Chapter 1: Ever-Changing
“One day... One day, I suddenly realized. A couple of dogs of mine are skilled enough to freely slip out of their collar and go off on walks all on their own,” Count Maximillion Shander said with some distaste, crumpling up a piece of parchment he had been reading.
Gerhard still wasn’t quite sure who or what his lord was referring to yet, so he just gave him a quiet nod and waited for his next words.
“However, those dogs always come back home when it’s feeding time, and it’s not like I ever have to worry about them biting or injuring someone. I can leave them be without issue. At least for now. But I certainly wouldn’t call that a healthy relationship.”
“It seems like those dogs might be going off to the neighbors for extra treats as well,” said Gerhard, beginning to understand what Maximillion was getting at.
Maximillion gave Gerhard a faint smile. That somewhat derogatory metaphor of his was referring to none other than Lutz and Claudia. The two of them were currently moving at the behest of the third princess of the kingdom, Listill Wollscheid, and they had also deepened their connections with Marquis Eldenburger. Still, none of that came at Maximillion’s request. Even if all of those things were likely to be a net positive for the Shander domain, having those two move about so freely was still a cause for concern.
However, at the moment, he was unable to scold them for their actions or bring them to a halt. Crumpled up in his hands was a letter from Marquis Eldenburger, requesting Maximillion’s cooperation. Improving the state of international trade could bring great prosperity to all of the domains of the kingdom. For the time being, it didn’t seem like there was any choice but to give them a long leash.
Lutz had never done anything but bring value to the Shander domain. Maximillion’s own katana had been forged by Lutz, and his plan to turn the Shander domain into a mass producer of quality katana was only possible with Lutz’s cooperation. Maximillion’s recent connections with the Marquis and the royal family were also all centered around the splendid work of t