"Respectable sir, I don't think it will pose any problem for our small group to live our lives in peace. As long as we could be granted the right to hunt monsters that I'm sure are bound to appear in the vincity, just by selling off the parts of the haul we should be able to not only support ourselves but also pay the due tax and rent for the land we would need for a house."

As surprised as I was with how open and actually kind this man was, just like if he was some kind of tyrant, I couldn't care less. As long as I would have a place to live my life with Eve while discovering all the secrets that stockpiled on my to-do list in the recent days, I was happy with detaching myself from the rest of the world!

"Hey, I never said that I'm willing to remain… Nevermind."

From the moment Celleria opened her mouth, I knew that nothing good would come out of it. That's why, rather than trying to argue with her in the face of the lord or even attempting to scare her off by releasing a bit of my killing intent, I simply grabbed her wrist and squeezed to the point where I could feel her bodes starting to give up.

Thankfully, this silly girl was smart enough to get the meaning behind my subtle message, instantly changing her tone and dropping the topic.

"So you think you are capable of fighting the local monsters? You do realise that if not for the barrier that protects the farmlands, this entire place would be overrun with middle-immortal grade monsters?"

Just the fact that the lord shared this kind of information rather than holding onto it while pushing me into what had to appear as a death sentence to him, spoke wonders about his real character. Obviously, there was a chance that he was for some reason lying, attempting to perform some kind of four-dimensional chess move on me, but I couldn't bother myself with worrying about it.

Like a certain group of game developers that were hosting a stream over the new version of the game they created said, it's one thing to lose a war, but another to lose a war you started! If this man was attempting to play us out, then he would be in for a huge surprise sooner than later!

"Your lordship, I don't think that will pose any trouble for me. While I might not look like it, I have quite a lot of experience when it comes to dealing with beasts. After all, our glorious empire…"

Suddenly stopping, I used my proved tactics of adding tension to the story by refusing to continue it for a moment.

"Our fallen and soon to be rebuilt empire only had to deal with the bests, as no external threat was capable of toppling it!"

One by one, I was slowly adding some details to our fake backstory, making sure to not feed more exposition than absolutely necessary. After all, everyone who ever bothered to read more than just a few isekai mangas knew how boring all the introductions were! Back on earth, it got to a point where I would force my way through the 'adventurers guild' chapters, and only if this small part of the story managed to surprise me in a genuine way, would I give the story a try!

"If that's what you say, then I have no reason not to agree."

Finally putting away the pen that this man was constantly using to write something on the piece of paper in front of him, he actually stood up from his chair, proving that he at least wasn't some kind of former adventurer who had to retire due to taking an arrow in the knee!

After instantly proving that he was still at the current apex of his physical ability, the lord walked to the huge map that was plastered all over the sidewall of his small chamber. Only after starting at this cartographic piece for a long moment, did he suddenly slam his finger into a specific spot, before turning his head back to the trio.

"I think this place will be suitable for your purposes. While it's a bit far from the village itself, you will only need to take a short stroll before passing through the barrier and entering the danger zone. What's more, it's relatively close to my dear brother's lands, where a huge market takes place. Once you gather enough spoils to warrant a two-days long journey, you will be able to make some money there. And since you mentioned rent and tax… Let me think for a bit…"

With his finger leaving a small dent on the thick map, I couldn't stop myself from standing up and approaching the piece in order to see just what kind of place the Lord had in mind. After figuring out what different symbols on this thick piece of cloth meant, I didn't have any troubles portraying the area by comparing it with the sights that I experienced while travelling to the Lord's castle.

"For now, let's forget about the matter of any payments. It will suffice if you will be able to support yourself. After two weeks, if you prove that you can actually make more money than absolutely necessary to survive, I will take two parts out of ten from everything that you make above the minimum required to lead a comfortable life."

Recalling the location that the map in front of me pointed out, I quickly realised that the place offered by the lord was actually top-notch! Not only was there a river nearby allowing quick and easy access to water, but the sights in that place could also easily rival the best sightseeing spots that I knew about from the earth!

But when I heard the next two sentences that the lord actually uttered, I realised that there was something far more important going on that choosing the place where I could live for a while.

Wasn't his way of treating some random guests and possible settlers… A bit too liberal for the bloodthirsty culture of this entire world?