The Stubborn Lord’s Tale of Happiness: Conquering the Frontier Despite a Bad Attitude!
Although a large-scale war is raging at the border with the Lancel Kingdom, the entire country has not been plunged into a tense wartime atmosphere.
Even in the southwestern part of the kingdom, areas far from the border remain untouched by the conflict. In other regions, life goes on mostly as usual, with only minor impacts on logistics and prices.
The territory of Earlkvist, located at the northwestern edge of the kingdom, is one such place where daily life continues undisturbed.
Despite the fact that the lord, his close aides, and half of the territorial army are away on the battlefield, the lord’s wife has skillfully taken on the role of acting lord. The people of the territory live their lives without significant inconvenience or anxiety. The only ones who feel the impact of the war are the families and relatives of those who have gone to fight.
Noein’s subordinates continue their work to maintain and develop the territory in his absence.
Christie, Noein’s intellectual slave, visits a blacksmith workshop on the outskirts of town for her own work.
“Damian, are you here?”
Upon entering the workshop, Christie looks for Damian, the chief blacksmith and a skilled craftsman. He seems to be working on a prototype at the edge of the workshop.
“Hmm… this is too weak… if a crossbow bolt can easily pierce it, it’s no good…”
“Damian, do you have a moment?”
“But I don’t know how much weight a golem can withstand… I should have asked Lord Noein…”
“Damian!”
“Whoa!? Oh, it’s you, Christie… Don’t shout in my ear like that!”
“You can’t just ignore people when you’re absorbed in your work.”
Christie responds to Damian’s protest with a look of exasperation.
“I came about the new press machine I asked for. Have you made it yet?”
With the expansion of soybean cultivation, the scale of oil production is also expected to increase. Christie had asked Damian to produce more press machines for this purpose.
“Ah…”
“Don’t tell me you forgot?”
“No, no! I’ll have it ready by the deadline! There’s still plenty of time!”
“…Now I understand why Lord Noein told me to regularly check on your progress when I assign you tasks.”
Christie sighs as Damian insists, sweating nervously.
“By the way, Christie! I’m working on a new weapon. What do you think?”
“…To me, it just looks like a weird piece of iron.”
“Lord Noein was worried that wood golems are weak against fire, so I’m trying to come up with equipment that can compensate for that weakness. I wanted to start before Lord Noein left for the war, but I was too busy with the increased production of crossbows and ballistae. If I combine these iron plates—”
“I don’t really understand weapon talk. You should tell Lord Noein when he returns.”
Christie has advised Damian on his work before, but weapons are completely outside her expertise. She’s at a loss when he enthusiastically brings up the topic.
“When is Lord Noein coming back?”
“You don’t even remember that? Early March… if the war ends smoothly.”
“It’s late February now… so there’s still about two weeks to go! Ah, I can’t wait to show Lord Noein. I want him to help with the experiments too.”
“…First, let’s pray for Lord Noein’s safe return.”
“He’ll be fine. After all, he took a ton of the weapons I made with him.”
Damian puffs out his chest proudly, clearly confident in the weapons he developed. Christie sighs deeply at the sight.
“Lord Noein and Mathilda are on the battlefield right now… The Earlkvist territory is so peaceful that it’s hard to believe the kingdom is at war.”
“That’s true. If the war ends smoothly, they should be back in about two weeks. It feels like a long time.”
“…Pence is fighting too, isn’t he?”
In the kitchen of the Earlkvist manor, where the lord is absent, the three maids—Mary, Kimberly, and Rosetta—are taking a break from work and chatting over tea.
With fewer people in the manor to take care of, the three have more free time than usual.
As always, Mary is lively, and Kimberly is calm. Normally, Rosetta would be smiling gently, but today her expression is somewhat gloomy.
“Don’t worry, Rosetta. Pence is strong.”
“That’s right. He’s strong, which is why he’s the vice-captain of the knights.”
“…But even the strongest can die if they’re unlucky.”
Despite Mary and Kimberly’s attempts to cheer her up, Rosetta remains downcast. As she says, no matter how strong someone is, they can still die on the battlefield if luck is against them.
In a way, Rosetta’s blunt realism makes Mary flinch.
Meanwhile, Kimberly remains expressionless and speaks calmly.
“But Rosetta, you love Pence, don’t you? You want to marry him, right?”
“O-of course I do~”
“Then you should believe in him and wait. That’s what it means to be a soldier’s wife.”
Hearing this, Rosetta’s expression changes.
Kimberly is right. A soldier’s job is to fight, and sometimes they have to go to distant battlefields. It’s the wife’s duty to wait patiently and keep a home for her husband to return to.
“Pence will probably come back exhausted. Very exhausted. So you need to be his place of return, to heal him… And then, get married and have children as soon as possible.”
“C-children!?”
“Yes, children. A physical testament to your love for Pence. That will be good for both you and him.”
“…You’re right, Kimberly. When Pence comes back, I’ll marry him right away and push him down~!”
“That’s the spirit, Rosetta.”
Although the conversation has taken a slightly different direction, Rosetta seems to have regained some energy, and Kimberly nods in approval.
“…Sometimes, it’s hard to believe Kimberly is the same age as us.”
Mary’s mutter is gracefully ignored by Kimberly.
“So, due to the war, food prices have risen, but for us, with our high exports, this is actually beneficial. The profits from mining have also increased due to the rising prices of iron and copper. According to Philip, the royal merchant, this trend is likely to continue for a while.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Clara responds to Burt’s report. Once just a transport captain, Burt has now risen to become the head of external affairs for the Earlkvist territory.
Even in the absence of Lord Noein, his deputy Mathilda, knight captain Yuri, and vice-captain Pence, the regular meetings of the Earlkvist territory’s executives continue.
Clara, acting as the lord’s representative, listens to reports from Burt (external affairs), Radley (defense and public order), Damian (industry), Edgar (agriculture), Anna (finance), and Mai (women’s association). She also reports on the management of the school.
“It seems that the management of the Earlkvist territory is going smoothly this month as well. Thank you all very much.”
“It’s all thanks to Lady Clara’s efforts as acting lord.”
“That’s right. Thank you for leading us so well.”
As Clara looks around at the knights and expresses her gratitude, Anna speaks up to encourage her, followed by Burt with a genuine smile.
“That’s not true… I’m still inexperienced and lack the necessary skills, but I will continue to do my best.”
Clara responds with a faint smile.
In reality, the knights see her as more than capable in her role as acting lord, contributing significantly to the stability of the Earlkvist territory. However, Clara herself still lacks confidence.
As the meeting ends and the knights leave to attend to their next tasks, Anna stays behind and speaks to Clara.
“Lady Clara, are you okay?”
“Anna… Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”
Clara responds to Anna’s concern, but her voice lacks strength.
“…You’re worried about Lord Noein, aren’t you?”
“…Yes, I am. To be honest, I’m very worried and anxious. I understand that unexpected things can happen in war, but…”
It’s already the end of February. By the original plan, the war should have ended by now. However, there’s still no news of its conclusion.
General updates on the war are sent by magicians to the territory of Bechtelsheim, and from there, they are relayed to other territories. According to these reports, the Kingdom of Lordberg is still expected to win, but the enemy’s unexpected strategies have prolonged the conflict.
Moreover, it’s unclear whether Noein is safe.
From personal communications sent by Count Keinitz—Clara’s father—to his own territory, Clara knows that Noein and Frederic have been stationed at a frontline fortress. If the war is dragging on, she can’t help but worry that they might be in danger.
Radley, Burt, and Mai have all told her, “Unforeseen events are part of war, so it’s best not to dwell on it too much.” But no matter what, dark thoughts keep crossing Clara’s mind.
“…But I can’t let myself look like this. It will only spread anxiety to the knights and the people. I must believe in Lord Noein’s safety and continue to protect the Earlkvist territory.”
Clara puts on a brave face, and Anna smiles at her.
“As a mere knight, it might be presumptuous of me to say this… but if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here for you.”
“Don’t say that. Thank you, Anna.”
After finishing her work for the day, Clara collapses onto her bed.
“…Lord Noein.”
Lying on the bed, Clara can’t help but whisper his name. The bed, which is large enough for Noein, Mathilda, and herself to sleep together, now only amplifies her loneliness.
During the day, it’s manageable. She stays busy with her duties as acting lord and managing the school, which helps distract her.
But when she’s alone like this, the anxiety inevitably creeps in.
At this very moment, Noein is on the battlefield. So is Mathilda. Not to mention, her eldest brother Frederic is at the same fortress as Noein, and her father Arnold is also fighting on the main battlefield.
Her beloved husband, her closest friend and comrade, her brother, and her father—she could lose them all at once. The worst-case scenarios keep haunting her.
A single tear falls from her eye.
Despite this, Clara forces herself to breathe calmly and tries to steady her mind. She has work to do early tomorrow morning. She needs to sleep.
Mathilda is out there on the battlefield, supporting and protecting Noein. So Clara must protect Noein’s territory, the place he will return to.
This is her battle. Just as Mathilda fights the enemies threatening Noein’s life, Clara must fight this loneliness.
Noein will return—no, he must return. As his wife, she must believe in that more than anyone else.
Today, once again, Clara falls asleep alone.
