I, who was reincarnated as the villain character in a game, was secretly enjoying my role as the villain while pulling off heroic moves behind the scenes. However, my actions were exposed to my fiancée, who absolutely despises me - Episode 64

Episode 64

Well, managing a territory of this size usually happens in the mid to late game… It’s not particularly difficult, though.

Since it’s stabilized by the time it gets this big, there aren’t many opportunities for players to directly manage it later on, so that’s a bit concerning.

Managing the territory involves researching advantageous bonus elements as you progress… But probably, such research hasn’t been done at all here in Validor.

In the city of Validor, decisions about where to focus our efforts, how to allocate the money we’ve gathered, are made, and then it’s left to the administrators of each field.

…Well, that’s fine, but, unlike in games, this is reality.

There are various issues, you see.

For example, in the game, there were stats like loyalty and reputation. These indicate how much your subjects trust you and what reputation you have among them.

If those numbers drop too low, rebellions can occur, and there’s a risk of the villages, towns, and facilities we’ve developed being ravaged.

As for those numbers… there’s no clear indication.

In the game, 100 was the max, and dropping to around 80 was considered dangerous, but for now, I just have to think it’s still okay.

If the numbers drop even lower, there’s a possibility that assassins might be sent… In the game, there were ways to intentionally send assassins to gain experience points or collect equipment, but that’s another story.

In the game, even if loyalty and reputation dropped, if you managed the territory properly afterward, your reputation would quickly recover… But in real life, it’s not that simple.

Not being able to see the most crucial value, so-called favorability, is something I wish I could change.

Thanks to that, even after becoming the lord, I’ve been quite concerned about how the servants and soldiers view me. If I could gauge their favorability, there might not be people suddenly sniffing around me one day.

I wonder where to start managing the territory from… Maybe I should start by adjusting taxes appropriately.

Because if you forcibly raise taxes, the people are likely discontented.

In the game… there were various ways to play.

Like lowering taxes a lot to increase the population, then building things to prevent them from leaving the territory, and then raising taxes a lot…

…Well, here in reality, if I were to play without considering ethics like in the game, I’d probably lose my head.

While referencing my game knowledge, I contemplate on managing Validor.

How much money should be allocated to each area… Well, given the nature of Validor, it’s only natural to allocate a lot to military expenses.

My family had been taking unnecessary money, so it’s a fact that currently we don’t need to take taxes this high.

For Validor, prioritizing military and leaving other aspects to be dealt with in another town within Validor’s territory might be best.

At least, we need to ensure that the barrier device is properly used.

After some consideration, I gather the administrators and start exchanging opinions.

When I convey what I was thinking earlier, my subordinates offer their opinions.

“I agree with strengthening the military aspect. Thanks to Lord Reis, the quality of our soldiers has improved significantly, but we still need more manpower.”

“In terms of the military, should we also proceed with recruiting soldiers?”

“We’d like to gradually proceed with recruiting soldiers. Also, along with that, we’d like to build an orphanage for children without anywhere to go.”

Building an orphanage has various benefits, including maintaining public order within the territory.

Among the children in the orphanage, some may possess the magic necessary for potion-making. Furthermore, a certain number of the raised children may join as adventurers or soldiers, making it easier to secure soldiers.

The specific effects weren’t mentioned in the game, but there were various hidden effects on walkthrough sites, so I remembered about the necessary facilities.

“Understood.”

I was a bit anxious, but these instructions seem fine.

To discover things like building an orphanage, it’ll require blueprints or something similar, which can be found as we progress in managing the territory. Due to the game system, it was not possible to create one, but it seems possible now since there is already an orphanage in this world.

Or perhaps it’s because the development of Validor has already progressed to some extent.

Currently, the Validor family is supporting the homeless children who were created by the Validor family’s own tyranny … It’s a bit paradoxical, but it can’t be helped.

As I’m thinking that, one of the administrators seems to want to say something.

However, he doesn’t say anything and just smile politely.

Original Author’s Comment:

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Thank you for reading this far! I appreciate it!
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