The arrival of a large number of slaves brought significant changes to life in the Earlkvist Barony.
After all, the population surged all at once, and all of the new additions were adult slaves in their prime. With a large supply of labor secured, which had previously been in short supply, the development of the entire territory accelerated, and the standard of living improved as well.
“I’m glad Noein-sama bought us.”
“Yeah, fetching water is a bit tough, but the jobs like cleaning and heating water aren’t too bad. And most importantly, we don’t get yelled at or beaten.”
The slaves tasked with managing and maintaining the public bathhouse spoke as they fetched water by the riverside. They were repeating the process of drawing water into buckets and pouring it into the tank built by the river.
The water in the tank is then routed through pipes that extend into the bathhouse, filling the tubs. This system was designed to eliminate the need for repeated trips back and forth between the river and the bathhouse while carrying water.
“Our living quarters are clean, the food is delicious and plentiful… there’s nothing to complain about.”
“On top of that, if we work diligently for a few years, they say we’ll even be allowed to marry a female slave. It almost feels too good to be true.”
Not only are they provided with satisfactory food, shelter, and clothing, but they are also promised the chance to have a family and children one day. For slaves, it is almost impossible to wish for a better life.
For those who had resigned themselves to death the moment they became slaves, their current days were unexpectedly comfortable and happy.
“Noein-sama is incredible. To us, he’s practically a god.”
“Yeah, with all he’s done for us, there’s no way we’d have any complaints.”
In farming villages with no shops, there are no bakeries either.
The villagers typically take the wheat they harvest from their fields to a mill to have it ground into flour, and then they take that flour to a communal bread oven to have it baked.
The issue that often arises here is the fee charged by the miller or baker.
Usually, part of the flour or bread is paid as the fee, but disputes over the quantity occur in almost every village.
As a result, the relationship between the millers or bakers and the villagers inevitably deteriorates, and it sometimes even escalates to violence.
To prevent such conflicts, Noein assigned his slaves to manage both the mill and the communal bread oven.
“Hey, can you grind this flour for me?”
“Sure, just leave it there.”
A young male slave working at the mill gave instructions to the farmer who had brought in his wheat.
The slave smoothly transferred the wheat into the millstone, turning it into flour with practiced skill, having ground flour daily ever since Noein purchased him.
“It’s done.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“No problem, it’s my job.”
The entire amount of flour was handed back to the farmer.
According to Noein, “the operating costs for the mill and bread oven have already been collected as taxes.”
The uneducated slave didn’t fully understand Noein’s system, but apparently, there were no fees involved when the villagers used the mill.
Since there was no exchange of “a portion of the flour as a fee,” there was no reason for any conflict between the slaves and the villagers.
According to what the slaves working at the communal oven said, the same system was in place there too—every loaf of bread went back to its original owner, so there were no arguments about the number or size of the loaves to be paid to the bakers.
Even though the slave received no “baker’s share,” he felt no dissatisfaction. He was provided with high-quality food and shelter for a slave, a small allowance as wages, and was even told that he would one day be allowed to marry.
As the slave continued to grind flour at the mill, he thought, “I might even be happier now than when I was a poor commoner in the village.”
・・・・・
“Hey Zadrek, it looks like everyone’s working hard today,” Noein said.
Zadrek, who had been overseeing the work, replied without hesitation in formal speech, “Ah, Lord Noein. Yes, as you can see, both myself and the other slaves are diligently engaged in the farmwork.”
Hearing the exchange, the other slaves stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads toward Noein.
Zadrek, who had been recommended by the head of the slave trading company, was proving to be an excellent leader of the labor slaves.
“You all really work hard, and as your master, that makes me happy.”
“Lord Noein treats us slaves very well. It’s only natural for us to want to repay that kindness by working as hard as we can.”
Having become a slave when he was a beastman, Zadrek had resigned himself to the idea that the rest of his life would be miserable.
Yet now, he found himself working peacefully every day, free from abuse. The living quarters were clean, the food was delicious and plentiful, and he had even been promised that one day he could marry a female tiger beastman slave.
Compared to his initial expectations, his life was like heaven. He had been given such a life despite falling into slavery, so of course he was grateful.
“You slaves are also important subjects of mine. Your happiness is my happiness as your master.”
“Lord Noein… I don’t know how to thank you.”
Noein’s words were sincere. In fact, Noein saw Zadrek and the other slaves as his subjects, and as a lord, he had decided to love them. He hoped that by doing so, they would serve him wholeheartedly and work diligently.
By providing them with good living conditions, ample food, and the promise of a hopeful future through marriage, Noein aimed to maintain both their physical and mental well-being, as well as their motivation to work.
Noein believed that by demonstrating love for his subjects through practical benefits, he could truly earn their love and bring out their best efforts.
While Noein’s treatment of the slaves was partly based on such intentions, there was no doubt that his actions were bringing happiness to them.
…
After finishing what was essentially a relaxing inspection of the farmland, Noein returned to his office and reflected.
The labor slaves were performing admirably.
Thanks to their arrival, both the lord’s farmland and the experimental fields were now well-maintained, and the public bath, which had previously only operated once a week for men and women, could now be opened daily.
The water mill and the bread ovens were being managed smoothly, and according to Yuri’s ‘Far Talk’ reports, the slaves working at the mining site in the Restio Mountains were also doing well.
“They’ve been perfect… if only there wasn’t this other issue…”
The problem of insufficient labor for manual tasks had been resolved. Now the issue lay with mental work.
“Excuse me, Lord Noein,” came a voice as Anna entered after knocking.
“I’ve brought this week’s financial reports.”
“Thank you, Anna. Just leave them on the desk. I’ll look over them later.”
“Understood.”
As Anna placed the documents on Noein’s desk, he casually asked her, “By the way, how’s Chirsty doing with her work?”
“…Same as always, I suppose.”
“I see, so she’s still like that.”
Noein sighed in response to Anna’s slightly troubled answer.
Apparently, Chirsty had shown considerable aptitude when it came to learning her job. While she couldn’t quite match Anna’s practical experience, it was believed that with time, she would become a valuable asset alongside Anna.
However, as a worker within an organization and, more specifically, as a slave laborer, she was entirely unsuited for the role.
As reflected in their conversation on the first day, Chirsty was extremely prideful.
It wasn’t surprising, given that she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, wealthier than some lower-ranking nobles. Yet, she constantly clashed with her superior Anna, with Mathilda, the head of the slaves, and even the other maids in the household. Her words and behavior were reportedly unbearable.
Noein himself had approached Chirsty during work, only to be met with a combative response more than once.
“With her being so stubborn, I really can’t imagine continuing to work with her in the future. And right now, it’s hard to say the work is running smoothly,” Anna said, expressing her concerns.
“If I may, Lord Noein, with your permission, I could discipline Chirsty right away,” Mathilda chimed in. She had been standing by Noein’s side, but it was highly unusual for her to speak up without awaiting orders. This showed how irritated she was.
Mathilda had been on the receiving end of Chirsty’s defiance multiple times. But more than anything, she was furious at how Chirsty had been so rude to their master, Noein.
“It would be difficult to control someone like her purely through force… As much as I don’t want to resort to it, I’m considering a method of ‘education.’ However, I’ll need some time to prepare, so I’d appreciate it if both of you could hold out a little longer.”
“Lord Noein’s personal ‘education’… I almost feel bad for Chirsty, wondering what fate awaits her,” Anna said with a chuckle.
“You’ve certainly toughened up since coming to this domain, haven’t you, Anna? You can laugh about things like this now,” Noein joked.
“Of course, I’ve become quite accustomed to Lord Noein’s ways as your subordinate,” Anna replied playfully, making Noein smile wryly at how much she had changed from the simple town girl she once was.
