As soon as I got back to Breisburg, I handed the Schwarz Wolf men over to the Judicial Department. The Judicial Minister immediately called me to his reception hall. Maybe it was just my imagination, but his face seemed to have grown even more gaunt in such a short time.

"To deliver results so quickly. As expected, you don’t disappoint, sir."

"Thank you, but you look a bit worse for wear."

"I’ve been getting protests from the Finance and Administrative Departments over the judicial authority I granted you. Of course I anticipated this would happen, but the backlash has been fiercer than I expected, and it’s been giving me trouble."

The Grand Duke had approved it, but since the proposal came from the Judicial Minister, those stuffy old men must have been throwing a collective fit. If it had been my father-in-law, he would have coolly ignored them, but the Judicial Minister doesn’t seem capable of that.

"But since you’ve delivered such conspicuous results, even if the judicial authority is excessive, the justification holds. Their objections won’t carry much weight. So you may continue as you have been."

"I expect you’ll suffer on my account for a while. Their protests are only going to get more intense."

"Heh heh heh, I’ve already steeled myself. As long as there are results, I can endure any amount of it."

The Finance Department’s protest was over the requisition issue, while the Administrative Department argued I might encroach on the estate managers’ authority. Well, that was actually a fair point. I did plan to encroach.

If I was going to stir up the royal demesnes here and there, clashes with the estate managers were inevitable. Trusting those incompetent estate managers was far slower and less reliable than handling things myself.

And that was also the reason the Grand Duke had accepted the Judicial Minister’s proposal.

I’d felt this for a while, but the Grand Duke seemed strangely favorable toward me. Granting me Feuzen, creating the Gale Knights and appointing me as commander—it all pointed that way. Was I overthinking this?

For the sake of political balance, I planned to side with the Judicial Department. The Administrative Department was on bad terms with the Military Department, second only to the Finance Department anyway. There was no need at all to accommodate them.

"Now that the Schwarz Wolf have been caught, I can finally save face with Count Essenbach. We’d been trying to catch them, but the estate managers couldn’t respond properly, so we’d been losing face all this time."

"I experienced that firsthand in Eisten. Ah, no wonder the Judicial Minister has been so frustrated."

At my words, the Judicial Minister burst into a hearty laugh. Then I considered whether it would be wise to inform him that the Schwarz Wolf had been hired by someone to eliminate Viktor’s family.

I couldn’t share the full details, but having the Judicial Department track down the one who had commissioned the contract killing seemed like a sound approach. As Old Man Bertheim said, you should use whatever can be used.

"Is that true?"

The Judicial Minister’s expression turned grave. Beyond simply apprehending vicious criminals, the involvement of a hidden patron was no ordinary matter. Especially if it was someone from Breisburg, it couldn’t be taken lightly.

"The Schwarz Wolf’s testimony alone can’t be fully trusted, but it’s worth investigating."

"I’d appreciate it. In the meantime, I’ll go catch other vicious criminals."

When I saw his serious expression shift to one of dark anticipation, I felt deeply satisfied at having gifted the sin-laden Schwarz Wolf yet another form of suffering. The Judicial Minister, you see, is fond of torture.

It was that contradictory disposition—championing law and justice while relishing torture—that had shaped the current Judicial Minister. Anyway, after pawning all of them off, I received a fair reward.

Three of the Schwarz Wolf members had bounties on their heads. I received 150 silver coins in total, and the 132 coins they had been carrying also came into my possession.

Since I had captured them, the unwritten rule was that whatever they possessed became mine. Think of it as the same concept as claiming spoils of war.

To earn 282 silver coins in such a short time—what a sweet haul! I love it!

I distributed a portion evenly among the order. The unexpected bonus dramatically boosted the order’s morale. If I don’t take care of my men, who will? That’s how loyalty grows, nice and steady.

"You’ve worked so hard, my love!"

"Whoa, you scared me!"

"Hee hee, what’s the matter? You love it when I throw myself at you like this."

When I got home, Hilda flung herself into my arms. I want to write a long-winded boast about how beautiful and lovable my wife is. The fated bride I met in another world!

Daniel was smiling awkwardly at our intense display of affection. I’d heard he’d been getting lessons from Göring whenever there was time, and judging by his polished posture, he was looking quite the proper butler now.

Hans had also become quite dignified after officially marrying Priscilla and starting a household. The one happiest about her brother’s marriage was Sabine. Their late parents would surely be glad too.

Oscar had also gotten married. The bride was that handmaid from the War Minister’s residence I’d seen before. Since I never seemed to have any free time, Hilda arranged for them to hold the ceremony together with Hans and Priscilla’s wedding.

Unfortunately, only Ted was without a partner. He seemed to be putting blind faith in Gustav of Rosenheim’s promise to introduce him to his younger sister. Anton and Winter were also still unattached.

Since Hilda was looking into it for them, I was sure there would be good news before long.

I sipped strong rose tea and let the fatigue melt away. Daniel, who had been waiting nearby, immediately brought whatever I needed. When I thanked him, he grew bashful. Cute kid.

"While you were gone, Wolf, a guest came from Euz."

"Euz? Ah, the prisoner ransoms must have arrived."

The ransoms for Count Épinay and the eight knights I’d captured had finally arrived. I unsealed the unopened scroll Count Euz had sent. It opened with polite inquiries after my well-being.

He’d sent twenty gold coins as the combined ransom for Count Épinay and the knights.

The negotiations had gone well, and I’d received a higher ransom than expected. With this, I was holding exactly fifty gold coins. As for silver, I wasn’t sure of the exact figure, but it was a bit over 1,800 coins.

Copper coins... is that even money?

I don’t deal in small change anymore.

The reason I earn more than I spend is that I have no time to indulge in luxuries, and I hate wasting money on pointless things. I don’t enjoy gambling, and I don’t flaunt my wealth.

Hilda invests more in horses than in jewels and dresses. Of course, since becoming a lord’s wife, invitations from noble ladies have grown frequent, so she’s been spending what’s appropriate to her station, but even that doesn’t amount to a single gold coin.

As I read further, information about deserters who had turned bandit caught my eye.

Even with the war over, the problems persisted. Count Euz cautioned that a band of deserters who had crossed over from his territory might cause trouble in mine. He had sent some truly valuable information.

I should make the most of this opportunity.

"Oh my, are we really going to Feuzen?"

"Yes. I don’t know how long we’ll be there, but start preparing now."

Hilda, who had been wanting to visit our family fief of Feuzen, was overjoyed at my decision.

I’d planned to visit after assembling the order and wrapping things up to a reasonable extent, but with more matters cropping up by the day, putting it off would mean it would never happen. So I made a bold decision.

The deserter bandits could spill over into Feuzen’s territory, so leading the Gale Knights from a base centered on my home turf would allow for a faster response in many ways, and the justification was sound.

I could also fulfill my role as lord while I was at it.

Right now I was a lord in name only, having dumped everything onto August.

Even though I’d been called "my lord" here and there, I’d never actually acted the part, so it sometimes felt awkward. A life completely different from the one I’d lived up to now awaited me.

"The reason I wanted to go to Feuzen isn’t just because it’s our fief. I don’t want to attend any more gatherings. If I’m in Feuzen, they won’t be able to send me invitations so easily."

"Ah, I see. So that’s why my Hilda has been having such a hard time."

While I’d been busy with the order’s affairs, Hilda had been struggling through social gatherings with the noble ladies. The greater my fame grew, the more eagerly the ladies vied to invite her.

For Hilda, who didn’t enjoy gatherings or banquets, that time was torture. She must have been under a lot of stress, so I hoped she could relax in Feuzen. Then I gently touched her shoulder.

I took her hand and lightly scratched the back of it with my fingers. It was a kind of signal. At first, Hilda hadn’t liked it because making love during the day went against the Church’s teachings.

"Are you trying to make me commit blasphemy against the Lord?"

She was giving me a sidelong glare, but Hilda didn’t seem entirely opposed either, and she leaned her head against me. Speaking of which, what kind of fool had made a rule that married couples shouldn’t make love during the day?

The Church meddled in things to a ridiculous degree, even interfering with the marital bed. Both nobles and commoners were heavily affected. There were even limits on how often couples could be intimate, and rules dictating which days were permitted.

If a child was conceived on one of those approved days, the child was called a child of fate and considered sacred, but plenty of noble families ended up childless because they didn’t have relations during the wife’s fertile window.

"The merciful Lord will warmly watch over our love."

"Oh my, you only call on the Lord at times like this? You’re such an unfaithful believer, Wolf."

I scooped Hilda up and was carrying her to the bedroom when Daniel suddenly announced a visitor.

"Master, a guest has arrived from the royal palace!"

"Too bad, Wolf. You should go greet your guest, shouldn’t you?"

Frozen awkwardly in place, I had no choice but to set Hilda down.

She stuck out her tongue and scampered off.

My chest swelled with seething frustration.

What kind of scoundrel interrupts a couple’s lovemaking?

The royal palace? Even the crown prince won’t get away with this.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord of Feuzen. I serve Prince Louis."

A truly unexpected guest.