Chapter 75: Decline the invitation

The nobility also bore obligations—paying taxes to the imperial court, answering the call to war, and defending their territories. Although whether the wretched Nightfall Domain even existed made no difference to the crown, if Phield were to flee on his own, then his future life—and his noble identity—would be gone for good.

"You have remarkable courage," Sherry said in a coaxing tone, her voice smooth and persuasive. "And if I’m not mistaken, you’re a first-rank knight, aren’t you? Why not become my knight? I can grant you a knightly fief, and your military merits would have room to grow. His Imperial Majesty holds the Gassina family in very high regard."

"Uh..."

Phield immediately recalled the entire crates of relics left behind by the Investigation Corps—and the girls who had been sacrificed and turned into spider monstrosities. A chill ran down his spine.

Did the Empress truly value the Gassina family as much as Sherry believed?

"Thank you," Phield said sincerely, before declining her offer. "But I have my own plans."

A knight of the Gassina family was nothing more than a consumable. There was no real path for advancement—only death, scattered across one battlefield after another.

Following a master who might die at any moment was far worse than staying in Nightfall Domain and fighting for his own future.

Sherry shook her head. Anger and confusion drove her to her feet.

"Your stubbornness will get you and your people killed! Staying here is nothing but waiting for death. You should think further ahead."

"That’s not necessarily true," Phield replied, leaning back in his chair, his tone firm and unquestionable. "There’s still a year, isn’t there? Running away has never been my style. If corruption comes, then let it come. I’ll smash it to pieces."

And while he was at it, he’d capture every corrupted Divine Chosen as well.

"...Very well. Countless people have tried to develop the Northern Frontier, and all of them died here. Now that corruption is gathering, the Northern Province will only become more dangerous. One year? Hah. You’ll struggle just to hold this territory."

Seeing that Phield remained unmoved, Sherry let out a cold chuckle, though regret flickered in her heart. Smash the corruption? More likely he’d be smashed by it.

Such a handsome man—how could he be so foolish? Following the Gassina family would have guaranteed him a bright future.

"We’ll rest here for the night and leave early tomorrow morning," Sherry said at last. "If you change your mind, come with us. At least we can look out for one another on the road."

With that, Sherry and her companions returned to their rooms.

Phield remained behind, silent for a long time.

Before he could rise, a pair of slender hands settled on his shoulders. Ashina spoke calmly, "My lord, whatever you wish to do—do it freely. I will protect you until the very end of my life."

"...Hm?"

Phield froze, then turned around, his arm instinctively wrapping around Ashina’s waist.

"That’s what you said. In that case, I won’t hold back."

"Hey—hey! You perverted lord! That’s not what I meant! Hey!"

Like a startled rabbit, Ashina laughed and cried at the same time.

"I was worried about you for nothing!"

"No need to worry. Things aren’t that simple," Phield said lightly. "Besides, our Nightfall Domain isn’t a lamb waiting for slaughter. We’re only just getting started."

He snapped his fingers.

"Call Nina and the others to clear the table. Oh, and where’s Rosalia?"

"She went to the main villa to clean up the remaining corrupted creatures."

As a corrupted being herself, Rosalia slaughtered her own kind with exceptional enthusiasm.

"Good. Ashina, how are the Vigor Elixir and Vital Essence Oil coming along?"

Ashina’s ears twitched, her expression practically begging for praise.

"They’re ready to be handed over to the people for production. As for the effects... we haven’t tested them yet."

"Excellent. I’ll be making another trip to Maple Leaf City soon. These new products will become our economic backbone."

Phield ruffled Ashina’s head affectionately.

Ashina blushed and lowered her head.

Inner thoughts:

Ahh~ I’m so happy~ So embarrassed~

...

The next morning.

After exchanging brief farewells, Sherry and her two companions departed the Grand Winery, carrying food and water supplies, and set off toward Maple Leaf City. They left so decisively that Phield’s preparations ended up looking completely unnecessary.

"They showed no interest in Nightfall Domain," Ashina reported. "They didn’t chat with anyone, and they barely glanced at the territory. Miss Sherry left behind a voucher worth one thousand gold coins, redeemable in Maple Leaf City. She also said that if corruption invades, you’re welcome to seek refuge with her."

"A good-tempered and generous person," Phield said with a chuckle. "First a divine artifact, now gold. I really don’t understand what she sees in me—trying to recruit me like that. She has good taste."

After a pause, he added, "Since she’s been so kind, send the Investigation Corps’ relics over to her next time. Say that this is all we managed to recover."

During Rosalia’s battle with the spider, Phield had privately claimed a large portion of the Investigation Corps’ belongings.

Armor and weapons were out of the question, but crests and farewell letters should be returned.

Yawning, Phield gazed out over the surrounding fields.

"The territory barely compares to a normal village in the outside world. No wonder she wasn’t interested. That’s a good thing... Wait. Why do I hear someone sobbing?"

"Nooo~ come back~"

Kaor stood on the second floor of the Grand Winery, tears streaming down his face as he cried toward the distant horizon.

"Huh? Mr. Kaor, do you know Miss Sherry?" asked Meg, the maid, sweeping the floor with a broom. She looked puzzled, but her hands never stopped, efficiently clearing away the dust. "Why are you crying so hard?"

"I don’t know her personally, but I know of the Gassina family," the butler Kaor said miserably. "What pains me even more is that Baron Phield rejected Miss Sherry’s invitation."

"So what if he did?" Meg replied, utterly unconcerned. "My lord is always right."

"Foolish ignorance!" Kaor exclaimed. "If he followed Miss Sherry, he could leave the Northern Province!"

Meg bristled at that, slamming her broom against the floor.

"Stop running away. We are loyal only to Lord Phield."

"This isn’t about running away!" Kaor sighed. "You wouldn’t understand. With a great noble’s recommendation, one can leave a dangerous region without losing honor. I was thinking of my lord’s future. Fleeing after losing a battle is cowardice—but leaving at a great noble’s invitation is called honor, understand?"

"I don’t care," Meg said flatly, ignoring his explanation. "My lord can’t be wrong."

Phield, of course, knew nothing of the servants’ argument. He had just received good news.

"All remaining corrupted corpses in the main villa have been cleared. I guarantee nothing was missed."

Wrapped head to toe in a black robe, Rosalia returned to the Grand Winery, the Greatsword of Gluttony slung over her shoulder, corrupted blood still staining her face.

"Well done," Phield said happily. "From now on, we’ll be living in a real mansion. Pick any room you like."

He was in high spirits. The Grand Winery was decent, but it wasn’t comfortable, nor was it convenient—there were only so many rooms, after all.

"Yay! I didn’t want to live with demi-humans anyway!" Rosalia cheered. "I’m going to live under your bed!"

"...That’s a bit much," Phield said, speechless. "That’s terrifying."

Rosalia covered her mouth and giggled.

"Then I’ll live on the floor above you."

"That’s more reasonable," Phield nodded. "That works."

"Then I’ll cut a hole in the floor above your bed. If you can’t sleep at night, you can crawl up. I don’t mind if it’s scary," Rosalia added cheerfully. "That way it’s also convenient for you to greet me every morning and night."

"There’s no way I’m sharing a room with Ashina," Rosalia continued with a wicked grin. "You don’t know this, Phield, but Ashina smiles like an idiot and licks people in her sleep. I can’t sleep at all."

"I—I don’t do that!" Ashina protested, stunned. She clenched her fists in irritation. "You’re the annoying one! Every time I wake up, you’re hugging my head like a nursing baby. I can’t breathe!"

...Great. You two are ganging up on me now, aren’t you?

...

At the main villa, Rosalia led the way as Phield spent three full hours exploring every room and hidden passage.

The mansion was magnificent. Despite the devastation caused by corruption, its core structure remained intact. With collapsed sections filled in, holes patched, and corrupted traces scrubbed away, it could be made fully livable again. The estate covered roughly six thousand square meters, most of it taken up by decorative sculptures, gardens, and corridors. Excluding the ruined areas, the actual usable living space was not particularly large.

Which meant there was plenty of room for modification.

The ornate beams and painted ceilings meant nothing to Phield—he’d rather tear it all out and turn it into bastions and battlements.

There were 120 rooms of various functions, including thirty-six large bedrooms. There was also an enormous basement—more accurately, an underground shelter—complete with a study, bedrooms, and a living area.

Before being contracted by Phield, Rosalia had slept in that basement.

With the crisp crackle of rising flames, Rosalia lit the noble-style candelabra, bathing the underground space in a soft glow.

Phield sat at a long table and unfolded a massive map.

"This is the detailed map of Nightfall Domain," Rosalia explained. "It marks all industries, facilities, defensive points, and—most importantly—Starnight City. It’s a family heirloom, passed down through generations and hidden in the basement study."

"Excellent," Phield nodded in satisfaction. "With this map, our actions in Nightfall Domain will be far more efficient—especially future operations against Starnight City."

He snapped his fingers.

"Beyond that, I plan to renovate the Starnight estate. We don’t need so many villas and gardens. What we need are stone walls and towers."

He gestured across the map.

"Preferably a star fortress. With large towers, we can install heavy ballistae and cannons."

"Cannons?" Both Divine Chosen looked puzzled.

"Haha, that can wait," Phield laughed. "And it won’t be easy anyway. For now, Starnight Fortress will focus on repairs. Expansion will require a professional castle planner."

After a moment’s thought, he added, "As for the Grand Winery, don’t waste it. It’ll serve as a regional stronghold and shelter. Besides, the surrounding slaves and free folk have already built a village of respectable size."

Ashina nodded.

"Yes. Relocating all the villagers would be a massive undertaking."

"Then from now on, the area around the Grand Winery will be called Windrise Town," Phield declared. "And the main estate will be renamed Starnight Fortress."

Pointing to the quarry on the map, he continued,

"Next, we focus on infrastructure. Rosalia, clear the corrupted monsters from the quarry. Ashina, you’re in charge of security—protect every inch of land where people live."

"Yes, my lord!"

"Hmph. You still need to rely on me, after all," Rosalia said smugly.

They accepted their orders.

"One more thing," Phield said. "If we want to get rich, we build roads first."

He traced a line connecting the Grand Winery and Starnight Fortress.

"This road must be completed. The damaged sections of Starnight Fortress produced a huge amount of stone debris—crush it and use it to pave the road."

Concrete would have been better, but the territory’s current state didn’t allow for such luxury. Besides, leaving all that stone waste unused would be a waste in itself.

"Now," Phield said, straightening,

"let’s all get moving."