ALL NOVEL Chapter 22
It was a place that could be called a ‘hall’ at best, but its size resembled that of a motel counter or a company office. In the left corner, there was a staircase leading up to the second floor, and aside from the large door leading outside, there were three other doors leading to various rooms, making for a humble structure.
They seemed to have carefully hung the ‘VR’ banner of the Harriet family as indoor decoration and put up a still life that looked like it had been copied from somewhere, suggesting they were at least aware that a new lord was arriving and had prepared for it, but the empty atmosphere remained just that—empty.
In the center of the hall, the person who welcomed Jeongjae and Jenis was the village chief, Hark, who had been performing the duties of the lord’s substitute in the absence of the Baron.
“On behalf of all the residents of Harriet’s Territory, I welcome the return of Baron Harriet after more than a hundred years. I am Hark, the village chief who has also served as the regent of this territory.”
Hark was a pleasant-looking old man with a smooth bald head, a slightly plump figure, and a fluffy white beard.
Jeongjae stepped forward and shook his hand with a firm grip. Hark, looking flattered, grasped both of Jeongjae’s hands tightly and bowed his head.
“I deeply appreciate the effort you’ve put into managing the territory. If possible, I would like to receive an introduction to someone who served in this castle.”
“Oh, I can do that perfectly. However, please feel free to speak comfortably. The highest-ranking individuals here are you, Baron, and the Lady.”
Jeongjae spoke directly to the guards, but he did not dare to speak informally to the bald old man with a white beard. The new Baron shook his head and tried to maintain as gentle a smile as possible.
“Respect for elders comes first. Even before becoming a noble, I lived my life listening to formal titles from my assistant who was by my side.”
“In that case… I understand.”
Having sensed that there was no malice in Jeongjae’s words, Hark released the Baron’s hand and began to explain the first floor.
“The left room will be where the Lord will stay, and the right room will be for the Lady. I had the villagers tidy it up in advance, so you should be comfortable using it as it is.”
“The fact that you had the villagers clean means there are no permanently hired staff here?”
“Unfortunately, that’s correct. During my time in this castle, there was hardly anything to do, so cleaning up was my only task. I think I was employed more as a steward than a village chief.”
Hark said this with a hearty laugh. Jeongjae didn’t find Hark’s words particularly funny, but he forced himself to smile, considering that his frowning would make the old man uncomfortable.
“Is there a reason you don’t have any servants?”
“The truth is, there aren’t many people around. These days, if you ask any of the women or elderly who can do some heavy work, they are all busy fishing at sea. It’s not that there isn’t money to hire people inside the castle.”
Jeongjae made a mental note to get a detailed explanation about the budget and population status later. If there were resources rotting away in the castle, the best way to unlock them would be to hire smart people. Whether for business or for service.
Just like during the New Deal, there are hardly any young people who could be employed for large-scale construction. Indeed, hiring servants seems to be the most feasible option. Anyway, what Jeongjae intended to do in this territory wasn’t grand. It was about small progress and achieving minor goals.
The young Baron, who did not elevate himself too highly as a ruler, was placing significance on each little action he could take.
The only room not described by Hark was a large door opposite the castle entrance. Jenis skipped over to that door and asked Hark.
“So, what’s this door, Chief?”
“Oh, that’s the armory. The unused weapons are stored there.”
“Unused weapons? Are they weapons like spears or armor?”
Jeongjae showed interest at this. Hark rummaged in his pockets for a key and opened the armory door. After opening the door, Hark handed the entire bunch of keys over to Jeongjae and showed him the situation inside the armory.
“Now, take a look. These are the weapons that have been left unused since the conscription order.”
Indeed, the condition of the armory seemed to aptly reflect the term “abandoned.”
As Jeongjae looked around the stockroom, he realized that the structure of the armory was effective in preventing rust from the sea breeze, but it was accurate to say that aside from the fact that the helmets, armor, and weapons were grouped by type, there had been no management whatsoever.
The rough count of armor visible to the eyes was about several hundred pieces. According to the operational concept of the soldiers in the Audrich Empire, this would be enough to assemble a single battalion capable of independent operations.
“There are quite a few weapons.”
“They have become unusable, saying they don’t fit the Empire’s standard armament. I’ve heard that the young men drafted to the border are fighting while wearing special armor manufactured at the Magic Tower.”
“Even if they were drafted, that’s alright. We also have an idea of what it means to drag people away.”
Jeongjae spoke sincerely. Hark, interpreting Jeongjae’s words as a mockery of his rudeness, hurriedly lowered his head and almost prostrated himself.
“I’m sorry for my words, Baron! How dare I bring up such things in front of a war hero like you? If you forgive me this time, I promise not to make such mistakes again.”
“Jenis, help me out here.”
Feeling exhausted from being treated like a high-ranking person, Jeongjae said. Jenis, following Jeongjae’s instructions, went over to Hark and comforted him.
“Don’t worry. The Baron is of common birth in this world, and in fact, he shies away from excessive formalities and prefers a bit of honest expression. You can remain as you are.”
Upon hearing Jenis’s words, Hark slightly raised his head and peeked at Jeongjae’s expression. Not detecting even a hint of anger in Jeongjae’s face, Hark breathed a sigh of relief.
“You are truly kind, Baron.”
“If I were to get angry over something like what just happened, that person would have a mental problem. If such a person exists, bring them to me. Regardless of title, I have the skill to take down an arrogant noble or two.”
Jeongjae joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Hark’s face turned pale in terror, as he seemed to take Jeongjae’s words quite seriously.
Jeongjae waved his hands in exasperation.
“Oh, don’t mind that. By the way, Jenis, what do you think about the condition of the weapons?”
After calming Hark down, Jeongjae went right into inspecting the weapons in the armory. At Jeongjae’s question, Jenis lifted her head and tilted it.
“They’re more usable than I expected. Although they haven’t been maintained in a while, they can be put into practical use with just a little polishing. How does such a small village have so many weapons?”
“This village’s blacksmith has never had a day off. In fact, these weapons were reportedly accumulated over a long time by the first Baron Harriet, and even after the Baron disappeared, the village blacksmith continued to repair and maintain the weapons, which is how they are stored this way now.”
“So, these stored weapons have been neglected due to a lack of use because of the war…”
It was ironic that the weapons were deemed unnecessary because of war, but that was the current reality of the Empire. Walter believed that “simply sharpened iron” couldn’t fight the Demon King, and Jeongjae agreed with that sentiment.
Weapons that have not even undergone a minimum level of magical processing cannot harm spirits. They cannot incapacitate vampires.
Of course, merely wielding magically processed weapons does not guarantee that an ordinary soldier will show a high success rate against magical beasts. However, there is a stark difference in whether there’s a possibility of response or not. No matter how much infantry faces tanks with almost no chances of winning, it isn’t meaningless to hand infantry anti-tank missiles.
Even if they’re at a disadvantage, whether this side has the prospect of destroying the other side or not is a crucial factor. Conversely, weapons that fail to even offer a thread of hope for destruction mean nothing.
“But these weapons are hard to use against magical beasts but could be used against bandits—”
The suggestion that they could simply manage these weapons for mobilization against bandits was abruptly cut off by Jeongjae putting his index finger on his lips, signaling her to silence.
“Don’t speak of that anymore,” he whispered. “It’s not a good time right now.”
“Do you think the mention of bandits might be a lie?”
“Perhaps. No, it definitely is. I have some measures in mind. Just wait for my instructions.”
As Jenis mulled over Jeongjae’s words, she suddenly grinned as if she had an idea.
“I think I’m getting it. If that’s the case, leave the investigation to me.”
“Do you know what to do?”
“Investigate the food supply route. From this side, look for an exit.”
“Exactly. But for now, let’s focus on listening to the chief’s explanation.”
As the two finished their whispering, Hark, who had been quietly waiting, closed the armory door and pointed to the stairs.
“Now, let’s go up to the second floor. I will continue the explanation there.”
Jeongjae and Jenis followed Hark up the stairs to the second floor. The staircase to the second floor wasn’t very long. After all, the height of the castle itself was quite low compared to the grand castles.
Despite his old age, Hark climbed the stairs without any issues and sequentially guided them through the dining hall, office, and bathroom on the second floor. After all the guidance was over, Jeongjae realized it was almost lunchtime.
“If it’s not too much trouble, how about we have a meal while continuing the conversation?”
The Baron suggested. By the time the three were able to enjoy a comfortable lunch, the Hero’s party found themselves in a situation where a proper meal was hard to expect.