A knock at the door pulled me from sleep. I groaned.
"What's going on?"
Ellia's voice came from the other side.
"My lord, may I come in?"
"Come in. What trouble are you causing this early in the morning?"
"Ah, sorry, my lord. I got a little excited. Some of our people say the farms are ready to harvest."
"Alright, take a breath first. Did you give them any instructions?"
"Yes—I mean, no. Uhh… I didn't give any orders. Sorry."
"Then go tell them they can begin. Also, find Captain Drata and make sure everything is secure during the harvest. And send a maid to my room."
"Right away!" she said and bolted off. I didn't say anything about the lack of etiquette—she's still my woman after all.
A maid soon entered and bowed. "Shall I help you change, my lord?"
"Yes. Help me dress and prepare a horse. I'll be taking a look around the village."
"As you wish."
I changed and stepped out of the room.
"You go first and get the horse to the front of the manor."
"Yes," she bowed and began to run.
I walked slowly to the front of the manor. Two guards waited in full attention; they saw me and saluted.
"At ease. Just do your work," I said.
I waited a moment, and in one minute my maid came with my horse—a tall black stallion.
I mounted and was about to head out when Allia appeared.
"My lord, you should take some guards with you, just in case."
I sighed. "No need. I want to be alone for a bit. You can report to me when I return."
She looked worried but bowed respectfully. "Don't worry, my lord. Everything will be ready before you're back."
I nodded and rode off.
Passing through the village, I saw a few folks in a subtle hurry. They had endured a lot. The food we had barely kept everyone going. Even the young ones were running toward the fields.
Strange. I felt… calm. I don't know about my past lives, but I'm pretty happy with this one.
As I approached the fields, I made a mental note—we really need proper roads. These dirt paths are awful. Just one more thing to add to the never-ending list of work. Maybe I should find someone to help the sisters manage things.
I passed a few houses, then golden fields came into view. Vegetable plots stretched nearby. It was beautiful. People were already working, guards patrolling. Everything felt… peaceful.
I rode my horse close to the fields of wheat and bent down to touch them. It felt… good.
But how long will this peace last? Maybe until winter. Maybe until the beastkin attack. Who knows.
"Well, let's enjoy the calm while it lasts. I still have to sort out the harvest and taxes."
I looked around a little more. When I got bored, I decided to ride my horse back.
I returned to the manor. Some maids and guards waited at the entrance. I handed over the horse and walked inside.
I was heading to the main hall when Allia appeared and chimed in.
"My lord, you're back. Do you wish for a report?" Allia asked.
"Go ahead." I nodded as I sat down.
"We farmed about 150 acres, my lord. Everything's ready for harvest. This should be enough to feed the villagers through the winter. If we act quickly, we could manage one more harvest, though it may not yield as much."
"How's the soil fertility? Looked decent when I was out," I asked.
"Yes, my lord. Normally, you'd expect half a ton per acre without much manpower, tools, or fertilizer…"
"But?"
"But we used magic, and the people worked hard. We should get at least one and a half tons per acre—about 225 tons total."
She was beaming.
"And consumption? Storage?"
Her expression turned serious immediately. Impressive speed.
"Well, on average, we need 2 kilograms of grain per person, including children. If we set aside 20% for seed and animals, we're left with around 180 tons. That should be enough for seven months."
"That's good. But didn't I say I'd collect 50% in taxes?"
"Yes, my lord. That's why we'll need one more harvest. It's doable, especially with the extra food—meat and vegetables. But…" she hesitated, "people don't have proper houses yet, so they can't store much themselves."
I sighed. "Alright. We'll handle the first harvest through the manor. Everyone will eat from our stores. For the second harvest, they'll keep all of it."
I need a real advisor.
"I'll go inform everyone immediately!"
"Go."
She rushed off like a whirlwind. She's not the best manager or advisor, but at least she's cute.
I turned to the maid beside me. "Go tell Ellia that the entire harvest will come to the manor. She needs to prepare."
I saw another runner—why does everyone run in this manor?
Oric's POV – Logging Camp
Sigh… there are no animals left near the village anymore. We hunted too much, drove them all off. They've even started attacking more often—no food left for them either.
"Oric, we're heading to the river to fish. The rest will stay here as guards. You coming with us?"
"Nah, you lot go ahead. I'll stay in the camp."
"Sure." He turned away after that and was about to tell something to the others.
That's when we heard something. Noise, deep in the forest.
We all froze, glanced at each other, and grabbed our bows and daggers.
I stood. "Call the others. I'll go check it out."
They nodded, and we split up. I slipped into the trees, moving quietly toward the sound.
What the hell…?
Disgusting green little shits. Goblins. And not just a few—almost thirty of them. Why the fuck are they banding together now?
I backed away and returned to the group.
"Lads, we've got thirty goblins coming. Take positions and get ready. Fire when I give the word."
We hid in the trees, bows drawn. The goblins started trickling out of the forest, one by one.
I waited until they were all out. Ten of us, thirty of them—easy odds if we hit hard and fast.
"Fire!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows flew. Half the goblins dropped instantly. The others screamed like rats.
We fired again. Three volleys. Screams, panic, a few dropped their weapons and ran.
"Tch, these green rats come here almost every day. How many more do we need to kill?" one of the younger hunters said frustratedly.
"Two of you with me—we'll finish the runners."
"You, go inform the lord what happened. The rest of you clean up and bury the dead."
They all answered in unison, "Yes!"
Evander's POV
I sat cross-legged, meditating—but my mind wouldn't settle.
Am I even still a lord? Still a demigod?
Why am I eating the same average meal every day like some peasant? I don't even have anything to pass the time with. Sigh…
I wanted to conquer the world already, to have all the riches and power at my fingertips. But instead, I'm stuck managing food, storage, and goblins.
Before anything else, I really need an advisor. The sisters can follow orders, sure—but they're not suited for the roles I've been giving them.
Maybe Lydia—Oric's wife—would be better at handling logistics and people. I should look into that soon.
A maid came in quietly and knelt.
"My lord, there's been news… Goblins."
I let out a sigh.
"Just follow the usual protocol. Tell Drata what happened and make sure we're prepared if it happens again."
"With all the people working, the harvest should be finished today or tomorrow," I added, more to myself than her. "I doubt it'll be a real problem."
"Yes, I'll tell them right away."
She bowed and rushed out.
Back to meditating, I thought, closing my eyes again.
At least until the next interruption.