Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master

Considering how close those two seemed to be, I thought about portraying them together, just as I had done with Arina and Mary.

‘Hold on… why not include Eote, Sir Rosie, and Carrot as well? I could create a neoclassical-style group portrait and display one in the High Tower’s training ground and one at the company.’

The thought sent a thrill of excitement through me as I made an appointment with them.

“I’ll schedule it as soon as possible. When you come, could you wear your combat gear as if you were on the battlefield? If possible, bring along monster corpses in their original form.”

“Hahaha! I like it. Consider it done.”

“Just hearing it makes me excited.”

Hearing my firm response, Balzac and Sun smiled brightly.

“Well, I have training to attend, so I’ll be off.”

“Same here. I have patrol duty.”

And with that, they disappeared as swiftly as people with pressing business.

“?”

I glanced around, feeling as though a storm had passed.

‘Did Isabelle leave already?’

After seeing off Balzac and Sun, I had intended to approach Isabelle, but she had vanished without a trace.

“We’re done changing.”

“…Me too.”

Instead, Arina and Mary, who had just finished changing, entered the room.

“!!”

Even in the dead of winter, it suddenly felt like spring had arrived.

“Wooooow…! You both look absolutely stunning. Truly beautiful.”

Both of them were wearing dresses that noble young ladies of their age might wear.

Arina wore a blue silk dress, while Mary was dressed in a red gown tailored from luxurious fabric.

“Is it really that beautiful…?”

“…”

At my compliment, both Arina and Mary’s faces turned red at the same time.

‘Ohohohoho!’

Their expressions were so incredibly charming that I immediately started moving my pen.

Since I was only sketching, I was able to leave work before sunset.

Mary said she would head straight home to her residence within the inner castle, so we parted ways. I, on the other hand, returned home with the help of the servants provided by the High Tower.

For the record, my home was a three-story building that also served as the main headquarters of Arad Company, located within the High Tower.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been back to headquarters.”

The Arad Company building, situated between the outer walls of the High Tower and the inner castle, hadn’t been used much lately.

Most of my work was done at the industrial complex, so I ended up eating, sleeping, and living there for the most part.

“Bring it up here.”

“Yes, sir.”

After arriving at the headquarters, I went straight to the third floor.

The servants from the High Tower followed behind me, carrying canvases.

“Put them both here.”

The third floor was where my personal space was, including my bed and desk. I instructed the servants to place the two sketch canvases in the center of the room.

“You’ve done well. Here, take this.”

“Thank you very much, sir!”

I handed each of the servants a small tip in copper coins.

With bright smiles on their faces, the servants bowed deeply before leaving with light footsteps.

After tossing my fur coat roughly onto the desk, I went back down to the first floor.

“Welcome back, boss.”

A young employee, who served as the building manager, was waiting on the first floor.

He was in charge of maintaining the cleanliness of the building and managing the stables.

In short, he was also a security guard.

Originally, he was a servant assigned to me by the High Tower, but I had taken a liking to his name and his work ethic, so I hired him directly.

“Jarvis, did anything unusual happen while I was gone?”

“Nothing at all, sir. It’s been pure peace and quiet.”

At Jarvis’s response, I decided to bring a little “excitement” into his peaceful life.

“I’d like to take a bath. Could you fill the water on the second floor?”

“Well… there isn’t enough water in the building right now. I’d have to go to the well to fetch it…”

Sure enough, the peaceful expression on his face cracked.

Naturally, building managers in this world didn’t just sit around guarding doors. They had to take on odd jobs too.

While it wasn’t their job to do major cleaning, they were still expected to handle basic dusting. If it snowed, they had to clear the area around the building.

When I was present, they also had to fetch water for cooking and bathing.

On top of that, they were responsible for emptying the chamber pots and ensuring there were goose feathers ready for wiping.

“Of course, it would be hard for you to do it alone. Here, take this.”

If someone only heard that description, they might think Jarvis was being punished for some crime.

Even at the tail end of a medieval era, doing all those tasks alone would be difficult.

“With this money, you can hire the neighborhood kids to help. You can keep whatever’s left.”

“!”

I handed him a pouch filled with silver coins. Peace returned to Jarvis’s face.

“I’ll head there immediately.”

This was what you call “flexible employment.”

I only had one full-time employee — Jarvis. But he was a High Tower native.

If he walked just a few steps outside the building, he’d see familiar faces everywhere.

With just a promise of 2 copper coins per person to help draw water, he could easily round up five kids in no time.

‘Whether it’s Earth or a fantasy world, everything becomes more convenient with money.’

The only reason the medieval era is uncomfortable is because people don’t have enough money.

If you don’t have home appliances or smartphones, just hire several people to fill those roles.

If security is shaky, hire mercenaries.

If you need power, just mass-produce miraculous items and win the favor of the king.

Power comes from your wallet.

‘Long live the max-level jack-of-all-trades.’

If I really put my mind to it, I could create Earth-style plumbing, baths, and toilets. But since I had human “smartphones” like Jarvis, it wasn’t a priority for now.

Jarvis would soon fill up the water tank in the second-floor bathroom-kitchen combo.

Warming up that water with magic stones would take at least 3 to 4 hours.

While I waited, I headed back to the third floor to continue working on my paintings.

‘First, I’ll complete the Romanticism version.’

There were two sketch canvases I’d brought back from the High Tower.

Both were quite large, about half the size of a school blackboard.

‘I need to capture the lingering afterglow of the two young ladies’ blushing faces while it’s still fresh in my mind.’

I set up the paints I’d made the day before using my alchemy skills and picked up a brush.

“…”

Since this had been a long-term project, I finally found myself entering a state of deep concentration.

How much time had passed?

By the time half of the once-blank canvas had been filled with color…

Knock knock knock

“Boss! Everything’s ready. The water is warm now.”

With a knock at the door, I heard Jarvis’s voice.

“Got it. You can head home for the day.”

“Understood!”

“Oh, and one more thing! From now on, unless I give specific instructions, do not enter my bedroom. I’m working on an important project, and it’s dangerous.”

“Understood!”

With my concentration broken, I stood up and made my way to the second floor.