“We should prepare to be ready anytime, anywhere.”

“I, this beast…”

Despite Dana’s punching, Leon silently arranged her clothes by hand.

Leon whispered in a lewd voice in Dana’s ear, which was huffing.

“So, you didn’t like it?”

Dana answered with a flushed face while rolling her eyes around in panic.

“No, it was good.”

Leon grinned and opened the window to let out the damp air in the carriage. Before they knew it, Tertius Castle was close.

Dana wiped her wet forehead and neck with sweat and left her face in the wind.

Brimde Bay was good, but she had missed her life in Tertius Castle. Dana felt anew that it was really her home now.

That’s the beauty of traveling.

* * *

However, contrary to Leon’s wishes, there was little time to have more fun than he thought.

Leon was busy, but Dana was also busy. Dana visited the outside area to deal with the work on manpower reinforcement she had told Leon about previously.

Leon sent Lisa, Ahil, and quite a few guards and soldiers with her. It was the second-best option given by Leon, who was not able to stop Dana.

Ugh, I’m not going to war.

Dana shook her head in the carriage, looking at the people surrounding the carriage in layers.

But it wasn’t that she didn’t understand Leon. The work was being done there to identify those who could work.

First of all, many people were not motivated because they had wandered for a long time, and the security there was not as good as at the castle. In addition, the recruitment process could not have been completed in a day.

Dana’s concern was, of course, Adrian, who was younger than Leon.

Two nannies will take good care of you.

She left because she believed so, but it was also true that she was worried about staying away from him.

However, she shook her head and corrected her mind. If the schedule for manpower reinforcement was delayed, there would be a setback in the production of specialties, including Rosaveria.

When winter comes, another year would be delayed, and the business would be delayed again.

There was a separate reason why Dana was in a hurry, immersed in her business.

Tertius wanted economic independence from the Empire. That did not mean independence. It wanted to be a commercially prosperous city within the Empire. Tertius Castle, of course, had a lot of money. But the whole estate wasn’t like that.

As the Kingdom of Tertius was subjugated to the Empire and became the Grand Duchy, many of its supplies, manpower, and jobs were all absorbed into the Empire.

Currently, the area around the castle was only a major regional hub, and it couldn’t be said to be a proper city.

For a city to function properly, commerce had to flourish, and food had to be abundant. And everyone needed enough supplies and distribution networks to make ends meet if they worked.

If they made good use of the Merchant group of the Deniz, they could have enough of it.

Dana had been thinking about it, and Leon also knew that, so he was worried about her, but he even lent Daniel and actively pushed her.

The carriage stopped and Dana was escorted down from the carriage by Ahil.

The soldiers came in advance and controlled the people from getting too close. The people there were still a little dirty and thin, but things seemed much better than before, perhaps because there was a place to settle down anyway.

Dana asked the manager there.

“How do you manage here now?”

“Once a day, I give them food, clothes, and medicines.”

“…Really giving them the least amount of support. But they’re not very active in the job?”

“Yes. Of course, not all of them are, but there are a lot of people who don’t apply even though they’re in good shape. Rather, people who seem to have a hard time working apply…”

“Really? How do you distribute it?”

“We’re just giving out the same for each person.”

Dana pondered when she heard it. She remembered what she saw when she was kicked out of the castle.

“Don’t they take it away from each other?”

“I’m sure there aren’t many, but I’m watching whenever I have time. And young children and old people eat the food on the spot as soon as they receive it.”

“I see…”

Dana seemed to know what was going on.

“Let’s change the distribution method.”

“How do you suggest we do that?”

Given the circumstances, Dana divided people into those who could not work and people who could work.

Those who could not work were given free supplies as before. And they decided to bring them together and hire places and people to protect them.

Some of the men from the castle were drawn and filled their members.

The guardians classified them as occupations and paid allowances. Allowances were given in money, not in direct supplies.

“I can’t keep them isolated like this. There may still be an atmosphere of reluctance, but in the end, we have to settle them completely within the territory.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

“And… There’s more.”