"Madam."
Leysha raised her head. "Silvester? What's wrong? Is there a problem with our progress?"
"The young master would like to see you and Raven."
"Mhmm? aside, Raven? Why would he want to see Raven?" Leysha frowned.
All of a sudden, Luke's voice echoed from the side. "That's probably because he wants to expand the territory. If I'm not wrong, he was granted demon territory when they promoted him to the rank of Marquis."
"Expansion?" Leysha tilted her head in confusion. "I still don't understand why he would need Raven for expansion. Isn't Howard the best one to do it? I an, he will train a lot of soldiers."
"No. Once your territory is big enough, you need three divisions. The first is the normal army to stop other nobles or other external threats. The second one is the information division, which takes care of all the espionage work. The last one is the internal division that will take care of the security and stability of the territory."
"Mhmm? Did we have sothing like that in the past?"
"No. Our territory wasn't big enough to require the third division. The army was enough to do all the work, and Raven was the one behind all the arrangents."
"So he wanted to see Raven for his advice?"
"Probably."
"I see. I'll go with Raven then."
…
It didn't take too long for them to actually et. Considering Noel and Anna's current strength, it wasn't that hard for them to find them as long as they knew their general location.
When Leysha arrived, she noticed that there was another person aside from Noel and Anna. She thought it would be a family eting, but that didn't seem to be the case.
There was an awkward atmosphere because they hadn't t for a while. She hurriedly started a conversation, following up on the last thing they talked about. "Congratulations for your marriage."
Noel nodded with a calm expression. "I miss you, Mom."
Leysha's expression lted. She walked to Noel for a hug. "I miss you too…"
She also hugged Anna, while Noel warned while glancing at Anna's stomach, "Be careful. Don't hug her too tight. It'll be bad for her…"
"Huh?" Both Anna and Leysha widened their eyes in shock.
"Congratulations?" Silvester and Raven blinked their eyes a few tis.
"What? You are pregnant? I have a grandson?" Leysha dropped her jaw.
"Unfortunately, I have to lie…" Noel sighed while looking at his mother with a sad expression, indirectly implying that he would have to lie about his grandparents' deaths.
"That's…" Leysha panicked while looking left and right. "W-What? What do I do now?"
Leysha didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she had to take care of her grandson. On the other hand, she couldn't leave this place.
"Don't panic, Madam." Silvester facepald. Now that he had regained his composure, he noticed Anna's confused face and realized that it wasn't true. "Young Master. I don't think it's good to lie to your parents."
"Ah?" Leysha snapped.
"I can't lie, but they can fake their deaths. Alright." Noel rolled his eyes. "Besides, it's not like I'm lying. I didn't ntion any pregnancy."
"…" Silvester couldn't refute any of those claims. In addition, he noticed that the awkward atmosphere had disappeared, which was probably his aim.
"You dare to tease your mother? Why do I feel like your mouth has beco foul? Have you been corrupted by those idiots in the palace who can only think about their pride, greed, and power?"
"You shouldn't do that, Noel." Anna shook her head helplessly.
Noel only shrugged while looking away.
Anna smiled gently while saying, "Mother. I'm not pregnant yet. I'm sorry that it's because of that we have to wait."
"No, no. Don't apologize…" Leysha waved her hand.
Now that Anna had taken care of Leysha, Noel sneakily walked to Raven.
"There is sothing I'd like to ask."
Raven nodded. "I'm already aware of the situation, Young Master. Are you planning to create a system to take care of security?"
"If you already know about it, then our conversation will be simple. Do you have any suggestions?"
Raven thought that Noel planned to recruit him. He thought about rejecting it. However, Noel seed to have known that would be the outco and didn't bother to ask. Instead, he wanted to know about an alternative.
"It is indeed going to be effective if you want to expand your territories. By creating this division, the soldiers can focus on external threats such as bandits, terrorists, or demons. In addition, this division won't only maintain security but also help people."
"Help people?" Noel frowned. "What do you an?"
"There are a lot of problems in the city as you might already know. Thieves, hygiene, and slums. This division can take reports from the citizens and investigate things in the city. They can also handle other problems such as fire, collapsing buildings, or small other works."
"Mhmm…" Noel looked down, falling into deep thought. As expected, talking to Raven was indeed the correct choice. He never thought that this division could do all that. Noel raised a finger. "Unfortunately, there is one problem. I don't have anyone capable of leading that division."
"If that's the case, I have soone to recomnd." Raven nodded. "We used to work together in the past. He should be working as a rcenary right now."
"rcenary, huh?" Noel frowned. "Will such a person join us? I don't mind about their background, but rcenaries are quite hard to handle."
"Don't worry. His na is Colice. He is currently the leader of a small rcenary group called Small Thorn. If you ntion my na as well as your purpose, I think he will accept your offer on the premise that you also take his subordinates. Indeed, they're a rough bunch, but they're not bad people.
Once they're integrated with this division, I'm sure that their behavior will change to suit their needs."
"Mhmm…" Noel nodded. "Alright. I'll try to find that person. The problem is that… the city might not be the only one he needs to take care of. He will have to look after all the roads that connect the cities."
"Is it regarding your invention?"
"Yes."
"If that's the case, you probably need a regulation first."
"I'm currently trying to recruit that person."
"Then, you will need the sa invention with faster speed, higher durability, and a lot of offensive power. Just like we need a better horse to chase after soone with a horse, you will need the sa thing with higher quality. To be honest, Colice will be able to answer all of these questions."
"I see." Noel thought for a mont before glancing at Silvester.
"Y-Yes?" Silvester's body tensed up.
"I'm just wondering if you have so ti to pass the ssage to Charlotte or Dimitri for . Sadly, I'm planning to go outside this ti and won't co back for about a month."
"…" Silvester smiled wryly. "I understand. Still, I might not be able to sneak inside. I can feel a lot of spirit grandmasters inside of your city…"
"Don't worry. There is a secret tunnel leading to my mansion."
"If that's the case, I'll take care of it."
Noel then discussed all the details and everything he wanted to pass on.
It took them an hour, but they finally settled everything. Even Anna had talked a lot about their lives after marriage with Leysha.
Of course, the expansion was a serious business. Leysha had promised to pass on this matter to Luke. They might have to relocate or adjust their plans after all.
Andreas was sitting silently on the side. One or two hours didn't really matter to him as long as Anna and Noel went to the Beast Kingdom.
Finally, Noel, Anna, and Andreas were ready to leave after finishing all their business here.
Before they left, Leysha called him in a soft tone. "Noel, Anna."
"Yes?" Noel turned around while Anna tilted her head in confusion.
"Congratulations for killing an ancient demon. You two have gotten stronger." Leysha smiled. There was a sense of pride and joy in her voice. The kid, who was lazy and needed to be protected, had grown into a man much stronger than her. Still, no matter how strong he had beco, there was one thing that she couldn't stop saying. "Take care.
Try not to get hurt."
A smile ford on his face. "Yes, Mom. We'll be off."
Anna politely bowed her head.
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