Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

As for Hetia, Ryusha planned to teach her a lesson and make her suffer a bit, then force her to work hard and cooperate on the condition that he wouldn't touch her, so they could get through the difficulties later.

If anyone's to blame, it's that the slave scrolls Kania prepared were of very low quality, but they were the best she could get her hands on.

The road ahead is long and arduous... Just as Liuxia was sighing, there was a knock on the door and a familiar voice.

"Brother Liuxia, are you there?" Mei is busy, Lin Yong is not available, Mei hasn't thought about it...

It was Atina. She hadn't come for several days since she returned, and Ryuka had the feeling that she was avoiding him.

"Long time no see, what's up?" Ryusha gestured for Kania to quickly change back, then opened the door.

"It's about logging permits; we're running out of timber."

Atina remained calm and composed, obediently handing over an application detailing the timber needed to build the row houses and requesting permission from Lord Hetia to cut down trees.

"Did you write this?" Liu Xia asked, somewhat surprised, upon seeing the familiar handwriting.

"Yes."

Atina nodded, her gaze unconsciously drifting into the room, where she spotted Kania getting up from the bedside.

"Although my father had difficulty walking, he was quite respected among the townspeople, so the construction site asked him to be the supervisor."

"I also went to help, preparing meals and such with the aunties. Thanks to the lord's subsidies, these jobs provided some income, and the other children were there too."

“My father calculated that in a few days, we would run out of timber, so he asked me to apply for some.”

As a rare, highly skilled person who can write, this job naturally fell to Atina. Old Maia also said, "If you learn to write, you'll be happy to see it come in handy."

So, will he be happy?

Atina looked at Ryuka, a small expectation in her heart.

"That's amazing! You can even help with the territory's development!" Ryuga happily accepted the application and said that Hetia would sign it later.

"Is there anything else needed at the construction site?"

“There’s nothing for now.” Atina shook her head, her soft hair ruffling. “Everyone is happy. There’s extra income, and it doesn’t interfere with farm work. Everyone says the new lord’s daughter is a really good person.”

As she said this, Atina looked at Ryuka with bright eyes.

"That's good. Oh, by the way, wait for me a moment." Liu Xia suddenly remembered something, went back into the house, and went to find the self-study materials she had prepared for Atina.

"Where did you put it? The house has been such a mess these past few days."

"It's gotten this mess after I haven't cleaned it up for four days..."

At the doorway, Kania leaned against the wall, complaining to Ryusha inside. Only she and Atina remained in front of the door.

“Atina, right? Ryuka often mentions you to me, saying that you are gentle, capable, and filial.”

"Thank you, Miss Kania," Atina said with a slight bow.

"Why are you thanking me? It was Ryuka who said so."

"..."

"You're so beautiful~ How old are you this year?"

"Replying to Miss Kania, I am fifteen years old, a few months younger than Brother Ryuka."

"Make sure you eat well. Your brother Liuxia is now the lord's captain of the guard. If you need anything, just ask him."

Kania was very interested in the pretty little girl and leaned slightly closer to Atina, but Atina took a step back shyly.

"I wouldn't dare trouble Brother Liuxia."

"Uh……"

Even Kania felt a little awkward about Atina's cold attitude. Suddenly, as if she realized something, she made an "Ah~" expression and then smiled at Atina.

She suddenly brought her face close to Atina's ear, a move that instantly tensed Atina, whose expressionless pupils contracted in a flash.

"It's okay~ Your big sister will support you~"

Kania is a loveless witch and has no possessiveness towards Ryuka. Rather, she is happier the more women around Ryuka, the more she wants to increase her magic power.

She didn't care what Atina thought.

After all, there are plenty of noble lovers, and even more warlords and lords. Liu Xia will become one of those people sooner or later, so it's not a problem for her.

What are you talking about?

After working for a while, Liuxia finally found a few notebooks under a pile of documents.

"A girl's secret~" Kania chuckled mischievously, her tone sounding just like a rebellious hot girl.

baffling.

Liu Xia frowned as she looked at the little witch, wondering what kind of trouble she was up to now.

"It was buried under the investigation report on the 'murder of the town mayor,' which made it hard for me to find. Honestly, a dignified militia captain got six out of ten words wrong."

"Huh? Is the mayor dead?" Kania blinked.

"Haven't you heard anything since you came back? If the lord hadn't arrived, this matter would probably have been circulating for a while longer."

"Well, he wasn't a good person anyway, so he's dead. But who did it?"

"I don't know. There are at least a thousand people in the town. There must be at least five hundred to eight hundred people who have a grudge against him."

As Liuxia spoke, she handed the textbook notes to Atina and gave her instructions.

"I'll be a bit busy lately and might not be able to tutor you. Take these books home and study them so you don't fall behind."

Atina stared at the textbook in her hand for two seconds, then nodded.

"It seems Linhu Town is about to produce another talented woman~ Congratulations~ Atina will definitely be a great help in the future development of the territory~"

Kania, like an opera singer, danced and praised the performance in an exaggerated manner.

"Again? Who was the last one?"

"Me? Me? Of course it's me!"

"Brother Liuxia, I'll go back now." Atina suddenly bowed slightly, then turned and left.

"Be careful on the road, Atina."

Ryuka waved her hand, then went back inside and buried herself in her work.

We also need to draw up design plans for the development zone, street planning, and take into account the deployment of logging personnel and the impact on the construction period.

Kania is right. There are too few talented people in the town, and many jobs currently have to be done by herself.

I wonder if, after the princess's people arrive, I can find a way to turn them into my followers, at least those who have special skills and abilities.

Kania looked at Ryusha, who was engrossed in her work, and then at Atina's departing figure, and chuckled like a jovial person.

"Oh~ Where are the boy and girl~"

Chapter 7 Border Conflicts

Half a month later, a simple mini-town has taken shape next to Linhu Town.

Although it is just a simple two-story wooden adobe house, it is enough to keep warm now that the cold winter has passed.

Each wooden cabin is about 20 square meters, and like a dormitory, it is divided into different sizes such as four-person rooms, double rooms, and single rooms.

The road in front of the gate is paved with carefully arranged gravel, and the ground underneath has been carefully compacted. It is neat and comfortable to walk on, much better than the dirt roads in the town that become muddy after rain.

Then there are public toilets and bathrooms, which Liu Xia strongly requested. He's had enough of the hygiene standards in this world. Except for the wealthy and nobles who are somewhat particular, ordinary people simply don't have the energy to care about hygiene, let alone the poor.

Although it wasn't completely finished and the furniture inside hadn't been made, Liu Xia was already quite satisfied with the progress, considering the limited labor force in Linhu Town. When they saw the fruits of their labor, these serfs and commoners couldn't believe that this clean, beautiful, and orderly 'new town' was created by them.

In their eyes, only the city's "engineering" gentlemen could complete such a project.

No one knows who first spread the word, but the phrase "this is the power of unity" quickly went viral among the crowd.

Of course, some people are unhappy; there are people complaining to the tax officials every day.

"That Liuxia guy keeps coming to our door every few days asking for donations! If this keeps up, we might as well sell the land and move to Sochi!"

The forester's daughter, Kania, was recruited as a secretary by Miss Hetia, so the forester became oblivious to everything else. The once prominent figures of Linhu Town then conspired with the tax collector to cross over to Liuxia and complain to the lord's daughter.

"This is Miss Hetia's order."

"I have no choice. I heard that people are coming from the capital. I can't exactly have them move into your house, can I?"

“Go tell her about the young lady’s noble title.”

“We’re all trying our best to serve the ladies, aren’t we, Mr. Tax Officer?”

So the tax official also claimed to be ill, and all the work was transferred to Secretary Kania.

So the wives of these men came out, putting on their elders' faces, saying things like, "Kanya, I even held you when you were little," and lined up to enter Kanya's office—the new lord's mansion located next to the Ryūka family's house.

But afterwards they all left with smiles on their faces, promising to persuade their husbands to make further contributions and donations to the development of Linhu Town.

"Ha—I feel like I'm withering away." Kania lay on the table, looking utterly pathetic.

She had initially vowed to relieve Ryukyu's burdens and took over most of the clerical work, but she soon regretted it.

"How about letting Atina do it? Practice makes perfect, as you said, Ryuka! Let her put what she's learned into practice!" Mei Nelin Mei Yong Ne Kong Mei didn't even think about it...

"She refused herself."

In front of Kania, Ryuka changed into a brand new set of equipment.

He wore a similar knight's uniform to Hetia, but in black and gray, with modified lightweight armor over it, which looked very proper, and a longsword was tucked into his waistband.

These were basically modified versions of cavalry equipment, and this was the first time Ryūka was wearing them.

"It looks really cool... I want to wear cool armor too..." Kania pressed her face against the table, looking at Ryuka who was all dressed up and ready to go, and complained indistinctly, "Can't you really take me with you?"

A few days ago, an incident was reported by a village under the jurisdiction of Linhu Town.

A troop of cavalry appeared in the territory bordering Linhu Town and Sochi City, flying the banners of Sochi City's nobles.

If a noble enters another noble's territory without prior notice, it can easily be considered a hostile incident. Given the sensitive position of Linhu Town in the royal power struggle, Ryusha felt it was still necessary to take Hetia with him on the trip.

"No, if you leave, no one will watch over this place. Only your witch powers can stabilize the town."

"Boring! Boring! Boring!" Kania threw a tantrum like a child, then suddenly grabbed Ryuka's collar. "I don't care! You'd better make it up to me when you get back!"

"Just don't cry and beg for mercy when the time comes." Liu Xia slapped her hand away and gave a mocking smile.

Having now amassed a considerable number of superior points from Linhu Town, Ryuka's physical abilities have reached a new level. Even if Kania transforms into her witch form, subduing her would be a piece of cake.

"Minion Witch" became Ryuka's private nickname for Kania.

Of course, there is another person who has also been nicknamed, namely 'Jet Rider' Hetia.

Since being properly "taught a lesson" by Ryūsha, Hetia has become much more obedient, diligently serving as Ryūsha's puppet and revealing all the information she knew. On weekdays, as Ryūsha requested, she selected some "good kids" from Linhu Town for training, preparing them to replace the previously useless militia.

However, Ryuka understood that it was too early to truly subdue this female knight; who knew what kind of trouble she might cause once the princess's people arrived.

“Let’s go, Miss Hetia.”

Once outside, Hetia was already fully prepared and had been waiting for Ryūka on horseback. This mission would be just the two of them. Being alone with Ryūka made her extremely uncomfortable, but despite her reluctance, Hetia had no choice but to accept it.

Who told her to kill all the cavalry she brought...?

Each person has three horses, one to carry equipment, and the other two to ride in rotation. It will take less than three days to reach the outskirts of the territory.

Ryusha was not used to riding horses and initially experienced some bumps and pain, which made Hetia feel contemptuous. However, she soon discovered that the boy had stopped complaining.

It wasn't that I mastered riding a horse, but rather that I got used to enduring the discomfort.

When setting up camp at night, Hetia was worried that Ryusha would order her to do something degrading, but the boy simply asked her for tips on camping in the wild, or even interesting stories about life in the knightly army.

Nothing was said as night fell. Ryuga behaved like a competent soldier. If it weren't for his young age and short stature, Hetia would have thought he was even better than the senior students at the military academy.

Hetia took the first watch at night, and then handed it over to Ryukatsu for the rest of the night. When the morning sun woke Hetia, Ryukatsu had already extinguished the campfire and fed the six horses.

Finally, on the second night, Hetia poked at the campfire, watching the sparks fly, and couldn't help but speak.

What are you planning?

"Ok?"

Ryusha handed the freshly grilled meat and bread to Hetia. Since the last "lesson," Hetia had become much more obedient. The two lived in peace, each doing their own work, and had less contact with each other. Hetia had never again called him "master" in such a humiliating way.

Looking at her furrowed brows, Liu Xia pondered the meaning of her words.

"Ah~ You're surprised that I didn't do anything to you when we were alone in private, right?"

Hearing Ryuka's irreverent tone, Hetia bit her lip, her spirited eyes fixed on the boy who was a head shorter than her.