Chapter 5.2 - Adrian Empire’s Suzerain Firesale Convention Part 2 (2/2)

Princess Saras finally put on a white plain dress, parting with her past bare state. Her expression was somewhat subtle as if she missed the shameful experiences of those past few days. No one knew whether she had awakened some strange attributes. Turning back from staring out the window, Clyde realized he was not adept at figuring out her mind. Sighing, he just quietly sat down in a relatively distant position and watched her. Lucifer, however, was sitting next to Princess Saras and chatted with her like they were sisters.

Lucifer’s original intention for approaching Princess Saras was to make Princess Saras sign a dark contract with Clyde. Like that, Clyde would be able to transform into a humanoid appearance by relying on that dark contract. Now, with Clyde’s current appearance of a Great Old One, if people other than Lucifer saw it, they would be in mortal danger.

However, because Princess Saras didn’t have any combat ability or magic, it was comparatively troublesome to sign a dark contract with her. Therefore, Lucifer could only suggest finding another girl who had both sufficient combat and magic abilities to try it. Princess Olia was a relatively suitable candidate. Merely because they had parted too quickly, Lucifer hadn’t had time to set her up.

Lucifer herself wouldn’t do. She had a special reason for being unable to sign a dark contract with Clyde. As for the exact reason, Lucifer chose to maintain her secrecy. Clyde could do nothing about it and could only temporarily give up questioning her. Since he had just crossed to this different world, he lacked experience and knowledge. Lucifer, at least, understood more than he.

“Clyde, you don’t need to spend money again. The suzerain should be you!”

“Big Sister Saras, don’t decline. Big Brother Clyde and I don’t have a genuine noble lineage. In case we were found out in the future, it would be difficult to handle. You, however, are different. At least, your status of being a member of the royal family is real. Even if you were found out, you wouldn’t be criticized.”

Under Lucifer’s persuasion, Princess Saras was unable to withdraw, so she could only accept the position of being Steinbeck’s Suzerain. The area of Steinbeck Fief was vast, at least over ten times greater than her motherland, Owles Kingdom. According to the land area, the suzerain of Steinbeck Fief should at least be a Duke. The territory under Saras’s jurisdiction absolutely matched a principality in area.

However, Steinbeck Fief was an uninhabited region. It was a deserted land without a single resident. When Adrian Empire sold this territory to Clyde, they directly waived the tribute and task to dispatch troops for one year. Since there were no residents, tax basically couldn’t be collected. In addition, no person could be found for military services.

Now that Clyde and others didn’t have any funds, they couldn’t even hire basic servants. Since they couldn’t find normal servants, Clyde intended to look for some irregular servants who would work for free. Because of the non-slavery system of “Victor Alliance,” employment costs were on the high side. The other alliances were different: slavery in the “Clark Alliance” allowed for low-priced slaves to be bought without spending too much money.

Among the neighbors of Steinbeck Fief, only Adrian Empire was of “Victor Alliance.” All other nations belonged to “Clark Alliance.” Basically, this fief was surrounded by hostile forces. Adrian Empire had just been defeated. Once a war occurred, Adrian Empire would definitely not provide support. The sole thing to be thankful for was that Augusta Empire did border Steinbeck Fief, so Clyde didn’t need to worry about encountering Princess Ophelia’s surprise attack. That war princess was active in the battlefield almost every day. She was a completely different type from all other princesses who lived secluded lives.

While Clyde was still thinking about the fief’s management, their carriage was intercepted. A large group of robbers blocked their way. Since the defeat of Adrian Empire, the border areas had become increasingly chaotic. Many bandit bands fearlessly roamed about the less guarded areas.

“Stop! Leave all women and belongings. As for men, scram!”