Viscount Lane's domain could be divided into roughly five major regions.
First came Windwatch Castle atop Windwatch Cliff and the surrounding area centered on Windguard Town below it.
To the north lay the Red River Plain.
To the east was Quiet Valley.
Southeast of the castle stretched the Conifer Forest Farm.
And farther south stood Rota Town.
Taken together, the territory was enormous. By the standards of Lance's previous life, it was roughly comparable to the jurisdiction of a small prefecture-level city.
Even riding at full speed, it would take about a week to travel from Red River Outpost at the northern edge of the Red River Plain to the two iron mines near Rota Town in the south.
That alone showed how vast Lane's lands were.
The Piaoqi Kingdom contained roughly twenty territories of similar scale, divided among nobles of different ranks.
During peacetime, each lord was generally required to pay tribute to the royal family only once a year. Outside of wartime obligations, the nobles enjoyed tremendous freedom in governing their own lands.
Within his territory, a lord held authority over the life and death of nearly every subject beneath him.
Tax Officer Terry traveled through all five regions every month to collect revenue from the local population. Simply making the full circuit took more than ten days.
In other words, he spent much of every month on horseback.
It was little wonder that he had developed such a strong physique.
"...And that concludes the tax report for July."
Terry continued efficiently.
"The Conifer Forest Farm suffered serious losses to its wheat crop because of the wandering Frost Earth Demons. Following your instructions, my lord, I temporarily exempted that region from this month's taxes."
"All taxes from the other districts have been collected and deposited in the castle treasury."
"Our current accounts are not especially favorable, but the autumn harvest is approaching. The wheat will soon ripen, and the herders of Quiet Valley will also produce a large quantity of wool and sheepskins."
"According to the contract you previously made with neighboring Red Mountain Territory, they will continue purchasing undamaged sheepskins at the agreed price of eighty gold coins each."
"So although the current balance is tight, our financial outlook should remain sound."
Terry had organized the territory's finances clearly and without hesitation.
Before coming here, he had spent several years working as a tax accountant in the municipal administration of Torrent City, one of the great cities of the western coast.
After Lane's second wife married into the viscount's household, Terry followed her to the territory and entered Lane's service.
When it came to accounts, he was unquestionably skilled.
The viscount gave a slight nod, indicating that he was satisfied with the report.
The next man to step forward was the captain of the castle patrol.
His name was Ola, a powerful man in his forties. In addition to commanding the castle patrol, he served as the highest-ranking military officer in Lane's domain.
Every soldier in the territory answered to him, with only the viscount himself holding greater authority.
"My lord, during the past month, summer has been relatively quiet. We therefore held two rounds of militia training in the three districts other than the Conifer Forest Farm and Red River Plain. The results were good."
"The patrols in those three districts are also operating normally."
"As for the Red River Plain, I do not know the exact situation. Young Master Griffin wrote that he would return soon and report to you personally."
Ola's expression grew more serious.
"The Conifer Forest Farm is another matter."
"As Terry mentioned, the Frost Earth Demons have already severely disrupted logging work in the forest and damaged the wheat fields on the nearby farms."
"The local patrol is not strong enough to handle a large group of them."
"I recommend sending my adjutant, Poirot, with a squad to the Conifer Forest Farm and eliminating the creatures."
Ola finished his report respectfully.
Lane fell into thought.
A trace of confusion appeared on his face.
"Frost Earth Demons normally become active in winter. Why are they already stirring in the middle of summer?"
Ola shook his head.
"We will need to send men there before we can determine the cause."
"For now, the workers in the forest are frightened, and logging has already stopped."
"The local patrol cannot handle that many Frost Earth Demons. We need to act quickly."
Lane nodded.
"Then let Poirot lead a squad."
"His swordsmanship has improved quickly. A group of Frost Earth Demons should not be beyond him."
Ola inclined his head.
"Understood."
"Next—"
Before Lane could continue, the door to his study suddenly swung open.
A tall figure strode in with the urgency of someone who had not even considered waiting outside.
Everyone in the room was startled.
Then they recognized the newcomer.
There was probably only one person in the entire territory who could barge into the viscount's private study like this without being punished.
"Father!"
The young man had brilliant golden hair that shone like the morning sun.
He was tall and powerfully built, and his face strongly resembled Lane's.
He wore riding boots and a wine-red cloak, and a bow still hung from his hand.
Judging by his dusty appearance, he had only just reached the castle.
'So this is my famous elder brother.'
Griffin.
Lance studied the dazzling figure he remembered from the former owner's memories with open curiosity.
"My son."
A smile appeared on Lane's face.
"Ola was speaking about you only moments ago. I didn't expect you to return from Red River Outpost this quickly."
The viscount rose without hesitation and gave Griffin a firm embrace.
Lane's affection for Lance had always been tied to Lance's mother.
What he felt for Griffin was different.
Father and son were extraordinarily alike.
Griffin had reportedly begun taking responsibility for the territory's defenses at only fourteen years old, much as Lane himself had achieved fame at a young age.
Standing together, there was no question that they were father and son.
They shared the same powerful build, the same long golden hair, and even the same forceful manner of speaking.
Griffin laughed heartily for a moment.
Then anxiety entered his young, handsome face.
"Father, I rode through the night from Red River Outpost because something has happened in the north."
His eyes passed over Lance.
For an instant, Griffin looked surprised.
But he did not address him.
Instead, he continued his report.
"We found traces of Savage Orcs in the mountains north of the Red River."
"I personally killed one of them, but I could not determine how many there are."
"Savage Orcs?"
Everyone gathered in the study reacted at once.
The creatures were notorious for their brutality.
A large group of Savage Orcs entering Lane's territory could cause enormous damage.
Worse, every fully grown Savage Orc was said to possess strength comparable to a swordsman at the peak of the Silver rank.
Young Master Griffin can already kill one by himself?
The officials could not help reevaluating him.
At this rate, igniting the spark and advancing further should only be a matter of time.
The shock created by Lance's successful rune seemed to fade somewhat in comparison.
Magic was mysterious and intangible to ordinary people.
Combat strength was different.
Everyone understood what it meant for a young man to kill such a monster with his own hands.
"We have trouble, Father."
Griffin took a cup of water from the desk without ceremony and drained it in one swallow.
His clothing and travel-stained face made it obvious that he had gone without proper rest for some time.
He continued seriously.
"I suspect these Savage Orcs are moving south because the far north has suffered through years of worsening cold."
"I heard that some appeared even in the kingdom's heartland recently. Count Thornflower personally led troops against them and drove them back."
"The ones near our territory are probably only scattered remnants, but Red River Outpost does not currently have enough soldiers to deal with them safely."
"We need to concentrate our forces and destroy the threat."
"If we wait until winter, the Savage Orcs will become even more vicious and far harder to stop."
Lane nodded.
He trusted Griffin's judgment on military matters.
Frost Earth Demons were troublesome, but they were still a local problem.
Savage Orcs were different.
If the creatures were allowed to roam freely, fear alone might drive away the settlers Lane had worked so hard to gather.
...
"I understand."
Lane made his decision decisively.
"Tomorrow morning, I will personally lead men north with you."
He turned to Ola.
"The castle's defenses are in your hands."
The patrol captain nodded firmly.
"Rest assured, my lord."
Lane then looked at Lance.
"Study properly under Amman. When your brother and I return from the north, I hope to hear some good news."
Lance nodded.
He left the study together with Wizard Amman.
As he was walking out, however, he suddenly noticed something.
Griffin was looking at him strangely.
Lance did not dwell on it.
His elder brother spent most of his time away from the castle, and the two had little interaction.
Far more important were the things Lance had learned during tonight's meeting.
There was a great deal of useful information to digest.
And beginning tomorrow, most of his attention would be devoted to studying magic.
He had no intention of wasting energy worrying about anything else.