While Josh enjoyed his breakfast aporridge filled with dried fruits and a cup of watered-down ale the sound of the doors to the dining hall opening grabbed his attention.

  He raised his gaze from the table and studied the newcomers. He was already familiar with two of them: Bella and Leo. The other two, however, were new faces. One was a middle-aged man with a soft, rounded face and long dark brown hair tucked into a bun, covered by a headscarf.

  If I had to guess, that’s the cook

  The second newcomer appeared to be Bella’s senior an elderly woman wearing the same ankle-length brown dress and woolen stockings as Bella. Her gray hair, tied into a ponytail, gave her an air of elegance together with her wrinkled face and stern gaze reflecting a lifetime of discipline.

  “Milord, I thought this was a perfect opportunity for you to meet the other residents of the manor,” Leo said, taking a deep bow. The others followed suit, staying a step behind him.

  Josh chugged down his ale. “Good job, Leo. Can you introduce them?” he asked.

  “Milord, this is Lyra. She was the personal maid of the last two lords and is also Bella’s mentor, teaching her everything about being a servant,” Leo replied, gently pushing Lyra forward.

  “Greetings, Milord,” Lyra said, curtsying.

  Josh nodded in acknowledgment.

  “And this is Igor. He came to this land from the far north twelve years ago when his home was ravaged by famine. His exceptional skills as a cook earned him a position in our manor,” Leo continued.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Milord,” Igor said, bowing deeply with his back straight.

  “Nice to meet you as well, Igor,” Josh replied.

  Oh yeah, where's my manners?

  “My name is Joshua or Josh, for short. It seems I’m your new lord. I hope you’ll serve me well,” Josh introduced himself.

  That sounded ‘lordly,’ right? Right???

  They replied in unison, with Bella joining in “Milord, its our honor to serve you.”

  Josh stood up and gestured towards the food on the table, a wide grin across his face.

  “Come, join me,” Josh said, using the most commanding voice he could manage.

  “We wouldn’t want to overstep our place, Milord,” Leo said, shaking his head. The other servants took a step back, leaving Leo the only one still facing Josh.

  Great, I guess I’ll be dining by myself for a while.

  Josh sighed. “Okay then, Leo. I’ll eat alone, but you should stay. I have some questions for you. The others may return to their duties.”

  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

  “As you wish, Milord,” Leo replied.

  As the dining hall doors closed, Josh stood up, leaving his breakfast half-finished.

  “Let’s go for a walk, Leo,” Josh said.

  Leo nodded in response.

  As they traversed the ancient halls of the manor, Josh broke the silence.

  “So, Leo, how can I help?” Josh asked.

  Leo pondered for a moment. “Well, Milord, summoned heroes typically bring otherworldly knowledge and an innate talent for mana. They use these gifts to bring prosperity to the lands they reside in.”

  So, I just have to figure out how to use calculus in a lordly way.

  Josh sighed. “I suppose I’ll figure out how to help with my ‘otherworldly’ knowledge. But first, I need to know what I’m supposed to lord over.”

  “You have four villages, each located in a cardinal direction from the manor, Milord,” Leo explained. “The smallest is Shallow Lake Village, to the north. While it contributes little to agriculture, its main products are salt and fish.”

  “That’s the village where the previous lord died, isn’t it?” Josh asked.

  Leo froze, his usual calm demeanor dissapearing for a moment. “That’s correct, Milord,” he said, averting his gaze. “For the past few years, the village has suffered from goblin attacks. Hunting has become difficult, and we’ve been forced to pay tribute in grain to prevent further attacks.” He sighed heavily. “The previous lord tried to stop the goblins by force but failed, paying for it with his life.”

  There’s no way these goblins are like the ones in video games. Those just pillage; they don’t demand tribute.

  “Wait, are the goblins intelligent?” Josh asked.

  Leo hesitated. “I wouldn’t call every one of them intelligent, Milord. However, they are led by a tier 4 goblin shaman whose intelligence rivals that of humans.”

  “And let me guess—we don’t have the manpower or strength to deal with them, especially after the previous lord’s failed attempt.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Leo grunted in agreement.

  Josh sighed. “You mentioned the goblin shaman is tier 4. How powerful is that?”

  Leo’s face darkened. “Very powerful, Milord. As powerful as a royal knight—or ten regular knights.”

  Josh ran his fingers over his face. “I guess we don’t have many soldiers left after the failed raid, either.”

  Leo nodded.

  Well, there’s nothing I can do about it for now. But that’s probably going to be the number one issue to solve.

  “What about the other villages?” Josh asked.

  Leo resumed his stoic expression. “The other villages, while also paying tribute to the goblins, are faring better. To the east is Blackthorn Village, which has substantial livestock but focuses mainly on agriculture. To the south is Whispering Woods Village, named for its groves of Whispering Trees. The wood is our barony’s main export, as it’s excellent material for crafting novice wands and staves. The village focuses on agriculture during the harvest season and shifts to logging afterward.”

  The mention of wands and staves piqued Josh’s interest. “Do we produce the wands and staves ourselves?” he asked.

  “No, Milord. We lack the craftsmen for such intricate work.”

  Depending on the value of those wands, they might be our way out of this goblin situation.

  “What about the last village?” Josh asked.

  “To the west, a ten-minute walk from the manor is Daim Village—the center of our lands. It serves as the capital of our barony, though it lacks a town core and is still classified as a village. It’s the only village merchants visit and houses the granary. Furthermore, it also handles most of the tax collection and administrative functions,” Leo explained.

  So, four villages and a manor. That’s a lot, but also less than I expected, considering all the summoning shenanigans.

  “And how many people live in these villages, Leo?”

  “Milord, Daim Village, the largest, has around five hundred citizens and a little over three thousand serfs,” Leo replied.

  Josh interrupted. “Wait, what’s the difference between serfs and citizens?”

  “Milord, serfs are indebted to you. They work your land to repay their debts. Citizens are debt-free and usually own property or land,” Leo explained as if it were common knowledge.

  So, I have over three thousand people owing me money, and I’ve only been here a day. Way to go, Josh.

  “And how much are they indebted to me, Leo?” Josh asked with a bewildered smile.

  “Their contracts are in your study, Milord,” Leo replied.

  “Let me rephrase that: In the last decade, how many people have gotten out of their debts?” Josh asked, his tone sharp.

  “About three a year, Milord,” Leo replied, visibly confused by Josh’s frustration.

  That’s more like slavery than debt contracts.

  “So, around thirty in a decade. And how many citizens became indebted in that time?” Josh asked, already suspecting the answer.

  “Milord, I believe that number is also around thirty. But you’d need to check the documents in your study to be sure.”

  “How is this different from slavery, Leo?” Josh asked, flabbergasted.

  “Preposterous, Milord! The Pertis Kingdom abolished slavery centuries ago. If any court officials heard this conversation, we’d be hanged,” Leo replied, his face pale.

  So, it’s slavery but not slavery. Oh, great. That’s going to be fun to deal with.

  “We’ll revisit this topic later, Leo. For now, tell me how many people live in the other villages.”

  “In Whispering Woods Village, the second-largest, there are around one hundred seventy citizens and two thousand serfs. In Blackthorn Village, the second-smallest, there are about eighty citizens and twelve hundred serfs. In Shallow Lake Village, the smallest, there are around forty citizens and a thousand serfs, Milord,” Leo said. “These numbers are from a count seven years ago, so they may not be accurate anymore.”

  These seem pretty large villages in terms of earth standards.

  “Can I visit these villages, Leo?” Josh asked thoughtfully.

  I need to see how the common people—or ‘indentured servants’—live in this world.

  “We’d need to make preparations, Milord,” Leo replied.

  “Lead me to the study, then. While I’m there, you can prepare for my visit to the villages,” Josh said, trying to maintain a formal tone.

  “Also, conduct a new census of all the people in the villages. That’s my first task for you as your lord,” Josh added, not wanting to forget.

  “With pleasure, Milord,” Leo said, heading back to the manor to guide Josh to the study.

  Leo bowed as they entered the study and left Josh alone. The room was modestly sized, with a dark table similar to the one in the dining hall, though much smaller. A candlestick with an unlit candle sat on the table, alongside a stack of yellowish papers. Behind the table was a window like the one in Josh’s bedroom. To the left stood a small bookshelf containing no more than twenty books.

  Josh sat down and picked up the nearest stack of papers.

  Wait, I can’t read this. It’s not in English—hell, the letters aren’t even Latin.

  He facepalmed after examining the gibberish on the papers, then stood up to find someone who could read them for him.

  Wait, how were we able to understand each other? They definitely weren’t speaking English.

  It didn’t take long for Josh to find Bella cleaning the halls.

  “Hey, Bella, what language am I speaking right now?” he asked, realizing that reading should come second to speaking.

  “Milord, you’re speaking Common,” Bella replied, caught off guard.

  “Not English?”

  “What is English, Milord?” she asked, bewildered.

  Must be some magic-fuckery going on here.

  “Never mind. Can you read these papers for me in the study?” Josh asked.

  “I don’t know how to read, Milord,” Bella replied, her eyes wide.

  “Great, just great” Josh muttered under his breath.

  “Do you know anyone who can read?” He asked.

  “Only Leo, Milord. He was a former knight,” Bella replied thoughtfully.

  “When you see Leo, tell him to come to me,” Josh said.

  “With pleasure, Milord,” Bella replied, bowing deeply.

  Josh returned to the study and examined the bookshelf. Out of twenty-three books, one was a picture book detailing a knight’s quest to save a princess from a dragon. The knight crossed an unstable bridge, withstood the dragon’s breath, and escaped on a donkey with the princess.

  Josh was on his ninth read-through of the picture book when Leo entered the study.

  “Milord, the carriage is ready for your visit to the villages,” Leo said with a slight bow.

  “Great, let’s go,” Josh replied.