Border Count

When Theus opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a bed.

The quilt cover was soft and silky, filled with a layer of light velvet that kept him warm without being overly heavy.

Not far away was a balcony. The windows lacked expensive glass, yet were still fitted with finely crafted wooden latticework.

Theus rolled out of bed, walked over, and pushed open the window. Bright sunlight poured in from outside, while the warm, damp sea breeze stirred the curtains.

Several seagulls swept past the window. They circled the mountaintop south of the island a few times before diving sharply into the clear blue shallows, snatching up small fish and scattering sprays of white foam.

Within the manor, an old man was directing servants as they scrubbed the ground. Hearing the window open, he turned to look toward the balcony of the two-story building.

When he saw Theus, he froze for a moment. Then he placed his left hand over his chest and bowed slightly.

"Younger Master Theus... no, my lord. Good morning."

Theus smiled and nodded. His gaze lingered briefly on the servants and carriage, then shifted to the fishing boats on the distant sea before he turned and returned to the bedroom.

He needed to sort out his current situation.

According to this body's memories, his background this time seemed rather good: he was a Border Count of the Empire—the lord of Castel Island.

Castel meant fire and light amid the storm. The name was fitting enough; this place lay in the Storm Ocean, and the island even had a small volcano...

Theus shook his head. None of that was important. What mattered was—

A count! A noble with a title and actual land under his control!

Though Border Counts were somewhat special, he could still lord it over others on his own lands... no, Border Counts went even further. Within their territories, even the Empire's laws might not be able to restrain them.

All of this stemmed from the institution of the "Border Count."

Theus eagerly sorted through the memories in his mind, his eyes shining.

He had originally been the illegitimate son of a duke, the kind who could kill more than a dozen brothers and sisters and still never gain the right of succession. Then the Empress established the system of Border Counts. He gave up his family name, swore loyalty to the Empress, and received this title and land.

In other words, this tiny island before him.

What? You said this island was too small to qualify as a count's domain?

How could that be? The Empress's decree had marked out a vast stretch of sea. Let alone a count's domain, it was larger than the territories of most marquises. The Empress had even promised that all lands opened up by Border Counts would belong to them personally.

Theus recalled the sea chart in his memories, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

His territory was indeed not small. It was just that...

Almost all of it lay beyond the Empire's borders.

For instance, the Masha Archipelago within his territory was a pirate nest. Farther west, the Storm Ocean was filled with storms that never ceased. Even a few stray gusts could cause no end of trouble for the little island beneath his feet.

As for what lay deeper in the sea, not even the charts marked it. Legends spoke of palaces buried beneath the waves, piled high with treasure, and vast new continents where honey and milk gathered into rivers...

All of that was far too illusory.

At present, Theus had only a tiny island, an old butler brought from his family, and a few servants. That was the entirety of his power.

Yet he had to face the threat of nearby pirates, the unpredictable weather at sea, and enemies across the ocean.

Yes, there were enemies across the sea. The Empire had never lacked enemies. In the eleven years since the Empress ascended the throne, every step she had taken had been through blood and thorns.

And he, Theus, a newly invested Border Count, was caught right in the middle of these powerful enemies.

It felt like being thrown into the water and having to become a fish before he drowned.

Theus sighed.

As for support from the Empire—it was probably nothing more than verbal support. The investiture documents piled up like mountains in the warehouses. Every day, who knew how many Border Counts took office, and how many titles became vacant.

The Empire did not lack ambitious people, and the Empress had never been stingy. Titles, land, wealth—whatever one wanted, one merely had to reach out and take it.

Corpses paved the road and were woven into laurels. Now Theus had stepped onto that road as well.

"Why does becoming a noble somehow feel even more dangerous?" Theus muttered to himself.

A servant outside knocked on the door. Theus searched through his memories, then allowed the servant to help him dress before leaving the room.

The butler, who had been downstairs not long ago, was already waiting nearby. As he led Theus onward, he introduced the breakfast.

"This morning, we have fish pudding, pea and bacon soup, omelet pie, and red wine from Pony's cellar..."

Theus looked at the food spread across nearly half the long table, then glanced at the six or seven kinds of utensils laid out beside it and fell silent.

According to the original owner's memories, breakfast was meant to last from one hour to an hour and a half. Ten minutes in the middle would be spent listening to the butler's report, followed seamlessly by a morning tea.

He was supposed to enjoy tea and snacks on the terrace under the morning sun while reading, then ride out to inspect the territory shortly before noon.

And such conduct could be called... a model nobleman, an example of virtue. After all, he neither took pleasure in whipping and abusing commoners nor casually claimed a plot of land as a hunting ground, forcing commoners to drive beasts toward him so he could shoot them all down together.

He merely collected eighty percent of his subjects' harvest as taxes.

Theus sighed.

"From now on, there's no need to prepare so many dishes. Prepare a horse for me. I want to take a look around the territory."

After a pause, Theus said to the butler beside him, "Also, build a house in an open area of the manor. The surroundings must be clear, with nothing flammable nearby. I want to use it as a laboratory."

Butler Connor looked somewhat surprised. Building a house was one thing—his lord often had unusual ideas—but why had the rules for meals changed too? Theus, as an illegitimate son, had once paid the greatest attention to noble etiquette, terrified that others would accuse him of lacking noble bearing. What had gotten into him today?

And he actually wanted to go out for a stroll so early in the morning?

Had he seen something from the balcony that morning?

The manor was not far from the docks. Perhaps he had noticed the commotion over there...

A look of realization appeared on the old butler's face. He had also heard the morning rumor. It was said that the fishermen had hauled up something extraordinary. It was perfectly normal for his lord to be curious.

He nodded steadily, then left the room to call for servants to prepare a horse.

Theus searched through his memories once more. Then his eyes lit up, and he walked to a side room, pulled off the necklace around his neck, inserted it into the lock on the door, and turned it.

With a click, the door opened. By the sunlight falling in through the doorway, Theus peered inside.

This was his treasure vault, and also his greatest reliance since coming to this island.

Documents, jewels, and all manner of strange devices filled the shelves inside.

But Theus's gaze passed over them all and settled on a box in one corner.

He opened the cherrywood lid. Resting on velvet was a white flintlock pistol inlaid with ivory and jade. It was only palm-sized, exquisite enough to resemble a work of art.

Theus grinned, took out the pistol, and slipped it into his pocket.