The story of the struggle in another world of the divine cat Mii-chan and the cat supplies summoner

230 Divine Cat Mii-chan Hires a Swordsmanship Instructor

I return to the room where Lucas is waiting, petting Mii-chan as I enter.

“What was the reason for His Majesty’s summons?”

Lucas seems quite worried. It looks like he thought I would be given an impossible task by the king. Well, to be fair, the task is impossible, but still.

“Lord Lucas, Nero-sama has been granted the rank of baron by His Majesty. It’s a great honor.”

The king’s butler speaks up before I can say anything… Well, it’s fine.

“A b-barony… Congratulations. It is an honor for your vassals to see their lord recognized.”

Lucas kneels before me… It took quite some time to get him to stand up.

“Well then, Baron of Brocken, starting tomorrow you will need to regularly visit the castle. There are many tasks ahead, such as drafting official documents and transitioning territorial matters. You may want to bring people like Lucas along to assist you.”

Ugh, of course, that’s how it would be. There’s no way I can handle all this alone. I’ll have to bring Lucas and Katia. Thinking about it, the current team won’t be enough to manage everything, so I’ll need to gather more personnel… What a hassle. I’ll go home and discuss this with everyone.

“Mii~”

“Whaat!? Nero-san became a noble!?”

“Nero… a noble?”

“Grrr.”

“Kyuu.”

Kaorin is being loud. Jin looks dumbfounded. I wonder if Lou-kun and Ral-kun understand what’s going on. Katia is crying from joy, while Lala and Yana seem unsurprised, like they expected this. Yan doesn’t seem to know what’s happening.

“With both Forte and Nixe under control, it seems like the entire trade route is secured.”

“Sensei, does this mean His Majesty has entrusted Nero-san with the commerce of the south?”

“With the western route out of use, it certainly seems that way… Though Brocken Mountain remains an issue…”

Glennhardt is looking at Lou-kun, who tilts his head as if to ask, “What?”

“Nero-kun, you’re going to be rich! Maybe I should become your wife~.”

Before I could retort, I caught a sharp, murderous glare… Better stay quiet.

“The issue will be personnel. Even if you borrow people from the palace for now, you’ll need to quickly gather reliable and competent individuals—both civilian and military officers.”

“You’ll also need to decide whether Forte or Nixe will be your base of operations.”

When Katia says “base,” she must mean the mansion. Personally, I’d prefer Nixe—the lakeside scenery is incredible. But when it comes to commerce, Forte makes more sense. It’s in the fertile breadbasket region and is also a hub for alcohol production. It’s a convenient city.

“How about consulting the Commercial Guild for civil officials? I’ve got a favor with them after the festival. As for military officers, we could recruit from the Hunters.”

“The Commercial Guild, hmm… Given the location of your territory, you’ll have close ties with them. But there’s a risk that all information might flow to the guild.”

“That’s inevitable to some degree. The key is making sure the Commercial Guild finds it more beneficial to ally with us. Even if they appear to be working for the guild, we can control them by feeding selective information, essentially making them double agents.”

“Do you think that would work?”

“If they’re from the Commercial Guild, they’ll understand where the profit lies. With sincerity, some will definitely side with us. As for those who don’t, we can simply avoid giving them important roles, which will make it easier to monitor them.”

“Nero… you’re quite ruthless.”

Lucas, I’ll take that as a compliment. Plus, Lucas has been gathering people under the Shen Neko Trading Company. I trust those people, so they can help manage things for now.

“What about the hunters?”

“Hmm, let’s consult with Guildmasters Zest and Serion. I trust both of them.”

“Indeed, they are trustworthy. But could you also include me in this?”

“Sensei!?”

“What do you mean, Glennhardt-san?”

“I’ve been considering retiring from being a hunter. However, I feel it’s still too early to settle down. So, I’d like to offer my services to the Baron of Brocken as a personal soldier. I think I could be of use in training the younger generation.”

“Ah, you mean as a swordsmanship instructor. That would be an honor, but…”

“Mii~”

“Swordsmanship instructor, huh? That’s quite fitting.”

“Sensei! What about me!?”

“Zeke, it’s time for you to stand on your own. I believe I’ve taught you everything I know about swordsmanship. From here on, you must walk the path of the sword on your own. You won’t grow stronger if you stay by my side. There are many strong opponents in this world. Refine your skills and become a true master of the sword!”

“Sensei…”

I know it’s rude, but I feel like I’m watching a scene from a passionate youth drama.

“Mii~”