Chapter 57

“Forgive the late hour. I am from the Urban Development Department of the Royal Capital Paladin Merchants’ Guild.”

At first, I thought he had the wrong house.

“I’m a first-year corporate employee just out of school. You must be looking for someone else. Even if this were about developing this property, this is a company dormitory, so you’d need to talk to the firm—and besides, as a first-year, I don’t have the money to buy real estate.”

No matter the conditions, nothing he said seemed to apply to me. No matter how good my salary was, I couldn’t buy land or buildings yet.

“This is the residence of Franz-san, is it not? You are the acting Baron of Fantland, correct?”

“Ah, right. On paper, I am a Baron.”

I suppose that meant he perceived me as someone with money. I receive a tiny bit of tax revenue from the place, but with only six households, it’s basically pocket change.

“I am a Baron, but it’s less of a ‘marginal’ settlement and more of a ‘beyond the limit’ settlement, so I don’t have any money.”

“No, this isn’t a matter of us trying to sell you something. Quite the opposite—we wish to buy.”

I didn’t quite understand, but it didn’t seem like the kind of conversation that would end at the front door. I invited him inside to continue. Mary glared at him from a distance with a suspicious look on her face.

“To put it simply: we wish to purchase the land of Fantland. Technically, it would mean purchasing your rights as the Baron.”

It’s true that the Baron’s title is for a single lifetime, so with the right paperwork, it can be sold relatively easily.

“I honestly think that land is useless for anything, but… strictly out of curiosity, is there someone who just wants the title of Baron?”

That was the only reason I could think of. Some rich guy wanting to scream that he’s a fragment of the nobility and turning the title of Baron into a commodity.

“No, that is not our intent. If it were just for the title of Baron, there are plenty of people willing to let theirs go if you offer them money. Mediating such a trade yields very little profit.”

Fantland isn’t my hometown or anything, but selling it without knowing what it would be used for felt creepy.

“Unless you tell me the significance of that land, I can’t irresponsibly let it go. I am the Lord, after all.”

At that—clink, clink! Two teacups were placed down on the table with a bit of force.

It seemed Mary had brought them. It was clearly a move to intimidate him. If this man had realized he was looking at the “Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares,” he would have frozen in terror, but there was no way he knew.

“That said, don’t you dare tell a lie with some made-up reason,” Mary said. “If you do, prepare to see nightmares for a year straight and spend your life in an insomnia clinic.”

She had a point. There was a risk this merchant might try to deceive me.

“I have brought the planning documents. Here, please, take a look.”

The man spread a drawing of a building across the table.

It was a massive, four-story structure that looked almost like a fortress, yet the exterior was brightly colored and flamboyant. In the vicinity of the building, the artist had drawn families walking happily and carriages transporting people. At the top of the page were the words: Proposed Completion Map.

“What is this? Wait, I feel like I’ve seen this scenery somewhere…”

“Yes. We plan to open the district’s largest commercial facility in Fantland.”

“A commercial facility!?”

“Indeed. The first floor will feature a market safe from the rain. The second floor will handle ‘Clothing’ and ‘Housing’ from the necessities of life—apparel, bedding, and various sundries. The third floor will house barbers and bone-setters, as well as the district’s largest bookstore and a restaurant row. Finally, the top floor will feature the district’s largest theater, with daily comedy performances.”

This has turned into something outrageous…

The man placed the detailed documents on the table. There was too much to read through immediately, but I could tell they were quite serious.

“It might be a ‘dream castle’ for the locals, but is it even worth building in such a rural area? You should just build it in the city,” Mary pointed out while lingering at the table. It was a valid point.

“I understand your concern! However, we can solve that with these Large Dragon Carriages!”

“Wait, this carriage in the drawing… that’s not a horse, it’s a different creature…”

“That is a Drake. We have collected a fair number of Drake Skeletons. We will have several with a twenty-person capacity patrolling the various parts of the district to bring customers to this facility.”

A Drake Skeleton… basically a smaller version of a Dragon Skeleton. The man spoke fluently and with great energy; he clearly had immense confidence in this project.

“Even so, why not just do it in the urban center where the population is already high?” Mary remained skeptical.

“In the urban parts of the district, land prices are still high, and finding a plot this large is an ordeal. However, in Fantland, there is land to spare and it is dirt cheap. We can significantly lower construction costs, which allows us to keep tenant fees low. This attracts people from other regions who want to take a chance on a new business.”

Dammit! Listening to him, everything started to sound perfect, to the point where I couldn’t think for myself anymore!

I was grateful that Mary was maintaining her consistent gaze of suspicion. A lot of money was clearly moving here; I couldn’t let myself be talked into a corner.

“By the way, what do the residents think?” Mary asked with a stern expression. “This would drastically change the atmosphere of the land. Even if the Lord agrees, if the residents are against it, we can’t easily give permission. As the Lord, he doesn’t want to be in direct conflict with his people.”

Ah, Mary is a high-ranking demon; I guess she’s good at negotiations like this.

“Yes, we have conducted a survey in advance. Out of twenty-one people, seventeen are in favor, two are opposed, and two are undecided.”

Another document was placed on the table. Wait, even the locals want this?

“In that case, as the Lord, the right thing to do would be to simply approve it, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly, exactly! As a young Lord, we hope for a bold decision!”

Yet, for some reason, my heart was racing with unease.

Had all the concerns really vanished? Stay calm, Franz. I am the Lord of Fantland.

I turned my eyes back to the proposed completion map once more.