Chapter 209 I'm selecting potential sites?
(POV: Lumiere)
We stood in the hallway, engrossed in our conversation, the sound of footsteps interrupted our discussion. I turned to see Lucilia, the elegant blonde maiden of the Delia Viscounty, walking towards us. A warm smile adorned her face as she greeted us, "Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you."
Returning her smile, I replied, "Good morning, Lucilia. I just woke up a little while ago."
Of course, after waking up I needed to have a little fun with Serena.
Lucilia sighed, her eyes filled with concern, before brushing a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. "You really need to take better care of yourself, Lumiere," she advised, her voice gentle but firm.
Take care of myself? I thought.
Wasn't that what I'd been doing all this time?
Honestly...
"But for now, let's focus on starting the development of the Viscounty as soon as possible."
I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Lucilia glanced around, her eyes scanning the surroundings, before asking, "Where're Stellaria and Serena? I was expecting them to be with you."
I explained to her that the two were still in my bedroom, taking some much-needed rest.
Lucilia nodded in understanding.
"That's fine," she assured me. "The rest of us have already begun helping out around the Viscounty to the best of our abilities."
Scratching my head sheepishly, I couldn't help but ask, "Did I really wake up this late?"
Fasit, who was listening intently, couldn't suppress a smile as she replied, "Well, Lord Lumiere, you had quite an eventful night, so it's not surprising that you slept in a bit. We were expecting it."
Umbra interjected with his silky smooth voice, "Indeed, several of us took advantage of the early morning and have already started working on accelerating the construction progress."
Lucilia brought our attention back to the matter at hand.
"For now, we need to focus on finding a suitable location for the Viscounty?s headquarters," she declared.
I rubbed my chin, contemplating our next move, before responding, "Mapping out potential sites for the main mansion could take some time."
Umbra's smile widened as he revealed a scroll.
"Don't worry, Master. We've already compiled a list of promising locations that are awaiting your verdict."
"That was really quick," I murmured, impressed by their efficiency.
Umbra grinned proudly. "Well, I had a long talk with Fasit last night about where to focus our planning efforts. We brainstormed and came up with a list of potential locations to investigate tomorrow."
Curiosity piqued, I turned towards Fasit.
"And what did you two decide?"
Fasit nodded, there was this sort of pride that beamed from Fasit whenever she did something to impress me.
"We thought it would be best to enlist the help of Sangria in our search for suitable sites. She's incredibly skilled in shadow magic, so the cover of night is ideal for her to gather information."
I raised an eyebrow, amazed at Sangria's dedication.
"Did she really do all that last night?"
Fasit nodded with a proud smile.
"Yes, she did. She worked tirelessly, using her skills to scout potential areas around the Viscounty."
Besides Fasit, Sangria had the most potential of all the Grygans.
It made me wonder where she'd fall in the Ranking System, if we calculated her Spiritual Degree.
Rubbing my chin in thought, I acknowledged their reasoning.
"I suppose searching at night does make sense with Sangria's affinity for shadows. It'd offer her better visibility and connection via her shadow networking magic."
Umbra handed me a piece of paper filled with a long list of locations.
"Here, Master. We already compiled a list of ninety potential sites. But you'll need to narrow it down further so you can choose more efficiently."
Taking the paper from Umbra, I sighed.
"Ninety sites is a lot to consider. I'll have to carefully go through each one."
Just as I was about to dive into the daunting task, Lucilia interjected.
"Pffft~ don't worry, slow poke. I took the liberty of narrowing down the list to twenty this morning. I factored in various aspects, such as accessibility, proximity to resources, and potential for future expansion."
I glanced at Lucilia, grateful for her thoughtfulness.
"Woah, you work fast..."
It would definitely make the selection process easier.
Once Fasit, Umbra, Lucilia, and I exited the small mansion, our focus was directed completely on the current task at hand. Lucilia tightly clutched the paper in her hand, a grim expression on her face. Sensing her tension, Umbra decided to take initiative and ask which made this endeavor more important than it already was.
"If I may... why're you so fixated on everything being flawless, Miss Lucilia?"
I crossed my arms as we walked, chiming in, "Mistakes are bound to happen. We can't expect everything to go perfectly."
After all, it took a long time before I was able to incorporate the idea of Aurorasilkas into the development of clothing. In the Feral Dominion, wolves were sacred creatures, hence, we couldn't use their hides for clothes. If we went against that rule, there was a high chance we'd have received greetings from Eris much earlier than we already had.
I guess I was... lucky.
Lucilia turned to face the three of us abruptly, her eyes flared with determination. For a moment, it looked like they were literally flaring.
"We can't afford a single mistake," she asserted with an unwavering tone.
Taken aback by her sudden intensity, I decided to question her reasoning.
"Why's it so crucial? Is it just about your father's reputation?"
I mean, honestly, she was the one who asked for my help and now she was acting more like a control freak.
This wasn't the calm, easygoing Lucilia of yesterday. However, her humility was ever present.
Lucilia grimaced, with a frustrated voice she spoke.
"It's not just about my father. If we make a mistake, it reflects poorly on the Duke as well. The other nobles in the King's Court might look down on him."
She wasn't lying. Duke Dolselo was a newly elected vassal for the Duchy of Drakoria. He needed to live up to the record set by Duke Veltuor. Say what you want about Veltuor, but he was good when it came to performing his duty. If he was just a little more content, there was a better chance of him being able to rule over an amalgamated Duchy.
Letting out a resigned sigh, I nodded in understanding.
"I'll do my best to avoid any mistakes, but still... this project is meant to be fun."
Turning the Grygan territory to what it was now didn't take meticulous actions for every little thing. I simply just enjoyed myself and enlisted the idea of everyone around me.
A hint of exasperation crept into Lucilia's voice as she replied, "It'll be fun when we don't make any mistakes."
I sighed, accepting her point, and replied, "Alright then, I see your point."
Just as I thought we had settled the matter, Fasit voiced her concerns.
"Lord Lumiere?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Won't it be incredibly difficult to travel between these sites considering how vast the Viscounty is? The distance between each location is significant."
The validity of Fasit's point was undeniable.
"You're right, especially with Stellaria asleep. We'll need a way to travel efficiently."
Umbra stepped in with a solution.
"We can simply fly between the sites. It'll make transportation much easier."
Lucilia interjected, her frustration palpable.
"I don't know if you could tell, but I can't exactly fly."
Chuckling softly, I scratched my chin. "Nah, that's pretty obvious.."
Then I clapped my hands, the next best option came to mind.
"I'll just carry you!" I told Lucilia.
Almost immediately, a faint crimson painted her cheeks. "W-what?!"
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