The security situation in Hestia’s territory was the worst.

Pickpocketing was common.

Thefts were innumerable.

It was far from good.

Normally, the territory’s security should have been the responsibility of the guards.

If knights were akin to police officers, guards were like constables stationed at local police outposts.

Naturally, they worked as civil servants, paid by the lord’s salary.

Ideally, the funds allocated to the lord’s representative should have been used to pay them.

But Rex hadn’t done that.

He was so blinded by embezzlement that he even touched the guards’ salaries.

Of course, no guards would work if they weren’t getting paid.

‘Even enthusiasm pay has its limits. If you give people passion instead of pay, they won’t work.’

The guard force disbanded.

The ones currently in the guardhouse were no more than thugs using it as their base.

Naturally, security levels plummeted.

“Another pickpocketing case, huh?”

“Did you hear? The neighbor Langs… got robbed recently.”

“…Shouldn’t they report that to the guards?”

“Pfft, where do you see any guards in our territory?”

The residents of the territory lived in anxiety.

In the past, they only feared the beasts outside. Now, they had to be wary of people inside as well.

Even when robberies occurred, no one was apprehended.

And even if they caught someone, who could they turn them over to when there were no guards?

“Still, there’s a new lord now. Maybe things will be different?”

A vague hope.

They had seen the detestable lord’s representative, Rex, being expelled with nothing but his bare body.

The suffering they endured because of Rex was still seared into their minds.

When they thought of their hardships, their anger boiled over.

Having driven Rex out, they began to wonder, “Could this new lord be different?”

“Hah, as if. Nobles are all the same.”

The man’s response was cold.

By this point, trusting nobles seemed out of reach.

They had tried believing in the past, only to have their faith betrayed each time.

They had no desire to hope anymore.

“All nobles are just the same.”

Too much pain had been endured for any trust to remain.

---

“Hmm, the security here is truly in shambles.”

After surveying the territory, Aiden returned to the mansion and sat in his office.

When he reached the source of the scream, he found a woman who had been pickpocketed.

Looking around, there was no one to help, so Aiden had to intervene personally.

When Aiden asked the woman about the guards, she gave him a brief explanation.

“That crazy bastard Rex…”

Rex was the problem.

If he was going to embezzle, he should have done so moderately.

Instead, he touched the guards’ salaries, and in the end, disbanded them altogether.

Clearly, something was wrong with his mind.

In hindsight, Aiden felt an urge to crack open Rex’s skull and look inside.

“There’s definitely just udon noodles in there…”

Rex had left such a mess behind that cleaning it up would be a massive ordeal.

One person made the mess; another had to clean it.

“Damn it.”

Aiden sank into thought.

The first priority was reinstating the guards.

Beasts were dangerous enough, but the internal threats posed an even greater risk.

“With the palisade, I don’t have to worry about beasts for now…”

When inspecting the palisade, it had seemed exceptionally sturdy.

Nearby, he had overheard some residents’ children chattering, calling it a “blessing from the fairies” and proclaiming that the fairies had protected them.

Upon listening closely, he learned that hundreds of fairies had appeared during the palisade’s construction, wielding hammers and working away.

“I thought it was just a flash of light… but the fairies did it?”

He recalled watching the palisade transform from his office but hadn’t been able to see clearly from the distance.

It would be worth taking a closer look later.

In any case.

The immediate issue was the guards.

Without them, the security of the territory would deteriorate further, and there was a risk that residents might leave.

“That can’t happen… they’re my source of income.”

A lord was akin to a building owner.

The residents were tenants.

Aiden’s dream was to buy a large building, live off the rent, and enjoy a laid-back life.

To become a wealthy bum!

That was his goal.

Of course, here he wasn’t a building owner but a lord. Yet, being a lord and a building owner had a lot in common.

“Instead of collecting rent, I gather taxes. Instead of managing buildings, I oversee the territory.”

While the scale was different, the responsibilities weren’t so far removed.

To realize his dream, he needed to prevent the departure of his income sources—the residents.

For that, the guards were essential.

Areas with good security always had higher property values!

People wanted to live in safe places, not in lawless lands.

“Even in that world, it was the same.”

Gates appeared everywhere.

However, there were areas where gates appeared frequently and others where they didn’t.

Naturally, areas with frequent gates had cheaper housing.

Places with fewer gates were more expensive.

And near the Association’s headquarters? The property prices were ten times higher.

“What was it called again? Subway zones, convenience zones… oh, right, Association zones!”

The same logic applied here.

Good security attracted people and established settlements.

Who would want to live in a house where thieves could break in at any moment?

“With money in hand, let’s start with the guards.”

“Now, who would be suitable?”

First, he needed personnel.

Guard stations could be purchased from the Building Owner Shop, but people couldn’t be bought.

He needed to find capable individuals.

“Should I recruit from outside? But how long would that take… and who would even come?”

Finding someone willing to work as a guard in the Forest of Beasts was like picking stars from the sky.

That meant he had to find someone among the residents.

“Come to think of it…”

A piece of the original story surfaced in his mind.

In the later part of the original, there was a mercenary who accidentally joined the protagonist’s group.

“Hestia’s territory? I was there too.”

“I lived quietly for a few years back then. At the time, I was sick and had no other choice.”

“Well, later I found out the sickness was poison… that was surprising.”

“What did I do in the meantime? Well…”

He remembered.

The talent for becoming a guard of the territory.

Originally, this was a character who briefly joined the protagonist’s party in the latter part of the original story.

By now, he should be recuperating in the Hestia territory.

‘I don’t know why he’s recovering in a place like this, but….’

Aiden, who knows the content of the original story, is well-acquainted with his personality.

He’s perfect for the role of the guard captain.

---

“Lord, why on earth did we come here?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Not exactly, but…”

The outskirts of the territory.

Aiden had come with the knight, Ril.

He was the one who had attacked Aiden during Rex’s tenure and was subdued.

Aiden had planned to come alone, but Bianca insisted on sending Ril along.

‘The security in the territory is poor right now. Move with Sir Ril.’

‘I’m more comfortable going alone, though…’

‘You’re a lord now. You at least need a minimum escort when you go out.’

Given the state of security in the Hestia territory, it was only natural for a mother to worry about her son.

Having no choice, Aiden brought Ril along.

The outskirts of the territory.

The closer it was to the palisade, the fewer people there were.

It was only natural.

No one knew when monsters might pour out from the forest.

The palisade served as a barrier against monsters.

While it might appear solid and safe, that was a grave misconception.

As reassuring as it seemed, if the palisade were to fall, the area nearby would instantly become a battleground.

For that reason, people avoided settling near the palisade whenever possible.

The two stood in front of a house.

Ril’s face turned pale upon seeing it.

“Don’t tell me… it’s here?”

“Yeah, why? Do you know the place?”

“Ah, of course, I know! How could I not! Lord, you must reconsider! This place is dangerous!”

“What’s so dangerous?”

Ril glanced around nervously, his eyes trembling as though terrified of something, and lowered his voice.

“They say some lunatic lives here.”

“A lunatic?”

“Yes! Do you know how many reports we’ve received about this place? At night, people hear strange noises like huff, huff or hah, hah! And they claim he shouts weird names and says, ‘Delicious~’ while laughing!”

“……”

“That’s not all. The people going in and out of here look so rough and menacing… If you saw them at night, you’d wet yourself!”

He was clearly being dramatic.

“I’m sure he’s some kind of dangerous criminal. Maybe even a wanted fugitive. Please, let’s just turn back. Whoever lives here isn’t normal!”

Ril earnestly hoped Aiden would change his mind.

Given how frightened the locals were, to the point of directly appealing to the knights, it wasn’t hard to understand.

“So, you’re saying you won’t go in?”

“I—I absolutely won’t! If I go in, I’ll be beaten to death!”

Ril stubbornly refused to enter, his eyes darting frantically with fear.

Aiden patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“I understand your preferences.”

“Pardon?”

“Dying from a heart attack is definitely cleaner and better than being beaten to death, isn’t it?”

“……”

Ril’s face turned ghostly pale.

The contract he had signed with Aiden came rushing back to his mind.

A ridiculous agreement stipulating that if he disobeyed orders, his heart would stop!

While absurd, hadn’t he already witnessed Aiden’s unique abilities firsthand?

There was no way to dismiss it.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Sniff…”

Even though every fiber of his being wanted to run, Ril had no choice but to knock on the door.

However, there was no response.

His face brightened with relief.

“Haha, ah, it seems no one’s home! Shall we, uh, come back later…?”

“The door seems to be unlocked. Let’s take a look inside.”

“Wh-what? You can’t just barge into someone’s home like that! My chivalry won’t allow it!”

“Coming from a knight who’s committed embezzlement, isn’t that a bit rich?”

“……”

“Enough. Let’s go in. Or would you prefer to enter a coffin instead?”

With a face on the verge of tears, Ril had no choice but to open the door and step inside.

Though he didn’t want to go into either the house or a coffin, there was no alternative.

Despite opening the door, there was no one inside.

“Is it really empty?”

“See? I told you! No one’s here, so how about we…”

“Wait. There’s a basement here.”

A basement came into view.

Aiden could sense someone’s presence down there.

“Let’s go down.”

“L-Lord, are we really allowed to do this? Entering someone’s house uninvited like this!”

“Come on.”

“Sniff…”

With tears welling up in his eyes, Ril reluctantly descended to the basement.

The basement was brightly lit with numerous candles, making it easy to see inside.

There was a man there.

But…

“Uuuh~ So tasty! You ate well, didn’t you, Carlton? Oh yes, yes, you liked it too? Hahaha! All right, upper body’s done for today. Time to work the lower body!”

The man then placed a barbell on his enormous trapezius muscles and began squatting.

“Huff! Huff! Hah! Hah! Huuup! Uuuh~ Feels so good! Delicious!! Absolutely delicious! Kelson! You think so too? Hahaha! Don’t worry; I’ll push you to the limit today!”

On either side of the barbell were weights of immense size.

It was obvious at a glance that the weight exceeded 200kg, but the man, seemingly ecstatic, couldn’t stop laughing.

Watching the scene, Ril felt his knees buckle.

With every squat, his swelling thighs looked like steel pillars.

His massive chest muscles seemed capable of deflecting orc attacks effortlessly.

Shoulders broader than the monster forest itself.

And abs that looked like they could grind a monster’s skull to dust.

The trapezius muscles supporting the bending barbell exuded an unmatchable sense of power.

“L-Lord… That man… He’s naming his muscles and talking to them…?”

“……”

“Didn’t I tell you?! This house is strange!”

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