Lakeheart Town Observations

Lakeheart Town Observations

Hansel sat gloomily in the carriage. He had been in this state for two weeks now.

More than half a month ago, he had happily received his appointment from the Royal Family. But when he opened it, he was dumbfounded. He had actually been sent to serve as a resident representative in some place he had never even heard of—the Greiman Earldom in Northwest Bay. Who knew what godforsaken backwater it was?

Later, he happened to run into the old man he had met while fleeing disaster in the military camp. The old man had finished his business and was preparing to return. Only then did Hansel remember—wasn't the Greiman Earldom where the old man had come from? At least he would have company on the road.

Hansel thought of his old classmate Matthew again. That bastard had stumbled into outrageous luck and managed to remain in the Princess's service. He had even made smug remarks like, "Though our positions may differ, we're both serving His Majesty the King with loyalty!"

Pah, pah, pah! As if the Princess needed him to offer advice. Giving him a pen to keep accounts was already making the best use of his talents. Why didn't he take a piss and look at himself? Whenever Hansel thought of Matthew's smug, self-satisfied face, he felt like vomiting.

Chief Steward Ford, who shared the carriage with him, was delighted. The matter had gone smoothly. Her Highness the Grand Princess had readily acknowledged Paul Greiman's inheritance of the title. Upon hearing that the Old Earl had died fighting pirates, she not only expressed her condolences, but also granted special permission for the territory not to send troops to Aid the King in light of the current pirate threat. Finally, she had voluntarily provided fifty sets of leather armor and fifty spears.

During the journey, Hansel had learned about the territory through casual chats with Chief Steward Ford.

If one traced the Greiman Family back far enough, they could be linked to a prominent family of the Ancient Gabella Empire. After the empire collapsed, the ancestors of this branch established themselves independently. Several generations later, the family followed the founding King of the Aldo Dynasty into battle across the land. They could be considered a meritorious family that had shed blood and sweat for the kingdom's founding.

However, they later backed the wrong side in a political struggle over the succession to the throne. The Royal Family's control over local lords back then had not been as pathetic as it was now. Those unfortunate enough to choose the wrong side naturally could not escape a thorough purge.

Though the earldom had been preserved through under-the-table political maneuvering, their once relatively prosperous territory was reclaimed by the new King. The entire family was kicked out to the barren Northwest Bay. From then on, every successive head of the family kept an extremely low profile, gradually cutting ties with other families and slowly fading from the center of the kingdom's political stage.

No wonder I'd hardly ever heard of them, Hansel thought.

Ah... his life was so bleak. An obscure country noble, an unknown impoverished backwater—there had not even been a decent town along the entire route. Was all his passion and talent truly going to be buried here? The more Hansel thought about it, the more stifled he felt. Then he began resenting his birth. If only he had not been born out of wedlock. If only his mother had come from a better family. If only... Forget it. There were never that many ifs.

Some things could not be changed in the end. His priority was to complete his current assignment and work hard to return to His Majesty the King and the Princess's side. One day, his efforts would be recognized. He quickly adjusted his mindset.

Chief Steward Ford glanced out the window and said excitedly, "Look, Abbott. That ahead is Alar Lake. This land is formally called Alarda Territory, and its name comes from this lake. We're about to reach Lakeheart Town."

As the trees by the road gradually grew fewer, a vast lake came into view. The far shore was almost impossible to see. On the waters near them stood a huge island, dotted with many buildings. Apart from the castle rising at its center, it looked roughly like a fairly large town.

Hansel inwardly grumbled, This 'town' is the capital of an earldom? It's not even as good as the countryside near the Royal Capital.

In truth, Hansel could only blame his lack of "experience." Many lords in this age built their castles in such places—either atop sheer cliffs or on isolated islands surrounded by water. In short, they were all locations that were easy to defend and hard to attack: proof against bandits, rebellious subjects, and even the covetous eyes of neighboring lords.

Young nobles from the Royal Capital like Hansel generally had never ventured far beyond the area around Crystal Radiance Fortress at his age. Even when they traveled, they followed prosperous trade routes. Naturally, they had never seen such a sight.

As they approached the lakeside, Hansel discovered a huge pontoon bridge across the water. It was assembled from specially made boats serving as its joints. It appeared that if enemies attacked, the boats could be detached at once, dismantling the bridge and preventing them from crossing.

"Shouldn't we get out and walk onto the island?" Hansel was worried that the pontoon bridge might not support the carriage. Chief Steward Ford heard his concern, laughed heartily, and patted his chest. "Abbott, please rest completely assured. This pontoon bridge is sturdy indeed. A mere carriage is no problem at all."

With such assurance from a local, Hansel felt somewhat relieved. Still, he sat through the crossing with his heart in his throat. Only after reaching the island did he finally relax completely.

"Then, Abbott, I must first report these matters to the Lord. Please follow my servant to rest in the castle's guest rooms. I will arrange for you to meet the Lord at once."

"Very well, Chief Steward Ford."

The carriage slowly entered through the castle gate in the outer wall, where they saw Butler Philip walking toward them.

"Chief Steward Ford, you've finally returned."

"Butler Philip, perfect. Take me to see the Earl at once."

"Oh, I was just about to speak to you about the Earl."

"Did something happen?" Chief Steward Ford's heart clenched. Could Greiman's old injury have flared up again?

"The Earl led the newly recruited soldiers out for some sort of field training. He likely won't return to Lakeheart Town for several more days."

"What? You let him take a bunch of raw recruits out like that? Don't you know how rampant the pirates are outside right now?"

"We said everything we could, but we still couldn't stop him. We had no choice but to let Claude lead the castle guards along to protect him."

Only then did Chief Steward Ford feel at ease. He immediately said, "Send someone to find the Earl and bring him back. Tell him that the Royal Commissioner has arrived and is waiting to meet him."

"Yes, I'll send someone to look for him immediately."

After Butler Philip bowed to Hansel, he hurried away. Chief Steward Ford turned to Hansel and said, "My sincerest apologies, Abbott. It seems you can only wait for a while."

"That is no trouble. Since the Earl cannot return for the moment, would you mind if I took a look around nearby?"

"Of course. You are an honored guest who has come from afar, so please make yourself at home. However, I also need to return home, so I cannot accompany you." Chief Steward Ford then assigned his personal servant to serve as Hansel's guide before taking his leave and returning home.

Hansel wanted something to drink, so he ordered the guide to take him and Toman to the town tavern.

There were quite a few people in the tavern. The customers had been chatting loudly, but suddenly a finely dressed young gentleman walked in. Some worldly people immediately recognized from his clothing that he was undoubtedly a noble. And wasn't the person following him Chief Steward Ford's servant? That obsequious posture only confirmed that this man's status was extraordinary. The conversations in the tavern immediately quieted down.

"Owner, bring me three cups of beer. And I want cups no one has used."

"Yes, yes, sir. Please wait a moment. I'll prepare them at once."

The tavern owner, a man in his forties, had never encountered an out-of-town noble at such close range in his entire life. Flustered and scrambling, he hurried off to prepare the beer.

People in small places really haven't seen much, Hansel thought with amusement. He found a seat by the window and had Toman spread a cloth over both the chair and table before he sat down.

Taverns were excellent places to gather information. Since he was already here, he had no intention of merely sitting around drinking. But how should he ask?

Just then, the owner brought over three cups of beer. Hansel took one for himself, then had Toman and the flattered guide divide the remaining two.

He surveyed the customers around him. Most avoided his gaze, afraid that some breach of etiquette would anger a noble lord. Only one person acted furtively, occasionally turning his head to sneak glances at him.

"You, come here! Yes, you—the one in the leather cap."

"Me?" The young man Hansel pointed at quickly went from stunned to terrified. Had his peeking angered the noble lord? What should he do? Would he be beheaded? The people seated around him hurriedly moved away, afraid of being implicated.

Trembling, he came to Hansel's side. The moment he stopped, he dropped to his knees and began desperately kowtowing, tears and snot streaming down his face. "My lord, I was only curious for a moment. I truly meant no harm. Please, for the sake of my—"

"Enough, enough. Look how frightened you are. I'm not going to do anything to you! I just want to ask a few questions and find out some things. Get up!"

Only then did the young man rise as though he had been granted a pardon.

"Sit there." Hansel pointed to the empty seat beside him.

"This... how could I dare?"

"If the Baron tells you to sit, then sit!" Toman the servant promptly played the role of a fawning lackey.

The young man could only sit down with repeated thanks.

"Tell me, is the situation with the pirates truly that serious now?"

"Yes. Though they haven't appeared near here yet, people are spreading rumors and becoming more frightened by the day. Now, even when traveling between villages and towns, everyone has to go in large groups."

"And your Lord just lets them do as they please?"

"Not exactly. I suppose you've heard that the Old Lord died while campaigning against the pirates. As soon as the new Lord inherited the position, he announced the recruitment of soldiers. Both publicly and personally, he intends to settle accounts with them."

"I heard your new Lord is still only a child who hasn't grown up?"

"Yes, and no one knows whether he can bear such a burden. To be honest, Young Master Paul... ah, our current young Earl, was spoiled badly by the Old Earl when he was little. All those mischievous things he did..." The young man abruptly fell silent. The person before him was a noble too. Speaking that way about another noble—especially his own Lord—wasn't he just asking for trouble?

Hansel smiled. He had the owner bring the young man a cup of beer, calmed him down, and continued asking questions for a while. Before long, he suddenly felt that this little Lord was quite an interesting person.

For example, right after inheriting his position, he had ordered that no one was allowed to relieve themselves wherever they pleased. Besides encouraging every household to build its own latrine, he had paid for several public latrines to be built throughout the town.

For example, he prohibited people from dumping filth and garbage into the lake. Instead, he had placed large boxes called "trash bins" at intervals along the streets. Pedestrians and residents alike had to throw their rubbish into them, and the Lord's Manor organized people every day to collect and dispose of it all.

Hansel's opinion of the little Lord rose a few notches. "That is rather good. I never expected a mere country lord to be more particular than the nobles of the Royal Capital. I only hope he doesn't have all the faults those rustic noble bumpkins possess."

He stood, rewarded the young man with several coins, and called for Toman and the guide to continue exploring elsewhere.