When the mood strikes, it's as good a day as any.
Rest decided to tackle a job he would rather not have taken on if he could help it — developing the Sabnock Plains.
In principle, this was work that should have been led by the central government... but the current royal family was swamped with cleaning up the aftermath of the civil war and handling diplomatic issues.
If they sat idle, a new "Lord of the Demon Realm" to replace Sabnock might well arise, so they decided to get started ahead of schedule.
Rest had already been granted domain as reward for his many achievements.
Even if he developed the land on his own, the royal family had no grounds to fault him for it.
What Rest had been given was the entire northern region of the Sabnock Plains. In terms of sheer size alone, it rivaled not just a count's domain, but a marquis's.
House Rosemary and its vassal nobles held domains in the northern part of the kingdom, so if the development went well, they could build a road connecting from the north to join the main highway.
(The royal family probably had that location in mind when they made the assignment...)
"Rest. Developing uncultivated land requires several things."
Marquis Rosemary's office.
His father-in-law, Albert Rosemary, sat with his hands clasped on his desk and spoke.
Running all over the place dealing with the aftermath of the civil war, heavy dark circles were etched beneath his father-in-law's eyes.
He must have been incredibly busy. Rest felt apologetic for bringing up what was, in the end, an unnecessary matter.
"First is money. You'll need development capital. That part's already taken care of, I trust."
"Yes... The royal family paid out an absurd sum."
The subjugation of the magic beast Sabnock.
His exploits during the civil war.
His inheritance of the Rodele Aiwood estate.
Because of these things, an amount of money Rest had never seen before had tumbled into his coffers.
He was even troubled by the luxurious problem of wanting to get rid of it quickly because it made him restless.
"Next is 'people.' Soldiers to protect the domain from monsters, officials to handle administrative tasks, farmers to cultivate the fields, engineers to construct buildings and walls, laborers to transport stone and timber... Developing the plains is a different matter entirely from building a village. You will need a great many hands."
"That's right... This is something I can't manage on my own."
"Well, if you don't skimp on money, gathering manpower isn't difficult. If you can spare some, I'll order Diebl to start recruiting people."
"Thank you! Please, I would be very grateful for that!"
Rest thanked him from the bottom of his heart.
His father-in-law, Albert, and his mentor, Diebl—he could leave things to them with complete peace of mind.
If it were permitted, he even felt like he could take all the money received from the royal family and just push it onto them.
"The problem is the officials... but the royal family will likely provide some people as well. Because of the civil war, most of the castle's civil officials are busy... but conveniently, there are also people who are free and idle."
"People are free at a time like this?"
"Ah... They are members of the Queen Dowager's faction."
"Huh...?"
Rest's eyes went wide with shock.
Weren't the people from the Queen Dowager's faction purged?
"When I say faction, it's a large one... At the very fringes, there were many people who had absolutely nothing to do with the civil war. Most of them, at the moment the rebellion occurred, declared they had no connection to it and had no intention of defying the royal family, and they seceded from the faction to become commoners. However... because they were still originally from the clan that staged the rebellion, they have been removed from any important positions."
They were victims too.
The third and fourth sons, who couldn't inherit the family headship, had come to the royal capital seeking to make a name for themselves, working desperately hard, and had secured positions at the royal palace.
And then there were others... whose own families and relatives had started the rebellion, dragging them into being labeled part of a traitor's bloodline.
"A few of my subordinates... court magicians, specifically... are just like that. Not one of them has a kind word to say about their families. 'They didn't lift a finger to help us when we struck out on our own, so why should we be the ones left holding the stigma?' That's what they say."
"Oh... that sounds awful..."
"Their resentment is directed at their foolish families. They have no quarrel with you, Rest. If anything, the royal family would be delighted to have capable civil officials recruited."
"...Well, I'll leave the personnel selection to you on that front. I don't really understand the ins and outs of the royal palace."
But then... if Albert and Diebl were handling the recruitment, what was there left for Rest to do?
He couldn't in good conscience leave everything to others and do nothing himself.
"Rest, you have an important job of your own, don't you? Monster subjugation and securing a foothold."
"Monster subjugation... and securing a foothold..."
"Even though the lord of the demon realm has been defeated, the Sabnock Plains are still a demon realm. You need to subjugate the monsters and secure a location that will serve as the first foothold for frontier development... that is what you should be doing."
Albert rubbed at his sleep-decked eyes with a finger as he said this.
"I can lend you several magicians from House Rosemary, and it might be worth recruiting talent from the academy as well. As long as you're alive, even if you fail you can always try again. So go ahead and do as you see fit."
"...Understood. I'll take on the challenge."
Rest gave a deep nod at Albert's words.
Securing a foothold was one thing, but monster subjugation was right in his wheelhouse.
Of course, clearing the monsters across a vast domain and establishing adequate safety was easier said than done.
(If that's the case, it's going to be tough going it alone. I'll need collaborators who can help. If I go to the academy, maybe I can find people looking to enter military service...?)
Rest decided to return to the academy once more, this time to gather collaborators who would help him take the first step toward frontier development.