Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Going to inspect it, huh?" Kira laughed, stepping forward to look at Kania's beautiful hair as if she were examining a work of art.

Although it wasn't the first time I'd seen her, Kania always appeared with long, flaxen hair in public. The reason she was showing herself like this now was because she had spent the last few days away at the magic institution in Sochi for her certification.

Those who study magic and martial arts often experience changes in appearance due to resonance with magical elements or the special attributes of their martial arts. Kania, having obtained her magician certification, can finally openly display her 'witch' form without arousing suspicion.

Upon hearing that Ryusha was not there, Kania immediately mounted a fast horse, intending to take Kira with her to find him.

But as soon as she grabbed Kira's hand, the latter staggered as if she were injured.

"Ah~ it seems he's really worn you out~" Kania smiled knowingly as she looked at Kira's awkward gait.

"You! Go find your little lover! I'm so relieved to have you back! I still have work to do!"

Kira gave a charming and playful smile, patted the horse's rump, and the horse carrying the little witch lightly set off, galloping towards the boy in their hearts.

……

Kania rode her horse to a newly cultivated field on the outskirts of town, where Ryusha and Hetia, accompanied by two soldiers, were discussing something with several farmers.

Kania didn't care about any of that. She gripped the reins and shouted to Ryūka and the others from a great distance:

"Congratulations to our Governor and Lady Lord! You've gained another mage under your command!"

Hearing Kania's excited shout, Ryuga turned around, his slightly annoyed expression easing somewhat. He waved for everyone except Hetia to step back, then smiled and asked:

"You passed the assessment?"

"I passed! I became a full-fledged magician in the Illusion Department, and my Ice and Snow Magic also reached the professional level. It went so smoothly thanks to Melanie's letter of recommendation and the academic record she forged for me..."

Kania spoke softer and softer, taking out a colorful medal and waving it around. The core was a dark purple, while the outer edge was inlaid with ice blue.

She didn't demonstrate dark magic during her professional assessment to avoid unnecessary trouble. While obtaining official magician status has many advantages, revealing too much talent could easily arouse suspicion.

"Looks like you can now show yourself in this pose without any problem." Ryuka helped Kania off the horse. The little witch was so excited that she almost fell off. If she had fallen to her death from the horse, she would have been the most ridiculous witch in history.

"Hmph, none of you are going to pick me up. Aren't you afraid something might happen to me in Sochi? What are you all busy with here?"

Faced with Kania's delicate reproach, Ryuka didn't answer the previous question. Instead, she pointed to the cultivated field in front of her and the tree stumps left from logging along the edge, and said:

"We still need to impose restrictions on the free reclamation of land. Although the area was previously limited based on population, we now need to carefully delineate it based on location as well."

"What do you mean?" Kania tilted her head.

Seeing Kania's question, Hetia sighed and said, "Ryusha is worried that unrestrained deforestation will damage the environment. They require that no logging be allowed within 200 meters of the riverbank, and no logging in areas with loose soil... and a whole bunch of other things..."

"To prevent soil erosion and desertification, the vast and sparsely populated Linhu Territory, with its numerous rivers and lakes, has created such favorable conditions. We cannot develop it blindly," Liuxia explained slowly, picking up where Hetia left off.

"In the spring, some migrants chose to locate their newly cultivated land along the banks of the river for easier irrigation. As a result, the riverbanks collapsed during the summer flood season, flooding not only the newly cultivated land but also affecting the downstream areas..."

"The villages and towns below also cut down too many trees in one go, causing landslides and accidents... I hadn't thought of all these things beforehand..."

As Liu Xia paced back and forth, she looked at the newcomers in the distance and said, "These newcomers just received approval from the relevant officials to start land reclamation, and now they have to go through the process again in a different location. They're bound to have some complaints."

Kania watched Ryusha's melancholy and heavy figure disappear into the distance, and mouthed "How many?" to Hetia, who then gestured the number "nine" with her fingers.

Kania watched Ryusha's melancholy and heavy figure disappear into the distance, and mouthed "How many?" to Hetia, who then gestured the number "nine" with her fingers.

In other words, various accidents led to the deaths of nine people, and Ryūka believed it was his fault.

"Okay, everyone makes mistakes, don't take it too seriously, okay?" Kania hugged Ryukatsu from behind, trying to cheer her up with a lighthearted tone.

"Even though I know you're trying to comfort me, I can't help but think, 'These are truly words worthy of a witch.'"

Ryuka gave a wry smile, turned around and asked Kania, "To be honest, do you feel any unease when you know that your policy mistakes have led to people's deaths?"

"No, I don't," Kania blinked and answered honestly.

She's a witch; if she doesn't laugh when she hears of someone's misfortune, that's already quite moral.

"Ha~" Ryuka sighed, not blaming Kania, but saying wearily, "I'm so envious. I was really conflicted after finding out. But that's not what I'm most worried about..."

What I'm thinking is that nine lives already weigh heavily on my mind, and some of the decisions I'll have to make in the future may be even heavier. Therefore, I must be more qualified... in every way..."

Kania and Hetia were both taken aback. One was a witch, and the other was a soldier knight who valued obedience over human life. They had never thought about the question that Ryukatsu had raised.

Kania took Ryuka's hand, exuding a sweet witch's fragrance, and her words carried a hint of allure, which eased Ryuka's tense nerves.

"Some rise and some fall, that's the way of nature. You'll at least make amends to them, while many people in this world won't even think about the question you just asked. Besides, the world wouldn't necessarily be any better off without you. To paraphrase something Luminova once said when she was drunk, 'The goddess doesn't actually care that much.'"

Hearing Kania's words, Ryuka pursed his lips. He was just a little affected, but it wouldn't change his fundamental nature. He didn't think he was anything special, and he admitted that he had extremely strong ambition and desire. And his own abilities and the companions around him would push him forward relentlessly, without stopping.

So he simply said two words.

"alright."

Seeing that Ryūka was more relaxed, Kania finally smiled and took credit:

"Let me tell you something to make you happy. I've successfully completed all the tasks you asked me to do!"

The first thing Ryusha did was to have Kania use the opportunity of her trip to Sochi City for magician certification to plant spies and informants in the city using her witch abilities.

Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people with weak wills are plentiful. Kania only needs to use her charm and gold to quickly establish a network of loyal and reliable informants throughout the streets and alleys of Sochi, regularly sending intelligence back to Linhu Town. Mei, you have Yongmei, I'm free, you Lin, are you there...?

After all, Lady Mara's previous underhanded tactics had been largely thwarted, but the other side wouldn't give up easily. The silence of the Third Prince's faction was also unsettling; the risk of war had not been completely eliminated.

And this is the second thing.

"I've brought over some of the less successful mages from the Sochi City Magic Guild for you. I thought most of them would be apprentice mages, but it turns out the majority are full-time mages."

Kania smiled and clapped her hands as she looked at the tree stumps left after the felling: "Oh, right, there's a rather rare plant-type mage among them, maybe they can plant trees or something~~~"

"As for the specific compensation, you'll probably have to discuss it with them in person."

Chapter 14 Recruiting Mages (Part 1)

Ryuka nodded. In this world, although magic is an extraordinary and rare power, it doesn't mean that all magicians can do well.

With the expansion of the Otus Empire and the Central Continent coming to a standstill, the only remaining options for impoverished mages are to serve the nobility or become risky adventurers earning meager sums.

While some adventurers do manage to discover sealed dungeons or monster treasures and turn their fortunes around overnight, or gain favor with noble employers and rise in social class, most mages, after obtaining their professional qualifications, cannot even repay the exorbitant expenses incurred during their studies.

In Ryuu's view, most ordinary mages today are like down-on-their-luck samurai, or old nobles who are about to lose their status in the face of the Industrial Revolution and the economic tide. Apart from having a good-sounding professional reputation and still being admired and feared by most commoners, they have to accept the reality of their declining living status.

Well... just like ordinary college students in Liuxia's hometown who are becoming increasingly worthless, apart from a small number of people with truly strong backgrounds or abilities, most mages have to consider putting aside their pride to make a living or even pay off their loans...

As for the unemployed mages that Kania recruited from the Sochi City Magic Guild, what Ryusha had to do was shatter their arrogant fantasies and make their magical abilities a great asset in the construction of the Linhu Territory.

As soon as they returned to the lord's manor's reception hall, Ryuka addressed the group of nervous and anxious mages below:

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting. I am Ryukyu, the governor of Linhu Territory. This is Lady Hetia Tartu, the lord of the territory. As for Lady Kania, you are probably already familiar with her. I have invited you all here today to sincerely invite you to contribute to the development of Linhu Territory."

Faced with such a young, boyish governor, most people showed expressions of skepticism. To be honest, this handsome young man didn't exude nearly as much pressure as Kania, whom they had encountered in Sochi. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Not everyone can become a full-fledged mage with multiple attributes by the age of eighteen, and Kania's confident smile and abundant magic made her fellow mages restrain their sharpness.

Now, facing Ryūka, it's inevitable that some people will raise questions.

"Young consul, your esteemed territory invited us all the way from Sochi, and we have been waiting here in this 'lord's mansion' for quite some time, yet not a single servant has served us tea, and we have been left standing here. Is this truly the way to treat guests?"

A sharp-tongued female magician surveyed the rather shabby 'lord's mansion' in her eyes: although spacious, it was a simple all-wood building, clearly hastily constructed. There were no ornate decorations, and apart from two peasant women cleaning, there were no other servants.

A nobleman's mansion is a facade, showcasing his wealth and power. Seeing such a 'lord's mansion,' the magician began to doubt whether Ryūka and her companions had the financial means to hire such a large group of magicians.

Clearly, many of the mages still harbored proud pride and were easily provoked by the female mage's words, starting to gossip among themselves.

"Indeed, Miss Kania said there were well-paid jobs here, but seeing it like this does raise suspicions."

"I have never seen such a shabby noble mansion before. Even a baron's house is much more luxurious."

"Compared to this, our attitude of waiting is indeed..."

Listening to the chattering of the mages below, Ryuka smiled knowingly. These mages, who lingered in the magic guild waiting to be recruited, generally couldn't endure the hardships of adventurers' roughing it out, nor did they have the connections to become guests of nobles. But their pride as mages was deeply ingrained; even if they couldn't afford food, they would still ensure that their robes and staffs were clean and tidy.

“Let me see… Miss Carly, right?” Ryuga smiled and glanced at the questioning female mage, then beckoned to Kania and took a list with their resumes on it.

"Graduated from McCary Academy of Magic in the East four years ago, as an apprentice upon graduation, and obtained full-time qualification two years ago. Proficient in fire magic, which is a useful attribute. Work experience... none at the moment..."

Liu Xia smiled as she read aloud. Below her resume were various pieces of information that Kania had gathered.

Twenty-seven years old, she has been invited to join numerous adventurer parties, but has declined them all. She has repeatedly emptied her pockets to attend high-society gatherings, hoping to build connections, but to no avail. Her livelihood comes from her father, an old knight serving under a minor lord. Unmarried, her ideal partner is at least the young only son of a viscount. Her recent favorite saying is: 'I've already spent a fortune on some great mage's study notes; I'll be promoted sooner or later! Then let's see who looks down on me!'

In the upper left corner of Carly's resume, there is a small mark made by Kania, signifying 'a negative example, used to scare others'...

This is truly...classic... Ryuga glanced at the frowning mage Carly below, a barely suppressed smile spreading across her lips, before nonchalantly responding to Carly:

"I'm sorry, Ms. Carly, but we're glad you're unhappy with us. Ms. Kania made a mistake when receiving your resume; you don't meet our recruitment criteria."

Carly stared at the arrogant brat, her eyes widening, her expression gradually turning angry, and she let out a sharp roar:

"What?! A mistake?! She was the one who approached me! Are you kidding me?! I rode in a carriage for a whole day and night without stopping! Did you think I came here to be played with?!"

“No mistake, Miss Carly. As for the reason why it doesn’t meet the standards, I can’t disclose it.” Ryuga looked at the chaotic scene of mages below, many of whom clearly felt it was unfair.

"How can this be? When they invited us, they didn't mention the specific job duties, only that the compensation was excellent. But now that we're here, they say we don't meet their standards. This is incredibly rude!"

"I heard that the lord's Miss Tartu used to be a fallen noblewoman, and she only recently acquired her title. The governor she hired is also a country bumpkin! She really has no manners at all!"

"Ahem!" Ryuka quickly interrupted the discussion among the mages below, her smile showing no trace of apology as she casually said:

“We are deeply sorry for what happened. Miss Carly, given that you are unemployed, and considering that the average monthly income of a full-time mage in Sochi is half, we are willing to compensate you with one gold coin for this trip and send someone to escort you back. What do you say?”

Chapter 15 Mage Recruitment (Part 2)

Upon hearing Liu Xia's words, the noise from the audience immediately subsided. For an ordinary mage, two gold coins a month was already considered quite good, as the employer had to provide room and board; the two gold coins were net income.

Unless it's wartime or the work is difficult and dangerous, a mage's income won't increase significantly. Otherwise, this price is already quite fair, even exceeding the monthly salary of most officials.

These days, a round trip earns you one gold coin, enough for an adult to live comfortably for three months if you only consider food expenses. Even in Sochi, you can eat well and live comfortably for more than a month.

Carly was stunned for a moment. She looked into Ryūka's smiling eyes, but then her anger flared up even more.

"What a joke! You think you can fool my dignity with just a gold coin?! Is this about money?! I demand respect! I'm not just a magician, I'm a lady! How could you treat someone like this?!"

“Two gold coins, plus a high-concentration magic crystal.” Ryūka looked at Carly with a smile still in her eyes, but her expression gradually turned cold. At this moment, the other mages below the stage could also feel a certain pressure emanating from Ryūka.

"I told you! It's not about the money!" Carly was still screaming, but she was actually overjoyed inside. A few simple shouts had earned her a month's income, and it seemed that this kid really cared about this.

"If you can't show the right attitude, I'll let all the mages outside know how disrespectful Linhu Territory is to us! I'll make sure you can't recruit any more mages!"

"Calm down, Miss Carly. I think the price I offered is already quite fair." Ryūka gave Kania a look, and Kania quickly took out a tray covered with a red cloth. When Ryūka lifted the red cloth, dazzling golden light mixed with blue magical radiance illuminated the entire hall.

The audience gasped. Although a hundred gold coins didn't seem like much—after all, they often encountered wealthy people and nobles in Sochi and heard them talk about their assets—the impact of seeing a neatly arranged pile of lovely gold coins was still quite different.

Not to mention, at the four corners of the pile of gold coins, there were pieces of highly concentrated magic crystals that shimmered with light. The pure luster and neatly cut shapes indicated that they were refined and processed from magic stones that were already of high purity.

For mages, their magical reserves determine their combat endurance, while potions and magical crystals can provide sustain, bursts of power, and survival in critical moments.

Such pure magical crystals are priceless! They are top-grade for personal use or for various magical experiments! After all, magical crystals are military controlled items in most regions. Although they can be legally purchased, the procedures are strict and the concentration is often difficult to guarantee.

Ryūka picked up two gold coins and a magic crystal from the tray and waved them at Carly, drawing envious glances from the crowd.

That magical crystal was far more valuable than two gold coins; even with a year's salary, they couldn't buy such a pure crystal anywhere.

"Heh...heh...you think this can bribe...bribe me?" Carly swallowed hard, trying to avoid looking at the temptation in Ryūka's hands, but couldn't help glancing at the entire tray.

Everyone understood her intentions; she wanted more! However, a cold smile appeared on Liu Xia's lips. If she pushed her luck any further, she wouldn't even get this much compensation later. Liu Xia actually hoped she would push her luck, after all, Kania had selected this person to serve as a negative example for all the mages.

"I'm so sorry, but these can't be touched anymore. They're for the mages who are willing to stay and work today." Ryuga looked her over, and with a casual remark, Carly was no longer accepted by the other mages. "If you want to compensate me, I'll just have to hire one less mage."

"Compensation or not, I'm more concerned about what I did that didn't meet your requirements!" Carly took a deep breath, looked at Ryuka, and asked somewhat unwillingly. She had known Ryuka and the others were so willing to spend money, otherwise she wouldn't have argued back from the start. Carly was beginning to worry that she had missed out on a good job.

More than the current compensation, she wanted a stable, high-paying job.

“Personality and work experience, Miss Carly.” Ryuga smiled coldly, then retorted, “You’re skilled in fire magic, aren’t you? Would you be willing to take on ore and iron smelting work?”

“What?!” Carly’s eyes widened. “You mean? You want me to work with a bunch of dirty miners and blacksmiths?! What do you take me for?!”

"Looks like you're unwilling." Ryuka said with a smile, looking at Carly's flustered expression. "Personally, I think it's pointless to offer a high salary to someone who's unwilling, so from the beginning, we knew you didn't meet our standards."

"Looks like you're unwilling." Ryuka said with a smile, looking at Carly's flustered expression. "Personally, I think it's pointless to offer a high salary to someone who's unwilling, so from the beginning, we knew you didn't meet our standards."

"In addition to what I just mentioned, we are also recruiting rock-type and water-type mages for water conservancy projects and other public works projects. Wind-type mages can also participate in mineral smelting. As long as you have a specialty in magic, we can always provide suitable positions..."

As Ryuga watched the other whispering mages, some of them found it equally hard to accept but didn't show it, while others looked at the plate of gold coins and magic crystals, deep in thought.

Finally, a petite female mage pushed her way out of the crowd, holding a simple staff and timidly asking, "I am an apprentice plant mage, skilled in some wood magic, herb cultivation, and potion making. May I ask, is there any work I can do?"

Ryuga looked at the country girl with two black braids and large glasses. She was Zanni, the plant-type mage Kania had mentioned, supposedly the daughter of a farmer. She had awakened some magical talent and entered the Imperial Military Academy, but because her grades were mediocre, she failed the entrance exam and lost her scholarship, so she had no choice but to drop out.

As for her strength and age, at nineteen she was still an apprentice mage, but her thin and frail physique made her appear younger than Ryuka. Her timid and averse-to-fighting nature also prevented her from pursuing an adventurer career, but her apprentice level and the unconventional nature of plant-based magic made it difficult for her to find suitable employment.

It is said that her previous job was making potions for a magician employed by a nobleman, but the magician often deducted her salary under the guise of her being an apprentice... so she eventually resigned.

"A plant-type mage? There are so many things they can do!" Ryusha seemed very enthusiastic, as if she highly valued Zanni, this rare talent.

"You can help maintain farmland, improve the environment by planting trees! Or you can prepare large quantities of medicine that the people can afford! There are so many things you can do!"