In this crossover anime, many ruthless and powerful figures reside in my territory.

Some were washing clothes by the canal, some were weaving things by hand, and some were cleaning the streets and houses.

Almost everyone here is a woman, because the men have gone to other places to do heavy work.

"Those irrigation canals bring in water from the Red Maple River for domestic use and irrigation of farmland."

"I'm so glad I found this great place, and all the land in Red Maple Territory will be very fertile in the future, and the people living here will be healthier."

Lister touched the small silver flower entwined around his fingertip, and the flower nodded as if promising to keep its promise.

As Liszt and Ban entered the town, they were quickly noticed by the townspeople.

Liszt smiled and nodded to them. They instinctively wanted to kneel down to pay their respects, but realized what he meant and immediately changed their posture to a bow.

Ban noticed their reaction.

"They're used to it."

"In this world, contract citizens are required to kneel when they encounter nobles."

“They were all indentured servants, which is to put it simply, slaves. Because they haven’t yet come out of their past identities, they often use the wrong etiquette.”

Lister explained.

All the orcs in Red Maple Territory were once contracted citizens, but now they are all free citizens.

Ban remembered what Cortini had once told him, and now he had a new idea.

"Because they're easy to exploit?"

"……indeed so."

Lister looked straight ahead and spoke in a calm, emotionless tone.

Ultimately, what people pursue in life is nothing more than a sense of belonging and a sense of value.

Simply put, the former is about living comfortably, while the latter is about feeling that what you do is valuable.

"In this world, orcs are the possessions of the nobles."

“I gave them the status of free citizens, allowing them to live in Red Maple Town without discrimination, which gave them a sense of belonging.”

"Then I gave them the opportunity to learn writing and technology, and gave them land so that the fruits of their labor could belong to them, which gave them a sense of value."

"Those who have gained a sense of belonging and value because of me naturally have immense respect for me, and are even willing to give their lives for me."

"And all I gave in return was a small favor."

Ban certainly understood what Liszt meant.

Give hope to those in despair, and you will become their most grateful benefactor.

However, he is even better at instilling despair in people.

"What about the other humans?"

"Why are they willing to come to Red Maple Territory? Why are they willing to be free citizens alongside the so-called orcs?"

Liszt let out a long breath.

"It's very simple. Some people fall in love with orcs, some are loyal old servants of the Eller family, and some are of low status who want to try their luck in a new territory."

"As far as I know, the Kingdom of Rennes has not expanded its territory for more than a hundred years, and the interests of the existing territories have long been divided up by nobles and the rich."

"In short, the fewer than seventy free citizens who are loyal to the Eller family are my greatest asset in governing this territory."

"Oh, right, my full name is Lister Eller, Eller is my surname."

"Just call me by my name."

Ban didn't ask any more questions. It sounded like the Eller family was a large family. So why would Lister come to the border to reclaim wasteland?

Since he has the support of his family, he must not have come here because he was suppressed.

"Go this way."

When the two arrived at the spacious central square, Lister pointed to another road, a road that did not lead to Red Maple Castle.

"Because the morning's results were very good, we will have lunch in the mess hall inside the soldiers' training center."

"It's like a victory celebration."

Is that why we invited him?

Subconsciously, Ban recalled the time when he was the clan chief during the Warring States period.

After each major victory, he would organize a celebration banquet for the Uchiha clan.

Do older people tend to reminisce about the past?

Ban walked silently alongside Lister toward the training grounds.

The two walked across the stone path and arrived at the soldiers' training camp.

Limited by the fact that the territory had just been developed and that the troops supported by Liszt's father had left with a large amount of food, Red Maple Territory could only supply fifty soldiers who were not engaged in production, while the rest were basically engaged in labor and hunting.

Judging from the size of the land designated for the training area, it should be able to accommodate over a thousand people.

Just as Lister and Ban entered the training ground, a rabbit-eared maid came up to them.

"Lord Lister, Mr. Ban, the luncheon is ready."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Nadia."

The rabbit-eared maid Nadia smiled and leaned forward, then led the two into the main dining hall.

The mess hall was a large, empty room built of wood, large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, and fifty soldiers were already seated.

The round table furthest from the stove was where Lister and the others would sit. Knight Commander Morag and the guards, including Reina, had already arrived.

Seeing the steaming hot food, Ban felt a surge of appetite.

After all, he hadn't eaten anything since he hid underground, and had relied entirely on the Outer Path Statue for nutrition.

"Mr. Ban, please have a seat."

Lister gave up his side to Madara Uchiha.

Everyone else stood up and bowed, having witnessed firsthand the formidable fighting prowess of this seemingly elderly man that morning.

After everyone was seated, Lister looked around and spoke loudly.

"First of all, I want to thank you all for not backing down in the face of more than six hundred gnoll troops. You are all the best soldiers in Red Maple Territory, the sharp blade protecting everyone in Red Maple Territory!"

"I also want to thank another person."

"Without him, I might have died on the battlefield."

Madara Uchiha sensed the soldiers' gazes; he hadn't expected Lister to say something like that at this moment.

He had a stern, old face, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

"I hereby declare that this Mr. Ban will forever enjoy the highest treatment of a Red Maple Territory officer."

"This is to express my gratitude!"

Lister saw the longing in the soldiers' eyes.

"Of course, I hope that more people will receive this honor in the future."

"We'll be having countless more celebration banquets like this in the future!"

"Alright, let the feast begin! There's plenty of meat this time!"

After the brief speech, it was time for everyone to have their meal, which they had all been looking forward to.

The soldiers, who were already starving, picked up spoons and began scooping fish soup and various kinds of meat.

Although they can eat meat every day, they can only eat as much as they want at the victory celebration.

The rewards from a major battle are the most inspiring.

Seeing the soldiers start scrambling to eat, Lister nodded and sat down.

The officers at their table naturally wouldn't be so unrefined; whether it was Morag, who had received knightly training, or Lena and the other guards, they all ate very politely.

"Mr. Ban, come and try some fresh fish soup."

"There's also cured ham and boiled eggs here."

"Bread and egg tarts are also available."

Ban picked up the simple chopsticks and tasted some.

It looks a bit rough, but it tastes great.

He didn't realize that the soldiers were using knives and forks, while Lister's table was using a mix of knives, forks, and chopsticks.

Warm and delicious food goes down the esophagus into the stomach, and a faint warmth spreads from the abdomen to the whole body.

I feel alive.

"Mr. Ban, the food in our Red Maple Town is delicious, isn't it?"

"These meat products are all from wild boar, pheasant, and rabbit hunted by hunters, and the fish soup is made from freshwater fish caught from the Red Maple River."

"The bread is made from wheat grown in the fields, while the various desserts are made from ingredients obtained through trade."

Lister meticulously described the ingredients used in each dish to Madara Uchiha.

You could tell from his expression that he was genuinely happy and proud.

"Unfortunately, there are still many areas that are not yet perfect."

Lister took out a bottle of red wine and poured a glass for Ban.

The dark red wine was poured into an exquisite stemmed glass, reflecting the faces of the two people.

No, it should be said like this—

"There are still many areas that can be improved."

Lister picked up his glass and gestured to Ban, who instinctively clinked glasses with him.

"In the future, Red Maple Town will become Red Maple City. It will grow bigger and more beautiful, and it will be the best place on this continent."

"clang."

The wine trembled slightly before sliding down Lister's throat.