The Building Owner’s Expulsion Feature.

This is literally a feature that allows a building owner to expel anyone within their property.

It would be nice if it could expel them entirely off private property.

But since the building owner’s power only applies to “buildings,” it was unfortunate that eviction outside the building was all it could do.

However, even that was enough.

“It costs gold, but depending on how you think of it, this can be incredibly useful.”

In fact, it neatly resolved the situation by expelling knights he otherwise would have had to confront directly.

Even with the building owner’s buff, taking on four knights simultaneously was impossible.

If not for the expulsion feature, eliminating all the risk factors would have taken a considerable amount of time.

“50,000 gold….”

Rex’s hidden slush fund was found.

At first, Rex had refused to reveal where he had hidden the slush fund.

“Even if you hold a blade to my neck, I won’t say a word! Do you know how hard I worked to gather that!?”

He shouted bravely, so instead of a blade, a fist was raised.

Originally, such matters were supposed to be resolved through conversation.

Still, he did not yield.

“Hahaha, you think I’d bow to violence!? You won’t get my hard-earned money!”

Even after being hit a few times and bleeding from his nose, his gaze remained unbroken, moving Aiden, who then picked up a chair.

“Cough… I… I’ll never…”

A few more hits with the chair broke his spirit. With both nostrils bleeding and a few teeth knocked out, he slowly began to relent.

“Ugh… I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you…”

Smack!

“I said I’d talk… why are you still hitting me…?”

“Ah, sorry. My reflexes took over.”

In the face of violence, even the strongest will is meaningless.

The law wouldn’t protect him either.

And to begin with, Aiden had no intention of sparing someone who had tried to kill him.

This was evident in the original story.

This guy embezzled the subsidies and ran off, which led to a lack of proper management. The territory failed to fend off the beasts and was annihilated.

During that process, Aiden and Bianca also met their demise.

“And yet, that bastard lived comfortably in another territory with the gold he embezzled?”

As a proxy lord, he ignored the struggling commoners of his domain and only looked after his own stomach.

More than 100 people died because of him.

He wasn’t worth sparing.

The slush fund he had hidden amounted to a staggering 50,000 gold.

The man confessed.

In the first three years, he worked diligently and used the subsidies for the territory. But over time, he began to dip into the funds bit by bit.

“At first, you kept an eye on the Duke’s family, but since they didn’t interfere, you started outright embezzling?”

“That’s right.”

“But was it okay to expel him like that?”

“It doesn’t matter. This much is enough.”

Aiden expelled Rex penniless and with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Even the nearest territory from Hestia’s domain was several days away by carriage.

Not to mention, monsters, including beasts, roamed the nearby areas.

The chances of Rex surviving were slim.

Even if luck was on his side, allowing him to survive, there wasn’t much he could do.

“A penniless man cast out with nothing—what could he possibly do?”

Moreover, Aiden had sprinkled him with a light scent that attracted monsters.

It was the same perfume Cecilia had used on Aiden when he was expelled from the family.

Perhaps she had hoped for Aiden to be attacked by monsters along the way.

“Knowing the original story, I also knew how to remove that scent.”

Thanks to that, he had arrived safely.

In addition, Aiden had kept clothes that carried the scent. He cut pieces of the cloth and rubbed them on Rex’s body.

“If he’s lucky, he’ll live. If not….”

Well, that couldn’t be helped.

“And you guys.”

“Yes!”

“Y-you called for us!?”

“Ah, never mind. Stay down. Who told you to get up?”

“S-sorry!”

The knights, who had been expelled from the mansion, were left bewildered.

When they quickly regained their composure and tried to re-enter, it was unfortunate for them that the building owner’s abilities didn’t stop there.

There was also a blacklist feature.

Those registered on the blacklist couldn’t enter the mansion.

The knights could do nothing but pace outside helplessly.

“It costs 10 gold to register someone on the blacklist, but it’s well worth the investment.”

While Aiden was beating Rex and uncovering the slush fund, the knights were stuck outside.

By the time he removed them from the blacklist, everything was over.

Seeing Rex tied up with ropes, his face a mess, the knights glanced at each other nervously.

Then, Aiden calmly spoke.

“Get your heads down.”

And that was it.

If the knights had any brains, they’d realize what this meant.

The mysterious force that had expelled them earlier clearly came from Aiden.

In other words, they couldn’t overpower him.

If Aiden wanted, he could send a carrier pigeon to inform the family of this incident.

“The Saronton family won’t be able to ignore this.”

Even if Aiden was known as an incompetent exile sent to a remote region,

If news of the proxy lord and knights embezzling subsidies spread, the family would have no choice but to act.

Their actions were a direct challenge to the Duke’s authority and a stain on the family’s honor.

Even if they fled to another kingdom, the Duke’s power would ensure they were hunted down.

In short,

“We’re screwed!”

Rex was nothing more than a rotten rope.

The knights had no choice but to abandon him and lower their heads.

Because of Aiden’s peculiar power, they couldn’t even approach him, much less retaliate.

“What kind of confidence led you to embezzle as a knight? Don’t you know what chivalry means?”

In “The Knight of Wrath,” chivalry meant punishing evil, aiding the weak, and ensuring no injustice prevailed.

In essence, they were similar to the police.

But these knights not only abetted embezzlement, they even tried to kill with swords meant to protect people.

“Instead of the people’s shield, you’ve become the people’s club.”

“W-we’re sorry!”

“Does an apology end your knighthood?”

“No, sir!”

“Then is your knighthood over?”

“……”

“Oh? Not answering, are you?”

“We’re sorry!”

“I asked if an apology ends your knighthood.”

It was an endless loop.

If possible, Aiden wanted to send these knights away too, but he couldn’t.

“They’re knights, after all. I can’t weaken our forces.”

The forest of beasts behind Hestia’s domain was teeming with monsters.

Even while embezzling, Rex had set aside funds to hire mercenaries to deal with the beasts.

“Well, if he wanted to keep siphoning funds for a long time, he’d need to ensure the domain didn’t collapse.”

Hestia’s domain lacked manpower to such an extent that they needed external support.

He couldn’t afford to let go of the knights.

Hestia’s domain was desperate for every bit of help, even if it came from these dishonorable knights.

“Stand up.”

Clack!

At Aiden’s command, the knights quickly stood.

They were about to sigh in relief, thinking it was finally over, but then Aiden spoke.

“Sit.”

“……!”

“What are you doing? Sit down.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Stand, sit, roll left, roll right.”

Aiden spent a long time tormenting the knights.

He was furious.

---

The knights not only embezzled funds but even attempted to kill the lord.

It wasn’t something to be overlooked.

“Lie down forward, lie down backward. Oh? Trying to slack off? Because one of you slacked off, that’s 10 more reps added.”

For quite a while after that.

Had it been about an hour? Aiden decided it was enough and spoke up.

“Stand up.”

“……”

But this time, the knights didn’t stand up.

Aiden raised his voice again, more forcefully.

“Do you all want to keep going? Should we continue?”

“No, sir!!!!”

Only then did the knights leap to their feet.

They were sweating profusely, likely because it was difficult to keep their heads bowed in full armor.

“You all know, don’t you? If I send a carrier pigeon, a bounty order will be issued immediately.”

“……”

“It feels a bit odd to say this about my own father, but his personality is really nasty. If he learns about this, he’ll bark like a mad dog and tear you apart.”

The knights turned pale, clearly aware of this fact.

“Kugh… I’m truly sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen, it’s all because of Rex! That bastard tricked me!”

A knight named Lir knelt on the ground.

Following his lead, the other knights also fell to their knees, pleading for forgiveness.

However, Aiden looked at them with eyes devoid of any sympathy.

“Do you think apologizing with just words is enough?”

“Pardon…?”

“What I want isn’t a simple verbal apology.”

Aiden placed five sheets of paper on the table and took out a quill pen.

The knights looked bewildered at his sudden action.

“W-what is that?”

“What I want isn’t heartfelt regret or just a spoken apology.”

What Aiden wanted was simple.

“All I need is your signature, imbued with your soul.”

“……”

The knights stood up one by one, looking at the papers Aiden had laid out.

At the top, a title was written:

A lease agreement.

In that other world, it would have been used for monthly or deposit-based rent contracts.

It was a 300-gold item available in the Building Owner Shop.

“If you sign that contract, it will hold great binding force. Violating the contract could even result in death.”

While Aiden was pondering how to deal with the knights, Alfredo mentioned the lease agreement.

“But isn’t this a property contract? Is that allowed?”

“What does that matter?”

“Huh?”

“The content of the contract can be freely modified to the building owner’s liking.”

The format didn’t matter; the content could be changed to whatever the building owner wanted.

Even with a 300-gold agreement, once they signed it, the knights wouldn’t be able to betray Aiden.

Clause 4: Contract Regulations

4.1 By signing this agreement, the tenant voluntarily acknowledges their obedience and compliance with the landlord. If this clause is violated, the tenant’s heart will immediately cease beating. In return, the landlord may grant additional privileges to the tenant.

If violated, the heart stops.

In that other world, such a contract would have caused outrage for being utterly unreasonable.

But in this world, the building owner’s authority was absolute.

The building owner rules supreme!

With this, the knights would never betray Aiden unless they wished to die.

Of course, at first, they protested, saying they didn’t want to sign it.

“Then, do you want to die?”

Faced with Aiden’s threat, they had no choice but to sign.

Whether they died now or later, the result would be the same.

If they signed the contract, they could live as long as they didn’t betray him. But if Aiden sent a carrier pigeon, they’d die instantly.

No, considering the temperament of the Saronton family as described in the original work, living might end up being more miserable than dying.

Under such circumstances, it was better to live here as slaves.

“50,000 gold…”

Aiden couldn’t help but grin.

“What should I spend it on~?”

---

Before spending the money, Aiden stepped out of the territory.

He wanted to bring Bianca along, but…

“I’d like to stay behind and do some cleaning.”

She decided to stay in the mansion.

The mansion had been neglected for a long time, leaving it dusty and disorganized.

Even Rex, the acting lord, had only kept his personal quarters clean, leaving the rest as it was.

Hiring servants was an option, but…

“Phew~ Look at this. If I stay here any longer, I might suffocate from all the dust. I think I’d be faster cleaning myself.”

Hiring servants would naturally take time.

Bianca judged that it was better to handle it herself rather than wait.

Aiden explained how he dealt with Rex and the knights.

Bianca didn’t seem particularly concerned.

“Aiden, you’re now the lord of Hestia. Do as you wish.”

With those warm words of encouragement, she went back to cleaning.

Just as Aiden was about to leave the territory, he suddenly turned back.

“Why are you looking at me with such a passionate gaze?”

“You stay behind.”

“Pardon? Lord, I am here to support you. Wherever you go, I must follow!”

“Before that, you’re a butler. You’re not seriously thinking of leaving all the cleaning of that massive mansion to my mother, are you?”

“T-that’s…”

“Clean up. It’s your specialty, right?”

“…That was just boasting…”

“Do it.”

“Yes, sir…”

In the end, Alfredo had no choice but to pick up a broom and sweep up the dust.

From behind, Aiden could hear him mutter, “I really think I’ve ended up with the wrong master this time…” but ignored it.

When Aiden stepped out of the territory, he took a look around.

The place was in complete disarray.

The wooden fence stood tall and imposing, thanks to being purchased from the Building Owner Shop.

In contrast, the surrounding buildings were decrepit and worn out.

“They’re all so old.”

Aiden briefly considered whether the 50,000 gold he confiscated from Rex would be enough to fix things.

But it wasn’t.

While 50,000 gold wasn’t a small amount, it wasn’t enough to address the state of the territory.

Where to begin?

Using knowledge from the original work to make money was possible, but not something he could act on immediately.

“What to do, and how…”

As he was mulling over his options, a piercing scream rang out.

“Kyaaaah!”

“What now?”

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