The Lord Just Wants to Have Fun

Upon returning home, Philip immediately attempted to begin investigating the territorial maps and related documents.

However, an unexpected obstacle blocked his way.

“Lord, you’ve returned!”

“What is it, butler?”

“The administrators are in an uproar. They need your approval on documents, but you weren’t here.”

“They should have handled it thems— Ah, the bastard got kicked out.”

Until now, most of the administrative work that the lord was supposed to handle had been taken care of by Viscount Robert. Philip would simply receive brief notifications after the fact.

But with Robert, who had overseen the territory’s affairs, now expelled, Philip himself would have to deal with the administrative work directly.

‘I didn’t expect this to come back to bite me like a boomerang.’

A slight regret crept up, but Philip quickly shook his head.

No matter what, he couldn’t keep a subordinate who openly disregarded the lord and even insulted his parents. If left unchecked, he would undoubtedly become a problem again in the future.

Rather than dealing with that, it was better to handle the work himself, even if it was a hassle.

“I understand. I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Philip confidently stepped into the office—only to be completely stunned.

Piles upon piles of documents were stacked high on his desk.

Birth and death reports of residents, crop yield reports, incident and accident reports—an overwhelming number of papers awaited his approval.

“How could so much pile up in just a few days?!”

Philip grimaced as he began reviewing and approving the documents.

Fortunately, thanks to the knowledge he had inherited from the original body, handling the paperwork itself wasn’t an issue.

But no matter how much he processed, the mountain of documents never seemed to shrink.

If anything, it grew larger.

“My lord, here is the budget allocation for the wall repairs and the request for replacing the militia’s weapons.”

“Can’t the administration handle these things on their own?”

“It is protocol for these matters to receive your review and approval, my lord.”

“…Fine. Leave them there.”

Philip sighed inwardly at the administrator’s response.

From his inherited memories, he knew that the administrators of the Brandel territory weren’t particularly incompetent—compared to other regions, they were about average.

However, since Chief Administrator Robert had been making all the decisions for so long, they had never developed the ability to make decisions themselves.

Moreover, there were also things that the lord had to personally oversee to prevent abuse of power and corruption.

‘At this rate, will I even have time for my hobbies?’

Now that he was experiencing it firsthand, life in another world was nothing like a game or fantasy novel. There was far too much for a lord to personally manage.

He couldn’t afford to slack off on the job just because it was bothersome.

If he did, his people would suffer, and in the worst-case scenario, an uprising could break out.

“This is more than I can handle alone… Hey, Mau, help me out, will you?”

<……>

“You’re an angel, right? Reviewing documents should be simple for you. Why aren’t you answering? Are you just going to sit back and watch your Apostle struggle?”

As Philip continued to pester, a single scroll suddenly appeared in midair.

[Currently, Mau is busy responding to a summons from Eldir and is unable to answer.]

“That sly little furball!”

It was obvious that Mau was lying to avoid helping.

But since there was no way to forcibly summon him, Philip had no choice but to battle the paperwork alone late into the night.

—Knock knock.

“My lord, I brought you a late-night snack.”

Helen entered, carrying a plate of cheese and wine.

Philip had been feeling peckish, so he took a sip of wine to wet his throat and nibbled on some cheese.

‘Wine is good for relieving fatigue, but… HotX would be the best right now. Or at least an Americano.’

Unfortunately, in Laterran, there was neither energy drinks nor coffee.

Judging by how the crops and food were similar to those of Earth, coffee trees might exist somewhere, but he had no way of obtaining any at the moment.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t Germany make coffee substitutes during WWII? I think they used chicory.’

A memory surfaced of a history-enthusiast YouTuber he followed, who had once recreated that substitute in a video.

Philip made a mental note to try making it himself when he had the time.

Then, he returned his focus to the documents.

‘Hmm? Something’s off here.’

It was a waterway construction plan submitted by the agricultural officer.

No matter how he looked at it, the calculations didn’t seem right.

During the dry season, there wouldn’t be an issue, but once the rainy season arrived, the agricultural canals risked collapsing or overflowing.

Just as Philip was debating whether to summon the agricultural officer immediately, he heard a small murmur from beside him.

“This calculation is incorrect as it is…”

“Hm? What did you say?”

“A-Ah, it’s nothing, my lord!”

Startled, Helen quickly shook her head, but Philip looked at her with a kind expression.

“It’s not ‘nothing.’ You said that after looking at this report, didn’t you? I won’t blame you, so explain in detail.”

Encouraged by his reassurance, Helen pointed at the report and spoke up.

“This appears to be a waterway construction plan for irrigation, but I don’t think they’ve properly accounted for the rainfall during the wet season. If they build the canals like this, it will be a waste of money.”

In this world, which closely resembled medieval Earth, the literacy rate was less than 10%.

But even being able to read didn’t mean someone could fully understand a report—one needed knowledge of administrative terminology and technical expertise as well.

Philip himself could handle the work because of the academy education his original body had received.

‘But how did a maid like Helen notice this?’

Now that he thought about it, Helen had always seemed more meticulous and competent than the other employees at the estate.

Feeling curious, Philip handed her another document.

“Helen, try calculating this one.”

She read through it briefly, then solved it effortlessly.

“Where did you learn this?”

“Well… Before my father’s business failed, I attended Socra College in the royal capital.”

A college was an advanced institution beyond even the academies, reserved for the brightest minds in the kingdom.

Even Robert had boasted endlessly about being an alumnus of a prestigious college.

“But then why are you working as a maid?”

“I originally applied to become an administrator. But Chief Administrator Robert said that a ‘young girl’ was being arrogant and told me to be a maid instead…”

She had wanted to quit, but she had to support her family, so she had endured it.

‘Tsk! That old bastard, seriously…’

Philip scowled before turning to Helen.

“Helen, from this moment forward, you’re fired.”

“W-What? But you said you wouldn’t blame me!”

Helen turned pale at Philip’s sudden dismissal.

She immediately dropped to her knees, her large eyes brimming with tears as she pleaded.

“I promise I won’t speak out again! Please, just give me one more chance! If I get fired, my family will—”

“Listen to the whole sentence. From now on, you’re no longer a maid—you’re my secretary.”

“…Huh? Your secretary?”

“Yes. I’ll double your salary from now on.”

Philip had no intention of neglecting his duties as lord.

But neither did he intend to let himself be buried under endless work.

After all, the biggest reason he chose to live as Philip was to enjoy the things he couldn’t on Earth.

‘If Helen handles the initial sorting of documents, my workload will be cut in half.’

“Is this… for real?”

“Yes. Do you not want to?”

Helen’s face lit up with joy, and she immediately bowed her head repeatedly.

“Thank you! Thank you so much, my lord!”

“Don’t get too excited. If you’re not competent enough, I’ll fire you for real.”

“Yes! I won’t let you down!”

From that day forward, Helen assisted Philip in reviewing documents.

Her keen eye and efficiency quickly became evident, and the mountain of paperwork was swiftly organized.

Moreover, she played a crucial role in discovering key documents related to the territory’s borders.

‘She’s far more capable than I expected. Did Robert deliberately push her aside?’

It was likely. A young and talented rival with knowledge on par with his own? Robert would never have wanted such competition.

But now that Robert was gone, Philip had no reason to hesitate in promoting her.

If she continued to perform well, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer her the Chief Administrator position in the future.

Becoming the lord’s secretary filled Helen with excitement.

However, at the same time, she felt a growing concern.

It was only a matter of time before the administrators started gossiping about her sudden promotion…

Surprisingly, the controversy over Helen’s promotion did not cause much commotion.

The next day, an incident occurred that completely overshadowed any discussions about it.

******

“A fight broke out between shepherds at the border pastures?”

“Yes, my lord. Our shepherds told them to vacate immediately, but the shepherds from the Viscounty of Mirabeau ignored them and became violent.”

The brawl, which started due to an unprovoked attack by the shepherds from Mirabeau, resulted in numerous injuries.

If they had fought with spears and swords instead of staffs and clubs, there could have been multiple deaths.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

“After the incident, we received an official protest from the Viscounty of Mirabeau. They’re demanding an immediate apology and compensation.”

“Are they out of their minds? They trespassed on our pastures and started a fight, yet we are supposed to apologize and compensate them? They should be the ones paying us!”

Philip, enraged, looked ready to storm over and confront them immediately, but Boras, the agricultural officer, held him back.

“Please calm yourself, my lord! We must resolve this diplomatically.”

“Why? We are the victims here! Besides, we have solid evidence that this land belongs to us.”

“Even so, a conflict would be troublesome. Both our territory and the Viscounty of Mirabeau are located beneath the Prill Mountain Range. That area is part of the unclaimed frontier of the Arteria Kingdom, where countless beasts and monsters roam.”

In the past, both territories had cooperated to defend against the monsters descending from the mountains.

However, since the creatures had been quiet for decades, the two regions had ceased their alliance.

“But the situation is changing.”

“…Because of the famine?”

“Yes. The monsters in the mountains must be running out of food. Reports indicate that goblins and orcs have started appearing in territories bordering the Prill Mountains—including ours.”

Philip turned to Carpenter, the captain of the knights, seeking confirmation.

Carpenter nodded gravely.

“For now, only small groups of about a dozen descend to steal crops, chickens, and goats from villages. But it is highly likely that they will soon launch full-scale raids.”

“So instead of fighting over pastures, we should be preparing for that.”

“Precisely. If we make this clear to the Viscounty of Mirabeau, they will likely also wish to avoid unnecessary disputes.”

“Understood. I’ll go there myself and resolve this matter.”

Philip believed that direct negotiations would be more effective than sending letters, and his retainers agreed with his decision.

Thus, the next day, Philip set off for the Viscounty of Mirabeau, accompanied by his attendants.

******

As Philip rode along the main road leading to the lord’s castle of Mirabeau, he noticed numerous flocks of sheep in the surrounding pastures.

Curious, he turned to one of his attendants.

“How many sheep does the Viscounty of Mirabeau have?”

“At least several thousand, my lord.”

According to the attendant, Campania’s booming textile industry had led several noble families to invest heavily in sheep farming.

‘That’s similar to late-medieval England, isn’t it? That led to the Enclosure Movement.’

The problem was that pastures were limited.

The shepherds couldn’t drive their sheep into the Prill Mountains, which were filled with monsters, so they kept crossing into neighboring territories.

Philip turned to Terry, his knight escort, and asked:

“How strong is Mirabeau’s military?”

The original Philip only knew basic facts: the Viscounty of Mirabeau was 1.5 times larger than Brandel, had a population of 40,000—nearly twice that of his own—and focused more on livestock farming than agriculture.

“They have 30 knights, which is 10 more than us, and 1,000 troops, twice as many as we do.”

Since their territory was larger, they naturally had more knights and soldiers.

“But don’t worry, my lord. In terms of quality, we are superior.”

Terry spoke with confidence, but it wasn’t mere arrogance.

Before the famine, neighboring territories had frequently held martial tournaments.

The knights of Brandel had won nearly every time.

‘That doesn’t mean we have an overwhelming advantage. War is about numbers and resources.’

The history of Earth’s wars had already proven that superior numbers often decided battles.

Moreover, the lord of Mirabeau, Armand de Mirabeau, was an experienced leader and a combat expert who could wield aura—unlike Philip.

If a territorial war were to break out, Philip was more likely to lose than win.

‘Which is why I have to solve this through diplomacy.’

Philip had no intention of resorting to violence.

All he wanted was compensation for the injured shepherds and a promise that Mirabeau’s shepherds would no longer trespass.

However, upon arriving at the castle of Mirabeau, his first encounter with Viscount Armand de Mirabeau was far from pleasant.

“What brings the ‘Blacksmith Baron’ to my lands?”