The Human Saint is Bored, so I was Summoned to Another World

The Mahan School of Swordsmanship (Part 2)

***Sometime later...***

High above the slopes of the cliffs overlooking the village of Hagena was the castle of the local liege Baron Sir Nathan Willis Gray. Just like the people from the houses below, Sir Gray was also a refugee hailing from Nerfes to escape the Bloody Witch.

Well, that was before. Now, his loyalty lies with the king of Calabria, and for his services to him, he was given the small fief of Hagena and its surrounding land to govern.

"..."

However, the times had certainly changed a lot, and so was his standing with the current monarch. Politics had taken root on him, and he was often forced to come to the capital to fix things so that he won't be surprised by his many, yet hidden, enemies.

And this was one moment that Sir Gray was free to come home to his fief.

Without a wife or a child to oversee things for him, he had to rely on a secretary to take care of things while he was away. But now that he had arrived, his assistant came running to him even before he could alight his carriage.

"Welcome back, my liege!" the middle-aged secretary greeted him the moment he opened the door.

"Ah, good to see you alive and well, Hanson." Sir Gray replied in his usual boisterous manner, "Is everything okay back here?"

"Of course, my liege." Hanson answered, "However, there are some things I'd like to call your attention to."

"Hmm? Such as?"

The secretary then pulled a piece of paper from his coat and began reading its contents before Sir Gray, "To begin with, the tax collected from the local fishermen had gone lower this season than the previous."

"Oh? Why?"

"They say the seas were pretty rough than it was before, so they can't go to the deeper areas."

"Hmm...it's what they always reason out when they want to keep a huge part of the catch for themselves." Sir Gray quickly dismissed the explanation, "Tell Sir Humphrey to enforce a more stringent tax until the deficit has been covered."

"Right. I'll note that."

"Alright, what's the second concern?"

"Err...this is connected to the first problem. It's about a new arrival in the village."

"New arrival? Someone came and settled there?"

"Yes, my liege. The guards reported it was a beautiful girl from Colveente, and she's extremely skilled with the sword."

"Hoh..." Sir Gray nodded as if he understood, "That's pretty rare, I should say. Hope she enjoys the place. What's the problem with her?"

"Well, she established a sword school. For a while now, the guards have been taking combat lessons with her, and other people from the neighboring lands are also coming to learn of her techniques."

"I can't see any problem with that, as long as the guards are shelling out their money for their training. Why don't we tax it as well?"

The secretary stared at his lord as if waiting for some other reaction. However, Sir Gray continued to check and nitpick on the state of his castle. So Hanson took the matter to him once again.

"Sire, are you not concerned about this girl?"

"Is there anything about her that interests me, aside from her beauty and sword skills?"

Hanson wanted to click his tongue in dismay, but he kept his cool over his clueless lord, "Sire, don't you think this girl is a threat? She could teach those guards and the villagers how to fight, and by the time you realize it, they may revolt against you! Besides, if this matter reached the ears of His Majesty the King, I doubt he'll remain unsuspicious; after all, who needs the skill with the sword when war is forbidden?"