Reincarnation of a Hunter Chapter 39.1 - Adding Fuel to the Fire

The families of the pirates, who had abandoned their home in Cagliari to save their own lives.

 

Most of them wished to migrate to the pioneer villages as I had intended. Even excluding those who would work as fishermen or in commerce, their numbers exceeded four thousand.

 

Since they were relocating all at once, it meant pouring yet another massive sum from the budget.

 

Diego, the chief of economic affairs, entered my office with a grim expression.

 

“My lord…”

 

“Haha! Diego, looks like I’m giving you another assignment.”

 

Diego let out a resigned sigh.

 

“The relocation costs are too high. We need to repurpose the pirate ships as merchant vessels immediately.”

 

“That’s impossible until we brand the pirates with slave marks. What if they try to escape?”

 

The slave mark contained a 〈Mind Control〉 spell, preventing any active attempts to flee or rebel. Though it was a convenient method, the sheer number of people meant the branding process would take a long time.

 

“At this rate, we’ll go bankrupt just from the cost of the slave marks.”

 

Though Diego’s words were somewhat exaggerated, the expense of branding slaves couldn’t be ignored.

 

We had raised two cash cows—Canada and Jeongrohwan—but for the stable operation of the territory, we needed more sources of income.

 

“Gather the kids. Let’s brainstorm some money-making ideas.”

 

“The administrative officials?”

 

Administrative officials. The old-timers probably wouldn’t be much help.

 

“This time, let’s bring in the servants working at the lord’s manor.”

 

Most of those working in the manor were young. Due to the pyramid structure, those who couldn’t advance in rank would leave for other jobs.

 

I figured we might get some fresh ideas from them.

 

A short while later…

 

I headed to the conference room with Diego.

 

The room was packed with manor staff. Curious about what this was all about, numerous them had shown up.

 

Even Mother had taken her seat.

 

“Mother? What brings you here?”

 

“I heard you were up to something interesting, so I came to watch.”

 

“It’s just a meeting.”

 

“You’ve done this before in Westphalia, haven’t you? It was fun back then.”

 

Come to think of it, I did recall holding a similar meeting a few years ago.

 

At the time, we were also looking for ways to create jobs. Of course, it was to settle the displaced people within the territory. Back then, crimes committed by the poor and refugees had increased far too much.

 

“Westphalia was fun because money was overflowing.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

As the Count’s illegitimate son, the only thing I couldn’t obtain was power—money was never an issue.

 

If I went to the chamberlain and explained the purpose, he would provide whatever funds were needed without question.

 

Of course, it wasn’t an unlimited amount, just enough to resolve civil complaints.

 

“Right now, we need to minimize the budget and find ways to earn money.”

 

“That sounds like fun too.”

 

Mother still hadn’t lost her smile. 

 

I cleared my throat and announced the start of the meeting.

 

“Ahem. Anyway, let’s begin the meeting on revenue generation and job creation.”

 

As soon as I started, a young maid eagerly raised her hand.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“Yes, my lord! I think we should create many tourist attractions in the territory and hold festivals. People from other territories would come to visit, sight see at historical sites, enjoy the festivals, and spend money on experiences like maple syrup tapping.”

 

Ah, the sound of taxes melting away.

 

If I allocated budget to tourism or festivals, they’d swarm in like blind money.

 

Naturally, that suggestion was unrealistic. But I couldn’t crush the enthusiasm of a budding idea, so I gave measured praise before moving on.

 

“That’s a good suggestion. However, budget constraints make it difficult to decide right now. Let’s think about it carefully.”

 

“Yes, my lord!”

 

She’s a cheerful young maid. It seems things have settled down well. Next, a lady-in-waiting who had served my mother since our time in Westphalia raised her hand and spoke.

“How about making women’s products?”

What she meant were things like soap and cosmetics. 

 

Making soap is a classic trope in alternate history or fantasy novels, and I had actually tried it myself back in Westphalia. I even attempted to use glycerin as a moisturizer.

Of course, it failed, and the small amount I managed to produce ended up being offered to my mother as a gift.

“No. The time and cost required to establish a proper production method would be too great.”

 

Then, my mother raised her hand and interjected.

“I’ve been practicing in my spare time, and I’ve gotten quite good at making them now. It would be a waste to use too much oil, so I can’t produce large quantities, but small-scale production is possible.”

“Huh?”

“You were the one who taught me how to make them. I’ve been trying it out whenever I had free time.”

 

It seemed my mother had gone through a long period of trial and error. The amount of time and money wasted must have been considerable.

 

In a way, she’s an amazing person.

 

“Then let’s proceed with soap and moisturizer as your personal venture, Mother. As you said, oil is too precious to waste.”

“Are you sure that’s alright? It was your idea, after all.”

“I failed at it. Business should be handled by those who are good at it.”

If my mother takes on some work, it’ll bring vitality to the lord’s residence. I’ve always felt regretful that we couldn’t continue the relief efforts for the poor here due to budget constraints.

 

“I’ll work hard and try selling them.”

For now, she’ll probably push them onto the wives of lower nobles and merchants.

A small consolation for them.

 

After that, various opinions poured in.

“Young Master… no, my Lord, what about the embroidery you made before?”

“I’d rather just undo all of that. The profit margin would be negligible anyway.”

 

I didn’t want to monetize even my hobby of sewing.

“Besides cross-stitching, you’ve also made chess and board games, right? Do those not make money?”

“If they’re made one by one for personal use, they won’t be protected by the guild, and they’re too easy to replicate, so no.”

I had also tried making card games and board games like Othello. Not to sell, but just out of boredom.

 

Either way, only trivial and minor ideas were coming up.

‘This defeats the purpose of gathering these kids. What a disappointment.’