A few days after returning from the royal capital, Vain boarded a carriage first thing in the morning with a blatantly sour scowl. Clarice had insisted he inspect the domain at least once, claiming its state had changed dramatically during their absence, but he personally would have preferred to settle everything with a written report.
"...Do I really need to go? If something broke or a dispute broke out, I'd understand, but if things are running smoothly, there's no real need for me to see it, right?"
"We're going to see it precisely because things are going smoothly! The population grew while we were in the royal capital, and the state of the town has completely transformed. I've been explaining that to you since yesterday, haven't I?"
"Then you could just take a look and report back to me—"
"The moment I mentioned we could have lunch in town, you climbed into the carriage on your own, didn't you?"
Vain silently turned his face toward the window. Naturally, he hated making inspection tours around the domain. The travel took time, and listening to people wherever he went usually meant fresh piles of work tumbling onto his plate. Lounging around the mansion in blissful ignorance was far more comfortable, but today he had let himself be baited by the promise of a good meal.
Despite those grumpy thoughts, as the carriage trundled along, Vain found himself staring out the window for longer and longer stretches.
This area was the new land granted to him by Alecia during the Royal Selection. When he had first inspected it, the highway was in disrepair, abandoned warehouses dotted the landscape, and the villages had no vitality whatsoever. To Vain, it had felt less like receiving a domain and more like receiving an extra black hole for his funds, but...
Grudgingly, he had repaired the roads, restored the warehouses, and poured funds wherever necessary so people could return. Every time he did, gold coins vanished, leaving him cursing the land Alecia had foisted upon him more times than he could count.
Yet now, numerous cargo wagons came and went along that very highway. The once-desolate roadsides bustled with people, and in front of the warehouses visible in the distance, goods were being busily loaded and unloaded.
Vain pressed his face close to the glass.
"...This place was way worse when I first came here, wasn't it? The road was full of potholes, and those warehouses were barely even used."
"Indeed... It's changed quite a bit, hasn't it?"
"It's insanely clean! I really am amazing."
"...Could you please not talk as if you fixed it all by yourself?"
"I'm the one who paid for it, so it's basically the same as me doing it."
Declaring this without a shred of remorse, Vain looked out the window once more. Back then, it had been a painful expenditure... Pouring money into roads, into warehouses, bleeding wealth every time he restored a neglected area. He had genuinely wondered what the point of becoming a duke even was.
Yet now, merchants were using those roads. Goods were gathering in the warehouses, and the laborers working there had multiplied. When people travel back and forth, they stay at inns, buy meals, and trade goods. Naturally, the volume of money circulating through the domain increases.
"...At this rate, it looks like I'll easily make back my initial investment."
"The real gains are yet to come, I'd say... But it's certainly no longer a state where you're just bleeding money like before."
"Then there's no problem! It was a painful expense, but considering the future profits, it's more than worth it! Besides, it's not like getting a one-time lump sum of gold coins and calling it a day. As long as this land exists, merchants will pass through, and people will live and trade here... In other words, money will keep rolling into my pockets forever from now on."
"...Assuming we maintain it properly, that is."
"Never mind that for now. The point is, this is absolute perfection."
With Vain in an exceedingly good mood, the carriage rolled straight into the town.
◇
As they drew closer to the center of town, the transformation became even more apparent. Far more stalls lined the market than before, and travelers laden with luggage clustered in front of the inns. Alongside the cargo wagons walked craftsmen carrying tools on their backs, young men clutching ledgers, and even men with swords at their waists who looked like former soldiers. A long line had even formed outside the municipal office handling business registrations and job referrals.
Vain surveyed the street, nodding in satisfaction.
"It's not just more merchants... There are even people coming here looking for work."
"It's the influence of the Military Tournament... House Razgrim won in the royal capital, after all. Our name spread through the newspapers, and more merchants began thinking the highways would be safe if our soldiers are that strong. Along with that, rumors seem to have spread that House Razgrim values ability over status and actually pays for work done."
"I see... So instead of us having to hunt down people, the talent is coming right to our doorstep... This is huge! No need to ask for introductions, and no money wasted searching around. We just have to pick the useful ones out of the bunch."
"Terrible phrasing aside... it's certainly true that gathering people has become much easier than before."
In the royal capital, he had only cared about the prize money, but the tournament seemed to have yielded far more than just a cash purse. Increased prestige, more merchants, and talent flocking over on their own accord. In Vain's mind, his evaluation of the Military Tournament climbed even higher.
"The tournament was way more useful than I thought... We got five hundred gold coins, and the domain makes a profit all on its own. Entering was totally the right call!"
"If you only look at the positives, sure..."
Clarice pointed slightly ahead.
A sign was posted at the entrance of an inn indicating there were no vacancies, and a long queue of cargo wagons stretched along the road leading to the warehouses. Elsewhere, merchants were squabbling over stall locations while domain officials stepped in to mediate.
"When the population grows, they need places to live, and we run short on warehouses... We can't hire every single person who comes looking for work either, so we have to assess their skills and assign them where they're needed. More merchants mean more registrations and more proposals to lease land. The livelier it gets, the more work there is for the administrators, you know?"
Vain's smile gradually faded. The crowd of people that had looked like piles of gold coins just moments ago suddenly morphed into an enormous mountain of work.
"I see... It'd be ideal if they could just drop off their money and go home."
"If such convenient merchants existed, I'd love to meet them too..."
Vain let out a heavy sigh.
Just as he thought, coming to inspect the domain was a mistake.
◇
When they returned to the mansion, a scene that looked like their town tour converted directly into paperwork awaited them. Stacked upon the office desk were registrations from those wishing to start new businesses, applications to lease warehouses, records of job seekers, and even petitions from merchants wanting to expand the inns.
"Even with this, we delegate whatever can be decided by lower staff, you know? Only matters concerning land use, large sums of money, and things that can't be decided arbitrarily get escalated up here. Even so, this is the sheer volume lately, so it probably won't decrease anytime soon."
Clarice sorted through the documents as she explained. Things to review today, things to pass to others, things that weren't urgent. Even though her hands moved with barely a moment's hesitation, the mountain on the desk stubbornly refused to shrink.
Vain watched her, recalling the job seekers lined up in town.
"Clarice... Let's hire more aides."
Clarice's hands stopped.
"Out of nowhere... Is this because of what you saw in town today?"
"Pretty much... People are gathering on their own, so we might as well hire two or three useful ones. That way you won't have to do everything yourself, right?"
"I agree with the idea of increasing our numbers. If the work keeps piling up like this, I was thinking it'd be impossible to manage alone anyway. But it's not like just anyone will do for an aide... We have to teach them about the domain, and we need to choose which documents they can handle. If there are candidates, I'd like to speak with them directly first—"
"That's fine... Leave the organizing and checking that anyone can do to the new hires. It's better if you look at the more important things."
Up to that point, Clarice had been listening normally.
However, Vain continued speaking his thoughts aloud.
"Besides, there's no rule saying there has to be only one aide... It's faster to offload any work that doesn't strictly require you to someone else."
Clarice's expression shifted slightly.
"...'Work that doesn't strictly require me,' is it?"
"Well, yeah, isn't there plenty? If you're bogged down with things anyone could handle, you won't have time for the tasks I actually want to entrust to you... That'd be a waste."
In Vain's mind, he intended this as high praise. Clarice, however, didn't answer right away, casting her gaze down at the desk instead. For some reason, the image of Lydia talking to Vain yesterday flashed through her mind, and she set down the paper in her hand as if shaking it away.
"I already said I agree with increasing the aides, didn't I? But deciding to 'offload it to someone else' beforehand without asking me first doesn't feel great... Teaching new people the job and deciding how much to entrust to them isn't simple! You know at least a little about how I've kept this place running until now, don't you?"
"I'm not taking you lightly! It's the exact opposite. The tasks that only you can handle are increasing, so I want to reduce the rest."
At those words, Clarice's expression softened just a fraction.
Vain, however, failed to notice.
"That makes things easier for me, too."
"...You really are something, aren't you?"
"What? I just said something pretty nice, didn't I?"
"If only you hadn't added that last part! Just when I thought you were actually being considerate for once, you always bring it right back to yourself!"
"Me having an easier time and your workload decreasing go hand in hand, don't they? It's not like it has to be one or the other."
"I understand the logic! I understand, but... that's not what this is about!"
Clarice clamped her mouth shut after blurting that out. She knew they needed more aides. She knew Vain wasn't trying to push her out. Yet whenever he said things like 'there doesn't have to be just one' or 'anyone else can do it,' she felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.
Even Vain could tell she was acting different from usual.
"Hey... Is something else bothering you besides the aide thing?"
"I don't know... I don't even understand it myself!"
Clarice looked most surprised by her own outburst. Even so, she clearly didn't want to talk any further right now, gathering only her own documents from the desk into her arms.
"I agree with hiring more aides! Once the candidates are chosen, I'll review them too... But I don't want to talk to you anymore today... Finish the rest yourself!"
"Hey... Wait! Don't just bail halfway through."
"It's work anyone can do, isn't it? Then by all means, handle it yourself!"
Leaving behind a strangely polite parting shot, Clarice marched out of the office. Staring at the closed door, Vain remained motionless for a while.
"...Where did I go wrong?"
◇
A short while later, Mylene brought tea into the office, looking back and forth between the paperwork left on the desk and Vain slumped in his chair.
"My Lord... Is Lady Clarice not with you?"
"She got mad and walked out. All I tried to do was lighten her workload, though."
"Um... What exactly did you say to her?"
Vain recounted the recent turn of events almost verbatim. How he wanted to hire more aides while people were gathering, how he thought they should delegate work anyone could do to others so Clarice could focus on more important matters. And how her mood had soured right around when he said 'there doesn't have to be just one aide' and 'we'll offload work that doesn't strictly require you to someone else.'
Having listened to the end, Mylene fell silent for a moment.
"...My Lord. You are completely in the wrong here!"
"Why?! Not you too?!"
"It is not about increasing the number of aides... It is a matter of your phrasing. Lady Clarice has worked right by your side ever since you were still a count, hasn't she? To tell someone who learned the domain's affairs, supported you, and continued doing so all this time that you will 'give work that doesn't strictly require you to someone else' or that 'there doesn't have to be just one aide'... It is only natural she would take issue with that."
"But I meant it in the sense that I want her to focus on the work only she can handle."
"Then please say that first!"
Rebuked so sharply, Vain shut his mouth. Mylene wasn't yelling, yet for some reason, he felt far more cornered than when Clarice had been angry with him.
"If you had started by explaining, 'Work has been increasing lately, so I want you to focus on what only you can do, Lady Clarice. To that end, I would like to increase our staff,' she would have received it very differently! My Lord, even when everything is clearly connected in your own head, you have a habit of skipping all the intermediate steps when you speak."
"...Is it really that bad?"
"Yes! Quite."
Met with an answer delivered without the slightest hesitation, Vain sank deeper into his chair.
"Then what am I supposed to do..."
"You do not wish to hire more people because Lady Clarice is no longer needed, correct?"
"It's the opposite. The things I want to entrust to her have increased, so I want to get the work that gets in the way out of her hands."
"Then please convey that to her directly. Your feelings will not reach her if you simply keep them to yourself, you know?"
Having been told that much by Mylene, Vain turned his gaze toward the closed door.
The desolate land he had received from Alecia was finally starting to generate money. Thanks to the Military Tournament, merchants and talented individuals were gathering entirely on their own, and from here on out, it would likely continue churning out profits for a long time if managed well.
Up to that point, everything had been fantastic. Yet by the end of the day, all he was left with was a mountain of paperwork, an angry aide, and a scolding from his head maid.
Looking at the documents on his desk, Vain let out a deep sigh.