Published: January 17, 2026
Within an hour, I conducted interviews with the members of the knight order. This was a challenging task. The key was how close I could get to them. Ideally, it would be best if there was a group of five or ten knights gathered together.
With that in mind, the first place that came to mind was to talk to the knights guarding the lord's manor. Once I decided that, I immediately aimed to catch the knights standing guard at the entrance.
Although the lord's manor is within Seato village and relatively safe, it is still properly guarded. Well, these days quite a few people come to Seato village for business or pass through on their way to the Yelinetta Kingdom. It seemed like there were more and more unfamiliar faces.
Putting that aside, I planned to conduct a sudden interview with the person in charge of guarding the lord's manor. Since I hadn’t encountered anyone on the way to the entrance, they must be outside.
I pushed open the door at the front entrance of the manor and peeked outside.
“Oh? Lord Van, are you going out?”
Just as I expected, there was a young knight in his late twenties. By the way, this young knight was one of the longest-serving members since the formation of the Seato knight order.
“Are you busy right now?”
Since he was on duty, I thought it best to ask permission first. The young knight smiled wryly and shook his head.
“You might get angry, but it’s pretty boring here in Seato village since it’s safe. Is there something you need?”
He was bored. It’s better for doctors and police to be bored. I nodded, glad that Seato village was peaceful, and decided to start the first interview.
“I just got curious, but do you have any complaints about knight salaries or working conditions?”
When I asked, the young knight’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Eh? Complaints? None at all! Why do you ask?”
He answered simply. Oh no. Now that I thought about it, it made no sense for him to complain to me, the lord of the manor.
It was like a company president going around asking regular employees, “Do you have any complaints? Speak up if you do.” What a power harassment guy I was.
“I-I see? Well, if there’s anything you want improved, please don’t hesitate to tell me. Like, maybe you want a higher salary or more days off…”
I hurriedly rephrased the question gently and politely. Still, it might have come off a little power harassing. I nervously waited for his reply.
But the young knight laughed softly as if hearing a funny joke.
“No, really, I have no complaints. Honestly, I used to live day to day not knowing if I’d even have food to eat. Now, I can sleep peacefully every day and earn enough money to eat whatever I like. If I complained about that, my comrades would probably punch me.”
He shrugged. Judging by his expression and tone, he seemed sincere. But maybe he was desperately hiding his true feelings in front of a power harassment president.
Thinking this, I raised my hand and spoke.
“Strategy time! Wait just a moment!”
“Eh!? Strategy time!?”
Ignoring the surprised knight, I closed the door and called out to Kamushin.
“Hey, Kamushin, could you try asking them? If I ask, they might not say any complaints.”
Kamushin blinked and tilted his head.
“Eh? I don’t think that would be a problem…”
“Kamushin, power harassment is not allowed, okay? You can’t just brush it off with ‘Oh, I didn’t realize’ or ‘I didn’t know.’ I’ve already become the head of the viscount family, so without realizing it, my authority might be intimidating everyone. So…”
“Is that really the case…?”
Kamushin, who was always by my side, asked in puzzlement. Now that I think about it, Kamushin was a complete loyalist.
“Because, being head of a viscount family is the same noble title as Lord Panamera had not long ago. Many members of the Seato knight order are scared of Lord Panamera.”
“L-Lord Panamera’s noble title… Yeah, thinking about it that way…”
After I explained, Kamushin gasped and nodded deeply. Good, he understood.