Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 165

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#That Beautiful Horizon Hides You Somewhere (2)

There was no need to mar a perfectly good face with blemishes. I drew the line firmly at freckles—anything beyond that was off-limits. Kanna’s expression fell at my decision.
The freckles would need to be applied each time with a waterproof pen, it seemed. That left only the hair to dye. My power was halved and I had nothing left but my eyes, but I was still the Machine King. I knocked on Makina’s door. This pitiful woman, having lost both Sky Island and Bunny Land, now rented a corner room in the Serpent King’s Tower. The moment I entered, she hurriedly swept aside wires and greeted me.
「Oh my, Master. What brings you to such a shabby place?」
“Did you just call me shabby?”
「Oh no, never, Master!」
Makina, rolling her eyes adorably, had become even cuter than yesterday. Her large body was being stored in a transparent case fitted with enormous locks while she conserved power. Currently, she existed as a palm-sized eyeball robot with multiple mechanical pincers extending outward.
Hmm. The large Makina was nice, but the compact version was quite endearing too.
「Master, wind me up, please! Wind me up good and tight!」
“Aren’t you using the power I gave you?”
「I’m keeping it safe for when you grow weak, Master. Then I’ll stage a coup d’état.」
“I see. Best of luck to you.”
「Master, I do love your bold spirit.」
So that’s what she’d been hastily clearing away—her combat form. Even beneath the wires, I could make out the rough silhouette.
「So then, what brings such a distinguished person to my humble abode?」
“I need to dye my hair.”
She seemed to harbor considerable resentment toward me, so I decided to let it be. Her petty nature meant her sulking would linger. I chose to be magnanimous about Makina and stated my purpose.
「After absorbing my power, has your hair become steel as well?」
“Hardly. It bends and flows just like normal hair.”
「Oh, you were being sarcastic!」
“I know. So, do you have a way?”
She mentioned having a mechanical paint spray, though it wouldn’t be safe for human skin. I assured her it didn’t matter—I was immune to all poisons and toxins, so harmful substances couldn’t damage my body.
「Wait a moment, I’ll mix the right color for you.」
“I’m counting on you.”
After a brief wait, Makina returned with a soft blue-tinted spray paint. I put on a shower cap and sprayed it myself with a hissing sound, then worked it through to ensure even coverage. The faint, sacred luminescence remained, but I could pass it off as the result of proper hair care and conditioning.
“Thank you. That helped.”
「If you’re grateful, return the rest of my power.」
“Once your character grows enough that you won’t throw a tantrum even with your full strength restored, I’ll return it.”
「Ptooey!」
That was a high bar for Makina, who threatened a coup the moment she saw an opening. After thanking her once more, I took Hubert and Kanna to what had been City Hall just days before. Since I received my barony, it had been renamed the Lord’s Territory Administrative Office.

I’d anticipated it, but the news of the Serpent King’s Tower subjugation had resulted in a mountain of petitions from the demi-humans of Ilam. The peasant uprising had succeeded smoothly as well, and Lord Raga had lost his head—literally. Now I needed to devise a plan for what to do with that territory.
I sat in the Market Hall—now bearing a new nameplate reading “Baron’s Office”—sipping a cup of coffee as I began reviewing documents. Hubert, who had trotted after me at my summons, and Titi, who had been called here, knelt before my desk without understanding their predicament in the slightest.
“Um, Evan. Why must I be kneeling?”
“Squawk! Why am I being punished! I worked so hard while you were at the Academy!”
“What happened to my house?”
After taking a sip of coffee, I got straight to business, and both Hubert and Titi clamped their mouths shut. Until now, I’d been turning a blind eye, but now that I’d become nobility, I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
I needed to properly establish the Baron’s residence, hire guards to protect Mother, and find people to handle household affairs. Now that I was nobility, I had to employ many people to assist me beyond just administrative staff for managing the territory, so I could no longer overlook the construction schedule excuses.
“Well, you see, Evan, we were trying to build such a magnificent house that it’s been taking quite a long time…”
“Funny how you call me ‘Evan’ so readily when things are disadvantageous for you.”
“Ugh…”
When I glared sharply, Hubert whimpered and his eyes glistened with tears. It seemed he’d never been scolded like this in his life. Gerth had been far too lenient raising this boy.
“The reason is… so that I, who have no house, can continue residing in the Serpent King’s Tower?”
“Y-yes, I’m, so, sorry.”
Hubert finally burst into tears. He was crying about how clever he’d been, but his behavior was so childish that my anger simply dissipated. I now understood why Gerth kept saying Hubert was still just a child. In terms of maturity, Titi was actually more grown-up than Hubert.
“Titi was also one of the construction supervisors. So you squeezed money out of Hubert and then threw it all away on horse racing?”
“N-no! I’ve quit gambling now! Squawk! I really have!”
She swore by her short hair, but now that I thought about it, Titi’s hair had grown quite a bit during my absence. It was about shoulder-length now. In any case, she still couldn’t fly freely yet.
But there was definitely money she’d extracted from Hubert to halt the construction. When I pressed her to explain properly, the little one reluctantly admitted she’d taken a small portion as pocket money.
“But! Most of it went to good causes! Squawk! Leri said we should prioritize hiring demi-humans for animal welfare!”
“Hmm.”
It was true that demi-humans communicated better with animals than ordinary humans did. They’d prioritized hiring demi-humans for the Horse Racing Track’s animal welfare, and significant funds had flowed in that direction.
“This I can work with.”
Looking at the mountain of petitions from demi-humans, I offered Titi words of praise. The younger sibling of the Baron of Ilam had been quietly conducting demi-human welfare projects. If I packaged this properly and got it into the newspaper headlines, the complaints would diminish considerably.
I immediately scheduled a commendation ceremony for Leri and Titi and sent appropriate funds and letters to the newspapers. It was wonderful that I could engage in blatant bribery without getting caught. Long live the Crowell Empire, where I could control the media with just a few coins.
“Next…”
The matter of how to treat the peasants of Raga who had successfully revolted. Since Cecilia said she’d give me this land, I needed to compensate for the change of ownership. I had to distribute Lord Raga’s assets to those who participated in the peasant uprising and show them how to continue farming and living in the Raga Plains.
At first, I’d considered reclaiming Ilam Bay to turn it into farmland, but that approach seemed likely to face fierce opposition. Gerth would certainly object first. As the Serpent King, he couldn’t remain idle when marine animals were involved. The residents of Ilam Port would also protest if the tidal flats disappeared, as they’d lose a minor source of income. Forcibly relocating the peasants was also problematic. No matter how necessary for survival, leaving one’s hometown required great resolve for a peasant. There was also considerable potential for conflict when the original Ilam residents mixed with the newcomers.
“Heh.”
But now there was no need to resort to such methods.
Because I had! None other than! The Machine King! Makina!
If I asked him to create and distribute agricultural machinery that could completely till exhausted land, the problem would be solved. Besides, he was blinded by rebellion fever, so if I said I’d give him a bit more power, he’d jump at it. He might whine for more power later, but since Makina needed it urgently right now, I could manipulate him as I pleased.
In any case, more power was always better. Money, authority, power. They were the best.
“Kehehehe, kehehehehehe!”
“Squawk! Sister! Gram from Green Bean Village is here!”
Oh, my Village Chief of Green Bean Village has arrived.
I jumped up from my seat to prepare a welcome. The office door opened, and a man holding his hat firmly in both hands entered timidly. This fellow hadn’t changed even after losing a lord’s head. I liked that.
“Gram, Vanguard Captain. You’ve worked hard. Please, sit comfortably.”
“It’s been a long time, Market Administrator—no, Baron!”
“Your Excellency for a territory the size of a palm? Don’t be ridiculous.”
I laughed heartily and waved my hand dismissively, then guided Gram to the sofa and asked Hubert to brew tea very deliciously. Pleased that she no longer had to kneel, the white-tailed fox demi-human answered eagerly, her nine tails swishing back and forth.
“W-well, I mean, this might be rude to say, but…”
“Between us? What rudeness are you talking about?”
“You’ve become incredibly beautiful, if I may say so?”
“When one enters the nobility, the skin gains luster and the flesh fills out. It’s only natural.”
Noble beauty is the equivalent of the people’s blood and sweat, after all. When I made that quip about the ruling class, Gram let out an awkward laugh. I was sifting through documents regarding the peasant movement collective and Lord Raga’s financial situation when Hubert finished setting the table perfectly and placed a teacup down with a sharp clink in front of my green bean soup.
“You’re a young man, aren’t you? What is your relationship with our mother?”
“Hubert. I am not your mother.”
“Then what is your relationship with Evan Laef?”
We’ll be developing a fine master-servant relationship going forward. I chuckled wickedly, and Gram’s expression turned serious as he revealed what was on his mind.
“Will we be strangers to each other forever?”
“Hahahaha, our Gram certainly has a way with jokes.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“It seems suited to your talents. Do you want to traverse battlefields freely for the rest of your life?”
I received orders from the Crown Princess to subjugate the Serpent King’s Tower. Want to come along? I said with a bright smile, and the man swallowed a strangled sound.
“Why are you doing this to me, exactly?!”
“Don’t blame me for your knack for doing whatever you’re told to do.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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