The next day.
In the drawing room of House Rosemary.
There, Rest and four women had gathered to discuss plans for the future.
Rest had spent the previous day thoroughly enjoying a fun date, but... he couldn't afford to laze around forever.
The duty of a noble lay in governing one's domain. It was about time he set about the serious work of frontier development.
"I've already gathered the supplies and manpower needed for development. Lord Andrew snatched away quite a bit of what we needed, so it took longer than expected, but..."
"Of course, we'll lend you a hand too. Right, Rest!"
"I'm with you all the way, so just kick back and relax!"
Primula explained, and Viola and Yuri declared their support with reliable confidence.
From here on, Rest would be commencing the development of the domain granted to him — the Countship of Clover.
The first task was constructing a town to serve as a base of operations. A survey team dispatched by House Rosemary had already examined several candidate sites for the construction.
"I have duties of my own, so I won't be able to help directly... but if anything comes up, please don't hesitate to ask."
Celestine spoke with an apologetic expression.
Though her marriage to Rest had been essentially finalized, at this point she was not yet an official member of the Countship of Clover.
She was cooperating strictly as an outsider.
"As for candidate sites for the base... Father narrowed it down to three locations. All of them have ample space for building a town, and access to a water source is secured as well."
Primula spread a map across the table and continued her explanation.
"Lord Rest holds territory on the northern side of the Sabnock Plains. It's also close to the Marquisate of Rosemary. Of these, the three candidate sites are to the north, west, and south."
Primula marked the spots on the map.
The northern side is close to the Marquisate of Rosemary, making it easy to send supplies and personnel from our house. The western side is closer to the royal capital, and from a long-term perspective, this location has the greatest potential for development. The southern side has no particular advantages, but if I had to say something, it is close to Lord Andrew's domain, so perhaps you could build a friendly exchange.
Primula looked up and met Rest's gaze.
"Lord Rest. Of these three, where should we establish our base?"
"The northern side, obviously. It's the only choice."
Rest answered without a moment's hesitation.
It was a simple problem with no room for doubt.
"It's obviously better to be close to the Marquisate of Rosemary. If something happens, we can help each other, and it would be easier for Viola and Primula to visit home, wouldn't it?"
"...Yes, that's right. Thank you."
"Thank you... We're happy."
The two women smiled shyly at his response, which had been made with consideration for Viola and Primula.
Celestine gave a small cough at the three of them who had created their own little world by staring at each other.
"Ahem... Please continue the explanation."
"Oh, my apologies."
Primula composed herself and resumed her explanation.
"Then, let's say we build a base at the northern point that will eventually become the capital of the Clover County domain... There is one problem."
"A problem?"
"Yes. A monster's nest has been confirmed at this location. To build a base here, we must first exterminate the monsters."
"Ah, I see. That's straightforward."
This land was originally part of the demon realm.
It was a place suitable for humans, which meant it was also suitable for monsters.
It made perfect sense that a monster's nest would be found in a location suitable for a stronghold.
"So basically, all we have to do is subjugate the monsters… That's a far simpler task than coming up with a date plan."
When it came to monster hunting, he was as skilled as they came.
Without having to think about anything complicated, it was a straightforward scenario — exactly the kind he preferred.
"This time, I'm coming along too, you know! I'll show you I'm not just some princess who needs protecting!"
"I as well… The time has come to put the magic I've studied at the academy to use."
Viola and Primula were fired up.
Beside them, Yuri was shadowboxing with a grin on his face.
"Yeah… Just, try not to overdo it, okay…"
Facing the three reliable and beautiful young women, Rest somehow felt a sense of unease.
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