out not that long after winter break, but new houses were already being built here and there, and the number of residents in Bern Village was increasing.
When I checked with the Village Chief and Shenna, the village population was already nearing five hundred people.
It was truly fortunate that so many people still wanted to live here, regardless of the war that had occurred with the goblins here. The fact that the village had a strong defensive force and had a unique trading relationship with Ente Forest was more than enough of a selling point for Bern Village.
When it was announced that an inauguration ceremony would be held for Christina on the mansion grounds, the merchants who had come to the village became obsessed with making more money, celebrating the inauguration of the new lord, marking the birth of the baron.
Since they are actively trading and doing business with us, they are circulating more money through our economy, so we should welcome them, as long as they do their work in moderation.
The inauguration ceremony started in the morning, and the congratulatory messengers sent by the neighboring nobles all lined up.
Neither Christina nor I knew the faces of the vassals from the other noble families in the other territories, but the friends who showed up for the inauguration ceremony more than made up for that.
I, Christina, Selina and the others were all in the office on the second floor of the mansion, looking out the window at the visitors to the mansion relaxing freely in the garden, socializing with both familiar faces and with people they didn’t know.
In the office, where the duties of a lord have yet to be performed, Ente-Yggrasil was purposefully brought along, and its broken branches were used as materials to make an office desk, a long reception desk, and a bookshelf to place the large coral and water stones that were sent from the Dragon Palace.
It’s not something that a baron who only has one village in her possession could possibly put together, but it could be said this irregularity is typical of us, and of Bern Village.
Besides us, the other people in the office were Nelneshia, Fatima, Sierra, Phenia, Lenia, and Irina, who had rushed over from the Galois Magic Academy, even though we had just exchanged goodbyes earlier.
Not just Christina and the other girls, but also myself, Selina, Dramina, and Lynette were all dressed up so as not to bring shame to Christina’s debut, but all of us besides Dramina felt a bit cramped in these decorative clothes.
The only thing was that Diadora’s normal attire, which looks like a dress, was actually a part of her body. It’s a good thing that it was originally an outfit that fits a standard which wouldn’t be problematic for a special event like this.
Phenia and the others were serving as messengers from their respective families, and we received congratulatory gifts from them when they arrived in the village.
The closest territory to Bern Village was held by Lenia’s Blaster Blast family, but there still weren’t any road directly connecting the two territories yet.
At this point, there are few reasons for any exchanges between the two territories to happen, unless it’s due to their daughter’s whims, like right now.
Phenia, who had been looking at the register of names of the messengers and emissaries who had come to the mansion, stood up from her chair, and began to compare the faces of the people gathered in the garden from the window.
Since the main part of the inauguration itself had not yet begun, the atmosphere down there was more like a garden party event, but the emissaries were either smiling suitably for social events, or they were frowning due to being in an unfamiliar place.
「That man with the beard over there is Sir Denan, the Second in Command of the Black Sheep Knights of House Buch. With him are Lord Zug of House Onik, and Nem of Viscount Heim. And, um, those people are…」
Phenia has an excellent memory, so it was unusual for her to not be able to remember someone’s name right away, but Nell picked up after her.
「Sir Domdo, the head mage of the Zima Family. His name isn’t very well known, but he is a hidden talent whose strength is in explosion magic」
「My, Nelneshia. You seem to know him well」
「If it’s about the strong people within this kingdom, then I generally know them all. It’s for when I someday challenge them to a match and win」
「Jeez, you’re always like that. It’s very typical of you, but I hope you act in moderation」
「Well, if I have a painful time, I’m sure to improve」
「You aren’t being careful at all. I hope there’s there’s someone out there who will come along soon and teach you some restraint」
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